Karen Anne Golden - The Cats That 03 - The Cats That Told a Fortune (12 page)

“Appreciate it,” Katherine said.

“Good evening,” the chief said to Colleen, as he walked out the door.

Jake gathered Katherine in his arms and said, “I was so worried something awful had happened to you.  How did that nutcase know you were at the bungalow?”

Colleen offered, “He was standing outside the bedroom door when Katz said we were coming over here.  But all Katz said was ‘bungalow.’  How did he know the address?”

“Small town, Colleen,” Jake answered.  “People know everything about everybody.”

“I guess my secret ‘getaway house from the mansion’ isn’t so secret, after all,” Katherine said with resignation.  She buried her face in Jake’s chest. “Well, I hope I never have to apprehend a crim again, but at least I didn’t have to fire a shot.”

Colleen collapsed in a nearby Morris chair.  She said in an exaggerated Irish accent, “I thought we’d all be killed.”

Jake kissed Katherine on the forehead, “Your gun instructor would be proud!  I’ve got to leave for a short while.  I got to find Cokey and patch up that broken window.  We can’t stay here tonight with it open.”

Colleen added, “Oh, Cokey’s gone.  He left right after the officers hauled Mr. Clean away.”  She caught herself and said, “Shut the door, Katz!  Do you remember the web
search… ?”

Katherine shot her a look and mouthed the word
No
.  Jake had turned and didn’t see the gesture.

“Oh, never mind.  I’m just running at the mouth,” Colleen said, recovering. 

Jake looked momentarily confused.  “I’ll be back in a minute.  I need to see if Cokey needs any help hauling the plywood over here.”  He left, still with an inquisitive look of “what the hell did that mean?” on his face.

“Katz, why did you shush me when I mentioned Mr. Clean and the Internet search?”

“I’d kind of like to keep this between you and me.  I haven’t told Jake about the cats’ special sleuthing abilities, however they work.  We know they’re special, but Jake doesn’t.  For the time being, I want him to think they’re ordinary housecats.  Let’s just take it one day at a time.” 

Colleen agreed. 
“Of course, Katz.  My lips are sealed.  Do you really think I should leave Monday?  I’m worried about you.”

“Don’t worr
y.  I’m good.  I’ve got a Glock,” Katherine said lightly, trying to put her friend at ease.

“Seriously, Katz, please come back to Manhattan,” Colleen implored.  “Your living in this place scares me to death.  I think you’re safer in Manhattan.  You can have your old apartment back.  Jacky and I would gladly move back in with Mum.”

“How do you know that bad luck wouldn’t follow me back to NYC?  Besides, I have people in Erie I care about.  Jake, Cokey, Margie and their kids.  My new friends.”

Colleen replied with a wink. 
“Mostly Jake.  What was with the diamond ring in his pocket?  Is he going to pop a question?”

Katherine shook her head.  “
I don’t have a clue.  Colleen, I’ve only got four more months, and I’ll inherit my great aunt’s fortune.  I’ll decide then whether I want to stay here or move somewhere else.”

“Ma-waugh,” Scout agreed from behind the door of Katherine’s bedroom. 

Colleen laughed nervously. 

Katherine said sadly, worrying about Iris, “
When Jake comes back, I’m going to ask him to drive me to the Sanders trailer court.  I want to look for her.”

“I’m so sorry about Iris,” Colleen comforted.

“I won’t have a moment’s peace until I find her,” Katherine assured.

“I know,” Colleen said, beginning to choke up.  “I won’t either.” 

Chapter Eight

Early November

It was a bitterly cold day.  The wind whipped up and down Lincoln Street, blowing leaves out of the piles that residents had made on either side of the street for the town’s vacuum leaf removal truck.  The leaves scattered down the hill with each gust.  The wind chill made the outside thirty-eight degrees feel even colder.  Katherine bundled up in layers to finish the leaf raking chore.  Cokey said he would hire someone to do the strenuous task, but she declined.  She told him it would do her good.  “Great exercise,” she explained.  Cokey had looked at her like she’d lost her mind, but didn’t persist.  He was aware that Katherine was mourning the loss of Iris, who had been missing for two weeks. 

Katherine hadn’t given up hope.  She’d drive
n to the Erie animal shelter twice a day and checked to see if Iris had been turned in.  She knew she was annoying the limited staff, who assured her they’d call if Iris showed up, but it was too painful to wait for a call that never came.  The shelter lacked the funds to be a no-kill facility, so Katherine vowed she’d change that once she got her inheritance.  Scout, Abra, Lilac and Abby missed their friend.  They sensed that all was not right with their human, and clung to her even more. 

The evening when Iris first went missing, Katherine and Jake drove to the location of the
Misha’s motorhome, but the state police wouldn’t let them search inside.  When they arrived, the motorhome was being jacked up by a special tow truck, and was impounded for further evidence gathering.  The officers were sympathetic, but swore there wasn’t a cat inside.  They said they’d checked every nook and cranny.  No cat.  No Iris.

