by Patricia Fry
The ImPAWssible Mission
Book 28
by Patricia Fry
The ImPAWssible Mission
A Klepto Cat Mystery
Book 28
Author: Patricia Fry
ISBN: 978-0-9994724-3-9
All rights reserved
© 2018 Matilija Press
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 1
“What was that?” Savannah hissed, crouching into a bank of shrubbery.
Detective Craig Sledge turned in time to see a figure disappear over the ridge. He tightened his lips and glanced around. “I wish your cat would show up. We need to hightail it out of here before…”
“Before what?” Savannah insisted, fully aware that she was trembling. Her voice a mere squeak, she asked, “What do you think is going to happen?”
“I wish I knew, honey. I wish I knew.” After several seconds he whispered, “I think you should make a run for it. I’ll stay and watch for your cat.” When Savannah started to protest, he said, “Here’s the key. Drive down to the café and call the police.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at it. “Still no signal. Check your phone.”
After studying the screen, she said, “No. Nothing.” She pleaded, “Craig…”
“Go, Savannah. I want you out of here when—or in case—you know, something goes down.”
“But Rags…”
“He’ll be fine. No one here knows about his…” he chuckled nervously, “…his super powers. They’ll just think he’s a ratter.”
“A what?”
“You know, brought out here to take care of the rat problem.” He hissed, “Go. Call for help. I’ll be fine.”
Savannah hesitated. When she realized that Craig was serious, she took one last look toward the mineshaft, then crept away. She dug for the penlight in her pocket and shined it on the ground in front of her. As she made her way toward the car, her mind became a jumble of thoughts. Why I agreed to come out here with Craig, I’ll never know. And what a huge mistake it was to bring Rags. Yeah, Craig thought Rags could help us find the jewelry, but we should have considered the danger more carefully. I should have known things wouldn’t go smoothly. She shook her head. As if my life isn’t rich enough, I have to get involved in every tantalizing mystery that tickles my fancy. Maybe I should have been a cop instead of a veterinarian. Sure, finding cures for ailing pets is satisfying work, but maybe I’d feel more fulfilled if I were solving crimes. That really interests me…until I find myself in a situation like this one. A tear slid down her cheek. And now Rags is in danger and it’s all because of me and my darned curiosity.
She thought back to an earlier time when she’d vowed to enjoy the rest of the summer in a carefree, quiet, low-key manner with her family. The Iveys and Savannah’s mother, Gladys, had been home for two weeks after a month in Colorado with Michael’s twin brother and his family. Michael was back to work at the Ivey Veterinary Clinic and Savannah kept busy for several hours each day working on Rags’s memoirs while Gladys helped with the children—Lily, who would soon be three, and almost-four-month-old Teddy. One afternoon in early September, Iris called.
“Hi, girlfriend,” Savannah said cheerfully into the phone. “How are you?”
“Oh, all right,” Iris said.
“What’s wrong?” Savannah asked.
“I miss you,” Iris whined.
Savannah laughed. “Don’t tell me your business is running so smoothly that you’re actually bored.”
“Not really. The inn is keeping me busy—in fact, too busy. What I miss is a little break from the work with some of my BFFs.”
“Your BFFs, huh?” Savannah said, chuckling. “Well, I miss our girl-talk sessions too. Know what?”
“What?” Iris asked.
“We need to remedy that.” She paused for a moment before asking, “What are you doing this afternoon?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Iris giggled. “I’d love an invitation to your house to play with the kids.”
“Oh,” Savannah said, “well, they’re napping. Why don’t you come over and we can visit until they wake up?”
“Great. I’m on my way.”
Within minutes, Savannah invited Iris into her home. “It’s good to see you,” she said, warmly embracing her friend. Although Iris was closer to her mother’s age, she and Savannah had connected and, over the years, become close. Maybe they were drawn together by their similarities as well as their vast differences. They both stood taller than most women and they certainly had some of the same viewpoints and values. But, while Savannah maintained a more casual persona in the way she dressed and interacted with others, Iris leaned toward the flamboyant. Before ushering Iris into the living room, Savannah looked more closely at her and remarked, “Now that’s an interesting getup. I don’t think I’ve seen you wear polka-dot suspenders before.” She stepped back and studied Iris’s outfit. “And ripped capris.” She looked down. “Love your lace-up sandals.”
Iris’s face lit up. “Do you really?”
With a measure of trepidation, Savannah said, “Well, I…”
Iris waved her hand in the air. “Never mind.” She took a piece of the fabric from Savannah’s print blouse between her finger and thumb. “You’ll never understand my fashion statement.”
Savannah laughed. “Well, not when your statement is blasphemous.”
“Blasphemous!” Iris cried.
Before Iris could continue, Savannah said, “I think you look stunning.” She burst out laughing again. “Anyway, I’m stunned by your appearance.” When Iris seemed unsure of how to take her friend’s comments, Savannah added, “Hey, that’s one of the things I love about you; I never know which Iris I’m going to see. Anyway,” she gushed, “I love you and I’m so glad to see you.” She looked Iris up and down again and began to giggle. “I just hope you don’t scare the children.”
