Once the car was unloaded, she picked up her cell to call Jake. There was no reception. “I was afraid of this. Oh well. I wanted to get away, so I’m truly getting away,” she mused.
Katherine opened the door to the screen porch, and Scout and Abra shot into the cabin’s main room. They immediately explored every nook and cranny.
“I bet you’re hungry,” Katherine called after the cats. “I’ll feed you after you’ve settled down. Want to help me make the bed?”
The Siamese ignored her. Instead they found a wide windowsill and were sitting back-to-back like bookends, peering outside. Scout’s tail was twitching; Abra’s was thumping back and forth.
“At-at-at-at-at!” Scout clucked.
“What are you two looking at?” Katherine pulled the partially opened curtain and looked outside. A large crow was standing on top of the Subaru. “That’s the biggest bird I’ve ever seen,” Katherine said, astonished.
The bird sensed a human and flew away, emitting a loud string of “caws.”
“That, my little furry friends, was a bird. Not one of your Manhattan pigeons you used to watch on the window ledge, but a crow. Crows have their own language and can even count. What do you think about that, Abra?” she asked, petting her on the head.
Abra glanced back at Katherine and cried, “Caw.”
Katherine laughed. “Did you just say caw?”
“Raw,” Abra answered.
“Okay, enough. I’ve got to make up my bed if we’re going to get any sleep tonight.” Katherine moved to the bedroom and found an antique armoire. Inside were clean bed linens, blankets and enough towels to last a month. The king-sized bed had a log headboard and footboard. When Katherine looked up, she gasped. Mounted above the bed, close to the ceiling, was a giant faux moose head with a large rack of antlers.
Curious about what their human was doing, the Siamese trotted in, took one excited look at the moose head, and effortlessly leapt to the top of it. The moose head was so large, they could both sit on it, balancing between the ears and the antlers.
“Good thing I didn’t bring Lilac and Abby or you wouldn’t be sitting up there now.” Scout and Abra were down-to-earth cats, while Lilac and Abby were more comfortable being able to survey life below.
After several hours of unpacking, feeding the Siamese, and eating her own dinner, Katherine curled up on a sofa, which looked like it came straight from a rustic decor catalog. The frame was made from logs and the green cushions had a bear and elk scene printed on them. All of the cabin furniture seemed to be constructed out of logs. The TV console had hand-hewn log legs with a bear on each of the two cabinet doors. Inside was a row of DVDs of some recent-release movies. Katherine wasn’t sure if she’d watch any, because her goal was to be at one with nature. The small dining table consisted of a plank top on log legs, with benches on either side.
The thunderstorm pushed through a much-needed cold front, so Katherine turned on the gas log insert in the fireplace. Scout and Abra trotted into the room, and flopped down on their sides. Scout washed Abra’s ears, then Abra returned the favor. This peaceful interlude lasted about half a minute until Scout bit Abra’s neck, and the two went flying from room-to-room in a fast chase.
Before Katherine and the cats retired for the evening, she made sure the windows were locked, as well as the front and back doors. She latched the door to the screened-in porch. She’d wished that it had been a regular door, because she feared someone could easily cut the screen and gain entry. In her bedroom, she leaned a security bar against the door. She looked out the back window, amazed at how dark it was. Even with the porch light on, she couldn’t see beyond her SUV.
Once she hit the bed, she fell fast asleep, but was awakened by two hyperactive Siamese who wanted in. Finally, after two minutes of their plaintive cries and the constant jiggling of the door handle, she got up and opened the door to her brown-masked pests, who flew in. She went into the second bedroom, and brought back their litterbox.
She said to the rambunctious Siamese, “Okay, you’re sleeping with me, but whatever you do, do not spend the night jumping up and down from that moose head.”
Abra innocently squeezed her eyes and instantly sprang to the moose head. Scout muttered something, and then joined her. Katherine tugged the blanket over her head. “Go to sleep!”
In the middle of the night, a loud clap of thunder startled Katherine out of a deep slumber. A flash of lightning revealed two Siamese looking intently at something outside the window.
