Overdosed in Cherry Hills
Page 7
“Your friend definitely chose the right person to reach out to.” As the president and founder of Furry Friends Foster Families, a Cherry Hills nonprofit that placed adoptable animals with foster families until they found permanent homes, Imogene was one of the most dedicated animal advocates Kat knew. It was no surprise she would be the first person someone would turn to for help with a neighborhood stray.
Imogene turned right onto a residential road. She drove for a minute before making another turn into a cul-de-sac. Four houses were spaced around the dead-end circle. Single story and on the small side, the homes all struck Kat as quaint and cozy. A forested area stretched behind them, creating a lush, green backdrop. Kat could see why a feral would choose to call this area home.
Imogene pulled up to one of the houses and parked by the curb. “It will be good to test out my trapping skills again. Now that I’m older and my joints have gotten creaky this tom will have the advantage, but don’t disqualify me yet. What I lack in physical competency I make up for in determination. And when it comes to keeping the cat population down I dare say I’m committed to doing my part. Why, if we can get this tom neutered we might prevent him from siring thousands of kittens. And fewer litters born means fewer cats euthanized in shelters.”
The passion in Imogene’s voice brought a smile to Kat’s lips. “Creaky joints or not, my money’s on you.” At fifty-seven, Imogene had more energy than Kat, who was twenty-five years her junior. “This tom will be no match for the fierce animal protector known as Imogene Little.”
Imogene chuckled. “You make me sound like a superhero.”
They got out of the car and walked around to the back of the vehicle. The May afternoon was warm, and Kat relished the feel of the sun against her skin. She only hoped the weather stayed this nice for a while longer. She wasn’t looking forward to the summer months, which could get hot here in Central Washington.
Her gaze caught on a calico cat sitting in the window of the house they were parked in front of. Patches of brown, gold, and white all vied for space on the pretty feline, and the look of longing on her face reminded Kat of her tortoiseshell Matty. Matty could often be found peering out of one of Kat’s apartment windows. Kat suspected the tortoiseshell spent much of that time scheming of ways to sneak outside.
Imogene popped open her trunk. “This drop trap has been sitting in my garage unused for too long. It will be good to give it a go again.”
“It’s bigger than I expected.” Constructed of wire mesh, the rectangular contraption stood a good eighteen inches high and looked to be about three feet wide by two feet long. It took up Imogene’s entire trunk.
“There are certainly smaller traps out there, but Ronnie claims this particular cat won’t get anywhere near her cage trap.” Imogene touched her auburn hair, as if to make sure it was still secure in its ponytail. “That’s why she asked for my help.”
“How does this thing work?”
“See how the bottom is open? We’re going to prop this end up with the leg extension here, put some food under there for our friend, and when he goes to eat it we collapse the leg with a simple pull of a string.”
Kat pictured the scenario Imogene had described while she tied her brown hair behind her head. Somehow she had a feeling the whole thing was more complicated than Imogene was making it sound.
“Help me lift this up, will you?” Imogene said.
Kat took hold of one end of the trap. “Where are we going to set this thing up?”
“In Veronica’s backyard.” Imogene jutted her chin toward the house. “Apparently our target roams around back there most nights.”
Together they managed to wrestle the trap out of the trunk and began carrying it up the driveway. But Kat came to a dead stop when she spotted a mostly gray cat crouched behind a cluster of bushes planted around the house to the east. He watched them with wary eyes, looking poised to bolt at the slightest threat.
“Is that the feral?” Kat asked quietly.
“Where?”
“Back behind the bushes over there.”
Imogene squinted. “Why, I’ll have to check with Ronnie, but it might very well be. He doesn’t have a collar and looks a little worse for wear.”
“Think he knows we’re here to catch him?” Kat wasn’t sure why she was whispering. The feral had already spotted them, and it wasn’t as if he could understand what they were saying.
“Perhaps. According to Ronnie he’s very intelligent. She says he’s even taken to stealing things she leaves outside. Apparently she caught him sneaking off with one of her socks the other day.”
The trap was growing heavy in Kat’s arms, but she didn’t dare move. From the way Imogene stood stock-still, she figured her friend didn’t want to spook the tom any more than she did.
Unfortunately, the calico in the window had no such qualms. She stood on her hind legs and pawed at the glass with quick, frantic motions as she tried to get the other cat’s attention.
She got his attention, all right, but Kat didn’t think his reaction was the one the calico had been hoping for. With one last fearful look in the humans’ direction, the feral shot to his feet and darted away, disappearing around the back of the house.
Kat’s heart went out to the animal. “He looked so scared.”
“Ronnie says he’s not socialized at all, although he’s gotten used to seeing her and several of the neighbors around. He doesn’t run away when he spots them anymore, but he still won’t let anyone get too close.”
“Was he born wild or did somebody abandon him?”
“Only our furry friend knows the answer to that.” Imogene adjusted her hold on her end of the trap. “Come on. Let’s find a place to put this before my arms give out.”
Kat kept pace with Imogene as they started up the driveway once more. “I take it we’ll have to monitor this thing.”
“Yes, but right now we’re just going to set everything up and give Mustang some time to get used to seeing it here. I’ll come back tonight and attempt the actual trapping.”
“Mustang?”
“That’s the name Veronica has given our tom. She says she knows he’s not hers to name, but she feels responsible for him nonetheless.”
Kat smiled. “She sounds like she loves animals as much as you do.”
“Oh, most definitely.” Imogene’s eyes sparkled, as they always did when she was talking about her favorite subject. “I’ve tried to get her to volunteer with 4F, but she says she’s too busy to help with our rescue efforts right now. Mark my words though, I will get her to come around eventually.”
