The Case of the Missing Cat

I awoke with a start as something clumsily banged through the bedroom door. "Where's Annabelle?" I found Tim (with crutches) standing at the foot of the bed looking very concerned. "Where's Annabelle?" he repeated, "Have you seen her?" "No" I grumbled, "My eyes were closed, the door was shut, I was asleep - how could I see her?" Without even absorbing to my second sentence, Tim went on... he hadn't seen her since before our friends left last night... could the unimaginable have happened... did she sneak out while they were leaving?? I was grumpy but not heartless, so I got up & called my cat as I usually do....

"Annabelle!"
"Kit-ty!"
"Bella Belly, where are you?"

While yelling from the top of the stairs, I heard it... Very faint. Very distant. "Tim! She's somewhere around here..." After a quick check of our bathroom (on the other side of the wall), I found myself looking at the door of the under-the-stairs closet. The previous night, I had gone to bed leaving Tim to entertain our friends (I couldn't keep my eyes open!). On the way, I had closed this door without even a second thought. When I opened it this morning, Annabelle came catapulting out & was meowing like crazy!! She was either overcome with happiness for her release, or giving me her two cents for shutting the door... I'm not quite sure which. This is, after all, the cat that purrs when you scold her.