Catnapped (A Klepto Cat Mystery)

by Fry, Patricia

  Margaret reached for a larger carrier and prepared it for the two new arrivals.

  “What darlings,” she cooed.

  After a several more trips to the barn, Michael said, “I think that’s it for now. How many is that, anyway?”

  “With these two, eleven,” Margaret said, amidst the sound of many meows in varying tones.

  “Wait, where’s Sally?” Savannah asked. “Has anyone seen Sally?” She peered into the carriers.

  “Oh yes, that poor cat. Let’s go in with flashlights and see if we can find her. She’s gotta be scared out of her wits,” Michael said.

  “What kind of cat are we looking for?” Max asked.

  “There’s a picture of her in the car somewhere. She’s a pastel calico with a lot of white.”

  After foraging around in the car, Max announced, “Here’s the picture.” He looked at it and then gasped, “Oh, God.”

  “What’s wrong?” Margaret asked.

  “I saw this cat. I don’t think she made it.”

  Michael felt sick. “Show me, Max.”

  In a few minutes, Savannah and Margaret heard Michael calling out, “Clear a space for me to work.” They looked up and saw him rushing toward them with a limp cat in his arms.

  Savannah pulled four carriers from the back of the car and set them on the ground out of the way. “You’ll be okay, kitties,” she purred to those in the carriers. She spread the sheet Michael had brought with him on the floor in the back of the SUV.

  “Savannah, keep an eye on her,” he said as he lay the cat down in front of her. She put her hands on Sally and felt a heart pumping faintly inside the quivering body. She pulled the sheet up over the cat and placed her hands around her gently to generate heat.

  “Let’s get some fluids into her pronto-quick,” Michael said. “She’s badly dehydrated.” Once he had given her as much as he thought she could handle, with Max holding the flashlight and Savannah managing the little cat, Michael gave her a couple of injections. “One for any possible swelling,” he said, “and one for pain. Savannah I’ll need you to hold her. Wrap that towel around her. We’ve gotta get her temperature up.”

  “Then we’re ready to go?” Max asked.

  Michael looked around. “Yes, I think so.”

  “Well, let’s see if we can stack some of these carriers to make room for all of us. Otherwise, animal control might have to take some of them to the clinic in their vehicles,” Max said.

  While Margaret sat in the front passenger seat, the others moved and stacked and shoved and figured until they were able to put the backseat in the SUV up for human passengers. There were two small carriers left over. “We can put them sideways on the seat next to us,” Michael said. He smiled over at Savannah. “If you don’t mind sitting close.”

  “I don’t mind at all,” she said with a flirtatious smile.

  Just then a uniformed sheriff’s deputy walked toward them. “When you’re finished there, folks, I’d like to ask you some questions.”

  “Oh gosh, the ladies have been through so much, can’t it wait? We have to get these cats to the clinic and look them over. Some will need treatment before we can call it a night. You understand, don’t you, Deputy?” Michael asked.

  “Sure. But I just need some basic information and statements now. We can finish up tomorrow after everyone’s rested. With both men dead, it isn’t like we need it for a trial. Just bookwork, you see.”

  “Okay,” Margaret said, sighing. “Let’s get this over with.”

  “I’m going to need from each of you a name, address, phone number where we can reach you, your association with either of the perps and…”

  “Perps?” Savannah asked.

  “Perpetrators—Mr. Bray and Mr. Forster.”

  “Oh.”

  “And I want to know what happened this evening. How did you ladies come to be out here when we arrived for the raid?”

  Margaret and Savannah gave the short version, contact information was exchanged all around and soon the foursome was on its way home.

  “Savannah,” Margaret said amidst the sounds of cats howling and mewing and trying to claw their way out of the carriers.

  “What, Auntie?”

  “You will really have stories to tell when you get back home. Your mother is going to absolutely freak. And what will you tell your coworkers when you return to work? I’ll bet they’ve never been involved in a cat rescue quite like this one.”

