Catch As Cat Can

                "I hate it when humans try to purr." Mrs. Murphy stuck one leg straight up, contorted her head under it to lick the back side.

                "If I made her do that people would say it's cruelty to animals." Harry pointed to the agile tiger kitty.

                "You can't do that." Miranda smiled."I know I can't. I bet the Dalai Lama couldn't do it either."

                "What's the Dalai Lama got to do with it?" BoomBoom, mystified, wrinkled her nose, a habit when she was puzzled.

                "Doesn't he twist himself into a pretzel, sleep on nails?" Miranda's eyes grew larger."Walk through fire."

                "No, that's a master yogi."

                "Yogi Bear." Harry giggled.

                BoomBoom said, "But honestly, they can do things like that. There are some who can have out-of-body experiences."

                "I have out-of-body experiences when I get the flu."

                "Harry, gross." BoomBoom stacked her mail on the counter, flipped it on the side, and tapped the envelopes evenly together."Anyway, do you want to know what Diego said to Thomas?"

                "Sure," she shrugged.

                "Mother, don't try to be so cool." Mrs. Murphy still had her hind leg over her head.

                Tucker walked back behind the counter when Harry tipped it up."Murphy, I wish you wouldn't do that. It hurts just to look at you."

                "If you didn't have such stumps, you could do it, too," the tiger cat said with malicious glee.

                "Ha, ha," the dog dryly replied.

                "Why isn't anyone paying attention to me?" Pewter pouted.

                "You said you wanted to take a nap," Murphy fired back.

                "Am I asleep?"

                "Pewter, you are so perverse."

                "All cats are perverse." The little dog headed for the back animal door.

                "Where are you going? What are you doing?" Mrs. Murphy demanded.

                "Hey, there's nothing in here but two bitchy cats."

                "Is that so?" Pewter fluffed her fur.

                "Guess you won't find out what Thomas told BoomBoom." Mrs. Murphy cleverly dangled the bait.

                "Oh, yeah." Tucker stopped, returning to the counter.

                "Well?" Miranda expectantly leaned over the counter.

                "Thomas said that Diego hopes to see Harry again." BoomBoom hooked her thumb under her overall strap."Has he called you?"

                "No, Thomas hasn't called me," Harry said.

                "You know what I mean. Don't be such a smart-ass, Harry."

                "Yes, Diego has called me. Is everyone happy now?"

                "You didn't tell me." Miranda was hurt.

                "Because he called last night after our painting party. I forgot to tell you because there's so much else going on. Anyway, Diego has to fly back to Montevideo this week, but he hopes to be down for the Wrecker's Ball."

                "Oh. What painting party?" BoomBoom asked.

                Mrs. Murphy, bored with the humans, put her hind leg down finally, swept her whiskers forward, and stared right down at Tucker."What a pretty doggie."

                Tucker looked up but a fraction of a second too late because the cat swooped down on her, bowling her over."Oooph." The dog had the wind knocked out of her and was rolled over by the force of Murphy's aerial bombardment.

                Pewter, ears up, inched closer to the tangle."This looks good."

                "Banzai! Death to the emperor," Murphy sang out.

                "You watch too many war movies," Tucker snapped as she scrambled to her feet. She bolted out the animal door, Mrs. Murphy in hot pursuit.

                Pewter hesitated a moment. After all, puddles dotted the alleyway; but the screams from outside finally lured her out the animal door, where both cat and dog pounced on her, knowing she'd fall for it.

                "Nonstop party." Harry laughed.

                "What, painting?"

                Both Harry and Miranda told her about the painting party at Tracy's apartment and Tracy asking Coop to see the rope.

                Just then the phone rang. Miranda picked it up and Harry crowded next to her. BoomBoom hurried behind the counter to listen in.

                "Oh, hello, Mim." Miranda tried to hide the disappointment in her voice.

                "Has my package arrived from Cartier? I sent my tank watch up to New York to be fixed weeks ago." Big Mim emphasized "weeks."

                "No package today. I'm so used to you being my first customer. Where are you?"

                "I'm on my way to Richmond with Marilyn. I promised I'd take her to Monkey's." She mentioned a dress shop much frequented by lathes such as herself."I'm on the car phone. Clear as a bell, isn't it?"

                "You two have a wonderful time. Bye now." Miranda hung up the phone.

                Lottie Pearson walked through the door."Hello." She opened I her postbox, gathered her mail, and walked right out.

                "Can you believe?" BoomBoom's eyebrows shot upward.

                The phone rang again. They all reached for it but Miranda was first.

                Miranda picked up the receiver."Hello."

                "Hi, sugar." Tracy's baritone sounded deep."I'm heading back. Need anything?"

                "What'd you think?" Harry, leaning over, spoke into the receiver.

                "Did you grab the phone from my beautiful girlfriend?"

                "No. She's right here. BoomBoom, too. We're hanging on your every word."

                "Oh." He inhaled."Heavy rope, climber's rope. You know when you see movies of hangings in the Old West, how the rope has a special kind of noose?"

                "Yes," they said in unison.

                "That's what I wanted to see. If Wesley took the time to make that noose, assuming he killed himself, or if his killer did, assuming