2 The Cats That Chased the Storm

by Karen Golden

  “Oh, how fun! I’d love to take one of your classes,” she said.

  “By all means. I’d love to have you.”

  “In all honesty, I wouldn’t last very long back in the day,” she said ruefully. “I love my wine.”

  “Who doesn’t? In the twenties the economy was very depressed in these parts. The stock market crashed, and many people in Erie lost their life’s savings. No one trusted banks. When Dillinger and the likes started robbing banks, he became somewhat of a hero to the working folk. In answer to your question, I got into gangsters because back in the day, the Cokenbergers made tons of money.”

  “And, what was their profession? Gangsters?” she asked, her eyes widening.

  “Rum runners,” he tipped his head back and laughed.

  “What is that?” she asked.

  “My great grandpa and his sons had a connection in Chicago. They’d travel up U.S. 41, get the booze, then bring it back to Erie.”

  “Did any of them ever get caught?”

  “You mean “go to jail” caught? One of my great uncles did; he got sent up for a number of years in Joliet.”

  “That’s a prison?”

  “Yep, maximum security.”

  They ate in silence for a moment, then Jake said, “I was at the library today searching for local newspaper articles from the twenties and thirties, to try and find out what happened after my relatives got the booze. Where did it go? Did it stay in Erie? And if it did, where was it stored? Just looking for clues.”

  “You mean it’s not written in the family Bible along with the genealogies,” Katherine giggled, for the first time feeling at ease with another man since Gary died.

  Not knowing if she could trust him or not, she could hear Colleen’s sage advice, “Just go for it!” Katherine began, “If I can confide in you, I found some documents belonging to my great uncle. They’re dated 1929.” She paused to eat the last bite of pie.

  “Go on,” he said, interested. The waiter came over and poured more coffee.

  When the waiter was out of earshot, Katherine said, “I found an old prescription pad from a Dr. Harvey Smith in my great uncle’s documents. I wonder how it got in the pink mansion.”

  “Not a clue,” Jake said seriously. “I actually read his biography today. It was in that Who’s Who book I showed you earlier. Maybe I can take a look at these documents sometime.”

  “Sure,” she said, thinking about the fang marks on the papers in the shoe box. But not wanting to divulge that her cats were natural sleuths, she said, “I really should be getting home. Lots to do before I fly out.”

  “Of course,” he said, getting up. He walked over to her chair and took her jacket.

  For a moment, Katherine didn’t know what he was doing until he helped her put it on, but when she did realize, she blushed. “Oh, thanks,” she said.

  Jake called to the waiter, “Hey Frank. Put it on my tab.”

  “Yeppers,” the waiter answered.

  On the way back to the mansion, Katherine thanked him. “Let’s get together after I come back.”

  “Works for me,” he said, smiling. “Need any help getting to your door? I can come around with the umbrella.”

  “No, I’m good,” she said, sliding off the seat and stepping onto the wet pavement. “Thanks!” she called, as she ran to her front door.

  Jake honked his horn, then pulled onto the street. She watched him drive away with as much awe as the Erie Historical Society women expressed when they walked into her house.

  Once inside, Katherine extracted her cell phone, and with fingers flying, sent Colleen a text. “I think I’m in love!” She sent the message, then removed her damp jacket. Walking into the atrium, she found a complete disaster. Silk flowers were strewn everywhere. Slender green stems bearing round bluish leaves were in a pile. She picked up one to find fang marks on it.

  “What the hell,” she exclaimed.

  “Chirp,” came the muted sound of the Abyssinian, resting underneath the overturned basket.

  “Abby, why?” Katherine asked, picking up the tiny cat and moving her aside. “What part of the floral arrangement did you not like, sweetie?”

  Katherine tossed what remained of the arrangement in a wastebasket and made her way to the back of the house to dump it in the kitchen bin. Her cell phone pinged a text message from Colleen. “Blond with green eyes. Mr. Lawyer, right?”

  Katherine wrote back, “Not so much.”

  “Not Mark? Who then?” Colleen texted.

  She described Jake in as few words as possible. “Picture an Erie version of Johnny Depp.”

