SEVENTY-EIGHT: Cat’s play

When Arous got home from the Ambassador’s Ball, Jude had left a V-Dot for her.  He had Octavius with him.  She didn’t know how the cat managed it but he’d broken out from her apartment again. A couple of times he’d just gone to the stables to watch Jude.  A few more times he’d accompanied Simon on his little errands.

“That cat,” she sighed upon hearing the V-Dot, “he’s got to have opposable thumbs. He makes me tired.”

She didn’t hear Octavius or Jude come in but they were standing in the shadows when she woke up from her nap.

            “How long have you been here?”

            “You probably got MiJin fired,” said Jude. “Or worse.”

            “I doubt it,” Arous yawned.

            “No, I’m pretty sure your ruined her life,” said Jude. He was measuring his breaths. “You may have even ended her life.”

            “That’s a serious accusation.”

            “Arous, you arranged a meeting, dressed or whatever you call it, like MiJin, to meet Ephor Ricci in the Rose Gazebo.  All that anyone, especially Jellina, will know is that MiJin was with Ephor Ricci in the Rose Gazebo alone.  You know they don’t like her. You should knkow that Lady Rose has her on probation, Arous.  She’s not supposed to be anywhere unless she’s in another Idelle’s company.”

            “I forgot,” said Arous, looking down. “I told her I’d come back to get her.”

            “Yeah, well, fortunately for you, Octavius is looking out for your friends.  He found me as things were dying down and I was able to escort her out of the kitchen on my arm.”

            “How did he know where she was?”

            “He has a good nose! Who cares, Arous? We’re talking about Mijin.”

 “What’s the worst they can do to her?” yawned Arous. “Kick her out of the house. She can stay with me.”

“It’s not that simple,” Jude mumbled. He was sweating, shaking.

“They’re not going to kill her, anyway.”

            “You don’t know that!” Jude yelled at her then slumped into a pillow on the floor. “You don’t even know who you are dealing with.”

            “They don’t kill people, Jude.  They put them in HaleSpa’s and let them live to death.”

            Jude just glared at Arous.

            “If they put her in a HaleSpa, I’ll just break her out when I break out my mom.”

“You don’t know do you? You really don’t have any idea?” Jude was staring at her with is head cocked to one side and a strange smile on his lips.

            “What?”

            “That Ricci, isn’t a nice guy, Arous.”

            “Well, I know that.”

            “If Lady Rose wants MiJin gone, she only has to say the word.”

            “Well, it’d probably be good for her to get kicked out of the house.”

            “I’m not talking about her getting kicked out of the house!” Jude sat bolt upright and grabbed both of Arous’ hands. “Arous, they could kill her and no one would know or care or have to power to do anything about it.”

            “It’s not that serious.”

            “Don’t you trust me Arous? I know you do. I know you do.  Believe me when I tell you. Please.”

            There was silence as Arous looked into Jude’s eyes for the first time.  She saw panic. Love. A dash of rage.

            “I didn’t know,” said Arous. “I really didn’t know it was that serious.”

            “There’s something else that you don’t know,” said Jude. “They set you up. Simon. Siobhan. From the very beginning. They’ve never been your friends.  Ricci arranged that meeting, Arous, not you.”

            Arous sat on the pillow.  Now Jude was the one kneeling beside her in a flash.

            “What?”

            “They are employed by Ricci,” Jude was soft. His arm was around her. “Ricci paid them to be your friends.”

            Jude stroked her hair.

            “I’m sorry, Arous,” he said, “but, you can’t tell them I told you.”

            “It doesn’t make sense, Jude, why would Ricci, do that?”

            “Maybe for the same reason you’re hunting down your mother,” he said. “Look, Arous, it does make sense.  If you’re looking for your mother and he knew your mother . . . I mean, the one thing you’ve found out is that your mother didn’t actually leave under auspicious circumstances.”

            “But what would Ricci have to do with me?”

            “Arous, what did your mother have to say in that letter about Ricci.  I’ve had dreams, Arous.  It could go either way. Either you make Ricci or you are his end game.”

Arous was stunned into silence. Her heart race so fast it was almost still.

“How did you know about the letter?”

Jude didn’t answer.

            “It’s you watching my apartment at night?”

            Jude looked down.

            “I thought it was James. Then when Siobhan walked in wear that garb I thought it was the faceless man from my dreams. I see Octavius sitting at the window making mouths.  It’s been you this whole time.”

            “Look, Arous, listen. There’s something about Mijin, me, you that goes beyond-”

            But Arous cut him off. “No. No, you need to tell me something or I’m going to assume it’s you, not them. You need to tell me something to make me believe that you’re not the bad guy.”

            “Ricci, is,” Jude began but he didn’t finish.  He sat there in silence for a moment while wheels clicked and whirred inside of Arous.

            “Have you ever seen a cat play with a mouse?” he said finally.

            “Yeah,” she said. “And, I’ve also seen a snake play with a cat.”  Arous got up and went to the IDE-3 Wall.

            “What are you doing?” he said.

            “I’m sending a V-Dot to Siobhan.”

            “Arous, you can’t tell her!”

            “I’m not telling her anything, but stay and listen if you want to make sure,” she said smiling. “You can snake how a snake plays with a cat.”

            Jude looked at her dumbfounded.

            “If Ricci is in all this and Simon and Siobhan, then it should be no problem to break right into the HaleSpa and free my mother.”