  “You’ve got that right, Auntie,” Savannah said while looking out the window into the darkness. “This wasn’t the quiet respite I was hoping for. Way too much excitement. But,” she said, glancing up at the man who was holding her in his arms in the backseat, “some of it pleasant excitement.”

  “I’m trying to get Savannah to stay,” Michael said, looking down at the cat she held in her lap.

  “What?” Margaret craned her neck as far as she could.

  “I can’t,” she said. “Not right now.”

  Margaret turned on the dome light so she could see Michael’s face. “What’s going on, Michael?”

  “I want Savannah to come to work for me,” he said. And then he added, “As a partner in my practice.”

  Margaret looked back and forth between the two. “Holy cow! You’re serious. But how do you know if she’s…” She hesitated.

  “Whether she’s a good vet?” he finished.

  “Well, yes,” she said.

  “Auntie, have you no confidence?” Savannah asked feigning indignation.

  “Cool down, ladies,” Michael prompted. “With Savannah’s permission, I spoke with her employer, Dr. Mason and I had her school records faxed to the office. This woman,” he said looking over at her adoringly, “is an amazing veterinarian. Top of her class—vital in Mason’s practice, which is one of the leading hospitals in California. In fact, he was going to ask her to hire on as a veterinarian as soon as she got back.” He hesitated, cleared his throat and said, “But he can’t offer her what I can.”

  Savannah pulled away to look at him. She and Margaret said in unison, “What?”

  “Marriage.” As soon as he said it, he wished he hadn’t. He could feel Savannah’s body stiffen against him. He knew he was premature in his exuberance.

  Savannah rode silently the rest of the way home. She kept her eyes on the limp cat she held to her chest, her head filled with thoughts—conflicting thoughts. Marriage. That was an out-of-the-blue surprise. I mean, I think I love Michael and all, but marriage? Not now. Not yet. Can I ever do it? I haven’t done a relationship right, yet. They’ve all been botched—or so it seems. I love the man and then I don’t.

  She couldn’t hold back the tears. It had been a horrendous night and now Michael had brought up the word that she fears more than anything. She wept quietly in the still of the night—a chorus of soft kitty mews and yeowls occasionally interrupting the stillness. No one seemed to notice. No one would blame her after the fear she’d experienced just hours before. In fact, each individual in the car was deep in thought about what had happened and all of the frightening what-ifs.

  “I simply must, MUST take a shower,” Savannah said when they pulled up in front of Margaret’s house. “I just feel so—well, filthy doesn’t quite describe it. Please, Michael? It’ll be quick, I promise,” she said, as she gently handed little Sally to Michael. “I’ll be right there at the clinic with the carload of cats—the kit and caboodle,” she said, botching an attempt at a joke.

  “Okay,” Michael said while exiting the car carefully with Sally in his arms. “I’ll take this one with me.” He looked back at Savannah. He wanted to say something more, but he stopped himself. He was aware that the marriage blurt had affected her and not in a good way.

  Savannah stepped out of the car after him, noticed him standing there looking at her and she reached up and kissed him on the lips. “And the next kiss goes to Rags,” Savannah said, as she quickly moved around the car to help her aunt out.

  “Oh my gosh, Rags.
My hero,” Margaret said. “I’ll never ever complain to him about a missing bra, shoe, earring, or anything again. He can do all the thievery he wants in my house and still be welcome. In fact, I think I’ll keep him.”

  “Oh no you don’t,” Savannah was quick to say. She looked over and noticed Michael still standing there with Sally. “I’ll be there in a quick minute, Michael. We have a whole lot of cats to examine and none of them sound very happy.”

  Chapter 11

  “So what time did you get home last night, Vannie?” Margaret asked as her niece strolled into the kitchen in search of a cup of coffee.

  “Late—oh my gosh, it was late. We called Edie around two this morning to tell her the good news about Sally.”

  “Good news?” Margaret asked, excitement in her voice.