“Is it the crow again?” she asked sleepily.
Scout turned and cried a mournful “waugh.” It sounded like a warning.
“What’s out there?” she asked uneasily. Getting out of bed, she dragged herself to the window and pulled the curtain aside. Another lightning stroke briefly illuminated the backyard. A tall, broad-shouldered, heavy-set man was standing at the edge of the woods. On his head he wore something black that covered his face. Or did he have a face? She wondered.
Katherine stood back, her heart beating fast. “What the hell? Who is that?” Heavy rain pelted the window glass. The wind picked up and whipped around the cabin.
Abra cried a deep, menacing growl. Scout hissed and hit the window glass with her paw. Katherine said to the cats, “Get down. Let me check again.” She walked back to the window and looked out.
At first her eyes focused on the rivulets of rain running down the glass. With the next flash of lightning, the man was now standing right outside. He wore a black motorcycle helmet, and the visor was up, revealing a deformed face with one eye missing. Katherine screamed and fell back. She scrambled to turn the night light off, so the man couldn’t see her.
Scout and Abra—still growling and hissing—ran underneath the bed. Finding her Glock, Katherine cautiously moved to the side of the window and peered out. The man had vanished. She panicked, Where is he? What if he gets inside?
Katherine closed the curtain and whispered to the cats, “It’s okay. We’re going to stay in here and not leave this room until morning.”
“Ma-waugh,” Scout agreed.
She sat down on a cushioned chair and tensely waited out the rest of the evening—flinching at the slightest sound outside. It was only at the morning’s first light that she fell asleep, and then slept for hours. It was noon by the time she woke up.
“Scout. Abra. Where are you?” she called, looking around for the cats. “Why did you let me go to sleep?” The Siamese were back up on the windowsill.
“Tap, tap, tap.” Something outside tapped on the glass.
“Oh, no. Not again,” Katherine said fearfully. “Get down, girls.” When the cats wouldn’t budge, she snatched both of them and set them on the floor. Then she slowly drew the curtain aside to gaze into the dark quizzical eyes of a crow. She leaped back. “That’s it,” she announced anxiously. Reaching down, she picked up both cats. Kissing them on the head, she said, “We’re going home.”
The cats ignored her and wiggled eagerly to be set free. She put them on the floor. Then they jumped back onto the windowsill. “At-at-at-at-at,” Scout chattered to the bird.
“Tap, tap, tap.” The crow “cawed” and flew away.
“Here’s the plan. I’ll get dressed and reload the car.” She opened the door to the combo living room/kitchen and did a quick glance around the room. Everything was exactly the same as she’d left it the night before. Returning to the bedroom, she hurriedly put on jeans and a tank top, then laced up her sneakers. Putting the Glock in her waistband holster, she left the cabin, closing the door behind her. She scanned the area, searching for the man who might be ready to attack her. Scout and Abra remained on the windowsill and followed her with their eyes.
Katherine trudged in the mud to the edge of the woods where she had first seen the man the previous night. She saw footprints—large boot prints—where someone walked out of the clearing to the Subaru, then to the cabin. The hair on the back of her neck rose.
I’ve got to get out of
here, she thought. Briskly entering the cabin, she was surprised to see Scout and Abra waiting inside their carrier. They quivered against each other.
“I know you’re scared, but we’re leaving—now.” She grabbed her bag and found the car keys. Picking up the cat carrier, she rushed to the car. Scout cried softly.
“I’ll have Chief London come back, or someone from the police force help me get the rest of our stuff. We’re not staying here another minute.” She opened the back hatch of the Subaru and placed the carrier inside. Rushing to the driver’s seat, she climbed in and took off too fast, skidding in the mud. Slowing down, she drove out of the muck and proceeded to the owner’s house. Pulling in the drive, she noticed a beat-up, blue pickup truck parked there.
That must be the owner’s, she assumed. “I’ll be right back, my treasures,” Katherine said to the cats. “Gotta return the key.” Before getting out of the SUV, she studied the yard and house. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she walked to the front porch.
