Mau-ow
Return of the Rats
The Miracle of the Carp
Book Two of ZVONEK 08
Feline Intelligence Czech Republic
by
Anne H. Petzer
All rights reserved
Copyright © July, 2011, Anne H. Petzer
Cover Art Copyright © 2011, Charlotte Holley
Gypsy Shadow Publishing
Lockhart, TX
www.gypsyshadow.com
Names, characters and incidents depicted in this eBook are products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.
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DEDICATION
To Kitty and Brad; thank you.
Mau-ow
Thou art the Great Carer, the avenger of all cats,
and the governor of our Circle;
thou art indeed the Great Carer . . .
Prologue
1786 BC
The bejewelled sky spread its dark velvet covering over the silent earth below. The pale light of the moon cast a cold glow on Ma’at. The form of the goddess nestled among the columns of the temple; statuesque, protected from the night. Still and calm filled the land with peace that brought comfort.
Somewhere in a corner, a small movement. Not threatening. In the shadows, a small, huddled bundle. Silver, shining in the tiniest of pale rays that reached it. Another movement, shifting, and then the smallest of contented mews.
On the other side of the temple, a door opened silently. A dark shadow grew in the pale light. Stopped. Then moved again. Another mew, the shadow moved stealthily forward, growing longer in the pallid light. It reached the far corner, bent. There on the floor in a golden basket, lying on a silken quilt, the small body of Anther was rhythmically breathing the safe, contented breath of sleep.
The shadow stopped, did not move for an entire twelve seconds, then quietly bent over the basket and gently lifted the sleeping kitten, clothed in the soft quilt, into its arms and moved quickly and noiselessly back to the door. A sharp glow from the eyes of Ma’at pierced the shadow, causing it to stumble and fall in a heap at her feet.
Anther, now awake and frightened, darted for the door and disappeared inside.
In the bright golden light of day, a few worshippers gathered on the temple steps, all with only one eyebrow. Anther could not be found. All that remained were the empty basket and a crumpled silk quilt.
2011
Zvonek was not in the mood to wait for Honza. They had decided to have lunch at Whiskers. The last mission had been successfully completed, the paperwork filed, and now all that was left was to kick back and relax. It hadn’t been as dangerous or as stimulating as other missions. Clawdette had decided to stay in Prague to oversee the mission, causing undue stress for everyone.
He looked around the pub. It wasn’t as full as usual. It was only their second visit to Whiskers since the HQ of Feline Intel had moved to their new location. Zvonek hadn’t been sad to leave the old FI building at all. It was getting cramped and they needed something more upmarket. Their new location certainly was in a better area. The garden around the flat—it had been arranged for Mom to move as well, which wasn’t easy since she hated change—was so much better, too. Lots of long, soft, grass. And trees! Zvonek loved trees. It was great to have them in his own garden! The flat was down the road from the former residence.
One window was situated halfway behind a leafy bush, so you could look out, but it wasn’t that easy to look in. This garden had a proper fence, about ten metres from the window. Nice all round. Alas, there still were many things he missed about the old flat.
The humans who came to pet him while he lay in the sun at the living room window. The human friends he had made on the block. Ah well!! Guess it was time to move on.
“Anything else, sir?” The kit arrived at the table, disturbing Zvonek’s thoughts.
“Nothing more for me, thank you. Just the bill.”
He looked around and saw Honza was still at the bar, purring at a couple of felines. Zvonek smiled to himself. It was typical of Honza; his friend just couldn’t help it.
He slowly walked home. It had been a hot day and Zvonek was glad for the reprieve. He stopped under the bushes in the garden to enjoy the coolness before going in.
He sat under the tree outside the window. He still used the flap method in the cat net to get in and out. Simple and it worked well. He smelled the air. Different smells, but not unpleasant.
This time, he had a dog to contend with. She belonged to their neighbour, and he had groaned inwardly when he saw her. She proved useful in a canine sort of way, like keeping strays away, which meant that he had peace, so he would tolerate her for now.
Zvonek stood up and stretched out his legs in front of him, rump in the air. He’d better go in. Mom would be home soon and he should be inside, ready to greet her. It was Wednesday, which meant poached fish! It was his second favourite. He especially hadn’t had lunch at Whiskers not to ruin his appetite. When he got inside he would nibble on some granules, just to keep himself going. He walked slowly towards the window, stretching one back leg at a time. Just as he was about to jump onto the window ledge he heard a noise. The dog! He high-tailed it across the remaining space, leapt onto the window, through the flap, and onto the sofa. Just in time. The dog bounded toward the fence, to bark at people passing the garden.
