2 The Cats That Chased the Storm

by Karen Golden

Chief London’s cruiser pulled in front and he jumped out. Rushing in, he said, “I’ve beat you to the punch!”

  Katherine and Jake exchanged curious glances.

  “Beatrice Baker’s Crown Victoria has a serious dent on the front bumper with multiple paint scratches. Detective Martin rushed a paint sample to the state lab. They matched the body paint on Carol Lombard’s car.”

  “Beatrice did it!” Katherine said. “I knew it!”

  “Well, let me finish, hot shot,” the chief barked. “We got a warrant and searched her house. Her husband, Frank, threw a punch at Officer Glover, so we arrested him. We found the missing two boxes of documents you told me about, including the TV Guides. I picked up one about Star Trek, and a bunch of twenties fell out. Did you know that crazy Orvenia put twenty dollar bills in-between the pages? There’s got to be thousands of dollars in that box.”

  “Maybe I should be more observant the next time I go through her stuff.”

  “Also, we found more of the gold coins the CSI unit found. I’m bankin’ they came straight from the pink mansion.”

  “She’s probably the one who ransacked my bedroom months ago.”

  “I’d say Beatrice and her husband did it. I can’t see her doing anything on her own,” the chief said sarcastically.

  Jake asked, “Are you sure Beatrice did the actual crime? That woman drives like a turtle.”

  “Not saying she did. She’s an accomplice at the very least. We’re charging Frank with criminal recklessness with a motor vehicle, and vehicular homicide. My instinct tells me he was the one driving the car that pushed Carol off the road. I’m headed to the library now to pick up Beatrice for questioning.”

  “Why would they want to kill Carol? What was their motive?” Katherine asked curiously.

  “Without a confession, I don’t know. But, most likely, the motive was good old-fashioned greed. Maybe sharing wasn’t one of their things. So, are we good here? I’ve got things to do,” he said dismissively.

  “Yes, thanks!” Katherine said. Grabbing Jake’s arm, she said, “Right about now, I could use a piece of pie.”

  Jake said, moving to the door, “Last one to the Jeep pays the bill!”

  * * *

  Later that afternoon, Jake called his professor friend at the university. He asked his friend whether he wanted to have some fun with the new metal detector the department bought. In less than an hour, Professor Wayne Watson arrived at the pink mansion carrying a Makro CF77 metal detector designed to find coins.

  “We really appreciate your coming on such short notice,” Jake said, opening the door. “How ya doin’, buddy?”

  Wayne was tall – a dead ringer for Buddy Holly, complete with the thick, black-framed glasses. He smiled. “Well, I’ve been told in no uncertain terms if I don’t use this gizmo, I lose it. You must be Katherine,” he said, extending his hand.

  “Dr. Watson, I presume,” she joked.

  “Good one,” he laughed. “You can call me Wayne.”

  “I have one of my cats here. She made such a fuss at the bungalow, I brought her over here. Will it be too loud? I don’t want the noise to freak her out,” she said, concerned about Scout’s hearing.

  “Oh, it’s not noisy at all. It’s designed to give a series of beeps when the object is found. But, I’ve got to warn you. This machine works better outside. Quite frankly, I’ve never used it inside a house. Lead the way,” he said to Jake.

  “Okay, for starters let’s work from the ground floor up. I’ll show you the basement,” Jake directed.

  “I’ll join you in a moment. I need to find Scout,” Katherine said.

  While the two men headed to the basement, the house phone rang. Katherine picked it up on the second ring. Scout bounded down the stairs and leaped up next to the phone. She sat on her haunches, tucking her feet underneath her. Katherine answered, “Hello.”

  “Katz, it’s Monica. Thank you for releasing your interest in Gary’s life insurance policy. Your attorney sent me an authorized form.”

  “You’re welcome,” Katherine answered.

  Monica continued. “We’re putting the money into a trust for Gary’s two nephews – a college fund.”

  “That’s an excellent idea,” Katherine agreed.

  “But that isn’t the main reason why I’ve called,” Monica said enthusiastically. “Brace yourself. Uncle Harry is driving out to Long Island this very minute to pick up Abra.”

