The Cats that Watched the Woods (The Cats that . . . Cozy Mystery Book 5)

by Karen Anne Golden

  Jake said, getting up, “I’ll be right back.” He returned shortly with their cat carrier. “I found this on the cabin porch. I’m surprised the wind didn’t blow it away.” Jake opened the metal gate and placed Scout and Abra inside. He petted them before he shut the door. “You’ll be home soon,” he whispered in a soothing voice.

  “Jake, can we get out of here? My cabin adventure would make a great script for a B movie, but I don’t want to draw it out any more than I have to. I need to go to the hospital.” She heard the sound of an ambulance off to the west, roaring down the main highway.

  “Yes, Sweet Pea,” Jake smiled. “I’m so thankful you weren’t seriously injured in the accident.”

  “How’s the ambulance going to get back here? My SUV’s probably in the way.”

  “When the chief and I arrived, there were three vehicles blocking the lane. Sheriff Johnson and his deputies were already on the scene, so the sheriff called in for a couple of tow trucks. Once they towed the blue pickup, Stevie was able to back out and park on the shoulder of the main drag. Now there’s a bunch of guys cutting branches and removing debris. They’ve cleaned up half of the lane, so there’s enough room for an ambulance to get through.”

  “The guy who drives the blue pickup tried to force me off the road.”

  Jake nodded in the direction of Jimmy Sanders. “The truck belongs to him. He’s Stevie’s cousin.”

  Katherine shook her head. “My head’s swimming. None of this makes any sense to me.”

  “I’m sorry, Katz. The ambulance will be here any minute. The Sheriff said you were forced off the road by Jimmy. There’s blue paint marks on the driver’s side of your SUV. Once we found you weren’t pinned in Sue-Bee . . .” Jake’s voice broke, then he collected himself. “Katz, your SUV was upside-down in a drainage ditch. The tow driver had to pull it out with a winch before he could load it on a flatbed wrecker. It’s a miracle you survived the crash.”

  She thought, I survived the crash because of the man in the woods. I’m worried about him. After he carried me to the crawlspace and left, I heard shots being fired. Did Jimmy kill him? “Jake, will you ride in the ambulance with me?”

  “Yes, Sweet Pea.”

  “What about my cats? How are they going to get home?”

  “My Dad’s on his way. I texted him when we got here. He’ll take them home.”

  “I never met Mr. Townsend,” Katherine began shakily. “When I arrived here, there was an envelope with the cabin key in it tucked inside his front screen door. In hindsight, I should have just driven back home.”

  “And I wish you would have, too,” Jake said seriously. “Elsa said Scout and Abra were very upset when you left, and that’s why you ended up taking them. We need to listen to them. They’re smarter than we are.”

  “Ma-waugh,” Scout agreed inside the carrier.

  “Did they find a body?”

  “What?” Jake asked, surprised.

  “The cats and I stayed one night and then decided to leave. It’s a long story, and my ribs hurt too much to go into detail, but we left around one p.m. There was a beat-up blue pickup parked in front of Mr. Townsend’s house. I thought it was his truck. I walked up to the house to return the key, but he didn’t answer the door. It was open, so I walked in, calling for him. That’s when I heard the gunshot in the backyard. So I ran to the kitchen window and saw that guy over there—Jimmy Sanders—holding a gun and standing over a man, who was lying face-down. I assumed it was the cabin owner.”

  “What are you talking about? You witnessed a shooting?”

  “Unfortunately, the answer is yes.”

  “Right now they’re arresting Jimmy for criminal recklessness with a vehicle and fleeing an officer.”

  “Oh, it’s a lot more than that.”

  Sheriff Johnson and another deputy arrived and walked down to the shore. They took the prisoner from Chief London and headed up the side yard next to the cabin.

  “Chief London,” Jake called.

  Chief London came over. “Katz, you look pretty banged up. There’s an ambulance on its way.”

  “I’m not doing any fashion shows today,” Katherine answered wearily.

  “We meet again under unusual circumstances. Katz, sometimes I think you need a rabbit’s foot the size of an elephant,” the chief remarked.

  “It seems since I’ve moved to Erie, I’ve become a murder magnet.”

  “What’s up? Spit it out,” the chief said, tugging his beard.

