by Fry,Patricia
The Amazing CATventure: A Klepto Cat Mystery
Book 19
by Patricia Fry
The Amazing CATventure
A Klepto Cat Mystery
Book 19
Author: Patricia Fry
ISBN: 978-0-9975190-6-8
All rights reserved
© 2016 Matilija Press
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 1
“It’s sure nice to be back to normal,” Savannah said over breakfast on the last Saturday in April.
Michael chuckled. “Dear wife of mine, life with you is anything but normal.”
“What do you mean?” she demanded good-naturedly. “We have a fairly ordinary life, don’t you think so?” When he looked askance, she said, “I don’t mean boring-ordinary.”
He nearly choked on his coffee. “Yeah, boring, it’s not!”
She grinned impishly. “Well, maybe we do have more excitement around here than most families, but think about it; things are calm now. We have nothing planned, there are no mysterious activities brewing.” She sighed. “I’m truly looking forward to a quiet summer, aren’t you?”
“I sure am.”
“No drama. No crises. No calamities or catastrophes.”
He chuckled rather skeptically. “You’d better tell Rags that.”
“Okay, where is he?” When she spotted the large grey-and-white cat sprawled across one of Buffy’s pink cat beds, she called out, “Did you hear that, Ragsie? We’re going to live like regular people this summer. No pranks, mischief, monkeyshines, or shenanigans. Okay, buddy?” She peered into the other pink canopy bed and smiled when she saw clear blue eyes staring back at her. “That goes for you, too, Buffy.” She shouted to be heard in the living room, “And Walter, we expect you to be on your best behavior.”
Michael laughed. “Yeah, like Walter or Buffy ever get into any trouble. The worst thing they do is shed.”
“And that’s all Rags is going to do this summer—shed, sleep, eat, and keep his paws to himself. Right, Ragsie?”
Woof!
Savannah gazed at their afghan-hound-mix dog and laughed. “Putting your two cents in, are you, Lexie?”
“No worries with you, huh girl?” Michael cooed, petting the silky fur on the dog’s head. “You don’t cause any trouble around here, do you?” Michael walked to the kitchen counter and rinsed his plate in the sink, saying over one shoulder, “I’d better get a move on. I’m part of Colbi’s and Damon’s hand-picked moving crew, you know.”
“I know. It’s an exciting day for the newlyweds—starting their new life in their forever home.”
Michael approached Savannah, wrapping his arms around her waist as she wiped their toddler’s face and hands. He stepped back when she lifted the baby from the high chair. “So you girls will meet me at their new place around noon?”
“Yes,” she said, lowering Lily to the floor.
“Don’t forget Iris. She’s planning to ride with you.”
“I know.” She faced him. “Oh, Michael, would you pick up the steaks at the butcher shop on your way over to Colbi’s? Tom set some aside for us.”
“Sure.” He glanced out the kitchen window. “Craig’s here. Gotta go.” Before stepping out the door, however, he gazed into Savannah’s eyes. “Here’s to the first day of our normal life,” he said before pulling her to him and kissing her.
“Amen,” she muttered. “See you after while, hon,” she called, watching him leave through the kitchen door. When Lily ran past her carrying a stuffed owl, Savannah picked her up and walked with her to the window, exclaiming, “What a pretty day!”
“Ho,” Lily said when she saw Peaches across the yard in her corral.
Savannah snuggled with the toddler. “Yes, there’s the horsie. Shall we go feed the horsie?”
“Ho eat,” Lily said excitedly.
“Yes, we’ll feed Peaches, then get you bathed and dressed up pretty for our little barbecue later.” Savannah spun around with the baby. “Want to go see Auntie Colbi and Aunt Ris-Ris?” When Lily giggled, she bounced gently with her and headed toward the door saying, “Uncle Craig, Uncle Damon…” Just then, she noticed Lexie dancing around her feet. “Oh, you want to go out, do you, girl? Come on,” she said, opening the door wide. She smiled upon seeing the dog trot down the steps of the wraparound porch and race excitedly across the expanse of grass toward the corral. Yes, she thought. It’s going to be a relaxing and fun summer.
