Monster - A. Lee Martinez [10]
The cat in his arms didn’t squirm at all until he reached the quaint front door and knocked. Then it twisted loose and hit the porch. The cat waited patiently with Rob for the door to open.
He checked the time. He had another five minutes before rush hour really set in.
The door swung open and a tall young woman appeared. Her face was thin, and she didn’t have much of a chest either. She made up for this with a nice figure and a pair of slender, athletic legs with just a hint of muscular power. Rob had always been a leg man, and he had a preference for brunettes. This woman’s hair was long and shimmering, just the way he preferred.
“Oh, my—Pendragon,” she said. “There you are! And who is this you’ve brought with you?”
The cat meowed once, then went inside without saying anything else.
“Wherever did you find him?” She smiled widely, displaying long white teeth that were just short of an overbite. They were not her best feature, but he was willing to overlook it.
“Your cat keeps—” he started. “Pendragon,” she corrected. “His name’s Pendragon.”
“Uh, yeah. Your cat, Pendragon, he keeps coming over to my house and bothering my wife.”
“He has?” She gasped theatrically. “That’s most distressing. Mrs. Lotus will be most upset with him. Come in, come in.”
“I have to get to work.”
“Oh, nonsense.” The woman took his hand. “We must tell Mrs. Lotus. I’m sure she’ll want to hear your story.”
He started to protest, but he was at that point in his life at which two hours of traffic jam seemed a fair trade for five minutes of miniskirted legs. It wasn’t as if anyone at the office would notice. The guy in the cubicle next to him still called him Ron. Rob might’ve been insulted except he’d never even bothered to learn the guy’s name.
The young lady drew him inside and shut the door. There were a lot of cats. So many that they were perched on every piece of furniture and every other step of the staircase, under every table and in every corner. They were all quiet and none seemed very interested in him after an initial glance. Despite their overwhelming numbers, the house smelled of gingerbread and coffee.
“I don’t believe we’ve been introduced,” said the woman. “I’m Ed.”
“Ed?” said Rob. “Is that short for something?”
“No, it’s just Ed. Just a little joke, or so Mrs. Lotus told me. I don’t get it myself, but I’m sure it’s very funny.” Ed laughed. It was rough and unladylike, and it ended with a snort.
“Rob,” he said. “I’m Rob.”
“What a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Do you live here?” he asked. “Oh, yes. We all do. Mrs. Lotus has a weakness for strays.” She led him deeper into the house, past more cats and down a hallway.
“I’ve never seen you outside,” he said. “We’re not usually allowed outside,” she said. “Mrs. Lotus says that will change soon, but for now we’re supposed to stay inside. That’s why I’m sure she’ll be ever so mad at Pendragon. He really should know better.”
He wasn’t sure what he’d stumbled into, but there was definitely something unwholesome going on in here. He didn’t have the imagination to think of anything specific.
Ed led him into a cozy den decorated in shades of blue and suspiciously absent of cats. She guided him into a comfortable chair. “We were just about to have some tea. You must join us.”
“I don’t like tea,” he said. “Oh, but you’ll love this. It’s Mrs. Lotus’s own special blend.” She took the pot from the small table, poured a small cup, and handed it to him. “Just a sip.”
She frowned. There was an ugly expression on her long face. Rob was more fixated on her legs as she uncrossed and crossed them. She poured herself a cup and offered a toast.
“To good neighbors.”
He clinked his cup against hers and watched her slurp down her drink. Rob did the same. If he’d had just a bit more imagination he might’ve thought it was poisoned or laced with a narcotic, but he wasn’t really thinking about it. He tried not to think about most things, as the answers he reached were rarely comforting.
The tea