Wally

‘So, the only item stolen was the cat?’ Leo had his notebook in one hand and his pen, the one he’d taken from the Post Office, in the other.‘Yes, I noticed it as soon as I walked in’ Daisy shuffled back and forth in front of the mantelpiece, her wrinkled hands clasped together at her chest.

‘And I understand the cat was not alive?’

‘No, Wally died from heart failure twelve months ago last Thursday. I had him professionally stuffed.’ Daisy blinked, and a tear rolled onto her cheek from her left eye.

Professionally stuffed — well if you’re going to get stuffed, better to have it done by a professional.

‘And where was he, the last time you saw him?’

‘He was there on the mantle... where he always sits.’ Daisy pointed at the clean spot in the dust in the shape of Wally’s arse.

‘Can you describe Wally?’ Leo dipped his head to gaze over the top of his wire-rimmed light-sensitive glasses.

‘He was a tortoiseshell, black and ginger with one blue eye and one green. He was in the sitting position with his tail wrapped around one side.’

‘Why would someone steal him — was he special in some way?’

‘No, he was just a moggie, but he was special to me.’

Leo was taking notes when a black shape flashed past his feet into the hallway. His head jerked up trying to follow the movement.

‘Oh, that’s Winnie, she’s my other cat.’ Daisy smiled.

‘You’re absolutely sure nothing else is missing.’

‘I’ve looked and can’t notice anything. The policeman who came said it was probably a cat burglar.’

Leo looked for a sign of levity on Daisy’s face — but no, she’d taken him seriously.

The insurance file notes had said, “Daisy is a little eccentric”. Leo would cross out “a little” on his return to the office.

Would she know if anything was missing? Stuffed cats weren't the usual targets for break-ins. Daisy had Wally insured for $500. Insurance fraud wasn’t on the cards.

‘Okay Daisy, I’ll get your claim processed. I know the money can’t replace Wally. But you’ve still got Winnie.’

Leo gazed around the room at the antique-style furniture and ornaments. Even the enamel kitty litter tray beside the kitchen door was ornate with compartments for food and water. A framed photo on the wall showed Daisy with a tall distinguished-looking man with a cheeky grin and a teenaged girl standing between them.

‘Oh, the money will help if Winnie goes before I do. Those stuffing people are expensive.’

***

He opened his eyes to find Andre perched on his electronic clock cleaning his face. Leo couldn’t help thinking of Wally. The phone buzzed. He grabbed it from the side table. It was Detective Inspector Darcy O’Malley.

‘Leo,’

‘Hi Darce, something’s up ringing so early.’ He rolled onto his back clutching the phone to his ear.

‘Yeah, afraid so Leo, I am at the residence of Daisy Locke. I believe you were here yesterday.’

‘Yes, what’s happened? Leo’s eyes opened wide.’

‘She’s dead, possibly murdered.’

‘What?’ Leo jolted upright.

‘Yeah, we had a call from the next-door neighbour. She tried to ring her then came and found the body. The front door was forced. Can you meet me here?’

‘Sure, be there in twenty.’ He ended the call and lurched to the wardrobe.

***

Leo found Detective Darcy O'Malley in the lounge talking with a uniformed police officer. His stared at Daisy’s lifeless body slumped in the lounge chair.

In her nightdress, she looked asleep, her hands resting gently on the arms of the chair.

‘Leo.’ Darcy beckoned him. ‘There are no visible signs of violence, no wounds or contusions — the coroner will sort that out. But there has been a break and enter. Fingerprint people are working on it.’

Hard to believe, he was only here yesterday discussing Wally. What the hell was going on?

Leo gazed around the room. There were a few items, photos, papers strewn on the floor and draws in the side table half-open.

‘Someone is looking for something — first Wally now this. Wonder if they found it?’ Leo peered at the barren mantelpiece.

‘Wally. Who’s Wally?’ Darcy's eyes squinted.

‘Wally was Daisy’s stuffed cat that went missing. The reason I was here yesterday.’

‘Right... well now that you are here today, can you help us with interviews?’

For the last twelve months, Leo Budge Private Investigator had provided consulting services to the Queensland Police Service and Leo enjoyed getting into the meaty cases.

‘Sure, I’m keen to help with this one Darce. I feel terrible about Daisy.’

