By Paul Cwick

"Okay…okay, Cat." Crystal spoke gently into the telephone. "Okay, that—that sounds great. No…no I understand. No, really. Of course we are… Of course we’re your friends, Cat." Crystal briefly pulled the phone away from her ear, cupping her hand over the mouthpiece. "Wait’ll you hear this stuff!" she whispered to Rain, standing nearby. "I don’t think she’s been crying again, but—" She quickly brought the phone to her ear again. "No…no, really Cat. Of course we care about you Cat, really we do. I’m sure everything—I’m sure everything will work itself out. Everything is going to be all right." She paused. "Okay? Okay? All right. See you in a little bit. ‘Bye." She hung up the phone.

"So what was that all about?" asked Rain.

Crystal let out a sigh. "Well," she began. "She sounded a little better than she did the other day. But she still sounded weird; almost like she was too happy, like she was hyper or something. I guess she’s all right though, ‘cause she said she’ll be in later today to help straighten out some of this mess." She waved her hand at the mountain of bills.

"Well, it’s about time!" Rain said. "When will she be in?"

"A little later this morning,"

Rain grunted non-committally, but otherwise said nothing.

* * *

Nick yawned and stretched, trying to get comfortable in the driver’s seat of the van. Despite his drowsiness and boredom, he tried desperately to stay awake and alert as he maintained his watch on the apartment building across the street. He’d been sitting there for over two hours that morning, and for two full days prior to that, just sitting and watching, waiting for Cat to appear. After two days of doing nothing but sitting, he was now ready to go stir-crazy. He’d had his doubts about this crazy scheme right from the beginning, and by now, his distaste for the plan had grown into near-disgust. At first it only sounded like a crazy plan; he now realized that it was an excruciatingly boring one as well.

"We’ll do a stakeout," Norma said, when she first explained the idea. "Just like the cops do. We’ll keep a close watch on Cat, and the moment she leaves her apartment and she’s well out of the way, we can make our move."

Greg thought the plan was a great idea, of course, but Nick had his doubts. Nevertheless, he agreed to go along with it, and he and Norma took turns, keeping watch for Cat, while Greg stayed holed up in his own apartment.

And now, here Nick found himself, sitting on his rear, waiting for the crazy redhead to show her face, so that they could put the rest of the plan into effect. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a few seconds, gently massaging his stiff neck muscles. I must be out of my mind, he thought.

What made the "stakeout" so boring (as well as puzzling) was the fact that, for two solid days, neither Nick nor Norma saw any sign of Cat. During the entire stakeout so far, Cat hadn’t left her apartment once. They knew she must be home, because they saw light coming from her apartment windows in the early morning and in the evening, and they even saw her shadow silhouetted against the drawn shades. She must be home, they knew, but would she ever leave? It didn’t look like it.

This is great, this is just great! Nick silently fumed in the van. Here, we’ve blown a whole week; a whole week just completely wasted! This is insane…!

Was it a whole week? he suddenly wondered. Let’s see now… He tried to recollect. Well, we spent two days holding meetings in that stupid meat-locker, another day meeting in the car-wash with raincoats and umbrellas (this was Nick’s suggestion, after getting literally sick of meeting in the freezer of Gino’s Market) And for two days, Norma and I have been taking turns just sitting here, waiting for that nut to show her face…that’s five days right there. That leaves today…

Nick sighed in disgust and stretched again. He looked at his watch. 8:15 a.m. He returned his gaze to the door of Cat’s apartment. This is not going to work! he thought in disgust. I swear, today is the absolute last day! If she doesn’t show her face today, then that’s it! We’re going to do my idea, and that’s that!

There was one good thing about all the time spent just sitting there, Nick had to admit, and that was that it gave him plenty of time to think and work out the details of his back-up plan. Like Greg and Norma, Nick hoped they wouldn’t have to use it, but in case they did, he wanted to make sure it was as close to perfect as possible.

