A Christmas to Purr About (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 22)

by Patricia Fry

  “Much better after talking to Craig. You know how we try to let go and let God? Well, tonight, I was able to let go and let Craig.” She chuckled and looked up toward the ceiling. “Sorry, God.”

  Michael grinned. “Well, he is the expert in the criminal field.” He then asked, “So he thinks he can help straighten out these women who are after you?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t have the slightest idea. My job for the next few days is to not think about it, not answer the phone unless I know who’s calling, and to let you give me a back rub,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

  “Huh? Craig said that?”

  “Well, not exactly, but I’m sure he wouldn’t object.”

  Michael kissed her, then whispered in her ear. “Do you think it’s Lily’s bedtime?”

  Savannah nodded. “I’m supposed to sing her a lullaby.” She smiled at Michael. “Craig’s orders.”

  Chapter 5

  It was eight the following morning when Savannah started to call her aunt.

  “Mommy, water,” Lily said, handing her the pen that accompanied her magic coloring book. “Me color horsie, doggie.”

  “Sure, honey,” Savannah agreed, taking the pen to the kitchen sink. Once she had the toddler settled at her small table with the coloring activity, Savannah picked up her phone and made the call. “Hi Auntie, I have a project for us.”

  “Oh?”

  “Want to rescue some cats today and maybe some kittens, too?”

  Margaret let out a sigh. “Yeah, where are they?”

  “Out at the Lander place where Craig was being held.”

  “Isn’t that place occupied? Do you have permission?”

  “Permission? Well, not exactly. Unless you consider Craig…”

  “Consider Craig what?” Margaret asked.

  “He’s the one who told me to go get the cats.” She chuckled. “He’s keeping two of them.”

  “Really?” Margaret said, obviously surprised. “Craig? Why?”

  Savannah spoke more quietly. “I guess he bonded with them while he was in that cave. It happens, you know.”

  “I know, but we’re talking about Craig,” Margaret cranked. She then asked, “Who lives out there at that place, anyway?”

  “Well, Craig refers to them as squatters. Actually, they’ve all been arrested—or most of them, anyway—so this would be a good time to go out there.”

  “Arrested?”

  “Yeah, and killed. One gal was killed—the one who beat Craig with a baseball bat while he was tied up. The story will be in the paper tonight, I’m sure.”

  “Sheesh, how awful. I can’t even imagine.” With more enthusiasm, Margaret said, “But Iris said he’s going to be okay.”

  Savannah laughed. “Yeah, and is he ever cantankerous.”

  “Good. Sounds like he’s back. So when do you want to go out there, and how many traps do we need?”

  “I’d like to go as soon as possible. I’m taking Lily over to Barbara’s day care this morning. I’ll bring a couple of carriers to see if I can lure the two Craig wants.” She suddenly shouted, “Oh no!”

  “What?” Margaret asked.

  “I don’t know which two Craig wants.”

  “Probably the two that will let you near them,” Margaret suggested.

  After hesitating, Savannah said, “Yeah, probably, huh? So I’ll pick you up around ten. Is that okay?”

  “Yeah, I guess. How many traps do we need?”

  “At least six…maybe more. Will we have room for that many in my car?” Savannah asked. “Do you have that many at your place?”

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Okay, let’s cram as many traps as we can into the back of my car and on the backseat next to Lily. Once we drop her off, we can swing by the clinic and pick up a couple of carriers. I’ll leave the car seat there.”

  “Gads, things get complicated when you have a child to cart around. Used to be you’d ride on my lap when your mother drove us someplace. No seat belts. Your sister would sit in a car seat that hung over the back of the seat between us. Easy peasy. Not anymore. It’s all regulation. They even have seat-belt restraints for cats and dogs, for heaven’s sake.”

  “And it’s a good thing, too. More people should use them. Do you know how many dogs are killed in car accidents or become lost when they escape from a crashed car?”

  “No, do you?” Margaret challenged.

  “No, but you sure read about it happening a lot. Pet restraints are a darn good idea.”