  Katherine relayed to the chief what she had just told Jake.

  “You’re absolutely sure it was Jimmy Sanders?” he asked.

  “One-hundred-percent sure,” Katherine said.

  “Did you fire on Jimmy when he tried to run you off the road?”

  Katherine shook her head.

  “I see you have your weapon. Can I see it?”

  “Of course,” Katherine said, as she pulled the Glock out of its holster. She started to hand the gun to the chief.

  “Wait just a second.” He pulled a pen out of his shirt pocket and stuck it in his mouth. Then he extracted an evidence bag, inserted the pen in the gun barrel, and placed the Glock in the bag. “When was the last time you cleaned your gun?”

  “I’m sorry to say I lost it after my accident. It wasn’t on me when I woke up. My cat just dug it up in the crawlspace.”

  “Pull the other one, it’s got bells on it,” the chief said, joking. “Seriously, your cat?”

  “I know it sounds crazy.”

  “You can tell me that story another day,” he said, then went back into official police chief mode. “Did you shoot the back windshield out of Jimmy’s truck?”

  “No, I was too busy trying to stay on the road.”

  The chief held up the evidence bag. “The Sheriff will want to do a ballistic test on your weapon, especially since you said you lost it for a while. You’ll get it back.”

  “Not a problem. I don’t think I’ll be needing it anyway. I’m in good hands,” Katherine said, as she smiled at Jake.

  “Okay, I’ve got to talk to the Sheriff. I’ll suggest he get your statement at the hospital. I’ll meet you two there.”

  The chief hurried off in the direction of the sheriff.

  A large crow flew overhead and landed nearby. He moved from side-to-side, hopped up and down, and “cawed” loudly. He eyed the cats in the carrier, then flapped his wings and soared to the woods behind the cabin.

  Jake eyes grew big. “Wow, that’s the biggest crow I’ve ever seen!”

  Katherine gave a quick glance toward the woods. She thought she saw her rescuer standing at the edge, but in an instant he was gone. Scout and Abra were looking in that direction, as well.

  “Caw,” Abra cried. “Raw.”

  The ambulance arrived and two paramedics climbed out. One was carrying a large EMT bag, while the other stayed behind, removing a gurney from the back of the bus. The first paramedic rushed over to Katherine. “What’s your name?”

  “Katherine.”

  “I saw your wreck back there. Can you tell me where it hurts?”

  “My chest and ribs.”

  He pulled out his blood pressure cuff and placed it around Katherine’s arm. Listening carefully through a stethoscope, he said, “Blood pressure is a little high.” Feeling her pulse, “Pulse is pounding like a racehorse’s. Are you bleeding anywhere?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  To Jake, he asked, “Are you the husband?”

  “No, but I want to be.”

  Katherine grinned.

  “Miss, are you able to stand up?”

  “Yes, I think I can, if someone helps me.” She tried to get up, but then sat back down. A tidal wave of pain rippled through her ribs. “A stretcher would do me just fine.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Stevie waited impatiently outside the back entrance of his father’s bar—the Dew Drop Inn. Sam Sanders pulled up in his new Toyota Tundra pickup. Stevie threw his cigarette on the
gravel and extinguished it with his foot. He had an angry expression on his face.

  Sam got out of his truck and walked over. “Nasty habit, son.”

  “Same to you, Dad,” Stevie said with an arrogant tone.

  “What’s eatin’ you?”

  “Was it really smart to abandon Barbie’s car in Shermanville? Wasn’t that a little bit too close to the storage unit? You could have led the cops right to our back door.”

  Sam glared for a moment, then said, “The original plan was for Leonard to drive up and get the Oxy, like he always does. But his car was being worked on, so I asked Jimmy to drive. I didn’t count on Jimmy stabbing Leonard. I picked them up at a closed rest stop and took them to a buddy of mine, who patched the old guy up. After that, we went to the storage unit so we could pick up the stuff. By the time we got back to Barbie’s car, the cops were all over it like ticks on a deer.”

  “Why involve Leonard in the first place? You had the Oxy. Why didn’t you take care of it in Chicago?”

  “Are you stupid? Leonard packs it for shipping,” Sam said angrily.