  Colleen returned the text, “The pirate?”

  Katherine chuckled and keyed in. “John Dillinger.” Sending the message, she headed over to the marble-top curio cabinet and opened a bottle of merlot. Pouring herself a glass, she walked into the office. She nearly tripped over a book on the floor. The glass flew out of her hand and landed upright next to her desk, red wine spilling on the floor.

  “Dammit, Iris. I know it was you, Fredo,” Katherine accused. Both Scout and Iris had a habit of pulling books off the shelves in order to sit behind the row. Hearing her name, Iris bounced into the room and yowled innocently.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Siam.” Before putting the book back, she read the title: Alan Turing: The Enigma, by Andrew Hodges.

  She teased. “Oh, surfing the web isn’t good enough for you, Iris,” she joked. “Now you want to be a code breaker!”

  Iris pulled two more books off, then bounded into the next room.

  “Brat!” Katherine called after her.

  Chapter Four

  Katherine was busy making last-minute preparations for her trip to New York. She had an hour before driving to Indianapolis, so she tidied up after the cats, and made out index cards of instructions to tape to the doors. Such as, “Before you leave, check the attic door, Scout has been opening it,” or, “Lock the cats in my room each evening.” She was in the kitchen when the front doorbell clanged noisily. She put down her Sharpie and rushed to the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Carol Lombard standing outside.

  Carol was holding a plastic container and a thermos. “Hi, Katz,” she said cheerfully. “Listen, I wanted to bring a peace offering for my behavior yesterday.”

  “What do you mean?” Katherine asked, puzzled.

  “When Mark and I pulled up to talk to you, I was rather rude. Can I come in? There’s something I want to tell you.”

  “Yes, please. Hand me your jacket and I’ll put it up for you.”

  “I’m good. I made some sticky buns and coffee.”

  “Yum, let’s go to the kitchen. Follow me,” Katherine said, wondering what on earth the Little Tomato woman could possibly want to talk to her about.

  “Wow, I just love this house. Orvenia used to invite me over and we’d talk for hours.”

  “Cool,” Katherine answered. They entered the kitchen to find several of the cabinet doors open. “Iris, I know it’s you!” Katherine accused, and then to Carol, “I’m not in the habit of leaving doors open. It’s one of my cats. Please have a seat.”

  “I love the fifties furniture in here. My grandparents had a dinette set just like this, only it was yellow. I think they call it Formica.” She set the sticky bun tub on the table and started opening the thermos.

  “I’ll get some cups,” Katherine said, moving over to the cabinets, shutting one door at a time. Iris peaked around the corner and let out a soft yowl.

  “Beautiful cat. She’s a Siamese, right?”

  “A seal-point.” Katherine set the cups on the table.

  Carol poured coffee into each and slid a cup over to Katherine, who had sat down.

  “The reason I came over bearing goodies is because there’s something you need to know,” Carol began earnestly.

  “I’m not a psychic, but does it involve Mark Dunn?” Katherine asked.

  “Mark and I have been a couple for several years. I met him as an undergraduate
, before he went to law school. Has he mentioned this to you?”

  “No, he hasn’t,” Katherine answered in a serious tone.

  “I’m little bit jealous of you because I don’t know your intentions with Mark. We plan on getting engaged soon.”

  “No worries,” Katherine said, putting up her hands as if to ward off a case of the plague. “I’m a disaster when it comes to relationships. As you know, my last one didn’t end well.”

  “I’ve been meaning to come over and express my condolences, but thought it was too soon after his death.”

  “Gary,” Katherine said. “Gary DeSutter.” She paused, then emphasized, “I consider Mark my friend and attorney – that’s all. So are we good? Because I’m going to faint if you don’t bust out those sticky buns.”

  Carol grinned. “Okay.”

  After twenty minutes or so, Katherine excused herself, saying she had to drive to the airport. Carol expressed relief that Katz wasn’t interested in Mark, “other than as a friend.”

  “We need to do this more often,” Katherine said. “Oh, before you go, I finished sorting through two boxes of my great aunt’s papers. They’re in the vestibule. I’ll carry one, if you carry the other. I’ll help you put them in your car.”