  ****

  “So did you find out which cats Craig wants?” Margaret asked once they’d driven in through the back entrance of the now-abandoned Lander property and parked.

  “Yes, I think so.” She laughed. “He said the white one with grey stripes and orange spots is Rudy.”

  Margaret lowered her brow. “She sounds more like Ruby, to me.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. And dig this, the one he calls Max is black with a lot of orange flecks.”

  Margaret laughed. “A tortie. Two females. Ruby and…um…how about Maxine?”

  “That’s more like it,” Savannah said, stepping out of the car with a package of kitty treats. “Oh, look, there’s a tortie.” Savannah kneeled down, opened the packet, and attempted to lure the cat. “Kitty, kitty,” she called. “Come on pretty girl.”

  After staring at Savannah and Margaret for a few moments and moving her ears from side to side, listening intently to the sounds around her, the little tortie stood and walked slowly toward Savannah. The young cat took the treat, then stepped back and stared at the package.

  “I’ll bet you saw Rags when we were here yesterday,” Savannah said to the cat. “Were you watching from the bushes? Would you like to meet Rags?” She motioned to her aunt. “Go get him, will you? She might warm up to him.”

  Once Margaret had placed Rags on the ground next to Savannah, the little tortie sat down and stared wide-eyed at him for several seconds. She sniffed the air. Soon, she walked toward him and the two cats rubbed against each other. “Got her,” Savannah said, quickly easing Maxine into one of the carriers. “First stop is the Ivey Veterinary Clinic, Miss Maxine. We need to make sure you’re in tip-top shape before you move in with Uncle Craig.”

  As soon as Savannah had closed the door to the carrier, little Maxine began mewing and turning around inside.

  “Poor thing isn’t used to being confined,” Margaret said. “Most cats are freaked out when they’re locked inside a small space. Others seem to feel secure. Looks like Maxine is the former.”

  Just then Rags moved closer to the tortie. He rubbed against the outside of the carrier and mewed softly to Maxine a couple of times. To the women’s surprise, the tortie lay down in a meatloaf position and seemed to relax. To help calm her even more, Savannah pushed a few kibble treats through the wire and watched as Maxine ate them.

  “The cats seem hungry,” Savannah said. “I think that’s in our favor. Did you bring some of that stinky tuna you use in your traps?”

  “Sure did.” Margaret wrinkled her nose. “They’ll love it. Now where’s the other cat—the calico?” she asked. “Or maybe it’s a torbie.”

  Savannah stood up and glanced around. “I don’t see any more cats. Rags, do you know where the cats are?” She took his leash and walked a few steps with him at her side. “Find the kitties, Ragsie.”

  “Pshaw,” Margaret said. “Like he actually speaks your language.”

  “Oh, there are the cats,” Savannah said, pointing.

  “Where?” Margaret asked, following her.

  “I saw some skitter into that brush. Let’s get closer and I’ll see if I can lure them out with the treats.”

  “Let him go,” Margaret said.

  “Rags? I don’t think so.”

  “Well, give him more rope.”

  Savannah balked. “I don’t want him to get beaten up. Cats, especially ferals, can be territorial.
” She faced her aunt. “Well, you know that.”

  “He wants to go into the brush after them. Just give him a little more rope and see what happens.”

  Savannah let out a sigh. “Okay.” When Rags darted in the direction the other cats had gone, she held tight to his leash. “That’s far enough, Rags.” She looked back at her aunt. “Whoa, did you see that?”

  “Yeah, that big guy spit at Rags. I’ll bet he’s the leader. He’s one big cat and it appears he doesn’t want another male around his harem. He didn’t make contact with Rags, did he?”

  “No, I don’t think so. He just made himself look real big and sound real tough. Scared poor Rags.”

  Just then a patched tabby cat with swirls of orange walked out into the open, sat down, and stared at the women. Savannah threw a couple of treats in her direction and the cat moved slowly toward them. When she got close enough to the kibbles, she cautiously ate them one by one, keeping her eye on the humans in front of her. After she’d finished, she looked at Savannah, as if hoping for more. This time, Savannah held the treats in her hand and attempted to lure the cat closer. Soon, two more cats came out of hiding.