  Katherine collapsed in a nearby chair. Scout began crying excitedly. “Start from the beginning,” she said, shocked, and to Scout, “Shhh, I can’t hear, baby.”

  “Some idiot left Abra at the animal shelter. She had a microchip ID implant. The shelter scanned it, then called Uncle Harry . . .”

  “Is she all right? Sick? Injured?” Katherine asked in rapid succession.

  “This I don’t know, but he asked me to call you. He’s going to re-train her and use her in his Hocus Pocus act again.”

  “Hang on a second. Scout, Abra has been found. She’s okay!” Scout nuzzled her hand and waughed loudly in approval. Katherine said to Monica, “This news makes my day!”

  “Uncle Harry is going to be in Chicago in June. He wants you to come and see the show,” she gushed.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “I’ll let you know when!”

  “Thank you, and hugs!” Katherine said, hanging up. She picked up Scout and held her close. “This is unbelievable. Abra’s okay.”

  “Waugh,” Scout cried with joy. She head-butted Katherine’s forehead and purred noisily.

  Jake came up from the basement and walked into the room. “You two look very happy,” he observed.

  “I just got the best news. Scout’s sister has been found. We get to see her in Chicago. Would you like to go?” she asked eagerly.

  “I’d love to,” he smiled, “but in time you’ll have to explain to me how your cat’s sister got lost.”

  Katherine nodded. “Can you do me a favor?” she asked. “Can you show Wayne the attic. I’m taking Scout to the bungalow. I think she’s over-excited and needs to be with the other cats.”

  “Sure.”

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” Katherine said, picking up Scout. The excited Siamese clung to Katherine as they walked out the door to the rented SUV.

  After taking Scout home, it took more than a few minutes to return. As soon as Scout was in the door, she initiated a steeplechase race that went on and on. Katherine had never imagined a cat could be so visibly happy, but Scout was elated. The other cats sensed her joy and became playful as well. Returning to the pink mansion, Katherine found Jake and Professor Watson in the attic. The metal detector was silent.

  Jake shook his head. “Haven’t found anything of interest. Some rusty nails. An old closet hook.”

  Wayne turned off the machine. “Sorry. Not finding anything up here either. Like I said, this machine is designed to be used outside.”

  Katherine was disappointed. “I was sure we’d find a stash of gold coins.”

  Wayne explained, “From my experience, most treasures are buried. There’s truth in that old wives’ tale about burying your fortune in the back yard. I could come back and scan the property.”

  “Wait, just a minute,” Jake said avidly. “Do you have time to do a scan of a cemetery plot?”

  “Sure. My car or yours?”

  “Yours. My Jeep is a two-seater, unless you want to drive,” he said to Katherine.

  “It would be easier if it were my car,” Wayne said. “I can put my detector in its case.”

  Katherine said to Jake, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  He nodded.

  “Where are we going?” Wayne asked.

  “To the Ethel cemetery. Once we get in the car, I’ll tell you how to get there.”

  Jake and Wayne climbed in front, and Katherine sat in back. Before she could sit down, she had to push aside countless fast food wrappers and containers. Wayne’s car was a mess. Several miles out
side of Erie, they arrived at a historic cemetery marked by a plaque from the National Register of Historic Places.

  “I remember this place now. This is where Victoria is buried,” Wayne said to Jake.

  Jake nodded. “The older graves are in the back. Drive down this service road, over the hill, then around the curve.”

  “What’s the name on the headstone?” Wayne asked.

  Katherine said, “Amanda Colfax. I don’t have a date.”

  “Let’s just get out and walk,” Jake suggested.

  Wayne stopped the car and the three climbed out. Carrying his metal detector, Wayne followed.

  “Hey, I found it,” Katherine said. “Well, I mean, I found a bunch of Colfax relatives, but I don’t see Amanda.”

  “Right here,” Jake said, pointing to a weathered gravestone with a cherub on top. “Born in 1912; died in 1929. Sound about right, Katz?”

  “Doing the math in my head, she was only seventeen years old,” Katherine said. “Mark said she died in a car accident.”

  Wayne turned on the detector and began making passes over the grave. He did it several times, before he said, “Nada.”

  Katherine said, “Why don’t you pass it behind the gravestone?”

