I hope you love this intro story to these feline-people detectives!

---

“Alright, run me through it,” Margaret said to the taller feline, her tail twitching behind her as she closed the front gate to her office yard.

A grin split Alphonse’s black and white fuzzy face, but at the squinty look from Margaret peering up at him from under her umbrella, he pulled at the hem of his brown leather jacket and cleared his throat. “I’m observing Mrs. Crenshaw.”

Margaret’s nodding encouraged him and he asked, “Why are we meeting out of the office?” A drop of rain splattered on his nose. He wiped it away, giving his ballcap an extra tug.

“Something feels off. I want to see how she acts in public, and that’s where you come in.” She punched him lightly on the arm. “You’ve sat in on other meetings and taken notes. This will be just like that.”

“Except, in public and she won’t know,” Alphonse stated the obvious differences.

Margaret grinned at him. “All part of the fun, kid.”

Margaret “Mooch” Twitch, the local private investigator, had hired him a couple months ago. He started out answering the phone and emails, scheduling meetings, organizing Margaret’s files. A few weeks ago, she started letting him sit in on meetings and today’s would be his first off-site one.

“Oh someone’s at their happy place,” Alphonse teased as a coffee shop’s doors entered their view.

“They’re pastries are to die for,” Margaret said as she peered up at the sky. “And it’s perfect weather for it.”

“Like you really need the weather to be gloomy,” he joked.

Margaret waved him off as she huddled under the awning and closed her umbrella. Hooking it over her arm, she pulled the glass door open and breathed in the welcoming scent of coffee and baking bread.

“Morning Detective,” Perri, a fairy with shimmery deep purple wings greeted the miniature feline from behind the counter. “The usual I imagine,” she presumed already putting in the order.

“Thanks Per. I’m also meeting a client this morning. Alphonse will be observing, but I’d love to know your thoughts afterwards.”

Perri grinned. “I love detective work.”

“Reportin’ for duty, Detective,” the low gravelly tones of Harris, a middle-aged dwarf, teased as he plated her cinnamon roll and stuck it in the microwave.

“Well keep it down Sarge,” she teased right back, toasting him with her mug.

She nodded to Alphonse as he stepped up to order—”A slice of cherry pie please.”–and chose the table with a good window view of the front. Glancing over her right shoulder, she silently praised Alphonse’s choice of table. Margaret wrapped her tabby-colored paws around the steaming latte just as Mrs. Crenshaw made her way across the street.

---

This story was written as part of the #flashfictionmagic story community on Instagram instigated by author @embarnettauthor. You can follow the hashtag here for more stories.

Also, fun fact: this story was inspired by my two cats, Moochy, the old lady, and Alphonse, the big-little brother!

A little about my furry friends:

• Moochy – She showed up at the first apartment Ant and I lived in Auburn with that name because she “mooched” off the tenants. We fed her and she stayed and then we kept her. This July it’ll be 11 years since we’ve been a family. Oh gosh, like 7-8 years ago, a friend of ours nicknamed Moochy “Detective Cat” because she has this thing where she’ll squint one eye closed. Also, her tail has this weird twitch, hence the last name.
• Alphonse joined the Erler clan…it’ll be eight years this upcoming May (also his 8th birthday). He’s obnoxious to Moochy, but weird cats turned this precious kitten into a weird kitten so *shrug* what’re you gonna do. (“You gonna get on down?” – Ant sings haha)

I loved this story idea so much, I’m now thinking of writing a longer story with these two! And incorporating a bunch of my animal friends =D

---

Writing Process Notes:

2/1/24 // 9:25pm-.