  “Hi there, pretty kitties,” Savannah murmured. She tossed more treats in their direction and all three cats gobbled them down and began searching for more. “If you want more, you’ll have to come to me,” Savannah told them.

  It wasn’t long before Savannah had her hands on the patched tabby and was able to put her into the second carrier.

  “I think we need more carriers,” Margaret said, “not these traps. Why don’t we go deliver these cats to Craig—are they home?”

  “I don’t think so. They’re probably still at the hospital. Auntie, I’d like to take the cats to the clinic and have them checked over before they go to Craig’s and Iris’s. We can probably leave them there until they get a clean bill of health and Craig’s ready for them.”

  “Sure, or we can take them to our shelter. We have room. We can put them in the isolation area and Michael can come there to examine them.”

  “Good idea,” Savannah said. “Do you have room for the others if we can get our hands on them?”

  “I think so. But if they’re not socialized, if they’re too wild, we should turn them over to June.”

  “Yeah, we’ll do that,” Savannah said. “She has the perfect facility for feral cats.” She picked up her phone. “I’ll call Michael and have him come by your place on his way home.”

  “Okay,” Margaret agreed. “Let’s set these traps before we leave and we can come back and check them later this afternoon. We may have more cats for Michael to examine by the time he arrives at our place.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” Savannah said, “as hungry as they are.”

  Margaret gazed across the terrain. “I saw a very pregnant cat. I sure hope we can get our hands on that one.”

  “There could be two of them,” Savannah said. “Yeah, kittens wouldn’t have much of a chance out here.”

  ****

  Later that day, Savannah called Craig. “Your cats are safe and sound at my aunt’s cattery. Let me know when you want me to bring Ruby and Maxine home to you?”

  “What?” Craig said. “Who?”

  “Your two cats, Ruby and Maxine.”

  Craig hesitated. “Wait, are you sure you got the right cats?”

  “I’m pretty certain we did, based on your description.”

  “Then why would you be calling them Ruby and Maxine?”

  “Because they’re girl cats, that’s why,” she said, chuckling. Savannah grinned when she heard the dead silence.

  Finally Craig said, “Oh. I thought they were my guy buddies. Hmmm. Girls, huh? That changes everything.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I just wasn’t expecting to bring home girl cats. But I sure do owe them. So what the hey.” He paused. “What about the others?”

  “I’m pretty sure we caught all but one. They’re also at my aunt’s.”

  “Already?” Craig asked.

  “Yes, they were hungry. We left a trap for the last one. Once Michael gives them a clean bill of health, my aunt and Max will evaluate them and determine which ones might like to be adopted into a warm home and which ones would prefer living the rest of their life out in relative safety at June Balcomb’s cat ranch. You’ve seen her facility, haven’t you?”

  “Yeah, at the open house last year. It looks like a good place for cats.” He coughed and cleared his throat. “I’d be willing to give a donation to help with their care.”

  “That’s generous of you, Craig. June will appreciate that.”

  “It’s the least I can do.”

  “So how are you feeling?” she asked. “Are you getting around better?”

  “Yeah, much. I’m heading to San Francisco day after tomorrow, so I’d better be.”

  “Oh, Craig, that soon?”

  “You sound like my wife, Savannah—nag, nag…” Before she could respond, he said, “Don’t worry, I won’t be alone. Ramon’s going with me.”

  “That’s good. Will you testify?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well, take care, Craig. Be careful.” She paused. “It’s sure good to have you back.”

  “It’s good to be back.” Before Savannah could hang up, Craig said, “Oh, Savannah, about our meeting. Can we do it tomorrow?”

  “Yes, that would be good. Thank you, Craig.”

  ****

  “So Rags helped you corral cats today, did he?” Michael asked later that evening after supper.

  “Yes. How did they check out?” She faced him. “You were able to stop by my aunt’s, weren’t you?”

