The First Clue

It's been well over a year since I met Jim. He and his wife Mary have been gradually getting to know us and are becoming involved in our lives. Aside from the growing friendship, I've discovered that Jim and myself have several common interests one of which is understanding the long and rich history of our town and what drives and influences it's many functions. Daily life in our town on the surface seems no different than that of any other small town. Occasionally though, there is the odd occurrence that is simply too difficult to explain. We meet in various capacities throughout each month. There's the business of community re-development task force that is commonplace for a town such as ours. Then there's the purely social encounters, many of which center around a really good cup of coffee at the coffee shop atop the hill. Jim doesn't drink coffee so in those coffee sessions, it's his job to represent the tea drinkers and sarsaparilla crowd. Finally, there are the meetings we have out on our deck at the resort. These are the meetings where we can speculate, and brainstorm without the trappings of social convention. Simply put, we can discuss ideas that would never be considered plausible or even possible in any normal environment or circumstance. It was at one of these early morning discussions that we believe we may have scratched the surface of something so outlandish that only the most conspiracy driven minds would be willing to comprehend.

This morning, Jim had Joey in tow..... or perhaps it was the other way around. I've discovered that it's mostly Joey that takes Jim for a walk in the mornings. Joey being the 2 pound Yorkie that is pretty sure he's a Rottweiler. Joey likes to bring Jim to our deck because there are treats here that he can perform for. We try not to make Jim perform for treats. Although I think there are days when the smoker on the deck is cooking that he just might.

We were on the subject of the hidden forces that seemed to influence decisions and directions in our town and really having no luck putting our finger on any one thing. It was then that we had our first subtle hint that perhaps it was something we had never considered. Joey was the key to our potential discovery. Without any warning, he let out a low growl. This was followed by an explosive bolt to the edge of the deck where he strained at his leash and pressed his head deeply between the deck spindles to see down onto the parking lot. Certainly it must have been just another dog. But there were no dogs in site, and no dog handlers either. What was it that sparked this surge of energy and intensity?

We laughed at the ferocity of Joey's outbreak. Jim said that he act's that way around the neighborhood cats back on the other side of town. Even though he tries to get at them and chase them, he seems to know better than to actually catch one. Partly because they are all bigger than he is, but partly because they also wield fierce weapons hidden deep within those furry paws of theirs. They are sort of the conceal and carry version of the animal world.

Sure enough, there it was, slinking around the dumpster. A cat! It was looking up at Joey with disdain in it's eyes. How can you detect disdain in a cat? It's really pretty easy.....They're all that way. They look at you as if to say “ Just stay where you are and nobody gets hurt!”

I had seen this cat before. It was a white and gray that likes to hang out at the various docks down on our side of town. Today was different though. After staring Joey down, he looked up at me as if to say, “The same goes for you buddy! …........ And the same for your friend sitting there with you!” Jim noticed it too. We looked at each other as Joey ran from one vantage point to another completely winding his leash into a knot round our legs and the legs of the deck furniture. Surly it was just our imagination. Did that cat really just threaten us? We contemplated this in a moment of silence. Jim spoke first. “You know...... Joey sometimes takes me up the hill past a place where there are many cats. In fact, you really have to stop and look closely to see them. They hide and look out from seclusion. I think it's a bit of a game for Joey, but I enjoy the “count the cats” routine as much as he seems to.”

Then the next clue presented itself....................................................