Misty Hollow Cat Detective (Darcy Sweet Mystery) (A Smudge the Cat Mystery Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

there."
    "Really?" she said, blinking her eyes, pausing with one foot up in the air.  "What's so special about the woods?"
    "Well, I'd have to show you.  I can't just tell you about something this special."
    Her tail swished back and forth, and I could see thoughts rolling across those crystal blue eyes like clouds scudding across the sun.  "I'll think about it," she said, then turned away to jump up the steps and slip inside her and Benson's house.
    I nearly jumped for joy right there in front of the whole town.  She said she'd think about it.  That was definitely not a no.
    Sometimes, a cat has to take what he can get. 
     
    —End—
The Rat's Trail
     
    Watching over a town like Misty Hollow isn't as easy as it sounds.  My owner, Darcy Sweet, has gone out of her way for this town lots of times.  I figure I can't do any less myself.
    A cat's work is never done.
    "Kind of dramatic, aren't you?"
    Twistypaws narrowed her eyes at me.  Usually the color of clear blue water, now in the moonlight they were a doubtful gray.  She's the most beautiful cat I've ever seen, with soft gray fur and a long, graceful tail, but she isn't just another pretty whiskered face.  She's smart and intelligent.  Which means she's skeptical about a lot of the things I tell her.
    I can't really blame her, I guess.  If I hadn't seen things like a ghost dog trying to bury bones in the town's cemetery, I wouldn't believe me either.
    "I'm serious," I tell her now, as we sit together on the flat roof of the library, watching the celebration in the town center.  "My life is pretty dangerous.  I've only got eight lives left.  You should go easy on me."
    I roll over onto my back, my legs pawing at the air and my tongue sticking out for effect.  I'm getting my fur dirty, dust and dirt covering the white and black parts alike, but I don't mind.  It makes her laugh.
    The town had held their yearly festival tonight, and the whole of Misty Hollow was lit up with bright lights.  This had been a great spot to take Twist out for our date.  Not to mention, they had been setting off fireworks earlier.  I hate the noise they make, but I love watching the bright lights trail off through the sky like multicolored fireflies waiting to be chased.  Twistypaws had enjoyed it with me.  I had enjoyed the way she jumped and cuddled against me with every big bang the fireworks made.
    Meow.
    She swishes her tail at me as I pretend to be dead and looks away, but I see the little smile.  "I'm not going to roll over and let you scratch my tummy just because you ask, Smudge."
    For a moment, that leaves me speechless.  She always could paint an image.  Twistypaws and I have known each other for years.  It was only just recently that she and I started spending time together as something more than friends.  I had come to her rescue by helping her owner.  The rest, as they say, is history.  Or, at least, history in the making.
    "So what are you doing tomorrow?" I ask her as I get back up onto my paws.
    She tilts her head and stares at me.  "Depends."
    "On what?"
    "On whether you're asking me out."
    I step closer to her and our noses almost touch as I purr, "I think that I could definitely clear my schedule."
    She meows sarcastically.  "Like you have a schedule."
    "Well, you know, I'm a pretty busy cat.  Let me move some things around to fit you in between my many social obligations."  Her whiskers twitch, but I'm only half joking.  I'll have to reschedule a few things, and there was that rat I was supposed to help catch over on Brewster Lane…
    Wait.  What was that?
    A cat's senses aren't like a person's.  People usually only see what they're looking at, hear only the loudest noises, smell only the strongest scents.  On the other hand a cat will see just about everything, hear the smallest sounds, smell everything.  Our sense of smell isn't as good as a dog's—although I'll never admit it—but we can still smell catnip from a block away.
    I wasn't