them. How do you know that?â
âStands to reason. First one cat gone, then the other. Cats donât wander off in pairs.â
âMaybe the tuna in the trash hadnât been thrown out. Maybe it was used to lure Peaches.â
He leaned forward, his face thrust into mine. âFind him,â he said. âFind the one who done it.â
âFind who?â I asked. âYou keep saying
him.
Did you see someone around here, Mr. Chamberlin?â
He slowly settled back, his eyes dull with fading comprehension.
âWho did you see?â I repeated.
Mr. Chamberlin suddenly slumped, as though someone had let go of a string that held him up. Tears ran down his face. âPeaches wonât ever come back,â he murmured.
I jumped to my feet and brought him the box of tissues that sat on the kitchen ledge, but even though I pushed the box right in front of him, Mr. Chamberlin ignored it. He ignored me, too, lost in his own mournful world.
âDid you see Pepper tonight, Mr. Chamberlin?â I asked, but he didnât answer.
I tried again. âDid you see anyone around our houseâanyone who didnât belong here?â
âEvil, evil in his eyes. I know evil. I can see it.â He continued to cry.
Poor old man. I snatched up a handful of tissues and pushed them at him. âCome on, Mr. Chamberlin,â I said. âIâm going to take you home.â
This time I locked the back door as I left.
A FTER I WALKED Mr. Chamberlin safely to his own house, I tested his alarm light to make sure it was working, and then I decided to search every inch of the ground between his home and ours. What was I looking for? I didnât know. Anything out of the ordinary, I guess. But tonight there was no trash and no tuna.
Where had Pepper gone? What had happened to him?
The Maliksâ front door opened, and Mark stepped outside. âJess, is that you?â he called. âWhat are you doing?â
âIâm looking for Pepper,â I said. âPepper, my cat.â
Mark loped down the walk to join me. He glanced in the direction of Mr. Chamberlinâs house, then back to me. âYour catâs gone, too? Whatâs going on around here?â
âI donât know,â I said.
âWere they valuable cats? Would anyone want to steal them?â
âPeaches was a Persian, but she was an old cat, and Pepper wasâisânothing more than an alley cat.â
âDid Pepper like to go wandering?â
âNot often. Heâs pretty lazy.â
âHas he ever disappeared before?â
I sighed. âWhen he was younger, he got trapped inside someoneâs toolshed for a whole day and scared me to death, but during the last few years heâs been content to stick close to home. Mark, Iâve had Pepper since I was eight years old. I donât know what Iâd do without him.â
Without meaning to, I burst into tears.
Mark didnât say anything. He just put his arms around me.
âIt hurts,â I managed to say as my sobs turned to dry shudders.
âOf course it hurts.â Mark gently kissed my forehead, then both eyelids, and I felt as though I were wrapped in a caring, comforting cocoon. Mesmerized, I leaned against him and raised my face for what I thought would be his kiss on my lips, but he said, âIâm going to take you home, Jess. Iâll wait with you until your parents come back, if you want me to.â
It took a few moments to pull myself back to reality. âIâll be fine by myself,â I told him. âBut thanks for your help. Iâm sorry I dumped all my feelings on you.â
Mark smiled. âHey, what are neighbors for?â
I smiled back. âI thought neighbors were different in the Bronx.â
âNeighbors are neighbors everywhere,â Mark said. âI have to admit, though, Iâd rather be neighbors with you than with Mr. Chamberlin.â
âI found him
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