She pointed to a big hole in the fence. “That’s how I got in. The first time I came here.”
“Thanks for the directions, Short-stuff,” Bogey told her.
He ducked through the hole, Mitzi followed, and I was the last to go through. We all came out in the backyard not far from a big tree.
A big tree with lots of flowers.
But those weren’t the only flowers in that yard. Oh, no! I glanced around and saw lots more flowers. Lots and lots more flowers. Everywhere. There were shrubs with flowers, and vines with flowers, and regular flowers growing in the gardens. There were pots with flowers and even more trees with flowers hanging from them.
And as near as I could tell, all those flowers had bees on them.
Buzzing, buzzing, buzzing bees.
In fact, the whole place seemed to be buzzing. Loudly.
But the loudest noise of all came from the bee houses that were smack dab in the middle of the big yard. I sort of gasped when I saw them, but I could barely even hear myself over all that buzzing.
Right away, I looked around to find a hiding place from those bees. Just in case we needed one.
And that’s when I glanced up at Mrs. Bumble’s house and saw a whole bunch of cats on the screened-in porch. I guessed they were Mrs. Bumble’s foster cats — the cats she took care of until she found forever homes for them. Well, I had a pretty good idea what those cats were going through, since there was a time when I didn’t have my forever home or family, either. So I sure hoped those foster cats ended up with real homes soon. Because it was awfully sad for a cat not to have a home. Not to mention, it was pretty sad when humans didn’t have a cat in their home, either.
I gave the cats a wave, just to say hello. And to cheer them up. Most of them were out sunning themselves and didn’t even notice me. But a few of them were sitting on their haunches and suddenly started to wave. Frantically.
“Help!” I heard a couple of the cats meow. “Please save her!”
Save her? Who exactly did they want me to save?
I crinkled my brow and looked in the direction they were pointing. And sure enough, there was a tiny kitten hunched down close to the ground, right below the bee houses. She was about the same size as Mitzi and had the same colors. Only her colors were in different places than Mitzi’s. Her whole face was white, with orange and black marks at the top of her head that looked sort of like bangs.
But mostly she just looked really, really scared.
And for a very good reason!
Because the bees were starting to circle around her, and she was busy trying to swat them away. As near as I could tell, she was crouched down just as low as she could go. And she was sitting right next to a clear glass jar with a shiny black lid.
Holy Catnip!
It was the same kind of jar that we’d found on our porch and at the jewelry store. I could see this jar had something in it, too, though I couldn’t tell what for sure. From where I stood, the most I could see were some little red-brown things.
But the clue wasn’t nearly as important as the safety of that kitten!
“Look!” I hollered to Bogey. “Over there! That poor little kitten is surrounded!”
Bogey sprang to attention. “Those bees are about to swarm her. She doesn’t stand a chance.”
“She doesn’t stand a chance?” I repeated, right before I realized what he was really saying. And let me tell you, what he was saying wasn’t good.
“We’ve got to save her!” I shouted.
“You got that right, kid!” Bogey hollered back.
Just then, Mitzi started her mewing sound. And she began to dance around. Though this time her dancing wasn’t an excited kind of dancing. Instead, it was a scared kind of dancing.
“That’s Magnolia Belle! She’s my friend,” Mitzi cried out. “We’ve got to save her! Those bees will get her!”
“We’ll save her, Mitzi!” I told her. “Don’t you worry.”
“I’m going in!” Mitzi hollered. “I’ve got to save Magnolia! Right now!”
And the next thing I knew, Mitzi tried to take a big leap toward her friend. Thank goodness I caught her and held her back.
“Oh no you don’t,” I said. “You stay right here. We have to come up with a plan before we go in.”
“But those bees will hurt her!” Mitzi cried.
“That’s why we’ve gotta do this right, Short-stuff,” Bogey told her. “And you’re no help unless you can be a team player. Can you follow orders?”
Tears rolled down her little cheeks and she swallowed hard. “Um . . . okay. I can.”
“Good,” Bogey said firmly. “Now here’s the game plan. I’m the fastest, so I’ll run in, distract those bees, and get them to chase me.” Then he arched a brow in my direction. “As soon as the swarm is after me, kid, you zoom on in. Grab the kitten and bat that clue toward Short-stuff here.”
“Aye, aye,” I told him with a salute. A salute that finally went where it was supposed to go.
Now Bogey looked right at Mitzi. “Short-stuff, you stay here and . . .”
“But Bogey, she’s my friend . . .” Mitzi started to protest.
