"You mean that stray that you insist isn't actually yours but you keep feeding--"
"He's not in my apartment."
"Did you leave the window open?"
"No." I'd kept my windows locked since I'd discovered Ciara Conway's body.
"Well, I haven't been in there, and I'm the only one with a key." She peered up at me. "Didn't I see you carting trash down to the bin this morning?"
"Right." I'd taken two bags because I'd forgotten last week.
"Then he snuck out while you were doing that."
"Maybe. If you see him--"
"Don't ask me to put him in your room. Still got the claw marks from the last time I touched the damned beast. Stray cats are like two-timing men. He got tired of you and took off. He doesn't find anyone new? He'll come slinking back. By then, if you're smart, you'll have decided you're better without him."
I headed down the steps, scouring
the yard for signs of TC. Behind me, Grace snorted and muttered. I checked my watch. I was meeting James in ninety minutes, but . . .
I crossed the street to Rose's house. When she answered the door, she looked down at me like I was a five-year-old caught ringing the bell, about to dash away. I tried not to quail under that stare. Rose may be in her late fifties, but she's a brown belt in karate, a few inches taller than me, and as sturdy as an oak.
"Miss Olivia."
"Hey, um, Gabriel said you wanted to speak to me."
"I did. But you keep sneaking out your back door."
"I didn't sneak--"
Her look stopped the excuse in my throat.
"Okay," I said. "I snuck. Gabriel and I have . . . parted ways, and I figured you were checking to be sure he's getting his due. I wasn't in the mood for that conversation. I will pay his bill."
"I know you will. What I wanted to discuss has nothing to do with Gabriel. Come in, and I'll make tea."
"I can't. I have a . . . an engagement."
"A date with James Morgan." When I looked surprised, she said, "I have the sight, remember?"
"Or Gabriel told you James hired him to get me back."
"Either way, a date with James seems--"
"I'd rather not discuss it."
"Because I'll tell you it's a terrible idea? That you know it's a terrible idea and that you're only doing it because you feel guilty?"
"Um, no. I--"
"The cards tell me that if you pursue this reconciliation, you will regret it."
"Uh-huh." I shook my head. "If you want to help me, use your cards to find my damned cat."
I expected her to shoot back some variation on what Grace had said, that I hadn't wanted TC in the first place. But she frowned. "He's gone?"
"He is. If you see him, please let me know. Otherwise, if you still want to talk, let's make an appointment."