by Patricia Fry
“I know,” he countered. “I’ll give them to her when she gets home.”
The two police officers studied the earring, then looked at each other. Officer Tanner nodded and left the room.
When Savannah saw the sergeant reach down and pet Rags, she moved closer and said quietly, “I have to tell you that when Rags brings something like that to our attention, it’s usually important. He takes things and hides them sometimes, but if it’s important for any reason, he brings it to us.”
He studied the cat for a moment. Before he could comment, his partner returned. Officer Tanner removed the handcuffs from his belt and asked Drew to stand up.
“Awww man,” he griped. “No. You’re not going to. You can’t…”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Gerard, I’m going to have to arrest you.” He put a hand on one of Drew’s shoulders. “Please turn around.”
“Why?” Drew demanded, pulling away.
“We believe that those earrings were part of a heist that took place this afternoon.” With the sergeant’s help, the officer cuffed Gerard and proceeded to pat him down. He slipped a hand into his prisoner’s jacket pocket and removed a matching earring and a diamond bracelet. “Why are we arresting you?” the officer asked, holding up the jewelry. “Theft. Apparently these items were taken from the home of Mr. and Mrs. Johanson sometime this afternoon during a fundraiser. And as I understand it, Mr. Gerard, you were there.”
“You don’t understand,” Drew protested. “Someone probably put those in my pocket. I didn’t even know they were there.”
“Changing your tune, huh?” the sergeant said.
“It’s the truth, man!” Drew shouted. He became more agitated, then glanced at the children and said, “You can’t take me away. Who’s going to take care of my kids? Those are my kids over there.”
The officers looked at Pam and she nodded. “I’ll be with them. No problem. Thank you,” she said, her tone sincere.
The women stood quietly watching as the officers walked out with Drew Gerard, then they looked at each other. “Now what?” Pam asked, visibly relaxing. “I guess I can take the children back to the house.”
“I wouldn’t,” Savannah said. “They might not book him or he might make bail.”
“But I can’t stay here. He knows where I am,” she wailed. “He’s madder than ever now, and when he gets mad he gets vindictive. I can’t subject the kids to that.”
Savannah thought for a minute. “Let’s see if we can have someone stay here with us—you know, an officer.”
“Do you think someone would?” Pam asked.
Savannah shrugged. “Possibly.”
Just then there was a knock at the door. Savannah looked at the others, then asked apprehensively, “Who is it?”
“Tim from next door.”
Savannah opened the door. “Hello.”
“I just wanted to check on you ladies. I saw the police car out front. They took someone away.” He asked, “Are you ladies okay? I heard you were staying here.” He nodded toward Savannah. “You’re Gladys’s daughter, right? We met you when you were here a couple of years ago.”
Savannah nodded. “Yes, I am. Thank you for checking on us.” She glanced at the others and said, “We had a little…domestic issue here. Everything’s okay now.” She winced. “Unless…”
“Unless?” he questioned.
“Unless they let him go tonight, then we don’t know what he might do.”
He asked, “Would you feel better if I stay here with you? I sure don’t mind.” He chuckled quietly. “You all look a little scared right now. It must have been a frightening encounter with that gent.”
“Yeah, well, we just hope he spends at least the night in jail,” Chris said shuddering.
“So the charge is domestic violence?” Tim asked.
“I think so, and theft. They found some diamonds on him,” Chris said. “Maybe breaking and entering, attempted assault…”
“Oh,” Tim mumbled. He said, “If someone presses charges regarding the theft, they should keep him, but sometimes people have a way of squirming out of things like this. I know, I was in the police business for a lot of years.” He said to Savannah, “Hey, my wife and I are awfully fond of your mother. I’d be glad to help keep her family and friends safe this evening.”
Savannah looked at Pam, who said, “I’d sure feel better having a policeman here…someone who knows what to do.”
Chris laughed. “Well, gals, I don’t think we did so badly ourselves.”
Tim looked interested. “What happened? Did you bean the guy?”