The next day, Katherine created and printed flyers with Iris’s picture on it to post all over town.  Jake’s family rallied behind Katherine in searching
for the Siamese.  Cokey, Margie and the kids went door-to-door asking residents if they’d seen the missing feline.  Even Jake’s unfriendly mother warmed up to Katz and, with Jake’s dad, pounded the streets of Erie, alerting the residents about the missing cat.  Colleen and Daryl drove out to the Sanders trailer court and tacked up a poster there.  At first, some of the residents were suspicious, but once they knew the flyer was about a missing pet, they allowed them to post one on a telephone pole outside the entrance. 

Katherine offered a reward.  The flyer stated:  With the safe return of my
seal-point Siamese, you shall have one thousand dollars in cash.  The reward brought a barrage of phone calls. Katherine followed up with each one.  The usual scenario was that someone would call stating they’d seen Iris.  Katherine would jump in her car, drive to the caller’s place, and then be disappointed when the cat turned out to be a tabby cat or some breed other than a Siamese.  When Jake was able, he’d go along on these trips and comfort her when she got home.  But today, Jake was teaching.  It was Friday, and she wouldn’t see him until later in the evening.

Colleen had flown back to Manhattan, but called or texted every day, asking about Iris and giving Katz moral support.  The estate’s lawyer, Mark Dunn, suggested a television spot in the city during the evening news, but Katherine declined.  She reasoned that the city was so far away, and that if Iris had escaped the
motorhome, she’d still be in the Erie area.  Detective Martin, who also loved cats, took a flyer and posted it at the state police headquarters.  Many officers promised to be alert to finding the missing pet.

Katherine had her back to the street when the pickup truck pulled up.  Turning to see who it was, and expecting to see either Margie or Cokey in their Dodge Ram, she was surprised to see Sam Sanders, Erie’s best approximation of a “crime boss” behind
the wheel, with his daughter, Barbie, riding shotgun.  Katherine couldn’t imagine what they could possibly want, but stood staring at them until Sam got out and came over.

“Ms. Kendall, I think we got off on the wrong foot,” he said kindly.  He wore a black jacket, white dress shirt, and dark blue jeans.  His beard was closely cropped.  He looked very handsome, but his ice-blue eyes
seemed to tell an ominous tale.  “I’ve thought back on that day I offered you a bribe, and I’ve kicked myself a million times.  You must think I’m a horrid man.”

Katherine turned and leaned the rake up against the magnolia tree.  “What can I do for you?” she asked
.

“My daughter and I just got back in town.  I was in Chicago for a couple of weeks and Barbie and her brother Bobby were up at Lake Monty staying in the family cabin.  I have a true story to tell and it’s a
good one.  I don’t want you to jump to any conclusions until you’ve heard me out.”

“Okay,” Katherine said, wondering what a crime boss would tell her.  She gazed at the truck and at Barbie, who was staring straight ahead like she was in some kind of trance.  She wondered why she didn’t get out and join the conversation.

Sam Sanders ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve got connections in town.  I know you told the police that my daughter broke in your house and stole your cat.”

Katherine began in a solemn voice.  “I was upset about
a number of things and made accusations I shouldn’t have made.”  She thought,
I was desperate to find Iris — and holding a gun on the serial killer until the chief got there.

“Do you know how I know it wasn’t my daughter
who took your cat?”  He waited for Katherine to answer, but when she didn’t, he said, “Much to my embarrassment, Barbie was out with her numbskull brother, egging the damn Mayor’s house.  Now how stupid is that?”

Katherine shrugged, but didn’t offer what she was really thinking, which was Barbie didn’t seem to have too much in the brain department.  “I was wrong. It is
I
who owe you an apology, to you, your family, and to Barbie.”  Katherine started to walk to the truck, but Sam gently placed his hand on her right elbow.

“Let me finish and then you can talk to Barbie.
  Okay?”

“Yes, please go on,
” she said with a slight edge in her voice.

“When that idiot Glen Frye dumped the
motorhome in our trailer court, we got to it before the law did.  The guy I hire to take care of the place lives in the first trailer.  He wondered why the hell a Four Winds motorhome with New York license plates would be blocking most of the front entrance, so he investigated.  He said when he went inside, a cat flew out and nearly knocked him down.”

“Did he chase after her?” Katherine asked, with renewed hope of finding Iris.  “Does he have her?”

Sam shook his head and smiled.  “I couldn’t see Homer chasing anything but the dinner roll basket down at the diner.  Actually, he was more concerned about the dead man in the RV than chasing after a cat.”  He paused, then continued, “Now here’s where my story gets interesting.  After my eldest son bailed out Barbie and Bobby from jail, I called my daughter.  I told her it would be best if she and her brother got out of town for a while and stayed at the cabin.  But Barbie didn’t mention to me that there was a third party going to the lake.”

