A MEOWvelous Witness (Klepto Cat Mystery Book 17)

by Patricia Fry

  “On an empty stomach? I haven’t eaten since breakfast, you know.” She headed toward the kitchen. “Maybe a swig…along with a handful of almonds or something.”

  “There are some peanut butter cookies in the container there. Help yourself.”

  When Savannah spotted the covered container on the counter, she took a deep breath and stepped closer to it. “It’s that same pattern as on those dishes we found at the campground.”

  Max, who had followed her into the kitchen, nodded.

  Just then Savannah’s phone rang. “It’s Michael,” she announced before taking the call. After listening for a moment, she said, “Max, he wants to join us with Adam and Lily. Okay with you?”

  “Sure,” he said. “I’m always happy to see your little family.”

  “Yes, come on over, hon,” she said into the phone. “Max made peanut butter cookies.”

  “No, Maggie made them,” Max confessed.

  After ending the call, she took a cookie, offered Max one, then watched Max pour a dark -brown liquid into two cordial glasses.

  As they returned to the living room, Savannah’s phone rang again. She grimaced. “Oh, it’s Colbi. Darn, I told her I’d call her back.”

  “Hey, I have to finish putting the shelter cats to bed. It won’t take me long. Go ahead and take the call.” When Savannah joined him in the greenhouse-turned-cathouse a few minutes later, he asked, “How’s Colbi?”

  “Hanging in there, I guess. How can I help?” she asked, looking around at the variety of cats currently living at the small shelter.

  “Want to do some scooping? Then the two on the end there could use more kibbles.” He took a Siamese-mix out of a pen and placed him on an examining table. “I need to administer some bedtime meds to a few of them.”

  “You sure provide a nice place for these homeless cats,” she said. “It’s a wonder they ever want to leave.” She chuckled. “From the number I see inside your house, some of them don’t.”

  “Yeah, that’s a hazard of this kind of work. It’s hard to let them go. But certainly, a good home is our ultimate goal for all of them.” He turned to face her as she poured kibbles into a cat bowl. “We placed fifty-three last year. We’re pretty proud of that.”

  “And how many did you keep?” she asked impishly.

  “Last year? Just one. Jack. You know Jack.”

  “Oh yes, that handsome black-and-white guy.”

  “Yup. He’s turned out to be quite a nice cat,” he said, ushering Savannah back to the living room. “He’s particularly attached to your aunt, you know.” Max pulled back the drapes. “Looks like your family’s here.” He promptly opened the door. “Come on in, guys.”

  “Ki-ki. Ki-ki,” Lily said, pointing at Layla and then at Jack. When she saw Gretchen and Grizwold peering from the hallway, she got even more excited. “Ki-ki!” she shouted gleefully.

  “Yes, there are a lot of ki-kis here, aren’t there?” Max said, helping her out of her little jacket.

  Lily looked at him. “Ki-ki bath?”

  “You think the kitties need a bath?” he asked.

  Savannah started to chuckle. “She remembers watching you give one of your shelter cats a bath once. She still talks about that.”

  “You sure have a good memory,” he said to the toddler.

  “Yeah, that impressed her. Since then, I have to watch that she doesn’t drag one of our cats into the tub when it’s time for her bath.” Just then, she noticed Adam carrying a cardboard box into the house. “What do you have there?” she asked.

  “The pie. You know, the sheeps-herder pie.”

  “Yeah, we thought you two might be hungry,” Michael explained.

  Max led the way into the kitchen. “Nice. Want to bring it in here, Adam?”

  “Michael makes a pretty good shepherd’s pie,” Savannah said as the two of them followed along. She kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, hon, for thinking of us.”

  “Gotta take care of my family.” He glanced at Max. “I was pretty sure you two hadn’t eaten anything.” He called to Adam, who had drifted back out to the living room. “Son, watch your sister for a minute, will you? I want to warm this up.”

  “Okay,” he said, sulking a little. “But she can run pretty fast, you know.” Suddenly he darted toward the baby, grabbing a TV remote from her. “No, Lily.”

  “Here, Adam,” Savannah said, joining him. “Let’s show her the toys, shall we? Remember, Auntie and Max have a basket of toys for you guys.”

