by Patricia Fry
Adam looked at Max as if seeing him for the first time. "Cool. Do you cook for your cats?" he asked.
"Sure do," he said. "Some of the cats that come into the shelter need a special diet. So I cook chicken for them."
"Max, your beans are to die for," Iris said. "What makes them so delicious?" she asked.
He narrowed his lips in contemplation. "I guess it's a combination of things." He looked at Iris. "You know, cooking is a science or an art—however you want to look at it. It takes practice to learn what pairs well together, how much of it to use, and all."
"He's like a mad scientist in the kitchen," Margaret said with a chuckle.
"I like science," Adam offered. "And I like art. I guess I could be a…cook." He took a sip of lemonade and then said, "Hey, I could be on the cooking channel."
Michael laughed. "He's our budding celebrity," he said. He leaned toward the group as if sharing a secret. "You know, he's thinking about joining the circus."
"The circus?" Brianna asked. "Are you serious?"
"Yes," Savannah said. "With Rags."
"Oh, you're going to be a lion tamer, huh?" Bud asked with a chuckle.
Adam glanced up at everyone and took another bite of his burger. "No," he said. "Rags isn't a lion. He does cat tricks."
Just then, Savannah jumped up from her chair and darted toward the house. "The baby's awake," she said over her shoulder.
Colbi stood and rushed to catch up with Savannah's long strides. "Can I help?"
As they entered the kitchen, Savannah saw their little Himalayan-mix cat walking toward them. "Oh, hi there, Buffy. Is our girl awake?" She then addressed Colbi, "There's our best baby monitor."
Colbi seemed confused. She pushed her soft side bangs off her forehead and asked, "Where?"
"Right there," Savannah said, pointing at the cat. "Buffy comes to tell us when Lily wakes up."
"Awww, how cute is that?" she said bending down and ruffling the cat's lush fur.
Once the two women had returned to the picnic, baby Lily cuddled in Colbi's arms, Adam asked his dad for permission to bring Rags out to perform tricks for their guests.
"Let's clear the table first, shall we?" Savannah suggested. Margaret, Iris, and Brianna stood and began helping Savannah and Michael with the task.
"Now, Dad?" Adam pestered, once coffee and cherry cobbler had been served.
"Okay, Son. Go get our entertainment."
When the boy returned with the large grey-and-white cat in a harness attached to a long tether, Michael stood and asked for everyone's attention.
"Are we going to have an announcement?" Margaret asked. She glanced expectantly at Colbi and Damon, and then at Brianna and Bud. "Is someone getting married?"
Once Margaret had duly embarrassed both couples, she smiled brightly and said more reverently, "Well, I hope you don't wait too long."
"No one's getting married," Michael said. He then added, "…that I know of." He chuckled and ran his hand through his straight dark-brown hair. "We have some entertainment this afternoon." He winked at Adam and addressed the crowd. "Can we have a drum roll, please?"
As the guests tapped their fingers on the tables, Adam said, "Dad, that's going to scare Rags." He waved his hand. "Stop, you're scaring my trick cat."
The boy, ignoring the muffled laughter, patted Michael on the arm and said, "Okay, now introduce us, Dad."
Michael bellowed, "Please welcome into the ring, Adam and his circus cat, Raaaaaaaags."
Adam smiled shyly as the captive audience exploded into exuberant applause. Then he addressed Michael. "Okay. First, Dad, hold him and don't let him peek."
Michael placed the cat on his lap and faced him in the opposite direction Adam had walked. In the meantime, the boy opened a packet of kitty treats and began placing them in strategic spots throughout the area. He put one in the cuff of Max's slacks, balanced one on the leather bow on Iris's turquoise designer shoes, and dropped a couple at the base of Lily's baby swing. He looked around and asked, "Where else can I hide these?"
"How about here on my lap," Colbi said. "Do you think he'll jump up in my lap for a treat?"
Adam nodded. "Um, maybe."
She took a cat treat from Adam and tucked it into a fold of her full skirt.
"Here, put one on my cap," Damon suggested, motioning toward the baseball cap lying on the grass under his chair.
