by Patricia Fry
“Yeah, I suppose, but Rochelle said…” she stopped herself before mentioning Rochelle’s vision of the rainbow, knowing that he wouldn’t understand. “So, Craig, have you gone through all the evidence?”
“Just about.”
“Then you probably came across Violet’s and Abe’s names.”
“Yeah, I guess so—I didn’t pay much attention to that. I was interested in Tyrone, though.”
“So what’s next? Have you found anything in there that you want to check out?”
He thought for a moment, then said, “I’d like you to continue helping your friend go through the personal items in that house and maybe take Rags with you to see if he’ll flush out any concrete evidence like—well, like maybe a grave someplace on the property.”
“Ewww. Now that’s morbid.”
“Yes, these cases usually are. Are you still with me?”
“Yeah. I sure want to help Gail get closure, one way or another. Okay, I’ll see what I can find. I’m going over there this evening with my aunt to check the traps. I’ll take Rags with us.”
****
“Hi, Auntie,” Savannah said when she picked her up later that afternoon. “Ready to catch some cats?”
“Sure am,” Margaret said. She jumped when Rags stepped onto the console, then onto her lap. “What’s he doing here?”
“He’s going to help us with the trapping.”
“Oh, so you have some fantasy that he’ll walk the cats into the traps, do you?”
Savannah grinned at her aunt. “Maybe he will; you never know about Rags.”
“That’s true,” she said, running her hand along his back. “You never know about Rags.”
“Did I tell you that Gail’s moving into the big house?”
“She’s going to jail?” Margaret shrieked.
“No,” she huffed. “She’s moving into her family home. You’ve seen her tiny basement apartment. Well, I just don’t think it’s healthy, and I talked her into investing some of her savings into the house and moving in there.”
“Nice. I imagine it will take a lot of elbow grease to get it livable.”
Savannah nodded. “We’re working on that.”
“You’re helping her?”
“Yes, along with Iris and Michael and her cousin. Oh yes, and some of her other relatives have agreed to wash walls and things.”
Margaret shook her head. “Boy, I’ll bet that’s a big job.”
“Yeah. She’ll hire professionals for some of the work, of course—painting and refinishing the floors, shampooing the furniture, and all.”
“Big job,” Margaret repeated. She changed the subject. “Is someone at the clinic this evening to take cats if we’ve trapped any?”
“Yes. Michael’s there with an emergency.” She pulled into Gail’s driveway.
“Wow, the boards have come off the windows,” Margaret observed. “Someone’s even been doing some weed-whacking.”
“Yes, Antonio and his son worked over here this week.” Savannah chuckled. “We may discover more cats and kittens with the weeds gone.”
Margaret slapped one hand over her mouth. “Oh my gosh, they didn’t just cut those weeds with abandon, did they?”
“Of course not,” Savannah insisted. “When Gail told me they were going to take down the weeds, I made sure I was here to supervise. We walked every inch of the property before any whacking was done, to make sure there were no kittens in there.” She chuckled. “Antonio actually found a couple. They may have been abandoned, because they weren’t in very good shape. I took them to the clinic and Bud treated them for dehydration, then he put them with one of the other mother cats at the shelter. Last I heard, they were doing okay. We don’t know how long they’d been left alone, poor little things.”
“It’s so fortunate they were found. Bravo, Antonio! He’s an awfully good soul, isn’t he?”
“I love that whole family,” Savannah said, smiling. “Antonio, his wife Esperanza, Juan, Helena... Good people.”
“Oh, there’s Gail,” Margaret said as Savannah shut off the ignition. She stepped out of the vehicle and greeted her. “It’s wonderful to see the old place coming to life. I’m glad you’re doing this.”
“It’s taking every bit of courage I can muster,” Gail said. “I’m so thankful to have help. I couldn’t do it alone.”
Margaret took Gail’s hand. “Well, you’ll be enjoying lemonade in a rocking chair on that spacious porch in no time.”
