Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 08:38:29 -0700 Reply-To: clark Sender: Forever Knight TV show stories From: clark Subject: Cat in Question (01/01) To: FKFIC-L@lists.psu.edu Status: Thanks to Leslie for inspiring this one, although I'm not sure she realizes she did. Thanks also to Marci and Cheryl for the beta reading (listening?) and suggestions. But, as always, I take full credit for the content. Feedback is welcomed. Permission given to archive at fkfanfic website and the FTP site. No other permission is granted to repost/reprint/reuse. If you're interested drop me a line. This story is based on characters and situations that aren't mine. Thanks to TPTB for their use. "Cat in Question" by S. Clark "What's that?" Tracy motioned toward the trash bag sitting on the back seat in the caddie. "Sydney." "What's he doing in a trash bag?" "Defrosting." Tracy glanced again at the bag. "Nick? You killed Nat's cat?" Nick looked over at his partner. "I didn't kill it. It was a suicide." "Does she know?" Nick clenched his teeth. "I'm not going to tell her." He gave Tracy a glare. "And neither are you." "How did you," she caught herself, "it die?" "I cooked dinner for Natalie last night at her place. He shrugged. "I thought she'd appreciate the meal." "That is sweet, Nick. But..." Tracy gestured towards the cold lump in the back. "Natalie's freezer is at the bottom of the refrigerator. I'd grabbed something out of it. I guess he climbed in before I had the door closed." "How long was he in there?" "I don't know. One, maybe two." "Minutes?" "Hours." Nick shrugged. "Nat had eaten the main course. I reached in to grab the sorbet for dessert and found him." Nick decided it was best not to mention he probably would have missed the fact the cat was in there had Sydney's paws not been wrapped around the sorbet container, making it impossible to remove without revealing the cat's state. Tracy stifled a giggle. "What did you do?" "I talked her into going out for dessert." "But you did, obviously, get him out of there somehow." "Somehow is about right," he agreed. Nick thought back to the prior evening. After a trip for ice cream and a walk he'd talked her into returning to the loft for videos. He smiled remembering Natalie falling asleep in his arms. He'd tucked her in on the couch, then departed through the skylight for a quick trip back to her place. Once there he pried the cat out of the freezer and shoved it into the trash bag. Then, just as quick, he returned to the loft, hoping Nat hadn't noticed his absence. Nick tossed the trash bag into his freezer. He figured it was better than the car. Plus, he didn't want the cat to defrost before he could dispose of it somewhere far from her. He knew he was taking a chance she might open his freezer. But, he also knew his own freezer was empty save the emergency human supply. It was an acceptable risk. "Nick?" Tracy's voice broke through his reverie. He blinked away his zoned-out look. "What?" "I said, sometime during your most recent trip to space, what are you going to do now?" "About?" "The catsicle." Nick shrugged. "I thought maybe I could find another one." "Oh sure, Nick. An identical cat?" He smiled at her. "Want to help? I called the animal shelter. They're willing to let me look around." Tracy shook her head in disbelief at his plan. "Let's do lunch, Partner." ### The night attendant for the shelter opened the side door. "You the guy about the cat?" Nick held out his hand to the man. "Nick Knight, Metro Homicide. This is my partner, Tracy Vetter." "Peter," the man said, shaking each of their hands. "You got something for me?" Nick took one last look inside the trash bag. He wanted a reminder of Sydney's appearance before the corpse was disposed of. He handed the bag to the man. "This way," said Peter, indicating the direction with his thumb. They were led to the area where the cats were held while awaiting adoption. It was a long hallway lined with cages. "Enjoy. I'll be back in a few." They strolled past the sleeping cats, peeking into the cages, looking for a good match. "What about this one?" Tracy grabbed a cat out of one of the cages. Nick grinned. "That's about half Sydney's size, Tracy. And it's orange. Sydney was gray." They'd looked in every cage Nick was starting to lose hope. He found a calico that matched Sydney in size, and a small gray tabby that had a similar pattern. But he was sure if he left her with either she'd notice the switch. "It this all of them?" Nick asked once Peter returned. "I didn't expect such variety." "Well, we've got a few more. But they're special cases." Tracy was amused by the look of anxiety on Nick's face. "I think we'd appreciate seeing them," she said. They were led into a room with several cats. Back in the far corner was a cat that was a dead ringer for Sydney. Nick's face brightened. "This one!" he exclaimed. "This one's perfect." Peter shrugged. "Up to you. I'll get you a box." Nick was pleased with the find. "What do you think, Trace?" "She's not going to be fooled." "It's a cat," he explained. "It's not like they have personalities." Tracy giggled at his partner's enthusiasm. They collected the cat and took off for Nat's apartment. ### Nick and Tracy released the animal into it's new residence. The cat did a circuit through the apartment, showing no interest in anything within. Then it crawled under the couch. Nick was beaming. "Look, it feels right at home." Tracy lay down on the carpet to take a look at the animal. It was cowering under the center of the couch. She reached to try to pet it, and the cat hissed at her. "I'm not so convinced, Nick." "It'll just take a day or two to settle in. I'm sure it'll be fine." Nick offered Tracy a hand up. "We need to roll." The two of them exited the apartment. After determining the threats were gone, the cat inched out from under the couch. It searched for a place where it felt comfortable, and decided that it liked Natalie's new feather bed best. It curled up on its now favorite spot and went to sleep. ### Nick's phone rang at 6am. He grabbed it, answering in his usual, business-like style. "Nick Knight." "Nick, did you notice anything odd about Sydney the other night?" 'Could she know?' he thought. "You know Syd and I haven't exactly bonded, Nat." "I know," she said. Her tone was not one for pleasant conversation. Nick decided to try playing it light. "Why?" "I came home tonight and found Syd lying on my bed." "That sounds pretty normal to me." "I found Syd nursing a newborn litter of kittens on my bed." "Congratulations, Nat. That's great." Nick could feel the bloodsweat starting to bead on his forehead. "Nick?" "What?" "Sydney was a boy." Nick decided to try silence. Maybe it would be best if he just didn't say anything. "Nick?" "I'm still here," he said, wishing he wasn't. "Why was there cat hair in my freezer?" Nick's eyes went wide. "Excuse me?" "I don't know what happened, Nick," Nat's voice was becoming a mix of anger and tears. Nick again kept quiet, not speaking when she paused to give him an opening. "What happened, Nick?" The words were spoken very slowly and carefully. It may have sounded like a question, but he knew it wasn't. "Happened?" "Don't play stupid. Where is my cat?" Nick knew Natalie needed to hear with the truth. But he didn't want to be the one to tell her. "I don't know." "Well I suggest you think. Think real hard. It's dawn. I'm coming over, and I expect an answer." Nick grimaced. She had him trapped, they both knew it. "And Nick?" "Yes?" "Since my bed is indisposed," she emphasized the word, "expect to sleep on the couch." Nick hung up the phone. It had seemed like a good plan at the start of the night. He hid the remote that had the shutter control up near the ceiling, just in case, and awaited Nat's arrival. He knew he was in for a long day.