Discombobulate

Chapter Forty-Six

Denise couldn't think straight when her lawyer dropped her off at her house. She knew she didn't have anything to do with the pacifier in her room. The whole situation was overwhelming.

She stripped her clothes off and let them lay in a pile. She stepped behind the shower curtain and turned the water on. Her left arm was wrapped in a plastic bag. Her body tensed beneath the downpour of ice water. She waited for it to warm up.

If she hadn't put the pacifier there, someone had to. Someone snuck into her house and she hadn't been aware of it. Someone came through one of the doors or climbed through a window. Those were the only two options. There was no fireplace, basement, or attic. There was no other way into the household.

Goosebumps crawled up her arms. She turned to the shower head and let the warm water hit her face. If they came inside once, they could do it again.

She grabbed a dark green bottle. She scrubbed her scalp with a tea tree and peppermint shampoo. The water had reached a scalding point. It turned her skin red, but she didn't mind.

She needed a new start. The friendship, she thought she had, was over. Mullen had been full of rage. The way Winston looked at her with disappointment. She couldn't handle that look again.

The full bottle of conditioner slipped out of her wet hand and fell onto her foot. She cursed under her breath and picked it up. This time, she was really going to bed. It had been almost seven days since she last slept.

She shoved a handful of conditioner in her hair and followed it up with body wash. The warm water kept pulling her toward sleep. She wanted to slide down onto the bottom of the tub and close her eyes.

The house filled with silence when she turned off the water. It struck a nerve. She hummed to herself and shimmed into clean clothes. She walked into her bedroom. The unfolded clothes she had taken out of her dresser were scattered on the bed. Dupe laid on top of the large pile.

She scooped up a few armfuls and tossed them on the dresser. They could be dealt with in the morning. She gently shoved Dupe over to grab the last pile. He let out a quiet meow.

Denise ignored him and turned off the light. She crawled into the bed beside him. She made sure not to squash him. It didn't take long before they were both snoring.

- - - -

Dupe was awake before Denise was. He let out a yawn before he began his morning antics. He padded his way over to Denise. Her chest moved up and down. A soft snore left her mouth now and then.

Dupe blinked and paused while staring at her. She didn't move. He turned and leaped off the bed. He made his way into the hallway to use his litter box.

Denise had set his litter box at the end of the hall. She left her bedroom door open, so Dupe could find it in the middle of the night. He always had to go, at least, once while she was sleeping.

Denise's cabin was better than the shelter he had been staying at. Dupe was originally found wandering alongside a country road. The young kitten and his siblings had been abandoned.

The original owners were nice enough to let the kittens wean from their mom. When they were old enough to find their own food, they were put in a bag and dumped on a stone road. Within two weeks, the six siblings dwindled to two.

Dupe had a brother, but somewhere along the way, he ended up sick. Someone found the pair and took them to an animal shelter. He had to be put down on the second night.

Dupe had been alone since. The shelter workers placed him in a room with other cats. Most of them were around the same age. They had toys and access to food and water. There were eight cats and three litter boxes.