Tail of Two Sisters - Part 2

        Natalie couldn't tell how much longer it was until she regained
consciousness, but bruising had already set in. She gritted her teeth
against the pain and opened her eyes. The blonde she-kat called 'Sweet
Nora' by those who didn't know any better smirked down at her. Natalie
closed her eyes again.

        "Welcome to the Land of the Living *Detective* McFurr. How long
has it been? Five? Six years?"

        "You never could count, Nora. Eight years."

        Natalie heard her walk around the chair she had been tied to. The
heels making clicks that reverberated throughout the warehouse. "Time
sure flys when you're having fun..." Nora mocked. "How quaint! Eight
years ago I was at your mercy...and you let me go! Now you are at *my*
mercy, and *I* have no intentions of letting *you* off the hook!" She
laughed.

        <Great,> Natalie thought, struggling with her restraints, her
eyes wide open now, <if I get out of this that laugh is going to come to
me at night!> If....

        From behind her now, Nora's footsteps stopped. Before Natalie
could blink, Nora had thrust her perfectly manicured paw into her mass of
curly red hair and yanked back. The detective bit back a yelp.

        "Fifteen minutes before you blow sky high, sister dear." Nora
released her and walked over to face her. "And to leave this world with
that shade of red hair!" The blonde tsked. "Not that it'll matter when
they find you."

        "Nice dress, who's head rolled so you could wear it?" Natalie
snarled, trying to distract the she-kat she was appalled to be related
to. She scratched feverishly  at her bonds, her nails making little
head-way.

        "Now you're being tacky," Nora announced, as if ashamed of a
public faux paux. "Mother would be so disappointed in you."

        "How would *I* know? Katscratch killed her before I ever got a
chance to know her! The bastard!" Natalie yelled, pulling at the ropes,
not caring about being sly with her attempts to escape anymore.

        Nora slapped her hard. "You will *not* call Father by that word!"
she screeched, then stalked off. "It's time, boys! Light 'er up!"

        Heath and Cliff, Nora's thugs, stepped from the shadows once
again and lit matches in synchronization. They courteously waited until
their boss had left the warehouse before dropping their flames on the
gasoline covered floor and high-tailing it out themselves.

        The detective paused in her struggles to stare, transfixed, as
the multicolored fire raced along it's merry way. Now she noticed that
not only were her clothes *not* soaked in accelerant, but there was a ten
foot circle of clearance around her. Her sister meant to torture her.

        Natalie let one part of her mind scream in terror while the rest
was frantically trying to remember what the warehouse stored. She had to
know about how long she had to get out. "Lamps!" she cried victoriously,
then saved her breath and clawed and pulled and strained to release
herself before the smoke knocked her out or before the roof caved in on
her.

To be continued...