Tony's Arc

Chapter 7 of 9

Bev rolled to a stop at dawn. Tony climbed out with the kitten in his arms. The pet shop stood before him, its windows painted with paw prints and pet murals. This was the store from the tag. His mother had stood right here days ago. Tony pushed the glass door and a bell jingled above his head. Inside, cages lined the walls. Fish tanks glowed blue. But no clerk stood at the counter. Tony walked the aisles, hunting for someone to ask. "Hello?" he called. His voice bounced off the empty floor. His heart sank. Without someone to check the records, the tag meant nothing. He had no way to learn when his mother came or where she went. A voice answered from behind a stack of bags. "Keep your fur on. I'm coming." An orange cat stepped out, walking on two legs. He wore a blue sweater and a leather belt. His green eyes fixed on Tony, then dropped to the kitten. "That one," he said. "I sold that one." Tony's breath caught. "You remember it?" "Charlie Whiskers never forgets a kitten," the cat said. He tapped the tag with one paw. "Sold him three days back. To a woman. Dark hair, kind eyes. She held him just like you're holding him now." "That's my mother," Tony said. His words came fast. "Her name is Gina. I'm trying to find her. Please, did she say where she was going?" Charlie's tail flicked. He studied Tony's face, then the kitten's. "She was in a hurry. Paid quick." He scratched his chin. "But she asked me one thing. She wanted a carrier that would hold up on a long trip. Said she had a bus to catch." "A bus?" Tony leaned close. "To where?" Charlie crossed to the counter. He flipped open a worn notebook and ran his claw down the page. "I write down every sale. Here." He turned the book to Tony. "She used a card. The name matches. And she asked me for directions." He looked up. "To the bus station across town. The one that runs the far routes." Tony gripped the counter. The trail was real. Not a guess. A place. "Which route?" "Didn't say." Charlie shrugged. "But the far-route station only sends buses three ways. You find the station, you find where she boarded." He reached out and rubbed the kitten's head. "Take care of this little guy. She loved him. She'd want him safe." "I will," Tony said. He backed toward the door, the kitten warm against him. "Thank you, Charlie." Outside, Bev's engine woke. "Well?" the truck asked. "She caught a bus," Tony said. He climbed in. "There's a station across town. She left from there." His hands shook. "But I don't know which bus. Three routes go out. And she could be at the end of any one." Bev's headlights flared. "Then point me to the station. We'll figure out the rest."