Dogs! Zvonek shook his head as he sat down on the sofa, catching his breath. He looked around the room. It was a smaller flat than their last, by a couple of square metres. Instead of a separate bedroom and living room, in this flat they were together. Mom closed the door between the living room and kitchen while she was out, so that he didn’t run out when she came in after work.
“Please!” he sniffed as he hopped down from the sofa to have a nibble from his bowl, while waiting for the poached fish that would come later.
Later that night, he sneaked back out the window, climbed his tree, sat on the lowest branch to look out over Strašnice. He could see as far as the tram stop in one direction. If he looked up the road, he could see past HQ, along to the park, and then back over the flat to the neighbour’s garden and beyond. An excellent lookout point. He settled onto a branch, back legs tucked under him, front paws stretched out along the branch. It was a still night. Very quiet. He looked over to the tram stop, saw a tram pull in, then out again, picking up no one.
A movement on the road below caught his eye.
“Oh no, what now?” He recognised the form of Honza walking down the road toward the garden. Silently, Honza climbed the fence and soundlessly dropped down to reach the spot directly below Zvonek.
“Pssst!” Zvonek called down to him before he could meow and wake someone, like Mom for example.
Honza looked up and beckoned for Zvonek to come down. This obviously wasn’t a social call.
“What’s going on?” Zvoni asked as he reached Honza’s side. “I assume that as you didn’t join me on the branch, this isn’t a social call.”
“No, Vladimir wants to see you . . . us.”
“Okay. You could have come in the morning, Honz. But thanks.”
“No, he wants to see us in his office now.”
“Now?”
“Yes, for a briefing.”
“What’s going on? It’s after midnight!” Zvonek was immediately irritated. The last mission was just over, and although it wasn’t dangerous, it was extremely stressful, with Clawdette breathing down their necks. She usually left her picking to Vladimir, but this time she had gotten on everyone’s whiskers! Frankly, he wanted . . . needed . . . time to himself.
“Why do you think I would know?” Honza was obviously equally irritated. He had planned a night out with the lovely catlets from Whiskers, but now that wasn’t going to happen.
Both toms sighed and started up the road to the new HQ.
The new place was an old palace that humans had abandoned, but couldn’t tear down and replace, as the building was a heritage site. It worked perfectly as FI headquarters. They had moved into the left tower, which had so much more room than the old place. Vladimir had a suite of rooms on the top floor for his personal use, which the likes of lowly agents, such as Zvonek and Honza, hadn’t seen. Bobina had given them a description and it did sound very posh.
Both cats entered the ground floor room, which was empty, so as to put humans off, thinking that it was an unused facility. The real reception was on the first floor, which of course was empty at this time of night, as were the other offices on the way up to Vladimir’s. The only cat who might be working now would be Einstein, hidden away in the lab underground.
When they reached the third floor, it was empty, which gave Zvonek a weird feeling. He had never been up here when no one was working before. The desk where Bobi usually sat was empty. Her computer was switched off, her papers neatly filed in the In and Out trays on her desk. The two agents hung around outside the office, not sure what to do.
“Should I knock?”
Honza nodded to Zvonek, but before he could, the door opened and out came Clawdette! Both toms immediately jumped to attention.
“At ease, 08.” she purred at Zvonek. “Please pay attention to what 01 says. This is an important mission to me. No taking matters into your own paws. Can’t have a botch up.” She then looked at Honza, and said, “the same for you. I assume you will be doing this together.” With that, she glided out.
Zvonek bristled. He hated her attitude—as though he and Honza would botch up. They had never lost a mission. Okay, he had to agree that some of his methods were . . . unorthodox, but the work got done. It was totally unfair to pick on Honza, he only followed orders.
“Are you toms going to stand out there all night?” Vladimir also sounded irritated. This wasn’t going to be a great night.
They filed in behind Vladimir and stood at his desk. The office was a complete replica of the old one. Vladimir liked his things arranged in a certain way.
“Sit down. Let’s get on with it.” Vladimir definitely sounded irritated. Mind you, three weeks of Clawdette, and she was obviously going to be around for this one as well, would drive him wild.
