Karen Anne Golden - The Cats That 02 - The Cats that Chased the Storm

by Karen Anne Golden

  Scout complained, “Waugh.” Lying on her side, she put a paw over her eyes to block the light.

  “As soon as I fire up the computer, I’m ordering a bed,” Katherine announced to the sleepy cats. Arranging the blanket Margie had loaned her, she formed a cozy circle and put the Siamese in it. She rolled her eyes at the empty cat beds she had lugged from the pink mansion.

  Glancing at her alarm clock, she said, “Time to seize the day. I’ll check on you guys later and bring some food.”

  “Yowl,” Iris said even louder than before.

  “Okay, got it! Sweet dreams, my treasures.”

  She turned off the light and closed the door.

  She walked around the house and turned on ceiling light fixtures. Grabbing a bottle of water out of the near-empty refrigerator, she made a mental “to-do” list of the day’s events. Attend Carol Lombard’s visitation at ten. Pay her respects at great aunt Orvenia’s mausoleum afterwards. Get a rental car, then drive to the university to pick up Abby. In the meantime, she wanted to hurriedly dress so she could walk to the pink mansion and either catch Chief London, or talk to one of the CSI techs. Surely by now they could explain how a skull came to be buried in the tunnel.

  By eight o’clock, Katherine had recharged her cell phone, talked to Colleen in detail about the doom-and-gloom events, and ordered a mattress bed set, which was being delivered after five. She had texted Mark to pick her up at the bungalow, and locked up the Siamese in her bedroom, not wanting them to explore the new house until she was back home. As smart as they were, she didn’t relish the idea of leaving them alone in case they got into trouble the first day. As she grabbed her jacket to head to the pink mansion, an Erie police cruiser pulled up. Chief London got out and walked quickly to the front door. Katherine opened it before he had time to knock.

  “Good morning,” he said cheerily. “I saw your lights. Thought you’d be up. Cokey said you were staying here, so I brought you breakfast.”

  Katherine looked at the McDonald’s bag the chief was holding. “Thank you so much,” she said, smiling. “Please come to the kitchen.”

  “Don’t mind if I do,” he said, wiping his shoes on the floor mat. “When I told the wife I was coming over to see you first thing, she suggested I bring food. The coffee is my idea.”

  “How very thoughtful. Please thank her, as well.”

  Moving into the kitchen, Katherine asked, “Is this an official visit?”

  “Yes and no,” he said, removing his hat. Mind if I sit down?”

  “By all means,” she answered.

  He put the coffee containers on the craftsman table. “Got ya cream and sugars,” he said, opening the bag and taking out the contents.

  “Coffee, yay! I take mine black.”

  “Eat!” he said, handing her the sandwich.

  Unwrapping the Egg McMuffin, she took a bite.

  “The reason why I came over,” he began, “is to run some things by you before you left for the city. Mark said you were accompanying him to Carol’s visitation.”

  “Is there anything you don’t know about me, Chief?” she kidded, with food in her mouth.

  He tugged his beard. “I’m still investigating Carol’s car accident. Based on the physical damage to her vehicle, she must have been doing about a hundred when she left the road.”

  “Why would she be driving so fast on that road? It’s full of curves. Do you think she was being chased by someone?” Katherine asked, taking a sip of coffee.

  “I know I asked you this before, but did she seem agitated about anything?”

  “Okay, I’ll come clean,” Katherine said, holding her hands up.

  The chief looked at her with great expectation.

  “She came over to talk about Mark. She said they were getting engaged.”

  “I know Mark pretty damn well, and he would have told me that bit of info,” the chief said, shaking his head.

  “So, they weren’t a couple?” Katherine asked.

  “Nope. Mark hasn’t been involved with anyone since Candy died.”

  “Who’s Candy?” Katherine inched forward on the wooden seat.

  “When Mark was in law school down in Bloomington, his girlfriend in Erie died in a fatal car crash.”

  Katherine wore a shocked expression on her face. “I didn’t know.”

  “He doesn’t talk about it,” the chief said, then changed the subject. “Getting back to the skull in the tunnel, the State Police have assigned Detective Linda Martin.”

