Free Chez Stinky by Susan C. Daffron Page A

house? Because it still seriously stinks up here.”
    “Yes, ma’am. And I’m getting there! Martha’s gonna get that varmint. She’s a varmint-huntin’ machine, Martha is. Just you wait. She’s gonna get ‘im.”
    “Do you think the smell will be gone by tomorrow?” Kat did not want to witness exactly whatever Bud and his cohort Martha had to do to make the varmint and the smell go away. She was going to feed the animals and get the heck out of here.
    “I’m gonna git ‘er done. That’s my whole plan for the day. Nuthin’ else. I’ll lock up when I leave. And little lady, I give you my word on my blessed grandma’s Bible that I’ll have that stink outta here no matter how long it takes.”
    As Kat went back downstairs to feed the dogs, she hoped he was right.

    Later that evening after Kat had returned to the Enchanted Moose, Bud called to report that he and Martha had in fact been successful in removing “the varmint” from the wall. With the source of the stink removed, Kat decided to check out of the Moose and move into Chez Stinky. It was time to introduce Murphee to the Chez Stinky clan. Kat was anxious about Murphee’s reaction to the move, not to mention another battle about the kitty carrier.
    Sometime in the middle of the night, Kat woke up and looked around. Murphee was not in her usual spot on the bed next to her. Peering under the bed, she discovered that Murphee was in the exact center of the floor under the box spring. The cat’s eyes glowed and she was in a crouch, poised to run if necessary. How did the cat know that tomorrow it would be time for another trip in the Evil Kitty Carrier of Doom? Was she psychic?
    Kat rolled onto her back and sighed. She could tell by the determined set of the cat’s jaw that the grumpy feline was going to do her utmost to avoid being caught. Fortunately, Kat had the ultimate defense: food. She got up, picked up the kitty food bowl, hid it in the closet, and went back to sleep.
    When Kat woke up, she turned on her side and was pleased to note that Murphee was out from under the bed and was wandering around the motel room looking for her food bowl. Plaintive meows filled the room as Murphee loudly explained that there had been a disastrous turn of events and she was likely to starve.
    With a phony smile, Kat said, “Gosh, are you hungry, Murph? Your food bowl seems to be missing. That’s extremely sad.”
    The cat mewed in agreement, jumped up on the bed and pressed the top of her head into Kat’s arm. Kat said in a purring voice, “Yes, I love you too. And we’re going to have sooooo much fun today.”
    She scooped the cat up into her arms and walked toward the bathroom, where she had put the carrier. With one hand, she grabbed it and quickly placed it on end. Seeing that the dreaded agent of torture was not gone from her life, Murphee tensed and began to squirm in Kat’s arms. Before the claws started to flail, Kat grabbed the cat’s scruff and went for the feet-first approach this time. She lowered the cat’s butt down into the doorway of the carrier. Murphee stretched her front legs out across the door opening and tried to clamber up, but it was no use. Gravity took over and the cat thumped into the bottom of the crate. Kat closed the door and did a small victory dance around the bathroom.
    Kat returned to Chez Stinky with Murphee in tow. She pulled the carrier out of the passenger seat as Linus watched. The big dog tried to sniff the creature in the carrier and was rewarded with great hissing noises. Having lived with cats for quite some time, the dog was aware that hissing was not a friendly sound. He looked up at Kat and backed away from the carrier.
    Looking down at Linus’s big head, Kat smiled and said, “I know. She’s got a bit of an adjustment to make here. Be nice.”
    Linus gave her a questioning look as if to say, “I’m always nice, remember? I’m one of the good dogs.”
    Kat laughed and said, “You’re a good boy. I’ll be