The Celebrity Cat Caper (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 6)

by Patricia Fry

  "Actually, I believe so. I can't see Monica Bloom until tomorrow, anyway, so I think I'll crash for a while at Iris's before calling it a night."

  ****

  Two nights later, the Iveys shared the front page of the newspaper as they both read the story Damon had written about the updates in the recent murder cases. "So Monica handed over the package to authorities," Michael said. "Good girl."

  "Oh, the package Lance sent to her before he died?" Savannah said. She looked down at her hands. "That poor girl. She's a sweet thing. Seems to have her head on straight and her heart in the right place. And to have so much rejection in her life—must be awful."

  "I guess she knows who her mother is now, right?" Michael said.

  "Yes, it seems so. But what good will it do her to have a mother who doesn't want her and who is a total druggy-alcoholic or mentally ill? Her father's dead. I hope those Blooms who adopted her are nice people and still love her," Savannah said.

  "Yeah, she knows her father is a killer, now, too. The package he gave her was supposed to be opened upon his death and evidently, he didn't want to die without confessing everything to her."

  Savannah said, "Even Julie's murder. It appears that Craig has his case closure."

  She looked pensive, "I guess Lance did love his daughter in his way."

  "Yes, if it was convenient at the moment," Michael said. He spoke more sternly, "That's not love, Savannah."

  "Yeah, you're right. But it's all he knew."

  "Oh, my phone," Savannah said, putting it up to her ear. "Hi Bonnie. How are you, girl?" Savannah looked at Michael and said into the phone, "Well sure. That would be okay. Is there a problem?" Savannah listened to the voice on the other end of the phone for a few minutes and then the pair ended the call. Savannah placed the phone on the coffee table in front of her and stared at it.

  "What is it, hon?" Michael asked, concern in his voice. After a few seconds, he said, "Savannah?"

  "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking."

  "So what did Bonnie say?"

  "She wants to bring Peaches home tomorrow."

  "That's okay, isn't it?" he asked.

  She perked up. "Oh yes. I'm ready to have my mare home—more than ready. I miss her. No, that isn't the problem. The problem is, someone is harassing Bonnie and her husband. They're stealing animals from their place or helping them escape. Several animals have come up missing." She turned toward Michael. "You haven't heard of anyone else missing livestock, have you?"

  He shook his head. "No, I sure haven't. Has she? Does she know of others who have lost animals?"

  "Well, she thinks she's being singled out—that it's a race issue or maybe there's a disgruntled horse owner who isn't winning ribbons with the horse Bonnie trained…something like that. She doesn't have a clue as to who it would be, though. She wants to tell me more about it tomorrow, in case there's anything I might suggest."

  Michael squinted his eyes. "Who does she think you are, Angela Lansbury?"

  "No," Savannah said rather indignantly. "I think she just considers me a friend and someone who isn't exactly dense and she'd like to bounce a few ideas off me and get my opinion. Is that okay with you, Mr. Cynical?"

  "Whoa there," Michael said, holding his hands out in front of himself defensively. "I was just funnin' you. Of course, you're a friend and a smart one, at that. She's lucky to have you. But…"

  "But what?" she asked rather curtly.

  "Are you sure you want to be involved in another mystery so soon?"

  Savannah studied her husband for a moment before saying, "Bonnie needs me. Tomorrow, I'll let her know I'll be there for her." She cringed. "Gads, I hope I'm not setting myself up to get involved in a gnarly rustling ring."

  Michael picked up her hand and squeezed it. "Yeah, me too. Me too."

  Other books in the Klepto Cat Mystery series

  Catnapped

  When Savannah Jordan agrees to help her aunt while she recovers from a broken foot, she doesn’t expect to walk into a mystery, become part of a not-quite-legal surveillance team, be kidnapped by a deranged stranger and meet a steaming hot veterinarian.

  Beloved neighborhood cats are missing—the community can only guess at their fate—and Aunt Margaret’s life is being threatened. Is it because she has a clue to the missing cats or is it something more sinister? Of course, as in all of the Klepto Cat Mysteries, Rags, an ordinary cat with a most unusual habit, has a paw in saving the day.

  If you like light mysteries with only a little terror, if you’re infatuated by interesting cats and if you love a love story, you must read this book.

  Cat-Eye Witness

  Savannah and Aunt Margaret open the old Forster home to the Hammond Cat Alliance for a fundraiser to help rehabilitate the abused horses rescued months earlier from the catnappers.

