Chapter 1. Christmas Holiday Mystery
Jim sat, crossed-legged, on the grass in the shade of the varnish car. He absently wiped his forehead with his loose shirt tail as another bead of sweat drizzled down the side of his face. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, blinking at the page of the book lying open on one knee. The words blurred and he absently turned another page. Seeing a chart, he squinted, picking up the book to better see the small print. Shaking his head, he put the book back on his legs and turned another page, searching for something interesting. Suddenly sharp pains stabbed into one knee, making him jerk sideways with a yelp.
"Hey, cat," he snapped, moving the book to look at the tiny kitten now hanging from his pantleg. The tiny claws pierced the material to dig into his skin. "That's a sore spot, you know," Jim said, reaching out to the cat. The animal let go and dropped into the grass, dashing behind the book to hide underneath the other knee. Jim snuck his other hand around his leg to poke at the kitten. It leaped into the air, spun around and landed on the book.
"You're a crazy thing," he said, gathering the kitten into his hands to hold it against his throat. "Now calm down and stop climbing on me." He stroked its soft fur and murmured to it as he returned his attention to the book. "Maybe I should read out loud to you. Do you want to hear about air pressure and clouds and…" The kitten wiggled and leaped from his grasp to drop into the grass again. With a few hops, it hid again under his knee. "You're right, this is the most incredibly boring book I have ever looked at. I can't say I am reading it," he sighed, turning another page. Diagrams of different shapes of clouds were displayed on the following pages. "They actually name different shapes of clouds?" Jim muttered, holding the book up again. "This is ridiculous."
"Jim?" A familiar voice called out as a horse whinnied nearby. Jim looked up to see Jeremy and his son, Seth, ride around the end of the train car. The older man rode on a tall bay while the younger boy sat on a smaller paint.
"Over here," Jim called back, waving a hand toward them. Jeremy and the boy rode closer and then both slide from their saddles. Seth ran over to drop onto the grass in front of Jim while Jeremy walked over and sat slowly, easing himself to the grass. "Coolest seat in town," Jim said, wiping sweat from his face again, this time with his sleeve, "Crazy weather, hotter than heck one day and then cold the next. I am still sweating out here." He pulled his shirt off over his head and wiped his chest and arms with it. He tossed the crumpled cloth onto the grass next to him.
"Yes, it's almost fall," Jeremy said, unable to avoid looking at the healing wounds on his friend. "I enjoy every nice day this time of year. It will be snowing soon enough." He leaned over to watch his son pat the kitten. "You seem to be feeling better, Jim. Are you two relaxing with a good book?" He nodded toward the kitten.
Jim moaned and closed the book. He held it out for Jeremy to read. "He found his book on meteorology. The most boring book I have ever attempted to read. I just look at the pictures." Jeremy laughed. "Do you know there is a name for every shape of a cloud?" He flipped through the pages, holding the book at Jeremy as the older man shook his head and he laughed even harder. Jim finally tossed the book to the ground beside him and turned his attention back to the kitten.
"Watch that animal," Jim warned Seth as the little boy reached under his knee to pat it. "She has claws like a mountain lion." The kitten jumped away from him to scamper in the grass chasing a butterfly. "Ya, the big killer, you catch that bug," he snorted, watching the kitten romp around.
"Has she caught a lot of mice yet?" Seth asked.
"Not yet," Jim said, shaking his head. Just then the door opened and Artemus appeared on the platform. He leaned over to look at the group. "Hey, you coming out here? It must be an oven inside."
"I was but I wanted to see who you were talking to first," Artie winked. "You two want a drink? I was going to grab some beer."
Seth jumped to his feet. "Can I have a beer too?" Artie shook his head and went back inside. Seth turned to see his father's stern look and quietly sat back on the grass to watch the kitten again. Artie soon reappeared with bottles clinking in his hands.
"You may have a pretend beer, young man," he said, handing a bottle to Seth, who grabbed it eagerly. "I think you will prefer a good Sarsaparilla anyway." He handed the other bottles around and everyone relaxed in the shade. Artie turned to Jeremy, jerking his head toward the train, "that car is stifling when it's parked. I had to cook up some meat before it spoiled. All the ice melted in the ice box and thawed some roasts. Not that I wanted to fire up the stove…" He paused, wiping an arm over his forehead. "What is the fierce feline up to?" He watched as the kitten pounced on the butterfly, holding it between its paws and biting it. Low growls were coming from the tiny predator. "You get him, Sophie," he laughed, leaning over to pat the soft fur. The kitten ignored him, concentrating on ripping apart the butterfly. "It won't be long before you are big enough to catch that mouse."
Jim snorted again as Seth looked to Artemus and Jim, "Did she see a mouse yet?"
"Oh, ya," Jim said into his bottle, "She saw one in the kitchen this morning, but was terrified, weren't you," he said, gently pulling the kitten's tail. "She leaped onto my sore knee and ran up my pantleg." The little boy threw himself on his side in the grass, wiggling and laughing. "But if we get any butterflies in the kitchen, we will be safe now." The kitten jumped into the air, twisting, and landing in the grass to scamper underneath his knee again. Artie reached a hand out towards his partner and the kitten peeked out at him; she bared her teeth and hissed, ears back and tiny tail snapping. "Stop," Jim said, pushing his partner's hand away.
Artie leaned back, laughing again, "She is definitely guarding you, Jim." He tipped his beer bottle back, emptying it, and tossed it onto the ground. "I think a big dog would be a better choice but at least's she's quiet."
Seth reached out, pretending to touch Jim, and the kitten hissed, swatting a tiny paw out at him. "She is! She is!" The little boy sat up and looked Jim in the eye. "Hey, you owe me the story, you know. My Dad said we could go for a ride today and I said I wanted to ride here to see if you were busy and you don't look busy at all."
"Wait," Jim said, choking on his beer in surprise at the on slot of words, "wait, my book." He picked up the book and waved it at Artie. "I have to read this and I bet there will be a test too."
"No, you were just looking at the pictures," Seth said, looking at Artie, "he was too and he said it was boring." Jim dropped the book, grinning at his partner, as the little boy turned back to him. "So you can tell me the story you said you would tell me."
"You might as well give in, friend," Jeremy drawled. "He will just keep after you. It's like being pecked to death by a duck."
Jim took a deep breath, "Ok," he sighed, "what story?"
"How you got your horse!" Seth said, climbing to his knees so he could lean closer to Jim.
Jim took a long drink from his beer and tossed the empty bottle into the grass. "My horse?" The boy nodded eagerly. "That was a long time ago. I might have forgotten." He nodded toward his partner, "well maybe if Artie helps me, I can remember how it goes. It's a long story though…" Jim leaned over to pull the kitten out from under his leg and hold her against his bare chest. He smoothed the grey fur and the kitten yawned, curling into a ball in his palm.
"That's ok," Seth said. Artie moaned and laid onto his back in the grass, wiping his face again with his sleeve. "Artie will just have a nap while you talk." Artie yawned and closed his eyes, apparently agreeing.
Jim took a deep breath, "Ok, let me think how it all started…"