Patricia Fry - Klepto Cat 03 - Sleight of Paw

by Patricia Fry

  “Yes, I guess she is. Okay then, our largest daughter.” He patted Lexie and hugged her to him. “Come on, I’ll get you a treat, girl.” He got up and headed toward the kitchen. Before he entered, he noticed something sitting on the buffet in the dining room. “What’s this?”

  “What?” Savannah asked.

  “Someone’s keys.”

  “Oh yes,” she said. “I found those at the clinic yesterday morning. I forgot all about them until Rags dug them out from between the seats on our way home this afternoon. I’m going to give them to Craig.”

  “Where is Rags?” Margaret asked. “I haven’t seen him tonight.”

  “Yeah,” Savannah winced. “He isn’t feeling well—little urinary tract infection.”

  “Awww, sorry to hear it,” Max said. “Is he here? Or at the clinic?”

  “Here,” she said. “We had him at the clinic today, but he had a meltdown of some sort.”

  “What?!?” Margaret exclaimed. “Rags? The coolest cat in town?”

  “Yes,” Michael said. “He went berserk right there in the examining room—caused such a ruckus it could be heard in the waiting room. Not sure how many people took their pets and went home.”

  “Oh Michael,” Savannah said, “nobody walked out.” She looked over at Margaret. “But it was pretty scary. He even scratched me up some.” She held out her bandaged arm for her aunt to see.

  “Well, what happened?” Margaret asked.

  “I think it had something to do with our new girl, Alyce. He took one look at her and just lost it.”

  Margaret frowned. “Why? Did she remind him of someone or something? Why do you think he acted that way?”

  “I don’t know; maybe I ought to contact Caroline—the cat psychic.”

  “Well, he’s okay now,” Michael said. “We just won’t let her near him, that’s all.”

  “But wouldn’t you like to know why he would react to her that way?”

  “I guess. But I think I’d rather just keep him away from her.”

  After Savannah finished serving the dessert in the living room, she walked over and picked up a package off the dining room table. Here Michael. Happy birthday, honey.” She bent down and gave him a kiss on the lips.

  “Well, thank you. Is it something you made?”

  “No.”

  “It’s not a re-gift, is it? This wrapping paper looks familiar.”

  “No, Michael,” she said a bit impatiently. “It looks familiar because I have a roll of it and I’ve wrapped several birthday gifts in it already.”

  “Oh. So what is it?”

  “Open it, silly.”

  Michael began tearing into the colorful paper and quickly uncovered the item. “It’s a…camera? Do we need surveillance cameras?” He looked up at Savannah. “Hey, not a bad idea. I can put one out by the corral and one by the dog run…”

  “No, it’s not a surveillance camera, it’s a camera for your computer.”

  “For his computer?” Margaret said with a laugh. “Is he going on the dating channel? Will we see his naked butt on his Facebook page?”

  “Nooooo, you guys. It’s so he can talk in real time with Adam. I gave Marci one to hook up for Adam, too, so they can see each other and talk to each other any time.”

  “Really?” Michael said as if disbelieving such a thing existed. “Did you hear that, Max? Now how cool is that?” He grabbed Savannah and hugged her to him. “And how thoughtful is my wife?”

  “So you like it?” she asked.

  “I love it. I am absolutely…well, this is the best gift ever. Thank you, honey.”

  “Open our gift,” Margaret said, handing him a gift bag.

  He smiled. “A pretty bag. Thank you, guys.”

  “Open it, Michael,” Margaret said, feigning impatience.

  “Okay.” He looked over at the couple and asked, “It’s not a kitten, is it?”

  “No,” Max said.

  “How do you know? You didn’t wrap it,” Margaret said, good-naturedly.

  “Well, if it was a kitten, I would have heard it meowing on the walk over here, wouldn’t I? And Lexie would have been nosing around it. No, Michael, there’s no kitten in there. All of ours are accounted for.”

  Michael peered into the bag and removed the tissue paper. He reached in, pulled out the item and stared at it, a puzzled look on his face. “It’s a…”

  “It’s a pencil and pen holder,” Margaret said.

  “Well, thank you guys. Really. Nice of you.”

  “Look at it, Michael,” Margaret demanded.