Curiously, the door was ajar. She knocked twice, then peered in. “Mr. Townsend?” she called. “It’s Katz Kendall.” No one answered, so she walked into the house. She was surprised to see a coffee table covered with a mound of pill bottles. She picked up one and examined it. Inside was a thirty day supply of Oxycodone. The label named a pharmacy she’d never heard of. Picking up several more, she found each bottle labeled the same. Oh, my God, she panicked. These can’t belong to one man. Leonard Townsend must be a drug dealer.
Running to the front door, Katherine tripped on a throw rug and came down hard on her knees. Getting up, she was startled to hear the loud crack of a gunshot from the back of the house. Slowly moving to the next room, Katherine looked out the kitchen window. A man was standing over a prone body; she surmised the body was Mr. Townsend’s. The standing man looked up and saw her.
“Run!” she yelled to herself. Katherine fled from the house and raced to her car. Getting in, she quickly turned on the ignition. She looked over her shoulder to see if the cats were okay. It was then she realized the cat carrier was missing.
“What the hell is happening? Why would anyone steal my cats? I’ve got to get to a place with reception so I can call the police.” Backing up, she nearly ran into a tree, then skidded down the lane in the direction of the main highway.
She hadn’t gone far when the beat-up blue pickup raced up beside her. The man inside wore dark glasses and a red ball-cap turned backwards. He honked the horn and motioned for her to pull over. The lane was so narrow, she could hardly keep her vehicle on the road. “Pull over,” the man yelled out the window. “I just wanna to talk to you.”
Katherine slowed down and hoped the man would pass her. When she turned her gaze back to the road, she saw a woman dart out from behind a tree. Katherine tried to avoid her; the Subaru hit a rut in the lane and went airborne. The SUV flipped upside-down and skidded down the lane, coming to a stop in a shallow drainage ditch.
She felt the airbags deploy, exploding into her chest and side. Up ahead, the driver of the blue pickup came to an abrupt stop, then backed up. It was then Katherine heard someone in the woods, firing at the pickup.
Hanging upside down and still secured by her seatbelt, she pushed the partially deflated airbag out of the way and peered through the Subaru’s window at the pickup. She could see that one bullet had hit the truck’s back window, where a large spider-web crack had formed. Another bullet had glanced off the passenger-side mirror. That was enough for the driver; he sped off. Katherine remained conscious for a few more seconds. Then everything went dark.
Chapter Six
Elsa sat in the pink mansion’s formal living room on a wingback chair with Iris, Dewey and Crowie. Iris was curled up on her lap, and the kittens were nestled in her arms. They were watching the original version of Cat People. Elsa was a movie buff and loved Katherine’s collection of old movies. When her cell rang the Dukes of Hazzard theme song, Iris leapt off her lap. Dewey and Crow climbed to the top of the chair.
“Dang, where’s the remote? Which one of you little thieves stole it?”
The cell continued ringing. She answered it at a yell. “Elsa speaking! Hang on. I can’t hear. I need to turn the DVD player off.” Rushing to the DVD player, Elsa turned it off manually, and got back on the phone. “I’m sorry. Who’s calling?”
Jake asked hurriedly, “Have you heard from Katz?”
“Why, no,” Elsa replied. “I talked to her last night. Her GPS had gotten her lost, so she called me for directions to the cabin. I gave them to her. Why?”
“I haven’t heard from her, which is very unsettling. I’ve tried to contact her, but my texts come back undelivered.”
Elsa offered, “The cell reception out there is terrible.”
Iris yowled into the phone loudly—almost urgently.
“Are you at the mansion?”
“Yes, Mrs. Harper’s daughter is in town and took Birdie to the city. I got the day off.”
“How’s the cats?”
“Just fine, but Scout and Abra put up such a fuss that Katz took them with her. I think the other cats are spoiling me, because—”
Jake interrupted, surprised. “Scout and Abra are with her?”
“When she tried to leave, they pitched a royal catfit. I’ve never seen anything like it—foaming at the mouth, practically.”