“This is a case of a missing cat.” Vladimir began, “She was last seen about a three months ago one kilometre west of here, heavily pregnant. Completely white, and apparently her green eyes are her most striking feature. Piercing green eyes. Another identifying mark, a brown patch—heart-shaped—on the otherwise pink pads on her front right paw.”
Silence filled the room. Zvonek and Honza waited. There had to be more. Who was she? What organization was she from? Who was after her?
“Do we have a picture?” asked Honza, trying to get more information.
“No. In the morning we will have a sketch prepared.”
“Is someone after her?” Zvonek’s asked.
“Not to my knowledge.”
Oh, this was going to be such fun. Zvonek tried again. “Who is she?”
Vladimir immediately looked uncomfortable. Zvonek and Honza had a sinking feeling in the pits of their stomachs. It didn’t sound like something Zvonek wanted to hear right now. Vladimir, who had been standing at his desk, sat down and looked at his two operatives.
“This case is direct from Clawdette. She will be here to supervise everything.”
Zvonek and Honza’s sinking feeling grew worse. Clawdette! They looked at Vladimir. There had to be more.
Vladimir’s Mobile Connector beeped a text message. He opened it to read, while Honza and Zvonek made for the door.
“Wait! This might help.” Both cats stopped and looked expectantly at Vladimir. Anything would help at this stage.
“Clawdette’s advice is to start with the tower near the river. Apparently it just crossed her mind as she was leaving.” Vladimir rolled his eyes, using a hint of sarcasm in the last sentence.
“She suggests you try at night when no one’s around.”
Zvonek opened his mouth and Vladimir raised his hand, “I know, 08. I know. I’ve already told you this comes directly from her, so use extreme discretion when requesting anything from the lab or anywhere else.” With that they were dismissed.
As they left their HQ, a slight pink stained the sky. Zvonek looked up and down the road. It was still quiet enough not to be seen.
“Okay, Honza, I have to get back before Mom wakes up. Can you get the sketch and meet me back in my garden later? We can discuss a plan of action, since the tower will have to be visited at night.”
He and Honza parted ways on the pavement, neither of them particularly pleased about this turn of events.
Honza went around the back of HQ to the new dormitory, where he slept. He wasn’t an uncover agent, which meant he didn’t have pet status as Zvonek did. He was irritated by Clawdette’s interference. Granted, she was the boss, and had every right to interfere. What burned him was her and Vladimir’s superior attitude. Well, maybe he would be lucky enough to have a nap before breakfast. He didn’t get the really good food that Zvoni had, but it was good enough. To keep the operatives in shape it had to be healthy and of a good quality.
Zvonek climbed onto the bed seconds before Mom woke up. Boy . . . Talk about timing. The irritating part was having to play ‘pet’ while Mom was getting ready to go to work. Thanks, Clawdette. Rule number one: never change your routine.
By the time Mom left, Zvonek was exhausted! He looked at the time. “Mmmm . . . breakfast at the dorm.” Zvonek worked out how much nap time he could squeeze in before Honza came back, but he was too restless to sleep.
He groomed himself, ate more breakfast, walked around the living room, stopped to use the scratch post, then finally settled into his bed on the window ledge.
A loud thud made him jump to full alert. He must have fallen asleep. The image against the window was of a big ginger face. Honza!
Zvonek pushed the window open to let him in. It had started to rain. The pink-stained sky had turned to grey. Once Honza had settled down, he opened his little knapsack and spread out the sketch for Zvonek to see.
It looked like a normal cat to them. They were not sure what to expect after all the hype last night. There was an inset photo of her paw, with the brown heart-shaped patch. Apart from that, they knew she had piercing green eyes. Not that much to go on.
They both had a feeling Clawdette was keeping something to herself about this case. Of course, they couldn’t ask her about it, so they just had to get on it with it.
“Mmmm . . . If she was heavily pregnant she must have had the kitten/kittens by now,” Zvonek thought out loud.
“Which means she is probably nursing them somewhere,” said Honza.
They were thinking the same thing. She would have found someplace to have them, and then stay there to nurse them. It would make it difficult to find her, as she would stay hidden, or out of sight, to protect her young.
“Why you do suppose Clawdette suggested we start at the tower?”
Zvonek sighed, “Who knows? Whatever she knows, she’s not telling us.”
