I was still feeling a little hazy as I found myself turning down the street toward Earthsong’s quaint two-story brownstone. I’d managed to carry that “just awakened” feeling with me all the way across town. Still, the sun was warm and a festive menagerie of blossoms yielded a melange of aromas both subtle and powerful. Goddess, there’s such magic in the summer. I could feel myself coming around. I traversed the flat smooth stones of the sidewalk pondering the chaotic events that had brought me here. Fleeting images from earlier in the day drifted by, beginning with my wake-up call from Earthsong. She had seemed almost gleeful when we spoke on the phone. “I have a wonderful surprise,” she’d said and then added in a capricious tone, “but I won’t say what it is until you come over.” I smiled and shook my head. What a playful little scamp. No wonder I was crazy about her.

The days events continued to play in my mind as I finally strolled into Earthsong’s yard, moving beneath the broad canopy of that wonderful old white oak that shaded her house. I recalled myself sitting in the tramcar spinning my earring to the rhythmic thumping of the wheels. I remembered gazing out the window as a blur of weed patches and flowers rolled swiftly by. I also recalled my shock when a snowy owl flew alongside my car and stared intently at me through the window. Clearly he had something on his mind but I wasn’t getting it.

Coming back to the present, I took a look around me. Earthsong’s digs were as lovely as ever, with the exception of several over-sized ankhs that had sprouted in the front flowerbeds. She must have dropped them in sometime yesterday. I toyed absently at the brim of my hat and wondered what had possessed her. Not that I’m any kind of landscape architect mind you, but the ankhs looked way out of place.

As I struggled to get a handle on Earthsong’s aesthetic sensibility, the screen door swung open and the lady herself padded out onto the porch. I looked up, smitten instantly with her abundant feminine charms—and her relatively poor attempt at hiding them. She was wearing a very thin diaphanous gown, a single large ankh about her neck and precious little else. I’d seen naked people who were better covered. When she drew closer, I detected a feverish look in her eyes and a flush in her cheeks. She smelled of myrrh and other things unknown to me. Reaching forward she snaked an arm around my shoulders and pulled me to her in a slow almost measured way. Her warm lips touched my ear and she whisper passionately, “Oh isn’t it wonderful, Nick? She’s back. Bassie’s come home.” I smiled inwardly to myself. ‘Bassie Come Home’ sounded like the title of a wholesome family film. If the folks at Disney only knew.

I had thought to offer my congratulations on Bastet’s safe return when Earthsong’s questing lips moved from my ear down to my neck. Not surprisingly, my focus shifted a bit. It was then that I realized we had moved from the yard to just outside the front door of the house. Fires of wanting were kindling in my flesh with the soft, alluring touch of Earthsong’s lips.

I was also becoming aware of a strange heady tingling in my scalp. It was a very pleasurable sensation and I could feel myself starting to go with it. Amidst the sensual interlude, I still had the presence of mind to wonder at the odd array of metal ankhs and cartouches that had been carefully positioned around the edge of the front door. I opened my mouth to ask why, when Earthsong twined her fingers into my hair and consumed me with a deep lingering kiss. It was an exquisite effort and I was transported. Seemingly, quite literally. Not that I really cared, but I realized that somehow we had moved again and were now standing in the living room in front of the bedroom door. Interestingly, this door too was circumscribed with the same Egyptian sigils as those around the front door. Doubt began dancing at the edge of my perception but the charms of Earthsong were too powerful to resist.

I realized, as I felt myself giving over to the passion of her exquisite embrace, that I could hear music playing. The rich dark strains had been slowly working themselves into my consciousness. I could even feel Earthsong moving, swaying sinuously to the pulsing rhythms. She eased her foot behind her and gave the nearby door a shove sending it gliding into the bedroom. Cloying incense, which smoked from a small altar in a distant corner behind her, swirled out into the living room. I glanced into the bedroom and it seemed far darker than I remembered; not exactly a place of light and cheer.

