Page 4 of Dad Next Door

“Lydia, and this is Leo.” She shot me a tight smile. “Thank you for helping us.”

“Is he here?” Leo asked before I could answer. “Do you see him?”

“Let’s look. How about you do a perimeter check, and I’ll look underneath to see if he’s hiding.”

“He likes to hide!” Leo let go of my wrist and took off at a run. “Jinxy?”

Getting down on my stomach, I used the flashlight on my phone to look under the first shed. It was only about six inches off the ground, but cats were liquid, so I imagined it was big enough for a cat to get under.

Thankfully the land under the sheds had been cleared, so I could see under the entire structure without any grass or vegetation getting in the way. No cat.

Not giving up, I hopped up and hurried over to the other shed.

“And? Is he there?” Leo asked, dropping next to me and peering under the shed.

“Doesn’t look like it.” I got up on my knees and waited as Leo did the same. “You said he likes to hide? What else does he like to do? Is he timid?”

“He hides because it keeps him warm.” Leo’s lip trembled, and his eyes filled with fresh tears. “He’s not scared of anything.”

I looked up at Lydia.

“He’s well socialized, just curious. I didn’t realize I’d left the door cracked open, and he slipped past me.” She wrung her hands.

The scent of chemicals and freshness wafted past us with the breeze.

“Do you have the dryer running?” I asked, my brain ping-ponging through everything I’d learned about Jinx the cat. A naked cat would seek out warmth, right?

She nodded. “What does that—” Her eyes went wide. “The vent?”

“That’s what I’m thinking.” I got to my feet. Leo popped up beside me. “Where’s your vent?”

“I don’t know.” Lydia looked at Leo.

“What about your laundry room? What part of the house is it in?” I asked.

“Over there.” She pointed to the far corner.

“Bottom floor?” I took off across the yard toward the house.

“Yes.”

I scanned the area. The scent of dryer sheets was stronger, but I couldn’t see a vent.

Wait, was it under the deck?

Getting back down on my belly, I angled my phone under the deck.

Unlike my house, which was a full walk-out, their back door was about four feet from the ground, and their deck had a solid front except for a small gap at the bottom for ventilation.

Using the light on my phone, I swept it over the back of the house. A flash of white, then another of pink, stopped me.

The vent was about three feet to my left, and a flesh-colored ball was huddled under it. Hopefully that was their cat and not another naked creature.

“I found him.”

“Jinx!” Leo flopped down beside me.

Two pointy ears popped up, but he didn’t lift his head.