The Cat of Christmas Future

by Kathi Daley

  The Cat of Christmas Future

  by

  Kathi Daley

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 by Katherine Daley

  Version 1.0

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  I want to thank the very talented Jessica Fischer for the cover art.

  I so appreciate Bruce Curran, who is always ready and willing to answer my cyber questions, and Peggy Hyndman, for helping sleuth out those pesky typos.

  A special thank you to Taryn Lee, Nina Banks, Jeannie Daniels, Pamela Curran, Vivian Shane, and Robin Coxon for submitting recipes.

  And, of course, thanks to the readers and bloggers in my life, who make doing what I do possible.

  Thank you to Randy Ladenheim-Gil for the editing.

  And finally I want to thank my sister Christy for always lending an ear and my husband Ken for allowing me time to write by taking care of everything else.

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Books by Kathi Daley

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Coming next from Kathi Daley Books

  Chapter 1

  Recipes

  Peanut Bunches

  Mama’s Fruitcake

  Christmas Jam Cake

  Snowballs

  Rum Bundt Cake

  Peanut Butter Christmas Mice

  Books by Kathi Daley

  Books by Kathi Daley

  Come for the murder, stay for the romance.

  Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:

  Halloween Hijinks

  The Trouble With Turkeys

  Christmas Crazy

  Cupid’s Curse

  Big Bunny Bump-off

  Beach Blanket Barbie

  Maui Madness

  Derby Divas

  Haunted Hamlet

  Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies

  Christmas Cozy

  Alaskan Alliance

  Matrimony Meltdown

  Soul Surrender

  Heavenly Honeymoon

  Hopscotch Homicide

  Ghostly Graveyard

  Santa Sleuth

  Shamrock Shenanigans

  Kitten Kaboodle

  Costume Catastrophe

  Candy Cane Caper

  Holiday Hangover

  Easter Escapade

  Camp Carter

  Trick or Treason

  Reindeer Roundup – December 2017

  Zimmerman Academy The New Normal

  Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook

  Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries by Henery Press:

  Pumpkins in Paradise

  Snowmen in Paradise

  Bikinis in Paradise

  Christmas in Paradise

  Puppies in Paradise

  Halloween in Paradise

  Treasure in Paradise

  Fireworks in Paradise

  Beaches in Paradise – June 2018

  Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:

  Romeow and Juliet

  The Mad Catter

  Grimm’s Furry Tail

  Much Ado About Felines

  Legend of Tabby Hollow

  Cat of Christmas Past

  A Tale of Two Tabbies

  The Great Catsby

  Count Catula

  The Cat of Christmas Present

  A Winter’s Tail

  The Taming of the Tabby

  Frankencat

  The Cat of Christmas Future

  The Cat of New Orleans – February 2018

  Seacliff High Mystery:

  The Secret

  The Curse

  The Relic

  The Conspiracy

  The Grudge

  The Shadow

  The Haunting

  Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery:

  Murder at Dolphin Bay

  Murder at Sunrise Beach

  Murder at the Witching Hour

  Murder at Christmas

  Murder at Turtle Cove

  Murder at Water’s Edge

  Murder at Midnight

  Writers’ Retreat Southern Seashore Mystery:

  First Case

  Second Look

  Third Strike

  Fourth Victim

  Fifth Night – January 2018

  Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mystery:

  Finding Justice

  A Tess and Tilly Mystery:

  The Christmas Letter – December 2017

  Road to Christmas Romance:

  Road to Christmas Past

  Chapter 1

  Wednesday, December 13

  There was, admittedly, more popcorn on the floor than on the tree, but I still considered our night’s endeavor to be a success. The annual production of the Christmas story, performed by the children’s choir at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, was just nine days away and my fiancé, Cody West, and I were supervising the children who would portray the characters as they decorated the church auditorium in preparation for the throngs of proud parents and grandparents who planned to attend. I’d always loved this season, but it seemed even more special this year as Cody and I discussed traditions and planned our life together.

  “Everything looks just perfect,” Father Bartholomew complimented us as he walked up behind me.

  “Thank you,” I said as the song playing in the background changed from “Silent Night” to “The First Noel.” “I think it’s coming together nicely.”

  “I especially love the lights around all the windows. They give the whole room a festive feel.”

  “The kids wanted to go all-out because this will be your first Christmas with us.” Father Bartholomew was a young priest who had come to St. Patrick’s earlier in the year after our longtime priest, Father Kilian, retired.

  “I appreciate how welcome everyone has made me feel. I’ll admit to being somewhat nervous about trying to fill Father Kilian’s shoes. I’m fairly new at this and he’s been such an important fixture in the community for so many years.”