  “I remember her.”

  “She’ll be in contact with you later. The CSI team called in an anthropologist, who did the final excavation of the skeleton.”

  Katherine’s eyes widened, “There was more than a skull?”

  The chief nodded, “An intact skeleton.”

  “The plot thickens.”

  “Remember the bottles scattered on your basement floor? The tunnel leading from the Colfax house to the house next door was littered with them. They’re booze bottles, empty booze bottles, except for one that still had some liquor in it. The team is taking that back to Indy to analyze it in the lab.”

  “Tell me more,” she said, interested.

  “You said earlier that you had never seen these bottles before. Are you sure?”

  “I’m positive, because I thoroughly cleaned that basement after Gary died.”

  “Sorry about your loss, but did you actually clean it, or did Cokey do it?” he asked suspiciously.

  “I did it,” she said adamantly. “It was a mess down there. With all these tornado sirens, I wanted it clean for my cats and me.”

  “Okay,” he said, then continued, “We got inside the house next door and found a door in the basement that opened to the tunnel. That part of the tunnel is intact, so there won’t be any demolition of it.”

  “What about the skeleton?”

  “That’s where Detective Martin comes in. She’ll be showing photos. Hope you’re not squeamish?”

  “Squeamish about blood, yes, bones no. One of my elective courses at NYU was anthropology. I’ve seen several skeletons.”

  The chief’s cell phone rang and he answered the call. “I’ll be right there,” he said. “Finish your breakfast,” he said to Katherine. “Gotta take care of something.”

  “Thanks,” Katherine said, watching him leave. He closed the door behind him.

  Booze bottles, she thought. Maybe I should have told him about the elixir labels. Maybe I should call him back and tell him I suspected my great uncle of being a bootlegger. “In time,” she said out loud. “I want to do a little investigating myself.”

  * * *

  Mark pulled up in front of the bungalow. Katherine was sitting on the porch swing. Getting up, she locked the front door, then got into Mark’s car. “Chief London was just here,” she said.

  “What did he want so early?” Mark asked.

  “He brought me breakfast,”

  “You lie!” Mark said in disbelief.

  “He really did, but the main reason was he wanted to ask me more questions about Carol’s last visit at my house.”

  “He’s a busy man,” Mark said, avoiding the topic.

  Katherine thought, he seems to be annoyed at me.

  They rode in silence until Mark said, “How was Jake’s last night?”

  “Oh, I didn’t go. When the power came on, I decided to stay at the bungalow.”

  “Probably a good idea,” Mark said rather hastily. “Any word on Abby?”

  “I’m to pick her up after three. I’ll be so happy to see her,” Katherine said excitedly.

  “I bet your other cats will, too,” Mark noted.

  “I know Lilac will. They’re like two peas in a pod.”

  Mark smiled, then said, “I ran your classroom proposal by the zoning commission. You’ve been approved. I also talked to the bank, and funds will be released from Orvenia’s estate to cover construction costs.”

  “Yay!” Katherine said, clapping her hands. “W
hen can Cokey start?”

  “I’ll give him the heads up. Because the windows in the solarium were broken, he might as well just gut the room and begin from scratch. This will save the estate money by not having that bank of windows replaced.”

  “I guess the tornado gave me a present …” she began gleefully, then said sadly, “and a skull.”

  “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, my mom used to say. Let’s talk about your classroom proposal. I only have one concern.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I don’t think the tuition should be free.”

  “Why not? This would be perfect for the town. I can provide my computer expertise, and students can venture off and find jobs. What’s wrong with being free?” she asked incredulously.

  “People around here are hard-working. They don’t take kindly to charity. Free means charity.”

  “No big deal. I can charge something nominal for each course. Would that put a smile back on your face?”

  Mark grinned. “But moving on to ‘a bit of doom and gloom’ as you say, the funeral home is about ten miles from here. There’ll be a short ceremony, then the burial.”

  “Why isn’t Carol being buried in Erie?”

  “It was her wish,” he said sadly.

