An Even Grimmer Plot
"I have a special job for you tonight," I stated the next morning.
"Yes, Professor?"
I set down the cigarette that Bill had given me. "Burn the police station to the ground. I don't want to hear about any evidence suggesting you were the culprits; however, I want you to leave behind this glove."
"It looks like Muricide's," Lewis commented.
"Precisely! Robert, you are about the same height and weight as Muricide. You will be the only one to get within twenty feet of the police station. Make sure you put on these shoes; they're the same type Muricide always wears. I don't want Basil thinking three mice and a lizard are the culprits. If he sees any footprints, I want them to be compatible with the theory that Muricide is guilty, a theory that will be proven when Basil sees this glove."
"What are the rest of us to do while Robert starts the fire?" Henry queried.
I explained my plan.
Insomnia overtook me that evening. What if those idiots ruined everything? I couldn't win! A brainless henchman leaves behind clues, but an intelligent one rivals my intellect! Was there anyone in between the two extremes?
Looking out my window, I saw an orange glow in the distance. The fire was successful, but what if my men were proven guilty? Surely Basil would be called on the case, just as I was hoping he would be, but I wondered if I had underestimated him. Could he see through my plan?
What if Muricide found out I had framed him? He'd be furious! He had to rot in jail without realizing who had sent him there! Otherwise…
I didn't even want to think about what would happen otherwise!
Rain?! I hoped the rain wouldn't be enough to extinguish the flames!
Felicia meowed piteously as the rain fell. She's slept outside ever since she became my pet, but she still complains every time there's the slightest amount of precipitation. After all these years, one would think she'd have learned to deal with it, but rainstorms always make her act as if the world is ending.
Don't look at me like that! I'm not the only one who makes my pet sleep outside in the rain!
I really do love her. She frustrates me daily with her exasperating antics, she never shows me any affection or appreciation, and she's the typical cat: lazy, unintelligent, hideous, voracious, etc. Even with all that being said, she is the reason I have become the most infamous criminal in Mousedom, and she has made immeasurable progress becoming as iniquitous as I am. (When she was a kitten, I feared she would never allow her heart to become as cold and dark as winter solstice, but she finally did!) Without her, I wouldn't be able to commit murder so easily. She is the key to my power and the secret to my success, and for that reason, I do care about her. In fact, she is the only thing I care about. That's why I have been the perfect pet owner ever since she was a kitten. I have treated her as I would my own daughter.
However, I've often wondered how she feels about me. She cowered before me when she was younger. (I can't understand why! I've shown her nothing but compassion, and she's had only the finest care!) She listens to me, but I get the feeling she obeys as a trained response rather than out of desire to please me. She allows me to fuss over her, and she seems to enjoy it, but she never tries to rub against me or anything else that cats do to show love.
Ingrate! Why does she treat me with such indifference?! Have I ever treated her that way? I'll never be able to understand that cat!
Felicia upsets me.