Before Earthsong could cajole me through the door, a large sinuous shadow caught my eye as it passed across the far wall of the kitchen. It evoked an image in my mind of a large feline predator lurking in the sylvan cover awaiting its prey. I started to lean out, straining to get a better look down the hallway, but Earthsong resumed her gentle guidance and pulled me into the room. I did manage to pushed the door shut and lock it while we were still alone.

“Don’t you want to meet Bastet?” she asked in a distant voice. “I know Bastet wants to meet you, Nick. She really wants to meet you.”

I thought to myself, “Pets. Goddess, why do I take jobs like this?” As if in response to the question, Earthsong set her lips to mine and reminded me. Lady, how she reminded me.

In the next moments, I could feel my clothing falling away as our affections became more urgent. We climbed onto the bed after we had shed the last of our garments and inhibitions. The thick sweet incense smoke seemed to infuse my brain with a delirious haziness. I was having difficulty concentrating on anything but the realm of my physical senses. Earthsong straddled my body as I lay back on the bed and began grazing her fingernails across my chest. It was an electrifying sensation. It was also then that I noticed two large statues of Bast flanking a tall silk cushion just beyond the foot of the bed: another thing that had changed from my last visit. At the moment I wasn’t inclined to care. Earthsong leaned forward and kissed me again wetly and said in a whisper, “It’s time, Nick. Are you ready--ready to meet Bassie?”

I struggled to speak but my speech was slurred. Goddess, what was in that incense? I tried to move but found that in my diminished state I was effectively pinned beneath the glorious burden of Earthsong. I tried shaking my head to clear it and it was then that I caught the lower part of the bedroom door swinging silently inward and a huge dusky gray shape pass through it. I lost sight of the cat except for her thick tail which I could see bobbing along the side of the bed as it moved to the end and then out of sight. Fear struggled to take root in my muddled brain. How could this be happening? I tried to raise my head, to see around Earthsong’s sumptuous body, but I couldn’t. Then I felt the end of the bed give as if something fairly heavy had climbed upon it. It didn’t take a detective to figure this one out.

With my growing terror came a sense of clarity. I tried struggling and found that I had more strength than before. As I began squirming with greater success, I could hear a strange guttural sound emanating from behind my captor. It was a feral ululation and it put the garnish on my feast of fear.

Earthsong leaned forward and grasped my wrists with surprising strength. She then pressed her supple lips to my shoulder and bit me sharply. Raising her eyes to mine, she offered, “It’s better this way, Nick. Bassie wants to play with you and it wouldn’t be right for me to say no--but I do love you. You must never forget that.” If that was the case, I figured the people she didn’t like had long since been made into chutney and dropped into Yule stockings. What could I have been thinkin’ about?

My brief moment of reflection was cut short when Bassie’s growl rose to a fevered pitch and Earthsong threw her own head back and joined in with a hideous howl. To my deepening horror, I realized that I could see the cat reflected in the window over Earthsong’s shoulder. That was just what I needed. The cat’s ears were laid back and the tail was swishing erratically. It was going to pounce. Dark Mother, Benny was right all along. The music, which had been slow and eerie, had eddied ever faster into a disturbing chaos of unwholesome noises. As if my fear needed any more urging, I saw the heads on both of the statues of Bast turn and regard me with shining eyes. Pink tongues lolled from the statuary mouths, tracing slow needful arcs across their fearsome muzzles. Suddenly the music stopped. There was an odd ringing sound and Earthsong turned her eyes toward mine. They were green with vertical pupils. Feeling a scream welling up inside me, I watched as the two statues of Bast and the reflection of Bastet crouched in unison and sprang at my unprotected jolly bits.

“Oh Great Mother, Noooooooooooooo!” I screamed as I sat bolt upright in bed. My bed. It was about noon and the phone was ringing. Goddess, what a nightmare. I was getting that dream catcher today, no bones about it. I stepped shakily from the bed only to place my foot squarely on top of a large pile of acorns. “Shit.” I barked.

Limping to the phone I grabbed it roughly. “What!?” I said growling into the receiver. It was Earthsong.

“My didn’t we get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.” She chided. “What’s the matter, Nick?”

