Chapter Fourteen

Josep's ghost was listening to his children's argument with growing disbelief.  If he understood them correctly they had been to their Uncle's house and committed a burglary and now they were discussing the advantages of blackmail and extortion.

 "This is what comes of one parent families," he told Misha, who was ignoring him and washing her face with her paws.

 "Never mind, the moral question," Xavier protested.  "I'm more interested in the practical problems of how we send the note and how we arrange for the drop."

 "The what?"

 "The drop, that's what it's called when the victim pays up.   Now, we have to go through with it, don't we?"

 The ghost shook his head violently and Misha followed his movements with her head.

 "I don't know.  I really don't," Marta replied.  Xavier pushed home his argument.
 "You do want Mum to be happy, don't you?"

 Josep nodded his head and the cat followed suit.

 "Of course but..." Marta's voice faded; she had no positive arguments only negative ones.

 "But you don't want us to do anything illegal, do you?"

 Josep shook his head and so did Misha.  Marta suddenly burst out laughing.

 "What on earth are you laughing about," Xavier demanded.  "This is a serious decision we've got to make here.  I don't see anything funny in it."

 "Sorry,"  Marta apologized.  "It's Misha, she's nodding and shaking her head like she understood what we were saying."

 "Oh do be serious," Xavier scolded her.  "You're getting as bad as Montse."  He turned to the cat and said, dismissively:
 "Do you understand me, eh mog?"

 Josep, puzzled at first by this turn in the conversation, suddenly realised what must have happened and began frantically moving his hand up and down in front of the cat's eyes.  The cat followed his movements and seemed to be replying to Xavier's question.

 "See what I mean," Marta said, giggling.

 "Do you really understand me Misha?"  Xavier asked the animal, his curiosity aroused.

 The cat shook its head.

 "That's illogical, you silly puss," Xavier pointed out to her.

 Marta felt a shiver pass up and down her spine.

 "Unless..." she started, then quickly added: "Dad, is that you?"

 Xavier's heart froze as the cat's head bobbed up and down in agreement.

 "Can the cat see you?"  Marta asked, hardly breathing.

 The cat's head confirmed her supposition.

 "It's true Xavier, what we thought all along.  Misha can see the ghost and it is Dad."

 "Now don't jump to conclusions,"  Xavier objected.  But Marta was not listening.

 "Did you send us to Uncle Raimon's after those papers?"

 The cat shook its head.

 "Are your papers in our old flat?"

 The cat moved its eyes from side to side.

 "Are they here, in this house?"

 The cat nodded.

 "Are they in this room?"

 The cat started licking her paws again.  She was bored with this game.

 Josep found as much frustration in his being as a ghost could muster and vented it on Misha:
 "You stupid animal!" he shouted at her, waving his arms frantically up and down and from side to side.  "Come on, come on!"

 Marta shivered and turned to Xavier with tears in her eyes:

 "He's here," she said.  "He's watching over us and he wants to help!"

 Xavier did not want to break her heart by telling her he was not convinced.

 "It was this silly idea that the cat could see things we can't that started all this," he thought.  But he had to admit, if only to himself, that the cat's recent responses to the questions had been weird.

 Josep charged straight at Misha and passed right through her.  It was not a pleasant experience for him or her.  The cat suddenly let out a yelp, as if she had been trodden on and leapt off in the direction of the kitchen.

 "I think we should tell Mum," Marta announced, sniffing.

 "Tell her what?" Xavier asked, nervously.

 "Everything," Marta said.  "Tell her about the seance, the burglary, Uncle Raimon's papers, everything!"

 "And tell her that Dad's here, eh?" said Xavier, finally letting his cynicism show.  "She would have us both off to the child psychiatrist before you could blink."

 It dawned on Marta that Xavier was probably right.  Perhaps telling their mother that they had been involved in criminal activity and had been dabbling in the supernatural would not be well received.  She envisaged the scene:

 "...and now we know that Dad's ghost is here too!"  she imagined herself saying in conclusion.

 "Oh what have I done, to deserve this?" she guessed her mother would reply.  "It's my fault, that's what it is.  I have been a terrible mother since your Dad died.  I've been so wrapped up in myself I've not given you enough attention and this is the price I'm paying for it: my children are turning to mumbo jumbo and crime.  Oh my God, it'll be drugs next!"

 Marta shuddered, she knew she could not put her mother through that.  She turned her attention back to her brother:

 "O.K.  We don't tell Mum.  But let's hang fire on this blackmail thing for a while, eh?"

 Xavier shrugged.

 "If you like," he said.  "But Mum got another of those letters this morning and this one was edged in black."

 "The swines!"  Marta spat out.  Then she let her gaze roam around the room saying:

 "We'll try again with the cat, Dad.  Don't worry!"

 Josep tried to give her a hug.

 "Yes, fine, we'll do that." he told her.  "And it will work, I promise!"