  Before the afternoon is over, the collected funds go missing and someone is murdered in an upstairs bedroom.

  Suspicion surrounds Iris, a local waitress and Savannah’s new best friend. The only witness to the murder is Rags, Savannah’s cat. With the assistance of a cat psychic and Rags’s good friend, Charlotte (the young girl with Downs), the cat helps to “paw” the killer…but not before an attempt is made on Rags’s life. The case is solved only after Rags comes face-to-face with the killer for the second time.

  Detective Craig Sledge is new to this book, as is Damon, Iris’s errant son. Sledge finds this to be one of the muddiest cases he has ever worked, with inconsistent clues and no apparent motive. He’s constantly surprised, perplexed and impressed by the cat’s uncanny ability to come up with clues he has missed. His fascination with the attractive Iris Clampton also mystifies the detective.

  In this story, one of the rescued horses goes into labor and there’s a night of high drama

  at the ole corral as veterinarians Savannah and Michael work to save the foal. This experience renews Savannah’s deep interest in horses and riding, which ultimately serves to help her bond with a very important surprise character who finds his way into her life and Michael’s just as they prepare to say their wedding vows.

  While Rags is the animal star, he isn’t the only animal featured in this story. Layla is back in all of her tangerine feline beauty. And Rags makes friends with Buffy, a perky almost Himalayan cat and the inseparable duo, Walter, an all black cat and his sidekick, Lexie, a charming Afghan mix dog. Savannah’s new ride, Peaches, also debuts in this story. An incident with this mare adds another dimension to Savannah’s and Michael’s relationship. Can he hold her with open arms?

  Some say this is a love story with a mystery in the background. And it’s a story of family and friendship as newlyweds Margaret and Max continue to be a meaningful part of Savannah’s and Michael’s world.

  Sleight of Paw

  In this story, Michael Ivey, the local veterinarian (Savannah’s new husband) is attacked by an enraged client and then later accused of this man’s murder. The evidence quickly stacks up against Michael, until Rags, Savannah’s kleptomaniac cat, starts digging up clues implicating the unlikely suspect.

  Coinciding with the details of this challenge is the discovery that the old house, which the couple purchased from Savannah’s aunt, is cursed. Is this why the couple has not been blessed with a child?

  Savannah’s sister Brianna comes for a visit. She teams up with the Iveys’ vet tech, Bud, to discover how to break the gypsy spell and they fall hard for each other. Will their courtship be strengthened or weakened by a frightening carjacking incident?

  Detective Craig Sledge is prominent in this story as the lead investigator in the murder case. As usual, he engages in some creative tactics to get the information and the confessions he’s after. He has also become embedded in Savannah’s friend, Iris’s family. He’s dating Iris and helping with her son, Damon’s rehabilitation in prison. If you read the 2nd in the series, you know that Rags (the cat) helped to put Damon in jail.

  Undercover Cat

  A popular local journalist goes mi
ssing just before she has the opportunity to turn in her story exposing unscrupulous cat hoarders. Not only is Colbi a friend of Savannah’s and Michael’s, Damon (now out of prison and employed by the local newspaper) has a strong personal interest in her. In fact, Damon breaks some rules and some trusts in his search for Colbi.

  Is this a love connection? It’s doubtful because Colbi is a strong advocate for the feral cat population and Damon hates cats—or so he believes.

  Colbi’s rescue is almost too late. She needs time to heal both physically and emotionally. So the Iveys invite her to recuperate in their home. Just when Colbi begins to feel safe, a body is discovered in the Iveys’ orchard and Rags (their kleptomaniac cat) goes missing. Can someone in a nearby homeless camp shed some light on the evolving mystery?

  The Cat Colony Caper

  Savannah Ivey, a veterinarian out on maternity leave; her aunt Margaret, the founder of the Hammond Cat Alliance; and Colbi Stanton, a reporter for the local newspaper take on a cat colony at an old, abandoned building. Odd activity around the place makes them wonder if it actually is vacant; some believe it’s occupied by something other-worldly. When a stranger comes to town and suggests the Alliance open the old building to a fund-raiser, everyone gets involved, including Rags, Savannah’s kleptomaniac cat. He finds something that day that stirs a lot of people—both law-abiding and crooks—into action. Are the feral cats and their caretakers in serious danger? What (or who) lurks inside the old building? What secrets does it hide? And who has the key that unlocks the mystery?