"So," Jenni spoke after an hour of walking, "This is the great state of Mississippi?" "I guess. Folks are nice enough." Marley replied, looking around the street they were strolling on. "It's disappointing." Jenni said crossly, "Tedious, monotonous, insipid. California was far more jovial." Marley rolled her eyes, "Jen, sorry to interrupt your brooding but this is only a small part of Mississippi. Ali says it's rather bleak during the day but at night, it becomes a whole different story." "I'm sure. Hopefully we're not here for very long." Jenni stated.
Marley's ears perked up, "Oh! Forgot to tell you! Sierra wants to meet us at Little Daisy Cafe when you arrived." "Why?" Jenni asked. Marley shrugged, "I don't know. She just said she wanted to meet us for lunch this afternoon. Maybe she has information that we need." Jenni sighed, "Fine. But if it's something trifling, I'm leaving. I have other business that I need to tend to...3:00pm to be precise. You know how I am about punctuality."
The two cats moved across the sidewalk, looking at the citizens who were going about their day. Jenni spotted a tall policeman who was talking to a woman and her child. Suddenly, the tapping sound returned to her ears. Her heart began racing as she glared murderously at the officer. Flashes of a small child crying for her mother as a uniformed officer dragged mother and daughter apart struck Jenni. "MOMMY!" the child screamed. "IT WASN'T HER! IT WASN'T HER! IT WAS...!" "Jen?" Marley said, a look of concern across her face.
Jenni tore her eyes away from the policeman, her trance snapped. "Are you ok?" Jenni looked back at the policeman who had walked away from the mother and her child. "I'm fine, let's go." Finally, they came to a small brown building with a clinging sign that read "Little Daisy Cafe". Jenni looked up at the sign, "Lovely name." Marley gasped "Did I just hear a compliment coming from you?" "Shut up." Jenni said, Marley chuckling.
The two entered the cafe which, compared to the street, was remarkably well kempt. The room was white and brown with small wooden tables and chairs. A small counter was close to the front with a slim-looking, yellow and white serval wiping the countertops. The serval looked up at the incoming customers with bright green eyes and smiled, "Hey, you guys made it." "Sierra." Jenni said with a nod. Marley smiled joyfully and raced to the counter, "So, what's the special for today?"
Sierra leaned back and smiled, "How about a nice hot cappuccino with extra chocolate shavings, whipped cream, and marshmallows, slightly burnt on the top, for my special customers." Marley licked her lips and wagged her tail. "Thank you for the recommendation, Sierra, but I'm a little pressed for time right now." Sierra shrugged and grinned, "Your loss Jen. Marley?" Marley started chuckling and rubbing her hands together. "Marley tells me you wanted to speak with us?" Jenni said. "I just wanted to make sure you got here okay.
You know how I am about trains, nightmares you know. Especially when you're working on them." Sierra looked down grimly at the counter top. "Thank you for your concern, Sierra." Jenni said placing a hand on top of her friend's. She looked at her watch; 2:45pm, "Mios Dios! I have to leave. I have that meeting in 15 minutes." "Who's this guy you're meeting with again?" Marley asked. "His name's Asa Sweet. He runs a hotel called Mirabel Hotel. He also runs a speakeasy called Marigold."
"That's right." Marley said. "Be careful with this one Jen." Sierra warned, "Mr. Sweet is a big deal. He's not like Father Moore. I heard he's one of the big dogs around here." "As am I, Sierra." Jenni said, reaching inside her trench coat. She pulled out a small gun, a Wilson and Smith's model 19. She quickly placed it back into its pocket before turning to leave. "Marley? Remember your part of the mission?" Jenni asked. "Yes, you can count on me." Marley said confidently. "Let's hope so." Jenni said before walking out the door.