The Case of the Coyote Invasion. John R. Erickson

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      I studied him with a wary eye as he came sliding down the fence. He stopped, sat down, curled his tail around his body, and said, “I saw what happened.”

      “Oh? Well, I’m sure you enjoyed watching me get scolded by the lady of the house. That’s okay, laugh it up, I don’t care.”

      “Actually . . . no. I thought it was unfair.”

      That word caused me to flinch. “You thought it was unfair? Ha ha. Sorry, Kitty, but I find that hard to believe.”

      “It’s true. I sensed that you were trying to help.”

      “Of course I was trying to help. For the past hour, those birds have been stealing grain.”

      He turned his gaze toward the sky. “I know, Hankie, and you were probably concerned about how much it’s costing the ranch.”

      “You bet I was. I mean, to save money, Loper just switched me over to Cheapo dog food, yet those birds are gobbling down expensive birdseed like there’s no tomorrow. Within a week, this ranch could be in trouble. It all comes down to management, Pete. If you don’t control expenses, you’re going broke.”

      He gave his head a sad shake. “See? I understand that. It’s simple accounting, isn’t it?”

      “Right. You’ve got your debbles and your crebbles. If the two columns don’t match, you’re going broke and don’t know it. Mark my words, Pete, those birds are going to get this ranch into serious financial problems.”

      “I couldn’t agree more, Hankie.” He studied his paw for a moment. “I don’t understand why Sally May pampers them so.”

      “Great word, Pete, I like that. ‘Pampers.’ That’s exactly what she does.”

      His eyes drifted around and landed on me. “That feed she’s giving them . . . it must be the very best money can buy. The birds just love it.”

      I paced a few steps away. “Pete, you’ve hit the nail right on the donkey. They buy high-dollar feed for a bunch of worthless never-sweat tweetie birds, but what do they put out for the Head of Ranch Security? Cheapo Brand dog slop . . . in an old Ford hubcap!”

      “This is so sad.”

      “It’s worse than sad. It’s disgraceful, outrageous. But when I tried to help, Sally May screeched at me. Pete, sometimes I think this is a lousy job.”

      The cat rolled over on his back and began slapping at his tail. “I wonder what Cheapo Brand dog food is made of?”

      “Goat droppings, potato peelings, and garbage. Why do you ask?”

      “Oh, nothing. I’m sure you wouldn’t be interested.”

      I marched back to him. “I probably won’t, but let’s hear it. I mean, you’re just a dumb little ranch cat, but every once in a while you come up with an idea.”

      “Oh, thank you, Hankie. I’m not used to getting compliments from you.”

      “Yeah, well, don’t get used to it, because it might not happen again.” I glanced over both shoulders to make sure Drover wasn’t spying on us, then leaned toward the cat. “Talk to me, Pete. What kind of scheme are you cooking up?”

      “No scheme, Hankie, just a thought. If birdseed is better than dog food, maybe the birds should be eating the dog food.” He delivered a hard slap to his tail. “And maybe you should be eating . . . birdseed.”

      I stared into his yellowish eyes. “You’re joking, right? Dogs don’t eat birdseed.”

      “Why not?”

      “Because . . . I don’t know, because we don’t. It seems unnatural, a dog eating bird food.”

      “Eating garbage seems natural?”

      “I didn’t say that. My only point is . . .” I paced a few steps away. I mean, my mind was really spinning. “It’s an interesting idea, Pete, and over the next few days, I’ll give it some thought. We probably won’t use it, but if we do . . . hey, I’ll see that you get a little reward.”

      “Oh, thank you, Hankie. Maybe you could even share some of the birdseed with me.” He grinned and fluttered his eyelids.

      I paced back to him. “I said it was an interesting idea, but don’t let it go to your head. Good ideas are a dime a dozen around here, and most of them never make it past the Executive Committee. We’ll take it up at our next meeting, that’s all I can promise. Well, it was nice talking to you.”

      “Is someone leaving?”

      “Correct. You. I don’t mean to be rude, Pete, but . . .” I glanced over my shoulders. “Look, pal, it wouldn’t do my reputation any good if someone saw us talking.”

      “Ohhhh, good point!” He leaped to his feet and gave me a wink. “I’ll run along, and nobody will ever know.”

      “Thanks, Pete, I appreciate your attitude. I mean, you and I don’t make the rules, but we do have to live with them.”

      “You’re right, Hankie, tee hee.”

      “What?”

      He began walking away. “I said, you’re right. The world isn’t a perfect place.”

      “Exactly. One of these days, maybe cats and dogs can dare to be friends, but . . . well, we’re not there yet. See you around.”

      He waved one last good-bye and vanished around the north side of the house. At that point, I indulged myself in a rush of inward laughter and celebration. Do you see what this meant? Ho! I had just conned the cat out of a great idea!

      Maybe you missed it, so let me explain. Using clever interrogation techniques, I had coaxed some extremely important information out of the kitty. Here, take a look at my notes of the interrogation.

      End of File. Please Destroy at Once!

      Pretty awesome, huh? You bet. By merely switching food supplies, we could introduce balance and justice into the universe, while investing ranch dollars in our most important asset—ME.

      Wow! You talk about a great concept! This was a work of art, so beautiful that it almost brought tears to my eyes.

      And the best part about it, the very very best part, was that I had STOLEN the idea from Pete! Ha ha! I had promised to give him a “little reward,” remember? Well, I would deliver on that promise . . . and give him the littlest reward that money could buy: absolutely nothing.

      Ha ha, hee hee, ho ho. I loved it!

      Well, why not? Pete had built his whole career on luring me into traps and getting me into trouble, so this was just payback, and long overdue. After years of taking his trash, I had finally caught him in a careless moment. I was СКАЧАТЬ