Little did Savannah know that her pact with Michael would soon be broken, as another mystery was unfolding at that very moment—one that would shock the entire community, cause a major disturbance in their quiet neighborhood, and, of course, involve their venturesome cat.
****
“That’s the last one,” Damon said, placing a cardboard box marked kitchen in the dining area of their new home just after noon. He pushed a swatch of curly dark-red hair off his forehead. “How does a person accumulate so much stuff?”
Michael handed Damon a bottle of water, then twisted the cap off one for himself. “This is nothing. Just wait ’til you and Colbi have lived here for a while. The next move will take the whole weekend instead of…” he looked at his watch “…four and a half hours.”
“Yeah, this was a piece of cake compared to some of the nightmare moving jobs I’ve been roped into,” Craig Sledge said from the front doorway. He held a Victorian Chateau lamp. “Where do you want this?”
Damon looked around. When he spotted Colbi entering the living room, he nodded in her direction. “Ask the boss.” He then squinted at Craig. “You don’t think this was a big job? I mean, when I moved into my apartment, it took me and a buddy maybe an hour.”
Colbi pointed. “It goes on that end table, Craig. Thanks.” She looped her arm in Damon’s and addressed the other two men. “You guys think this move was a piece of cake? For you, maybe. I’ve been packing since we got home from our honeymoon nearly two weeks ago. And it’s not over yet.”
“It’s not?” Damon asked, his eyes wide.
“Heck no.” She made a sweeping motion with one arm. “Now we have to unpack all these boxes and put the stuff away.”
He grimaced. After thinking for a moment, he suggested, “Why can’t we just leave it in the boxes? They’re all organized with labels—we know where everything is.”
“I’m not living out of boxes, Damon,” Colbi insisted. She chuckled. “…like you did for almost a year.”
“Yeah, until you came over and ruined my routine.” He pulled her to him. “See, we should have left it in the boxes, then we wouldn’t have had to re-pack everything.”
Colbi grinned at her husband. Before she could respond, they heard another voice. “Anyone hungry?” Savannah called as she walked into the house through the open front door carrying a large platter.
Michael turned to greet her. “Oh, hi, hon. Where’s Lily?”
“In the car; Iris is with her. Want to go release her from her seat?”
“Sure,” he said, taking his usual long strides across the room and down the porch steps.
Savannah glanced around the living room. “Gosh, this is nice. I love all the windows. Oh, and you have a perfect spot for your dining room set.” She stepped into the dining area and placed the platter on the table. “It’s actually similar to the layout of your old place, only larger and brighter.”
“And no ric
kety staircase,” Colbi said, walking toward her. She grabbed Savannah’s arm. “And no groady1950s linoleum countertops. Come look at my modern kitchen. Watch where you step,” she warned. “The place is booby-trapped.”
“Booby-trapped?” Savannah repeated, taking a step back.
“Yeah, with boxes,” Colbi said, laughing. “There are boxes everywhere.”
“Where are the cats?” Savannah asked, noticing the front door still standing open.
“We’ll bring them over last, once things kind of settle down here. Probably this evening.”
Savannah frowned. “What about your feral cats? You’ve been taking care of them for quite a while, haven’t you?”
Colbi nodded. “Yes. I’ll miss them.” She bumped Savannah with her shoulder. “Believe it or not, Harrison has made friends with a few of them and he’s decided to take over the colony. There are only seven now, you know.”
Savannah shook her head. “Gads, your brother has come a long way. Just a short time ago, he was…”
“Yeah, wasting his life away with no ambition or purpose. And now…” Colbi choked up a little. “And now he’s studying to become a chef, he’s working at a job he loves, and he’ll be married soon. He has rejoined the human race.” She twisted her light-brown hair into a knot on top of her head and smiled. “He’s hoping to lure Fancy into the house. Remember Fancy—the young spotted kitty who seemed as if she wanted to make friends? Well, she got to where she’d come right up to the bowl when I poured their kibbles. Harrison can actually pet her now.”