“That tower has been abandoned for years. I have never seen the gate unlocked, but it looks pretty well-maintained.”
“The perfect place to keep kittens safe.”
“Which Clawdette would have figured out? If she is telling us that’s the place to start, I think she has seen or been told something about the tower.” Honza hated the need-to-know basis. If you knew something to help the mission, why keep it a secret?
Zvonek agreed with Honza, but there was nothing they could do for now, except follow orders. Clawdette didn’t take kindly to being ignored.
“Hmmm . . .” Zvonek was thoughtful. “I wonder what connection she has to this case.” The heart-shaped brown patch also bothered him. It vaguely rang a bell in the recesses of his mind. It wouldn’t do to mention this to Honza right now.
“What do you mean?”
“Just a hunch. But I get the feeling she has more of a connection to this case than just being the agency big boss.”
“Does your hunch give you any details?” Honza was becoming more irritated by the minute.
Zvonek sighed. This wasn’t a good start to the mission. Vladimir was irritated, and so was Honza. Clawdette was being mysterious. Well, she usually was, but even more so this time.
Both cats turned their attention to the sketch. There must be more, Zvonek kept thinking.
“Well, there is nothing we can do till tonight. I think we should scope out the tower to see what’s there.”
“Okay, Zvoni, got you. I’ll leave the sketch with you and meet you back here after your Mom has gone to bed. I’ll just bring the basic kit, okay?”
“Thanks, Honz. Give us both a chance to catch up on last night’s lost sleep.”
Zvonek carefully folded the picture of the cat and put in under the carpet to retrieve later. He curled up on Mom’s bed and soon was oblivious to everything. He didn’t even hear the dog running around the garden. The sleep of the exhausted.
While waiting for Mom to go to bed, he had a few anxious moments when she dropped her pen, then her book, on the carpet where the picture was hidden. He was always anxious when on a mission, while waiting for her to go to work or to bed, so that he could carry on with his work. Everyone thinks being an undercover pet is great! Hmmm . . . Well, it certainly has benefits: great food, loads of toys, Mom’s big comfy bed, and being brushed. Being brushed was his favourite. But then, there was the stress of being found out. He remembered how upset Mom was when he had been involved in the accident. He hated to cause her anxiety, and didn’t want a repeat of that.
He waited inside the window for Honza to arrive. It had rained on and off all day, which made for good sleeping on the soft duvet, but the grass was wet and not good to sit on.
After a long undisturbed sleep, he felt loads better. He impatiently tapped his paw, while waiting for his partner to show up. A few minutes later, he heard a dull thud. Yes, Honza had just arrived over the fence. He crept out silently to meet Honza in the garden. It was safe.
The dog was inside for the night. Mom was snoring away. Let the games begin.
Honza handed Zvonek his basic kit. The kit consisted of the night glasses used for recording movement, tranquilizer darts, catnip and sample bags. They both had their mobile connectors (MC) with them. They hitched their knapsacks and set off down the road.
They were lucky enough to get a ride on the tram that went straight to the tower. Night trams were safe to ride on, as few, if any, humans were on them. You hopped on at the back and slid under one of the seats until your stop—purrfect!
The ride was uneventful and relatively smooth. Both cats got off at the stop by the river. The air was cooler here. They scampered across the road. Keeping to the shadows, they walked the two hundred metres, along the river to the old tower, which was completely abandoned now. An ancient cliff rose from the river, straight and high. The tower stood on the river side of the arch that cut through the steep rock face. Through this arch ran a tramline.
It had two levels of battlements, and Zvonek was sure it had been used as a prison or something equally horrible in the past. The entrance was sealed by an iron gate, and on the side revealing the stairs was an arch-shaped window, covered with iron bars.
On the first level was an attempt at a wheel window; sadly, no lovely coloured glass to disperse the light into brilliant colours. It also was barred with iron. Although the iron was patterned, it was grey iron, nonetheless.
The two operatives stopped at the gate to peer through the bars. There was more than enough space for a cat to slip through. A single flight of stone stairs wound up into the darkness. The only light reflected through the arch-shaped window was from the river lights.
Silently, they donned their night glasses and switched on the record button. Clawdette wouldn’t want to miss a second of this mission.
“Well, Honz, let’s get to it.”
