“That’s a very nice name for a girl,” Remy said.
“Mine is Ashley.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Ashley. I’m Remy.”
“Remy, can you get Spooky out of there?”
“Let me see what I can do,” Remy replied.
“Don’t be a-scared, Spooky.” Ashley turned her attention back to the cat still cowering under the cover of the tall green blades of grass. “Remy is gonna get you out.”
Spooky began to growl, backing farther away as Remy made eye contact.
“Hey there, Spooky,” he said, so the cat could understand him. “Why don’t you come out of there, and we’ll get you back into your box…”
“No,” the cat hissed, followed by an even more ferocious growl. “No box…no car…no.”
“What’s she sayin’?” Ashley asked.
“I don’t think she liked being in the box or going in the car.”
“She makes weird noises in the car,” Ashley agreed with a nod.
“That’s ’cause she’s upset,” Remy explained. “The car scares her.”
“I’m a-scared of ghosts,” Ashley said matter-of-factly.
“Really?” Remy asked. “Well, it’s a good thing there aren’t any ghosts in your new house.”
“There isn’t?” the little girl asked, looking across the street. Her mother was helping the movers with some of the smaller boxes, but Dad continued his argument on the cell phone.
“Nope, I checked it out before you moved in. Perfectly ghost-free.”
“Thanks, Remy,” the little girl said, and he felt her tiny hand slip into his.
He turned his head slightly to look at the five-year-old, who was staring fixedly at her cat, still hiding in the garden grass.
“You think Spooky is ever gonna come out of there?”
“Yeah, I think she will,” Remy said. “Just let me talk to her a little more.”
“Okay.”
“Hey, Spooky.” Remy again spoke so the cat could hear him in her feline tongue. “You might want to think about coming out of there before it’s too late.”
The cat glared at him, her green eyes nearly matching the color of her grassy cover. “Why?”
“Doone lives in this house.”
“What’s Doone?”
“Doone is a very large dog.” Remy glanced at his watch. “And if I’m not mistaken, he should be leaving for his afternoon walk any minute now.”
Remy could see panic flicker in the cat’s eyes. She became even more skittish, glancing from where she hid up toward the front stairs to the building and the front door.
“Dog?” Spooky asked. “Dog here?”
“He’s right inside there,” Remy said, pointing to the house. “And I know for a fact he doesn’t care for cats.”
“You better come out of there, Spooky,” Ashley coaxed. “Doone don’t sound very nice.”
“Hey, Ashley?” Remy asked. The little girl looked at him. “Would you get me Spooky’s box?”
“Sure, Remy.” She turned toward the street.
“Be careful of cars,” Remy cautioned.
She stopped and looked both ways before darting across the street.
“Okay, then,” Remy said, turning back to Spooky. “Ashley is going to get your box, and that’s where you’re going to go. All right?”
“Doone dog,” the cat whined nervously. “Where?”
“Doone is inside the house,” Remy explained. “If you get back into your box and let Ashley take you inside the new house, you two will never even make eye contact. Do we have a deal?”
Remy looked away to see Ashley on the other side with the cardboard pet carrier. He checked for traffic and then motioned her across once the coast was clear.
“Here’s her box,” Ashley said, handing it to him.
“Thanks.” He took the box and opened the cover, then placed it just outside the wrought-iron fence, between two of the posts.
“C’mon, Spooky,” Remy urged the cat. “Let’s shake that tail.”
“No shake tail,” the cat snarled, her tail whipping angrily from side to side.
“All right, then,” Remy said, as he stood up. “Maybe Doone can get you to move.” He looked at the stairs and the door above, as if expecting the dog to emerge at any moment.
Spooky bounded out of the grass, through the wrought-iron bars, and jumped into her cardboard carrier.
“Yay!” Ashley shrieked, doing the cutest dance while clapping her chubby hands.
“Good job, Spooky,” Remy said. He reached out to close the lid on the carrier, and Spooky’s paw shot out, raking bloody tracks across the back of Remy’s hand.
“Scared,” she hissed, letting him know that there was nothing to cheer about as far as she was concerned.
Remy nearly dropped the carrier, but managed to balance it on his knee as he finally got the lid closed.
“Did she get ya?” Ashley asked as Remy set the carrier down on the sidewalk.
“Yeah, but that’s all right.” The gashes stung like crazy, but he could feel his flesh already beginning to heal. “It’s not too bad.”
Ashley pulled his hand down so she could see the wounds.
“Your mother should wash that up and put a Band-Aid on it,” she said. “Don’t want it to get defected.”
Remy chuckled. “I’ll get right on that.” Then he reached down and picked up the carrier, handing it to Ashley. “You should probably get Spooky in the new house so she can get used to it and not be afraid anymore.”
“Okay,” Ashley said, moving toward the street. “C’mon, Spooky. You don’t have to be afraid; there isn’t any ghosts inside. Remy said he checked.”
She crossed the street and headed up the walkway toward the brownstone, passing her father, who was still pacing and on the phone. He reached out and patted her head as she went by and started up the stairs, hauling the cat carrier.
Halfway up the steps, Ashley stopped and turned, her gaze searching. “See ya tomorrow, Remy,” she called out, waving with her free hand before continuing on into her new home.
Ashley’s father waved at him also, mouthing the words thank you as he continued with his call.
Remy retrieved his bag of groceries and walked around the corner to Pinckney Street and the brownstone he shared with his wife. He was certain she’d be wondering where he had been all this time.
And he would tell her about the little girl who now lived in their neighborhood, who had troubles with her cat.
A little girl named Ashley.
Remy was at Piazza, writing a note for Linda, when she showed up for her lunch shift.
“Hey, you,” she said, warming him with her smile and then a kiss on the lips. “What are you doing here?”
“I tried to call but couldn’t reach you,” Remy said. “I was leaving you a note.”
“Phone died,” she told him. “I forgot to charge it. What’s wrong?”
“I’ve got to take off for a bit,” he replied, watching the expression on her face change-partially annoyance and maybe a little sadness. “Ashley might be missing, and I’m going to poke around, see what I can do to help.”
“Oh, my God.” Linda moved closer, taking his hands and looking deeply into his eyes. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” he said, not really telling the truth. Remy felt like a caged animal, eager to get out…eager to hunt. “But I need to get up there, flip over some rocks to see for myself.”
Linda hadn’t met Ashley, the right time not having presented itself, especially with Ash getting ready to leave for school. Although she certainly knew how important the girl was to Remy.
“This isn’t like her, is it?” she asked.
“No, not at all.”
“Anything I can do?”