  “Oh yeah. I’ll get them.”

  “I’ll help you,” Max offered. “That toy box is getting kind of heavy.” Suddenly Max jumped and released his phone from his clip-on case. “It’s Craig.” A few moments later he announced, “They found her!” His eyes filling with tears, he asked into the phone, “Where? Where is she now?” He then asked, “Is she…?” He choked back emotion and let out a breath. “Oh, thank God.”

  “She’s okay?” Savannah asked eagerly when Max ended the call.

  “Yes,” he said, smiling through tears of joy. “They’re bringing her home in a squad car. She should be here in thirty or forty minutes.”

  “Glad to hear it, guy,” Michael said, patting Max on the back as he returned to join the others in the living room.

  “What happened?” Savannah asked, easing down onto the sofa. “Where was she?”

  Adam moved toward Savannah and sat next to her. “Is Aunt Maggie okay?” he asked quietly.

  She put her arm around him and squeezed him to her. “Yes. I think so.”

  “I’m glad,” he said. “She’s my favorite aunt.”

  Michael play-punched his son. “She’s your only aunt, isn’t she?”

  “Well no, there’s Aunt Bri and…oh, I like her, too.” he glanced at Savannah, sheepishly.

  “Maybe she’s your favorite great aunt,” she offered.

  He nodded.

  Max smiled at the boy. “What a nice thing to say.”

  “So where was she, Max, do you know?” Savannah asked.

  “Up near the campground. I guess she found her way to the ranger station. Someone evidently carjacked her and drove around with her in the car for a while.”

  “After eating our lunch,” Savannah said scornfully. “So they were driving around up there and we never saw them?”

  “There are a lot of roads in those hills,” Michael reminded her, “and several camp areas. You know that, Savannah. They could have taken any number of forks to Badger Camp, Eagle Camp…what else is up there? …oh, Weasel and Strawberry.”

  “Strawberry Camp?” Adam asked. “That’s a funny name.”

  “Yeah, I think they found wild berries growing in that area years ago and decided to name it Strawberry Camp.”

  “So do the carjackers still have her car?” Savannah asked.

  “Well,” Max said, letting out a sigh. “It appears that her car was either pushed or driven over the side near Coyote Camp. About the time Maggie had made her way to the ranger station, someone reported a fire, and while they were questioning her, rangers found her car burning at the bottom of a ravine.”

  “The cats?” Savannah asked, frantically. “What about the cats?”

  “Cats?” Max asked, a puzzled look on his face.

  “Yes, she picked up Rags and Dolly to bring them out for a photo shoot. They were with her, Max. You didn’t know that?”

  He shook his head. “Why would she do that?”

  “Oh, who knows? Let’s hope they’re with her and Craig just forgot to mention it to you.”

  Max stared at Savannah. He started to say something, when Michael jumped to his feet. “Hey, the pie should be hot. Are you two ready to eat?” Before heading into the kitchen, he asked Adam, “Want some more?”

  He shook his head. “No thanks. I’m full.”

  “How about a cookie?” Max offered.

  “Yeah, I have room for a cookie,” Adam said, enthusiastically.

  *
***

  “Didn’t you like it?” Michael asked Savannah when he took her plate a little while later.

  Straining to smile, she said, “It was good—really good. I’m just not very hungry.”

  “I know, hon.” He turned to Max. “Finished?”

  “Yeah, Michael. Thanks. It really is tasty. You and Adam did a good job. Wish I could eat more.”

  “Well, we’ll make it again when everyone feels more like eating.”

  Savannah stood and walked to the front window where she peered out for a moment. Turning, she asked, sounding frustrated, “Max, what do you suppose happened up there?”

  He shook his head. “I can’t even imagine. I’m sure she’ll fill in the blanks when she gets here.”

  And fill in the blanks she did with all the anger she could muster. “Who the hell do they think they are, those idiot kids—eating my food and torching my car.” She rested her head in her hands and began to cry. “My poor car. I loved that car.”

  “I know you did,” Max said, holding her as she sobbed.

  “Did you eat?” Michael asked her. “We have some shepherd’s pie left. Want some?”

