Story 26: Reza Shadey and the Cake Conspiracy
One sunny morning, a most delicious smell drifted through Mrs Higgins's kitchen. It was a freshly baked Tuna and Chicken Celebration Loaf, made especially for the Catford Pet Charity Bake Sale.
It was such a rich, savoury smell that Reza Shadey, who had been supervising a ball of fluff under the sofa, suddenly realised something very important.
His destiny was on the kitchen counter.
Tip-toe, tip-toe...
He crept onto a chair, then onto the counter. There it was. A glorious, golden loaf.
"A premium gourmet asset",Reza murmured, his green eyes gleaming. "And assets are meant to be... appreciated."
He took a bite.
Then another.
Then several more.
Mmmph! Slurp! Gobble!
Soon, a large and very noticeable portion of the loaf had vanished. Only crumbs remained on one side of the tin... along with rather a lot of evidence on Reza's whiskers and paws.
Reza paused. He looked at the loaf. He looked at his paws. He looked at the crumbs.
Then he looked confused. "Hmm", he said, "What just happened?"
Just then — jingle, jingle!Mrs Higgins was at the front door.
Reza froze.
Then his magnificent brain leapt into action. "Right", he whispered. "This requires... witnesses."
He dashed outside, a faint smear of fish jelly still on his nose. "Meeeow! Emergency! To me, my associates!" he called.
Penelope and Ginger Tom padded over, curious.
Reza lowered his voice. "A terrible crime has been committed. A portion of the Celebration Loaf has... mysteriously disappeared. I require your assistance in a very important investigation. There may even be a reward involved."
Ginger Tom's ears perked up immediately.
Penelope gave Reza a long, thoughtful look... but followed anyway.
Inside, they began their "investigation" with great enthusiasm.
Lick, lick. Nibble, nibble.
"Very suspicious crumbs, these", muttered Ginger Tom, helping himself to another.
Penelope sniffed the tin, then glanced quietly at Reza's paws... but said nothing.
Just then, Mrs Higgins walked in. She stopped. She stared.
Two cats, surrounded by crumbs, looked up at her.
And on a nearby chair sat Reza, one paw pressed dramatically to his forehead. "Oh dear", he sighed. "A most unfortunate situation. We are doing our best to investigate, Mrs Higgins."
Mrs Higgins stepped closer. She looked at the tin. She looked at the missing section of the loaf.
Then she looked at the floor. A neat trail of crumbs led from the counter... to the chair... and directly to Reza.
She followed it slowly. Crumb by crumb.
Until she reached his paws. Which were, quite clearly, covered in fishy smudges.
Reza tucked them neatly underneath himself.
Mrs Higgins raised an eyebrow.
Then she noticed something else. A small smear of fish jelly... right on the tip of his nose.
"Would you like to explain this, Reza?" she asked gently.
Reza lowered his head... but only a little.
He glanced briefly at the others.
"Well", he began smoothly, "what we may be looking at here is a highly coordinated crumb disturbance. Multiple parties, possible confusion... difficult to say at this stage."
Penelope blinked.
Ginger Tom paused mid-lick.
"However", Reza continued, "I may have conducted a small taste test. Purely to ensure the loaf met the required standards..."
"Rezzi..." said Penelope quietly.
Reza avoided her gaze.
Ginger Tom gave a small shrug. "Best investigation I've had all week", he said, licking his paw.
At that moment, Tiger bounced into the kitchen.
"Ooooh! Snacks!" he chirped.
He skidded slightly on a crumb and giggled, then began happily chasing one across the floor.
Mrs Higgins sighed, though her eyes were warm.
"Well", she said, "since my special loaf has been rather... reduced, we shall have to make something else for the bake sale."
She looked at Reza.
"And next time, I think the tasting should happen after everything is finished."
So they all stayed in the kitchen together.
Tiger helped carry things (and occasionally chased them).
Ginger Tom kept a close eye on the mixing bowl, just in case anything needed tasting.
Penelope carefully arranged the ingredients, keeping everything neat and sensible.
And Reza Shadey?
He sat nearby, watching very closely, as if he were in charge of everything.
When at last they finished, Mrs Higgins made a simple but lovely dish to take to the sale.
And she gave each of them a small portion to share.
Reza ate his piece very quickly.
Then he sat up tall, brushed a crumb from his whiskers, and gave a confident little nod.
"A successful operation", he said. "The initial loaf clearly required... adjustment."
Penelope rolled her eyes.
Ginger Tom snorted.
Tiger giggled.
And Reza Shadey gave a tiny wink — just as a small crumb of fish sat, perfectly balanced, on the tip of his nose.
A very important message from Mrs Higgins: Most human foods aren't very good for cats and can make them very poorly. Best to stick to proper cat treats!
Night night. Sleep tight.