Cat's Paw: A Novella

Novella

Cat's Paw, 2012 Published by Rustin Petrae

Copyright © 2012, Rustin Petrae. All rights reserved.

No similarity between any names, characters,persons, and/or institutions in this publication is intended and any such is purely coincidental. Cat's Paw (including all prominent characters) featured in this story (and the distinctive likeness thereof) are copyrighted by Rustin Petrae.

Tragedy. It's a small word but it has huge meaning. I could see the effects of what that word could do in the summer of 2001 when tragedy struck my neighborhood. It infected and contaminated everything. The worst part was that tragedy came with a crap load of emotions. Sometimes devastating emotions.

Hysteria.

Panic.

Fear.

Depression.

Sadness.

I was fifteen that year. I was young and stupid back then. I thought I had no worries. No cares. I had great, loving parents. A safe and stable home. I thought I lived in a bubble and one where nothing truly bad ever happened.

The summer of 2001 changed all that. It popped my bubble with vicious cruelty.

You see, that summer a girl my age named Vicki Campbell was murdered.

It was also the summer where everything I was and everything I knew crumbled to dust.

******

I was sitting on the couch with my dad one day. It was late morning on a Saturday and we just got done eating breakfast. Our bowls were on the coffee table in front of us. On the TV was the local the news. My dad had an intent look in his eyes as he watched the various stories roll past. Normally I would've been up in my room watching my own TV or playing some video games. Maybe even reading a book. In short, anywhere but watching the news. I hated the news. It was boring and I never really got into it. Whenever my parents watched it, I would quickly find something else to do.

Not that day though. That Saturday, I was glued to the TV.

"There is still no sign of young Vicki Campbell," a woman reporter said. I still remember her too. Her name was Vanessa Irving. Most of my friends (and even myself, I'll admit) had some pretty insane fantasies involving her. She was extremely pretty. She had short blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a gorgeous body. "Twelve year old Vicki Campbell disappeared from her backyard three days ago. There has been no sign and no clues as to her current whereabouts. Police Chief Bill Yearling had this to say."

The picture switched from her to the police chief. He was on old man, his face filled with wrinkles and lines. Despite his age, there was still a sharp intelligence lurking in his eyes (even though at that moment they looked tired and worn out). He addressed the camera and his grim eyes were locked onto an audience he couldn't see. They seemed to punch out at me. I remember that much. It was like he was staring straight through the cameras and right at me.

"If anyone has seen Vicki." He paused so he could hold up a current picture of the girl. I focused on that picture, although I didn't need to. I'd seen Vicki around the neighborhood many times, had even played and talked with her. The picture showed a smiling girl with reddish brown hair and bright green eyes. Her teeth were a little crooked, but I thought it lent her smile more beauty than ugliness. She had rosy red cheeks and dimples on both sides of her mouth. "If anyone has seen her I would urge you to come forward. All we want right now is her safe return."

I turned away from the TV and watched my dad's face closely. It was intent and very stern. His jawline clenched and unclenched several times. His eyes were the worst though. His eyes held a blaze of anger that scared the crap out of me. It was an alien look. I'd never seen him with that anger in his eyes before. My dad wasn't what you would call an angry person. Mostly, he was pretty relaxed and mellow.