  Later at the visitation, Mark introduced Katherine to Carol’s family. Carol’s mother was so distraught, she sat in a chair next to the coffin. Katherine observed Chief London taking note of everyone who attended. Mark and Katherine paid their respects, then left for the mausoleum, which wasn’t far away.

  Katherine brought up the legal notice from 1938.

  “That should be easy enough to find,” Mark said. “Next time I go to the Erie courthouse, I’ll look it up.”

  Mark pulled into the cemetery and parked on the service lane, next to the Colfax crypt. It loomed like a concrete giant compared to the other grave markers around it. Getting out of the car, Katherine walked inside. Mark joined her. She touched Orvenia’s plaque and was silent for a moment, then looking around she said, “I’m surprised William’s daughter isn’t buried here. You said she died in an auto crash. What was her name?”

  “I think her name was Amanda. I can check on it when I get back to the office,” he offered.

  Katherine thought, the name in the journal. “No, that’s okay,” she said, hiding her excitement. “Sometimes I’m curious like a cat.”

  Turning around and standing in front of William’s plaque, she was shocked to see the date of death was not 1933 but 1938. “I’m surprised I didn’t notice this the last time you brought me here,” she said. “My great uncle died in 1933 – a year after he married my great aunt. The date on this plaque is blatantly wrong. How can we fix this?”

  Mark looked down, was silent for a few seconds, then said, “William didn’t die in thirty-three. He simply vanished. He left. Not a trace.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked angrily.

  “I didn’t see any reason to,” he explained lamely.

  “Reason? You’ve got to be kidding. You could have told me before I even moved out here – the day we first came to the mausoleum.” Her face reddened.

  “Katherine, there’s something in the legal business called client confidentiality –”

  Katherine interrupted, “But my great aunt is dead!”

  “If you let me finish,” he said, starting to get annoyed. “In the state of Indiana, confidentiality continues even after the client dies.”

  Katherine stormed out of the crypt and got back in the car. She slammed the door.

  Mark followed after her. Sitting in the driver’s seat, he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “When you first came out here, I didn’t want to tell you because I thought it would alter your decision to move to Indiana,” he confessed.

  Katherine folded her arms defensively. Fuming, she asked, “Who’s buried in the crypt?”

  “No one. William’s Colfax’s body was never found. Orvenia had him legally declared dead in 1938, hence the court proceeding.”

  “First, you don’t tell me about William having a living relative. Then, you fail to mention William went missing. What else are you keeping secret?”

  “Okay,” he said guardedly. “I’ll tell you what I know, and that isn’t much. Your great uncle was a shady character with connections to organized crime in Chicago. In other words, he made his fortune by ripping off others.”

  Katherine began to calm down. “I thought my great uncle was the pillar of Erie society, but in reality he was a criminal?”

  Mark nodded. “By the time he married Orvenia, he was distancing himself from a life of crime. He was elderly with health problems. He drank too much, probably his own brew. Orvenia threatened to throw him out. So when he disappeared, she assumed he’d left her.” Mark put the Honda in gear and drove out of the cemetery.

  A thousand thoughts raced through Katherine’s mind. Suspicions. Doubts. Accusations. She didn’t speak to Mark until he parked in front of the car rental business. Then she said firmly, “Gut feeling tells me that skull in the tunnel belongs to my great uncle.”

  “Katz, we don’t know that. Let’s just wait for the CSI findings.”

  “And I think my great aunt knew it. Why else would she have a brick wall put in front of the entrance to the tunnel? She had lots to gain – William’s entire fortune – yet she had a family in Brooklyn barely making it. When my great granny was alive, she told stories of standing in bread and soup lines just to stay alive. Yet, my great aunt had a fortune and did nothing to help them.”

  She started to get out, but Mark touched her arm. “I could kick myself for not telling you about your great uncle earlier. I’m so sorry.”

  Katherine recoiled from his touch and said, “Thank you for bringing me here. I’ll talk to you later.” Shutting the door, she made her way into the rental office. Mark remained parked outside for a few minutes, then left. Before the clerk came to the counter, Katherine thought, I need to try to decipher the journal word-for-word. If Scout thought it was important enough to bring to my attention, there’s probably a valuable clue in the book.