“Elsa, I’ve got to hang up now. Catch you later.” Jake disconnected the call and immediately punched in Chief London’s cell phone number.
The Chief answered in his usual grumpy way, “Yeah?” he barked.
“Chief London, this is Jake. I’m in Savannah at a conference, and Katz is renting a vacation cabin south of Erie. I fear that something has happened to her.”
“And why is that?” the chief asked.
“The last time I spoke to her was late yesterday afternoon. I haven’t heard from her since. My calls and texts have gone undelivered.”
The chief leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on his desk. “Maybe there’s a logical explanation for this—Katz forgot her phone. Maybe it needs to be charged. Maybe your service plan doesn’t cover the boonies.”
“I know it’s not my cell, because my Dad has gotten my text messages. Elsa Adams said Katz called her last night to tell her she was almost at the cabin. Elsa hasn’t heard from her since. Katz would be calling to check on her cats. Something’s not right.”
“Yeah, you’ve got a point there. Who’s this Elsa person?”
“She’s the new caregiver for Katz’s neighbor, Mrs. Harper. I hate to bother you, but can you check into this? I’ve got the address of the rental.”
“Sure, it’s not like I’m doin’ a crime scene today. Fire away.” The chief removed the cap from his pen and began writing on his desk pad.
“The cabin is near the town of Peace Lake, but it’s not on the lake. It’s located several miles north, on a pond.”
“Who owns it?”
“A Leonard Townsend.”
“What did you say?” The chief’s voice now showed signs of concern.
“Leonard Townsend. Why?”
“Leonard Townsend owns a big tract of land . . .” the chief paused, then added worriedly, “He used to live in Erie. He’s got a big-time criminal record. I’ve arrested him many times.”
Jake gasped. “Katz rented a cabin from this man.”
“The crimes are drug-related. He does an alternative medicine business from his house, but he doesn’t work with herbs, exactly. Recently, Sheriff Johnson busted him for growing marijuana on his land.”
Jake said, “My talk is at three p.m. I’ve changed my ticket to get in at eight tonight. I should be in Erie by ten. I’m going to drive out there and pray she’s alright. By the way, did you find out what happened to Barbie Sanders?”
“Nope, still missing. Okay, listen to me, Jake. Don’t be driving out there at night. The place is remote. You’ll never find it. I’m off tomorrow. I can drive you there, if you want.”
“In the meantime, I’ll call Sheriff Johnson and see if he can send a cruiser out to the cabin and check on Katz. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Thanks.” After he hung up, he thought, No, I’m going there tonight. He called Elsa again.
When she answered, he said, “I’m worried about Katz. What do you know about this Leonard Townsend person—the man who owns the cabin? You drew Katz a map. How did you know where he lived?” he asked suspiciously.
Elsa began cautiously, surprised by Jake’s accusing tone. “I was caregiver for a woman who lived near him. She knew him because he bought herbs off of her. You see, he’s into holistic medicine.”
Jake almost spit it out, but didn’t say, Yeah, marijuana. “Elsa, would you text me the directions to Townsend’s house—the same route you gave to Katz?”
“Sure. No problem.”
“Thanks so much. I’m going to drive to the cabin from the airport. I was supposed to meet Katz there Sunday. I’ll just show up tonight,” Jake laughed, deliberately seeming to make light of the situation, because he didn’t want to concern or upset Elsa.
“Oh, she’ll be so excited to see you,” Elsa giggled.
“Okay, great. Listen I have to go. My talk is in a few. Thanks for your help.” Jake hung up and nervously ran his hand through his hair. He was worried. He remembered Scout’s and Abra’s bizarre dance. He remembered how Katz had said it was their way of communicating something bad was going to happen. He prayed it had nothing to do with Katz or her cats.
Chapter Seven
Stevie Sanders parked in front of the Dew Drop Inn tavern on the outskirts of Erie. His father, Sam Sanders, owned the place, but Sam rarely frequented it since he’d moved to Chicago to live with his new love interest—a woman half his age. Stevie walked in to find Eddie Muncie, the bartender, waiting for him.
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