Mansion of Meows (Klepto Cat Mystery Book 9)

by Patricia Fry

  "We're looking for Rags again in the cat playroom," she said. "Now shush."

  They walked quietly down the hallway, turned right at the corner and headed straight to the door at the end of the corridor. Savannah said, "Now, the window to this room is the one I can see from the deck, don't you think?"

  Margaret nodded.

  "Sometimes I see a dim glow through that window, like there's a lamp on, or maybe the light from a TV through dark curtains."

  The two women stood in front of the door, listening. "Are you going to knock?" Margaret asked.

  "I don't know. What do you think I should do?"

  Margaret shrugged. She then whispered loudly, "What's that?"

  "What?" Savannah looked toward the bottom of the green door, where Margaret pointed.

  "A cat," Margaret whispered.

  "A cat?" she questioned, looking confused.

  "I saw a paw come out from under that door," Margaret insisted. "See?" She pointed again.

  "Rags," Savannah whispered, when she saw the white tip of a paw swipe across the threshold under the door. "It looks like Rags's paw," she said. "Rags," she called, slightly louder.

  "What are you doing up here?"

  Savannah scrambled to a standing position and the two women turned to face Henrietta Peyton walking swiftly toward them.

  "I asked what you're doing up here," she demanded.

  "Um, looking for my purse," Savannah said.

  "She left it in the gallery last night," Margaret explained, her eyes wide.

  Savannah nodded. "We heard a cat and thought Rags might be back up here in the playroom."

  "So we came up to see if it was him," Margaret added.

  Savannah peered at the woman, "Did you know there's a cat in this room?"

  Henrietta shook her head. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Savannah. There are no cats on the grounds except those few ferals who live outdoors. Now, let me escort you to the gallery and we'll see if we can find your pocketbook."

  Savannah glanced behind her. "I saw a cat stick its paw out from under that door," she insisted. "My aunt and I both saw it."

  "Well, I think that's what I saw," Margaret said, meekly.

  "I know that's what I saw," Savannah stated, emphatically. "There is a cat in that room, and I'm sure it's Rags."

  Henrietta took on a more patronizing tone. "Dear, you must be exhausted from your ordeal last night. You are mistaken. Please, let's go see if we can find your handbag." She took Savannah by the arm and ushered her toward the staircase, with Margaret trailing behind.

  ****

  "Well, that didn't go well," Savannah said, once the two women had returned to the Hyacinth Bungalow. "You saw it, didn't you?"

  "I think so, but it was pretty quick." Margaret gently touched her bandage. "My eyes might be playing tricks on me."

  "I did see that paw come out from under the door. I'm positive. There is a cat in that room. Why does Henrietta deny it?"

  "Maybe Henrietta doesn't know there's a cat in there," Margaret suggested.

  "Then why wouldn't she let us take a look inside? If she would just open the door... " She thought for a moment and continued, "I wonder if we can get her to do that. If not for us, then for Michael and Max. Do you think she or Charles would open that door for them or for Rob, maybe?"

  ****

  Later that afternoon, the two couples snacked on puff pastries and salads in the Iveys' bungalow. Michael couldn't help but notice that his wife seemed distracted. "Hon, you're quieter than usual, and you're just picking at your food. Are you feeling all right?"

  Savannah dropped her fork onto her plate with a clatter. "No, I'm not. I miss my daughter and I want my cat back." She looked at her husband. "Michael, he's up in that room; I'm sure of it. Please, please see if you can get someone to open it up. Maybe no one knows he's in there—a maid accidently locked him in, or something. He may be starving to death up there and no one is helping him." Suddenly, she felt the rush of burning tears, and she quickly excused herself from the table.

  Michael glanced across at Max and Margaret. Pursing his lips, he laid his napkin on the table and headed after Savannah. "You're so distraught," he said, as he embraced her and held her tightly against him.

  "Of course I am," she said, indignantly. "I'm stuck here against my will and someone is holding my cat hostage." She sobbed into Michael's shoulder.

  When she had settled down a bit, Michael lifted her chin and said, "Okay, Max and I will see what we can do about getting into that room. Will that ease your mind?"

