Murder at the Art Gallery Read online

  But becoming a cat…

  He wouldn’t remember anything of it. And life as a cat couldn’t be terrible. It would only be for fifteen years- a fraction of the time he’d otherwise spend in the netherworld. He thought of being a fluffy house cat. He’d never have to work. Free meals, attention from someone who would love him. He’d just laze around for the span of his life.

  Maybe it wouldn’t be terrible.

  Roger pictured himself small and soft, curled into the lap of a loving child while sun from a nearby window warmed his fat, well-fed belly.

  He summoned Colin.

  “Colin, I've made my decision. I'm going to go with your suggestion and live out the remainder of this earth life as a house cat. I'm not going to lie to you, I think this is very strange, but inasmuch as I've no idea what goes on in the netherworld, I got a feeling it's going to be a lot like my old life, or worse. These days that I've been alone I admit, looking back on my old life, it wasn't that hot to begin with. I could have made better choices, done things differently, but I wasn't educated and never had much guidance. I just emulated my father. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.”

  “Roger, I'm glad you chose the cat life. I understand perfectly that on the surface, it truly doesn't seem like much, but it will go quickly and then you can get your wings. However Roger, I must tell you that for every day that passes here in the waiting room ten years have passed by on earth and now we're seventy years into the future.”

  “What? You mean to tell me that while I've been here, life has been passing me by? Why didn't you tell me that this was happening, why didn't you explain everything? Is there anything else you've left out,? Is there going to be another shoe that's going to drop?”

  “Roger, you needed to detox. Now be completely honest with me and with yourself, have you not had great revelations about yourself and your life in the past week? Have you not seen yourself in a way that you've never seen yourself before? Have you not seen all the things you could have done better, that you shouldn't have done at all? Tell me that didn't happen and I will apologize for forgetting to mention the time difference.”

  Roger rubbed his chin and sighed.

  No, you're right, I've viewed my life with more clarity and seen all of the things that never worked for me, I’ve seen more here than I had my whole life.”

  “That's the purpose of the waiting station, you’re here to reinvent yourself. The time difference doesn't matter because your time down there is going to be brief. Think about it, only a day and a half will go by here while you're living your new life down there, and then you'll be back here, exactly where you left off. But you'll be going to the next level of your evolution. The cat existence is a minor detour, but your presence will bring joy and happiness to a person's life, a person that needs you, Roger, to be in their life.”

  “I don't know how I'm going to bring joy to another person. How am I going to adapt to the future?”

  “Roger, you're going to be a cat and all you need to know is you're going to be living in a house and somebody is going to take care of you, and you're going to take care of them just by being a cat. I know that doesn't make any sense, but believe me, it will take care of itself. I will step in from time to time to make sure that things are working out for you.”

  “What could possibly go wrong?”

  “Nothing, really, but there might be a few hiccups now and then. Just little tweaks that are needed to make things harmonious. I've found someone who is going to be very much in tune with you, so you'll have the best possible life there. It's not a random event where just anybody is going to take you. A certain somebody is going to take you.”

  “You already know who this person is.”

  “Yes, while you've been here detoxing, I've been doing my homework.”

  “Even though it's seventy years into the future?”

  “Roger, trust me, I'm a guardian angel, I have certain abilities that are stronger than those of any mere mortal. No matter how far in the future it is, I've found a great lady to take care of you.”

  “Is she cute?”

  “Roger her physical appearance is not germane to the issue, because you'll be a cat, however to answer your question with the same colloquial expression of your vernacular, yes, she is “cute”.”

  “Colin, why can't you speak English like everybody else?”

  Colin rolled his eyes and shook his head. “That was English, Roger.”

  “Okay, I trust you found somebody good to take care of me as a cat. I'm still confused, I don't know what I'm in for and knowing that I'm dead is not making things any easier.”

  Roger looked at Colin, an eyebrow raised.

  “So how does this cat thing work? Is it going to hurt? do I have to drink something to turn into a cat?”

  “No Roger, nothing like that. You are a spirit and you will inhabit the body of a cat. The moment that happens, you will forget that you're Roger Fahey, former NYPD detective and become Roger the cat. By the same token, that cat body will be transformed by your spirit. You may be bigger than most cats. You'll think cat-like things and act like a cat. Every now and then you may do something that is peculiar for a cat, because that will be your spirit coming through. But you won't be aware of it, it will just happen.”

  “Alright, let's get this over with, and start my life as a cat, 'cause otherwise, I may back out of it.”

  “That's the spirit!” said Colin.

  Chapter One

  I was racked with guilt and grief as I spread the Tarot cards for the twentieth time. Each time, there were slight variations but the message was basically the same: this was the beginning of a positive change that would benefit me.

  I'd been doing tarot cards for over fifteen years and I knew the cards weren’t lying to me.. I was just punishing myself for the move I was finally about to take. Life had been kind of hard for me, Mandy Cummings, for the past ten years.

