"Darling, you do realize that your cat outranks you?" Molly pointed out one evening, as she and Greg reclined on his sofa, the small silver tabby stretched out on her torso. The lanky half grown kitten purred in contentment, reflecting Molly's own current mood, sandwiched between what she called "two gorgeous silver-haired boys".
At this, Greg snorted and shook his head. Barnaby simply looked at her as if she were overstating the obvious.
"Of course he does. He already has a massive superiority complex, might as well validate it for him," Greg chuckled softly, reaching up to stroke the young animal under the chin.
"DCI Tom Barnaby," Molly mused. "I should have known you'd name this kitten after a fictional police detective."
"Well, love," Greg pointed out, "He's terribly curious. He won't take no for an answer. He's fearless and loves to stalk criminals. Well, in this case, mice and houseflies."
Molly giggled at this. "And toilet rolls. Why THAT particular detective though? There are several to choose from."
Greg sighed happily, bringing his hand up to rest on Molly's waist. "Well, if you remember, I was watching an episode of Midsomer Murders on telly when you showed up with him. Was the first detective name to come to mind."
"Oh I remember… barely!"