A Case Full of Cats

by Donna Doyle

  “There’s no real evidence to go on, I’m afraid,” he said in his typical gloomy voice. “The best I can do is make an official report about the collar, just in case it shows up somewhere. We can check to see if any of the other nearby businesses have cameras up and might’ve caught anything suspicious. You do have some gaps, you know.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Fletcher shrugged. “Your security cameras really only cover the doors. If there was anything else that happened, like a window opening, then you wouldn’t know.”

  “I see. That’s something else I’ll need to take care of,” Courtney sighed. Between the missing collar and the plumbing problems at the depot, it felt like someone was trying to sabotage the fundraiser.

  Chapter Six

  When Courtney went to work the next day, she’d hardly slept at all. The short burst of sleep she did get was filled with images of the missing diamond collar. Her stomach was constantly in knots over it. How could she tell Mrs. Throgmorton, who was putting so much time and effort into helping the shelter? Granted, the woman had tons of money, and if she could simply throw it in her purse and hand it over so casually, then it must not mean a lot to her. But Courtney didn’t want to risk letting her down, or worse, making Mrs. Throgmorton pull out of the fundraiser completely.

  She was doing her best to just get through the day when the phone rang. “Good morning. Curly Bay Pet Hotel and Rescue. This is Courtney. How can I help you?” She prided herself on the way they answered the phone these days. When she’d first taken up the position as manager, the greeting was usually a simple hello.

  “Hi.” The voice on the other end was distant and crackly. “I know this is a long shot, but I’m looking for my cat. He’s a black and white tuxedo.”

  “We do have a cat that fits that description. He just came in a few days ago,” Courtney replied as she tucked the phone against her shoulder and headed toward the cat room on the shelter side. She knew there were plenty of male tuxedos in the world, so she didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up. “Does he have any other defining characteristics?”

  A crackle came through the line, obscuring anything the woman was saying. “I’m sorry. What was that?”

  “He has a little-”

  The static was bad enough that Courtney held the phone away from her ear. “You might want to call me back. I can’t hear anything you’re saying.”

  More static. “-take a few days-”

  “If you can hear me, we’re open until six.” The line went dead, and Courtney hung up. She pushed her fingers through the bars of Ritz’s cage. “I’m sorry, buddy. If there’s someone out there looking for you, then I hope she calls back.”

  Ritz, seemingly oblivious, rubbed his chin vigorously against her knuckle.

  “At least you don’t seem to mind the shelter life too much. And even if that wasn’t your owner on the phone, I have no doubt you’ll find someone who wants to be.” She gave him one last ear scratch before she headed back toward the office.

  “There’s someone at the front desk you might want to talk to,” Dora said, stopping her from sitting down. “He says he’s from the city.”

  “Hmm,” Courtney frowned. “Maybe they’ve heard about the fundraiser and they have something to donate for the silent auction.”

  But the slim man who frowned at her from the other side of the front counter didn’t exactly look enthusiastic about being there. He held a clipboard clamped underneath one arm.

  “Hi, I’m Courtney. Is there something I can do for you?”

  “You the manager?” His frown deepened a little.

  “Yes. Courtney Cain.” She held out her hand.

  He ignored it, instead handing over a business card between two fingers. “Stewart Bircham, code enforcement. I see you still have some damage from last weekend’s storm.”

  There was something about the way he talked that Courtney simply didn’t like. Part of it was that he made it sound as though the storm had happened weeks ago, when it was really only a few days. Still, there was no denying the giant blue tarp stretching over one end of the roof. “Yes?”

  “I need to take a look at it, please.”

  She blew a breath through her lips, thinking about putting him off. She could always say she needed the owner’s permission. Ms. O’Donnell was taking care of a sick relative, and there was no telling when she’d get around to coming in. The deepening lines around Mr. Bircham’s mouth made her decide it was easier and quicker to just get this over with so she could move on to more important things, like figuring out where the diamond collar had gone.

  She opened the gate. “You can come on back and I’ll show you. There’s a little bit on the outside, but you can’t see it without taking the tarp off. Mark Cooper helped us out with that.” She smiled in an effort to be friendly.

  It had zero effect on Mr. Bircham. “That’s nice of him, but I just may have to do that.”

  “Why?” Courtney opened the door. The dogs immediately trotted to the fronts of their cages, looking for love and a chance at a home. Courtney was pretty sure they weren’t going to have any luck with the code enforcement officer.

  Completely ignoring the dogs, Mr. Bircham strode to the other end of the room. He braced his fists on his hips as he squinted up at the hole in the ceiling and let out a low whistle. “That’s not good. Not good at all.”

  Courtney was well aware of this, and in fact was so aware that she was tired of talking about it. “I know. That’s why I had Cooper’s Construction come out here and give us a bid. The price is pretty steep, though.”

  Mr. Bircham took his clipboard from under his arm and began taking notes. His pen moved like lightning across the paper. “Tree?”

  “Hmm? Oh, yes. It was a tree.” Courtney distracted herself by rubbing Beau’s nose through the chain link.

