It’s always seems to be dog walkers that find dead bodies. We’d gone out early on that crisp October morning, it was as we were on our way back we spotted it. I remember there was a smell of burgers and fried onions in the air.
He was lying face up, eyes wide open staring up at the clouds. I wondered if he had watched his spirit rise up and go to heaven, or roll over and take the highway to hell, but who was I to judge? I didn’t know him, but that’s not to say it didn’t have an effect on me, and Shelly, she was really shaken up. It was hard enough being the ones that discovered him, but being so close to home was more that a little disturbing. We both suffered some restless nights that first week.
I can’t say that it wasn’t exciting though, there was lots of coming and going at the house, and phone calls. The police came around a few times, took statements, wanted to know our full movements and exact times. Had we heard or seen anything the previous night? We were sure we didn’t know the man from somewhere? Then the door to door enquiries began, the papers got involved and a journalist came over too, but nobody seemed to have any reason or motive to kill him. The funeral came and went, we didn’t attend but we did walk by the church during the service and take a quiet moment to pay our respects. He must have been well liked, there was a good turn out. The family probably wouldn’t have known who we were, but we felt it best to stay out of the way and leave them to mourn alone.
It was almost a week later that the cat came back home, she’d been missing since before the incident. She hated strangers coming into ‘her’ house, and with all the comings and goings of the last few weeks, it wasn’t surprising that she’d taken herself off somewhere.
She entered the room silently, stopped for a moment and looked around. Then with effortless grace, hopped up onto the arm of the sofa. I watched her from where I lay on the floor as she nestled herself into position, tucking her front paws into her chest. Her tail hung over the side, just the very tip of it swayed. As cats go, she was beautiful, but by god she knew it. Pure white cats were always admired. She squinted her green eyes half closed, and turned her head slowly to face me.
“It wasn’t you, you know.” she said.
“What wasn’t?”
“That found the body. I found him first.”
Knowing that she had my full attention, she turned her head back to centre.
“What do you mean?” I asked, jumping up.
“I mean,” she said, sarcastically, “I found the body before you did.”
“But why didn’t you say something?”
“Because I couldn’t get in the house. That stupid woman locked the cat-flap again.”
“That ‘stupid woman’ has been worried sick about you all week!”
My words meant nothing, Claudia the cat did what she wanted, went where she wanted, and thought what she wanted. And she was not about to change.
“So when did you find him?”
“He was alive when I saw him first, I watched it happen.”
“What?” I could hardly believe what I was hearing. “Why didn’t you do something? You might have been able to save him.”
“Do what, exactly? I could hardly call an ambulance could I? Besides, he died instantly.
“So what did you do?”
“I ate some of his burger.”
“You did what?”
“Don’t pretend you wouldn’t have done the same, in fact, you would have eaten all of it. You know you would.”
“Not if I’d just watched him die I wouldn’t! What did you do after that?”
“I sat on his chest.”
“Jesus Christ, you’re unbelievable!” I paced back and forth, trying to understand her awful way of thinking.
“He was warm, for a while anyway. I was trying to be practical. I was locked out in the cold remember.”
“Don’t try to justify yourself. Oh no! You would have left your hairs all over him!”
“Relax, you stupid dog. They’re hardly going to hold me responsible.”
“Was there a murder weapon, what even happened?”
“He was stumbling home drunk, chewing a burger, and he got jumped. A gang of youths came out of nowhere, took his wallet, and punched him. No weapon, he cracked his head when he fell, finished him off instantly.” she said flatly.
“That’s so horrible. We have to tell someone, we have to help the police find them.” I rushed towards the door, hoping she would follow.
“Who do you think you are, Lassie?”
“But we have to do something!”
“We’re animals remember. Besides, I don’t want the hassle.”
“You’re so selfish!” I barked. “An innocent man has died, don’t you care?”
“Not really. You can go to the police if you like, I’d like to see you try and explain it to humans.”
“Why do you mock me so much?”
“Because you eat my shit.”
I hated myself for that habit. Embarrassed that she knew my awful secret, I could only retort by calling her a bitch. I went back to my place by the fire and lay down.
“I think you’ll find that you are the bitch.” she laughed.
Stretching out one of her paws in front of her, she extended her claws for just a moment. A quick reminder of the swipe across the nose she’d once given me, narrowly missed my eye.
She stood up and arched her back before elegantly stepping down from the sofa. Her audacity left me speechless. Just before she reached the doorway, and knowing I was still watching, she stopped and licked her paw. “It was a good burger.” she said. Then just as silently as she had entered, she was gone.