When Savannah’s phone rang everyone looked at her and listened in as she answered. “Oh, hi, Craig. What’s up? Michael called you? Why?” She shrugged facetiously at the others, then said, “Well, yes, we did have an intruder, but I don’t know what Michael thought you could do about it from there. Yes, we took care of it.” She glanced at Tim. “A neighbor is here now. He might stay the night in case they let the guy out of jail. Yeah, we’re fine. You should have seen your feline partner in action. He found stolen jewelry on the guy, he scratched him all up, and while he was down whining like a baby, we gals—there are three of us—we pinned him to the floor with kitchen chairs until the police arrived.” She grinned at Tim’s expression when he heard this. “Thanks Craig,” she said. “Yes, I’ll let you know what happens.”
“You pinned him down with these chairs?” Tim asked. He chuckled. “Remind me never to mess with Gladys’s daughter and her friends.” When he saw the two cats wander into the room, he asked, “Which cat did the sneak attack?” “Both of them, actually,” Chris said. She ran her hand over Angel’s fur. “They were flat-out awesome.”
When Tim still looked stunned, Savannah patted him on the back and said, “Come sit down with us and have a cup of coffee or a sip of wine and we’ll tell you all about it.” She looked at her watch. “First, however, I need to call my husband.”
Chapter Nine
The following morning after she’d tidied the place up, packed her bags, and fed the cats, Savannah greeted Chris, who joined her in the kitchen. Chris picked up Angel. “She is a beautiful girl,” she crooned. “What a difference since the kids brushed her.” She asked, “Who’s brush did they use, anyway?”
“I think they brought some of Angel’s things with them—including her brush and her bed,” Savannah said.
Chris caressed the cat. “Nice. I love a fluffy cat who likes to cuddle. By the way, Savannah, I got the results of the swabs in an email this morning.”
“Really?” She said, excitedly. “So what’s the verdict?”
“All positive. Jazzie, April, Rags, and Angel are all definitely closely related.”
“Woo-hoo!” Savannah said.
“Did you expect a different outcome?” Chris asked.
“Not really—I mean, we knew who gave birth to those three kittens, but it’s still worth celebrating.”
“Oh,” Chris said, “and Glori and Rags are not related.”
Both women laughed and Savannah said, “Yeah, I guess that’s no surprise, either, is it?” She asked, “So Chris, you believe the sire is orange? I’d like to speak to Jeannie again and find out what she knows about Angel’s probably accidental breeding. I think I’ll call Marilyn and ask if she can get us in to see Jeannie again before we head home. Or maybe Pam can.”
“I can do what?” Pam asked, entering the kitchen with the children.
“Hi,” Savannah said. “How’d everyone sleep?”
Pam picked up Evan. “Good. Didn’t we, kids? You slept good, didn’t you?”
“With Angel and that cat,” Evan said, pointing at Rags.
“Oh, you had a bedful, did you?” Savannah said, laughing.
Pam smiled and snuggled with the boy. “Sure did.”
“Can I pet Angel?” Shari asked
“Sure,” Pam said. “You can pick her up and pet her and do whatever you want with her. She’s finally going to get to be a cat.”
“You seem m
ore relaxed today.” Savannah noticed.
Pam nodded. “He’s in jail. That makes me happy. They don’t think he’ll be released any time soon. I spoke with one of the officers this morning, and he said that with the multiple charges, he’s going to be held for a while.” Eyes wide she said, “He asked me about Jeannie and her prison term. I told him what most of us believe, that Drew is the thief and that he threw her under the bus. The officer’s going to look into it. He said that if they can get proof or get him to admit it, they might be able to have her released.”
“Oh, that would be wonderful,” Savannah said.
“I know. I can’t wait. Only,” Pam said, grimacing, “Jeannie confessed. Or maybe she just didn’t contest the charge. I’m not sure which.”
“But if she confessed under duress…” Savannah glanced at the children, who were watching cartoons on TV. Rags lay between the two kids. “I mean, we could all attest to the fact that man’s a bully.”
“Did he say how long it would take to get her released?” Chris asked.
Pam shook her head.
