Arthur immediately noticed the young woman's gaze.
Someone I knew?
I must have seen her at Malinda's salon.
After a moment's thought, Arthur confirmed who she was.
By then, she had already walked over.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Credos. Do you remember me?"
The young woman greeted him openly.
"I believe we met at Malinda's salon!"
Arthur answered honestly.
At the same time, he glanced at the cat in her arms.
It was a rather thin black-and-white cat with symmetrical markings, but it was lively and unafraid of strangers. It looked around curiously from the young woman's arms. Had she not held it firmly, it would have jumped down long ago.
The young woman was delighted by Arthur's answer. She truly hadn't expected him to remember her, and immediately introduced herself in excitement.
"I'm Linda, Linda Camille."
"Are you here to choose a cat as a pet?"
"A black cat! It must be a black cat!"
"Only a black cat could complement your abilities as a Medium!"
The woman before him chattered away.
Local legends in South Los held that black cats were the favorites of Mediums and witches-because black cats themselves could communicate with departed souls.
Some people believed this without question.
And others?
They simply believed that tales of black cats communicating with spirits had spread through hearsay after people were frightened by them in the dark.
After all, cats walked without a sound. With the cover of darkness, being startled by a black cat was perfectly normal.
Especially when a black cat appeared in a graveyard, prompting all sorts of associations.
Linda Camille, however, clearly belonged to the former group.
Faced with the young woman's expectant gaze, Arthur shook his head without hesitation.
"No, an orange cat."
"Huh?"
"An orange cat?"
"Well, orange cats are very cute too,