Three more reports about Bubbles arrived that evening, all leading nowhere useful. Someone saw white fur disappearing into a hedge several streets away. It belonged to a plastic bag caught on branches. Another caller confused Bubbles with a long-haired gray cat. The final caller disconnected without speaking after Clara answered her telephone.
Clara placed Bubbles’s collar bell beside Henry’s photograph before attempting bed. It had fallen loose weeks earlier and still required repair. Henry would have fixed it within minutes. Clara whispered that she should have done it herself. Without the bell, Bubbles could be trapped nearby without anyone hearing him move.