I couldn’t remember. I wasn’t sure how she could.

‘Then the grass caught and Doug came running and shouting and got the hose and squirted the shed, and when it was out, cursed us for lighting fires in summer. Then I said it was for your soup and he said, Well, you need to be more careful. You remember that, Clem?’

‘Not really.’

‘Well, if I think about it I won’t do it.’ She took off her apron, picked up the cake, smiled and walked from the kitchen. A few moments later I watched her knocking on the Sharpes’ door.

Ernie answered. He just stood looking, waiting.

‘Ernie … Ida home?’

He might’ve smiled, but I might’ve seen it wrong. But he called, ‘Ida.’

Then they started talking, but I couldn’t tell what they were saying. Val handed over the cake, and Ida motioned for her to come in. Ernie didn’t say a word.

Peter came in behind me. He handed me an essay and said, ‘More corrections. Redo it, get it back to me.’

‘That’s the third draft.’

‘It’s still not right.’

He noticed the scene on the Sharpes’ porch. ‘She did it?’

‘She reckoned that mighta been the problem.’

We watched as the three went in, the door closed and a cat wandered across the Sharpes’ porch. Then, a van pulled up out front. It passed the side window so we couldn’t see it. ‘No,’ Peter said.

We went to the front, out the door, and saw it: Gleneagles Council Pet Control. Two men got out, checked some paperwork, went to the back of the van and took out two nets. One of them saw Peter and said, ‘You Donnellan?’

‘Yes.’

‘Righto.’ He came onto the property, stalked a cat, netted it, and returned it to the van. It squealed and clawed, but it didn’t matter. After he’d deposited it, he returned for another. Meanwhile, the second man had caught a few kittens, and put them in the van.

Peter approached them. ‘You can’t do this.’

The first man said, ‘Look at the regulations. Three cats, registered, desexed.’ He kept hunting, around the side of the house. Peter followed and said, ‘At least wait and I’ll collect them.’

‘This place smells like piss. You gotta stand back, or we’ll call the cops to help.’

He returned to me. ‘Mum’s gonna be …’ He watched the Sharpes’ place. Ernie was standing in the doorway, his face cold, hard.

Another tabby, twisting itself in the net, extending its razor claws and baring teeth. But it didn’t matter—he was soon in the back with the others.

Then Val came out. She pushed past Ernie, but then turned back to him. ‘You happy?’

He didn’t reply.

Ida was close behind, standing with a saucer with a slice of Val’s cake. But I guess she knew it’d be her first and last slice.