“Oh, it sounds like she’ll worm her way into the house soon.” Savannah said. “I’m glad to hear that your brother’s a willing schmuck. We need more schmucks in this world.”
“Schmucks?” Colbi questioned.
“You know, patsy, sucker, softy, pigeon…like we are.”
She smiled. “Yes, that we are—at least when it comes to cats. I’m just thankful Harrison wants to continue caring for the ferals; otherwise, I’m not sure what I’d do with them, now that I’ve…” she winked at Savannah, “… moved on up.” She smiled. “Harrison’s really excited about having a place of his own.” Wincing a little, she added, “Only the old family homestead looks a little bare since we moved out all my furniture.”
“What happened to the original furniture—your parents’ stuff?” Savannah asked.
“I slowly edged it out into the garage in favor of things I like better—things I picked up at yard sales and thrift stores over the years.” Colbi pointed. “I found that cabinet with a free sign on it in front of a house out on Country Road.”
“You did? That’s really cute.”
“Yeah,” she gestured toward an ornate wall shelf, “and I got that from a gal at work who just wanted someone to haul it away. I’m glad I kept my dad’s old pickup truck. All I needed was muscle, which seems to be easy enough to find these days.” When Savannah looked puzzled, Colbi explained, “Men…men willing to help a damsel.” She grinned impishly. “Surely you have no trouble getting help carrying your groceries or lifting heavy packages of kitty litter, right?”
“Oh, I never thought about it. I guess…well, Michael’s usually there when I need that kind of help.” Savannah ran her hand over the shelf. “This is a nice piece, Colbi.”
“It was pretty ugly when I brought it home, but I sanded and painted it, then added the stenciling.”
“No kidding? I didn’t know you were so talented.”
Colbi turned toward the living room. “I refurbished that mauve chair, too—even recovered the seat. I found the chair hidden underneath some stuff in a secondhand store. It was painted black and the paint was all chipping off. It had been orange at one time.” She raised her eyebrows. “Believe it or not, orange was a popular color for furniture—even walls, floors, countertops—in the sixties and seventies.”
“Very nice. And you’ve managed to make everything in here work together. That takes some thought and skill.” Savannah narrowed her eyes. “What do you think Harrison will do about furnishings? Is he interested in your folks’ original furniture? Will he move it back into the house from the garage?”
“No. He’s actually looking forward to making the old place his…with his own taste. But I told him he’d better wait until Leah gets here from the East with baby Charlie, because she might have some ideas of her own.”
“What did he say to that?”
“He agreed. But he’s sure they’ll have the same taste in furniture.” She giggled. “Savannah, he’s into retro—you know, the fifties look, like those chrome kitchen tables and chairs with shiny plastic seats in red, yellow, green...”
“Oh, so he’ll sort of restore the old place back to the original décor, will he?”
“Yeah, I guess.” Colbi laughed. “I tried my darnedest to make the place look modern and he wants to keep to the theme of the period.” She tilted her head and looked up at Savannah. “…sort of like you and Michael did. Your kitchen has been upgraded, but Michael seems to honor the antiquity of your place when he does any refurbishing. And your furnishings fit in with the scheme of things.”
“Thanks to Iris.”
“Thanks for what?” Iris asked as she joined the women in the kitchen.
“For helping me decorate our house,” Savannah explained.
“It was a pleasure,” she said graciously. “Your place oozes with old-timey charm.”
“Yeah, thanks to you,” Savannah insisted.
“What do you have there, Iris?” Colbi asked.
“Potato salad. Is your fridge plugged in? Got electricity?”
Colbi nodded and rushed to open the refrigerator door.
“Mother Hubbard,” Iris said, while slipping the bowl onto an empty shelf.
