Killer Kisses Read Free Page A

with the teacher?”
    He shook his head.
    “If you go see her, maybe she’ll give you some help.”
    “Y-you? Wh-where to?” His sky-blue eyes made direct contact with Polly’s.
    She felt like a deer in headlights. Flustered, she looked away.
    “I don’t know. Not too many places allow pets, much less twenty-three cats. The so-called Humane Society will kill them. The no-kill shelters are full. I need a farm, but I can’t afford one on my teacher’s salary.”
    “W-wish I could h-h-help.”
    “I wish you could, too, but you already have Ebenezer, Marley and Bob Cratchitt. That’s all you can take. Otherwise, you’ll get evicted, too.”
    He finished his tea and lifted the cat out of his lap as he stood up. “G-g-good l-luck.”
    “Luck? I need a miracle.”
     
    ~*~
     
    Polly came home the following evening after a hard day in the teenage trenches. A gaily wrapped package sat in front of her door.
    The label read: From your secret admirer .
    She flushed with pleasure and smiled. Could it be from Simon?
    She looked up and down the hallway, saw no one, and entered her apartment. Savoring the anticipation of opening the package, Polly made a cup of tea to prolong the pleasure, and at last sat down. With her heart doing the cha-cha, she opened the gift with loving care—And screamed, while brown-stained knife fell to the floor.
    The note attached to it said: Here, Kitty, Kitty!
    She ran around the tiny apartment, calling names and counting heads.
    “Twenty-three! Thank God, you’re all here!”
    She called a locksmith, and the police.
    The next day, Polly came home from work and found the greasy-haired landlord waiting by her door. He wore a dirty, sleeveless tee-shirt and was digging at his belly-button through a large tear.
    “You changed the lock. You’re not allowed to do that.”
    She took two steps backward, out of range of his boozy breath.
    “You’re not allowed to be in my apartment without my permission. And, you threatened the life of my cats. I know you left that bloody knife. You’re nothing but a drunken bully.”
    His piggy eyes narrowed and his nose glowed like a hot coal.
    “At least when I wake up in the morning, I’m not ugly !”
    “B-b-bastard!”
    Greeley whirled on Simon.
    “Well, if it ain’t Stutterin’ Simon. Here to see your ugly girlfriend? Don’t worry. I was just leaving.” He stumbled down the hall.
    For once, Polly was relieved Simon didn’t make eye contact.
    “Thank you, Simon.” Hot tears of humiliation spilled down her cheeks. “I’m afraid when I leave in the morning. And I’m terrified when I come home. The police said there was nothing I could do.”
    “C-call me.” Simon looked at the ceiling. “I’ll l-look out for G-Greeley.”
    “Brilliant! I’ll call from outside to make sure the coast is clear. If only there was some way I could make the bastard pay for terrorizing me and my cats.”
    And if only I were your girlfriend , she thought.
     
    ~*~
     
    In the following weeks, Polly racked her brains for a solution. What could she do? If only her mother were still alive. Mom would have never gone without a fight , Polly thought. She’d taken care of her helpless baby and stood up for her beliefs. It hadn’t been easy, but nothing worth doing was ever easy, her mother had always said. It was time for Polly to stand up for her helpless creatures. But how?
    As she had done each day after her confrontation with the obnoxious landlord, Polly called Simon when she rounded the corner to her apartment building.“Is he around?”
    “N-no sign of him,” he said. Barking erupted in the background as he spoke.
    “What is that?” Polly asked, walking and talking on the cell while juggling bags of homework.
    “N-new d-dog in the b-building, I guess.”
    “Jeez, it sounds like a wolf!”
    Simon laughed and said, “W-wait till G-Greeley hears him!”
    “Maybe it’ll distract him from my cats.” She said good-bye and climbed the stairs to the