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Upon closer investigation, the forecasts were done in a parody style, mocking hurricane forecasts and following a set but amusing formula. The forecasts changed weekly, but as far as I could tell, all participants vied for who could write the most ridiculous entry in the growing collection.
The person to guess accurately first lost.
An hour and a half after making it home, someone knocked. I set the tablet down beside the sleeping Garnet and hurried over to answer.
Rather than one or two delivery people, as I expected, a herd of six people waited, including Wanda, who waved at me. “We meet again, Kinsley!”
I opened the door. “Thank you. Please, come in. I need to go contain the sleeping beast.”
My kitten hadn’t budged since I’d left my kitchen, and I gathered her into my arms. If she woke, I’d put her into her carrier so she wouldn’t bolt for freedom. I hurried back to the door. “Sorry about that. I don’t want to put her in the carrier unless it’s needed.”
“Once you show us what is being taken out, you can just relax. We’ll have everything moved in within an hour. A few items need to be assembled, but they’re used to that and it won’t take them long.”
Aware I owned little and would be turning my apartment from a barren landscape to something closer to a home, I guided Wanda and the herd of workers through the apartment to my bedroom, grimacing at the small size of my bed.
If they judged me, they did so quietly and careful to keep their expression from changing. With startling efficiency, they made off with the mattress and the box spring, returning in a second trip to remove the bolts from the bed’s frame and taking it out in pieces. While most handled the bed, a pair took over my living room, requiring me to show them where I wanted my new desk and cat tree to go.
The cat tree came in preassembled along with the rest of Garnet’s new empire. The wheel fit near my table, saving enough room in my bedroom I might be able to get a dresser or another cat tree for my new pet.
The desk came with an unexpected bookcase, which I believed Wanda had procured when I’d taken my eyes off her for more than two seconds. Rather than question it, I pretended I’d gotten more bookcases than sense or books to go on them. It took the workers thirty minutes to conquer the desk, but they assembled the set of bookcases and computer chair in record time. Within an hour and a half, everything was in its proper place.
The workers left, leaving me alone with Wanda and a young boy.
“Yours?” I asked, noticing the similarities in their faces.
“He’s my youngest, and he promised he’d do anything if only he could meet the kitten.”
I laughed, crouched down so I was at eye level with him, and smiled. “And what’s your name?”
“Jamie! I’m three years old,” he announced, and he held up three fingers. “I love kittens, but I’m not old enough yet to have one. Maybe next year if I’m really good.”
“Kittens are a huge responsibility.” I scratched behind Garnet’s ear and cooed at her to wake her up. “Garnet, Jamie wants to meet you.”
The carbunclo kitten yawned and blinked, and then she purred and wiggled in my hold. Translating that as interest in being worshipped by a dragon’s son, I showed Jamie how to hold and pet her. “You’ll have to work hard and show your mum you’re responsible enough to care for a kitten.”
“Is Garnet a boy kitten or a girl kitten?” Jamie held her with care and pet her, his eyes wide. “Her fur is soft but her paws are hard!”
“Garnet’s a baby girl. And she has hard paws because she’s a carbunclo. Most kittens have soft paws with tiny little toe beans.”
“Toe beans are the best.” Jamie held Garnet out to me. “Thank you for letting me hold your kitten, miss.”
I took Garnet and snuggled with her to reassure her everything was okay. “You’re welcome, Jamie. If you’re serious about getting a kitten, have your mum help you rescue cats and learn to take care of them.”
“Well played,” Wanda mouthed at me and waved her fist where her son couldn’t see.
I grinned at having outwitted a dragon.
Within ten minutes, I managed to get the mother and son to leave, dancing through thanking them for having come out for the delivery. The instant I closed the door, I breathed a relieved sigh and set Garnet on the floor. “I think we’re both going to need to do some serious exploration of this place. I’m sure in a few months, I’ll miss all the money I spent, but at least we’ll be comfortable when everything goes wrong.”
Garnet bounced off in the direction of the living room, and a few moments later, she squeaked, and I heard the faint noise of her hard at work chasing the toy in her new wheel.
“One of us will be happier than the other,” I muttered. I went to my table to gather my work and transfer it to my desk. I predicted I would spend many hours using my tablet to spare myself from going to the library unless absolutely necessary.
With two mysteries to solve, I’d need to push my skills to their limits in addition to managing my time so I could hide my true intentions. Until I learned who I could trust, I would trust no one—not even those who had asked for my help. I’d been a cop long enough to understand that while many criminals were stupid, some were smart enough to act innocent and seek help in solving the crime of their creation.
Uncertain if my research could be monitored by the dragons, I masked my activities by handwriting my notes and taking the time to open every single article I could on my tablet, creating groupings of twenty-five tabs to read over. I made a point of disabling the tablet’s connection to the internet after I opened the articles I wanted to investigate. In every grouping, I had three to five articles relevant to both of my searches with an equal mix of other subjects, including business, education, and the stock market. To throw additional kinks into the research of anyone snooping on my activities, I also checked into every animal shelter in the city while also researching how to care for my kitten.
As there were approximately twenty carbunclo in the entirety of the United States, I’d have my hands full figuring out how best to care for her. Fortunately, most everything I read indicated the breed could handle just about everything, and as long as I provided the basics, she’d be fine.