By Cat or By Crook (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 20)

by Patricia Fry

  “Messies?” Margaret said, laughing.

  “Yeah, I need to stay on my toes to keep up with this one on cleaning day.”

  “Awww, don’t be so hard on my baby niece. She’s just being creative.”

  “Can I bring her and her creativity over to your place this morning?” Savannah asked.

  “Uh, well, not today.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Hey, I’d better go. Maybe I’ll see you later.”

  Within minutes, Savannah’s phone chimed again. “Oops, Mommy’s phone. It’s Aunt Ris-Ris,” she said, taking the call. “Good morning. How are you? I hear you’re a land baroness.”

  “Oh, my gosh, Savannah. My head is spinning with the news. I can’t believe it still. Only…”

  “Only what?” Savannah asked.

  “Well, I really don’t want that albatross around my neck. Once the renovation is completed and Mavis and I have it up and running as a successful bed-and-breakfast, I’ll turn it over to her—its rightful owner—a bona fide Kaiser heir.”

  “Will you make a profit on the deal?”

  “Yeah, a little. All I want is enough to maybe buy another choice piece of property to refurbish.”

  “Heck, Iris, you ought to start a TV reality show showcasing your talents.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, ‘Remodel with Grandma Iris’ or ‘Obsessed Transformation’ or ‘Renovate With Ris-Ris’.”

  “Ha-ha, funny. Hey, Savannah, would you do me a favor? Melody asked me to take care of her cats this morning, and she said one of them needs medicine. Could you help with that? I’ve never given a cat medicine in my life.”

  “You mean the cats at the estate?”

  “No, at her house.”

  “Sure, Iris. I’ll help you. When?”

  “I’d like to stop by Melody’s before I go out to the Kaiser place. I could pick you up in about fifteen minutes.”

  “Oh, okay. I’ll see if my aunt will watch Lily for a few minutes. How about if I drop her off and pick you up?”

  “Okay. Sure.”

  “I appreciate you helping me out with this,” Iris said as she slid into the passenger seat of Savannah’s SUV a little while later.

  “Glad to help.” More quietly, she asked, “So what is the prognosis for Melody?”

  Iris looked down at her hands. “Not good, I’m afraid. It seems she’s on borrowed time.”

  “So, how did Melody end up with the place free and clear? My aunt said the brothers own other properties.”

  “Yeah.” Iris narrowed her eyes. “And I think she has something on them. I believe there was a little blackmail going on in that deal. But I pretty much closed my eyes to it—didn’t want to ask too many questions, you know, because I didn’t really want to know the answers to some of those questions.”

  “Gosh, I’d be curious.”

  “What is, is, Savannah. I intend getting out of the deal what I want and need—no more and no less.”

  “Is her daughter here?”

  “No. Melody spoke with her last night. Something came up and Mavis will be delayed.”

  Savannah glanced at her friend as she drove. “What about the digging—will you authorize them to continue or will you stop it?”

  “Well, I think I have an obligation to move ahead with it.” Iris livened up a bit. “Did you hear that we’re bringing in a water witch? Evidently, he can tell us if there are bodies and where they are.”

  “So he’s coming out there, huh? Now, that would be interesting to watch. Hey, what happened with the old guy—the one presumed to be Benjamin Kaiser?”

  “I’m not sure if they let him go or if he’s still in a cell. When I spoke to Mavis last night, she said she intends to pay him a visit.”

  “Gosh, I imagine she’s never met him.”

  “Right. He disappeared before she was born.”

  “Does she know about his presumed mobster ties?”

  “I don’t know. I got the impression that Melody pretty much protected her daughter—raised her in a quiet neighborhood in the East away from the notoriety and limelight her brothers evidently enjoyed.”

  “They did?”

  “Yeah, according to Melody, they loved playing the young rich guys traveling, eating fine food, and all. And they both have luxurious homes out of the country. Melvin lives most of the year in Italy and Scott has a place somewhere in France.”

  Savannah chuckled. “They must have felt like they were slumming here in Hammond.”

  “I suppose.”

  “Well, Iris, how do you feel about being the owner of the place?”