* * *

While Nick silently fumed in the van several blocks away, Greg nervously paced around his apartment. He’d been cooped up in there for two days since their last meeting, and, like Nick, he was by now ready to go stir-crazy as well. He had plenty of food and other supplies stored in his kitchen to hold him over during the wait. But it was the suspense that was getting to him more than anything else, the hours of waiting, waiting, waiting… Waiting for the phone to ring, waiting to put The Plan into action. Although Greg had been all for the plan in the beginning, now that he’d had time to actually think about it, he grew more apprehensive about it. In fact, it scared the daylights out of him! Nevertheless, he felt a growing impatience to just do it, to put it into action and get it over with, just to end the suspense.

But for two days now, the only phone calls Greg received from Nick and Norma was to tell him that there was still no sign of Cat. Greg’s nerves were, by now, pretty well shot. I don’t know how much longer I can stand this, he thought. He would have started biting his fingernails again, but after two days of doing so, there was by now very little left to bite.

He looked down at the clothes he wore, the silly disguise that Nick had insisted upon. Painter’s coveralls? he thought. I feel ridiculous. Yet at the same time, he understood the necessity for them. He took the painter’s cap off his head and nervously twirled it around in his fingers.

* * *

Norma likewise waited impatiently in the kitchen of her house. She glanced up at the clock. 8:30. Another hour and a half and she would have to go and relieve Nick, taking over his watch. She sighed. In addition to the tension she felt, she also felt distinctly uncomfortable, due to the disguise she now wore. She nervously fidgeted, tugging at the strands of her blonde wig.

Wearing disguises was Nick’s idea. Although the plan was Norma’s, Nick insisted that, as long as they were going to go through with such a nutty idea, they couldn’t afford to take any chances. At first, both Greg and Norma balked at the idea of disguises, but eventually they gave in.

But Norma insisted on picking out her own disguise. Nick suggested that she adopt a look as different as possible from her ordinary, everyday appearance. Toward that end, she chose a bright, platinum-blonde wig and a shade of makeup that was several shades lighter than her own natural olive complexion. With the wig, makeup and an outsized pair of sunglasses, Nick and Greg both had to admit that she was virtually unrecognizable.

Nick and Greg also wore disguises, even though, as Nick pointed out, it wasn’t likely to do himself much good, as a person of his size was going to stand out and attract attention no matter what he wore. He finally decided upon painters’ coveralls, topped off with painters’ caps, for himself and Greg to wear.

After two days of wearing the disguise during her stakeouts, Norma almost felt comfortable in it. Almost. Sitting around the house in it however, anxiously waiting for the phone to ring, she still felt distinctly uncomfortable. She glanced up at the clock again. 8:34. She sighed again. This was going to be another long day…

* * *

Cat busily prepared to return to work after her long absence. She looked herself over in the mirror, lightly brushed her hair one last time, straightened the collar of her blouse, and added a few final touches to her makeup. Looking at herself, she had to admit she looked good.

And she felt good, too. Several days of rest and relaxation had done wonders for her; she felt completely rejuvenated. The numerous cuts and scratches she had sustained all over her body had healed, and her spirits were much higher. And she had to admit that it was kind of nice to be visible again, to be able to wear clothes & shoes and be seen by people and interact with them again. As much as she loved the power of being invisible, there were so many inconveniences associated with it that she sometimes wondered why she bothered.

Her smile faded slightly as she recalled the reason why she bothered. It was because of him (she couldn’t even bear to think of his name, so unpleasant was his memory to her.) She used her potion primarily to keep him in line. But…that was now in the past; he was in the past. He was out of the picture, and she was through with him, period. Now she only needed to worry about herself. Oh, she would still use the invisibility potion from time to time, when it suited her. There were many other uses to which she could put it, many other situations where it would be very useful, no question about that. But it would be for her own benefit, not anyone else’s.

For one thing, the potion would come in handy for catching shoplifters at the store. In fact, she’d probably scare them to death, she realized. For some reason, this thought pleased her. The potion would also be very useful whenever she was a little short of cash. No more worrying at the end of each month about whether or not she had made enough money at the store to cover the rent. No…no more money worries, that was for sure. Money, or anything else she needed was now hers for the taking. She smiled at the thought.