  My beautiful Fluffy died seven years ago. Fluffy was my angora cat who'd been with me for just about forever. However, all good things have to come to an end, and Fluffy held on as much as possible, but he finally had to throw in the towel. He passed, and his death left a gaping hole in my heart.

  I couldn’t bring myself to replace Fluffy with another cat. Which is what all this commotion with the Tarot cards had been about.

  My friend Jill, who is the most well-meaning person on earth, even if she's sometimes clueless how she may be affecting people, tried to get me a cat. She worked part time at an animal shelter, and after the first year of Fluffy's death, she tried to convince me to get another cat. She just couldn’t understand that this wasn’t like getting a new washing machine, when the old one broke. Non-cat people never understood.

  Even seven years after Fluffy died, Jill urged me to move on. “Fluffy would understand. He’d smile down on you from heaven if you adopted another kitty.”

  I preferred creatures to humans. But it wasn’t always that way.

  One morning, five years ago, my husband left for work. A morning like any other. I’d made a pot of coffee and curled up with a book in my hands, and Fluffy in my lap. I sat on the padded bench beneath our bay window. The sun streamed in though the blinds, and warmed my arms, as well as Fluffy’s belly. I wasn’t expecting a call. I wasn’t expecting anything.

  But I got the call. The call a person dreads their entire life. I knew even before I picked up the phone. My hands shook, and Fluffy wrapped his tail around my leg in a fashion that I took to be protective.

  The voice on the other end was so far away. It was like I was at the top of a deep well, and the man on the phone was so far beneath me. But I heard his words: “Daniel’s dying, Mandy. You’d better come quick.”

  I don’t remember how I got to the hospital. The moments between when I heard the news and when I arrived at his room were blurred in my brain. An amalgamation of colors and sounds. Nothing to them, really.

  He was dead by the time I arrived. Covered in a white sh
eet in a hospital bed. So small, shrunken.

  He had been on his way to work and had collapsed outside of his office building. Heart attack at forty-eight. No history of heart disease.

  People don’t just die like that. At least, in my world they didn’t. But Daniel did. The person I loved most in my life died, and I was alone. I determined never to re-marry, or date. These wounds ran deep and even Jill knew better than to cross that line. She had thankfully been mum suggesting anything about male companionship. Besides, I had my friends. They weren't going anywhere and no one has disappeared from my life since then.

  I flipped another card. I hoped that they wouldn’t indicate that a new cat was a good option. Maybe that was just the coward in me talking. I felt guilty that I was betraying my Fluffy whenever I even looked at any other cat that I thought was even cute on social media or on the web. Now, Jill had finally talked me into actually going down to the animal shelter and picking out a new cat. She said there was no pressure, if by chance I didn't like it after a couple of days I could always bring it back, I was not committed to keeping it.

  However, I may have to bring it back. I had no idea how I would react when I brought a new cat into the house. A kitten, would be too much work. I needed a young cat that was going to stick around for a while. I also hated the idea of having to bring back some poor animal if it didn't work out. I would be heartbroken if that happened. This was really hard on me.

  I gathered the courage to get away from the desk, from the tarot cards and go to the animal shelter. The cards had suggested that today would be a good day. At least, I had that in my favor. I also had in my favor that today that Jill had put up a sign that said the animal shelter was opening late, so I would have the place to myself for a half hour

  I looked for my car keys and fought my habit of many years of turning the television set on for Fluffy before I left. I had the silly idea that he would feel like he had a companion that way.

  I left the house and electronically unlocked my car. I opened the door and slid in. I looked at myself in the rear view mirror, since I'd forgotten to do so at home, I was so pre-occupied with going to the animal shelter. But as I looked in the rear-view mirror, my brown eyes looked back at me and I could see that my auburn, shoulder length hair was in place and I was wearing a blouse and skirt that wouldn’t embarrass me in public.

  One of the things that set me apart from most of the people in this town was that I did tarot card readings professionally and also created astrology charts for requesting customers. In my small town and county, I was known as the tarot card lady, since I mostly did these at restaurants and at the mall. From these readings I would also get clients that would hire me to do astrological charts. When Daniel had been alive it was great because this was a way for me to bring in some extra money and do something I really loved. Daniel had been very supportive of me and knew that this was important to me.

  Since Daniel had died, things had been difficult for me financially. He’d set up a living revocable trust and had done well managing our finances. Still, it wasn’t enough for me to live on. I had to work as a temp to make ends meet. I wanted a full-time position, but the market was saturated with young professionals, and I wasn’t exactly one or the other. I’d been a stay-at-home wife who worked with Tarot cards and astrology on the side. I hadn’t anticipated that I’d need full-time work.

  My literature degree didn't amount to much in today's world. I would get jobs as an admin and as office manager but they were always temporary jobs. Some would last for months, but they never hired me in full-time. Lately though, I’d felt my fortune was about to turn. My current place of employment seemed as though they would offer me a full- time position. I could then have enough money for everything on a regular basis.