“Nothing.” I said curtly. “I, uh, stepped on a pile of acorns and hurt my foot.”

“You don’t sound too happy to hear from me, sweetie.” Earthsong replied sounding hurt and puzzled. She had no idea.

“I’m sorry.” I replied forcing some civility into my voice. “The phone woke me from a nightmare — about a case I’m working on. That’s all. What’s the scoop?”

“Same as last night.” Earthsong said hesitantly. “Another cat has gone missing from the neighborhood; a male this time. He’s been gone about the same amount of time as Bastet. You’re still planning to come over, aren’t you?”

“Um, sure.” I answered with growing interest. The details on the disappearance of the other cat had piqued my curiosity and given me the germ of an idea. Of course, my curiosity didn’t prevent me from wondering where I might pick up a chain mail g-string before I dropping over.

“Great.” said Earthsong. She sounded relieved. “Don’t worry,” she purred, “I’ll make it worth your while.” She had no idea how she was pushing her luck.

“Say Earthsong,” I asked conversationally, “You wouldn’t happen to have any, oh, say Egyptian artifacts lying around, would you?”

“Egyptian artifacts?” She repeated, surprised. “No, of course not. Why would I have anything like that? You know I’m strictly Norse/Celtic.”

“No statues of Bast or Ankhs nailed around any doors or anything? I prodded.

“Bast? Ankhs? What the hell’s gotten into you, Nick? Are you sure you’re OK?”

“Yeah — I’m fine. It was just that damn dream. I’ll tell you about it later. I’m sure it’ll be good for a laugh.” I said weakly.

“I’ll bet.” Replied Earthsong sounding as though she didn’t believe it for a second.

We talked for a while after that and I started feeling better. I made off with her to come by around mid afternoon. I said that if things went well, I would take her to supper later. For the moment, her lovely home had lost most of its appeal to me. Imagine that. She seemed pleased by the prospect, however, and we ended our conversation on a happy note.

I wandered back into the bedroom taking a mental inventory of things to do. On the return trip, I managed to avoid the acorn pile that I stepped on earlier — a pile whose origins were something of a mystery. They were the big ones, too; voluptuous green orbs with textured brown caps — probably burr oak or something like that. And being green as they were, they didn’t fall from a tree but were certainly picked. Regardless of how they ended up on my floor, they didn’t come from this neck of the woods. That much was certain.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have time ponder this new conundrum. It would have to wait ‘til later. I grabbed a couple of the best looking specimens and put them on my altar. While I was there, I noticed that the Horned One’s mug was dry so I filled it with a libation of Honeyfyre mead. Then I treated myself to a long draught from the bottle. It settles the nerves, you know. I took a second helping — to help numb the burning cause by the first. Okay, okay. Maybe I just like the stuff.

Setting aside the mead, I decided to cast a circle and try to shake some of my nightmare jitters. This proved to be a good move and after a relaxing meditation, I headed for the shower. A long hot one was just what the shaman ordered, and after that, I had a mind to call an armorer.

Some hours later, I found myself again standing in front of Earthsong’s home. To my relief, there were no ankhs in the front yard or around the door. I walked along the stone path toward the porch and inhaled again the sweet invigorating smell of the chamomile. I knelt and brushed the compact yellow blossoms with my hand, savoring the rich aroma. Unable to restrain myself, I lowered my face and buried it in the thick pungent carpet. From beside me a throaty sensual voice said, “I could make you a salad if you’d prefer.”

Embarrassed, I raised my head and said, “Earthsong. You look wonderful!” and she did. She was wearing a pair of cutoffs with a white cotton t-shirt. No shoes, and particularly, no bizarre gown or ankh.

She took my hand and helped me up saying, “You know, Nick, that was a big improvement over the way you answered the phone earlier.” She then gave me a devastating smile and a kiss that was as sweet as fresh strawberries in honey.

I sighed with contentment. After all, it was just a bad dream I’d had, right? Still, it never hurts to take the proper precautions. Following a warm hug and another smooch, Earthsong hooked her arm through mine and started leading me toward the front steps.