  “Yes, she’s going to be okay—for now. This was an awful setback for her. She probably would not have lived through the night. We found an abscess. Probably some of the other cats were picking on her. And she was severely dehydrated. But when I left this morning around three-thirty, Sally was up on all fours, lapping up a little ‘kitty pablum,’ as Michael calls it.”

  “I’m so happy for Edie. She must be beside herself with joy,” Margaret said.

  “Yes, we also found Samantha and Rascal. But, so far, there is no sign of Buster or Brillo. I think Max and Michael are going back up there today to see if we missed any cats. It’s very likely. We may have to set out humane traps to catch those that are too scared by now.” And then she changed the subject. “Did you make an appointment to have your foot x-rayed? At the very least, they’ll want to change that filthy cast,” Savannah said.

  “Yes, we go in a few hours. I wanted to let you sleep. The sheriff suggested we both get checked out after our ordeal. Do you mind seeing my doctor? He said he would see us both.”

  “Oh, well, I guess so. Sure. Probably a good idea.”

  Margaret’s voice took on a serious tone. “He didn’t…you know—hurt you…?” Margaret started.

  “No. It got pretty ugly there for a while,” Savannah said choking up. “But our rescuers got there in time, thank heavens.”

  ***

  “That’s a nasty bruise, Savannah,” Max said as he peered at her from across the small table on Margaret’s expansive wrap-around porch. “Did you see that, Michael?” he asked.

  “Yes, it’s ugly. It must hurt like heck.” He took his free hand and touched Savannah’s face ever so gently. She held tight to his other hand.

  “Yeah, it’s tender,” she responded. “And that’s not the only one.” She looked over at Margaret. “Auntie and I both have camouflage bodies,” she said with a forced laugh.

  “Yes, we’re mottled like torties,” Margaret added.

  The foursome sipped lemonade late on Monday—the day after their ordeal.

  “I’m glad the doc checked you ladies out,” Max said. “Things could have been so much worse.” He choked up. No one said anything for a few moments. Finally, Max looked over at Margaret and remarked, “Your new cast is quite…interesting.”

  Margaret lifted her multi-colored, mostly purple and pink cast up for everyone to admire. “Yeah, if I have to wear the thing for another four weeks, I figured I might as well make it festive.”

  Michael leaned over and studied the cast. “How in the world did you get the doctor to make it striped? I’ve never seen that done before.”

  “Oh, he had never done anything like this before, either, but he was willing to have a little fun with it—to cheer me up, I think.” And then she changed the subject. “What did you guys find out at the Bray place this afternoon?”

  “Not much. Some of the cats will never be recovered—not with the predators in those hills hungry for cats. We found Brillo, but we couldn’t get him,” Max said with disappointment in his voice. “We left a couple of traps there. I’m sure it won’t take long to trap him. There was no food or water anywhere around for the cats. They may have been drinking out of the horse trough, which we noticed was clean and filled today. I understand that the two troughs were virtually empty except for a little muddy water in the bottom, when the raid took place last night.”

  Margaret stared off into space. “Seems so long ago,” she said.

  No one spoke for a few moments. And then Savannah broke the ice, “When can Sally go home?”

  Michael smiled. “She’s home with Edie now. She’s fairly alert, eating a little and what better prescription could I offer her than the comfort and safety of her home? That’s where the real healing will take place.”

  “What a satisfying experience,” Max said. “It is so heartening to be a part of something so worthwhile, don’t you think, Maggie?” he asked as he squeezed her knee.

  “Absolutely,” she said. “Oh, Max, you said you talked to the board—when’s our next meeting? We really do need to acknowledge those who were instrumental in the success of this rescue and get back to the business at hand—organizing our rescue groups so we’re more effective.”

  “Is Wednesday okay with you? Will you feel up to having the meeting here?”

  “Sure. We don’t have anything going Wednesday, do we Vannie?”

  Savannah flashed a quick look at Michael. “Um, I’m thinking about going home this week, Auntie.”

  “What?” Michael appeared stunned. He straightened his posture and looked into Savannah’s face.

  She tried to avoid eye contact. “I have to go,” she said. “We’ll talk about it later, okay?”

