Li’l Tom, cat detective at the
Pussyfoot Detective Bureau of Telegraph Hill, is back—this time, to solve the
case of the New Year Dragon!
Small animal deaths, art and jewel
thefts, and a sinister, perhaps even supernatural, being lurking in the fog and
shadows have been plaguing San Francisco and making the city’s four-legged
residents afraid to venture out alone.
Could these incidents be related?
It’s up to Li’l Tom to find out.
With the help of his sidekick, the
lovely Calico cat, Lola, and several other unlikely animal assistants, Li’l Tom
plunges into San Francisco’s Chinatown, Union Square, Russian Hill, and even
the famous annual New Year Parade to crack the case. Along the way, improbable beasts and unhinged
villains thwart his every move. Can he
succeed in solving the case before it’s too late—before the Year of the Dragon
is upon him?
EXCERPT
January 20
It would soon be the Year of the
Dragon. His year. He had waited ten years for this—since he was only a fourth
of the size he was now and a mere whippersnapper. He was now fully grown and
could no longer resist the overwhelming draw of his master’s summons. He knew
it was risky to leave the comfort of his temperature-controlled habitat,
especially in this cold and clammy climate, but the allure of the call was too
great. Remaining in his cozy den was no option. He was instinctually aware that
he was destined for greater exploits and now was the time to make his move.
♦◊♦
The ancient cat sat stone-like in the spacious basement of
his Chinatown lair, his satin robes draped about him. He was in a deep trance,
his only movement the rising and falling of his chest with his heavy breaths,
and the fluttering in and out of his long whiskers that draped down each side
of his mouth along the length of his body and to the floor. This was the time
his apprentice would finally join him, and they would unite to accomplish great
things. He had created the perfect, sultry environment for his follower and the
basement was scorching, to say the least. As he concentrated on summoning his
servant, his breathing became more and more shallow, sweat springing from his
brow and dripping down his whiskers as well as the long tendril of fur that descended
from the patch on his chin. His body began to sway to and fro with the mental
strain, until he finally passed out and oozed onto the dank pavement of the
basement floor.
♦◊♦
As the large creature ripped apart the last vestiges of the
reinforced fence with his serrated teeth—he had gradually been working on
weakening it behind a row of hedges for months and hiding the damage with brush—
the little one watched with curiosity from the tree. He had recently grown old
enough to leave the tree, but he was used to it and preferred to sleep up
there. He had been observing from his vantage point the large one’s
slow-but-steady wreckage of the fence, but did not know what to make of it.
As the large one slithered out into the night through the
jagged hole he had created, the little one wondered why he would leave the
safety of the secure habitat. There, all they had to do all day long was lounge
about on the warm rocks, or for a treat, move into one of the extra-heated
spaces for a nice sauna. They were also provided all of their meals, always
consisting of some sort of poor, helpless animal, lower on the food chain,
which the little one could not get used to.
