"To the devil, the span of a human life is as brief as spit on the wind. But the challenge of playing with flawed humans, like a cat toying with a mouse, is endlessly amusing. If the devil loses a wager, though, he will harass a person's descendants until he eventually gets his due--which is why he is tormenting Lee Fontana. The night before Lee, a train robber, is paroled from jail, Satan terrifies and tempts him with the promise of one more successful...

In the aftermath of a traumatized girl's witness to a holiday-season shooting, feline sleuth Joe Grey, his girlfriend Dulcie, and their tortoise-shell companion Kit endeavor to track down a killer and assist an investigation by stumped human police.

When she first hears the news that convict Cage Jones has escaped from prison, Dulcie's fur stands on end.