  In order to break the uncomfortable silence, Margaret said, “Wednesday’s fine. I’d like to invite Dora and Charlotte.” She looked over at Max and said, “I think we should award a special hero medal to Charlotte, don’t you?”

  “What a great idea!”

  “Yes!”

  “Wonderful!” the trio said in unison.

  Chapter 12

  Margaret was just settling down into the overstuffed print chair, when Savannah stepped back into the house after walking Michael to his truck. “Now what’s this about you leaving this week?” she asked

  “I need to get back, but I won’t leave until you feel okay on your own. You have so many friends. And there’s Max and Helena. Since things have calmed down, don’t you think you’ll be all right here by yourself?”

  “I would have done okay by myself this whole time,” she responded with a bit of drama. And then she softened her tone and said, “I have really enjoyed having you here.”

  “You would not!” Savannah snapped.

  “Would not what?”

  “Get along okay by yourself.”

  Margaret gave her a sheepish grin and said, “Well, maybe not. But it has been a blast, hasn’t it, Vannie?”

  “Um…” She hesitated and then frowned a little. “Sure, if you want to call it that.”

  “Come on, when have you ever had more fun?”

  “Maybe that day I got the root canal or the time I was attacked by angry bees and got all stung up…and then there was the time that pit bull I was working on…”

  “Oh stop it!” Margaret laughed. “You needed a little excitement in your life—admit it! Besides, if you’d stayed at home doing your boring routine, you wouldn’t have met Michael, right?”

  “Michael.” She sighed. And then she smiled. “You’re right. I have really enjoyed myself…except for…”

  “We’re not talking about that. It’s over. We’re okay,” Margaret reassured her. “I want to hear about what’s going on with you and Michael. Do I sense apprehension? What’s wrong, Vannie?”

  Savannah plopped down on the ottoman where her aunt rested her broken foot. She looked down at her hands as she fought back tears. “I just don’t know, Auntie. I think he’s great. He really knocked me off my feet and I guess I’m trying to get my balance so I can make a good decision.” She looked up and stared into Margaret’s face. “Women can’t just go around making choices based on emotion, now can they?”

  “Why the hell not?”
/>   Savannah cocked her head, a puzzled look on her face. “Um, well…is that how you make decisions? By the seat of your pants—depending on how you feel at the time?”

  “Sometimes I do,” Margaret said—a hint of smugness in her tone.

  “And it works for you?”

  “Do you see me complaining? Is my life so far off-track, Vannie? Really, now, is it?”

  “Well, maybe it works for some people. But for me…”

  “Are you sure you know what works for you? Is your life actually working the way you would like? What are your goals, anyway, Savannah?” Margaret stared intently at her niece for a moment and then spoke on, “You went to veterinary school. That’s something to be mighty proud of. And it sounds like you did well. You’ve had some serious relationships. But you’re not married, you have no children and you aren’t even working as a veterinarian. It just seems to me that if you followed your passion more—let your emotions lead at least to some degree—you would be living with more purpose instead of living life from the outside looking in.”

  “Wow!” Savannah said after sitting with her thoughts for a good while. “All I can say, Auntie, is Wow! You’ve given me some things to think about, definitely. Could it be that I have it all wrong? That my clear-thinking, cautious way of approaching the important things in my life are keeping me from living it? Fascinating…” she said obviously caught up in her own thoughts.

  And then she looked at her aunt and said, “Do you mind if I go for a walk? I’d like to get some exercise. I think it might help to work some of the soreness out, too.”

  “Sure, kiddo. I’m in the middle of a good book. Don’t worry about me.”

  Chapter 13

  Michael picked Savannah up at 7:00 p.m. sharp, although she’d noticed him sitting in his truck in the driveway for several minutes before coming up the porch steps.

  “Ready?” he asked when she opened the door to greet him. He looked around behind her and said, “Well, there’s that famous hero cat. Hi Rags! Have you appeared on any talk shows, lately?” He took a closer look and asked Savannah, “What’s that he has?”