The Big Cat Nap

all idiots, even her.”
Pewter retracted her claws, since Harry had taken advantage of a time-out and called to BoomBoom to fill in.
    She handed off her ref’s shirt to BoomBoom and followed the threesome. “I’ll be right back.”
    The cats ran ahead, occasionally stopping and looking back. Tucker followed them. The animals hoped this would encourage the two people to move faster.
    The cats jumped on the stone wall. Tucker raced to the iron gate, wiggling underneath.
    Fair lifted his wife up on the stone wall.
    “I can climb,” she said.
    “You can, but why deny your husband the pleasure of feeling your body?”
    “Oh, you big, strong thing.”
    This playfulness abruptly ended when they rounded the Trumbull monument. Gathered there were all the cats. Tucker barked once for good measure.
    Harry’s hand flew to her mouth. It was Bobby Foltz.
    Fair was smart enough not to touch the body, but he knelt down for a closer look. “Dead, obviously.”
    He reached into his back pocket, pulled out his cellphone. Although not on call this weekend, he knew that certain of his clients preferred only him and would fuss if they couldn’t reach him—hence, he carried the damned phone. He dialed the sheriff’s department.
    “Honey, what would you rather do?” Fair, once finished, asked his wife, whose curiosity was now overtaking shock. “Stay with the body or go tell the reverend to move people into the inner quad?”
    “You’re a medical person. You stay. I’ll go.” She hurried back through the graveyard, looking over her shoulder. “Tucker, come on.”
    Harry filled in the reverend with the news as the blue team came within a whisker of winning.
    Reverend Jones said to Harry, “Let them finish the game. It will be much easier to move everyone in. I have to present the trophy anyway.” He paused. “This is just terrible. What in the world is going on?”
    Harry then ran along the sidelines to go and ask BoomBoom to help after the game.
    As Reverend Jones had anticipated, herding people into the stunning inner quad after the game proved easy. Tucker was a big help, snapping at people’s heels. The corgi did this respectfully. Harry was too distracted to call her off.
    Once in the inner quad, Herb presented the trophy to the triumphant blues, then said, voice commanding, “We’ve had a bit of an accident. I ask that you all go home, and, Craig, as people leave, please have them sign a—Susan, get a notebook from the supply room. Have them sign the notebook with their name and the names of their family members. I’m sorry to do this, folks, but all of this will be clear later. We need a record of who was here today, as best as we can get one.”
    The crowd grumbled in confusion, and then sirens split the air.
    Cooper had intended to come to the celebration but was delayed, thanks to an accident on the old bypass. Fortunately it wasn’t serious. She’d picked up Fair’s call and informed Marcie, the dispatcher. Rick would arrive shortly after her, she hoped.
    As people left, the murmur became a roar, especially when they saw Coop’s vehicle fly down to the reverend’s garage. She hit the brakes and jumped out.
    Cool in a crisis, BoomBoom continued to move people along. She glanced back at Harry. “Whatever happened must be big.”
    Harry simply nodded.
    Susan stood at one end of the quad with the notebook. She, too, quizzically looked at Harry, who made the wrap sign with her forefinger.
    Thanks to the vestry-board members’ expert people-management skills, the place was cleared out in twenty minutes. By that time, Harry had run back to the graveyard.
    Standing on the big quad looking down, BoomBoom asked Alicia,Susan, Craig, and Reverend Jones, “What’s going on? Should we go down there?”
    Herb grimaced slightly. “No. Let’s wait up here for the sheriff. There’s always the danger of evidence being trampled.”
    “What do you mean? Evidence of what?” Alicia inquired in an even voice.
    “There’s a dead man propped up at the Trumbull tombstone. Let’s wait here. If Rick needs us or wants us, he’ll let us know.”
    “Of all times and all places,” BoomBoom blurted out. “No wonder Harry’s face looked so white.”
    Staring into the dead man’s eyes, Cooper wasn’t saying anything. She was puzzled by the disposition of the body.
    “I can’t disturb him. We’ve got to wait for the team.” She checked her watch. “Dammit to hell.”
    “Neat work. No marks,” Fair