It was a day where everything's too still, so still it puts an itch between your shoulder blades, one you can't reach to chew. I was working out of The Couch, my favorite hangout. The bosses didn't want me there, but I'm not always a good dog.

I was worrying the old Squeaky Frog Case, and I felt on the verge of cracking it when she walked in. Sleek, subtle, and insidious, we'd tussled before. It had never ended well. Usually, she stayed on her turf and I stuck to mine, but The Couch was neutral territory.

I could almost hear the schemes percolating in her mind like the water in a powered-pump water bowl. But she wasn't looking to fight. She had a puzzle for me. She disappeared around the corner and I heard a sound a high wheeze that could only be a break on the Rubber Bone Mystery. I followed at a run.

I found the bone, but not her. Suspicious, I returned to The Couch to find her in my spot. There was no use arguing. When that cat's claws come out, no one walks away happy. It wasn't fair, but hey. It's a dog's life.