  "Yes, Michael," she said, pulling away from him. "I'm just sure he's in there. We've got to get someone to let him out."

  When Michael and Savannah returned to the table, he addressed Max. "Well, buddy, want to go see if we can solve a mystery?"

  "Uh, if it doesn't involve spending the night in the bog," Max responded, chuckling. He then asked, "What do you have in mind, Michael?"

  "My wife is sure that the cat is in that room on the second floor, and I promised her I'd get someone to open that door."

  At that, Max addressed the two women. "Did you try the door? Are you sure it's locked?"

  Savannah shook her head. "We didn't get the chance."

  Max pushed away from the table and stood. "Well, okay, let's go check it out."

  ****

  Twenty minutes later, Savannah saw the two men returning along the path from the mansion. "Well?" she asked eagerly, as they approached the deck where she and Margaret waited.

  Michael shook his head. "There's nothing in there."

  "What?" Savannah shouted.

  He cleared his throat and spoke more slowly. "There was no one and nothing in the room. Victor said that room isn't occupied and hasn't been for quite a while."

  "Michael, something is terribly wrong. I know there's someone in that room." She stared up at the window. "I often see a light coming from there. Oh yes, someone is using that room."

  "Maybe a couple of the servants are doing a little hanky-panky in there when they think no one's watching," Margaret suggested.

  Savannah crinkled her brow. "What?"

  "You know, using that room for a little extracurricular activity—getting a little action—having an afternoon delight... " she said, chuckling.

  "How crude, Auntie," Savannah said, turning away. "I guess you could be right, but why then... "

  "Why what?" Michael asked with a sigh.

  Savannah spoke with emphasis. "Michael, we saw a paw reaching out from under that door."

  "I don't know what to tell you," he said.

  "Michael," Max said, "take a look up there."

  "What?"

  Max pointed. "I don't think that's where Victor took us just now. Didn't we go down a hallway on the left of the mansion?"

  Michael scratched his head. "I think you're right, Max. We did go a different direction. Savannah, are you sure that's the room you girls visited today?"

  "Yes! I'm certain. It's behind the green door just down the hall from the cat playroom."

  "Wow!" Michael exclaimed. "Either Victor didn't know where he was or he played the old bait-and-switch trick on us. Max is right; where Victor led us this evening is not where we took the cat Friday night. Now that's just strange." He turned to the others. "Maybe there is something mysterious, or even criminal going on here."

  "Or maybe Victor was confused about which room we wanted to see. Should we go ask to see this wing of rooms?" Max suggested.

  Michael grimaced. "I'm not sure. Maybe Victor had a reason for taking us on a wild-goose chase."

  "Yeah," Savannah said, "maybe someone in the mansion is holding Rags hostage and Victor knows about it."

  Michael took her hand. "Now that's a bit far-fetched, don't you think?"

  At that, she snapped, "do you have a better explanation?"

  "Looks like the Peytons have guests," Margaret said. "A car just pulled in. Oh,
here comes another one."

  Max grinned. "I guess we weren't invited to this party. Okay with me. I'm not crazy about the high life—not that high, anyway."

  "Hey," Michael said. "Anyone interested in playing a board game? I saw some in the hall closet."

  "Oh, I don't know," Savannah whined.

  "Come on, it'll get your mind off things. There's nothing we can do right now, anyway," he reminded her.

  ****

  "That was fun," Margaret said as she settled into a chair on the deck with a cup of coffee two hours later. She reached for a lemon-filled pastry.

  "Yeah, any game's fun when you're the winner," Savannah groused playfully. She took a sip of coffee, then said, "It's a pretty night. Look—no fog. You can see forever."

  "Yeah, probably could make that walk without your crummy flashlight tonight," Margaret quipped.

  "That window's still dark," Savannah said as she stared up at the mansion. "But keep an eye on it; you may see what I've seen—a glow of light coming from there."

  What are you doing out here?" Rob asked as he and Cheryl approached the Sheridans and the Iveys on the deck. "It's after eleven, you know? Doesn't anyone over here ever sleep?"

