The Cat Who Smelled a Rat
Chapter One
It was late October, and Moose County, 400
miles north of everywhere, was in danger of being
wiped off the map. In the grip of a record-breaking
drought, towns and farms and forests could be reduced to
ashes overnight—given a single spark and a high wind.
Volunteer firefighters were on round-the-clock alert, and
the congregations of fourteen churches prayed for snow.
Not rain. Snow! Winter always began with a three-day
blizzard, called the Big One, that buried everything
under snow drifting to ten feet. So the good folk of
Moose County waxed their snow shovels, bought antifreeze
and earmuffs, stockpiled bottled water and flashlight
batteries—and prayed.
Late one evening, in a condominium northeast of
Pickax City, the county seat, a cat sat on a windowsill,
stretching his neck, raising his nose, and sniffing. The
man watching him thought, He smells a skunk. They
had recently moved to the wooded area with its new
sights, new sounds, new smells.
He went outdoors to investigate and found no ... read full excerpt from Cat Who Smelled a Rat, The ebook
