Cat on the Scent полностью

            “Pray that no car is coming our way because if we stop we won’t get started again.”

            Pewter, eyes huge, chin quivering, steered for all she was worth. By God, she might be afraid but she wasn’t a coward.

            They reached the end of Blair’s long driveway. A truck was past them on the right. With all their might the two cats turned the wheel to the left. The car door still hung wide open.

            “Not too much! Not too much!” Pewter directed.

            “More?” Tucker couldn’t see a thing. This was truly an act of blind faith.

            “No, keep it right like it is, Tucker. You’re doing great. Okay, okay, here’s our driveway. Another left. Not too much, it’s curvy.” Murphy kept her voice calm.

            “Slow, slow. Oh no—there’s another car!” Pewter’s fur stood on end.

            “He sees us. He’s not going to hit us without messing himself up.”

            The car swerved around them, horn honking.

            “Asshole!” Murphy spat. “Yeah, okay, now keep your eyes on the road, Pewts. We’ll make it.” The car dropped down a bit on the dirt road; the stones had moved to the sides, as they always do. It’s a waste of money putting stone on a driveway, but who can afford macadam?

            “I see Mom!” Pewter almost wept with relief.

            “Tucker, keep it steady. We have to roll past her line of vision. Okay, okay, she sees us. Pewter, hit the horn.”

            Pewter laid on that horn for all she was worth.

            “Off?”

            “Yeah.”

            Tucker lifted her weight off the gas pedal. The car shuddered to a stop. Harry stopped the tractor and hit the ground running. She tore over her newly seeded field.

            “Oh my God,” was all she could say when she reached the stalled-out Turbo. She put it in neutral, started it, then picked up the activated car phone and dialed 911.

            “Crozet Emergency—” Diana Robb didn’t get to finish her sentence.

            “Diana. Harry. Blair’s in my driveway. He’s been shot. There’s blood everywhere. For God’s sake, hurry!”

            She dropped the phone. She was shaking so hard that Tucker, now on the ground, licked her hands. Then she remembered to turn off the motor. She no longer needed the power for the telephone. Harry felt Blair’s pulse, which was surprisingly strong. Fearful of moving him, she ran around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. The two cats got out of the car and looked up at her blankly.

            Within minutes they heard the siren. The rescue squad halted behind the Porsche. Diana reached Blair first.

            “Call the E.R. Let’s get him out of here.”

            “Is he going to make it?”

            “I don’t know.” Diana held his head. “Help me lift him upright from the passenger side. We’ll slide him out on the driver’s side.” She turned to Harry. “How did he ever make it over here?”

            “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.”

            The animals watched, tears in their eyes, their ears drooping.

            As Harry and Diana lifted out the injured man, Joe Farham, Diana’s assistant, rolled out the gurney from the back of the ambulance.

            The three humans gently placed Blair on the gurney.

            Joe took Blair’s pulse as Diana, still stabilizing his head, examined the wound.

            “I can’t find an entry point.” She stared at the bloody right side of Blair’s head.

            Blair moaned.

            “Dear God, what can I do to help him!” Harry, in tears, cried.

            “Take a couple of deep breaths. We’ll get him to the E.R. as fast as we can. You wait for Rick to get here. I’ll call for him on my way to the hospital. Oh, Harry, don’t touch the car. Okay?”

            “Okay.” Harry wiped her eyes.

            Joe had shut the ambulance doors and hopped into the driver’s seat as Diana jumped in next to Blair, closing the doors behind her. They hit the siren and flew down the gravel road as Harry tried to collect herself.

            “Please let Blair live,” Tucker whimpered.

            “I don’t believe what I saw.” Harry cried anew, reaching down to stroke her animals. “You guys are heroes.”

            “We couldn’t let him die. He has a fighting chance,” Murphy solemnly said.

            Harry sat down on the grass to wait for Sheriff Shaw.

            53

            A crowd of people kept vigil in the hospital hallway: Harry, Miranda, Big Mim, Little Mim, Herb Jones, BoomBoom, Susan and Ned, Market Shiflett, Jim Sanburne, and Dr. Larry Johnson. Finally, Larry’s young partner, Hayden McIntire, emerged from the operating room.

            Everyone stood up.

            “He’ll live.”

            A collective sigh of relief passed through the group and tears withheld from fear suddenly flowed in gratitude.

            “Dr. Chan’s closing him up now, but he’ll definitely make it.”