Cat closed her eyes, took a breath, and slowly released it, performing the deep-relaxation exercises she had been practicing the last few days. She felt her body growing stronger and more energized, her confidence and self-esteem increasing. She felt great! It was wonderful to be her own person again, to be completely free. Never again would she let anyone completely dominate her life the way she had allowed him to. The only one she needed to be concerned about now was herself, and that was all. The thought pleased her. She opened her eyes and looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. Yes, she silently told her reflection. You’re your own person! You’re strong and smart and beautiful and you don’t need anyone!

She turned from the mirror, picked up her purse and walked out the front door, closing and locking it behind her. She walked down the flight of stairs, around the corner of the building to the parking-lot in back. Her feet and legs felt much better now, almost completely healed, and it no longer pained her to walk.

She got into her car and quickly pulled out of the parking-lot. As she drove away, she didn’t notice the large brown van suddenly pull away from the curb and follow her down the street.

* * *

"That’s right!" Nick said into the cell phone, holding it with one hand and holding the steering-wheel with the other. He could barely contain his excitement. "That’s right, she’s on her way now!" he said. "Yeah, finally! I know, I thought she was turning into a recluse or something! Well, she’s heading down Romero Drive right now. Yeah, I think so; she probably is going to that store of hers. At any rate, it doesn’t look like she’s heading your way, so I think we’ll be okay. Anyway, I’m going to follow her & keep an eye on her, just to make sure, and call you back, one way or the other. Yeah, I’ll call Norma right now & have her meet me there, we can make the switch, and she can take over the surveillance. Then I’ll come over to your place and pick you up. Right? Right. ‘Kay, ‘bye." He hung up the phone, then quickly dialed his home number, and repeated the news to Norma.

* * *

Norma hung up the phone, her hand trembling with excitement. So this is it, she thought. She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. This plan that she had previously thought of only in abstract terms was now becoming a reality. I sure hope this works, she thought, rubbing her hands nervously together. She went into the bathroom to make a final check of her disguise, then hurried out the door and into her car. She started the engine and pulled the little Honda out of the driveway, down the street and onto the expressway, toward the downtown area where Cat’s little herb shop was located.

* * *

"Hi, Kitty-Cat, good to see you again!" Crystal said, smiling as she and Rain approached her. "Hugs-hugs!" The three embraced each other tightly.

"You look great!" Rain said. "Really! The time off must’ve been just what the doctor ordered."

Rain didn’t exaggerate. Cat did look good, much better than she had in a long time. She still looked a little tired, but she definitely seemed happier, more energetic, and less plagued by the moodiness that had made life with her so unpleasant over the past months.

"Thanks; it’s good to see you guys again, too." Cat said, smiling (a little too broadly, Crystal briefly noted) at her co-workers. "And it’s good to be back at work again."

"You really feel better then, huh?" Crystal said.

"Sure, sure," Cat said (with a little too much enthusiasm, it seemed to Crystal.) "I was just—well, I guess you could say it was a sickness," As Cat said the word "sickness," a mental picture of Greg flickered through her mind, and the features of her face briefly hardened accordingly. "A malady of mind and spirit, I guess you could say. But I’m over it. It’s all behind me now. Yes, I’m much better now; much, much, much better." She used just a bit too much emphasis on the word, and smiled even more broadly, revealing a little more tooth than was usual for her. Crystal then noticed that Cat’s eyes had a curious look to them; her pupils seemed unusually large.

So…" Cat said at length, rubbing her hands together. "Where’s all this backlog you were telling me about?"

Crystal pointed to the mountain of papers piled on top of the desk at the rear of the store. Cat didn’t even blink; in fact, she almost seemed delighted at the mess. "Well, well." she said simply. "Looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us! Well, let’s get busy! C’mon, c’mon, let’s go!" She waved her hands, hurrying the others on.

She then sat down at the desk and began sorting through the papers, pulling out some pens, pencils and a calculator, with Rain assisting her.