"That's probably enough, Adam, don't you think?" Savannah suggested.
The boy nodded. "Okay, now let's see if you can find the treats, trick cat," Adam said, taking the leash in his hand as Michael set the large cat on the ground. "Find the treats!" Adam commanded, urging the cat along.
Suddenly Lexie, who had been lying next to Savannah, raised her head and sniffed the air. She stood and started to move toward Adam, when Savannah caught her by the collar and said, "No, Lexie. You stay put. This is a cat circus; no dogs allowed."
Adam chuckled. "That's right, no dogs allowed."
In the meantime, Rags began leading Adam away from the group and across the lawn toward a flowerbed. Craig spoke up. "Hey big boy, wrong direction."
Brianna called out, "Come over here, kitty, kitty."
"That's where he likes to chase butterflies," Savannah explained.
Margaret grinned. "He wants a butterfly treat."
Adam continued tugging on the leash, saying, "No, Rags. Come this way. Your treats are over here."
Rags resisted for a moment and then decided to trot along next to Adam back to the group. The cat walked over near Iris, peered up at her, and took a few more steps toward her. Suddenly, something caught his attention. He began sniffing the air. The scent seemed to direct him toward the ground. He sniffed around Iris's feet and then he found it—a treat sitting on one of her shoes. He reached out with one paw and attempted to grasp the round treat. Instead, it fell into the thick grass. Adam felt around among the blades, picked up the treat, and fed it to Rags. "Good boy," he said with a wide smile.
The cat looked up at Iris. Meow.
"That's all I have," she said, opening her palms toward him.
Everyone applauded and cheered. Adam grinned from ear to ear.
Just then, Max reached one hand down and wriggled his fingers to attract the cat's attention. Rags saw this and promptly trotted in his direction. Max brought his hands back up to his lap and Rags promptly jumped up, resting his front paws on the man's knee. When Max dropped one hand toward the ground again, Rags followed it with his eyes. He sniffed Max's hand and then he seemed to catch a whiff of something else. It didn't take him long to locate the treat and dig it out of Max's pants cuff.
The group burst into applause again.
Rags ran his pink tongue around the outside of his mouth while Adam petted and praised the cat. "There are three more, Rags. Can you find them?" he said. He tugged on the leash, leading the cat to the other side of the table. When they neared where Colbi sat, Adam stopped and relaxed his grip on the leash.
Colbi smiled down at the cat. "Hi there, Rags. Want a treat? Huh?" she said while lightly tapping one hand against her thigh.
Rags hopped up onto her lap with his front paws and quickly found the treat.
There was more applause and a few cheers.
"Two more," Adam announced, as he walked toward Savannah and baby Lily. It didn't take long for Rags to discover the treats at the base of the baby swing. After swallowing them, he stood up with his paws on the swing and began sniffing Lily.
At the same time, Adam looked around. "I forgot where the other one is," he admitted.
Just then, Rags jumped down and walked away from Adam. Feeling the tug on the leash, the boy followed the cat to where Damon sat and watched as he began foraging around Damon's feet. Within a few seconds, Rags was under the chair retrieving the treat Adam had left on Damon's cap.
"You've done a good job of training him," Margaret said. "Or did he train you to give him those treats?"
At the same time, Colbi asked Savannah, "Have you e
ver thought about using him as a therapy cat?"
"Not really," Savannah said. "Do you mean take him around to visit old folks in nursing homes?"
"Yeah, or, he could help kids learn to read."
Savannah looked at Colbi quizzically, her blond ponytail brushing across one shoulder.
Colbi explained, "I'm preparing a news story on illiteracy and children's reading
programs. Some of the programs involve animals—you know, cats and dogs, mostly—and an occasional pony, hamster, guinea pig…"
Margaret leaned forward in her chair. "I've heard of programs where special-needs kids are exposed to shelter animals—animals have a calming effect on them," she said. "But how do animals help kids learn to read?"