They high pawed and set off up the stairs in single file, Zvoni leading the way. The tower was damp. Zvonek was already feeling sorry for any cat who had to hide out in here, especially with kittens. Fortunately, it was late spring and the weather was warmer than usual for this time of year.
They rounded the corner. The light was dimmer from the wheel window, since this window was on the side of the tower facing the road. Honza moved alongside Zvonek to get a better look at the landing. In the darkness under the window, they saw something they couldn’t quite make out from this distance. Slowly, they moved forward together.
Under the window were some old dirty pieces of cardboard. Something else was strewn to the side, away from the cardboard. Honza zoomed in on it.
“What the . . .” His exclamation attracted Zvonek’s attention. Zvonek had been sniffing at the pieces of cardboard. He now looked up and moved over to Honza’s side.
“Smell this.”
Zvonek bent over and sniffed at where Honza gestured with his head.
“Fish.” They looked at each other. “And the cardboard has a distinctive cat smell.”
“You think it’s her?”
“That would be my guess, Honz. It seems a bit easy for one of Clawdette’s special missions.”
Honza had to agree. Clawdette’s missions were notorious, and somehow he and Zvonek always ended up with them. Zvonek took his night glasses off and reached into his knapsack for a sample bag. He carefully scraped some of the fishy bits into a bag to take back to the lab. There could be some DNA samples on them—you never knew. With Clawdette at the helm, he didn’t want to leave any fish unturned.
Honza did the same with the cardboard—using his nail to lift a piece for sample testing back at the lab.
A noise on the stairs stopped them both from working. They stood dead still and heard a mew, close on the stairs, which sent them hurrying into the shadows. As the tower was round, there were no corners to hide in. The darkness, where almost no light reached, was to the right of the window. They both stood, hearts racing, holding their breath, not knowing what to expect.
That mew again, this time closer. Instinctively, they moved back. They were flat against the stone wall.
Emerging from the top stair was the tiniest kitten they had ever seen, mewing its little heart out. A sharp hiss from behind and the mewing abruptly stopped. Then she appeared. A white female cat with medium-length hair. In the restricted light of the tower, she looked so white it almost seemed they were looking at a ghost. Zvonek and Honza were frozen to the spot—thoughts were racing through their minds. On the first night, they had come face-to-face with the target. Zvonek, regaining his composure, realised he should be filming this. Slowly, not wanting to make any sudden movements, he reached down for his glasses. Honza had the same idea at the same time, but while picking up the glasses, they knocked them together, making a banging sound.
All four cats froze. The white cat, being the first to recover, grabbed the kitten by the scruff of its neck, raced down the stairs, jumped through the arch window, and disappeared along the wharf next to the river.
Zvonek and Honza followed two seconds later, but lost her.
“Damn!” Zvonek scanned the wharf. Nothing.
“How could she have disappeared so fast?” Honza, who had tried to pursue her, came back breathless.
“She was protecting her kitten. Probably a mixture of fear and adrenaline.”
“Great! This is going to go down well. Sorry I bumped you.”
“It’s no one’s fault, Honza. We shouldn’t have removed the glasses in the first place.” Zvonek sighed. The poor cat was probably terrified as it was, and they hadn’t helped matters.
He and Honza went back to the tower to fetch their things, and then slowly walked back to the tram stop. Clawdette was going to spit blood, and Vladimir was going to have their hides.
Fortunately, no one was at HQ, so they parted ways at the bottom of the road. Zvonek went straight home. He didn’t even have a nibble from his bowl. He went to bed, curling up against Mom’s feet.
“You let her go!” Vladimir boomed at his agents across his desk. They had arrived at HQ later that morning and had been shown into V’s office immediately.
“We didn’t . . .”
Vladimir held up his paw, and Zvonek shut his mouth again.
“Clawdette’s going to . . .” Vladimir didn’t finish, because the buzzer on his desk buzzed very loudly.
“Yes!”
“Clawdette is here and asking for 08 to meet her in the lounge.” Bobina’s voice seemed strangely calm after the tension in the office.
Vladimir slammed it off and looked at Zvonek. Zvonek looked from Vladimir to Honza and back to Vladimir again. His heart sank further, if that was possible.
“What are you waiting for, 08?”
Zvonek was dismissed.
“Thank you, sir.” He left the office, tail hanging low.
In reception, Bobi smiled at him reassuringly. “You can go straight in. She is waiting.”