  “And you have customers come in here?” He gestured around the room with his pencil.

  Courtney realized this was far more than a simple survey of local natural disasters. “Well, normally we do. Coming back to meet the cats and dogs is the only way people will know if a pet is the right one for them. Ever since this happened, we’ve had to drastically reduce everything that happens around here. Most of the animals had to be moved to the other side, which is the hotel. No customers have been over here.”

  He shook his head as he started scribbling again. “What about that room over there? Can I see if there’s any damage?”

  “Sure.” Courtney knew the cat room was fine, and so she brought him there. “It’s fine, but we haven’t had anyone in here, either. In fact, I turned away a gentleman just recently who wanted to adopt a cat.” She had only turned him away because she was freaking out over the missing collar, but still.

  Mr. Bircham had nothing for her but head shakes and frowns as he tapped his pen on the side of the clipboard. “I’m afraid it just won’t do. There’s a chance this whole end of the building could collapse if we got another good storm, or if it’s more damaged than I can see. We can’t let you endanger people’s lives by letting them in here.”

  Courtney nodded. “I understand. I’ll just tell potential adopters to look at the animals on our website, and I’ll bring them out to the lobby.”

  “No, no.” More shakes of the head from Mr. Bircham. “You can’t be in here, either. Neither should the dogs, if the animal welfare folks have anything to do with it. The whole place has to be shut down. Find some other place for these animals and lock the doors until you get that roof fixed. Curly Bay is cracking down on anything that might be unsafe for its citizens.”

  “You can’t be serious! What would we do with all of them?” She gestured helplessly at the dogs. “People don’t just take them in, or else they wouldn’t be here in the first place.”

  Courtney pressed her hands to her cheeks. Why was all this happening? “Please, Mr. Bircham. We’re a rescue. We’re trying to keep pets out of the pound and off the streets. We’re having a fundraiser in a week so that we
can get the repairs done. What if I just get these few dogs out of this room and then lock only this door? That way we don’t have to displace every single pet, and I still won’t allow any customers past the front counter.”

  He squinted at her, looking like he was about to list off a series of ordinances she was violating by even suggesting such a thing. “Most people would claim they were trying to fix a problem and never get around to it, which is why I wouldn’t normally allow such a thing. But I know you folks are trying to do a good thing here. I’ll allow it, but I’ll only give you twenty-four hours to get these dogs out and the door completely locked. Clear?”

  “Yes. Absolutely. Understood.” A bead of sweat trickled down her temple as she walked with him back to the front. The hotel would be packed to the gills, and she might have to find a few volunteers to foster any pups that wouldn’t fit. “I really appreciate it.”

  “Well, just don’t tell anyone or else they’ll all expect the same treatment. You’ll be getting a letter from the city to explain everything officially.” Without another word, he turned around and left.

  Courtney jumped when the phone rang. It’d been a crazy day already. She answered quickly, wondering if it would be the woman looking for the tuxedo again. It wasn’t.

  “Hi, this is Melissa from Retro Resurgence. Mrs. Throgmorton had left your number with me.”

  Courtney frowned, confused at first. “Oh, the band! Right. What can I do for you?” She was afraid of the answers, as nothing seemed to be going her way lately.

  “I’m sorry to say that our singer has come down with laryngitis.”

  Was it unprofessional to bang her head on the desk? Courtney looked around for her favorite pen so she could take notes, but it was nowhere to be seen. “I understand. So, you won’t be able to do the fundraiser?”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “You wouldn’t happen to know of another band that’s available, would you?” Courtney made a mental note to check in with Mrs. Throgmorton soon. She’d been avoiding it ever since she’d found out the collar was missing. Thinking of that reminded her that she hadn’t had a chance to look for it again that day, and she let out a frustrated sigh.

  “I do, but they’re a metal band. I don’t think that’s quite what you’re looking for.”

  “No, not really. Thanks for letting me know.” The phone rang again as soon as she hung up and Courtney was beginning to wish the phone had never been invented. She could hear the curtness in her voice as she rattled off her greeting.

  “Hey, it’s Lisa.”

  “Oh, hey!” At least it wasn’t another cancellation. “Was I supposed to meet you today?”

  “We didn’t have any definite plans. I just thought I’d check in with you after the way things had gone the other day.”

  She was referring to the collar, Courtney knew. “Nothing’s changed on that front, and everything else has only gotten worse.”

  “Anything I can do?”

  Courtney started to shake her head, but then she changed her mind. It’d always been her habit to have an I’ll-take-care-of-it-myself attitude, but she really did need help. “You don’t know anyone who’d be willing to foster a dog, do you? I’ve got five I have to get out of here, or else the city is going to shut me down.”

  “I’ll do it,” Lisa answered immediately.

  “Really?”

  “Sure. I mean, I can only take one of them. I’d be happy to spread the word at the library and help you find a spot for the rest of them.”

  For the first time that day, or maybe even in a few days, Courtney’s heart felt light. “That’s so great! Thank you so much! Come by when you get off work and you can pick out your foster baby!”

  “I don’t get off until six,” Lisa replied.