“If I survive,” Gail complained. “It’s a lot of work. I should have started this when I was much younger.” She laughed. “I might actually be finished by now.”
The others joined her in laughter.
“Hi, Rags,” Gail said. “Did you come to help catch cats?”
“Yeah, have we trapped any?” Savannah asked, walking toward her with Rags on his leash.
“Yes, at least one,” Gail said. “I moved him into the shade.” She turned and walked away and the others followed.
“There’s one here too,” Margaret said. “Yay! Two so far. We set four traps this morning—right, Vannie?”
Savannah muttered. “Uh-huh,” as she walked to the back of the house. “One in here,” she called. “Dang, looks like another nursing mother.” She gazed around the yard. “We need to find her kittens.”
Excitedly, Gail said, “Maybe it’s those two we found in the weeds.”
Savannah thought for a moment, finally saying, “I doubt it. It appeared they’d been alone for a while. I checked this trap earlier and she wasn’t in there. No, it’s doubtful those were her kittens. Come on, let’s see if we can find this lady’s family.” She turned to Gail. “Do you have any ideas?”
“Ask Rags,” Margaret said. “He has a nose for kittens and other lost animals.” She ran her hand over his fur, adding, “And trouble.”
“Never mind,” Savannah grumbled. “Come on, let’s give him space and see where he takes us.” She said to the cat, “Kittens, Rags. We need to find this pretty kitty-lady’s babies.” She walked with Rags on his leash as he led her along the side of the house and into the front yard, then around to the back again. Although the cat seemed to simply be out for a stroll, the women watched keenly for signs that he knew where the kittens were. Savannah also kept an eye out for something that might be a grave. Suddenly Rags started tugging on the leash. She looked in the direction he pulled and followed him to a deteriorating wooden pallet. Several pieces of firewood rotted on top of it. When Rags stuck his nose into a space underneath the pallet, Savannah kneeled next to him. She smiled when she heard a couple of sweet kitten hisses. “So that’s where you are,” she said, leaning down to look into the space. She pulled a miniature flashlight out of her pocket and pointed it in their direction. “I see you. Oh, how cute you are!”
“Find them?” Margaret asked, walking up behind her.
“Yeah. At least I hope they’re her kittens. They appear to be about four or five weeks old. There’s a baby tuxedo, an orange tiger, and looks like maybe one solid black.” She smiled. “Cute as the dickens.”
“Okay, want to hand them out to me?” Margaret suggested. “I’ll put them in this small carrier and let them ride to the clinic next to their momma.” She asked Gail, “Is their mom tame?”
“Yeah. She comes around for petting once in a while. Not so much lately, probably because she has a family now.”
Savannah lifted the first kitten out, and everyone smiled when he hissed and growled. She let Rags sniff the little one and he settled down some. Rags licked him a couple of times, then crouched and peered in at the others. Savannah placed the first kitten into the small carrier and reached under the pallet for the second one. She allowed Rags to greet that kitten as well, before she placed her in the carrier. The third one was the most relaxed. He seemed to welcome Rags’s affection with interest. “He’s looking for a faucet,” she said, laughing. After putting the third kitten into the carrier, she stood and started to lead Rags away, but
he balked. “Come on, Rags,” she urged.
“I think he’s trying to tell you something,” Gail noticed. “Is there another kitten in there?”
“I don’t think so,” Savannah said. She returned to the pallet and leaned down with the flashlight. “I don’t see anything. She then lay on the ground and pushed her hand deeper into the small opening, grousing, “There’d better not be any bitey spiders or snakes in here.” She then reported, “Oh, wait! I found something.” She smiled when she felt Rags’s furry face against hers as he peered into the space alongside her.
“Hope it’s a kitten and not a furry tarantula,” Margaret said.
“Thanks a lot,” Savannah whined. She scooted away from the pallet, bringing her hand out to reveal a tiny tiger-striped kitten.
“Awww, he’s scared,” Gail said.
Savannah snuggled with the kitten against her chest while whispering words of comfort. She then let Rags lick the kitten, which seemed to calm him. “Okay, little one, let’s put you with your brothers and sisters, then we’ll take you all to momma. Come on, let’s go.”