Crystal turned and started to walk away. "I’ll be out here," she said, heading toward the main area of the shop. She stopped and looked back briefly at Cat, who was now going through the papers at full throttle.

* * *

Norma parked down the street and around the corner from the rendezvous point, just in case Cat might recognize her car. Norma didn’t think this was necessary, but Nick disagreed.

"Can’t take any chances," he said on the first day of their stakeout. "It’s not worth the risk. She probably knows what your car looks like; all she has to do is spot it in this area to get suspicious. But I don’t think she knows what my van looks like, so we’ll use it for the surveillance. There’s also more room in the back for…you know, the ‘backup’…in case we need it."

Norma walked the short distance to where the van was parked, and when she reached it, she lightly tapped her fingers on the windshield to get Nick’s attention. Nick quickly opened the door and stepped out.

"She’s in there," he said as Norma slid past him into the driver’s seat of the van. "You can just barely see her through the window of the shop. See?" he said, motioning with his head in the direction of the small store across the street.

"Yeah…yeah, I see her now," Norma said, looking casually in the direction indicated. "I’m parked down there," she motioned in the direction down the street. "Around the corner, past the gas-station." She closed the door of the van, settling into the seat. "Okay, so I’ll keep an eye on her and if anything happens, if she takes off or whatever, I’ll call you guys. Right?"

"Right," Nick said, turning and walking down the block to the Honda.

* * *

Greg’s nerves were so tense that, when the doorbell rang, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Lighten up, he told himself. It’s just Nick! Jeez, get a grip! How’re you going to do this thing if you’re this jittery already? Relax, guy; relax! He tried to follow his own silent instruction, but it wasn’t easy.

He opened the door to greet his friend, then stepped out, closing and locking the door behind him. The two men briskly walked down the stairs and out to the parking-lot. Nick unlocked the car and they both climbed in.

Greg tried not to look at his friend; every time he saw Nick inside the Honda, he started laughing. He couldn’t help it; it looked funny to see this huge guy inside this little bitty clown car. Nick himself even joked about it when they first bought the vehicle, saying that he didn’t so much get into the car as put it on, like a jacket. It was a slight exaggeration, but not much. Now wasn’t the time to start laughing out loud about it, however, but at the same time, Greg was grateful for any diversion to ease the tension he felt.

And there was good reason for tension. For what they were planning to do was most definitely illegal. It was probably several felonies rolled into one, Greg feared, and if even the slightest thing should go wrong, they could easily both wind up in jail. Not to mention all the other possible consequences, if Cat were to find out about it. Neither Nick nor Greg spoke of it out loud, but both were well aware of the risks they were taking.

In a little while, they pulled up to the curb across from Cat’s apartment building. Nick switched off the engine, then turned to face Greg.

"Have you got everything?" he asked. "Got your phone?"

"Right in my pocket. Fresh, brand-new batteries in it and everything. Sure could have used this damned thing the other night." he said, recalling the hellish evening in the café parking-lot.

"Have you got the rubber gloves?"

"Right here," Greg replied, taking two pair from his pocket and handing one to his friend. They each pulled on a pair.

Nick looked at Greg, about to say something, then hesitated. Finally, he spoke.

"Last chance to back out," he said. "Remember, from here on, there’s no going back. Once we open the door to that apartment up there, we break the law. Do you understand? That’s technically breaking and entry, even though we’re not going to break anything. Understand?"

Greg nodded.

"You’re sure you still want to go through with this thing? We could still try going to the police, you know."

Greg thought about it for a moment, swallowed, then shook his head. "No…no…as I said before, they’d never believe me in a thousand years." He paused and swallowed. "No…no, we’ve come this far. Lets—Let’s just go through with it." he said dryly. "Let’s do it."

Nick nodded. "All right," he said simply.

The two men sat and watched for the last few cars to pass by, then, looking all around them for any unwanted potential witnesses, they got out of the car and crossed the street to the apartment building. They came up the walkway, turned and climbed the stairs, trying to look casual, as though they were simply going about their business, as though they belonged there, trying desperately not to reveal the nervous tension they felt. They stopped at one door, which Greg identified as belonging to Cat’s apartment.

