2 The Cats That Chased the Storm

by Karen Golden

  Katherine thought for a moment, then said, “Sort of.”

  “What does that mean?” he asked curiously.

  “I’ve fallen in love with the bungalow,” she confessed.

  “I was afraid of that. So, you’re not moving back in?”

  “I have no other choice. The terms of my great aunt’s will are quite clear, or so Mark Dunn reminds me. I have to live in the house for a year and take care of Abby. The Abby part is easy.”

  “Oh, really,” he said, amused. “What part of taking care of Abby has been easy?”

  “I must admit she’s a magnet for danger.”

  “You only have to live in the premier house of Erie for a year –”

  “Actually, eight more months,” Katherine interjected.

  “So, you have eight months to decide if you’re going to stay in the house, stay in Erie, or move somewhere else,” he said, then added, “I vote you stay in Erie!”

  Katherine affectionately pinched him on the arm and said, “I admire the house. I love the original details and the furniture. Margie’s design of the kitchen belongs on HGTV. I love the modern look.”

  “Here’s some good news. We should be finished with the classroom in a month,” Jake pointed out.

  “I can’t wait to begin teaching classes,” Katherine said cheerfully. “But the pink mansion . . .” she hesitated, “kind of creeps me out.”

  “Because of the way Gary died?” Jake asked gently.

  “Among other things. I’m afraid I’ll go down in Erie history as the woman who lived in the murder house,” she admitted. “The cats seem to be spooked in certain rooms.”

  “Cats are sensitive creatures. Do you think the mansion is haunted?”

  “Ma-waugh,” Scout commented.

  Jake and Katherine laughed.

  “I think Scout just answered your question,” Katherine said, turning in her seat to check on Scout, who had finally quieted down.

  They rode in silence for a few miles, then Jake asked, “Have you ever been to Chicago?”

  “This is my first time. Have you ever been to the Amberson Hotel?”

  “Actually, I have,” he said with interest. “It’s a historic hotel with the most spectacular interior details and ceiling paintings. The main lobby is huge. When I went to graduate school, I used to go there after classes, find a cozy chair, and read a book.”

  “That’s where the magician is staying for a week. Monica said he left tickets for us to see the show at the front desk. Oh, and back stage passes for the intermission. How cool is that?” she said animatedly.

  “So, the show’s at the hotel?” Jake asked.

  Katherine nodded, and then asked, “I’ve been meaning to ask you. Why didn’t you go to the school in Indiana?”

  Jake answered, “When I applied to the University of Chicago, I asked for financial aid. Then, I found out I qualified for an academic scholarship. The rest is history!”

  Katherine smiled. “I can’t wait to meet you know who,” she said, not wanting Scout to hear her sister’s name and launch into another barrage of loud shrieking.

  Jake passed a slow-moving farm vehicle, then asked, “Do you think they’ll recognize each other? I mean, how long has it been?”

  “About five years. Oh, I think they will,” Katherine said, then gasped. Pointing out the windshield, she asked, “What are those?”

  Jake explained. “Those are wind turbines. We’re getting close to Kentland. There are several wind farms here. You can see them from each side of the road.”

  “They look like something from the War of the Worlds!”

  “I think they’re about 300 feet tall, not for sure. You should have been here when they were built,” Jake said. “Semi-trucks with flatbeds brought them in piece-by-piece. Listen, I’ve been meaning to show you the windmills at my place. We’ll have a picnic or something,” he suggested.

  “Sounds like fun!” Changing the subject, she said, “Guess what I got in the mail today from Detective Martin?”

  “The suspense is killing me,” Jake kidded.

  “A report of the analysis of the DNA samples from the skeleton and Robert Colfax.”

  “And should there be a drum roll? Is he or is he not William Colfax?”

  “Well, it was a fascinating detailed report . . . ”

  “I beg you. Who was it?”

  “John Dillinger’s bodyguard,” she announced with a mischievous glint in her eye.”

  “What? No way!”

  “Just kidding,” Katherine added quickly, then in a more serious tone, “It was my great uncle.”

  “So, now’s what the theory of how he died?”

  “Waugh,” Scout said loudly, wanting to comment.

  “Like the detective said, some old drunk wandered from the speakeasy and died of alcohol poisoning. In this case, the old drunk was my great uncle!”

  “But why did he have the gold coins in his hand?”

  “Maybe he was out of mason jars!” she snickered.

  Jake laughed.

  “Seriously, I want to believe my great aunt knew nothing of his habits next door.”

  “What about the brick wall? Do you think we’ll ever find out if it was built before or after William died?”

