Free Shifter by Jennifer Reynolds

Clinic and Shelter a few months back.”
    “I did.” My answering tone is uneasy and suspicious.
    “You see, it seems that my husband got a little angry with me over some little dent in the car and decided to drop my poor baby off at the shelter.”
    I don’t say anything and wait for her to continue.
    “I was told that you adopted a cat on the same day.”
    “Huh.” I wanted to ask from whom she had gotten my personal information. If the shelter was giving out my information there was going to be hell to pay. “Okay, I’m sure that I’m not the only one who has rescued an animal from there in the last few months.”
    “I am positive you have my cat.” The tone of her voice deepens and a hint of anger begins to seep through, bringing my guard up.
    “How do you know I’m the one with your cat? The shelter wouldn’t have told you anything. Speaking of which, how do you know where I live. They wouldn’t have given you my personal information either.”
    “I uh…um…well,”
    “Look lady, I don’t know who you are but...”
    “That’s my cat right there,” she says, pointing into my house.
    I turn slightly and look into my living room to see both Dimitri and Sebastian glaring at the front door. When the woman comes into full view, Dimitri hisses loud and scarily. A second later so does Sebastian. Almost at once, their backs raise, the hair on their bodies shoot straight up, and both look as if they are about to pounce. Quickly I put myself back in front of the door.
    “Which one is yours?” I ask, growing highly suspicious and annoyed with the woman.
    She doesn’t answer. She just tries to look passed me. I can see the indecision on her face. This confuses me. If she is a Maine Coon breeder or someone who knows the worth of the cat, she would have recognized Dimitri right away. But she didn’t. She didn’t seem to know which cat she should say is hers.
    “Look lady, I don’t know who you are, but I think you should leave. If you believe I have your cat, I think you should go down to the shelter and talk to them. If they think I am the one who has your cat, they will call me. If I have your cat, I will willingly return it. Until then, we have nothing more to discus.”
    I shut the door in her face, and lock and dead bolt it, then call my next-door neighbor. He is slightly older than I am, very good-looking, but despite my sister’s nagging, I have never been able to approach him. Doing so seems weird, considering his wife has only been dead about two years. He stays to himself, as I do, but on occasion, if I desperately need something, he will come to my aid.
    “Jack, its Abby, do you have a second?” I say into the phone when he picks up the other end.
    “I do. What’s wrong?” is his immediate concerned response.
    “I’m not sure. Can you look out your front door and see if a tall, red headed woman is still on my porch or anywhere near my house?”
    “Yeah, hold on… Nope. I don’t see anyone.”
    “Good.”
    “What’s going on, Abby?”
    “I don’t know. This woman came to my door saying I have her cat and she wants it back, except she didn’t know which one of my cats was hers. She seemed somewhat off somehow. She was tall, real tall, and beautiful, with flaming red hair. You couldn’t miss her.”
    “Did she threaten you in anyway?”
    “No, she just acted weird. Shifty. I’m sure I’m being overly paranoid, but she gave me the creeps.”
    “Listen, I’ll keep an eye out for anything unusual. You be sure to keep all the doors and windows locked up tight. You have an alarm system, right?”
    “Yeah, but I only set it when I leave and when I go to bed.”
    “Might not be a bad idea to set it now. You know, just as a precaution.”
    “I’ll do that. Thank you, Jack.”
    “Welcome, Abby. I’ll see you around.”
    “You too.”
    Two minutes later, I’m on the phone with the shelter, explaining to them what had happened. Jody started to inform me that no one had been in