"Okay…I’m going to try to make this fast," Nick said quietly, pulling from his pocket a small plastic pouch, containing several fine, delicate, needle-like tools. "’Cause the longer we fart around out here, the more likely we’ll attract attention and get busted. Okay, now keep your eyes open. Here goes." He crouched down and went to work on the lock.

Although Greg was curious to see his friend at work, he knew that his first responsibility as a lookout was much more important. He scanned the horizon for curious onlookers who might get suspicious about their activity.

He heard some faint metallic clicking and scraping sounds to his right, accompanied by one or two whispered curses, as Nick worked the lock.

"Dammit…I haven’t done this in a while…I’m a little rusty…dammit…"

"The lock’s rusty? What?" Greg asked, glancing briefly at Nick, then looking away again. "Can’t you open it?" he whispered tensely. He didn’t know whether to feel disappointment…or relief.

"Yes, I can open it," Nick whispered, the tiniest trace of irritation evident in his voice. "It’ll just take a while, that’s all…Wait! I think I’ve…" A tiny click sounded, followed by the sound of a door opening. "I’ve got it. It’s okay, it’s open." He straightened up and stood back, pushing the door open with gloved fingertips.

"Okay," he whispered, letting out a tiny sigh of relief. "I’ll wait out in the car, keeping watch. If I see her, or if I see anyone nosing around who looks suspicious, I’ll give you a call, right?"

"Right." Greg swallowed.

"Okay." Nick said. "Good luck." With a quick wave, he headed back down the stairs as Greg stepped into the apartment, closing the door quietly behind him.

He looked around the place, and his mouth dropped open. Oh, no…! he thought in dismay, as he surveyed the apartment. This isn’t going to be so easy…

The place was a disaster area! A complete and total mess! It was virtually unrecognizable from the immaculately clean apartment that Greg recalled from only a few months before. Trash now littered every inch of the floor, a thick layer of dust coated every square inch of exposed surface, dirty dishes, pots and pans stood piled up in the kitchen sink and the entire place stank as though it were in dire need of a good airing. It was such a complete mess that Greg wondered at first if he was even in the right apartment.

Greg shook his head at the sight. He was at a loss to explain it. Cat had always been so meticulously clean, and had always kept her apartment perfectly (even obsessively) neat and tidy. Greg could only conclude that the current disordered state of the apartment was but one more symptom of Cat’s disturbed mind.

He sighed, and looked around the place. On an opposite wall of the room, he saw a set of shelves lined with numerous small potted plants. He walked toward it, his footsteps raising small clouds of dust as he walked. He stifled a sneeze as the dust rose to his nostrils. He stopped when he reached the shelves and surveyed the potted plants. There were dozens of them. Greg shook his head; Cat must have been cultivating these things for years, he thought. One by one, Greg picked up each potted plant and examined it closely. Some of them had labels, but most did not. Reading the labels, Greg recognized some of the names, having heard them before: Ginseng, Mustard, Licorice… Others were less familiar: Coltsfoot, Flowering Maple… And some were just downright weird: Horehound, Dogbane, Elephant’s Ear… Greg smelled each plant, trying to recall the distinctive odor that arose whenever Cat brewed her invisibility potion, and trying to pick out the one that seemed to most closely resemble the aroma he had gotten to know so well.

The trouble was, it was difficult to identify any specific aroma; the stale air of the apartment masked all other smells. Moreover, several of the plants all seemed to smell the same. He recalled Cat saying something about the potion being derived from a mixture of several different herbs. Greg shook his head; he knew then that he had to confiscate all the plants that smelled even remotely like the potion.

After going through the entire collection of plants three times, Greg finally separated four that seemed to smell the most like the scent he was searching for. He examined them very closely. They had no labels. Maybe they’re hybrids or something, he thought. Maybe these are the only ones of their kind in the whole world. He briefly considered destroying the plants, thereby preventing Cat from ever being able to brew more of the potion. Then he reconsidered. He knew that, although he had little chance of being able to create the invisibility mixture himself, if the worst came to the worst, he could, if he had the plants in his possession, at least try. At any rate, the important thing at this point was to just get the plants out of here and away from Cat; prevent her from brewing another batch of the potion. He could decide what to do with them later on; but for now, he just wanted to get them out of there. He unzipped a pocket of his coveralls and pulled a large, folded canvas bag. He unfolded it and carefully placed the plants into it, one by one. He then tied the bag shut with its drawstring top.