  “I suspect my great uncle had that wall built before Orvenia arrived on the scene. He didn’t have to use the tunnel anymore because he owned the yellow brick house. He could go over there anytime he wished, and my great aunt wouldn’t have been the wiser.”

  “So what happens now? Are you going to have a service at the mausoleum?”

  “I talked to Detective Martin. She said she’d let me know when the funeral home can pick up my great uncle’s remains. I’m curious to meet the grandson. Maybe he deserves more of the Colfax pie than what he received from my great aunt’s will.”

  “You’re a good soul!” Jake commented. “I’m glad the cold case is closed,” he added.

  “Ma-waugh,” Scout agreed.

  “And Scout seconds it!”

  Jake and Katherine arrived in Chicago and parked in the underground hotel parking lot. Katherine had booked two separate rooms in the pet-friendly Amberson Hotel. Jake helped Katherine carry Scout inside the hotel lobby. Glancing at the frescoed ceiling, Katherine could not believe the grandeur of the hotel. “Jake, you’re right! This is incredible!” Then Katherine noticed Scout was unusually quiet.

  “Wait, something’s not right here,” Katherine said to Jake, worried. She knelt down and peered in the cage. Scout was sitting like a sphinx with her blue sapphire eyes crossed. “Scout, really, the lunatic crossed-eye trick?”

  Scout blinked her eyes admiringly.

  Once they were in their rooms, Katherine arranged a comfortable spot on the bed for Scout, but the Siamese was too busy to notice. She was on a reconnaissance mission to check out the perimeter of the room.

  There was a light tap on the door; it was Jake.

  “See you later, Scout,” Katherine said, leaving the room. She hung the Do Not Disturb card on the door handle.

  Jake asked, “So what’s the plan later with the Hocus Pocus man?”

  “I thought I would sweetly ask Harry if Scout and Abra could be together for a few moments after the show. I think this would be wonderful for Scout’s morale. These past few months have really been stressful on her.”

  “You, as well,” Jake added.

  Later Jake took Katherine to nearby pizza place and introduced her to true Chicago deep-dish pizza.

  “It’s delicious,” Katherine said, licking her lips. A drop of pasta sauce fell on her white blouse. “Great,” she said, dapping her cotton napkin into her glass of water and dabbing the stain.

  Jake laughed. “I guess we should have worn our Erie Hotel bibs.”

  “I think I have some in my purse,” she teased. “I had a favorite pizza place in New York. It was on 42nd and 5th. Pizza by the slice. Only New York pizza is much thinner. It’s easier to eat; you just fold it over.”

&nb
sp; “You may find this hard to believe, but I’ve been to New York.”

  “Really?” she asked, amazed.

  They shared New York experiences until it was time to leave the restaurant and head over to the Harry Hocus Pocus show. They picked up their tickets, then read the nearby sign for the show. “Abra – the amazing Siamese – appears for the first time since her mysterious disappearance.”

  “That should spark interest,” Katherine observed. “I just hope Abra feels the same way.”

  “I was thinking that,” Jake said. “Maybe it’s too soon for her to perform in front of a live audience.”

  They headed for the hotel auditorium, which was lavishly decorated with gold damask walls, gilded moldings, and a large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Rows of burgundy velvet chairs bordered a center aisle. The heavy stage curtains were closed. On the gleaming stage were several of Harry’s various props. Three young men dressed in tuxedos passed out the playbill. The room was already crowded with people talking and laughing loudly.

  One of the young men looked at Katherine’s ticket. “You’re up front. Harry wanted me to tell you that during the intermission, I’ll come over and take you back stage,” he said.

  “Perfect,” Katherine said.

  Jake took her arm and escorted her to her seat. He sat down next to her. A picture of a seal-point Siamese graced the front cover of the playbill.

  “Ah,” Katherine cooed. “She looks just like Scout, but she’s too skinny.”

  The lights dimmed and the Harry Hocus Pocus show began. Harry opened with the straitjacket act, followed by an array of other amazing tricks. After the levitation of one of the audience volunteers, the curtains closed dramatically, then swept open revealing a tall, svelte Siamese sitting on a stool. The audience went wild with cooing and aah-ing. Abra belted out a loud raaww.

  Katherine leaned into Jake and whispered, “Did she just say raw?”

  Harry boomed to the audience, “Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to introduce you to the amazing Abra.” A round of loud applause didn’t seem to faze the Siamese.