  He held it up and examined it more closely, and that’s when he noticed Adam’s smiling face on all four sides of the pencil holder. “Ohhhhhh, it’s Adam.”

  “Yes,” Margaret said. “We’ve been doing photo sessions when he comes to help us with the kitties.” She stood and walked over to where Michael sat. Pointing, she said, “Here he is with Big Boy. Here’s a shot with him and little JoJo. Those are the golden girls, Molly and Lolly. And here he is holding his kitty, Tiger. He wanted a picture with his kitty on it, too, so I got Marci to email me one.”

  “I love it, guys. I really do. You are all so thoughtful…all of you.”

  Savannah put her hand on her husband’s arm. “Oh Michael, I think you’re going to cry.”

  “Yes, I just might. I just might. I’m so…touched. Thank you again.”

  “You act like you’ve never had a birthday party before,” Margaret said after sitting down next to her husband.

  Michael was silent for a moment before saying, “Not many, actually. At least not with friends—just a meal of my choice for supper and maybe a new pair of shoes or a shirt for school. Savannah has told me about the celebrations you all had when she and Brianna were growing up. I missed out on all that.”

  Max leaned forward and stroked Buffy’s fur as she walked past. “Well, Michael, I’d say you’re getting it now.”

  ***

  “Where are you going to put your pencil box, Michael?” Savannah asked as they prepared for bed that evening. “In the study, in the office?”

  “I’m thinking about the study next to the computer. Or near the phone in the kitchen to replace the pencil holder we have in there. What do you think?”

  “It’s up to you,” she said disappearing into the bathroom.

  “What are you doing in there?” Michael finally called out. “I’m waiting for my birthday kiss.”

  “I’m almost ready,” she said.

  “Ready for what? Are we going out someplace?”

  The door to the bathroom opened, the light went out, and Savannah stepped into the dimly lit room wearing a low-cut, slinky, black negligee; her hair was pulled back on one side and hanging partially over one eye in soft layered curls. She stopped and leaned against the door jamb, a sultry look on her beautiful face.

  “Wow!” Michael said in a low voice. “You look scrumptious. Come get in bed so I can unwrap you.”

  “First, you get to unwrap this,” she said walking over slowly and handing him a small box wrapped with pretty paper and a bow.

  “I’d rather open this,” he said reaching up and putting his hands around Savannah’s waist and then running them down over her hips.

  “Okay. But first you have to open this.”

  “If you say so,” he said impatiently. “What is it? You know, nothing can top what I’ve already received from you, Adam, Maggie, and Max. Nothing.”

  She smiled. “I think you’ll beg to differ in a few minutes.”

  “I don’t think so,” he said while pulling the bow and paper off the little box. He opened the lid, moved some tissue paper aside, and froze in place. As if in a daze, he stared down into the box. Finally, he blurted, “Booties?” He looked up at Savannah, who had a big smile on her face.

  “Yes.”

  He lifted the yellow booties out of the box and held them up. “Booties? Does this mean…?” he started.

  “Yes, Michael. It means that I want us to have a
baby.”

  “Now?”

  “Yes. As soon as possible. That is, if you still want to…”

  “Want to? Absolutely, I want to more than almost anything. Oh, Savannah,” he said, reaching up and pulling her down into the bed with him. “Now you have given me everything I could ever ask for. Thank you, honey.”

  “Sooooo, shall we get started?”

  “Get started?” he asked.

  “Making that baby, silly.”

  “Oh yes.” He reached up and turned off the bedside lamp.

  ***

  “Who’s visiting us so early?” Michael asked as he pulled on his jeans and a tee and rushed to the front door.

  “Michael Ivey?”

  “Yes,” Michael replied, a puzzled look on his face. His eyes darted from one to the other sheriff’s deputies who were standing outside the door of his home.

  “You’re under arrest for the murder of Peter Gamble.”

  Chapter Seven

  “What?” he said out loud.

  Savannah gasped when she walked into the living room and saw a sheriff’s deputy preparing to snap a pair of handcuffs on her husband’s wrists. “No!” she screamed. “NO!”

  “He’ll be at the main jail ma’am, if you want to call him a lawyer.”

  “It’ll be okay, Savannah. Call Sondra. I’ll be all right. It’s just some sort of mistake.” He then pulled back from the deputy. “Can I at least put on a pair of shoes and grab a jacket? It’s cold out there.”