“Well, I’d like to see Jeannie,” Savannah said, “today if possible, before we head home. I’d like some clarity on the breeding between Angel and the orange male.” She picked up Angel and cuddled her. “This one isn’t talking, are you, sweet thing?”
Pam said, looking at her watch, “They allow visiting this morning, but we’d better hurry. I’ll call and make sure you can see her. Sometimes you have to make arrangements ahead.” She looked around. “Where’s Tim?”
“Oh, I sent him home. He said he had a nice sleep on our couch, without his dog taking up so much space. I gave him a cup of coffee to go and he went home to get cleaned up. He and his wife have something going on today.”
“Well, it was nice of him to stay. I had the first good night’s sleep I’ve had in quite a while.”After placing a call, Pam said, “You’re all set to visit Jeannie. Can you be there by eight thirty?”
“Sure.” Savannah glanced at the clock, then focused on her guest. “Now, Pam what are you going to do?”
“I think I’ll take the kids home. If what the officer told me is correct, we’ll be okay there for at least a few days.”
Savannah hugged her. “Okay, take care. Let us know if you need anything.”
“Sure will,” Pam said. She glanced at Chris, then Savannah. “Thank you both for everything. You’ve been so kind.” She petted Rags when he jumped up into a chair near her. “And thank you, handsome boy. You’re the best.”
Rags stood up with his feet on the back of the chair, looked her in the eyes, and meowed loudly.
Savannah chuckled. “I think he’s thanking you for letting him meet his mom.”
****
“Hi, Jeannie,” Savannah said a short while later when she and Chris approached her in an outdoor visiting area at the prison. “Thank you for seeing us.”
“Certainly. Thank you for visiting me. It gets kind of dull in here, as you can imagine. How are things at home? You’ve been to my home, right?”
“Yes, I’m afraid a lot has happened there.” Savannah squinted. “Are you aware that your husband is in jail?” “What? Why?” she asked. “He didn’t…” Jeannie started.
Savannah wasn’t sure what to say, but finally she blurted, “He’s in trouble for the way he treats the cats.”
Jeannie blew out a breath. “Wow. I wondered when that would happen.”
“Yeah,” Chris said, “we understand that you knew it was wrong, and you did your best to...”
“Yes,” Jeannie said. “I tried to get him to see what he was doing was inhumane, but he…”
“He’s one bullheaded guy,” Chris said.
Jeannie looked down at her hands in her lap. “That’s one way to put it.”
“Jeannie,” Savannah said, “he’s also being charged with theft.”
“What?” Jeannie yelped.
Savannah nodded. “For stealing some expensive jewelry from someone’s home.”
“Burglary? A home?” she questioned.
“Yes,” Savannah said. “And he burst into where we were staying last night and caused quite a commotion. We had to restrain him and call the police. Rags found the diamonds.”
“What?” Jeannie squealed. “What did he do? You restrained him? Diamonds?”
After Savannah and Chris explained what had happened the night before, Jeannie simply shook her head in disbelief. Savannah asked, “I’m curious; what surprises you, that he did what he did?”
Jeannie sat silently for a moment, then said sheepishly, “Well, it might surprise you to know it’s the part where he got arrested.”
“I thought so,” Savannah said.
Chris raised her eyebrows. “So you aren’t surprised that he stole the jewelry or that he’s in trouble for the way he takes care of the cats?”
Jeannie shook her head slowly, continuing to look down at her hands.
Just then a woman approached. “Jeannie Gerard?”
Jeannie looked up and nodded.
“I’m Lois Smyth, detective with the LAPD. I’d like to ask you a few questions.” When Jeannie hesitated, she said, “It’s about your husband.”
“Well, I’m visiting with friends right now. They told me he’s in jail,” she said, her voice trailing off.
“It will take just a minute.” She looked at Savannah and Chris. “You can stay if you want. I’ll be out of here in a jiff. I just have one question for Mrs. Gerard.” She faced Jeannie. “Did you take that stuff you were accused of stealing, or were you bullied into taking the rap for someone else?”
Jeannie thought for a minute, then said, “No. No, I didn’t take it. I realize that I confessed, but I lied. My husband…”
“Your husband?” Detective Smyth said, waiting for more.