  Abra performed several tricks. One of them was answering a telephone. “Scout does this,” Katherine proudly whispered to Jake. Katherine’s favorite was Abra riding on Harry’s shoulders while stage smoke mysteriously came out of her ears. Abra was in her element and not missing a cue. She was poised and confident, doing an outstanding cat job, when someone’s cell phone rang loudly in the audience. The ringtone sounded like a flock of angry Canadian geese in an echo chamber. Abra immediately flew off Harry’s shoulders, sprang from the stage with her front paws held out like Superman. She began leaping on people’s shoulders, moving like a deranged monkey, from shoulder-to-shoulder in search of the cell phone.

  Members of the audience began to scream, while others laughed.

  “Get that cat,” Harry shouted to the stagehands. Two men rushed off the stage and into the audience, trying to catch the frenzied Siamese.

  A woman in row five screamed, “My hair! My hair!” She held up a shaggy hair extension. A man nearby shouted, “Hey, watch out!” Another woman yelled, “Ouch! That hurt!” Abra pounced on the annoying cell phone, yanked it out of the user’s hand, then using the center carpeted aisle, raced back to the stage. She then dropped the phone obediently in front of Harry. As the curtains closed, the audience could see Harry snatching the improvising cat around the middle. The audience went wild with laughter.

  A woman close to Katherine stood up, clapping, “That was the best part of the show! Bravo! Bravo!”

  Katherine and Jake bolted out of their seats and sprinted to the stage door. One of the frazzled stagehands held a cat carrier in his hand. Katherine flashed her back stage pass to him. “This way,” he directed.

  The stagehand went over to Harry and set the carrier down. The magician was furious. He brusquely put Abra in the carrier. Abra cried loudly inside, shifting back and forth.

  Katherine ran over. “Hey, be careful with her.”

  Harry glared at Katherine, “Are you that woman who has Cadabra?”

  “Yes,” Katherine said abruptly, hand held on her hip defensively.

  “Well,” he shouted. “Now you can have her sister! Just take her!” Then he yelled at the stagehand, “Get the cell phone off the damned stage and return it to the idiot who didn’t turn it off during the performance!” Stomping into his dressing room, Harry slammed the door.

  “Jerk,” Katherine yelled after him. Looking inside the carrier at the agitated feline, Katherine said, “Sweet girl. Are you okay?” “Raw,” Abra whined.

  Rushing in, the manager began pounding on Harry’s door, “Open up!” he demanded. “The audience is going nuts. They love it! They absolutely love it!”

  Jake said hastily, “Let’s get out of here before that moron realizes Abra stole the show and he wants to keep her.”

  Grabbing the cat carrier, the two quickly left with the incredible show cat Abra still whining inside. Rushing to the elevator, they rode up to their floor. Hurrying to Katherine’s room, she slid the key card in the lock and opened the door. Scout was sitting up in bed, stretching to her full length, obviously having just awakened from a nap. “Waugh,” she yawned. Abra yowled a loud “raw” inside the carrier. Scout’s ears quickly swiveled forward in recognition.

  Katherine opened the carrier and Abra launched out. She joined Scout on the bed, then collapsed against her. Scout began licking Abra’s wedge-shaped face with her delicate pink tongue.

  Jake said with eyes wide open, “That’s amazing! They remember each other!”

  Katherine wiped a tear from her eye. “Yes, amazing. I feel like my cat family is complete.”

  Jake took Katherine’s face in his hands and kissed her on the nose. “Congratulations! Should I bust out a cigar? Oh, by the way, you can’t keep that name. It sounds too much like Abby. What’s it going to be?”

  Katherine beamed. “Let’s buy a baby book of names and pick one out together.”

  Jake grinned ear-to-ear, “Deal!”

  The End

  Dear Reader…

  Thank you so much for reading my book. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. If you liked The Cats that Chased the Storm, I would appreciate it if you help others enjoy this book, too, by recommending it to your friends, family and book clubs, and/or by writing a positive review on Amazon or Goodreads.

  If you’d like to email me about what you’d like to see in the next book, or just talk about your favorite scenes and characters, email me at: karenannegolden@gmail.com

  Amazon author page: http://amzn.com/e/B00H3KTH8Q

  My Facebook author page is: https://www.facebook.com/karenannegolden

  Be looking for the third book of the series, The Cats that Told a Fortune, late summer 2014. If you haven’t read the first book, The Cats that Surfed the Web, you can download the Kindle or paperback version on Amazon at: http://amzn.com/B00H2862YG

  Thanks again!

  Karen Anne Golden

  P.S. If you find a mistake, please email me. Before publication, so many read the novel, but sometimes in the conversion process, gremlins eat punctuation!