The Big Cat Nap

mind?”
    “Fair and my friends, all the time.” She laughed. “But you said illegal, and I assume high profit. That’s all I can come up with.”
    He folded his hands together. “It’s driving me crazy.”
    In the background, they heard the rumble of the truck as Susan drove the spider-wheel tedder, still at her chores.
    “I can imagine.”
    “I knew those guys, I really knew them. By the way, the report from the chief medical examiner’s office said Bobby was full of Quaaludes. He couldn’t have defended himself. I never saw him take any drug. He had to have been purposefully drugged, then killed.”
    “I truly am sorry.”
    “I’ve hired special security for the shop. I can’t really afford it, personally, for Jason”—he nodded in the direction of the Altima—“Sammy, or Lodi. I’ve advised them to always have someone with them when they travel. I’ve even suggested they not drive. Have afamily member take them to work and pick them up—at least until this is solved.”
    “Good advice.” Harry felt the keys in her hand. Someone—Nick, likely—had hung a lucky rabbit’s foot on the key chain.
    After more chat and another thank-you from Harry, Victor and Jason drove down the long driveway. Harry felt the temporary use of the car was also a peace offering for Jason’s behavior the other day. She couldn’t wait to tell Susan, to give her friend a drive, but first Harry marched right in to the kitchen and took the rabbit’s foot key chain off the key. She put on a key chain of her own, with a little flashlight hanging from it.
    That rabbit’s foot was anything but lucky.

T his is fantastic.” Susan, while hardly a car enthusiast, still appreciated the acceleration of the WRX STI when she mashed the pedal to the floor.
    “That’s why it’s called a pocket rocket. Handles like butter.” In the passenger seat, Harry grinned.
    Harry wanted to treat Susan for turning hay in the unremitting sun. What Harry had just cut needed at least two days to cure, partly to let the blister bugs run out. Susan had turned yesterday’s cutting. They showered after that sweaty job.
    They’d known each other all their lives—sisters, really. Neither woman had siblings, a rare occurrence for their generation. Kindergarten, grade school, high school, Harry and Susan did everything together. They did attend different colleges but spent summers together and even went to Europe upon college graduation. Susan’s people had more money than Harry’s, but Harry’s wonderful mom and dad saved for a year to send her overseas as a graduation present. Susan was a business major, while Harry studied art history. Like most traveling young people, they enjoyed and endured many adventures. They returned to their native Virginia with a deeper appreciation of their own state and country, as well as a wider view of the world. Both had learned that every country has gifts and every country can do many things better than we do.
    “Do you know how many years it’s been since I drove a stick shift?” Susan slowed for the intersection with Route 240.
    As she lurched forward, one of the Zippo lighters with a flag on it given to the men by Blair Bainbridge slid out from under the seat.
    “Given that you’re knocking the fillings out of my teeth, I’d guess it’s been a good twenty years.”
    Laughing, Susan replied, “That’s about right. God, it is fun, though. I really feel like I’m driving the car.”
    “Remember that Dodge Dart you had junior year?”
    “Tinker Bell.” Susan smiled. “Hey, Tinker got me where I wanted to go.” She paused. “With some help from you and BoomBoom. She suffered from chronic conditions.”
    “Brake fade, numb steering, faulty timing, bald tires. Tinker was a basket case.”
    “Half the time so was I. Why anyone looks back on their high school days with fondness is beyond me. Every day was an invitation to a new drama.”
    “Well, every day you fell in love. You were a hot mess.”
    “You always had Fair. But you were still a mess.” A gleam shone from Susan’s eyes, which never left the road.
    “Oh, we all were. What scared me the most was taking the college boards.”
    “You aced them. Got you a scholarship to Smith.”
    “Scared me to death. Actually, I do sort of look back fondly sometimes. When we were tiny, we saw the world as so wondrous: butterflies, horses, shiny cars, listening to the car radio. But high school was more about emotions for the first