Page 34 of Witch and Tell
Lalena looked at me like I’d grown another head. “Where did that come from?”
“I’m right, aren’t I?” I said. “You felt something special with Ian. The flip side of that feeling—of letting yourself be known so deeply—is the pain that comes with its loss.”
In saying these words, I knew they were true. Even if Sam never looked my way again, I didn’t regret my time with him. It had ended too soon, but it had been worth it.
A crow cawed from somewhere nearby, and I jolted to upright in my chair before relaxing again.Babe was gone, and crows did exist outside of her, I reminded myself.
“What?” Lalena said.
“Nothing.” Then, seeing a few people walk down the trailer park’s central lane followed by another clump of Wilfredians, I said, “Do you usually get this much traffic in the evening?”
“It’s people on their way to Wanda’s meeting.” She cleared our plates from the table. “Don’t you think you’d better go?”
Chapter Eighteen
The retreat center glowed against the darkening evening. Its doors were open, and Wilfredians spilled onto the stone patio. I didn’t see Lise Bloom. If she was smart, she was somewhere peaceful, maybe at the café, relaxing over a bowl of gumbo.
I was among the last to arrive. I left the chirps of crickets in the meadow and edged into the retreat center’s main room. Rows of metal folding chairs were full of neighbors, with Ruth Littlewood in front. Despite the fan whirling in the cathedral ceiling, it was stuffy.
Wanda stood at a podium flanked with posters on easels reading The Feline Myth: Save Future Generations. Each poster was illustrated with a beady-eyed black cat with hackles raised. I ignored the resemblance to Rodney. When we’d left Lalena’s trailer, he’d trotted toward home. Hopefully he was holed up safely in my apartment by now.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming,” Wanda said. Her voice boomed above the chattering audience. We quieted. “I’m gratified to see so many concerned citizens here.”
I couldn’t believe Wanda had orchestrated an entire evening just to raise public support to evict Rodney from the library. Also surprising was how many people had shown up. Wilfredians always did enjoy a good spectacle.
Wanda ostentatiously snapped a sheaf of notes. “Does everyone have a seat?”
I ducked toward the room’s rear.
“Let’s get started.” She scanned the crowd, leaving a pause for drama. “Yes, many of you are concerned. However, I have no doubt many others are here because you believe my cause is ridiculous. You’re here to see me fail. I assure you, you are wrong. Give me half an hour, and I will change your mind.”
Wanda had a convincing way about her. I scrapped my earlier thought that she should be an actor. Why she’d gone into the custodial business instead of going to law school, I had no idea. Which didn’t mean I would buy any part of her argument. No matter what, Rodney stayed. I could shuffle him off when patrons who were allergic or afraid visited, but he was a library fixture, and I felt sure most of the rest of the town agreed.
“I’ll begin with the bottom line,” Wanda said. “The future. Educating and strengthening future generations. I’m certain we agree on the importance of that. To that end, we must show a united front at the library trustees’ meeting the day after tomorrow.”
What did banning Rodney have to do with future generations? I sat straighter.
“Cats,” Wanda said, “are misunderstood.” She paused to let us take that in. “We see them as loving creatures who want nothing more than to purr and sit in our laps. This is a mistake.”
Thinking of Rodney, I had to admit she was right. Although he did purr and enjoyed lap time, he had a mind of his own.
Wanda continued. “Cats were never meant to be domesticated. They are not the purring, fluffy creatures portrayed in the media. They are killing machines.” She raised a palm to silence the murmurs in the audience. “You see cats as harmless, am I right? You envision them snuggling in a basket by the fire or sleeping gently at the foot of your bed.
“These are lies fed to us by the pro-cat demographic. As I said, cats are predators designed to kill other creatures. Their teeth can strip flesh from a carcass faster than you can say ‘Jack the Ripper.’” She leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “How many sofas and upholstered chairs have been lost to their needle-sharp claws?”
Forget attorney. Wanda should have been a preacher.
Mona stood. “What about humans? Cats don’t shoot innocent bystanders. They can’t cheat on spouses and swindle people. Cats don’t insult people behind their backs or burn down houses for the fun of it. Why pick on cats?”
Wanda remained calm. If anything, her smile widened. “The difference is that we can’t avoid humans. Cats, on the other hand, are entirely avoidable.”
Here it came, Wanda’s petition to ban Rodney. I braced myself.
Wanda set down her notes. “This is why I propose removing from the library all children’s books featuring cats.”
What?This was what this meeting was about? I hadn’t meant to say anything, but the words escaped me anyway. “You’ve got to be out of your mind.” I didn’t care how many cat-loving, flamenco-dancing veterinarians had left her at the altar. She was demented to think we should remove books just because cats were in them.
From above Wanda, through the railing on the second floor’s open hall, I caught a flash of a black furry tail.Uh-oh.