  When she hesitated, Adam said, “It’s good, Aunt Maggie. And good for you.”

  She smiled at the boy. “Thanks Adam. Maybe in a little bit. My stomach’s still in my throat.”

  “Who was it, Auntie?” Savannah asked. “Who took you?”

  “A couple of damn kids who, I guess, were trying to act grown up, but obviously couldn’t even feed themselves and didn’t own a car.”

  “Kids?” Max questioned.

  “Yeah—you know, older teenagers—young adults. They thought they were some Bonnie-and-Clyde team, for cripes sake. When I put up a fight to keep them from taking my car, they decided to take me with it.”

  “Auntie, was one of them using a crutch or a cane?” Savannah asked.

  “Yeah, the girl had a sprained ankle or something. She used one crutch to get around.” She looked suspiciously at Savannah. “How’d you know that?”

  “We were trying to play investigator up there at the campground,” Max explained. “So those were your tire marks at the park entrance, huh?”

  Margaret shrugged. “I guess so. They stopped me with a sob story, took our food, then the boy wrestled my car keys from me.”

  “Auntie, why did you fight them? You could have gotten yourself killed.”

  “I told you I loved my car. Plus, I didn’t want to ride home on the back of a dang horse.” Her voice and demeanor softened when she said, “And the cats. My God, Vannie,” she wailed, “the cats were in the car.” She took Savannah’s hand. “I’m sorry. I thought I’d bring them out so you could photograph them like you wanted to.” She began to weep. “I’m so sorry. What a huge mistake that was.” She moved closer to her niece and spoke softly, “I should have let them go. If I had, they’d still be alive. It’s all my stupid fault…all my fault,” she said sobbing into her hands.

  “Rags is…” Adam started, his eyes welling up.

  Michael put his arm across his son’s shoulders and pulled the boy to him. “We don’t know that for sure,” he murmured. “All we know now is that Rags and Dolly are missing. We don’t know where they are. They could have…”

  Before he could finish, Savannah said, “How are we going to tell Colbi? She’s been so upset as it is, worried about the wedding…her health…”

  “Her health? What’s wrong?” Margaret asked.

  “Oh, she thinks she has some horrible disease. She’s been researching symptoms on the Internet and she believes she’s at death’s door. We coerced her into making an appointment with her doctor, but she has herself practically worried sick. Now to lose Dolly…her baby… Oh, Auntie, this will devastate her. You know how much she loved that cat.”

  “I agree with Michael,” Max said. “Maggie doesn’t know for sure what happened to the cats.”

  Savannah looked at him and then at Michael. “So you think there’s a possibility they escaped?”

  “Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” Margaret said. She frowned. “But I can’t imagine…”

  “Well, why not imagine?” Max said. “Let’s hope with everything we’ve got that they’re okay.” When Adam looked up at him through watery eyes, Max said gently, “It worked for bringing your Aunt Maggie home.”

  Savannah took a deep breath. “I’ll try.” She glanced at Adam. “That’s all I can say. I’ll try.” She wiped at her eyes with a tissue. “What do you guys think? Should I call Colbi or…?”

  “Why don’t you wait until morning,” Max suggested.

  “But we should tell her that Auntie’s safe.” She patted her aunt’s hand. “She and Iris were worried sick about you, too. I’d better call them.” She looked at her aunt and Max. “You know, we should get Lily to bed. I’ll make the calls from home.” Hugging Margaret, she said with a lump in her throat, “I’m so glad you’re safe.” She pulled back. “Sorry about your car, though. Will you get another one?”

  “I wish,” she said in a snarly tone. “I was babying it along because I heard they were no longer making the Liberty. I hoped I’d get to drive it for another several years. Damn, it makes me so mad!”

  “Yeah, Maggie, you’ll have to get a brand-new car with the insurance money. That’s really a sad state of affairs,” Michael said, teasing her.

  Her face brightened. “Or I could get a used Liberty, if there’s anyone stupid enough to sell theirs.”

  ****

  A few hours later, the Ivey household was quiet. Michael squeezed Savannah’s hand as they sat together on the sofa. “How’s Colbi?” he asked softly.