  The deputies complied and then Savannah watched as they escorted her husband out and helped him into the backseat of a patrol car. Just then Savannah’s phone rang. She looked at the screen and then wailed into the receiver, “Oh Auntie, they’ve just arrested Michael.”

  “Well, damn. I saw the cars over there and wondered what was going on.” She paused. “Arrested him, huh? Un-friggin-believable! Why? Do you know?”

  “No. There must be new evidence, I would imagine. Listen, Auntie, I have to call Sondra. I want him out of there as soon as possible. What time is it, anyway—oh, six-forty-five. Probably too early to call.” She then shook her head and said, “I can’t believe this is happening to us. It’s crazy.”

  “I know, Vannie. Just try to stay calm. Let us know how we can help. Anything, okay?”

  “Sure, Auntie. Thank you so much. I’ll talk to you later.”

  ***

  It was nearly eight by the time Craig arrived. “Hi Dr. Mike,” he said as he entered the interrogation room where Michael sat in a chair at a six-foot table. A uniformed sheriff’s deputy stood against the wall in the back of the room. Craig placed a briefcase on the floor and then stood staring at the unlikely prisoner.

  “Craig, can you tell me what’s going on? Why am I here? I’m being arrested for murder? That’s crazy.”

  “Michael, calm down. I’m sure there’s been a mistake here someplace, but…” he paused. He then reached down and took something out of his briefcase and laid it on the table in front of them. “We found this on your property, Michael. It checks out as the murder weapon.”

  Michael stared over at the object and shook his head. “Well, I’ve never seen it before.” He looked up at the detective. “It’s not mine, Craig.”

  “Are you sure?” Craig asked, raising one foot and resting it on the seat of a chair.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. That’s not my knife. You have my knife. When do I get it back, by the way?”

  Craig ignored the question. “Well, Michael, take a look at this.” He turned the blood-stained knife over and pointed through the plastic bag to a spot on the blade. “It has your initials on it.”

  “What?” Michael squinted to see the initials. “MI,” he said. “Jees, someone really has gone to a lot of trouble to incriminate me; that’s all I can say.” He sat back in his chair and looked intently at the detective. “Anything of mine with initials on it, Craig, is engraved MMI, never just MI.”

  “MMI, huh? What does it stand for?” he asked removing his foot from the chair, scooting it toward him, and sitting down.

  “Michael Matthew Ivey. I use the M initial on my checks—everything.” He rose briefly and dug into his pocket. “Here, this is my name tag for work. See, Michael M. Ivey.” He pulled out his wallet. “All of my credit cards have my middle initial.”

  “I see,” Craig said staring over at Michael while rubbing his chin. He then said, “We talked to the guy at the engraving shop. The owner wasn’t there. It was a new kid and he didn’t know nothin’ about tracking records. It’s the only engraving shop for miles, so the work was probably done there, unless the knife came from somewhere else—it was a gift from one of Savannah’s relatives in LA, for example… Would they use the M initial or not?”

  “Heck, I don’t know,” Michael squirmed in his seat. He glared across at Craig. “It is not my knife. I’ve never seen it before.”

  “I want to see my client.” Craig and Michael turned toward the door as Sondra Blair walked in. When she spotted Michael, she headed toward him and asked, “Michael, what’s going on?”

  “Maybe I can explain,” Craig said. “A known enemy of Michael Ivey’s was found dead at his veterinary clinic—murdered—and a knife with the initials MI has been discovered on Dr. Ivey’s home property. We have arrested him for the murder of Peter Gamble.”

  “That’s preposterous,” she said. “This man is an upstanding, well-thought-of citizen in this community. He has no record anywhere and you cannot place him at the scene at the time of the crime, now can you?”

  Craig thought about it and said, “No, we can’t.”

  “Did you find his prints on the weapon?”

  “No.”

  “So what you have is circumstantial? Would you say this is true, Detective?” She swished past Craig, walked to where Michael sat, and stood behind him. “So you don’t really have any concrete evidence, do you, Detective?”

  “Can’t say that I have,” Craig said with a hint of a smile.

  “Then I suggest you let this man get back to his family and work.”