  It was hard to not distract myself. I had so much on my mind. I turned the car on and headed to the shelter. I couldn’t put this off any longer. As I placed my hands on the steering wheel, a call came in on my phone. Jill.

  “Hey, I was calling just in case you had changed your mind.”

  “No Jill, I'm in the car right now and I'm getting ready to head over. I appreciate you letting me in early.”

  Jill said, “Okay. I just wanted to make sure.”

  *****

  After they both hung up, Jill did a little happy dance because she was finally getting Mandy to come to the animal shelter to pick out a new cat. She wasn't going to be pushy or anything, she was just going to let fate guide Mandy to her new cat. Jill was just hoping that Mandy wouldn't chicken out and leave without a cat. That was her biggest fear. There were so many cute cats in the animal shelter at this time, that this is why she wanted Mandy to come early so she could have the pick of the litter. She didn't want her to get distracted or get spooked by too many people. In short, she didn't want Mandy to have any excuses for not a getting a cat.

  She felt really bad for Mandy. She had been alone for a quite a while and she knew that Mandy hadn't been happy for a long time. They knew each other since high school and knew Mandy to be a happy go lucky free spirit. But for a number of years now, she felt her friend had gotten tarnished and she wanted her to glow again. It may not be the glow of the past but at least it was the glow of a new beginning in her life. She thought that a new cat could start opening doors in Mandy's life.

  *****

  I drove down the highway on the way to the animal shelter. I felt lighter now as I drove down the highway and closer to the shelter. All the drama of the morning was a sort of catharsis and now that I knew I couldn’t back out of my commitment, I was in a zen-like state. I felt that that day could be the start of something nice in my life. And it wouldn’t be just a little reward. It would be a thing that would have permanence.

  The right cat could be the answer to a lot of things. I just hoped that the right cat was in there. But you know what, if the right cat isn't in there today, there will be other animal shelters, other cats and other days. I'll be sure to take Jill with me to keep me honest if I had to hunt around. However, right now, I'm in this energy zone where I'm certain that there is a cat out there for me. Why didn't I think of this before?

  *****

  Colin had scoured the country to find the right owner for Roger. He had conducted his search while Roger had been soul-searching in the Waiting Station.

  He found a lady who had suffered a lot of loss and sorrow in the last couple of years. She needed a special cat, not just any ordinary cat. Roger would definitely not be an ordinary cat. He knew that this woman would be looking for a cat and he also found out where she would be trying to adopt this cat. So he worked his powers so that there would files in place that gave Roger a history and the necessary papers.

  Everything would appear as though this cat had been left at the shelter under circumstances that would seem normal for a pet. It would all seem very natural and nobody would be the wiser that prior to the time he'd been in the animal shelter, Roger didn't even exist in this world as a cat, or as an anything for that matter. But from now on, he would be a cat in this world.

  *****

  Finally, I arrived at the animal shelter. The shelter was a converted warehouse that the city had given to the people who ran the shelter, under the condition that they maintained the building and did all the things that were necessary to keep a building from deteriorating. There had been a lot of volunteers that helped out and in the end, it was their efforts that resulted in a very nice shelter. Jill waited for me outside. When I got out of the car, Jill ran over and gave me a big hug.

  “I'm so excited, I'm so happy that you're finally going to have a new kitty in your life.” she said.

  “Take it easy, Jill. Baby steps. Let me catch my breath and come to terms with the fact that I’m here.”

  Jill stepped back and apologized,

  “I'm sorry, my enthusiasm got the better of me.”

  I knew Jill very well and when it came to things like this, Jill was everyone’s cheerleader. She would egg people on and g
ive a push when they felt apprehensive, not knowing that sometimes people just needed their space. But she always meant well, and people knew that, so no one stayed mad at her for long.

  Not having been at the shelter I looked around the place. There was a lot of space and the cages were strategically placed so that the animals were not on top of each other. This had been done as a labor of love. Seeing so many nice animals filled me with warm fuzzy feelings as I walked around the shelter.

  One corridor was filled wall-to-wall with many dog breeds. Some were really cute as they hopped around their cages. Although some were puppies, there were also older dogs. I like all animals but for me the perfect animal is always going to be a cat. There's just something about those beautiful furry creatures that have always drawn me to them. And that was the area I wanted to go to, where they kept the cats.

  I asked Jill where the cats were.

  “I’ll bring you to them,” Jill said.

  She led me down another corridor, which was filled with smaller cages. All of them contained a cat. I reminded myself that I needed to keep an open mind. Except when it came to cats that reminded me of Fluffy. I needed a cat that I connected with, but that did not resemble Fluffy. I resolved to let my gut guide me to the right one.

  The cats were mostly sleeping or being quiet, but that gave me time to explore them up close without bothering them. I looked in one cage and there was a sleeping tortoiseshell that looked like it had been overfed. No doubt previously belonging to a zealous owner who couldn't deny her animal treats. In another cage, there was a beautiful Siamese. They were beautiful, but I lacked a connection with them.