“They’re so cute,” Gail said. “Maybe I ought to…”
“What, keep them?” Savannah barked.
“Yeah,” Gail said wide-eyed. “I could create a cat shelter here. I’d love to be a savior of cats.” She teared up. “Ronnie would be so pleased.”
Savannah put her arm around Gail. “Hey, let’s focus on one thing at a time, shall we?” She gazed at the house. “You have a big project ahead of you right here. There will always be cats to rescue. Anyway, I’d like to see you volunteer with June Balcomb and Nola for a while before you go out on a limb with a shelter of your own.”
Gail took a deep breath and smiled. “You are so wise for such a young thing.” She wrapped her arms around Savannah. “I just love you.”
Savannah hugged her back.
“Yup,” Margaret announced after placing the small carrier next to the trap holding the mother cat, “these are her kittens. She’s going bananas.”
“Her boobies probably hurt from all that milk she’s making.” Savannah turned to Gail. “You say she’s tame?” When Gail nodded, she suggested, “Auntie, let’s move her into that larger pen so we can put the kittens with her.”
“No, Rags,” Margaret scolded minutes later when he tried to push his way into the pen with the kittens.
Savannah laughed. She picked up Rags. “Momma cat doesn’t need your help, you big clod.” She gently tapped the top of his nose. “In fact, she’ll probably scratch your cute little nose all up if you get too close to her babies.”
Once they’d loaded the three adult cats and four kittens, plus Rags into Savannah’s car, Savannah started to climb in, then she thought of something. “I…I think I left my flashlight over on the side of the house. I’ll be right back.” She reached into her pocket and fingered the flashlight, then continued on her mission. This could actually be a grave right here, she thought, looking at the area where the pallet lay. She jumped when Gail walked up behind her.
“Did you find it?” Gail asked.
Savannah pulled the flashlight from her pocket. “Yes.” She then asked, “Gail, has this pallet always been out here? Is this where your family stacked wood for the winter?”
Gail thought for a moment. “Well, yeah, I think so. A long time ago this is where we burned our garbage. Remember when that was allowed in rural areas?” She looked at Savannah. “Oh you probably don’t; you’re a young whippersnapper. But my father would burn out here, then he had a small tractor that he used to mix the trash and ash in with the dirt—you know, turn it over. He’d scoop dirt from here sometimes to use in the gardens. We grew some amazing vegetables. I won a prize one year at the county fair with my watermelon. We had to transport it in our wheelbarrow because it was so big and heavy.” Gail smiled. “That’s a treasured memory. Sure hope I come across the ribbon I won that year while we’re going through all that stuff in the house.”
When Savannah started to walk back to the car, she thought of something. “Hey, Gail, could I borrow that picture you showed me of the cat made from fur? I promise I’ll bring it back; I know how much it means to you.”
“Why?” Gail asked, furrowing her brow.
“Um…” Savannah stalled, then decided to be truthful. She ran one hand over Gail’s arm and winced. “It could possibly help Detective Craig with the case of Ronnie’s disappearance.”
“How?” Gail insisted. “Why is he interested in that now? What’s going on, Savannah?”
She spoke softly. “He may have reason to reopen the case and we think that cat fur might be important.” When Gail continued to resist, she said, “Please, Gail. I think it may lead us to the answer you’ve been wanting all these years.”
Gail took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll get it, but promise me…”
“I absolutely promise,” Savannah said.
****
After the two women had delivered the cats and kittens to Michael, Savannah dropped her aunt at her house and returned home. When she realized her mother had put the children to bed and had already gone up to her room, Savannah picked up her phone and made a call. “Hi, Craig. I have something for you.”
“I may have something for you too.”
“Oh?”
“What’s your news?” he asked.
“I just got back from the Allen place and I saw what could have been or could be a grave. Rags found a litter of kittens in there.”
Craig chuckled.
