His partner told him it was only a cat.
Then he opened the door.
Gus came out fast.
The nearest man threw up his arms, stumbled backward, and hit the nightstand on his way down.
His partner tried to drive Gus away with his foot.
That made everything worse.
Gus lunged again. The second man backed into the chair and fell.
The third came down the hallway, saw the chaos, and ran.
The other two followed as soon as they could get clear.
Gus didn’t chase them.
Once they stopped advancing, he retreated to the corner where I found him.
I had to ask the officer to repeat that part.
“He stayed in the bedroom?”
“That’s what they said.”
I looked toward the hallway.
For four years, that room had been his safest place.
Those men had broken into it, cornered him, and flung open the place where he hid.