  "Oh hi, Rob... Cheryl," Michael said.

  The others nodded in greeting.

  "We're spying, I think," Michael said. He turned toward Savannah. "Is that what we're doing, hon—spying?"

  She smirked at him. "Well, I'm staking out that window—that's what I'm doing." "Why?" Rob asked, looking up at the mansion. "Which one?"

  Michael pointed. "Next to that turret."

  "Those turrets are just for decoration, aren't they?" Cheryl asked. "There's no real purpose for them, is there?"

  "I think you're right," Rob said. "Charles has taken me all over the mansion, but we never went inside one of those things. Yeah, I think they're just for design's sake."

  "Hey want a cup of coffee?" Max offered. "It's fresh made."

  Rob and Cheryl exchanged glances. "Sure," she said, easing into a deck chair.

  Rob nodded before taking a seat. He looked at Michael and Savannah. "So why are you staring up there?"

  "Rags is in that room," Savannah said, insistently.

  "What makes you think so?" Rob asked. "Did you see him in the window?"

  "No, but I saw his paws from under the door."

  Rob suddenly became very interested. "Did you knock on the door—check to see if it was unlocked?"

  "No, before we could, ole Henrietta chased us out of there, insisting there are no cats in the place and nothing in that room."

  Margaret chimed in. "Then Victor took the guys up there, and it was empty."

  "But the girls don't think we were taken to the right room," Max explained, while handing him a mug of coffee. "And the more we think about it, we're inclined to agree."

  "Wow!" Rob said, shifting position to get a better look at the window. "So, Savannah, you think someone is holding the cat up there?"

  "I don't know. According to everyone we've talked to, there are no cats in the place at all and Auntie and I know for a fact that all of them are lying."

  "Or maybe the Peytons don't know. Maybe someone who works for them is hiding the cat." Cheryl said.

  Savannah faced Cheryl and grinned. "Wow! That could be."

  "Good girl," Rob said. "You're starting to think like an investigator."

  She laughed. "Been hanging around you too long, I guess."

  "I'm intrigued," Rob said. "I've been wanting to film a mystery—I mean in real time, not just a reenactment." Thinning his lips, he added, "Maybe this is my chance." He looked at Cheryl. "Hey, what do you say we postpone our trip in the morning and see if we can figure out what the deal is with that room, the cat's paw, and what seems to be an intentional deception?" Before she could respond, he leaned forward in his chair and addressed Savannah and Michael. "So what's the plan?"

  "I don't think we have one," Savannah said. "We just keep going around in circles. Maybe you can come up with something."

  "Yeah, since you know the layout of the mansion better than we do... " Max said.

  "What do we need, then?" he asked. "Access to that room? Maybe an ally."

  "An ally?" Margaret asked.

  "You know, someone from inside who we can trust."

  "Hmm, do you know of anyone?" Savannah asked.

  Rob raised his eyebrows. "I don't, but maybe Cheryl does," he said, smiling at her.

  "What?" she asked, defensively. When she noticed his rather impish smile, she said, "Oh no you don't. That ain't gonna happen, Rob." When he continued to leer at her, she said, "No! I won't do it."

  "Even for a good cause?" he pleaded. "You may save Rags; you'd be a hero—um, a heroine. And you'd sure make Savannah happy. I know you would like to see Savannah happy, right?"

  Cheryl looked at Savannah and sighed deeply. "What would I have to do?"

  "Yeah," Savannah said furrowing her brow, "what do you want her to do?"

  "Scale the turret and climb in that window?" Margaret said.

  Michael chuckled. "Yeah, and lower Rags down to us on a rope."

  "Not quite that daring," Rob said, chuckling.

  Cheryl pouted. "Easy for you to say."

  While everyone waited for an explanation, Rob put his hand on Cheryl's knee. "You see, your cat handler, Rupert, is quite fond of my girl, here. Maybe you didn't notice, but last night after the show, he couldn't get enough of her. And tonight—every time I'd turn my back, he was hovering around her."

  "He creeps me out," Cheryl said, shivering. "He's always staring, asking to fill my wine glass... Once he even cornered me and tried to proposition me."