  “It hasn’t sunk in, as you can imagine. There’s still a lot of work ahead of me and that’s what I need to concentrate on. Here we are…number 1124. Nice house,” Iris said.

  “Sure is. Oh I see a cat looking out the window. Pretty.”

  “Let’s see,” Iris said, fiddling with the keys as the two women walked toward the front door. “She said the key with the red on it goes to the dead bolt and the green one goes to the doorknob or… did she say…?”

  “Just try a key—you’ll find the right one.”

  “Hello,” came a voice from just right of the porch. “May I help you?”

  “Hi. I’m Iris Sledge, this is Savannah Ivey. Are you Beverly?”

  The woman nodded and Iris approached her. “Beverly, I’m sorry to bring bad news, but Melody is in the hospital.”

  “Oh no,” the woman said, stepping back and putting her hands over her mouth. “What has happened to her?”

  “Well, she had a heart attack last night and she’s not doing very well. She asked if you could take care of the kitties until her daughter gets here within the next few days.”

  Beverly looked puzzled. “Her daughter?”

  “Yes, Mavis. I didn’t know about her, either, but I guess she does exist and she’ll be here to take care of the cats and whatever else needs attention.” Iris took Beverly’s hand. “It doesn’t look like Melody will make it.”

  “Oh dear. How awful. That poor, poor woman.” Beverly took a breath and said, “Yes, of course, I’ll care for Melody’s babies.” She chuckled. “I’ve been their nanny since they moved in. I’ve come to love them like they were my own.”

  Iris smiled. “That will be a comfort to Melody. Thank you.”

  “Do you need me to give Bonnie her medicine this morning?” Beverly asked.

  “No, we’ll do it today,” Iris said. “But I’d sure appreciate it if you could take over this afternoon and until Mavis arrives.”

  “I surely will.”

  “Melody keeps a lovely home, doesn’t she?” Iris noticed after she and Savannah had stepped inside the house.

  “Hi, kitty,” Savannah said when she saw a large tabby-and-white cat lounging on the back of a sofa. When she spotted a cat with the same markings peering out from the kitchen, she asked, “Iris, how will we know which cat to medicate?”

  Iris chuckled. “Melody said she’s the small one.”

  “This one’s small,” Savannah pointed out.

  “The sick one’s black,” Iris said. “Oh, there you are,” she cooed when she saw the petite coal-black cat walk into the room. “I’ll bet you’re Bonnie.”

  “Oh, an old gal,” Savannah said. “She must be the matriarch around here. Where’s her medicine, Iris?”

  “In the fridge. We give her half an eye dropper in her mouth. And she gets special food, too—hers is in the orange cans and we feed her in the kitchen, while the other two eat on the service porch.”

  “Okay, grab her and I’ll get the medicine ready,” Savannah said.

  Uh-oh, where’d she go?” Iris asked. “Oh no. Not a hidey cat. Come out, Bonnie. Mama says you need your medicine. Bonnie, kitty-kitty, where are you?”

  “Last time I saw her she was sitting there in the living room,” Savannah said, placing the bottle on the kitchen counter. She walked in that direction, but th
e cat had vanished. “Kitty-kitty? Come on little girl.”

  “I’ll look upstairs,” Iris said, trotting up the staircase and calling for the cat. Soon she shouted, “Here she is! Come help me catch her.”

  “Where are you?” Savannah asked, taking the stairs two at a time.

  “First door on the right.”

  “Pretty room,” Savannah said, stepping into the master bedroom. She closed the door behind her. “Where is she?”

  Iris turned on the light and opened the maroon-colored drapes. “I think she went into the closet. She’d be hard to see in the dark.”

  “That’s for sure,” Savannah said. She peered into the closet. “Here, kitty. Oh, there you are.” Before she could reach for the cat, Bonnie leaped off a low shelf, scattering a couple of picture frames onto the floor. “Oh no, let’s don’t get destructive, little one,” she said, reaching for the cat before she could rush out through the closet door. “Gotcha,” Savannah said, holding Bonnie securely and petting her. “That’s a sweet girl,” she soothed. She then said, “Iris, I’ll go down and give her the medicine; you might want to see what she knocked off that shelf in there. I think it was some pictures.”

