The Cats that Stalked a Ghost by Karen Anne Golden

its side with its contents strewn across the floor. 
    He was so intoxicated, his hands shook when he reached in his pocket for a pack of Marlboros.  Opening the box, he plucked one out with his teeth, and struggled to strike a match to light it. Having mastered that task, he lit his cigarette, then flicked the still-burning match.  It landed very close to a pile of oily rags.  Taking a long drag, he inhaled deeply, then blew the smoke out, through his nose.  He thought he heard someone talking, farther back in the basement.
    “Katz?  Are you back there?” he slurred.
    Russell Krow suddenly appeared in the doorway.  His hair was tousled, and his black suit had a patch of dust on the front lapel.  He didn’t notice Jacky at first.  He was too busy brushing the dust off his jacket.  With the other hand, he held a laptop computer.
    “Who are you?” Jacky demanded.
    “You startled me,” Russell said nervously, rubbing his hand through his hair.  “I hate to tell you this, but the wedding is over.  Everyone’s headin’ to the reception.  Need a lift?”
    “That doesn’t tell me what you’re doin’ down here, does it?” Jacky asked belligerently.
    “Listen, I’m in a hurry.  I’ve got to get to the armory to take more pictures.”
    Jacky was sober enough to know something was off with this guy.  “So why are you still here?”
    “I left my laptop down here.”
    “Why would you leave it in a dusty, old basement?” Jacky persisted.
    “I best be off,” Russell said, heading for the classroom door.  “See ya.”
    Jacky started to follow him, but teetered, and almost fell.  The room was whirling around him.  He grasped the stair handrail for balance.  He thought, What an eejit, I am.  I was headin’ to the weddin’, but that bloke at the pub kept buyin’ me pints.  What did he say his name was? Sammie?  Sam? I think the arse was deliberately delayin’ me so I wouldn’t come.
    Sitting down, he smoked more of his cigarette, lurched forward and passed out.  The cigarette fell from his hand and rolled toward the rags, providing double whammy to a very unsafe situation — flammable material next to the gas water heater. 
    When the explosion happened, Jacky didn’t know what hit him.  The shock wave flung him through an open door and into a smaller room.  The thick, limestone inner wall protected him from the fire and serious injury. 
    The loud noise woke him out of his stupor.  At first he thought he was just fine, but when he tried to get up, Jacky realized he couldn’t walk.  The pain in his leg was debilitating.  “Shite,” he cursed.  From the next room, he thought he heard a woman cry out in pain.  “Help me,” she cried, then was quiet.
    “Katz,” Jacky yelled.  “Stay where you are.  I’ll come and get you.”

Chapter Eleven
    The mechanical room was full of bricks, boards, and jagged shrapnel from the exploded water heater and other debris.  The door to the classroom was blocked by an overhead structural beam.  Fire danced into the room, and reared its ugly head to the office and sunporch above.
    Upstairs, the only people remaining in the house were Jake and Elsa.  Everyone else had left for the reception.
    When the blast occurred, Jake was in the atrium.  Recovering from the shock of the blast, he shouted upstairs to Elsa.  “Are you okay?”
    Elsa appeared on the top step.  “Yes, I’m fine,” she said, in a voice bordering on hysteria.  “What happened?”
    Ignoring Elsa’s question, Jake asked desperately.  “Is Katz up there?”
    “No, when you went outside with your grandparents, Katz said for me to tell you she’d gone to the basement — ”
    Jake abruptly cut her off.  “Elsa, put the cats in their carriers, and get out of the house.  I’ll get Scout’s and Abra’s and meet you out front.”
    Dashing into the living room, he slid on the front metal gate of the cat carrier.  Somehow it had detached from the carrier itself.  When