As you know, I have been writing these Dog Tales. But today’s story is special. I did not write today’s tale. In fact, some time ago Leon asked if he could submit a story that he wrote himself. I am pleased to present to you Leon’s very own story, Leon & The Case of the Disappearing Cat. (RL)
Leon’s Story
My name is Leon, and I am a detective. And a dog. I am a dog detective. Or am I a detective dog? No matter. It does not make any difference.
One day recently I was sitting in my office. It had been a long morning. I had spent a large portion of it on the telephone with a client, and I was glad to hang up and have a treat.
Just as I was getting the notion to go to the kitchen, I heard a scratching at the door.
“Come on in, it’s open,” I barked.
Well, well, well … the door was pushed open and I could clearly see that I had a new client. This was going to be good.
“Are you Mr. Leon the dog detective?” the visitor asked.
“Yes, that’s me. And who are you?”
“My name is Sasha, and I am hoping you can help me,” she said.
My new client was stylishly dressed in a plaid traveling jacket. Her coat was mostly black with white, and Sasha had one blue eye and one brown eye. I noticed right away that she did not have a tail.
I was wondering if this would enter the picture.
“Well, Sasha, what can I do for you?” I enquired.
“I have a mystery, Mr. Leon.”
“Call me Leon. Mysteries are my specialty. Why don’t you tell me all about it?”
Sasha sat and proceeded to lay out the problem. Her story went something like this, “I am trying to figure out why a cat I know disappeared.”
“A cat?” I was curious about this cat business, “Disappeared?”
“Yes, and I do not know where she went to. It is all very strange.”
“What happened? Start at the beginning, just the facts, please.” I figured that the beginning was a good place to start.
“I was sitting at the top of the stairs to the basement and the cat was actually lounging on the top of those very same stairs. The gate was closed between us. You know which gate I mean?
“Oh sure, I know that gate. It keeps us from going to the basement. Stupid gate!” I really dislike that gate.
“Right, I do, too. Anyway, the cat was on the other side of the gate and we were playing a little bit. You know cats, Leon, don’t you? Well, the cat would waltz back and forth on the steps while I sniffed around. Sometimes she would roll around on her back and I’d tap her with my paw. It was all in good fun.”
“I see. And what happened, Sasha?”
“As I was watching the cat, Leon, she rolled over on her back and disappeared. Gone!”
“Disappeared? Gone? Seriously?”
“Yes, Leon, just like that! Not even a poof or a puff of smoke.”
“This sounds more like a case for Penn and Teller. What do you want me to do, Sasha?”
“Leon, I want you to find out what happened to the cat”
“I can try, Sasha. A question if I may. Did the cat come back?”
“How did you know? The cat came back that evening, I found her upstairs in the guest bedroom.”
“I see. And does this cat have a name?”
“The cat is called ‘Lexi’, Leon.”
“Do you have a photo of this cat?
Sasha slipped a photo out of a pocket in her jacket and pushed it across my desk to me.
“This is Lexi,” she said.
“OK, now let me see if I have this right. You have a cat named ‘Lexi’ who suddenly disappears and then after several hours reappears in the guest bedroom. Did I get that right?
“Yes, that is exactly right.”
“And you want me to find out what happened to the cat?”
“That is what I want to know, Leon. I am so baffled.”
“Sasha, I can get to work on the case right away. My fee is two biscuits a day plus expenses. We can skip the retainer as I don’t think this case will take much time. I’ll get going on it right after my afternoon walk.”
Sasha looked relieved, “Oh, Leon, thank you so much.”
“Tell you what … how about I meet you at the scene at 2:30?”
“OK, Leon, that works for me. I will see you at the basement stairs at 2:30.”
After Sasha left, I made a couple of phone calls. I was supposed to meet Captain at the dog park, but during a quick call to The Mansion downtown I was able to postpone that to the next day. The other important call was to my pal, Dr. Tyler, who has a “Big Thing” in the works and I wanted to congratulate him on his move.
On the Scene
I arrived at the scene of the incident, for lack of a better word, a few minutes before Sasha. I took a look and a sniff around and it wasn’t too long before I began to get a picture of the situation.
The stairs led from the foyer to the basement. Across the opening was a metal gate. The gate consisted for a hinged assembly with vertical bars. It was painted white. There was a gap in the bars that seemed to be large enough for a cat, but not big enough for a dog.
When Sasha got to the location, I asked her to go over the incident again.
After she repeated the story, I still needed a little clarification.
“You say the cat was ‘swanning’ around?”
“That is what I would call it. You know, Leon, sort pacing back and forth and pretending she didn’t care about anything. Show off, that’s what I’d say, show off.”
“At any time did she lay down on that second step from the top?”
“Yes, exactly! That’s when she suddenly disappeared.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that … Leon, what does it mean?”
“And the cat came back in the evening, right?
“Yes, she reappeared in the guest bedroom.”
“Sasha,” I said this a clearly and calmly as I could, “I know what happened.”
“You have figured it out? Already?” Sasha gasped.
I explained the chain of events as I saw them.
“Sasha, you were at the top of the stairs and the cat was on the other side of the gate. The cat was sashaying around on the top step, and occasionally rolling around on the second from the top step.”
I was seeing the entire scenario in my mind by as I spelled out the incident.
“Notice that all the steps, except for the very top one, do not have backs. That means the stairs are and there’s a big space.”
“Yes, if I poke my head through the little gap in the gate I can see what you are talking about,” replied Sasha as she came seriously close to getting stuck in the gate.
“Well, when the cat did all that rolling around she rolled off the back of the step. That is why it seemed as if she had disappeared … she actually did! I’d say she dropped straight down to the basement floor under the stairs. Woof! Just like that.”
“Oh, my gosh! I can hardly believe it. But why did I not see her before the evening when she turned up in the get bedroom?”
“That’s easy,” I said, “It was a typical cat-case of embarrassment. You see, cats are easily embarrassed. When she rolled off the step she dropped into the basement. The embarrassment was so great that the cat, no doubt, went into hiding down there until you were gone. Then she sneaked upstairs to the guest bedroom until you showed up later.”
“Well, Leon, I do not know how I can thank you. I really appreciate your help in solving this mystery.”
I said, “Do not worry Sasha, it is all in a day’s work. Besides, I will send you a bill.”
In Conclusion
Well, that is the story of the Case of the Disappearing Cat. It was not by biggest case, but it was one of the most interesting. When I left the scene of the incident Sasha looking down into the basement. I think she was speculating on the peculiarities of cats. There’s a lot to speculate on when it comes to cats.
When I got back to my office, I wrote up a report, just the facts, and put it in a file folder. It was time to take a break. You know how it is; another day, another biscuit, another mystery solved.