  Wayne stepped past her. Immediately the detector started beeping. “Oh, yes, we’ve got something here. Jake, can you run back to the car and grab a shovel?”

  Jake darted to the car, brought back the shovel, and began digging. About a foot down, the shovel hit the top of something. Both men got down on their hands and knees and peered into the hole.

  “Wish I’d brought my trowel,” Wayne said. He used his hands to remove the soil around the object.

  “What is it?” Katherine said, straining to look past the two men.

  “Looks like an old time wire egg basket, but it’s heavily rusted,” Wayne said. He kept digging until he was able to lift out the basket. There was some kind of deteriorated cloth covering it, which he removed. Most of the fabric fell apart when exposed to air. Inside the wire basket was seven mason jars full of gold coins. When Jake opened one of the jars, the gold glistened in the fading sunlight.

  “Oh, my God,” Katherine exclaimed. “We found it! Woo hoo!”

  “Now what do we do?” Jake said. “Want a coin as a party favor?” he joked.

  “Not thinking so,” she said. “I’m excited because we found it. It’s tainted money from bootlegging. Let’s just pack it up and take to Mark. It’s part of my great aunt’s estate.”

  “In our excitement to find the treasure, we forgot one necessary thing,” Wayne advised.

  “What’s that?” Katherine asked.

  “We didn’t get permission.”

  “Oh,” she said, discouraged.

  “Who owns this property? Is it church-owned? Is it privately owned?” Wayne asked.

  Jake interrupted, “I know the answer to that. When I had my wife buried here, I had to get approval from the town of Erie. All I need to do is make a phone call,” he said, pulling out his cell. He punched in a number and said, “Chief London, this is Jake Cokenberger. I’m at the Ethel cemetery with a couple of friends. We need permission to use a metal detector. Okay, great.” Jake disconnected the call. “He gave us thumbs-up, but he’s coming out here.”

  “Why?” Katherine asked.

  Jake answered, “I don’t know if he was being nosy, or just helpful. He said he’d bring the form I need to sign.”

  “Well, while we’re waiting for the chief, why don’t I whip out Hewie and do the math,” Wayne said, extracting his Hewlett-Packard calculator from his T-shirt pocket.

  Katherine laughed, “Seriously, you named your calculator?”

  “Yep, this baby got me through graduate school. Now, what size jars are these?”

  Jake said, “I’d say pint-size.”

  “Okay, let’s say sixteen ounces. The jars are pretty full, but not to the top. Hand me one of those coins so I can guesstimate its size.”

  “I can do better than that. I printed this from the Internet,” Katherine said, pulling the folded page out of her bag and handing it to Wayne.

  Wayne scanned the article, then began plugging numbers in his calculator. He glanced up and said, “The article says that if in good condition, one coin is worth three hundred dollars.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Katherine agreed.

  Jake commented. “These look like they were minted yesterday!”

  Wayne finished his calculations. “Ready for the shock of your life?” he asked breathlessly. “You’ve got about a million bucks here!”

  A loud, sharp pop made Katherine jump.

  A gunshot hit Wayne in the arm. He crumpled to the ground immediately. Katherine screamed.

  Standing a few feet away, a previously unnoticed Beatrice held a handgun shakily. Peering over her glasses, she said, “Now the two of you back off. If you don’t, I’ll shoot you just like I shot him.”

  “Calm down, Biddy,” Jake said in a soothing voice. “Put the gun down. If it’s the money you want, just take it. I’ll help take it to your car.”

  “What kind of an idiot do you think I am?” she huffed. “No, you pick up the wire thingy and have that Colfax woman walk in front of you. Try anything funny and I’ll shoot you dead.” Aiming the gun at Katherine, Beatrice ordered, “Put your hands up where I can see them. Now move it.”

  Reaching down to pick up the basket, Jake deliberately knocked the open jar over. “Dammit,” he said. This distracted Beatrice enough so he could yank the detector off the ground. He hit her square in the head with it. She went down like a sack of potatoes. At exactly that moment, Chief London’s cruiser raced down the lane and abruptly stopped. He made a beeline for the group and hurriedly cuffed Beatrice before she had time to regain consciousness. Then he called dispatch for an ambulance.