“What do you mean?” Katherine asked,
anxious for Sam Sanders to get to the point.

“My daughter loves animals.  She’s always taking in a stray cat or dog, fixing them up, and then adopting them out.  The night Barbie got home and o
pened her front door, a freaked-out cat ran into her trailer.  As soon as she could calm it down, she put it in a cage and headed up north to the lake.  She told me it was love at first sight.”

“Was the cat a Siamese?”  Katherine asked
hurriedly.

Sam put up his hand.  “I’m not finished yet,” he said firmly. 
“Like I said, my daughter took the cat with her.  We didn’t know the cat was
your
cat until Barbie got home today.  She saw the flyer outside the trailer court, and called me —”

Katherine interrupted.  “Where’s the cat now?  I want to see if it’s my cat.”

Sam motioned for Barbie to get out of the truck.  Barbie slowly opened the door and climbed out.  In her arms, she was holding something wrapped in a yellow baby blanket.  Tears were flowing from Barbie’s eyes.  She was so choked up, she couldn’t speak.  Iris peeked out and made a joyous yowl.  Barbie handed the missing Siamese to Katherine, then ran back to the truck, sobbing.

“So, are we good here?” Sam asked, touching Katherine on the shoulder. 

“Yes,” Katherine cried.  “How can I ever repay you?  The reward … ,” she stammered.  “It’s yours.”

“We’ll take care of that later.  But for now, I do ask one thing,” Sam said softly.  “Teach Barbie about that computer stuff and we’ll be
clear
.”

“Yes, of course.  We’re clear
.  I’ll give her private lessons.”

“Good,” Sam said, starting to walk away.  “You take care now,” he said, getting into his truck and driving away.  Barbie had her head down, still
crying.

Katherine cradled Iris and kissed her several times on the head.  Scout and Abra were moving back and forth on the parlor windowsill, wanting to get out.  When Katherine walked in the door, Lilac and Abby began me-yowling and chirping with excitement that Iris had been found.  Scout and Abra joined them.  She could hardly walk with the cats wrapped around her feet, darting in and out between her legs.

“Yowl,” Iris cried to the other cats’ caterwauling.  She squirmed to get down, but Katherine held her tight.

“Not yet, Miss Siam.  I’ve got to check you out to make sure you’re okay.”  Katherine set Iris down
on the marble-top curio cabinet and began examining her.  Iris seemed to be all right.  She smelled like perfume, but that was an easy fix.  She seemed to be a little bit heavier.  Katherine guessed Barbie had been over-feeding her.  She extracted her smartphone and snapped a picture of Iris, then sent it to Jake and Colleen.  Jake immediately replied with a selfie of himself smiling; Colleen texted back:  “Happy dancing!”  Katherine then called Dr. Sonny.  Valerie, the receptionist, put the call straight through. 

“Dr. Sonny, I’ve got Iris.  Barbie Sanders had her and was taking care of her.”

“Oh, really,” Dr. Sonny said, mildly amused. 

“She seems okay, but I really want to bring her in for you to take a look at her.”

“If she looks okay, I’d suggest you do that tomorrow.  Let her get settled in.  I’m sure this was a great shock to her.  Maybe you should keep her away from the cats for a while.”

“Okay, sure thing.  Tomorrow,” Katherine said, ending the call. 
Surprisingly, the once-noisy cats had become quiet.  With Scout in the lead, they ran upstairs to their room in the back of the hall.

Katherine picked up Iris and cradled her in her arms.  She walked back to the office and closed the door.  “Miss Siam, have I ever told you the story about how you became royalty?”

“Yowl,” Iris cried softly, blinking her deep blue eyes.

Katherine sat down on the floor and put Iris on her lap. 
She began talking to the Siamese as she had when Iris was a kitten.  Iris gazed up at her adoringly.  “Once upon a time, in Siam, there was a little cat.  Her name was Iris.  She had a brown mask with big, dark blue eyes.  She was a member of the royal guard that stood as sentries on the tall city walls.  The royal princess of Siam didn’t like her because she said Iris had stolen her favorite ring.  But Iris hadn’t.  It was Chai-Lai, the wicked Siamese, who did it.”

Iris reached up with her paw and touched Katherine on the face.

“One night there was a fire and Iris saved the princess,” Katherine continued the story.

Iris was falling asleep; her eyelids were very heavy. 

“After Iris saved the princess, there was a ceremony and Iris was crowned.  Do you know what her new title was?”

Iris looked up sleepily.

“Miss Siam – Royal Guard to the Princess.”

Iris cuddled closer and fell fast asleep.

“I’m so glad you’re home, my darling.  I love you so very much,” Katherine said, fighting back tears.  “But you’re safe now – in my arms – so just sleep.  I’ll hold you forever.”

The End