  “Don’t ever call me stupid,” Stevie threatened. “I’m done, Dad. This was the last time I help you out with your business.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because I’m goin’ legit—no more drug pickups, no more of your dirty work.”

  “So where is it?” his father asked without empathy.

  Stevie lifted a black grocery bag and shoved it at his dad. “Tell me, was it worth it for a man we’ve known forever to be murdered . . . over this?”

  “Gettin’ sentimental on me, son? You had a job to do and you did it,” Sam said, then paused. “Oh, I get it. Does this change of vocation to the electrical business have anything with Katz Kendall?”

  Stevie scowled. “She’s the witness—the only witness, since Jimmy’s dead.”

  Sam put his hands up. “I had nothing to do with that fool hangin’ himself at the county jail. How do you think I felt, tellin’ his poor mama he was dead?”

  Stevie looked at his father with disgust. “Seems rather convenient to me, Jimmy dyin’. Now he won’t be testifyin’. If he would have lived, he would have ratted us out. I’ve done time once. I ain’t goin’ back there again!”

  “Son, you worry too much. There’s nothing that can link us to the old man’s death. Nothing,” Sam emphasized. “The Kendall woman saw Jimmy shoot Townsend. According to my inside source, the cops found drugs at Leonard’s, but not the Oxy. Case closed.”

  Stevie turned and started for his truck.

  Sam grabbed his arm. “Don’t go off half-cocked.”

  “Let go of me,” Stevie demanded, shoving away his father’s arm. “Never, ever,” he enunciated each word, “go near Katz. If she ever dies mysteriously, I’m comin’ for you. Got that? Now do me a big-time favor—never call me again. I’m done! Done!” Stevie climbed into his pickup, started the engine, and drove out, almost hitting Sam’s new truck.

  Sam shrugged nonchalantly, picked up the bag of Oxy, and put it in his truck. He locked the doors, then went inside and sat at the bar. “Hey, Eddie, line up a couple of shots of tequila. Oh, hell, drinks all around. I’m in a celebrating kind of mood,” he laughed.

  Chapter Seventeen

  A Month Later—Mid-August

  Katherine stood behind the front door of the pink mansion, waiting for Barbie to show up. Iris was rubbing against her leg and purring loudly.

  “It’s okay, Miss Siam. She’ll be here in a minute.”

  Barbie pulled in front and parked her loaner car—a red Ford Focus. Her Mustang was still impounded by the Shermanville police until the Leonard Townsend investigation was finished. She got out of the vehicle and walked up the front steps in her soft walking cast.

  Katherine opened the door, “Hi, Barbie. Come in.”

  “Oh, ha! Ha! What do you think of my new kicks? Ain’t I a fashion plate?”

  Dewey and Crowie ran out to greet her. Barbie sat down on an Eastlake chair and picked up the kittens, kissing them repeatedly on their heads. “Mommy has missed you so much. You’re coming home today,” and to Katherine, “Thanks so much for taking care of them. I love their new collars.”

  “Oh, Jake bought them because the other ones were too small. The kittens are growing in leaps and bounds.”

  Iris stood in the corner, looking sad that Barbie hadn’t noticed her. She ran out of the room and hid behind the Eastlake coat tree.

  Katherine followed the cat with her eyes, then said, “It’s been my pleasure, but your cousin, Elsa, did the major cat wrangling.”

  “I’ll have to thank her. How are you feeling?”

  “Although it’s been a month since my cabin adventure from hell, my doctor said it could take several more weeks for my ribs to heal.”

  “Heal? I didn’t think your ribs were broken.”

  Katherine sat down, carefully. “I didn’t mean heal, I meant for my ribs to stop hurting. The treatment for bruised ribs is the same as if I had broken them. It seems my injury was to the muscles surrounding the ribs.”

  “Did you get your new car?”

  “Yes, Sue-bee Two—as Jake calls her—is parked in the back. I got a sleek black one this time—like the color of Stevie’s truck.”

  “Oh, Stevie,” Barbie dismissed. “I haven’t talked to him since the whole Leonard mess.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because,” she answered evasively. “Let’s just leave it at that. Did you hear they found Leonard’s body last week?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Detective Martin called me. Someone had buried Leonard in an old cemetery plot on his property. They suspect Jimmy Sanders did it, but at the burial site, they didn’t find his prints, or any of the tools used to bury the body.”

