37 Comments
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Linda Brown's avatar

A classic!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Thanks, Linda, for taking a second look!

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Kate Henry's avatar

We'll talk about this later.... after the police leave.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Good plan... Thanks, Kate

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James Ron's avatar

You really had me going there, Sharron. Good one! I sure wasn't thinking gopher. Jake is definitely worth his salt.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Our family cat, Raymond, has exterminated every gopher in the yard, front and back, and is now crawling through the hole in the fence to begin dispatching the neighbor's vermin. They give him "treats" to encourage him to stay and work for a while...

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James Ron's avatar

Raymond knows his job and is moonlighting also.

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Meg Oolders's avatar

Tee hee! Love it.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Thanks, Meg. Killing.... all in a day's work for the Jakes of the world.

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Rebecca Holden's avatar

Ah! I remember this - thank you so much for sending me this crime report to read again! Great work, Sharron - and Jake! 👀

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Hah! Thanks, Rebecca for having a second look at this story from the Archive.

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Richard Blaisdell's avatar

One gardener thought. Don’t hide in the bougainvillea. Thorny situation. Gopher: one down, to more to go. Spring has arisen with an army of teeth to chew the roots of thorny roses. Laughter is a lighter subject to trim the winter sorrows away. Your surprise package at the door definitely wasn’t brought by UPS.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Yes, those bougainvilleas can shred your hands if you don't wear gloves when pruning. Cats may be impervious, especially the really thick-furred ones. Our cat has built quite a comfy nest in one.

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Richard Blaisdell's avatar

My Maine coon cat nestled in sticks in the shade. Glad it wasn’t ‘sticks in fire’ a euphoria that been popular for years but very toxic and caustic.

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Wade Terry's avatar

What a surprise ….. great job!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Thanks Wade for reading this old favorite. I know you have commented on it before -- over and above the call of duty. ha ha ha

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Mark VanLaeys's avatar

I suspected there would be a good twist, and you delivered.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Did you suspect cat right away?

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Mark VanLaeys's avatar

I thought human, scratched my head as I read, he left it in the doorway -BUT - I should have stewed over the possibilities before reading further. With all the suspense I raced to the end.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Aha! The game was afoot!

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Jim Cummings's avatar

I was a couple of lines in before I remembered. Good one, Sharron!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Thanks for the re-read!

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GeorgeAnn's avatar

Love it 🥰

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Janice Walton's avatar

Loved it.

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T. D. Wolf's avatar

No need to call Columbo on this one. Jake is the cat! You did it to me again!

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Ha ha ha. "Excuse,me sir, I don't mean to be bothering you but...."

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T. D. Wolf's avatar

Just one more thing….

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

You know, sir, it's a funny thing. All my life I keep running into smart people....

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Mark Starlin's avatar

I wasn’t expecting a cat or a gopher. Well done.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Thanks, Mark!

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Bill Adler's avatar

The ending surprised me. This story is a gem.

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

Oh! Thanks Bill. I appreciate that! Win some, lose some...

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palmisanocj@yahoo.com's avatar

Wow, Sharron! This was glorious! And how the heck did I miss that the murderers were felines? Which I did not get until reading the other comments!!! And when I did, I saw that the killer stepped "GINGERLY {emphasis mine}" and thought, "Aha! A clue. What a moron I am!"

So glad you're reposting items from a couple years ago; that way I get to read those you wrote before I knew you (as will other new subscribers). :)

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Sharron Bassano's avatar

I kind of thought that "gopher"was the give away! ha ha ha

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Karen Kenworthy's avatar

Me too! Fun to read things you wrote before I found you!

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