  He nodded. “I didn’t find any serious problems. It doesn’t look like they were being fed regularly, but that can be remedied. I’ll get test results back tomorrow. They’ll stay in isolation until then. After that, we’ll schedule them for their little surgeries. We sequestered the pregnant female. She should have those kittens just about any time.”

  “Awww, kittens,” Savannah said, smiling. She grimaced. “Sure wish we’d been able to trap the other pregnant one. Maybe tomorrow.”

  “So you’re going out to the Lander place again tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, we left a trap out there and we don’t want to leave any cats behind.”

  “How’s Craig? I haven’t talked to him.”

  “Sounds better.” She giggled a little. “Hey, did you know he’s keeping a couple of those cats?”

  “He is? Two more cats in that small place they live in?”

  “Yes. He bonded with them out there. Michael, he got really emotional when he talked about them.” She grinned. “I’m not sure Iris is thrilled, though.”

  “Uh-huh. Does that make eleven cats that she owns now?” He laughed. “Last I knew, she didn’t really like cats that much.”

  “She’s warming up to them. Yeah, she has the five cuddle cats at the Kaiser Inn and her incarcerated business partner’s three cats. Then there’s Tommy kitty, and now these two.” She laughed again. “Craig thought he was cozying up to two male cats. He named them Rudy and Max. Turns out they’re females. Auntie and I named them Ruby and Maxine.”

  Michael chuckled, then asked, “Did you tell Rochelle you found Craig?”

  “No!” she exclaimed. “I forgot, with all the activity around the cats. I’d better call her. Just then her cell phone rang. She looked at it. “Oh,” she said, surprised, “it’s Rochelle. Hi, Rochelle. So sorry I didn’t call you. How rude of me after you were so generous with your time.”

  “That’s okay. I’m sure you’re busy.”

  “Yes, we’ve been herding cats—Rags and my aunt and I.”

  “Oh? How does one do that?”

  “With a lot of patience, strategy, and treats.”

  Rochelle laughed, then she said more quietly, “I sense that you found the detective.”

  “Yes—with a bunch of cats amo
ng the reeds near a pond. It was just as you said, Rochelle. Rags led us to him. Craig was in pretty bad shape, but he’ll be okay, thanks to your great insight. Thank you so much.”

  “All I did was tell you what I saw. You did the rest. I must say, I was a little concerned when I sensed that a woman had been…was she killed?”

  “Yes,” Savannah said. “A young woman from the house. Those stupid kids living there evidently had weapons and tried to shoot it out with the sheriff’s deputies.”

  “Sad,” Rochelle said solemnly. “Really sad. I’m just glad it wasn’t you, Savannah.”

  “Oh gosh. Me, too. No, I don’t think I was in any danger. But thank you for caring.”

  “Of course. So is there anything else I can help you with?” Rochelle asked.

  “No, I don’t think so.” Savannah chuckled. “Wait. Do you know where my favorite pen is? I sat down to pay a few bills this afternoon and I couldn’t find it. I always keep it in a little ledge on top of the antique desk.”

  Rochelle laughed. “You don’t need psychic help for that, Savannah. I’d say you need to talk to your cat or your little daughter.”

  “You’re probably right. Okay, I’d better go do some toy-box diving and maybe check upstairs to see what Rags has accumulated in his stash. Thanks for the tip. See you soon.”

  “I hope so. Good-bye, Savannah.”

  “Is this what you’re looking for?” Michael asked, holding up a blue pen.

  “Yes. Where’d you find it?”

  “On the desk. It’s my favorite pen. I was using it to make my Christmas gift list.”

  “Well look at you Mr. Organized. I didn’t know you were already making plans for Christmas.”

  He winced. “I thought it was a little soon, but I stopped at the feed store to order a couple of things and noticed Christmas dazzle everywhere. I decided I’d better get busy. I have a lot of people on my list, you know.”

  “Who, besides me?” she asked, coyly.

  “My office staff, Adam, Lily…”

  Savannah frowned. “But I usually shop for the kids.”

  “Well, I might just do a little extra shopping for them myself this year.”