  “Okay.”

  “All done,” Savannah said when Iris returned to the kitchen. She began looking through the cabinets. “Now, which plates do you think Melody feeds the cats on?”

  “Savannah, take a look at this,” Iris said quietly.

  “What is it?” she asked, continuing to search for suitable feeding bowls. When Iris didn’t respond, Savannah looked at her. “What do you have there?”

  “Well, something rather odd, really,” she said, displaying a photograph. “Check it out.”

  “Yeah, who is that?”

  “I’m pretty sure it’s Melody’s mother, Geraldine. The frame says ‘Mother’ and she looks a little like Melody. But Savannah, look at her wrist.”

  “What about it?”

  “She has a tattoo.”

  “Oh that’s kind of odd for that generation, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, but do you see what it is?”

  Savannah took the picture in her hands and looked more closely. “Oh, my gosh.” She made eye contact with Iris. “That’s a…”

  “Yes, it sure looks like part of a rose with the legs of a spider showing. Savannah, it’s the same as the drawings we found at the Kaiser estate.”

  “The killer’s calling card,” Savannah whispered.

  Chapter 10

  “Sam Sloan, this is my wife, the innkeeper,” Craig said, later Monday afternoon. “Iris, Sam is a water witch. He’s going to…”

  “I prefer dowser,” Sam said, extending his hand. “Hello, Mrs. Sledge.”

  “Hello,” she said, rather skeptically running her eyes over the short, stocky man of about sixty dressed in camouflage pants and a t-shirt two sizes too big. His grey hair was pulled back in a ponytail. “So where does one start with a project like this?” she asked.

  Sam gazed over the property. “Wherever the rods lead him.” He cocked his head. “As I understand it, you aren’t looking to find water.”

  Iris thinned her lips and shook her head.

  “You suspect there are bodies buried out here?” Before anyone could answer, he said, “…because I can find bodies or water. Sometimes the rods lead me to water when I’m seeking bodies, and vice versa.” His eyes rested on the mound of dirt near the Dexter rock. “I see someone’s been digging already.”

  “Yes, clues led us to that spot,” Craig said. “We weren’t actually looking for a body, though, but maybe a treasure—you know—something of value.”

  “Oh?” Sam said, his eyes wide. He cocked his head and peered at Craig. “This isn’t a metal detector, you know, although I’ve been known to find precious metals with my divining rods.” When no one responded, he pointed toward the hole. “Let’s start there, shall we?” Before he could walk in that direction, the Iveys approached.

  “Hi, Savannah, Michael,” Iris said. She smiled at the toddler in the stroller, then gestured, “Guys, this is Sam.”

  “Oh, I expected an Indian,” Savannah said.

  “You did?” Sam asked, frowning. “I haven’t had anyone say that to me before.”

  “Are you part American Indian?” she asked.

  He shook his head, then pulled two bent rods out of the cloth bag he carried and walked with them toward the hole Craig and Damon had dug the day before. Sam stood over the hole with a rod in each hand. As the others watched, the rods came together and turned downward. Sam looked up at the others. “You’ve got a body down here.” He glanced toward the trees. “I saw a few cats running around. It could be a cat or another animal in there.” He shook his head. “But I suspect it’s human. Do you want to bring it up or cover it over and forget about it?”

  “Well, we have an obligation to find out who it is,” Craig said. “We can’t just leave random bodies on people’s property, especially when we know there are missing persons.”

  “Missing for how long?” Sam asked.

  “Forty years,” Craig said, “maybe longer.”

  Sam scratched his head. “There’d be nothing but bones by now.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Craig said. He stepped away from the others and spoke into his phone. “I’m going to need a crew to exhume a body out at the Kaiser place on Westin Road.” He paused, then said, “Maybe more than one body.” He then addressed the dowser, “Let’s see what else is out here, Sam, if I can actually believe those rods of yours.”

  “Want to dig this one up before we move on?” Sam asked. “I can assure you there is a body down there.” He glanced around and added quietly, “Unless it’s a water line or a gold vein.”

