How to Paint a Cat (Cats and Curios Mystery) Read Free

two months since she’d last heard from Oscar, and she was growing more and more concerned. She would gladly take one of his cryptic messages over this long stretch of silence.
    She feared her uncle’s latest scheme might have landed him in more trouble than even he could outmaneuver.

Chapter 3
    THE IMPROBABLE SELECTION

    “PULL YOUR SHOULDERS back,” Monty barked, returning the niece’s attention to the showroom. “Your posture’s gone soft. You’re all slumped over.”
    Isabella peeked around the easel to warble her concurrence.
    The woman directed her glare at the artist.
    “That’s enough, Monty. I don’t care what high-and-mighty position you’ve been appointed to. You’ve got five more minutes. Then I’m kicking you out.”
    • • •
    THE PORTRAIT—IF indeed Monty ever finished it—was intended to be a memento of his humble Jackson Square beginnings, the unlikely launching pad for his now burgeoning political career.
    Monty planned to hang the painting in his new office suite at City Hall, where, in a few days’ time, he would be inaugurated as San Francisco’s next mayor.
    Like most residents, Oscar’s niece still found it hard to believe that her wacky neighbor had been appointed to the city’s top governmental position. While the town had a long tradition of colorful, often eccentric leaders, Monty’s inexplicable rise to power represented one of the most bizarre episodes in recent memory.
    It all began last November after the city’s sitting mayor was elected to the state office of lieutenant governor. The task of selecting his replacement fell to the San Francisco board of supervisors, a legislative body made up of representatives from each of the city’s eleven districts. The interim mayor would fill the vacancy for an abbreviated term until the next election cycle.
    The board meeting had opened with no clear contenders. While many of the supervisors would have preferred to fill the mayoral position themselves, few were willing to support the nomination of a fellow board member for the slot. The contentious meeting dragged on for hours with no end in sight as numerous candidates were proposed and multiple votes taken. Not one of the nominees could garner the necessary six-vote majority.
    The board members had reached a state of sheer exhaustion when Monty’s name was put forward.
    The suggestion drew chuckles from the packed audience. Most thought it was a joke, a much-needed amusement to relieve the tension that had built up over the course of the lengthy meeting.
    To the surprise of most observers, including the local political punditry, Monty was unanimously approved as the interim mayor.
    • • •
    THE LANKY ART dealer with curly brown hair and an extensive collection of whimsical cuff links appeared to have few qualifications for the job. His only work experience entailed running his Jackson Square art studio and serving as the outgoing mayor’s personal life coach—a position that had been serially mocked in the editorial pages of the San Francisco newspaper.
    The supervisors had declined to explain the rationale behind their peculiar mayoral choice. Most had immediately embarked on extended holiday vacations, effectively avoiding public questioning. The local news media, along with their assorted political consultants, were left scratching their heads.
    How could a Machiavellian maneuver of this magnitude have slipped past their collective radar? How could they have been so effectively duped? Surely there must have been signs that they missed, some indication that the board members were secretly leaning toward this ridiculous selection?
    A guilty blush reddened the faces of the city’s press corps, reflecting their inner shame at having failed to warn the citizenry of the supervisors’ impending decision.
    Publically, of course, there were no apologies. The media pinned the blame squarely on the board members.
    The day-after headlines predicted a future of gloom and doom.