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“Come here, boy!” she called out to the dog. “Did you scare that cat? What a brave doggy!”
    Across the street, the blind cat huddled close to a strange wall.
    Which way was home?
    The gray tom went hunting for a mouse meal.
    Billy’s father heard yowling in his dreams. He staggered out to the kitchen and peeled back a can of beer. “I gotta get that cat,” he muttered. He went out and leaned overthe landing. He didn’t see the gray tom waiting under the lilac bush. He didn’t see Billy and Conga, either.
    Those two were pressed up to the plaster next to Billy’s bedroom window.
    When the sun woke up, the street cats headed for their nests while the people crawled out of their beds. Salome climbed up her grandmother’s vine as the sun’s rays caught the greenery. Half in, half out of the window, she held her breath. The house was quiet. She tumbled the rest of the way into her bedroom and pushed a button on the phone. “Salome Davies,” she said after the machine picked up. She steadied her breathing. “Officer Jean, I’m checking in.”
    An hour later, Officer Jean listened to the morning messages. She made a record of Salome’s call. Then she read over Salome’s rap sheet:
    Name: Salome Davies Age: Fourteen
    Apprehended: 06/15/2010
    Unlawful entry of restaurant
    (Found in kitchen, sniffing contents of spice rack)
    Plea Entered: Guilty
    Apprehended: 09/19/2010
    Unlawful entry of public property
    (Found in museum storage room after closure, drawing dinosaur bones)
    Plea Entered: Guilty
    Apprehended: 12/03/2010
    Unlawful entry of commercial residence
    (Found in hotel attic, hanging Christmas ornaments on rafters)
    Plea Entered: Guilty
    Officer Jean sighed. There was a string of infractions in the report. Before a judge, Salome had pleaded curiosity. “I like to know about stuff,” she had told him. “I never take anything.”
    At her fourth court appearance, the judge had lost his temper. “That’s not the point,” he had ranted. “You can’t go wherever you want. It’s trespassing. You have the makings of a cat burglar. The court should tie a bell around your neck.”
    Salome’s grandmother had spoken up. “I live in Clydesdale,” she had said to the judge. “It’s a quiet town in the country. Salome can volunteer at the local pet store.I’ll make sure she stays put at night. Her parents need a break.”
    The judge had agreed. “Make sure that girl follows the rules. She has to check in with the parole officer from home first thing every morning and last thing at night. Next time she stands in front of me, I’ll throw the book at her.”
    Officer Jean closed Salome’s file and went back to her messages. It was so far, so good. Salome checked in every day, right as rain.
    It looked like the girl was cured.
    At seven in the morning, Luke fed the cats. When the blind one didn’t come out for breakfast, he started looking. He looked for the cat for so long, he was late for work at City Hall.
    Salome had breakfast with her grandmother in the dining room. They had crumpets with marmalade on white bone china, and orange juice served with mint leaves in crystal tumblers. “Those drawings you stuck on the fridge are quite good,” Mrs. Davies was saying. “We’ll have to see about art lessons. You’ve got talent, Salome. But you need some direction — and lots of practice.”
    Salome smiled. She liked her grandmother. “Got to go,” she said. “Joxie’s expecting me down at the pet store.”
    Her grandmother watched her leave.
Her parents have raised her fine,
she thought. Those wild roaming days were just a phase. The girl had settled down.
    Down the street and over the fence, Mr. Thomas went from his bed to his garden. As soon as the old man got a whiff of cat pee, he called Animal Services. “Last night, some cats fouled my garden,” he griped. “They scratched the willow and tore up my flower beds. The buds in the planter are as hard as dried peas. I bet the cats came from the