Chapter 4

Mrs. Thorpe's order was exactly where he left it. On Bill's desk was a card with her name on it and his keys. It was the kind of romantic card one got on an anniversary, but his note meant more to her than the platitude.

Dearest Babette,

There are so many things I wished we could have done.

I am going to the hospital, I'll call you as soon as I am better.

Please lock the store behind you and feel free to come back

And take what you need from the overhead later.

Thank you for introducing me to the wonderful world of books

And for all the nights you read me to sleep.

I love you,

Bill

Her containers were washed and smelled of sanitizer. Clutching the card to her chest, she breathed out in relief that he did what she wanted. Then she hurried to get Mrs. Thorpe's order loaded into her small car.

She locked the door. Looking around, she noticed she was the only person in the Marketplace parking lot. She put the Upper Fells Point address in her GPS and started driving. She had been to Mrs. Thorpe's every other week for over a year but with the check points, she knew she needed to follow the pandemic route rules. While she drove, she saw a few homeless people wandering around. She was sad that their clothes were dirty and wet, but she doubted any of the shelters were still open. As she drove down US Highway 40, she only noticed a dozen cars on her side of the road waiting for the check point.

A coughing soldier waved her forward. "Paperwork... and destination."

"Upper Fells Point. I am delivering groceries and books to a shut-in senior citizen," Babs shouted through the cracked window.

She pressed the grocery paperwork and her paperwork against the glass showing she was an essential worker, without opening it further.

The soldier nodded then coughed between every third word as he told her, "Stay at your destination once you get there. The No-Travel Curfew starts at noon and this road will be closed. Anyone travelling will be arrested."

"But I don't live there. I can't stay because I am..." She tried to explain about her allergies, but he wasn't having any of it.

He coughed then rasped, "No exceptions. Looters will be shot; curfew breakers will be arrested. Now go and stay there."

Timidly, she nodded as she rolled up the window the half-inch it was open. She sprayed the inside of her car and kept her mask on as she drove away from him and turned into the neighborhood, but she deliberated about taking the side streets back to the library because she wouldn't make it to and from Mrs. Thorpe's before curfew. If she wanted to go home, she would have to break the law because if she stayed at Mrs. Thorpe's she would probably die of her cat allergy.

Driving past a dozen identical brick brownstones on Pratt, she turned between a streetlight and a little tree and drove down an alley called Madeira which served as a one-way street. Mrs. Thorpe insisted she lived here because it reminded her of England, all the homes lined up on either side of the street like terraced houses. Crossing Gough Street, she continued to Bank Street before she turned, and then she backed into the first space to park. Getting out, she glanced down the block at the empty Patterson Park as she went to the door and knocked before going back to start unloading. As soon as Mrs. Thorpe opened the door, a dozen cats rushed out. They walked up and down the sidewalk like they were on patrol, sniffing and scratching at the neighbors' doors on both sides of the street.

"Babette! How wonderful to see you. Oh, you have my groceries."

"Yes, ma'am. Bill was sick and asked me to deliver them while he went to the hospital. Do you have sanitizing spray?" Babs asked. She kept her mask up as she carried the bags of groceries, cat food and buckets of kitty litter inside.

"Oh sweetheart, I don't need that stuff, I have my cats," she insisted as she carried in one bag at a time while using her cane.

When they were done, Babs wanted to go but Mrs. Thorpe insisted, "Come inside for a cup of tea. We're having a bit of a cold spell. Just enough to change the leaves, and I want to talk to you about the books you deliver and pick up so diligently."

"I really need to get back and see if I can find Bill at the hospital." Babs could feel the itch in her throat just from being in the house entryway.

"Why don't you text him and see how the doctors are coming along with him? You can't go to the hospital, so I'll put the kettle on while we wait," Mrs. Thorpe insisted cheerily, but the frown on her brow as she turned away wasn't missed by Babs.

Sighing, Babs shut the door behind her and pulled out her phone, texting Bill and eyeing all the cats.

Have you got to see the doctor yet?

I am at Mrs. Thorpe's with her delivery.

She insists I stay for tea while we wait to hear from you.

Help. Oh, and I locked the store.

Tucking her phone in her pocket, she sneezed several times in a row as two large long-haired brown cats rubbed against her legs.