“Yes, he thought it was best that I be incarcerated because he’s the breadwinner, you see. So I went along with him.” She looked up at the detective. “He’s the thief, not me. He has this…I guess it’s a problem. Maybe a mental problem, and he promised he’d get help if I’d confess. He said it would never happen again.” She began to cry. “But it did, didn’t it? He took something this time without me or the kids being with him.”
“The kids?” Detective Smyth asked.
“Yes, we’d sometimes come home from shopping and I’d find things we didn’t pay for in one of the kids’ pockets or in the diaper bag. He’d say, ‘It’s okay, those stores can afford to have kids take merchandise. It happens all the time.’ And he’d refuse to take it back, saying he didn’t want our son or daughter to be traumatized. He’d just keep the watch or electronic gadget himself. Sometimes I’d see him sell one of those things to someone. He promised he’d stop,” she wailed.
“Okay, thank you, Mrs. Gerard. I thought so. I’ll start the paperwork now to have you released and back home with your children.”
“And the cats?” she asked.
“Cats?”
“They took our cats. I’m told the authorities took our cats. Those were my cats until he decided to get involved. He saw that there was maybe money to be made, and he started adding more cats and keeping them in deplorable conditions, while waiting for them to have kittens that he could sell. He became obsessed with the cats. All I wanted was a sweet ragdoll as a pet for the family, and he tried to turn her into a breeding machine. Boy, was he mad when…” She looked at the detective. “Oh, never mind. That’s not your affair. But I would like to make sure the cats are taken care of, and there are a couple I hope to keep—Angel and Bella.”
Savannah put her hand on Jeannie’s arm. “Angel is okay. Pam has Angel, and she’s out of the pen and off the drugs.”
Jeannie creased her brow. “Drugs? He was drugging her? I wondered why Angel suddenly became so docile. It was creepy. I thought it was because she was in that horrible cage.” Jeannie’s eyes lit up. “She’s okay?”
“More than okay. And she’s safe,” Savannah assured her.
Jeann
ie choked up and uttered, “Thank goodness.”
The detective stood up. “Well, I don’t know about the cats. I’ll see what I can find out. Meanwhile, hang tight. We should have you out of here within a few days.”
“Thank you,” Jeannie said, tears streaming down her face. “Thank you all so much.”
The three women watched as the detective walk away. Savannah patted Jeannie’s hand. “Good news, huh?”
“Yeah,” Chris said, “good to see you standing up for yourself like that.”
Jeannie smiled. “It felt good. Thank you for giving me the courage.” She sniffled and took a deep breath. “Now, what did you want to talk to me about? I don’t know how much more time I have to visit.”
“Jeannie, do you know who Rags’s and Jazzie’s and April’s sire is?”
“So you found some of the other kittens from that litter?” Jeannie asked excitedly.
Savannah nodded. “Yes. Two of them. Do you remember who has the other look-alike ragdoll kittens?”
“I just might have something about them at home. When I get home,” she smiled, “which might be sooner rather than later, I can maybe get something for you. I’m not sure.”
“Well, mainly what we want,” Chris said, “is information about the male cat.”
“I don’t know,” Jeannie said. “Drew was positive that Mrs. Gallagher sold us a cat that was already pregnant with those kittens. He blamed Mrs. Gallagher after Angel had the kittens and he saw the odd ones in the litter.” She cringed. “He was furious, if you can imagine.”
“Yeah,” Chris said. “We saw some of his fury last night.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jeannie said.
Savannah was quick to say, “You do not need to apologize. He’s not a reflection of you.” She frowned. “I don’t know why…”
“Why we stay together?” Jeannie asked. “Yeah, a lot of people say that. I’ve had some thoughts about that since I’ve been in here, but…”
“But what?” Savannah asked.
“The children…” Jeannie started.
“The children are scared to death of him,” Chris asserted.
Jeannie looked at Chris and swallowed hard. “He is kind of strict. He says it’s important for the kids to have a little fear…that’s how you teach discipline.”