  "When she told me about it," Rob said, "I was ready to call him out. But you know what? I think we should take advantage of the situation."

  "Yeah, at my expense," she complained. She looked up at the star-filled sky. "Lordy, what am I in for?"

  He reached over and hugged her tightly. "Could be some good material for your diary." He pulled back, adding, "And a great opportunity for a true-mystery film." He glanced in Savannah's direction. "And don't forget that our main concern is getting the cat back, right?"

  "I hope so," Savannah said, weakly.

  "So what's the plan?" Michael asked. "What do you want us to do?"

  "Well, I happen to know that the Peytons will be out of town for a few days." He smiled at the group. "How fortuitous is that, folks? They had a little cocktail party earlier—you probably saw the cars coming and going. Cheryl and I were there for a while. Charles told me they were leaving by limo after the party. I think it ended about twenty minutes ago. Now Rupert will probably be helping Victor put the wine away. They always do an inventory thing after a shindig like that." He looked at Cheryl. "Sooo, if you were to slip in through the kitchen and go to the lounge, you'll probably find him there. Tell him you lost an earring and wonder if he could help you look around for it."

  "Good!" Savannah said.

  "Then she would entice him to take her upstairs to see that room?" Margaret asked.

  "Sure. So what else is up there on the... what is that, the second floor?" he asked.

  "The Jungle Room where they entertain visiting cats," Savannah explained. "Otherwise, it's supposed to be empty, but we know it's not. The room we're interested in is behind the bright emerald-green door," she said, making eye contact with Rob and then Cheryl.

  Rob turned to Cheryl. "Okay, have a drink with Prince Charming and tell him you're curious about that wing of the house. You want to see the cat room, for one thing, and then ask questions about the room at the end of the hall, where Savannah saw the paw under the door. When you get to that place, put your phone on speaker so we can hear the conversation. Maybe you can even get permission for Savannah and Michael to go in and look around. Play it by ear, darlin'. You know how to turn on the charm and get what you want." He grinned. "You got me, didn't you?"
r />   "Ha ha, funny," she said, obviously not amused. She took a breath and let it out before standing. "Okay, here goes nothing."

  "Hey," he said grabbing her arm. "Unbutton your blouse some, will ya?"

  She smirked at him and complied.

  "Make it a good show. I'm sure he'll be putty in your hands." She started toward the mansion when Rob said more seriously, "Hey, one more thing. If he tries anything you're not okay with, call me. I'll be right there."

  "So all we can do is wait?" Savannah asked as she watched Cheryl walk away.

  "Yup," Rob said. "And if you think that's hard for you, just imagine how difficult the next several minutes... or hours... will be for me. I'm in love with the girl, you know."

  "And you can send her to the wolves like that?" Max asked.

  Rob grinned. "I'm in love with my career, too."

  Margaret rolled her eyes for Savannah's benefit.

  Savannah responded by raising her eyebrows.

  Chapter 8

  Twenty minutes had passed when Savannah said, "I'm so nervous. I wonder what's going on up there?"

  "I'm about to fall asleep," Margaret complained.

  Suddenly, Rob put his phone up to his ear. "Wait, listen." He switched to speakerphone and everyone moved closer. Next, they heard a man's voice slurring his words a little. "I don't know what's so interesting about this room. But if it will make you like me better, I'll take you to the moon."

  Savannah smirked when she heard Ruppert's giggle.

  "That would be nice," Cheryl said. "But all I want to see tonight is what's in the room behind the bright green door. Do you have a key, Rupie?"

  "I have keys to all the rooms," he bragged.

  "Where do you stay?" she asked. "Do you live here?"

  "Yeah, wanna see my place?" he asked, enticingly.

  "Maybe I do. After I see this room, maybe we could go to your room and get to know each other a little better."

  "Yeah, we can sure do that. Okay, here's the key."

  The eavesdroppers heard the sound of metal against metal as the lock disengaged. The door creaked as it opened. Then they heard Cheryl ask in a frantic whisper, "What was that?" "What?" Rupert asked.