‘Great, first the next-door neighbour at number 34.’ Darcy fumbled with his notebook flipping pages. ‘Mr and Mrs Hegarty, but it was Mrs. who found the body. And also...’ he flipped more pages. ‘Daisy has a daughter, Simone. She’s been notified. I’ll text you the address.’ Darcy looked up. ‘This whole thing may have been just a bad day for Daisy — wrong place at the wrong time.’

Leo didn’t think so.

***

Leo knocked three times on the blue painted timber door. It sounded hollow. The compact timber lowset house was much like Daisy’s but Daisy’s door was yellow. The door squeaked as it opened.

‘Mrs. Hegarty, my name is Leo Budge. I’m working with Queensland Police regarding your neighbour Daisy. May I come in?’

She was a small grey-haired woman and Leo felt awkward peering down at her upturned face. Should he bend over to talk?

‘Oh yes, come in, poor Daisy. I found her you know.’ He followed her. ‘The door was open, and I called and called. Poor Daisy, she was in her chair. I thought she was resting.’

‘Yes, it’s upsetting.’ Leo sat down on the sofa. ‘Mrs Hegarty, did Daisy keep any valuables in her house? The break-in may have been random or perhaps targeting items of value.’

‘She wasn’t rich. Like most of us around here, I’d say. Her husband Ted died about five years ago and didn’t leave her much — just the house. He had a coin collection that she sold for a small amount.’

‘This may seem like a strange question. Daisy had a stuffed cat. It’s missing. Do you know if was valuable?’

‘What, Wally, that old thing. I doubt it. Poor Daisy was a bit funny about her cats. Oh, that reminds me. I need to feed Winnie.’

‘When was the last time you saw Daisy?’

‘Sunday before last we went to her house for coffee. Her daughter Simone and her husband were there... lovely couple. We had a nice chat. She talked about Ted as she usually does. She said that he tells her things. Like he told her the cats were guarding his penny. Old age catching up I’d say, though she always was a bit odd.’ Mrs Hegarty screwed her little face into a smile.

‘Penny?’ Leo looked down.

Her face reminded him of a mole rat’s that’s come out of its hole into the sunlight.

‘When Ted was alive he said had one of those valuable pennies... 1930 is it? But no one ever saw the thing. He was a bit of a joker old Ted.’

Someone thought Ted was serious.

***

Darcy’s text gave Leo Simone’s address and also said that from the initial examination death was from natural causes, heart failure likely. The intruder during the night or early morning may have scared the life out of her.

Simone didn’t live far from her mother and Leo had arranged a meeting. He pulled his yellow Suzuki into the driveway. A small white dog appeared at the front window with staccato ear-piercing yaps to signal his arrival. Leo heard muffled expletive dog instructions, and the door opened. Simone was a plump young woman with a generous smile, short curly hair and big teeth.

‘Mr Budge, I’m Simone, Grant’s out on the patio, come through.’ She hurried through the lounge and kitchen out to a covered paved area with a table and chairs. The little dog followed sniffing the trail.

‘Please, call me Leo.’

A youngish fat man in shorts with thin hair and black-rimmed glasses stood and held out his hand. ‘Hi... Grant.’

Leo shook his damp hand.

‘I’m sorry for your loss.’ Leo sat down on the wooden slat chair.

‘Have they got the person who killed her?’ Simone clasped her hands on her lap.

‘It may not be that simple Simone. Someone broke into your mum’s house but she may have collapsed and died at the scene. It’s uncertain until further investigation. I understand you visited your mum the Sunday before last?’ Leo watched their faces.

‘Yes, that’s the last time we saw her. She was fine then.’

‘What do you know about your father’s penny?’ Leo leant forward towards Simone.

‘Who told... oh, Mrs Hegarty, yeah, Mum mentioned it while we were there on Sunday. Dad used to joke about having a 1930 penny hidden. He had other coins that we sold. We didn’t take him seriously about the penny. But we searched the house anyway, with Mum — just in case.’ Simone grinned, her top incisors protruding over her bottom lip.

‘Did you take Wally?’ Leo decided on a blunt approach.

Their eyes snapped towards each other like magnets. Leo prided himself at reading body language. This was too easy.

‘I had to take him to check inside.’ Grant wiped his sweaty brow with the back of his hand. ‘Daisy wouldn’t have agreed to let me cut him open. He was the only place we hadn’t checked and after Ted’s message to Daisy from the afterlife, I figured I’d borrow him and return him later. Then this all happened.’

‘And what did you find?’