Bogey shot her a stern look. “That’s why you’ve got to follow orders. So we can save her. Now, you stay here and get the little jar when Buckley bats it to you. Do whatever it takes to push that thing to the other side of the fence. And wait there for us.”
“Okay, Bogey.” She saluted him, too. Properly.
He returned his attention to me. “When you get the kitten, kid, run all out to the fence. Push the kitten through the hole and get yourself out, too. Make sure Mitzi and Magnolia are both on the other side.”
All of a sudden, I could barely breathe. “But what about you? Those bees could get you, too.”
Bogey just grinned. “Don’t worry about me, kid. If everyone sticks to their job, we’ll be fine.”
He glanced back at the kitten and the growing cloud of bees above her. They were obviously ready to strike at any moment. She cowered closer to the jar, like she was hoping it might protect her.
But I knew it couldn’t, and I guessed she probably did, too.
Bogey stood up and flexed his back legs. “Okay, folks, this is gonna go fast. Everyone ready?”
“Ready!” I shouted.
“Me, too!” Mitzi hollered.
“Then let’s get the job done,” Bogey commanded before he took off running.
And the next thing I knew, he flew right straight at those bees. And I do mean flew! He zoomed by so fast that it seemed to confuse them all for a moment or two. Then he made another pass and they spotted him. In a split second, that whole big swarm went flying off after him. But they were no match for his speed. Even though they were flying as fast as they could, they couldn’t catch him.
And on they went. With Bogey running ahead and that whole swarm chasing after him.
The last I saw, Bogey and the bees were headed for the back corner of the yard. And that’s when my heart really started to pound. Because I knew he’d get boxed in if he went to that corner. And if he tried to jump the fence, he’d run straight into the whole swarm. That meant there was no place for him to hide.
Now I felt just like Mitzi must have felt, when she wanted to race in and rescue her friend. But I knew I had to follow orders, too. Just like we’d told Mitzi to follow orders. Because I had a job of my own to do. So I took off running just as fast as I could go, until I reached the kitten. I grabbed her with one arm and batted the little jar with the other. I was so worked up that I didn’t even know my own strength. I hit that jar with so much force that I almost shot it clear to the hole in the fence. If I had been playing hockey, well, I would have hit the puck smack dab into the middle of the goal.
Mitzi’s eyes even went wide as the little jar flew right past her. But she was up and on it in a flash. She pushed the jar over on its side, and then she used her head and front paws to roll it through the opening. I was pretty happy that she’d followed orders
. Especially since I knew it took a lot for her to do that.
Now I just needed one more kitten to cooperate. And I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Because, if Magnolia had been scared before, well, it was nothing compared to how she was acting right now. Funny, but she didn’t even seem worried about the bees anymore. Instead, she looked more scared of me. Judging by the way her eyes were wide and she was shaking all over.
So I knew I had to convince her to go along with our plan. If I was going to have any hope of saving her.
“Don’t be scared, Magnolia,” I said quickly. “My name is Buckley and I’m a cat detective. I’m here to save you. Your friend is just on the other side of that fence. I know what it’s like to be scared, but I want you to be very, very brave. Just for a little while. Can you do that?”
Without saying a word, she nodded her tiny chin.
“Okay, here we go!” I said with the best smile I could come up with at the moment. “I want you to ride on my back like you’re riding a horse.”
She gasped right before I practically tossed her up on my back. “Hang on tight, Magnolia!” I hollered to her. “Whatever you do, don’t let go!”
“I will, Buckley,” she cried. “I will!”
Then I took off just as the buzzing sound got louder again. And I aimed straight for that hole in the fence. I glanced back for a moment to see that Bogey had made an S-turn and completely fooled the whole swarm. Those bees were flying right into each other and they didn’t seem to know which way to go.
Then Bogey straightened out and ran full out toward the opening in the fence. The bees recovered quickly and started to chase him. All the while, I raced right for that fence, too. And straight for the opening. I could feel Magnolia on my back, clinging to me for dear life.
Suddenly Mitzi popped her little head into the opening of the fence. “Hang on, Magnolia!! You’re almost here!” Then she got out of the way as I zoomed on through and practically skidded to a stop.
Bogey was right behind me, in my dust. He came through that opening in a streak of black. At the same time, he batted the little jar and sent it flying up the driveway, toward the street.
“Keep running,” Bogey told us.
Thankfully, Mitzi took off after him, and I ran in the rear with Magnolia still on my back. Behind me, I could hear bees going whump, whump, whump as they hit the fence. Obviously Bogey had confused them again, and they probably didn’t even see the opening near the ground. Plus, that hole would have been way too small for their entire swarm to fly through at once. Though a few bees did come buzzing up over the top. But they quickly gave up and turned back by the time we made it to the front of the neighbor’s house. We hugged the wall for protection, and Bogey batted that little jar the whole way.