“Funny, ha-ha,” Iris carped.
“Just kidding,” Savannah assured her. She grabbed Iris’s arm and led her toward her favorite conversation area. “Come on, let’s chat it up.”
“Yes,” Iris said giddily, “I want to hear what’s been keeping you busy. How’s the book coming?”
As they were about to be seated, Gladys walked into the room. “You just saw each other a few days ago at the Sunday friends-and-family luncheon, for Pete’s sake.” She laughed. “You’re like a couple of teenagers.”
Iris smiled widely. “Thank you.”
Gladys grinned and shook her head. She then offered, “Would you two like something to drink?”
Iris glanced at Savannah before responding. “Tea would be nice. Iced or hot…doesn’t matter. Can I help?”
When Savannah started toward the kitchen, Gladys waved her off. “You two teenagers relax. I’ll get it.”
“Thanks,” Savannah said, motioning for Iris to sit down. She eased into a chair across from Iris, calling out, “Bring one for yourself, Mom, and join us.”
“So how are you?” Iris asked. “I mean, really?”
“Good,” Savannah said. “Why?”
“Oh, I just know what you’ve been going through with that awful man following you here from Colorado and all. I thought it might still be haunting you.” Iris frowned. “Besides, I heard you and Craig talking the other day. Sounds like it’s not over.”
“It is for me,” Savannah insisted. “I don’t care where that jewelry is. I just want t
o enjoy my peaceful life with my beautiful family.”
Iris stared at her friend, then addressed Gladys as she entered the room with three glasses of iced tea on a tray. “Do you believe that?”
“What?” Gladys asked.
“That Savannah wants a peaceful life without all the drama and cops and robbers and jewel thieves.”
“I’d like to believe it,” Gladys said. “But knowing my daughter, I kind of doubt it.”
Savannah frowned. “What is this, pick-on-Savannah day?”
“No, honey,” Iris assured her. “I just know you. And so does your mom. You can’t resist getting involved in a good mystery and it sounds like the mystery hasn’t been resolved. According to Craig, the jewelry’s still missing.”
“Yes it is.” Savannah sat up straight and said with conviction, “But that doesn’t mean anything to me.” When she noticed the other women staring intently at her, Savannah winced. “Well, not enough to go chasing after it.” When no one said anything, she grinned. “Yeah, I’m a little curious. I mean, where in the heck could it be? Who has it?”
Iris giggled. “Yeah, Gladys, it doesn’t mean anything to her.” She shook her head. “She’s one passionate woman.”
Gladys nodded. “Let’s hope she has learned one very important lesson from Rags.”
“What?” Savannah asked.
“Curiosity killed the cat.”
“But a cat has nine lives,” Savannah said flippantly. More seriously, she asked, “So tell me, Iris, what has Craig found out? I haven’t talked to him in a few days. Has anything new been uncovered?”
“Not that I know of,” Iris said. “But my husband doesn’t bring his work home much.”
“What is it Craig’s trying to find out?” Gladys asked. “Who took the jewelry from the hidey-hole where Rags found it in that house we rented in Colorado?”
Savannah nodded. “And who blew up the house, which might or might not be the same person or people.” She took a deep breath. “I wonder how they knew the jewelry was there. That jewelry heist took place over seventy years ago, you know. That’s why I still think it could be a relative—a descendant of the original Dino Verano, the guy who probably robbed that poor jeweler in the first place.”
After sitting quietly for a few moments, Iris asked, “What about the people who owned the house that blew up? Aren’t they descendants of that family?”
Savannah nodded. “Yes, he’s the third Dino Verano, a grandson of the alleged thief. But it sure didn’t appear that he and his family knew anything about the jewelry. Craig and I believe it may have been hidden in that house since the robbery in the 1940s.”
“Well, someone knew about it,” Iris said quietly. She chuckled. “I mean, someone other than your cat, who evidently didn’t have any trouble finding it, right?”
“That’s right,” Savannah said. “And once that crooked Detective Harold Milner learned that Rags had discovered the stash, he sure wanted to get his hands on it—not to solve the case, but to make himself rich. And his obsession with that jewelry landed him in jail.”
“But does he have the stuff?” Iris asked. “As I understand it, he isn’t the one who took the jewelry.”
“He swears he doesn’t have it,” Savannah said. “In fact, he seemed to think I had it. That’s why he came all the way out here to California and began harassing me.”
“So Craig and the detectives in Colorado haven’t come up with any other possible suspects?” Gladys asked.
“No,” Savannah said, “at least as far as I know. And then there’s the little issue of the dead cop they found in that space where we think the jewelry was hidden. Did Detective Milner kill him or was it someone else? If the officer had been shot, I think they’d be able to find the slug and they could link it to the killer’s gun. But he wasn’t shot and the fire from the blast covered up fingerprints and any other evidence.” She shook her head. “It’s all rather dead-endish.”
Iris laughed. “Hey, that’s a good police term—dead-endish. You ought to nominate that as the word of the year.”
Just then the landline phone rang. Gladys stood up. “I’ll get it. I want to check on Teddy, anyway.” When she returned, she discovered that Savannah and Iris had moved to the wraparound porch. “The children are still asleep,” Gladys announced, pulling up a deck chair and joining them.