‘Nothing.’

‘It wasn’t a good idea Grant, Daisy was upset about Wally.’

‘Yeah, I know, sorry’ Grant’s despondent pudgy face dropped.

‘If you don’t mind I’d like to take Wally home.’

Leo had an idea.

***

Leo knocked three times on the blue painted timber door. It opened with a painful squeak.

‘Mr Hegarty, Leo Budge, I rang earlier, I won’t come in.’

Jack Hegarty was a thick-set man in shorts, thongs and a singlet with a paint stain on it. He had a buzz cut hairstyle that seemed popular with older men who were losing more than they were growing. It gave him an escaped prisoner appearance. The older generation didn’t seem to give a fuck about how they presented themselves.

‘I have talked to your wife, but I wanted to ask if you saw or heard anything on the night of the robbery next door.’

‘No, I didn’t. I thought my wife already explained.’

‘Yes, I needed to make sure. We’re not making much progress with the investigation,’ Leo’s expression despondent as he looked down at his faux snakeskin shoes. ‘At least Wally’s back where he belongs.’

‘Wally, the dead cat?’ Jack was alert.

‘Yeah, poor Daisy thought he’d been stolen. It seems Simone, her daughter, had sent musty old Wally out for cleaning without telling her. Anyway, he’s back on the mantelpiece until they clean out all Daisy’s possessions tomorrow. Thanks Jack.’ Leo turned and left Jack standing in the doorway.

***

Leo and Darcy stood toe to toe in Daisy’s lounge room. Wally sat motionless on the mantelpiece.

‘It’s the best I could come up with on short notice. And I reckon it will work. It had to be one of the four of Daisy’s Sunday visitors. She’d stirred the hornet’s nest blabbing about the 1930 penny being guarded by the cat. Grant got sucked in and pinched it. Then someone breaks in and shock, horror... Wally’s already gone. It’s not Grant or Simone and little Mrs Hegarty couldn’t break anything. It has to be Jack Hegarty.’ Leo stared hard at Darcy to make sure he was paying attention.

‘Okay, maybe.’

‘So we pretend to leave then conceal ourselves here in the house. Jack will come to get the Wally because he thinks the penny is inside him and everything is being taken away tomorrow. Bingo! We nab him with Wally.’

***

They had followed the plan with Darcy positioned in the bedroom and Leo in the kitchen cupboard. There were no lights on and a faint glow from the outside streetlight filtered in through the windows.

There was no way that Darcy, a large man, even by police standards, would take the cupboard. Leo had removed the brooms and mops to get comfortable. He held the door ajar to get some air and waited... and waited. He couldn’t see his watch in the gloom but it must have been after midnight. If Jack didn’t show he could see Darcy kicking him out of a job, and kicking his arse. Then... a noise, a crunching noise from the front door echoed lightly through the house. Then the floorboards, a squeak, then another, someone walking through the lounge. Leo stepped silently out of the cupboard. With one foot now in the kitty litter tray, he reached his hand around the kitchen doorway feeling for the lounge light switch. He found it and switched it on simultaneously jumping through the kitchen doorway into the light-filled lounge room.

‘Who the fuck are you?’ Leo’s shrieking voice pierced the silence.

Wally dropped from the gloved hands of the skinny long-haired youth. His blotchy startled face turned towards the front door. His escape route was blocked by the substantial figure of Detective O’Malley.

‘Answer the man, sonny.’

***

Leo enjoyed relaxing at home with Andre after a hard day. A glass of Pinot Noir and your best friend curled up on your lap.

‘I almost got it right Andre.’ Leo caressed the back of Andre’s silky head. ‘Jack Hegarty’s son, doing all the dirty work for his dodgy old man — I knew no one could dress that badly and be honest.’

Andre’s purr sounded like a motorboat cruising in the distance.

‘The boy was lucky not to be accused of murder. Poor Daisy... from the “time of death” report it seems she was already dead when he broke in the first time.’

Andre stirred, purring, then stood, stretched and started pushing up and down on Leo’s genitals with his front paws, left, right, left, right. He curled up again satisfied with the consistency of his bedding.

‘And where’s the penny? I wonder if Ted was joking. I have a theory. The penny wasn’t with Wally, maybe it’s with Winnie. You know, Andre, there’s a story about a bear called Winnie – Winnie the Pooh. I think the penny just might be hidden somewhere in the kitty litter tray.’