  Jake was feeling his friend’s pulse, which was racing a mile a minute.

  Wayne came to and said, “What happened? Oh, yeah. I’ve been shot.”

  Chief London took a look and said, “Take your T-shirt off. I’ll see what I can do.”

  Wayne sat up and struggled to remove the shirt. His arm was bloody.

  “Good news,” the chief said. “You’ve just been grazed. We’ll have the paramedic fix you right up.”

  They could hear sirens getting closer. “What about her?” Katherine asked, nodding toward Beatrice.

  The chief said mischievously, “Well, I reckon she won’t be checking out any books today.”

  Jake helped Wayne to his feet.

  Wayne joked, “It’s been one helluva day. Got to use my new toy, found a treasure, got shot, passed out, and met some interesting people. Beats sittin’ on the couch!”

  “Glad you’re not hurt,” Katherine said.

  Jake added, “Glad Beatrice was a rotten shot!”

  Wayne pointed out, “If she shot my Hewie, I would have hit her myself!”

  “So there really was a treasure,” Chief London said, stooping down to look at the gold coins. He lifted one up. “1929.”

  Wayne commented, “I can’t imagine burying a fortune in mason jars!”

  Katherine said to the chief, “We’ve got to get a hold of Mark Dunn. This money belongs to my great aunt’s estate.”

  The chief added, “But one day, Ms. Kendall, that money will be yours.”

  Katherine said solemnly, “And I will make sure it helps the people in Erie.”

  Jake hugged Katherine, “You’re pretty amazing!”

  Officer Glover’s cruiser pulled up, along with an ambulance. Two paramedics rushed over. One cleaned Wayne’s wound and put a bandage on it. “You’re good to go,” he said. The other paramedic was tending the librarian. Beatrice was still passed out on the ground, but was coming to.

  Jake asked the chief, “Are we safe to drive this to Mark Dunn’s office? What if there are other Erie nutcases out there, ready to run us off the road like poor Carol?”

  “Not thinkin’ that’s a good idea. I’ll c
all the State Police to help us with this matter. I’ll also call Mark and have him meet them at the bank. I presume it’s the bank in his office building?”

  “Yes, it is. Chief, can we go now?” Katherine asked, exhausted from the confrontation.

  The chief nodded. “I can get your statements later. I’ll have Mark call you from the bank.”

  “Thanks,” Katherine said. Jake took Katherine by the arm and directed her to Wayne’s car.

  “Hey, man,” Jake said to Wayne. “I’ll drive.”

  “No argument here,” Wayne said, holding up his bandaged arm.

  As they drove closer to Erie, Katherine asked, “Can you drop me off at the bungalow?”

  In a few minutes, Jake parked in front. He walked Katherine to the door. Leaning over, he kissed her on the cheek.

  Katherine smiled and said, “I just want to warn you, my relationships with men don’t end well.”

  Jake’s eyes fixed on Katherine’s. “Well, maybe I can fix that. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He tipped his ball cap and left.

  She watched him climb back into Wayne’s car and drive down the tree-lined street. When she put the key in the lock, she saw Scout inside, standing tall on the front windowsill. The brown-masked feline was gazing up at the sky.

  Katherine talked to Scout through the window glass, “Next time when you warn me about a storm, give me a sign in advance about what kind of storm it’s going to be.”

  Chapter Ten

  Late June

  Katherine’s Subaru Outback turned onto the entrance ramp to northbound U.S. 41. Jake was behind the wheel. “What do you think of your new Sue-bee?” he asked Katherine, who was riding shotgun in the passenger seat.

  “I love my taupe Sue-bee. I’m so glad you suggested it,” she said, smiling.

  “You need all-wheel drive in Indiana, especially in the winter. Plus it’s got that handy-dandy seat in the back that pulls down. Perfect for cat carriers!” Jake stepped on the accelerator, which caused Scout to loudly “waugh” again for the fiftieth time since they left Erie.

  “Scout, please be quiet,” Katherine said in a gentle voice to the nervous feline. “We’re taking a road trip, sweetie. We’re going to Chicago!”

  Jake pulled onto the highway and said, “Are you excited about moving back into the pink mansion?”