  “Perfect! And, I’ll show you my new car,” Carol said, beaming.

  “Lucky you. What kind did you get?”

  “I treated myself to a brand new Mustang.”

  “I’ve been meaning to get a new car,” Katherine reflected, leading the way to the front door. She picked up a box and held the door open, while Carol grabbed the other box.

  Carol’s new vehicle was parked out front. Katherine commented, “Woo hoo! A convertible. Love that shade of red!”

  “Just wish it would stop raining so I can try it out,” Carol said, opening the trunk. They placed the boxes inside.

  It started to rain. Katherine said, “I think you just jinxed it!”

  Getting in the car, Carol said, “I’m so glad we cleared things up. Have a wonderful time in New York, and I’ll call when you get back.”

  “Let’s meet for lunch,” Katherine suggested, running back to the house. Just as she entered, she heard shrieking from the living room. Lilac was me-yowling at the top of her lungs.

  Katherine ran to the next room to discover puddles of green foam on the rug. Abby was collapsed over the water bowl. Katherine feared that she had drowned, but the bowl must have tipped over when Abby fell. The ruddy cat’s pupils were the size of pinpoints; she was salivating foam with blood in it. Yanking a throw off the loveseat, she draped it over the Abyssinian. She quickly grabbed her cell phone and used an app to find the number of the Erie Florist. She tapped the number.

  “Erie Florist,” the female voice on the other line said, “How may I help you?”

  “I’m Katherine Kendall. Carol Lombard brought a floral arrangement to my house yesterday,” she said hurriedly. “I need to know if there was any wire in the green silk stems. My cat may have eaten one.”

  The woman covered the mouthpiece and yelled to someone, “Question about Carol’s order. Lady wants to know if you used wires in it.” There was a silent pause for a moment, then she returned to the line, “Joe said he didn’t use any wires. Just silk flowers and eucalyptus.”

  “Eucalyptus? Was it silk, plastic or real?” Katherine asked with mounting panic.

  “I can assure you it was real. We never cut costs when making an –”

  Katherine cut her off and immediately called Dr. Sonny. Valerie, the receptionist, answered the phone. “Valerie, it’s Katz. I think Abby has eaten eucalyptus. She’s throwing up green foam with blood in it.”

  “Get her over here ASAP. I’ll let Dr. Sonny know you’re coming.”

  Katherine thrust the phone back into her pocket, grabbed her bag and keys. Without wasting any time getting a cat carrier, she wrapped Abby in the throw and ran to her car. She broke every posted speed limit. She was about a half mile from the vet’s office, when an Erie police cruiser, with lights flashing, passed her. In her rearview mirror, she could see an ambulance coming up fast behind her. She slowed and pulled off the road. A second police car passed.

  “What the hell is going on?” she wondered. Abby moaned. Getting back on the highway, she consoled the Abyssinian. “I’ll get you there, baby.” Up ahead she could see multiple flashing lights. She braked in front of several cars that had stopped. This can’t be happening. I’ve got to get Abby to the vet, she worried.

  A county officer, waving a flare, signaled the cars to proceed. Katherine craned her neck to see what had happened. When she inched forward, she could clearly see it was an auto accident, but she didn’t know how serious it was until she saw the mangled remains of a red Mustang wrapped around a tree.

  Stepping on the brake, she cried, “Oh, God. Poor Carol.” A very angry Chief London ran over to Katherine’s vehicle, “Hey, get a move on,” he said, tapping on the glass. When he recognized her, his tone turned to scolding. “I saw you speeding back there. If you want to stay alive and not end up like this poor lady, you better slow the hell down. Now move it!” he barked.

  As she crawled past the accident scene, a million thoughts went through her head. Where was Carol going? Why didn’t she just go home? Did she hit a deer? Did she hit a slippery patch from the rain?

  Parking in front of the vet clinic, Katherine lunged out of the Toyota and ran around to the passenger side. She cautiously lifted Abby and raced inside.

  Valerie was waiting for her. “Follow me,” she directed. “I’ll get Dr. Sonny.”