  “I’ll happily stay open late.” She hung up, hoping this was a sign that everything would soon balance out.

  Chapter Seven

  Struggling to get in the door with the box in her hands, Courtney decided another upgrade they couldn’t afford for the Curly Bay Pet Hotel and Rescue was an automatic door. She was eager enough to get inside and open the box that she quickly forgot her troubles with the door.

  Jessi was already there, leaning against the counter and staring at her phone with wide eyes.

  “Is everything okay?” Courtney asked.

  “Sshh! Listen!” Jessi tipped the phone so that her boss could see the screen.

  It was the local news report. “Burglaries continue to surge throughout Curly Bay,” the anchor drone. “Police say there doesn’t seem to be a particular pattern, which is going to make the perpetrator even harder to catch. One report suggests that this may be the same burglar who shook up Ruby Cove with a massive string of burglaries just last summer. The police say they are getting closer to finding the culprit, but they won’t release any details of the investigation just yet. Now on to the weather.”

  Jessi turned off the screen and shook her head. “This is scary! There never used to be anything like this in Curly Bay. It’s the sort of town where people don’t lock their doors or cars at night because they know it’s safe.”

  Courtney pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. When she lived in the city, she wouldn’t have dared to do such a thing. “Locks are just there to keep honest people honest. Those who want to get in badly enough are going to do it anyway, which is exactly why I bought these.” She fished a pair of scissors out of the drawer and opened the top of the box.

  “What are these little gadgets?” Jessi reached inside and pulled one out, turning it over in her hands. “Oh, security cameras! They certainly don’t look like the ones on the outside of the building.”

  “No, those are far more expensive. I still hadn’t gotten a call back from Hinkle’s yet, so I took Mark Cooper’s advice and just bought some online. There’s no professional monitoring, but I can check them from my phone, and we can all review the footage on the computers here in the office. It’s better than nothing.”

  “I thought we had to wait until the fundraiser to do any big purchases like this. Did you finally get a hold of Ms. O’Donnell?” Jessi unpacked a few more cameras, along with an instruction booklet.

  Courtney pulled a face, hoping that once she did inform the owner she wouldn’t be in too much trouble. “No. I bought these with my own money. I’ve had several more instances of animals getting out of their cages when we’re not here, and I saw a car speeding away one morning. You put the missing collar on top of that, and I’m not willing to wait any longer.”

  “Looks like they’re pretty easy to put up.” Jessi skimmed through the instruction booklet. “They’re so small that we can just stick them up with adhesive or use a small screw. I think we can handle that.”

  “I take it that means you’ll help?” Courtney asked hopefully. “I’ve got several people coming in to pick up foster dogs today, thanks to Lisa, so it’s going to be another busy one.”

  “That’s all they ever are around here,” Jessi commented as she pulled a step ladder out of the supply closet. “Don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot I like about my work. But it just infuriates me that people will leave these animals on the streets or in abandoned homes, not caring what happens to them. Even the ones who at least make the effort to bring them to a shelter make me angry, since so many times it’s that they’re moving, or they just don’t want a cat anymore, or they didn’t bother to train their dog, and now they’re mad that it chews the furniture.” She snapped the ladder open with a bang.

  “I know it’s rough, but at least we know we’re making a difference.” Courtney stepped up on the ladder and held a camera to the wall, pointing at the door to the cat room. “What do you think?”

  “I think we should put it at the other end of the hall, and that way it’ll cover both doors. We might not be able to use the dog room right now, but eventually we will.” Jessi held the ladder steady as Courtney climbed down. “And you’re right. We’re making a difference, but is it enough? It�
�s not as though the world is running out of strays.”

  “That’s true,” Courtney agreed. “I think part of the problem is that it takes so much money to get them all cared for. We not only have the cost of veterinary care, but the building itself. I guess I’ll have to put a bug in Mrs. Throgmorton’s ear about hosting a fundraiser more often if this one is successful.” She held the camera up on the wall and checked the positioning before fixing it into place.

  “That’s another thing that really gets my goat,” Jessi groused. “We’ve got all these people like the Throgmortons who will come to this fundraiser just so they can brag about how they helped all the poor animals, when the real reason they’re coming is to rub elbows and be seen by the other socially elite. They’ve got the money. They know there’s a problem here. Why should we have to bribe them into donating?”

  Courtney climbed back down the ladder and frowned. “That’s a good point. I’m not sure people really do know. I mean, they know, but it’s not something that’s put right in front of their faces every day. Maybe we need to do more to get out in the community.”

  Jessi opened her mouth as though she was going to argue, but then she closed it again. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. We’re sitting here on the edge of town, and it’s mostly the hotel and spa guests who know about us. A few of them will take in a rescue, but most of the time they’re looking for purebreds. Maybe that’s something we can work on.”

  “As soon as we get past this fundraiser, absolutely,” Courtney promised. “I’m going to download the app for this security system really quick and see if we can get the camera to link up to it. That way we can make sure it’s in the right position before we put up the rest.”

  “And speaking of security, I take it we still don’t have any leads on the diamond collar?” Jessi asked.