"Yeah, my friend Bonnie has a riding program at her stable for children with disabilities," Savannah said. "But I can't imagine how horses or cats could help kids read. How does that work?" she asked, reaching over and caressing one of baby Lily's feet as Brianna lifted the baby onto her lap.
"Well, what slow learners and poor readers need is more practice. Teachers don't have time to work with these kids. Some children don't do well reading in front of their classmates anyway, because they have such low self-esteem. Their parents are stressed to the limit or are disinterested—heck, some of them don't even speak English. So they don't encourage the children to read the books they get at school. And parents can be critical, which feeds the student's general lack of confidence. You can see how, for some children, reading just makes them feel like a failure."
Briana gazed across at Colbi. "So what difference can an animal make?" she asked.
"They're good listeners. They don't judge. They give these students the opportunity to practice reading in a non-threatening environment. I'm telling you, the statistics gathered on some of these programs are quite remarkable."
Damon leaned into the conversation. "Being around animals is thought to lower blood pressure, so there's also the therapeutic value of the programs. It's a nice environment for kids to learn in and they gain some confidence in their skills."
"So, you think Rags would be a good listener?" Savannah asked, looking from Damon to Colbi.
"Yeah, what if he doesn't like the story?" Margaret joked.
"Wow," Craig said, "I didn't know animals could be so important."
Michael laughed. "How did you miss that memo after hanging around this bunch for the past few years, Craig?"
"Yeah," Brianna said, "three veterinarians, three cat-rescue people, and almost all of us own pets. Bud has lots of all kinds of critters out at his place."
Before Craig could respond, Iris fixed her eyes harshly on his and asked, "Don't you think Willie's important?"
He cleared his throat before speaking. "Sure, I like your kids' dog. He's a good dog. I'm just saying, I didn't know that you could give animals—especially cats—a job like that."
Savannah sat straighter in her chair. "Craig, what about the work Rags has done for you? That was important, wasn't it? I mean he has helped you solve some serious crimes."
"Okay, you've got me," Craig said. "I have to admit, I've gained a whole lot more respect for cats since I met Rags."
Margaret looked across the table at Damon. She smiled. "I hear you like cats now, too."
Damon smoothed his short-cropped curly red hair with one hand. "Yeah, cats—at least some cats—are pretty awesome creatures." He pointed to Rags. "That one saved my life."
Craig reached over and squeezed the younger man's shoulder affectionately.
"Rags saved your life?" Adam asked from where he and the cat were playing nearby. "How'd he do that?"
Damon wasn't sure how to respond. He didn't want to tell the boy that he'd been a drug addict and committed a crime and that, because Rags identified him as an accessory to murder, he went to prison. He didn't think the child would understand how difficult it had been to get off drugs, but that with Craig's support and his own determination, he'd managed to come clean and change his life. Finally, he turned toward the boy and said, "Well, Adam, I was sick and needed help getting well. Rags made sure I got the help I needed."
"Oh," Adam said before jumping up and following Rags who had sprinted across the lawn.
Colbi reached over and patted Damon's leg. "I love you," she mouthed silently. He leaned in and kissed her.
Iris smiled at her son and Colbi. She then asked, "Do we have any reading programs here in Hammond like the one you mentioned?"
Colbi pushed one side of her long brown hair behind one ear. "No, not at this time. Maybe it would be a good project for the Hammond Cat Alliance to initiate. There might be others in the group with cats that would be good candidates."
"Can you get me some information about reading programs with animals?" Savannah asked.
"I'd be interested in being a part of that committee, if one develops," Iris said, tugging lightly at the hem of her fitted turquoise crop-top.
"Super," Savannah said. "Let's look into it. Rags could use some extracurricular activities now that he's between sleuth jobs." She thought for a moment and then suggested, "Shall we start with the library? Maybe the librarian can help us coordinate something."
"Who is librarian now that poor Leslie Sparks went crazy?" Margaret asked.
No one responded for a few seconds and then Iris spoke, "I didn't know there was a new librarian; what happened to Leslie?"
"I thought you'd be one of the first to hear, since you work at the gossip center of town," Margaret said.