Zvonek walked down the passage to the lounge. It was a spacious room reserved for special guests, visitors to HQ, or Clawdette. Zvoni tapped on the door and opened it carefully.
“Come in, 08. Take a seat,” she purred.
Zvonek gingerly sat on the armchair opposite Clawdette, who had stretched out on the sofa. As he sat down, her MC rang. She stretched out a paw to answer it.
Zvonek looked around the room. He had been in here only once before, just after the move. There had been a meeting about the cooperation with the Canine Intel in the area. Vladimir hadn’t wanted dogs walking through his office—understandable—so he had held the meeting in the lounge.
It had a big window that overlooked Strašnice. He could see the trams on the street below. The wooden floor was pale, Persian carpets strewn in the right places, with a cream-coloured sofa and huge armchairs. A low glass coffee table sat in the centre, side tables next to the armchairs and on either side of the sofa. Blue drapes hung over the window.
Clawdette finished her call, switched off the MC, and looked directly at Zvonek.
“So, 08, can you tell me exactly what happened last night? And don’t leave anything out.” She purred at him, her blue eyes not moving from his face.
“Ma’am, I am so sorry she got away. It was . . .”
“08, just give me the details. I am choosing to ignore your incompetence for the moment.”
Incompetence! Zvonek bristled. It was a natural mistake. It could have happened to anyone. No one in the whole of FI could have finished a mission in one night anyway. He related the night’s events to her in detail.
“I dropped off the samples for DNA testing myself, first thing this morning,” Zvonek finished.
“Yes, I know. I am waiting for the results now. I have no doubt of what they will be.”
Good that someone knew what was going on. He was the top agent in the Czech Republic, his general position in the EU respected. He could be trusted. He had proved his worth. It irritated him for Clawdette to be so secretive. It wasn’t an international mission. It was a missing cat, for goodness sake. Or was it more?
“Thank you, 08. That will be all. I expect a personal running report, as this mission progresses.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Let’s not waste time. It is of the essence, especially now that a kitten is involved.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“You still here, 08?”
“Thank you, Ma’am.”
Zvonek left the lounge, feeling relief wash over him as he closed the door. He was sure he was going to be told off, and bear the brunt of Clawdette’s wrath. However, there was still a lot of work to do. Hanging around HQ wasn’t going to get it done.
As he entered reception, he found Honza leaning over Bobi’s desk. His irritation flared at this as well. They both obviously liked each other, but neither of them was willing to admit it.
They both looked at him expectantly.
“Well?” Honza was incredibly relieved not to have been the one Clawdette wanted to see.
“Just a debrief. Could you please wait for the lab results and let me know what they are?”
“Isn’t that what Clawdette is waiting for?”
“Yes, Honza, but we need them as well.”
Honza nodded. There were enough flared tempers without him and Zvonek having words. He supposed he had stated the obvious. He didn’t relish waiting for the results with Clawdette. The upside, however, being that they would come quicker.
At home, Zvonek relaxed. He loved the peace of the new flat. The road was really quiet in the daytime, and he was able to have long, undisturbed naps. Truly, the only disturbance was that the dog visited the garden regularly. She didn’t make a noise unless there was another dog walking by, or chasing strays. Once, she had chased Honza, who escaped by running up the tree. He had to wait there until the dog’s owner came to call her in. The incident still brought a smile to Zvonek’s face. As dogs went, she was a good sort. She seemed to like him, so he had no problem when they met in the corridor. He walked around the flat sniffing, checking that everything was okay. He was pleased to find some wet food left in his bowl from the morning. Yummy . . . chicken and wild rice.
Just as he finished the last nibble and was licking his lips, he saw Honza’s face at the window. That was quick.
The sun was shining; the dog had just gone in from her garden stint, so they sat outside on the grass.
“DNA matches.”
“To what?”
“Just repeating what Clawdette said. I had to wait in reception to get the report from her.”
“So where is the report, Honz?” Zvonek could feel his irritation rising again.
“She didn’t give it to me. Actually, I think she destroyed it.”
“What?”
“One of the lab crew arrived with the report and went straight to the lounge. He passed it to her at the door and left. A few minutes later, she came out and said to tell you that the DNA matches, and don’t botch up this time.” Honza winced as he said the last part.
“I’m getting slightly fed up at all of this. No one botched up anything. As far as I was aware we were only there to check things out. I still don’t know what we were looking for.”