  “He has,” I agreed. “And he’ll continue to be a member of the community even in retirement, but we’re very happy to have you with us. In fact, I’d like to invite you to the annual Christmas Eve dinner Cody and I prepare for those who may not have other plans over the holiday. It’s held at the home of Mr. Parsons, the man Cody lives with and looks out for.”

  “Why, thank you. I’d enjoy that very much.”

  “Great,” I answered as I placed my hand on the shoulder of one of the boys as he ran past us, tailing a chain of red and green construction paper. I raised an eyebrow at Robby, who got my silent hint to slow down and did so. “I’ll get you the address. If you come across any other parishioners who are going to be alone for the holiday, feel free to bring them along. Cody and I want to be sure everyone has somewhere to go.”

  “Thank you again. That’s very kind of you. It warms my heart the way this congregation welcomes newcomers. In fact, there’s a newcomer I’d like you to meet.” Father Bartholomew waved to a man who had just entered the room. He walked toward us, and the two men shook hands. “Caitlin Hart, I’d like you to meet Richard Sinclair. As I indicated, Richard is n
ew to the island and to St. Pat’s.”

  “I’m happy to meet you, Richard.” I shook his hand.

  “Please call me Rich.”

  “Okay, then, nice to meet you, Rich. Most people call me Cait.”

  “I’m hoping to talk Mr. Sinclair into filling the vacancy we have with the adult choir. He was a member of the choir at the church he previously attended, and I think he’ll do quite well in the role of director.”

  “We could use the help,” I seconded.

  The tall, dark-haired man with silver streaks paused before he answered. “I told Father Bartholomew I’d consider it, but I have a lot on my plate right now. Still, I’d like to see the facility.”

  “I have a church council to get to,” Father Bartholomew said, “but perhaps Cait could walk you over to the choir room and show you around.”

  I smiled. “Sure. I’d be happy to. Just let me tell Cody what I’m doing.”

  I wiped a streak of glitter from my cheek and filled Cody in on my errand, then returned to Rich, motioning for him to follow me. “So, how long have you lived on the island?” I asked conversationally.

  “Just a few weeks. I purchased the abandoned warehouse on the east side of the island. I’m planning to renovate it and turn it into a high-end restaurant.”

  “That’s a wonderful location for a restaurant, but I have a feeling you’d be better off tearing the whole thing down and starting over. It’s in pretty bad shape.”

  “Perhaps. My contractor will be here on Monday and we’ll have that conversation. If I do tear it down I’d want to repurpose some of the wood. It’s aged and rustic, exactly the sort of thing I’m going for.”

  “What sort of a restaurant are you planning to open?” I asked as we headed across the property toward the main building.

  “An upscale Italian restaurant, with an extensive steak-house menu as well. I worked in a similar place when I lived in Seattle and it did quite well.”

  I paused. “A high-end restaurant might work in Seattle, but Madrona Island is pretty casual. You might want to consider offering some items geared toward our working-class lifestyle. I’m sure you’d attract visitors to the island with a high-end menu, but honestly, I don’t think you’d get much business from the locals. Tourism on the island dries up in the winter, so unless you only plan to be open seasonally, you’ll need business from the island’s residents as well as tourists.”

  “Thank you for the input. I’ll take your comments into consideration when I make up my final menu.”

  Once we entered the main parish structure, I opened the door to the music room and stepped inside. “Here we are. It’s small, but it’s home.”

  “It’s nice; I like it,” Rich said, entering the room behind me. He took several steps inside, looking around as he went.

  “Cody and I practice on Wednesdays and the children’s choir services the eleven o’clock Mass on Sundays. Currently, the adult choir practices on both Tuesdays and Thursdays and performs during both the eight o’clock service on Sunday and the seven-thirty service on Saturday night. If you agree to take over you can discuss the specifics with Father Bartholomew.”

  “Thank you. I’ll definitely think over his offer. I enjoy being part of a choir, but I’m not sure I have time to take the lead. I’ll have a lot to do if I want to get the restaurant open by spring, starting with the eviction of the squatters who’re living there right now.”

  I frowned. “There are people living there?”

  “Not legally, but the place has been empty for so long that a group of homeless people have set up camp. The first thing I need to do before I can start on the renovation is to convince the resident deputy to kick everyone out.”

  My heart filled with sympathy for those individuals who would be displaced. “It’s Christmas. Can’t the eviction wait until after the first of the year?”

  “Not if I want to meet my opening deadline.” Rich looked around the room. “I know you need to get back to the kids. Would you mind if I stay and poke around a bit?”

  “Not at all. I’ll be in the auditorium if you need anything.”

