Catch as Cat Can
RITA MAE BROWN SNEAKY PIE BROWN
BANTAM BOOKS NEW YORK
TORONTO • LONDON • SYDNEY • AUCKLAND
A Bantam Book / March 2002
All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2002 by Rita Mae Brown
Illustrations by Michael Gellatly
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information address: Bantam Books.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, Rita Mae. Catch as cat can / Rita Mae Brown Sneaky Pie Brown; illustrations by Michael Gellatly p. cm.
ISBN 0-553-10744-5 1. Haristeen, Harry (Fictitious character)-Fiction. 2. Murphy, Mrs. (Fictitious character)-Fiction. 3. Women postal service employees-Fiction.
4. Women detectives-Fiction. 5. Women cat owners-Fiction. 6. Virginia-Fiction.
7. Cats-Fiction. I. Gellatly, Michael, n. Title.
PS3552.R698 C44 2002 813'.S4-dc21 2001035741
Published simultaneously in the United States and Canada
Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words "Bantam Books" and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, 1540 Broadway,
New York, New York 10036.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
BVG 10 987654321
CAST OF CHARACTERS AND EVENTS
Mary Minor Haristeen (Harry) The young postmistress of Crozet.
Mrs. Murphy Harry's gray tiger cat.
Tee Tucker Harry's Welsh corgi, Mrs. Murphy's friend and confidante
Pewter Harry's shamelessly fat gray cat.
Pharamond Haristeen (Fair) Veterinarian, formerly married to Harry.
Mrs. George Hogendobber (Miranda) A widow who works with Harry in the post office.
Susan Tucker Harry's best friend.
BoomBoom Craycroft A tall, beautiful blonde who irritates Harry.
Big Marilyn Sanburne (Mim) The undisputed queen of Crozet society.
Little Mim Sanburne The daughter of Big Mim, struggling for her own identity.
Tolly Urquhart Older than dirt, she says what she thinks when she thinks it, even to her niece, Mim the Magnificent.
Rick Shaw Sheriff.
Cynthia Cooper Sheriff's deputy.
Herbert C. Jones Pastor of St. Luke's Lutheran Church.
Lottie Pearson Assistant Director for Major Gifts at the university. She is in her mid-thirties, ambitious, well connected, looking for Mr. Right. If she can't find Mr. Right she might weaken and take Mr. Right Now.
Thomas Steinmetz Second-in-command to the Ambassador from Uruguay. He is suave, very wealthy, and always ready for a good time. He doesn't discuss his age but he's probably in his mid-forties.
Diego Aybar Under-Counsel to the Ambassador of Uruguay. He most often assists Thomas Steinmetz. He is as handsome as a swarthy Apollo; women fall all over him.
Sean O'Bannon The proprietor with his brother, Roger, of O'Bannon Salvage. Taking over the business after his father's death a year ago, Sean has increased profits by catering to the restoration trade. He's a good businessman, single, late thirties.
Roger O'Bannon Outgoing, raucous, besotted with Lottie Pearson, he works hard at the salvage yard but he plays hard, too. He tries Sean's patience at times.
Don Clatterbuck He repairs leather items such as tack or leather sofas. He also practices taxidermy as a hobby. He's a low-key working-class guy.
Pope Rat A disreputable rat living at the O'Bannon Salvage yard. He knows how to steal food out of the vending machines.
Abraham A very old, courtly bluetick hound.
The Dogwood Festival A spring celebration with wine tastings, parties, and parades organized by many communities in central Virginia. Crozet hosts a parade.
The Wrecker's Ball A fund-raiser for a charity selected each year by members of the salvage and building trades. The O'Bannons are currently in charge of the ball.
***
Catch as Cat Can
1
Long, low strips of silver fog filled the green hollows and ravines of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The mists feathered over the creeks and rivers at six-thirty in the morning. Redbud was blooming, the tulips had opened. The white and pink dogwoods would explode in another week.
Mrs. Murphy, awake since five-thirty, snuggled next to Pewter, whose small snore sounded like a mud dauber at work, a low buzz. The two cats rested in the hollow of Mary Minor Haristeen's back while Tucker, the corgi, stretched out to her full length, most impressive, on the hooked rug next to the bed. She, too, snored slightly.