What time is it? he wondered. He glanced up at the clock. Damn, it’s getting late, he thought. He’d spent more time going through the plants than he’d planned on, but he was still all right, time-wise; it was still relatively early. But he still had to finish the second and more problematical part of the plan, which was to try and locate Cat’s stash of the prepared potion and confiscate it as well. No doubt she had it well hidden away somewhere; it was just a matter of finding it.

The trouble was, Greg had no idea exactly where Cat might have hidden it. This had always been a weak point in the plan, he realized. In the beginning, he had felt confident that, once inside the apartment, he’d be able to find the stash, given enough time. There weren’t that many places she could possibly hide it, after all; the apartment wasn’t that big.

But now that he was actually here, only now did Greg realize the magnitude of the problem. And with the place so cluttered and strewn with garbage, finding the stash would be even more difficult than ever. There must be a million hiding-places for the potion just in the living room alone, he thought. The stuff could literally be anywhere, even right under his nose, and he would never know it.

Greg tried not to let the enormity of the problem get to him, however. Instead, he tried to remain calm and approach the problem rationally.

Now, let’s see… he thought. If I were Cat, where would I hide the stuff…?

He decided to start with the kitchen. It seemed a logical place to start. After all, the kitchen was where she always brewed the potion; it seemed reasonable that she should also store it there as well. He proceeded to open drawers and cabinets in the kitchen, looking for hiding-places in all the areas Nick advised him to check. He checked the bottoms and backs of the drawers, and the undersides of cabinet shelves. He reached his hands in and around, searching for hidden nooks and crannies where a glass vial or two could be hidden. He looked in coffee cans, mason jars, cardboard boxes, Tupperware containers. He even looked inside food containers in the refrigerator. He looked everywhere in the kitchen for the little glass vials that Cat seemed to always have with her. He also looked for the mixture of herbs themselves, that Cat brewed in boiling water to create the potion. He remembered they were a sort of weird gray-green color, unlike ordinary tea leaves or… He looked and looked…but without result.

Greg tried not to get discouraged. It’s just a matter of time, he tried to reassure himself. I’ll find it, I know I will…It’s just a matter of time… Sooner or later, I’m bound to find something… Just be cool, don’t get excited…stay calm and just keep looking…

* * *

Nick shifted uncomfortably in the driver’s seat of the Honda. He never felt comfortable in this silly little car; he always got claustrophobic whenever he spent any length of time in it. The tension of the current situation made it even more unbearable, particularly as time dragged on. At first, he began to fidget nervously; in time, however, his agitation grew, and he began to thrash around in the little car like a trapped animal.

What the hell is he doing in there so long? Nick silently wondered. Can’t he find the damned stuff? He said he could…! I thought he was just going to go in there, look around for a little bit, find the stuff and get the hell out! I didn’t know he was going to spend all day in there! What the hell’s taking him so long?

Originally, Nick had wanted to accompany Greg into the apartment, to help look for the herbs and potion. But after much discussion, Greg finally convinced Nick that he would be of much greater help to Greg if he were on the outside, acting as a lookout, in case Cat (or someone else) were to approach the apartment while Greg was still in there. If someone were to approach, then Nick could, after alerting Greg, create some sort of diversion and distract the person just long enough to give Greg time to get out of the apartment. Besides, Greg pointed out, it was bad enough for one of them to risk a jail sentence for burglary; there was no reason why the both of them should risk it. Nick immediately saw the wisdom of Greg’s points, and quickly agreed.

