title: The Tale of the Tailless Cat
author: Laney Laube Hoover
description: Freelance writer, journalist and poet Laney Laube Hoover was an educator for 22 years, eight of which were spent teaching students with special needs. She and her husband have two daughters and live in San Diego, California, with four cats, three dogs, two rabbits, two guinea pigs and a leopard gecko. She is the author of The Three Little Kits and the Big, Bad Beast. Illustrator Sheena Dowling is a student at San Diego State University. While studying art there, she has been a well-loved Leader in the ESS Program at Maryland Avenue Elementary School in La Mesa, California for several years.
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  DIRTY BLONDE
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  by
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  LISA SCOTTOLINE
  
  
  
  
  
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  [CHAPTER 51](Dirty_Blonde_split_002.html#filepos12190)
  
  Cate rode the judges’ elevator upwards, checking her reflection in the gold-
  plated panel of elevator buttons. Her makeup looked neutral and classy, her
  hair was combed into its judicial chignon, and she wore her favorite gold
  tweed suit. She had been resting at home for two weeks, and during that time,
  her cheek had almost healed, her shoulder felt better, and she’d ordered the
  new S 500 sedan, in Glacier White. The Mercedes was pure sublimation, because
  she was still on her sex diet, though she and Nesbitt had finally segued into
  light petting, which was officially tenth grade.
  
  Also during that time, Chief Judge Sherman had met with the members of the
  court, the chief judge of the Third Circuit, and the circuit executive to
  decide what to do about reinstating her. Cate wasn’t