  “I’m surprised. Jimmy’s lights were on, but nobody was home. Katz, I couldn’t imagine Jimmy doin’ all that physical labor to bury poor Leonard. Do you think that horrible Hulk man in the woods did it?”

  “Hulk man? Is that what you call him? That so-called horrible man saved my life,” Katherine countered. “I can’t imagine how he’d have time to bury a man when he was taking care of me.”

  “Just thinkin’ out loud.”

  “Detective Martin said the gun used to kill Leonard belonged to Jimmy. There was gunshot residue on Jimmy’s hands, which confirms he shot Leonard. The investigators believe the reasons why—the motive —is your cousin, Jimmy, killed Leonard Townsend over illegal drugs.”

  “Stevie’s cousin,” Barbie corrected. “Actually, no blood relation to either one of us. My Dad’s brother, Uncle Harlon, remarried a woman who had two sons. He adopted both of them. One of them was Jimmy. In high school, Jimmy and Stevie were pretty tight and called each other cousin, then later went their separate ways.”

  “There is one thing that doesn’t make any sense to me. Why would Leonard and Jimmy take your car, then abandon it?” Katherine asked.

  Barbie shrugged. “Beats me. I think Jimmy stole it because he didn’t think his piece of junk would make the trip.”

  “Why Shermanville? What’s there?” Katherine asked curiously.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been there.” Barbie set the kittens down. Dewey cried a loud “Mao,” and the two kittens scampered upstairs. She sighed, “I just want my car back. I’ve talked to my insurance agent to see if they’ll pay to replace the back seat. The thought of blood stains in my new car is disgusting.”

  “Detective Martin said the forensics team did a bloodstain pattern analysis. She said the blood matched Leonard’s.”

  “Do these people not read statements? I could have told them it was Leonard’s blood,” Barbie said sarcastically. “I saw the poor man get stabbed.”

  “I need to ask you something, and I don’t want you to get mad.”

  “Fire away.”

  “If Jimmy left his pickup at Leonard’s, why didn’t you use that vehicle to escape?”

  Barbie became defensive. “I di
dn’t have the keys. I may be jack-of-all-trades, but I don’t know how to hot-wire a car!”

  “Previously you said when Jimmy and Leonard returned, they were in the blue pickup. How is that possible when Jimmy stole your car and left the truck?”

  “I didn’t say that. When they returned, I could hear them talking in the yard. Then I hid in the closet.”

  “But Barbie, why would you have to hide from Jimmy Sanders?”

  “Oh, ha! Ha!” Barbie laughed uncomfortably. “You need to give up your computer training classes and go into law enforcement. What’s with the twenty questions?”

  “It was a traumatic event for me. I just want to understand.”

  “Jimmy has a terrible temper, and it’s even worse when he’s had a few beers. When he first came to Leonard’s, he was drunk. I could hear him slurring his words. Leonard was protecting me by telling me to hide. He demanded my car keys because he wanted to get away. I think he was goin’ into town to get help, and then come back.”

  “But wouldn’t Jimmy know that was your new car parked outside, and that you had to be inside the house? All he’d have to do was look for your registration in the glove compartment.”

  “I don’t keep my registration there. I keep it in my purse. I just bought my car. How would Jimmy know it was mine? Besides Katz, I’ve said all this stuff in my statement. Not to be a jerk about it, but do you want a copy of it?”

  Katherine didn’t answer. “Where’s your purse now? Didn’t you say Leonard took it?”

  “The Shermanville police have it and said that when I pick up my car, they’d return it then, or I could drive up there and get it sooner. I’ll just wait, because I’ve had time to cancel my credit cards and get a new driver’s license.”

  “That being the case, Jimmy could have looked in your bag at your wallet and known the car was yours. Is that why you were so afraid and hid? You were afraid Jimmy would come looking for you? Has he hurt you before?”

  “Yes, Officer Kendall,” Barbie said irritably.

  “I’m sorry,” Katherine apologized. “I hate to ask these questions, but they’ve really been bugging me. Okay, let’s get back to the day I had my accident. Someone else must have dropped Jimmy and Leonard off and they walked to the house.”