These cats, landlords, Mitchell, I myself, this whole fucking city—we’re all crazy, he thought. Alfonzo closed his eyes. At first, he heard nothing but his inner hum. But then—like when you listen to a shell—he heard a whoosh, a tiny roar. There were rumbles and crashes. A sucking-heaving sound.

Maybe this was how you turned crazy. A slow build of anxiety culminating with you standing, ear against the wall, as the old pipes rumbled in a way that makes you think of the encroaching sea. Alfonzo swore he could hear the calls of gulls over a salty burble.

Tuxedo broke the spell. “On top of the Swiss cheesing of the wall, they accuse us of being hoarders. But they’re the real sickos here.”

“Collecting boxes is not a crime,” Lipstick insisted. “But collecting money is.”

Alfonzo stretched his neck up. He wanted to be away from this place. Away from the bickering, the depression, and the noise. He looked out the cats’ window that framed the sea, a distant band of gray-blue flux under bright sky. The waves rolled in, then pulled back with pretty white ripples. A few gulls skimmed past.

He felt a bump against his leg. Lipstick was again butting her head on his shin. He didn’t want to talk, and his head ached. He thought it was clear that Mitchell had this under control.

“My associate is really the one you should be speaking with. I’m afraid this isn’t my area of expertise,” Alfonzo said.

But the small cat let out a cry, so to be polite Alfonzo leaned down to her level.

“Our friend called you trustworthy. So, we took the risk,” she whispered.

“Which friend? What risk?”

“Just a friend.”

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding. Housing is not my area. I’m here to help Mr. Cusco out—”

“He brought you to hear,” Lipstick purred.

“Ma’am, you misunderstand. I can’t do anything.”

“That’s what you think.”

Lipstick’s fur was up. She struck him as slightly unglued. Alfonzo worried about what could happen out here on city business that didn’t involve him. Had he given his name? What if she called the Hall? What if someone came asking about his presence on a site visit for another department? There were probably confidentiality issues. He tried signaling to Mitchell, but the llama was still locked in a convoluted exchange with Tuxedo.

Lipstick was flicking her tail with great energy. Her purr was aggressive. She whispered, “Arise with the tide,” three times like a mantra. Then with abrupt energy she bit Alfonzo’s ear hard with her pointy little teeth.