  “Just as I thought—devastated, angry, sad. Dolly was her baby.”

  “Hon, let’s not talk about Dolly and Rags in the past tense, shall we? You know he’s come back from some grave situations before. They could have escaped from the car. That couple might still have the cats with them, for all we know.”

  “It’s a huge question mark isn’t it, Michael?” She gritted her teeth. “I hate, hate, hate this! Not knowing is so hard. But the reality is, if they aren’t with that couple, even if they made it out of the car, how would those two survive in the wild?”

  Michael squeezed her to him. “I can’t believe you’re ready to just let him go.”

  “I’m being realistic, Michael. Yeah, I don’t hold out much hope. Rags has lived a full life.” She choked up. “He’s been through a lot. Auntie once said he’s used up at least thirteen of his nine lives, and that was last year, before that fiasco at the cabin and…” She let out a sigh. “I guess you can’t have everything in life that you want all the time, can you?”

  “Why not?” he asked, pulling her to him.

  Suddenly, she stiffened. “I forgot to call Iris and let her know my aunt’s okay.”

  Michael moaned. “I thought you did that.”

  “No, I got involved in talking to Colbi and forgot. I’ll make it quick. Craig has probably already told her, but just in case…I know she’ll want to know.”

  “Okay, if you must, but hurry back.”

  She picked up her phone from the coffee table. “I don’t even have to go anywhere.” She said into the phone. “Oh hi, Iris. Just wanted to let you know my aunt’s home.”

  “Yes, Craig told me. That’s such good news, Savannah. She’s okay, huh?”

  “Yes, just mad as all get out.”

  “And how are you?” she asked, her tone gentle. “I hear she had Rags and Dolly with her.”

  “Oh, numb. I can’t believe Rags is gone.”

  “Maybe he isn’t. Maybe they’ll find him. You know he’s the bounce-back cat. He’s probably out there waiting to be found.”

  “Iris!” she shouted. “You just gave me an idea.”

  “What? What did I do?” In a suspicious tone, she added, “Your idea doesn’t involve me, does it?”

  Savannah laughed a little. “No…unless you want to be in
volved. Iris, I’m going out looking for the cats.”

  There was silence on the other end of the phone, then, “Oh, Savannah, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. Did they catch the people who carjacked Maggie?”

  “I…I don’t know. Yeah, I guess I don’t want to go out there until they’re caught. Oh, Iris, he’s just got to be okay—and Dolly, too. I feel awful for Colbi.”

  “Yeah, she’s pretty upset.” Her tone became even more glum when she said, “Did you know she called her Arizona relatives?”

  “No, why? To invite them to the wedding?”

  “No, to ask about genetic illnesses. This thing she’s convinced she has is genetic and she wanted to find out what her cousins know about it.”

  “What did she learn?”

  “Bad news, actually. Evidently, her lady cousin has done some genealogy and she came across a disease that sounds similar to this in their family tree. It’s passed down from the men to the women—you know, father to daughter. I haven’t talked to her much about it. I have enough of my own problems here with that lunatic ex-husband of mine creating problems.”

  Savannah remained silent for a moment, then said, “Oh?”

  “Yeah, Damon came to me this evening telling me his father has contacted him.”

  “What does he want, a relationship with Damon?”

  “More like his first-born child on a silver platter,” she scoffed. When Savannah remained quiet, Iris said, “He wants money. He claims to have documents proving he paid me monthly child support for eighteen years and that I wouldn’t let him see Damon, so he wants his sixty-five grand back. Evidently, he’s in a real hurry to get this done and he’s willing to go as low as $20,000.”

  “Now that seems fishy, doesn’t it?”

  “Sure does. First of all, Eugene Jackson never paid one cent in child support…ever!” Iris said. “But I guess he claims to have documents saying he did—all forged and falsified, of course. He’s traveling with a lawyer and says they’ll take us to court if we don’t pay.”

  “Oh, Iris, that’s awful. Does he actually think he has a case?”

  “I guess he does. Hey, kiddo, it’s late. I’m sure you’re as tired as I am. I’m glad to hear the good news about Maggie. I’ll run over and give her a hug tomorrow. Thanks for calling.”