  By the time Katherine and Abby were in the exam room, Dr. Sonny hurried in. He gingerly took Abby from Katherine’s arms and laid her on the examining table. With a small flashlight, he began looking inside the little cat’s mouth. Abby gurgled and more foam poured out. Dr. Sonny said, “I called the poison control hotline and got some facts. Did you observe Abby eating it?”

  Katherine stifled a sob, tears were pouring down her face. “No, but when I got home I found these Eucalyptus stems on the floor. I just saw fang marks.”

  “I’m going to get an IV in her,” he explained.

  “How serious is it?” Katherine choked.

  “I’ll be honest, if this little girl ate a bunch of it, she may not make it. However,” he emphasized, “since you didn’t observe Abby eating it, maybe she’ll be okay.”

  Katherine brought her hand up to her face to stifle another sob.

  Dr. Sonny said kindly, “The best thing you can do for me right now is go home. I’ll call you when I know something.”

  Katherine bent down and kissed Abby on the head. “I love you,” she said tearfully.

  Abby groaned.

  Dr. Sonny picked up Abby and left the room.

  Valerie came in and hugged Katherine, “Sweetie, you brought her to the best place. She’s in good hands now. You go home and I’ll make sure we call you with updates.”

  “Okay,” Katherine said, trying to compose herself. Getting into the Toyota, she sat for a few moments, dried her eyes, then switched on her portable GPS and requested a different route home. She didn’t relish passing the horrible car crash again. She left the vet’s office and drove a normal speed home.

  As she walked up the front sidewalk, she could see Scout, sitting tall in the turret window, watching the sky. The wind had kicked up and a heavy rain started. Katherine sadly turned the key in the lock and tried to walk in. Iris was nervously pacing back and forth in the front of the door. “You’ve got to move from the door, Iris. I can’t get in.” “Yowl,” the Siamese cried.

  “Where’s Lilac? Lilac, baby,” she called. Lilac trotted out of the living room and collapsed against Katherine’s legs. She picked her up. “Abby will be okay. We’ll wait to hear from Dr. Sonny,” she said in a soft voice. The Siamese began to purr so Katherine put her on her favorite cat bed. Abby’s best cat friend was exhausted from the ordeal, and lay on her side.

  Then a terrible thought came to Kat
herine. Oh, my God! What if the other cats ate that damned stuff? She began searching room-by-room for more signs of eucalyptus, and was relieved when she didn’t find any. In the kitchen, Katherine drew a pail of hot water and went into the living room to wash the rug where Abby had gotten sick. The very act of cleaning the rug made her cry. She dropped in the nearby chair and texted Colleen. “Not coming. Emergency. Abby at vet.” Katherine’s cell phone rang right away. It was Colleen.

  “Katz,” she said, worried. “What happened?”

  “These women from the historical society came over to welcome me to Erie. They brought me this hideous looking floral arrangement. They told me it was made of silk, and like an idiot I believed them.”

  “What does this have to do with Abby?” Colleen asked, trying to make sense of the conversation.

  “Abby destroyed the arrangement and ate these green stems that weren’t silk. It was eucalyptus.”

  “Eucalyptus?” Colleen said incredulously. “That’s what koala bears eat. Saw it on the Animal Planet.”

  “It can be toxic to other animals!”

  “Poisonous? Tell me true!” Colleen said, shocked.

  “Oh, the story gets richer. One of the women who brought the floral thing is seriously injured. On the way to the vet, I saw her car wrapped around a tree!”

  “That’s terrible.”

  “Colleen, it was Carol Lombard.”

  “The bed and breakfast woman?”

  “Yes! An hour ago, she came to my house.” Katherine quickly filled Colleen in on the details of the visit. “I told her I wasn’t interested in Mark, and she left.”

  “Does she get jealous of all Mark’s clients?”

  “She said they were getting engaged.”

  “This is awful, Katz, but what about Abby? Does the vet think she’ll make it?” Colleen asked, concerned.

  “It’s touch-and-go. If Abby ate a bunch of it, she could die,” Katherine said, beginning to cry. “I’m just so upset. I’m canceling my trip.”

  “I’m sorry, Katz,” Colleen comforted. “When Abby gets better you can fly out then.”