“Who was on the phone?” Savannah asked.
“Probably a telemarketer. No one spoke to me, so I hung up.”
When the phone rang again, Savannah said, “I’ll get it, Mom. Drink your tea.” She returned a few minutes later with a puzzled look on her face.
“Another telemarketer?” Gladys asked.
Savannah shook her head. “No. It was Sharon Summers.”
“Who?”
“You know, Mom, the gal who came here to use our phone when her car broke down the other day.” She lowered her eyebrows. “She wants to be friends.”
“She wants to be friends?” Gladys asked, chuckling. “She called you to solicit your friendship?”
“That’s what it seems like. She said she’s new in town and doesn’t know anyone. She wants to connect with someone who can recommend a good doctor, the best place to buy organic vegetables…things like that.”
“Be sure to tell her about your sister,” Gladys said. “She’s a good doctor.”
Savannah smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll do that. She wants to get together for coffee to pick my brain.”
“Well, there are a lot of ways to make friends,” Iris said. “That sounds about as good as any.” She patted Savannah’s arm. “Remember how we became friends?”
“Yes! I had just joined Michael as a veterinarian at the clinic. You were still working at the diner and cleaning the clinic as a side-job. But you wanted to get into decorating, so I solicited your help in decorating and organizing my office space.” Savannah shuddered. “And you helped me to deal more successfully with the awful lingering memory of Joe Forster, that maniac who kidnapped Auntie and me.”
“How did she do that?” Gladys asked. “I mean, help you deal with the fear and all?”
Savannah took a breath. “Well, we buried it.” She chuckled. “We literally dug a hole out behind the clinic and buried some things that reminded me of that ordeal, along with the awful memory of it.”
Gladys cocked her head. “Really?”
Iris smiled. “Yes, our friendship did kind of spring from the time we spent together back then, didn’t it? And we’ve shared a lot since.” Iris looked suspiciously at Savannah. “Will I be in your cat’s memoir book? I mean, he helped me pick out the cuddle cats for the inn. That’s noteworthy, isn’t it?” Before Savannah could respond, Iris added with more enthusiasm, “And we experienced some craziness together when Rags and Colbi’s cat went with us to the mountains on my birthday weekend.” She shuddered. “Oh man, was that a nightmare.”
Savannah laughed. “Yeah, I’ve actually been working on that story this week; it’s interesting you’d bring it up. In fact, I have a list of things I’d like to check for accuracy—you know, make sure I remember them correctly. Hey, let me go get my notes and see if you can recall a few things that I’m a little fuzzy about.”
Iris winced. “I’ll try.” Before Savannah could leave the porch, Iris asked, “Hey, did you make a date with that gal—what’s her name, Sharon?”
“Yeah. We’re having coffee tomorrow, actually.” She turned to Gladys and added, “That is if you can entertain the kids for an hour or so.”
She nodded. “As long as you’re back in time for my book club meeting.”
“Oh, that’s right. I’m sorry, Mom. I guess I’m starting to take advantage of your generosity and availability.” She hugged Gladys. “I so appreciate all of your help. I love having you with us.”
Gladys patted her daughter’s cheek. “And I love being here and spending time with the children. They’re wonderful children, you know.”
Savannah smiled.
“So what time’s your book club?”
“Two.”
“No problem,” Savannah said. “I’ll be back in plenty of time.”
****
Just before ten the following morning, Savannah walked into the coffee shop where she’d agreed to meet Sharon Summers. I hope I recognize her, she thought as she gazed around the room at the customers. Just then she saw someone waving. But it wasn’t Sharon. It was someone she knew well: Detective Craig Sledge. She approached him. “Hi. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
He stood and hugged her briefly. “Who were you expecting to see?” he asked in a mysterious tone.
She glanced toward the door. “Oh, just some woman.” She looked at him. “What are you doing here all by yourself—taking a break?” She grinned and asked more quietly, “Or are you meeting a perp or a snitch?”
Craig chuckled. “Yeah, something like that, but it appears that I’ve been stood up.” He motioned toward an empty chair. “You’re welcome to join me.” He then asked, “Is the gal you’re meeting someone I know?”
She sat down across from him and glanced toward the door again. “Actually, no. It’s not even someone I know.” When he looked confused, she explained, “It’s a gal I just met and she wants to ask me a few questions about the community—you know, to help her get acclimated here, I guess.” She smiled at Craig. “I had a fun afternoon with your wife yesterday.”
He nodded. “Yes, Iris told me she was over at your place playing with the kids. She said your cat wanted to be right in the middle of things.”
“Yes,” Savannah said, rolling her eyes. “He still isn’t used to playing second fiddle. But he does enjoy hanging out with the children.” She looked across the room again. “Oh, I think that’s her.”
Craig looked in the same direction, then asked more quietly, “You don’t know?”
“Well, I’ve only seen her once.” When Savannah saw the recognition in the woman’s face, she stood. “Yeah, that’s her. See you later, Craig.” She walked up to Sharon, greeted her with a handshake, and motioned toward a small table. “Shall we sit here?”