  In the meantime, Michael caught a glimpse of something along the north wall inside the hole. Without saying anything, he squatted to get a better look, then picked up a shovel and began poking at the dirt around the object.

  “What’s up, Michael?” Craig asked. “Do you see something in there?”

  Clunk, clunk.

  “Oh, my gosh,” Iris said. “What is that?”

  Craig quickly grabbed a second shovel and began using it to help Michael chip away at the dirt. “It seems to be a metal box of some sort,” he said.

  “Could be a cat casket,” Savannah offered.

  “A what?” Craig asked.

  “A casket for a cat,” she explained.

  Craig stood leaning on the shovel while Michael continued to dig. He nodded. “Yeah, could be, I guess. So if there’s a carcass in there, that might be what caused the rods to dip.”

  “Or could it have been the metal in that casket?” When everyone looked at Savannah, she explained, “Isn’t it the minerals that cause the rods to react?” She looked to Sam for his response, but he had already walked several feet away with his dowsing rods.

  Craig and Michael stabbed at the dirt around the metal box until they were able to pull it out of the bank and drag it up to where they stood.

  “I don’t think it’s a cat casket,” Michael said. “Looks like an old strongbox.”

  “Is it locked?” Craig asked, slamming his shovel against it to knock some of the tightly packed dirt off.

  “Doesn’t look like it,” Michael said. He tugged at the top of the box. “It’s stuck, though—probably rusted, or maybe it’s just the compacted mud fusing it shut.” He slammed his shovel against the box and watched as more mud broke away. He then laid the box on its side and hit the shovel against it a few times. That’s when the lid popped open and some of the contents spilled out onto the ground.

  “Wow!” Iris said. “Money!”

  “A lot of money,” Savannah added, wide-eyed.

  “Are those thousand-dollar bills?” Craig asked, dumbfounded.

  “They sure are,” Iris said. “And hundreds.” She kneeled next to the box to get a better look inside. “How many are there? Good grief!” she exclaimed. “Who buries thousand-dollar bills?”<
br />
  “A thief,” Savannah suggested.

  “So that’s what Willie and his father were trying to find.” Iris chuckled. “And Maggie was right all along—the Dexter rock did mark the spot. Wait ’til I tell her.”

  “Oh, I can’t wait,” Savannah said, pulling her phone out of the pocket of her capris. After making a quick call to her aunt, she asked, “Who do you suppose put it there?”

  Iris glanced toward the circular driveway, “Probably that white-haired gent in the taxi cab—Mr. Benjamin K. Kaiser.”

  “Then how did Melvin and his son know about it?” Savannah asked

  “Didn’t you hear old Benjamin last night?” Iris said. “He told us he’s been in contact with Melvin, so he probably told his son about the money.”After thinking about it, Iris added, “I wonder.” She thought for a moment about what she wanted to say. “You know, Melody told me that Melvin had a close relationship with their mother, as well. Maybe she knew about this. It makes more sense that she would be the one to tell him.”

  Savannah laughed. “I can’t imagine the woman we saw in that photograph storming a bank with a machine gun, outrunning a bunch of cops, and burying the loot out here.”

  “Women can be just as ruthless as men can,” Craig said. “Don’t let the feminine mystique fool you. Women know how to get things done, even if they need a man to do the grunt work.”

  When Savannah gasped, Iris asked, “What?”

  “Well, I was just thinking that maybe Geraldine got Wallace Mumford to help her rob a bank. Then she killed him and bribed some of her other men friends to stuff him into the wall.”

  Craig stared at Savannah for a moment, then shook his head. “Is there a note or anything?” he asked, up-righting the box.

  “Denver Mint,” Michael said.

  Iris took a breath. “What? This money is fresh from a mint?”

  “It appears so,” Craig said. “Probably taken from an armored car.” He stepped away, his phone to his ear. “Yeah, Sledge here. Can you send security out to the Kaiser place on Westin? We need a large cash transport. To where? Good question. I guess it should go to our largest local bank.”

  “Hey fellas,” Sam called. “Looks like another body over here. Want to mark the spot?”