  As I walked back to where Cody and the kids were waiting, a feeling of déjà vu washed over me. Two years ago, Cody and I had been helping the choir kids to decorate on a Wednesday evening when a beautiful cat named Ebenezer showed up. Like tonight, it had been snowing, and like tonight, I’d found out that a local business owner planned to put people out on the street just days before Christmas. Cody and I had been able to stop it then and I wondered if we weren’t meant to intervene now. Of course this situation was different. The tenants living in Balthazar Pottage’s apartment building had been living there legally and, I felt, had the right to be given additional notice if they had to move. Additionally, Balthazar was a reclusive miser who could well afford to wait a few days to give the tenants time to make other arrangements. I wasn’t sure whether Rich Sinclair had the financial means to put off the renovation of the warehouse and I wasn’t sure exactly what I could do to stop him from evicting squatters, but I intended to find out exactly who was living in the building. Hopefully, Cody and I could come up with a plan to help them relocate.

  “The place looks great,” I said when I returned to the auditorium, where red and green lights strung from the ceiling twinkled to the sound of the carols playing in the background. “Very festive.”

  “I think the kids did a good job. Did you get the new choir director settled?”

  “I showed him the room, but I’m less than convinced he’s actually going to take on the duties associated with running the choir. He just moved to the island and it sounds like he already has a lot of things to do.”

  “It’s hard to find volunteers who have the time to take on the larger roles.”

  “Yes, I guess it is. The choir commitment takes a lot of our time, but I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”

  “I agree.” Cody smiled. “Speaking of a time commitment, while you were gone the kids asked if we were going to meet more than once next week.”

  “I think we should. The play is on Saturday, so let’s have the kids meet in the choir room on Monday and Wednesday, and then we’ll have a dress rehearsal on Friday. I’ll go over to Father Bartholomew’s office to run off flyers with the dates and times. It would probably be best if we sent the information home tonight.”

  “Okay. I’ll have everyone start cleaning up.”

  I was halfway back to the main church building where the offices and choir room were located when a cat I knew well ran across the lawn toward me. “Ebenezer, what are you doing here?”

  “Meow.”

  The feeling of déjà vu I’d had minutes before suddenly intensified. I’d first met him on that snowy Wednesday two years ago. Looking back, I knew he’d come to help me with the huge task I’d taken on. I had to wonder if he wasn’t here again for a similar purpose.

  “It’s coming down pretty hard; let’s get inside.” I picked up the large, furry cat and continued toward the office, where the copier was kept. I should probably try to contact Balthazar to let him know I had his cat. Ebenezer seemed to come and go as he pleased, but I knew the old man was firmly attached to him and thought he might worry if he was gone too long without a word.

  I set Ebenezer on the floor while I grabbed a Sharpie and penned a note with the dates and times of practice the following week. Then I placed the paper on the copier and pressed the button to make thirty copies, which would be more than enough. I was waiting for the ancient machine to crank them out when I heard a voice raised in anger. The voice sounded like Rich’s and seemed to be coming from down the hall. I supposed he could still be in the choir room, but who was in there with him? Whatever was going on was none of my business and I probably shouldn’t listen, but I couldn’t seem to quell my natural curiosity and found myself inching toward the partially open door.

  “I don’t care what you have to do to get them out, just do it.”

  The voice, which I confirmed did b
elong to Rich, paused. When I didn’t hear a response I assumed he was on the phone.

  “Yes, even the girl. I know her situation, but the fact that she’s homeless and pregnant isn’t my problem. I have a contractor coming to the island on Monday. If the place isn’t empty by then heads are going to roll.”

  Yikes. The situation sounded worse than I’d thought. Monday was just five days away, not a lot of time to relocate a bunch of people. I grabbed the stack of copies I’d made and headed back to the auditorium. Once the kids had been picked up I’d share what I knew with Cody. Maybe between the two of us we could come up with at least a temporary solution.

  “I have the rehearsal schedule,” I held up the flyers.

  “Great.” Cody took them from me. He turned and looked at the kids, who had gathered their possessions in preparation for pickup. “I have flyers I need each of you to give to a parent. We’ll be having extra rehearsals next week as we prepare for our performance and I need everyone to attend every rehearsal.”

  The kids, who were thrilled to see Ebenezer had come for a visit, played with the cat and chatted among themselves as Cody passed out the flyers. Parents had begun to arrive and I wanted to be sure all of them had the information, so I stood at the door to catch anyone who might not have received one.

  “I have a rehearsal schedule for next week,” I said to one of the moms, whose son was messing around and hadn’t taken a flyer.

  “Great.” She smiled. “I was wondering if you were going to have extra rehearsals. I hear congratulations are in order. Have you set the date?”

  “Thank you and not yet. Cody and I decided to wait until after the first of the year to discuss specifics. There’s so much going on right now, everything seems a bit overwhelming.”

  She placed her hand on my arm. “I don’t blame you for taking your time. When I got engaged I was so excited I bought a dress the very next day. Over the course of the next nine months I planned a huge wedding and was stressed the entire time. If I had it to do over again I’d take my time and plan something special to us, not just something big and flashy.”