  Craig leaned back in his chair and said, “Well, we haven’t booked him yet. I don’t think he’s a flight risk. Maybe you’re right, Ms. Blair. Let’s give the case more time to incubate. Ivey, go home, will ya.”

  “Sure will, Cra…er, Detective. Thank you.” He turned to his attorney. “And thank you, Sondra.”

  “Yes, Michael. Now I’d like to see you and your wife in my office sometime today. Can you arrange that?”

  “Yes; how’s the noon hour or after office hours—five-thirty?”

  “Make it six.” She then turned to Craig and said, “Can I compare notes with you, Detective? I’d like to know more about your investigation, if you don’t mind.”

  “Sure,” he said, staring over at her for a moment. “There are some things I can share. Let’s go into my office.”

  Sondra Blair made copious notes as Craig responded to most of her questions, but she was aware that he was holding back. That’s fair in an active investigation, she thought. After speaking with Craig for forty-five minutes, Sondra excused herself. The two shook hands and went their separate ways.

  She left his office feeling that she had enough information to discuss the case with Michael. She thought it strange that she had been gearing up to represent Michael Ivey—the victim in an assault case—and now may be representing that same client as the accused in a murder case.

  ***

  Savannah had seen three patients so far Thursday morning, checking her cell phone after each one—hoping for a message from Michael or Sondra Blair. The third time was the charm for her. It was nine-thirty when she saw Michael’s text. “I’m on my way to work. All is well. Love you.”

  She glanced out the window just in time to see him pull into the parking lot and waited for him to appear at the back door.

  “Hi, honey. I’m so glad to see you! Come tell me what happened,” she said as she led him into her office and closed the door.

&n
bsp; He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him, burying his face in her neck. After several moments, he pulled away and smiled weakly at her. She stared into his eyes as if searching for the answers she so desperately wanted. “They found the murder weapon on our property.”

  “Where?” she asked, her face contorted into a scowl.

  “I don’t exactly know. But the thing has the initials MI on it.” He turned away and ran his hand through his hair. He shook his head and said, “Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to implicate me, Savannah.”

  “But they let you go. You didn’t have to put up any bail money, did you?”

  “No. But they don’t want me to leave the area. I’m still some sort of suspect.”

  Savannah reached out and rubbed his back. “I am so sorry, Michael. This is just awful.” She turned toward her desk, leaned her palms on the desktop, and said, “I’m so sorry this is happening.” Unsuccessfully fighting back tears, she whispered, “I’m so scared for you…for us.” He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. She faced him and asked, “What do we do next?”

  “We have a meeting with Sondra Blair this evening after work. In the meantime,” he worked hard at a genuine smile, “what do you say we just take care of our patients?”

  She wiped at her eyes. “Okay,” she said in a weak voice. She then took in a deep breath as if willing herself to be strong. “We don’t have many patients this afternoon, so I’m going to run some errands, later. What time is our appointment?”

  “Six. Let’s try to get out of here by five, go home and feed the critters, and maybe have a bowl of that soup you made, before we meet with her. Sound okay?” Michael asked.

  “Perfect,” she said. “I’ll feel better knowing we have a plan—that there’s something we can actually do.” She stared down at the floor and shook her head. “I just hate feeling helpless in all this.” She reached over and kissed her husband lightly on one cheek. “I’ll see you later,” she said while running one hand along the side of his face.

  She started to walk away when Michael grabbed her wrist. He looked deep into her eyes. “It’ll be okay. We will be okay.”

  ***

  Craig Sledge pulled into the Ivey Veterinary Clinic parking lot around mid morning. He parked at the outer perimeter and exited his unmarked car. In typical detective fashion, he began to scan the area with his eyes. Employees’ cars, no doubt, he thought to himself. Maybe a few clients’ cars…a mud-splattered monster truck, a few SUVs, Dr. Ivey’s vet truck, a dull red pickup that’s seen better days, and an older black sedan with tinted windows. Could it be? He walked over to more closely inspect the car. After squatting down to examine the tires, he walked around to the front of the car and peered inside through the windshield. Nothing out of the ordinary, he thought. A large coke cup from a fast-food store in the cup holder, food wrappers and a discount store bag on the passenger seat, a leather jacket lying across the backseat…what’s this? He walked to the back of the car and studied the back window. In Memory of, Jason Merrick, 1987-2010 .