  * * *

  Angry and depressed, Katherine drove the rented SUV to the closest hair salon that offered walk-in service. She had several hours to kill before picking up Abby, so she thought a manicure and new hairdo would do the trick.

  Once Katherine was ensconced in the chair, the hair dresser said, “You have such pretty black hair. What can I do for you today?”

  “I want the latest Jennifer Lawrence haircut. You know her, right? Hunger Games?”

  “Yes, why of course, but you have such gorgeous long hair. I just saw her on the TV. You really want me to cut it all off?”

  “Yes, exactly. Chop away! But, save it for me so I can donate it to charity.”

  “Oh, we can do that for you,” the hair dresser said. “Now, you head over to the washing station,” she pointed, “I’m going to have Marcy at the front desk do an Internet search on this haircut you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, search her name and Golden Globes,” Katherine suggested.

  After several hours of being pampered, with the new haircut Katherine felt pounds lighter. She paid the bill, then glanced at her new look in the mirror. With her phone, she took a selfie and sent it to Colleen who texted back immediately, “Who is this?” Katherine answered, “The new me!” “You look fabulous,” Colleen commented. Walking out the door, she smiled happily. She thought, a new look will do me just fine.

  * * *

  Arriving at the vet school, Katherine approached the reception desk and said, “I’m Katherine Kendall. I’m here to pick up Abby.” The twenty-something man behind the counter checked his computer screen, glanced up and said, “We don’t have anyone listed by that name. Could you spell it, please?”

  Katherine spelled her last name.

  The man laughed. “Oh, here you are. Someone entered your last name as Kindle.”

  “Do I look like an e-read
er?” she kidded. “Is Abby ready?” she asked, trying to prod the receptionist forward.

  “I’ll check you in. Just have a seat and someone will come out and get you.”

  Katherine barely sat in her chair, when a bubbly young vet student whizzed out. “Are you Abby’s mom?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Katherine smiled.

  “Great, follow me.” The student directed Katherine to an empty examining room. “I absolutely adore Abby. She’s super sweet. I bet you can’t wait to see her,” she said. Within a few seconds, the vet walked in holding the Abyssinian. Someone had tied a red bow around Abby’s neck, which matched the ruddy color of her fur. Abby took one look at the new Katherine and hissed.

  Katherine came forward to pet her, “Abby, it’s mommy.” She let the little cat smell her hand, then Abby relaxed and said a boisterous “chirp”. The vet handed her to Katherine.

  “Ah, my sweet darling. I’m so happy to see you.”

  Abby slowly squeezed her eyes and began purring loudly.

  “My name is Doctor Brown; this is Cindy Goldstein. We’ve been taking care of Abby since Dr. Sonny brought her in. I’ll let Cindy explain.”

  Cindy began, “We did a sonogram, which didn’t show any signs of Eucalyptus. We know she had an acute toxic reaction, but we’re not sure if it was the actual eucalyptus or the fixative they use to preserve it. Abby’s been on a bland diet, which she’ll have to remain on for at least two weeks. We want you to follow up with Dr. Sonny.”

  “Has she thrown up since she’s been here?” Katherine asked.

  “Not once,” Cindy said.

  The vet added, “Keep her quiet for a few days. She’s been on a sedative to calm her down.”

  “Why, was she not calm?” Katherine asked, concerned, thinking of Abby collapsed over the water bowl.

  “She was stressed by being here, so we gave her a light sedative.”

  Cindy offered, “She’s good to go.” Cindy took Abby and put her in a cardboard cat carrier, while Katherine signed the discharging papers. “Bye, Abby,” Cindy said. Dr. Brown blew the Abyssinian a kiss.

  “Oh, here’s a bag with bland food in it,” Cindy remembered. “It’s in a can. Feed her four times a day. One can per day.”

  “Thank you so much,” Katherine beamed. Heading out the door and to the front lobby, Abby trilled with the knowledge that she was going home.