But now that he was stuck out here, waiting for his friend, and time seemed to be rapidly slipping by (the exact opposite of that morning, in fact), it was a different matter. Now the suspense of waiting was getting to Nick, and he was now getting the uneasy feeling…that things were not quite working out right in there. Although Nick didn’t like to rely on feelings, he now had a powerful and terrible gut feeling…that everything would go wrong… He tried to ignore it, but he could never quite shake off the feeling.

Five more minutes, Nick thought with growing agitation. I’ll give him five more minutes and then I’ll call him & find out just what the hell he’s doing in there…!

He sighed, folding his arms and settling back in the seat, which creaked under his weight.

* * *

Okay…okay, don’t panic, Greg silently told himself. So it wasn’t anywhere in the kitchen. At least nowhere that I could find… Maybe…maybe she’s got it stashed in the living room. Yeah…yeah, that’s it…maybe near where she’s got her herbarium. Maybe underneath the sofa…maybe…maybe she has it hidden inside the sofa cushions… I haven’t checked the underside of the end-table yet! Maybe it’s there! Maybe…maybe it’s…oh, god, it could be anywhere…! He crept into the living-room, and quietly pulled the sofa away from the wall, not an easy task, what with all the trash strewn about the floor. He removed the sofa cushions one by one and began looking underneath them and inside them, unzipping the covers and probing around inside them with his gloved hands.

* * *

Norma leaned forward, looking through the windshield of the van, her eyes glued to the little shop across the street. It was difficult, but she could just barely make out a woman with bright red hair puttering around inside the shop with two other women. Whatever it was they were doing in there, it obviously kept them very busy. Which is perfect! Norma thought. That means she’ll be in there for a while, which will give the guys time.

She smiled. It was tricky plan and a complicated one, and working out all the details was no picnic. But so far, it seemed to be going perfectly. Of course, she realized, that was because she had the easy part: All she had to do was sit there and keep an eye on Cat, and alert the guys if Cat left the store and headed back to her apartment. It was the guys who were really running the big risks, putting their butts on the line, legally speaking. That being the case, Norma was quite content with her own relatively small role in the plan.

She glanced at her watch; it was almost noon. She had no idea how long it would take for Greg to find the stuff, but the other day, he seemed pretty confident that he’d be able to find it without too much trouble. She sure hoped so. She was almost tempted to give him a quick call to find out how he was doing, and once she even picked up the cell phone to start dialing, before she stopped herself. I’d better wait, she thought, until I have a reason to call…I probably shouldn’t distract him, he’s probably got enough on his mind right now as it is…

* * *

Dammit! Greg thought, frantically. Where the hell is it? Where?!? He had gone completely through the kitchen and living room. He had checked every possible hiding-place he could think of. He had gone through cabinets and drawers in the kitchen. He looked inside the kitchen light-fixture. He’d looked under the sofa, checked all the shelves and bookcases, even checked behind them as well. He even checked behind pictures hung on the wall, but all without luck. As he continued to search, he grew increasingly frustrated and frantic, and consequently, more careless. His original intention was to put everything back exactly where it was, so that Cat wouldn’t notice anything amiss when she came home. But as time went on, and Greg still couldn’t find the vials, he began to just leave everything where he dropped it. I can put it all back later, he thought. I’ve got to find the stuff first! I just have to! I’m running out of time!

He surveyed the living-room and kitchen, both of which were now an even bigger mess than they were before, giving obvious indication that the place had been searched. Well, he thought, trying to be optimistic. It was such a mess to begin with, maybe she won’t notice anything… He shook his head, realizing how foolish that sounded; Cat would have to be either blind or stupid not to notice the place had been ransacked.

Well, he thought, trying to remain focused. Wherever she’s got the stuff hidden, it obviously isn’t in here. That leaves the bedroom and bathroom. He turned and headed into the bathroom, where he began searching in the cabinets. He even lifted the lid of the toilet-tank, hoping to find the small glass vials taped to its underside. Damn! he thought when he found nothing there. That’s where I would have hidden it! He sighed and replaced the lid.

He proceeded to look through all the cabinets a second time. His hands began to tremble madly, revealing the growing panic he felt.

I’ve just got to find the stuff, he told himself. I’ve just got to!

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