We had only taken a couple of steps when she stopped me suddenly, listening. We started walking again and then after a few steps she called another halt. “Do you hear something?” She asked, looking perplexed.

“Hear what?” I said as innocently as I could manage.

“A kind of jingling sound.” She continued. “Surely you must have heard it.”

“Hmmm,” I intoned, tilting my head as if puzzled, “I can’t say as I did.” I made a show of checking my pockets and then shook my head. She shrugged and we started walking again. “There it is again,” she said, stopping me suddenly a third time and starting to show some annoyance. “You can’t tell me that you don’t hear that!”

“Actually,” I said, starting to panic, “I really need to hit the potty, if you don’t mind.” Earthsong, forgot her puzzle and took the bait.

“Oh you poor thing.” She apologized. “I’m really sorry. You should have said something. I believe you know the way, don’t you?” I nodded gratefully and then walked quickly with my legs as tightly together as I could hold them. Thankfully, that cut the jingling. I didn’t feel particularly good about the deception, but ask yourself, what would you have told her if you were in my shoes?

I quickly applied some cotton to my medieval marble bag and then joined Earthsong in her living room. A cold sparkling water was sitting on a coaster awaiting my return. I thanked my lovely hostess and then we set to discussing the details of the second feline disappearance. I understood that the two cats had vanished roughly around the same time, but a number of other facts eluded me. I was most anxious to know where in relation to Earthsong’s place the other cat lived.

“That’s easy,” she said whereupon she escorted me into the back yard and over to the fence. Pointing toward the southwest corner of the back lot, she said, “He lives in that two story over there.”

“Could we maybe have a look at the yard?” I asked, nodding toward the house that Earthsong had just identified. Without a word, she opened the gate and led me along the tree-lined edge of the lot and into the yard through a natural portico formed in the hedge. After a cursory look around, I noticed the mangled base of an old hickory tree. It looked as if it had been scored frequently by some large cruel saw blade.

“Let me guess,” I speculated, “Bastet liked to spend time over here.”

Earthsong wrinkled her brow and finally nodded speculatively. “It does seem to me that I’ve noticed her heading home from this direction on occasion.”

“So then,” I followed, “It’s not unreasonable to assume that your cat and the male who lives here are acquainted and perhaps even friends.”

“You know,” said Earthsong, “Now that you mention it, I do recall seeing them playing in the yard a few times. But what’s that got to do with the disappearances?”

“Maybe nothing.” I said not wanting to get her hopes up prematurely. “Let’s head on back.” We returned through the portico and started wandering along the fence-row back toward her place. Further to the southeast, was the large out building we’d examined before that had apparently once been a garage. I took Earthsong’s hand, nodding toward the building and asked, “Could we have another look at that one before heading home?”

“Sure Nick,” she said sullenly, “if you like.” I smiled at her. I could tell that she was getting depressed again thinking about Bassie. I gave her hand a brief affectionate squeeze.

We circled the building again, much as we had a few days ago. This time, I picked up a hickory stick and began pushing aside the foliage at the base of the walls. I seem to remember some advice directing me to ‘look to the earth.’ What could it hurt? We started along the west wall and worked our way around to the north. About a third of the way along the north wall, I pushed aside a large cluster of ferns revealing a sizable opening in the foundation of the structure. Suppressing my growing excitement, I moved closer to the opening and began to examine it in more detail. It was not long before I found two distinct clumps of fur. One was smoky gray, the other was more yellow. Calmly, I turned and looked back at Earthsong and said, “Our boy has a golden striped coat, doesn’t he.”

Earthsong lifted an eyebrow suspiciously and pointedly asked, “How exactly did you know that, Nick? I don’t ever remember mentioning his coloring.”

“Pop down here, will you?” I suggested. Earthsong came around and knelt beside me. I showed her the tufts of hair around the opening in the wall. She stared at the hole for a long moment and then looked up at me, eyes wide and moist. The cats had both been here before — and very recently it seemed.

TO BE CONTINUED