“Gail said that area was once used for burning garbage and trash, and now it’s covered up by a pallet designed to stack wood on. A grave could have been dug in that soft dirt—with all that ash and all—then a pallet was put over it to keep people from seeing the grave. Oh, Craig, it just makes me sick at my stomach to think that Ronnie Griffith could be buried practically under Gail’s nose and has been there for forty years, for heaven’s sake.”
“Yeah,” Craig said, “that would be hard to live with. I hope that’s not the case, but it’s certainly something we’d better check out. Thanks, Savannah. And thank Rags, too.”
“Sure will. Oh, and I have that fur you wanted.”
“Fur?”
“You were going to compare the fur from the evidence box with the fur on the picture Ronnie Griffith made for Gail. I have it here for you.”
“Oh yes. Good. I’ll come by and get it. Will you be up for a while?”
“Yes. Come on by. But I promised…”
“I know. She wants it back. I’ll get it back to you, hopefully tomorrow.”
“Thank you. Now what’s your news?”
“Well, it seems that we’ve located a witness to Ronnie Griffith’s disappearance. Want to meet him? He was Griffith’s best friend. He says he recalls the night the young man went missing.”
“Witness?” she asked.
“Well, he was the last person to see Ronnie that night.”
“Oh. Yes, I’d be interested in hearing what he has to say.”
“Want to call him?” Craig asked.
“Me?” she asked. “Isn’t that police business? Why would I call him?”
“It’s a closed case. We’re trying to decide if we should reopen it and we need information and maybe new evidence to do that. Since it’s not official business yet, yeah, I’d like you to do a little snooping.”
“Okay, I guess.”
“In the meantime,” Craig said, “I’ll see if I can get permission to examine what’s under that pallet.”
Once Savannah had ended the call, she checked the time. Seven forty-five. I think I’ll try contacting that guy now. She studied the information Craig had given her, then punched in the number she’d written down. “Hello,” she said, when a man answered, “is this Tom Rollins?”
“That depends,” he said gruffly. “What are you selling?”
“Oh, no, Mr. Rollins, I’m not selling anything.”
“Then what do you want to give me? What’s your big of
fer this evening, a trip to the Bahamas and all I have to do is buy a million dollar time-share? Or is it a home remodel you’re promoting? Don’t need it. I just wish you people would…”
“Wait, Mr. Rollins, this is about Ronnie Griffith.” When the phone seemed to go dead, she said, “Hello?”
“I’m listening,” he said, his tone guarded.
“This is Savannah Ivey, and I have a few questions about your friend, Ronnie Griffith.”
“Who’d you say you are?”
“Savannah Ivey; I’m a friend of Gail Allen’s.”
“Why are you interested in Ronnie now?” he asked. “Are you writing a book or something?”
“Well, there’s a chance they might reopen the case because some new evidence has surfaced. I’m just wondering what you know about Ronnie’s disappearance. What do you remember?”
“Are you a cop?” he asked.
“No. As I said, I’m a friend of Gail’s and I support the idea of reopening the case. I think it was probably closed before it should have been.”
“You got that right!” Tom spat. “But what good will it do now? The killers are both gone. One died a year or so ago, that miserable, no-good…” He cleared his throat and continued, “The other one could be dead for all anyone knows. He hasn’t shown his face around here since Ronnie went missing. Well, unless my weirded-out brother isn’t actually hallucinating.”
This piqued Savannah’s interest. “Your brother has seen Tyrone Allen? When?”
“If you can believe anything Johnny says, and that’s a big if, then he’s seen him several times. Most recently was just a few days ago.”
“Did he report any of these sightings?” Savannah asked. “I mean, to the authorities?”
“No. As you know, the case was closed. Anyway, he didn’t believe anyone would listen to him. Folks don’t pay much attention to the homeless, which is why they sometimes know more than the average Joe.”
“What do you mean?” Savannah asked.
Tom paused before saying, “Most people don’t expect a homeless man to notice what’s going on around him or to comprehend or care. So they don’t hide their secrets from the homeless.”