Mrs. Thorpe's head popped out of the kitchen, "Are you ill? Oh no, the Wolfman and Osiris are fine with you. I suppose it is just your allergies. If you get a cat to keep, eventually those will go away with exposure."

A yellow tabby jumped into her arms; Babs clutched the cat afraid to let it fall then put it down quickly. "I'm fine, and I can't have a cat in my apartment in the library." She didn't want to have the same disagreement with the elderly professor again. The woman was obsessed with cats and if the term crazy cat lady applied to anyone Babs had ever met, it was Lady Doctor Theodora Carnarvon-Thorpe.

Sitting in the parlor, Babs resisted the urge to claw at her itching skin. "You have such a nice home." Lifting her mask to sip Earl Gray tea while surrounded by cats, her eyes watered. Babs commented, "The style is so modern, and it looks like the kitchen has all the newer amenities." She felt like there was a piece of fur on the tip of her tongue but there was nothing she could do about it without lifting her mask again.

"The cats love the under-floor ambient heat, and it is so much easier to clean than carpet." As a sweep-bot moved across the floor in the hall, Theodora laughed. "Or for the gadgets Lenny loves."

"Lenny is your grandson in the Navy?" Babs asked as she sniffed behind her mask.

"Great-Grandson," Theodora corrected, "He and his twin Leo went into the Navy together. They even talked their captain on the Ford into having a ship cat or three, and a ship dog. Pets are so good for the mental health of sailors on long deployments. The Ford was sent to take the place of the Reagan." She waved her hand, sending a shower of cat fur that Babs could see. "They helped me with remodeling the whole house before they left the last time. I love those boys. Their mother thinks she will get to sell my house before I'm even buried, but I'll outlive her, and if I don't, she's in for a little surprise." Theodora leaned forward and refilled Babs' teacup while Babs pushed the giant yellow cat away again, then Theodora continued, "I'm leaving it to Lenny and Leo because they are the only ones in the family who love cats as much as I do. They are the only ones who understand how important they are. I bet Loni regrets being a cat hater now." Theodora chuckled malevolently.

Shifting uncomfortably, Babs looked away from the strands of cat hair now floating in her teacup. "So, what else did they help you with?"

"Oh, come and see." Theodora put her teacup down and several cats began to lick the tea and cream from it as the elderly lady hobbled over to the antique looking elevator. "Don't be afraid, this is quite modern. Lenny replaced the lift motor and everything when he was home from leave the last time."

Hesitantly, Babs stepped into the metal filigree cage. "It's very pretty."

As they went up smoothly, Theodora pointed at the rooms on the second floor. "These are where I keep all my artifacts and research on that cursed Prince Bakare and the worship of Bastet and her blessed cats. Have you ever heard of him, dearest?"

"Yes, ma'am. When the Carter's Antiquities Tour came to Baltimore, the news of his lost city put quite a strain on our resources."

"Very good, tell me what you know," Theodora demanded, as she waved her hand around the third floor, "This is the bedrooms and cats' room, they like to watch the birds flying to and from the park. The bathroom has a walk-in tub and shower, it is quite nice for my arthritis. That's something my cats can't help with, though they try, bless them."

Babs was surprised they didn't stop but went all the way up. Opening the collapsible door, Theodora stepped out onto the landing. Her dozen cats ran up the stairs and mewled as they rushed out the cat door.

"We're going out on the roof?" Babs sneezed violently several times in a row but was happy to go outside for fresh air.

"Yes, to see the solar panels and rooftop cistern. My Lenny was always one to be prepared for any disaster. Of course, it was Leo and Aries who carried it all up the stairs. I have six months of water and power for as long as I need. My boys take such good care of me." Theodora beamed as she opened the door. The rain had stopped, and the view was amazing in the dappled sunlight. To the east, they could see the whole of Patterson Park and to the south, the harbor. She sat down in a metal chair and demanded again, "Prince Pharaoh Bakare, tell me what you know."

Resisting rolling her eyes, Babs took off her mask and inhaled deeply before repeating verbatim what she researched and shared with her fellow library staff and many of their clients. "Prince Pharaoh Bakare or Bau-ef-ra, or Bikheris as is the Hellenized name of the ancient Egyptian forgotten pharaoh. He may have ruled for two years starting in either 2532 or 2498 BC during the Fourth Dynasty. He was the son of Khafre, grandson of Khufu, and preceded his half-brother or cousin Pharaoh Menkaure. His name was stricken from all Dynasty records and Egyptologists theorize it was possibly because he was a worshiper of Ra the sun god."

