Episode 20 - The Cat Who Tailed a Thief

 Episode 20 - The Cat Who Tailed a Thief

    Petty theft is suddenly becoming a problem in Moose County and worse, a mild winter is predicted! Brodie laments the death of his great-grandmother who could “tail a thief with a piece of string and a witches chant” and Qwill admits that he’s bought a condo in Indian Village for his winter living (the barn is still too hard to heat). A newcomer from Down Below is trying to get all of Pleasant Street on the National Historic Register, and marries a wealthy local woman. But is this a case of marrying in haste, repenting at leisure? Or is something more sinister involved? It's up to Qwill and the Cats, (and the local weatherman!) to find out!

Listen to the Blog here:  The Cat Who Tailed a Thief

    Qwill and Amanda Goodwinter complain about the cheery family Christmas letters that everyone receives, and they resolve that next year, they’ll make a phony letter full of bad news, and send it to every name in the phone book.  They intend to sign the letter, Ronald Frobnitz and family. 

    We’ve heard before about XYZ’s shoddy construction habits, and it’s in full view in Qwill’s condo in

Indian Village. Wind whistling through the windows, floors that bounce, and walls with only minimal soundproofing.  Weatherby Goode has a Sousabox (music box that plays 50 Sousa marches) that his cat likes to turn on and off, treating Qwill to short Sousa marches whenever Weatherby leaves the room.  On the plus side, Weatherby having a cat raises him slightly in Qwill’s estimation. Later we learn that Indian Village was built on the site of the Dank Hollow - a mysterious local spot where the dead are said to gather after dark. 

Polly - still on the hospital recovery diet and when Qwill comes to dinner, it’s always Flattened Chicken Breast (or FCB) with various dressings.  Qwill claims he thaws a burger for himself when he gets home.  Also, we finally learn Polly’s husband’s name!!!  It was William Wallace Duncan. Considering his sister Lynette's admiration of all things Scottish, this is fitting. Finally, it’s revealed where Weatherby Goode gets all his classical Quotations - Polly’s a devoted listener who sends them in!

It's nice to meet Bart (G.Allen Barter), the new attorney and Hasselrich, Bennet and Barter. He's definitely more on Qwill’s wavelength - modern furnishings and coffee in mugs as opposed to heavy antiques and vintage tea cups, as Hasselrich prefers.  And we all know how Qwill feels about vintage tea cups (finger trap handles!) 

Hixie’s latest brainchild - the Mooseville Ice Festival! Ice fishing competitions, dog sled races, a queen in faux polar bear skins… and it all comes to nothing when the ice melts early this year!

The mill wheel at the Old Stone Mill doesn’t survive the flood - the rush of water breaks it loose and destroys it. 

Ernie describes one of Lennie’s pranks - knowing that the mayor was having an affair with a woman who worked at the post office, Lenny painted yellow footprints (in washable paint) from the mayor's office to the post office - and it didn’t rain for a week so the whole town saw it!  Not the actions of a guy who is going to be a petty thief, 

Qwill has FINALLY decided to write a book - Short and Tall Tales, featuring stories from Moose County’s past. The first story is of course from Homer Tibbet, who will contribute several stories throughout - the story of the Dimsdale Jinx (in which a mine owner’s wife poisons her family’s pasties so she can split the insurance money with the local doctor, with whom she is having an affair). Gary Pratt adds the story of Hilda the Clipper from Brr (about a woman who menaced an entire town for years with her hedge clippers until she was committed to a sanitorium). Silas Dingwall adds the story of the Dank Hollow.  LJB collects all of these stories into an actual book, Short and Tall Tails, along with the Cat Who had 14 tales.

Qwill finally wears his kilt for Burns night - he declines to answer Polly when she asks what he’s wearing underneath it. 

 Oops - When Carter Lee thanks Qwill for being his best man, and Qwill says it’s the third time he’s done it and the only time he didn’t drop the ring - but that’s incorrect. It’s the 4th time we know Qwill has served as Best man, and the 2nd time he hasn’t dropped the ring.  Arch’s first wedding, Iris Cobb’s wedding (ring dropped both times).  Arch’s second wedding, Lynette and Carter Lee (no dropped ring). 

Ernie Kemple describes his performance of Judge Brack like the villain in the Drunkard - which lead to another rabbit hole.  The Drunkard was a temperance play that premiered in 1844, and was revived in 1933 in Los Angeles, where it ran for 36 YEARS. The Villain is Cribbs, an unscrupulous lawyer trying to steal a cottage from a Widowed mother and her daughter - there are forged signatures, and lots of fake drunkenness before the lawyer is arrested and everyone else lives happily ever after. 

Signs of the times - Qwill and Gary Pratt bemoan the lack of basic math skills (when a computer goes down and none of the waitstaff can add up the check) and Qwill tells him to keep his skills sharp, because “computers may not be here to stay”. Also 6 yard long dot-matrix print-outs and standing in line to cash a check at the bank.

Cats will be cats - Bootsie and Qwill still don’t like each other, but the change in name from Bootsie to Brutus marks a change in their relationship.  Qwill’s article about the naming of cats swamps the mailroom of the Something with postcards filled with aptly named cats - my favorite is a shrimp addict named Stir Fry.

Two in a row - I give this book 4 paws up! It’s a Pickaxe version of the classic con, well executed and fun with all the baddies getting brought to justice. In my search for reviews of this book, I found one that refers to it as “ a benign waste of time” and I just want to take issue with that. We aren’t reading these books for deep thoughts, or life changing sentiments - although I trace plenty of major changes in my life back to these books. But they aren’t a waste of time.  They’re a chance to visit friends and escape the world and that makes them worth more than all the weighty tomes that claim to change the reader’s life.