Free The Scariest Tail (A Wonder Cats Mystery Book 4) by Harper Lin Page B

quits.
    “Well, sure. Come on in. Can I get you something to drink? I’ve got tea, water. Or hot chocolate with marshmallows. And no, not the cat.”
    Min barely chuckled and seemed awfully anxious as I pushed the front door open. Looking over his shoulder, up to the sky, then down around the shrubs near my bay window, he made it clear he had a severe case of ants in his pants.
    Once inside the foyer, Min quickly turned around and shut the door behind us, slipping the deadbolt into place. Had it been anyone else but Min, I might have been nervous. But since he was my best friend, I held back and didn’t hit him with a restraining spell. Such a spell would have not only frozen his muscles and reduced him to a pile of jelly on the floor, but it also would have made him lose control of his bowels. It would’ve been an ugly mess, but in any other situation, a girl like me would have had no choice.
    He peeked out the windows, and I heard him sigh as he kicked off his shoes, an Asian tradition. Just then, I heard the familiar scratching sound coming from the kitchen window.
    “Who’s scratching out there?” I said loudly, out of habit, while walking to the kitchen window.
    “No! Don’t open it!” Min shouted at the top of his lungs, making both Treacle and me jump out of our skin.
    Opening the window, I turned to Min. “What is the matter with you?” I barked, more out of shock than anger. “It’s just the cat!”
    “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was the cat. I’m sorry, Treacle,” Min said, reaching down to pet the furry beast that quickly slid away from his hand and instead circled my legs.
    “It’s okay, Min. Sit down. Hot chocolate it is. You look like you need it.”
    “What’s his problem?” Treacle asked.
    “Don’t know yet,” I replied in my mind.
    I shut the window and went to my pantry to pull out two packets of instant hot chocolate. While I took the tea kettle to heat some water, Min stepped over to the window and gave it a good tug to make sure it was closed all the way.
    I didn’t say anything about it. Instead, I yanked the refrigerator door open and grabbed the milk. Other than a half-opened can of cat food, a withered head of lettuce, and some eggs, I had absolutely no food in the house. I could have offered Min some crackers, but I was pretty sure they were stale.
    “Okay, Min. What’s the matter?”
    He sat down at my small kitchen table that had two mismatched chairs arranged across from each other. In the middle of the table was a small wooden bowl with daintily wrapped bundles of sage that I thought made the kitchen smell earthy and welcoming.
    Min cleared his throat and fiddled with his hands. He leaned both elbows on the table and took a big breath, but still nothing came out.
    Finally, I put my hand on his arm and spoke. “Min, you can talk to me.”
    He seemed to settle and took my hand in his. I could feel him trembling just a little. What the heck was this all about?
    “We’ve been friends for a long time, right?” he asked.
    “Best of friends, Min. You know that.”
    “If I told you something and asked you not to tell anyone else, I could trust you, right?”
    “Of course you could, Min. Not a word to anyone.” I looked him in his eyes. “It’s always been that way.”
    He nodded as if he already knew that. “But if I told you something that wasn’t normal, that was just impossible to believe, you wouldn’t judge me, right? Or my mom?”
    I sat back in my chair. This was obviously more serious than a breakup.
    “I love your family, Min. I know what kind of people they are. Nothing anyone could say or do would ever change that.”
    He looked away for a second. It was as if he was studying the tile on the floor or looking for some cheat sheet down there that might give him an answer to a question he didn’t know how to ask.
    “What’s the matter?”
    Min took a deep breath and finally began to talk. He had gone to his parents’ house for a