Too forward? Oh my! If there were any doubts over the cat’s comprehension abilities when in his smaller form they could be put to rest, for the look he gave Vaughn was pure amusement. Again he seemed to smile, tiny little fangs gleaming, and if he were capable, he most certainly would have laughed. The guy was a total dork, but that was okay, because Mao was secretly a dork too.
Out the window and into the parking lot he went, sniffing away at the night air. It did not take Mao long to find Vaughn’s car, it smelled like him even with the doors shut, and carried the faint smell of death that lingered on the man from all the bodies he spent so much time around. The cat jumped on the hood and peered through the windows. There was a lot you could learn about someone from their car, like their taste in music from CD cases, if they were a slob who left McDonald’s bags all over the floor or Starbucks cups with congealed lattes still in the cupholder. Were there rosary beads hanging from the mirror? Discarded hoodies in the backseat? He checked the bumper for stickers proclaiming political leanings or schools graduated from.
After snooping as much as he could without being able to get inside, Mao curled up beneath the car and waited. He took some time to get a little more grooming in, he could still taste the dead lady in between his teeth, after all. Eventually, he heard someone approaching, though he stayed put until he recognized Vaughn’s voice.
Ta-dah! Emerging from the shadows beneath the car, Mao jumped back onto the hood with a meow of greeting. He hadn’t dined and ditched, don’t worry! He still considered Vaughn interesting enough to stick around. Cats and their curiosity, right?