“I’m just the messenger, Zvoni.”
“Sorry, I know. It’s always stressful when she’s here and worse when she thinks she’s leading the mission.” Zvonek stopped pacing and flopped down next to Honza.
“So, back tonight?” asked Honza, trying to sound enthusiastic.
“Yes. We can start at the tower and work back along the wharf. The river will be a source of food, especially as she is taking care of the kitten. She won’t go far.”
“Okay, see ya same time then.”
“Oh! You had better bring a milder tranquilizer. The ones we have will be too strong for the kitten.”
They high pawed and went their separate ways. Honza was desperate for some food. If he hurried, he might just make second lunch at the dormitory.
Zvonek settled down on the bed to work out a plan. He needed to end this mission ASAP, then hopefully Clawdette would be on her way back to Brussels, and things could return to normal. The heart-shaped brown patch still bothered him. What was it he couldn’t remember? He couldn’t look on Mom’s computer because she had taken it to work.
That night, Zvonek and Honza got off the tram, their knapsacks firmly in place. They made their way back to tower, moving cautiously along the wharf.
This time, they had enlisted back up from the lab team, in case they found the white cat and her kitten. Zvonek was leaving nothing to chance. As far as the lab team knew, this was a case of a missing cat; nothing more.
The lab cats went a different way. They went to Vyšehrad. It is a cultural centre and the site of the castle of Vratislav, who transferred his seat there from Prague castle in the 10th century. The family had lived there until around 1140, when Prince Soběslav moved back to Prague castle. It was built on top of the steep rock Zvonek and Honza had been under the previous night, on the right bank of the Vltava. From the top of rock one could see over the whole river. One of the most famous landmarks of Prague loomed over them from the top of the cliff. The cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul.
From there, they could scale down with the necessary equipment needed to transport the cats back to HQ. As the cultural centre was closed at night, they were in no danger of being seen.
It was a calm night—full moon, few humans about—which made everyone’s life easier. The lab cats settled down on the old wall, which overlooked the whole area. Below, they saw the small figures of the two agents making their way to the tower.
Zvonek and Honza stopped at the tower gate.
“Well, here we are.”
“Okay, Honza, I’ll go in first—you take the rear. If they are still here and make a run for it, you take the mother and I will get the kitten.” Zvonek doubled checked that he had the right dose of tranquilizer.
Slowly and soundlessly, they made their way forward. They crept up the stairs, like they were stalking prey in the wild. They kept against the wall, following it around and up the tower to the first floor. Zvonek popped his head round the corner slowly, every muscle tense. He scanned the landing. The light of the moon shone right through the wheel window, illuminating the space much more than the previous night.
No one. Everything was as before—the bits of cardboard and bits of food. Nothing had been moved or touched, as far as they could see.
Honza moved forward at Zvonek’s beckoning. They both stood on the landing looking around.
“No surprise, really.”
“No, I guess not.” Honza looked gloomily around the landing. He still felt slightly responsible for knocking the glasses that caused the noise and spooked the cat.
“On to the next step.” Zvonek sensed that Honza was still feeling guilty. “Come on. We can track along the wharf. There are those water canals that make good hiding places.”
Honza smiled. He knew what Zvonek was trying to do and appreciated it.
On the wharf next to the river it was cool. They saw the lights twinkle on the water. No ducks or swans tonight. The scene was very peaceful and calm, belying what both cats were feeling at that moment. They moved forward, ducking into the shadow near the wall of the wharf as a couple walked passed. A late night train passed over the rail bridge, breaking the silence.
Zvonek’s MC crackled. “08, are you there?” It was Fred, head of lab clean-up crew.
“Yes, what’s up?”
“We’ve lost sight of you. Where are you?” Fred sounded irritated. From his viewpoint, he probably believed Zvonek hadn’t followed procedure, which could potentially cause problems.
“We’re on the wharf, walking toward the rail bridge. Looking for the target.”
“On the wharf? You said the tower.”
“Tower is empty. Target might have moved to one of the water canals.”
“You didn’t think to tell us?”
Zvonek sighed. This was not the time to start an argument with Fred. “We will stay in touch.”
“We need visibility, 08,” Fred’s tone was clipped.
“Target not in tower,” Zvonek repeated, “orders are to find her, which is what I am trying to do!”