“Yeah, gotta go shopping,” Colbi hugged her mother-in-law. “Thanks, Iris.”
“You’re most welcome.”
“What’s on the tray?” Colbi asked Savannah.
“Fresh veggies and hummus. Auntie and Max are bringing chili beans.” She tilted her head and asked, “Michael brought the steaks, didn’t he? I told him to stop at the butcher shop on his way over this morning.” She pulled the refrigerator door open. “I didn’t see them in here.”
“In the meat drawer,” Colbi explained.
“Oh, okay.” Savannah turned, reaching for the large platter. “Hold the door, Colbi, and I’ll slide this in.”
In the meantime, Iris looked around the room. “Isn’t this a nice kitchen?”
“Yes,” Savannah agreed, pushing the fridge door closed. She ran her hand over the countertop. “I love the granite. It’s some of the prettiest I’ve seen. I’m not usually a fan,” she said, scrunching up her face a little.
Colbi smiled. “Me neither. But this I love.”
“Very nice,” Iris said. “And you have so much storage space—practically floor to ceiling cabinets.”
Colbi grimaced. “Yeah, I imagine I’ll be using my step stool a lot.”
“I’ll bet,” Savannah said, smiling down at her friend, who stood at barely five foot three.
When Colbi saw Michael walk into the kitchen holding Lily’s hand, she rushed to pick up the toddler and spun around with the baby in her arms. “Well, hello there. You’re just the little angel I wanted to see. Happy birthday, darling,” she said, kissing her on the cheek.
“Happy birthday?” Margaret questioned as she entered the dining room with Max following behind, carrying a pot of beans. “Did I miss something?” She looked at Savannah. “Oh, please don’t tell me I forgot my grand niece’s birthday.”
Before Savannah could respond, Colbi said, “Yes, she turned sixteen months old a few weeks ago, right Savannah? …while Damon and I were honeymooning.”
She nodded. “Yes, and she’s almost seventeen months old. We don’t usually acknowledge her month birthdays, though. But when she’s a year and a half—in June—we might celebrate that one.”
“Ki-ki?” Lily said, glanci
ng around the room.
“Kitty? Did you bring your kitty?” Colbi asked.
Lily shook her head. “Ki-ki,” she said again, pushing one finger into Colbi’s chest.
“She’s looking for your kitties,” Savannah explained.
Colbi smiled. “My kitties are bye-bye.” When she noticed Lily was pouting, she said, “But I have a toy for you. Want a toy?”
Lily nodded.
Colbi placed the toddler on the floor and walked with her through the living room and into the hallway, calling, “Come take a look at the rest of the place, Savannah…Maggie.”
Iris, too, followed. “I want to see it since you moved your stuff in.”
“A ukulele?” Savannah questioned when Colbi handed Lily the child-size instrument.
“Well, yeah, she likes music.” Addressing Lily, she added, “Don’t you, cutie pie?”
The four women watched as Lily’s eyes lit up. She took the ukulele from Colbi, hugged it to her, and began patting it.
Margaret laughed. “She doesn’t know what to do with it.”
“Like this,” Colbi said, showing her how to strum her fingers across the strings.
The baby did the same, then looked at Colbi, who strummed the ukulele again. Again, Lily mimicked her. When Lily stopped playing and simply stood looking around at the others, Colbi gently took the instrument and began singing and dancing while continuing to strum it. She then put the ukulele in Lily’s hands and sang the first few lines of Little Brown Gal while she attempted a couple of hula moves she’d learned on the Hawaiian Islands a few weeks earlier. “Dance, Lily,” she encouraged. “Dance.”
After watching Colbi for a moment, the toddler began patting the instrument and rocking her little body as if to the beat.
“That’s it; you go, girl,” Colbi said, laughing.
“Oh my God,” Iris said. “That’s too cute. Where’s my phone? I gotta get a picture.”
Iris couldn’t seem to find her phone, however, so Savannah eased hers out of a pocket. “Here, I’ll snap a few for you.”