Theodora harumphed, interrupting, "That is only part of the story. He was a power-mad prince who believed he could usurp the rule of his family's kingdom by drinking the blood of a sunstone to become a true immortal, but my tale is for another time." She nodded to herself then Theodora questioned Babette's techniques of sterilizing books to make certain the books wouldn't be destroyed like the ones during the spanish flu, smallpox, or scarlatina epidemics of the past.

Babs explained about the UV light box and the disinfectant aerosol fan box. "So, you see, the paper is completely sanitized from any infectious organism."

"Good, I'm glad. I would hate for the books to be destroyed... You should get home while the sun is shining. The infected ones don't like it when the sun is shining. When my great-grandsons get here, I and my cats will come get you. Remember don't talk to strangers, don't let anyone into the library, just go inside, and lock the door." Then the elderly scholar stared out at the city with a sadness that felt oppressive as she muttered, "Those fools have killed us all."

"Email when you are ready for more books, Mrs. Thorpe," Babs responded as she put her mask back on, but the lady just petted her cat and stared at the harbor.

"Goodbye, ma'am."

Unanswered, Babs went down the stairs with several cats following her and mewing. Somehow her coat was off the hook and three cats were laying on it. Groaning, Babs picked it up, shook the fur from it, then pulled it on. It was too cool to be without it and the heater in the e-car drained the battery very quickly. She practically ran from the house. Shooing several more cats off the top of her car, she got in and drove east toward the park. Turning, she headed south, then west, curving north through the Little Italy neighborhood instead of going back to the interstate. The left on Lombard carried her to Howard Street where the right turn took her north. As she waited at the lights, there were only a few other cars crossing at the intersections. Making the quick jog at Mulberry, she turned on Park, passing the homeless man she saw earlier before turning into the delivery entrance of the library. He shuffled back and forth in front of the torn down brownstone then crossed the street. Sneezing violently as she got out of her car, Babs plugged it in then started toward him.

"Sir, you can't come back here. I'm sorry."

He looked strange with pallid, mottled skin, and dark purple smears around his lips and eyes like running mascara. He didn't answer or make a sound as he stumbled toward her with his hands clawing the air in front of him.

"You need to stop or I'll spray..." Babs began to sneeze again and dropped her pepper spray.

As she scrambled to pick it up, he grabbed her arm and bit down on her coat sleeve, then he released her and backed away. She sprayed him in the face and fled the noxious cloud. Swiping her key card, the door unlocked with a click. She yanked it open then pulled it to make it close more quickly before she barred it. She gagged at the burn of the pepper spray mixed with the stench of the drunk's discolored drool on her sleeve. It smelled yeasty like bad ale or moldy bread. Gasping for breath, she stumbled down the stairs to her apartment, stripping as she went.

Wheezing because of the cat dander and pepper spray fumes, Babs knew she was having an allergic asthma attack as she stuffed everything she was wearing in the washer with bleach and detergent. Her keys, wallet, and pepper spray went into the small basket she kept on the laundry room shelf with her detergent. She staggered in her underwear to her apartment and let herself in as she sucked a dose of medication from her rescue inhaler. She dialed 9-1-1 to report the man who tried to attack her.

A prim voice answered, "You have reached the 9-1-1 emergency services system. There are no operators available at this time. If you are suffering an imminent life-threatening emergency, please call your local fire house. If this is not an imminent life-threatening emergency, please leave a message with your name, address, and the nature of the situation, and an officer will contact you shortly."

"My name is Babette Bland, I live and work at the Enoch Pratt Public Library. Someone tried to attack me in the delivery area. I think he was drunk or something. He smelled like ale, and he tried to bite me. I pepper sprayed him and escaped. I having a severe asthma attack from the fumes and I am afraid he will try to break in or harm my elderly neighbor. Please, send someone to arrest him." Wheezing out the information, Babs then hung up and staggered into the bathroom to shower.

The inhaled medication and shower helped her breathing. As her adrenaline wore off, she suddenly felt very tired. Drying herself quickly, she dressed in a warm sweatsuit and collapsed on her bed. She called Bill but got his voicemail, so she told him she loved him. Struggling to breathe, she fell asleep, waiting for rescue services to call back.