Iris abruptly straightened her posture. "The operative word here is work, Maggie. I don't sit around all day at the diner listening to the tittle-tattle. I'm working." She knitted her brows. "Where is Leslie, anyway? I haven't seen her around in ages."
"It was kept kind of hush-hush, actually." Margaret looked around to make sure everyone was listening and then she said quietly, "She's in an institution somewhere. Had a breakdown."
"That pretty thing?" Iris said. "What could go so wrong in her life? She had it all, didn't she?"
"So it seemed." Margaret scanned the area for Adam. When she saw him racing around in the orchard with Lexie, out of earshot, she continued, "But when her husband disappeared under mysterious circumstances three or four years ago, she lost it…couldn't cope, I guess. Ended up over in Straley at the mental hospital."
"I remember that case," Craig said. "Still unsolved. I think about it once in a while. I half expect Chris Sparks to show up someday out of the blue."
"You don't think he's dead?" Max asked.
Craig shook his head. "Don't know. He left a note saying he was leaving town for good."
"In his handwriting?" Colbi asked.
"No, it was typed. We checked—it came from his home computer."
"So who's the librarian now?" Savannah asked.
"Her name is Glenda Cathcart," Damon said. "I met her when I was digging up stuff about the old Fischer building a few months ago for a newspaper article."
"Well, I might just make an appointment with Ms. Cathcart and see if I can get Rags a job," Savannah said. She looked at Iris. "I'll let you know what I find out."
Chapter 2
The following Monday afternoon, Savannah pulled up in front of Iris's house. "Where's Lily?" Iris asked upon climbing into the car.
"Michael worked half day so he can spend more time with Adam while he's here. She's hanging out with the guys."
Iris's smile widened. "How is that adorable baby?" she asked.
"Great. Just great. If I'd known how special being a mom is, I'd have…"
"You'd have what?" Iris asked, smirking at her friend.
"Oh, I don't know—maybe let things play out just the way they did; otherwise, I might have ended up with a bratty Brian or a crabby Clara. We waited just the right amount of time to have adorable, sweet Lily. What a gift she is," Savannah said with a sigh.
"Yeah, you lucked out. She's precious," Iris said. "By the way, when can Craig and I babysit?"
"Uh, well, go
sh, Michael and I don't go out much unless we take her with us." She hesitated. "But she could come over for a playdate sometime, if you want."
"That would be great. Let me find out when Craig will be at my house and we'll make a plan—for sure."
"You'll probably have your son and his girlfriend over there, too. They sure are in love with our baby, aren't they?"
"Yes, Damon cracks me up the way he just melts when he sees Lily—or Colbi's kitty, Dolly…"
"Or Colbi…" Savannah, said laughing.
Iris laughed as well. "Yeah, he does love that girl."
"And I think the feeling's mutual."
"Savannah, I can't tell you how…" Iris's voice cracked and she paused before continuing.
"I know, Iris. It must be a wonderful feeling to see him doing so well and being so happy after having it so rough there for a while."
"I bless Craig every day for the time he spent helping Damon to find himself, to discover his passion, and get off those horrible drugs." Iris turned to face Savannah. "That's one reason why I want to be involved in the reading program."
"Oh? How's that?"
"Well, I have to think that if Damon had something like that when he was young, maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have gone down the wrong path. I'd love to do something to help other kids make good decisions. Drugs are the devil's doing—I'm sure of it—and we must do what we can to deter impressionable kids, who don't yet have goals and a strong set of values, from taking a wrong turn."
Savannah glanced at her friend and then back at the road. "Noble, Iris."
"What?"
"That's noble of you. I honor you for paying it forward."
"Any mother would do the same, if presented with the opportunity."
Savannah parked her SUV outside the Hammond library just before two that afternoon. "Hey, wait for me, girl," Iris said as Savannah took the front steps at a fast pace. "Where's the fire?"
"Oh, sorry, you've got those high heels on—no wonder you're lagging."
"And I have a few years on you, too, remember?"
"Yeah, I do keep forgetting that, Grandma," Savannah said teasingly.
"I'm still bigger than you—well, taller," Iris snapped.