chuckle that sounded like it emanated from somewhere deep. âIâll just bet you can be.â
âI wasnât exactly civil to you, either,â I said.
She turned left and we headed toward a part of town I tried to avoid, with storefronts boarded up and bars on the windows. People made a vain effort to stay in the shade as the sun rose higher and the streets below heated to blistering.
âEver had a car repossessed before?â she said.
âHappy to say this is my first time.â
âWell, the bad news is, youâve lost those four wheels, but the stuff inside is still your property. They canât take that away. Surprises me that theyâd tow it if they saw an animal inside.â
âThey probably didnât see it. I left her cage behind the front seat and draped my shirt over the top to keep the sun from being directly on her. If I happened to sleep in.â
She pursed her lips. âYou should have set your alarm.â
âYeah, I can see that.â
âWell, if we can find it, theyâll probably let you takeâlook there. Weâre in business.â
My BMW was making a wide left turn into a chain-linked lot that looked like something out of a postapocalyptic movie. It made the term junkyard seem upscale. Oleta did a U-turn and parked on the street in front of the office and accompanied me inside.
The girl behind the desk didnât recognize her, but someone from deep inside the building let out a screech. âOleeeeeta! What are you doing here, girl?â
The two made small talk and I stood behind her, watching out the window as a bearded man in dirty coveralls unhooked the car. When I pulled out my keys, Oleta snapped her fingers and gave me a mama bear look. âYou stay right where you are.â
It is not in my nature to wait. Making things happen is a specialty, whether itâs tracking down a news source or getting past people whose job it is to keep me away from the interview. But I watched the man loosen the chains from the flatbed trailer and open my front door. Seconds later he came toward the office with the shirt-draped cat carrier.
âGet me some waterâI think I got a dehydrated cat,â he said with a thick drawl.
âWhat kind of fool would leave a cat shut up in a car like that?â the woman behind the desk said.
Oleta pointed at me. âThatâs him. But donât judge him too quick. We spent the last thirty minutes trying to catch up with you.â
The man looked at me. âI never take a vehicle with an animal in it. I didnât know.â
I nodded. âI believe you. Does that mean I get the car back?â
He smiled through yellowing teeth, some darkened, some gone. âSorry, not my call.â
Oleta ran interference and I took Murrow, the laptop, and my big suitcase. We got back in the Town Car and drove away. Instead of taking me to her real estate office, she made a turn and we wound up in front of Tallahassee General.
âI canât go here,â I said.
âSure you can. Your sonâs up there.â
âYou donât understand.â
âWell, I understand that Iâm late for work and I canât loan you my car. Go see your wife and son.â
I opened the door and grabbed Murrowâs cage.
âLeave her with me,â she said. âThereâs a PetSmart near the office. Iâll get her some food and water and a litter box. You donât need to carry cat dander into the ICU.â
Murrow seemed more irritated than anything. For some reason letting her go with a stranger felt cruel, but maybe it was just me trying to hang on to what I couldnât keep.
âAll right. That would help a lot. Iâll be around to pick her up when I get a car.â
âTake this.â She handed me the Piggly Wiggly bag and wrote her phone number and address on the side. âYou could look through some of the material in the meantime.â
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