His mother crouched in front of Tess. “It’s going to be okay. I’ve talked to the guys at the pound; they’ll look after her, they’ll make sure she’s cared for.”

“I can’t,” said Tess, “I can’t.” Maybe she meant she couldn’t bear to see Nine go or she couldn’t live without Nine even for a little while or she couldn’t stand something so unfair or all of it.

But his mom took hold of Nine’s harness, setting her mouth at the sound of Tess’s cries. Nine hunched, trying and failing to make herself smaller. She emitted a confused “Mrrow?”

Aunt Esther stood. “Don’t do this, Miriam.”

“I have to,” said Theo’s mom. But she didn’t meet anyone’s eyes as she led Nine from the living room and out the door.

Clarkson lingered one moment more. “I know this whole thing seems corn nuts, but your mom is really smart. She’s going to figure out what the butterscotch that woman is about, and get your kitty back banana split, don’t you worry.”

Theo could have told him that the only person who could persuade Tess not to worry wasn’t a person at all, but the very large cat they had just taken away.

Tess put her face in her hands and sobbed.

Soon after, Tess went up to her bed. Aunt Esther slammed pots and pans around the kitchen, her lips stitched tight in disapproval. Lance cowered in the corner. Theo and Jaime picked at the lasagna, but couldn’t eat much. They finally gave up, wrapped the pan in foil, and put it in the fridge for a time they weren’t feeling so sick. Jaime told Theo he had to get home, and Aunt Esther said she would walk him to the train station.

“If I don’t get some air I might spontaneously combust,” she announced.

Before they, too, disappeared out the front door, Jaime said, “Tell Tess I said good-bye.”

“I will,” Theo said.

“Tell her . . .” He seemed about to say something more, but didn’t.

“Tomorrow,” Theo said. “You’ll see her tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” said Jaime.

And then they were out the door.

Theo’s dad came home. He’d heard what happened and went upstairs to check on Tess while Theo cleaned the kitchen. Theo left a plate with a square of lasagna for his dad on the table, but when his dad came back downstairs, he didn’t seem to have much of an appetite, either. He helped Theo with the dishes, and then the two of them watched TV for a while, avoiding all the news reports of a giant cat, likely a machine disguised as an animal, terrorizing innocent blond ladies in Brooklyn.