“If anybody can convince her, it’ll be you,” Kat replied.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Kat’s head swiveled sideways. A sixtyish woman with long, red hair stood in the driveway of the house to the west. Dressed in a black blouse and matching slacks, she had a stern expression on her angular face.
“Hello,” Imogene said, flashing the woman a smile. “We’re here to help trap a feral cat in your neighborhood.”
“Oh.” The woman’s face softened. “It’s about time somebody came out here to take care of that nuisance. I was ready to kill it myself.”
Time seemed to grind to a halt. The wind stopped blowing, the birds ceased chirping, and there was a charge in the air that hadn’t been present a second ago. Kat knew any talk of killing animals wouldn’t be well received by her friend.
Sure enough, Imogene’s smile slipped right off her face. She lowered her end of the trap to the driveway, prompting Kat to do the same. When they both straightened up, Kat could see a quiet storm casting shadows over her friend’s face.
“We’re not going to kill him.” Imogene spoke slowly, as though she were straining to keep her temper in check. “We’re having him TNRed.”
The woman’s nose wrinkled. “TNRed?”
“Trapped, neutered, and returned. We catch him, get him fixed, and then release him back here.”
“What?” The
redhead stared at Imogene as if she’d announced her intention to fly Mustang to outer space. “Why would you put it back?”
Petite as she was, that didn’t stop Imogene from drawing herself up to her full height. “Because this is his home.”
The woman scowled. “I’ll have you know, this is my home, not some stupid cat’s. You don’t see it paying my property taxes, do you? I want that thing gone.”
“How is he bothering you?”
“I don’t like looking at its ugly mug.”
“I suppose you prefer rats.”
The woman’s nostrils flared, and her fists landed on her hips. “Just what are you insinuating?”
“I’m merely pointing out that cats are good at keeping the rodent population down. But since you find it objectionable to have one in the neighborhood, I’m sure you’re well prepared for the influx of rats that will follow once he’s relocated elsewhere.”
A door banged open, and a woman with short, gray hair emerged from the house they were standing in front of. “Lenora,” she said, eyeing the redhead. “I thought that was you I heard out here.”
Kat figured this had to be Veronica. Tall and stately, she didn’t look any happier to see her neighbor than Imogene did.
“You’re not causing trouble again, are you, Lenora?” Veronica said. “I asked Imogene to trap Mustang, and she doesn’t need you giving her a hard time about it. You know as well as I do he needs to be fixed. You also know as well as I do that he’s not going anywhere. This is his neighborhood as much as it is yours or mine.”
The redhead scowled. “Veronica. I should have known you were behind this madness. You and your bleeding heart.”
Veronica moved closer to Imogene and Kat, as if to join them in solidarity. The calico watched all this from the window, her twitching whiskers and rounded eyes suggesting she found the drama in her driveway as fascinating as any soap opera.
Lenora shook her finger at Veronica. “I want that beast carted away. Why you insist on letting it stay here is beyond me.”
“It’s called living in harmony with God’s fellow creatures,” Veronica said. “And you should be happy I called Imogene out here. You don’t want a bunch of Mustang’s kittens showing up in your yard, do you?”
“It wouldn’t have any kittens if you’d haul it to the pound like a sensible person,” Lenora grumbled.
Imogene opened her mouth as though to say something, but Veronica spoke first.
“There’s no point in arguing with her,” she said. “Lenora has her own narrow-minded opinions, and she refuses to budge on them.”
“Because I’m right,” Lenora snapped. Before anyone could say another word, she pivoted on her heel and disappeared back the way she’d come, her front door banging shut behind her.
“I don’t know how you can stand living next to a person like that,” Imogene said with an exasperated shake of her head. “I would go absolutely bonkers.”
“It was so much nicer here last spring, before she moved in.” Veronica’s brown eyes shot daggers at Lenora’s house. “She’s a horrible person, and everyone in the neighborhood is hoping she goes away sooner rather than later.”
Kat looked around the cul-de-sac. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to live in a community where you had more enemies than friends.
Somehow, it struck her as the type of situation that couldn’t possibly have a happy ending.
* * *
Click here to find the book at your favorite online retailer.
Books in the Cozy Cat Caper Mystery series:
Book 1: Murder in Cherry Hills
Book 2: Framed in Cherry Hills
Book 3: Poisoned in Cherry Hills
Book 4: Vanished in Cherry Hills
Book 5: Shot in Cherry Hills
Book 6: Strangled in Cherry Hills
Book 7: Halloween in Cherry Hills
Book 8: Stabbed in Cherry Hills
Book 9: Thanksgiving in Cherry Hills
Book 10: Frozen in Cherry Hills
Book 11: Hit & Run in Cherry Hills
Book 12: Christmas in Cherry Hills
Book 13: Choked in Cherry Hills
Book 14: Dropped Dead in Cherry Hills
Book 15: Valentine’s in Cherry Hills
Book 16: Drowned in Cherry Hills
Book 17: Orphaned in Cherry Hills
Book 18: Fatal Fête in Cherry Hills
Book 19: Arson in Cherry Hills
Book 20: Overdosed in Cherry Hills
Book 21: Trapped in Cherry Hills
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paige Sleuth is a pseudonym for mystery author Marla Bradeen. She plots murder during the day and fights for mattress space with her two rescue cats at night. When not attending to her cats’ demands, she writes. She loves to hear from readers, and welcomes emails at paige.sleuth@yahoo.com.