Finally, we stopped to let little Magnolia off my back. She was still shaking as she touched the ground.
“Whew!” I told my brother. “That was a close one.”
“All in a day’s work,” Bogey said with a grin.
Mitzi cuddled right up to her friend. “You’re coming home with us, Magnolia. And I’ll explain everything when we get there.”
Magnolia just bit her lip and nodded, and I could tell she was still pretty shook-up.
I glanced at my brother. “But first we have to get back inside our house.”
Bogey nodded toward our driveway. “Not a problem, kid. But we’d better hurry. Because I see our Dad driving up the street. And last I heard, he was bringing pizza home for dinner.”
“And pizza comes in a very big box,” I added. “A really wide, flat box.”
Which meant he would walk in without even being able to see his feet. That made it the perfect time for us to sneak back inside.
So we took off running again. Right after I put Magnolia back in the saddle, so to speak. Bogey managed to keep our clue jar rolling while Mitzi ran beside us. In a matter of minutes, there we were — sneaking back into our house at the feet of our very tired Dad. Of course, he held the door open a little bit longer than usual. Since he was carrying his computer case and holding that big box in front of him. I had to say, it took some doing for him to get it all through the door. But it gave us plenty of time to sneak inside. Our Dad didn’t even know we’d come in with him. And he sure didn’t see me give the little clue jar a final push through the kitchen door. It helped, too, that our Mom wasn’t in the kitchen right at that moment.
Especially since we’d just brought a new kitten home with us.
Then as our Dad headed for the kitchen, I slid the little jar into the family room. I hid it safely back in the corner by the couch.
Bogey touched Mitzi on the shoulder. “Take your pal up to the sunroom, Short-stuff. Find the Princess. She’ll know what to do.”
Mitzi saluted him, and the two calico kittens were off and running.
And that’s when Bogey and I finally had a chance to investigate our latest clue. I turned the lid to unscrew it, and then I dropped it to the floor.
Right away, the scent of the clue hit me even before I had a chance to look at it. And my mouth began to water when I finally got a good glance inside that jar. I could hardly believe my eyes.
“Are those what I think they are?” I kind of murmured.
Bogey’s brows shot up. “I’d say so, kid. Sure smells like it.”
I crinkled my own brows. “Why would somebody put those in a jar for us to find?”
“Beats me, kid. But whoever did this knew what they were doing.”
I glanced up at my brother. “Why do you say that?”
“Because these are some of the finest cat treats I’ve ever smelled.”
And if anyone would know, it was Bogey.
I took a good whiff myself and I had to agree. These cat treats were top-of-the-line. No doubt about it. Now the question was, what were they doing inside that little jar? And why were they in Mrs. Bumble’s backyard?
Funny, but it seemed like the more clues we found, the more questions we had.
And this case was just getting more complicated by the minute!
Holy Catnip!
CHAPTER 15
Holy Mackerel!
There we were, just enjoying the scent of those high-end cat treats. Someone had put ten of them in the jar, and I have to say, I have never smelled anything so delicious in my whole life. But if I thought they smelled good, well, let me tell you, that was nothing compared to how they tasted! Of course, Bogey and I had no choice but to sample a few of the treats. For the sake of solving the case, naturally. As cat detectives, it was always important for us to do a thorough investigation.
Okay, maybe we didn’t really have to sample some treats, but gee, a guy’s gotta have a few perks on the job. Doesn’t he?
Anyway, those treats were so scrumptious I could hardly stand it.
And I couldn’t help but smile. “Mmmm . . . Bogey. What is that flavor? I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything like it.”
Bogey’s eyes took on a dreamy, faraway look. “It’s been a long time, kid, since I’ve had something like this. It’s probably goose liver and caviar. And you can bet these treats cost a pretty penny.”
“I guess this is supposed to be our next clue,” I murmured. “Because it’s in the same kind of jar as the others. Though why someone would leave cat treats as a clue, I have no idea.” I put the lid back on the jar and pushed it behind the couch.
For a moment or two, Bogey just stared at that jar, like he was in a daze. I could tell he really wanted another one of those extra delicious treats. But I’m sure he knew better than to eat our whole clue. So he just took a deep breath . . . and then another . . . before he finally looked away from the jar.
Then he blinked a couple of times. “Okay, kid, back to business. Whoever put those treats near that bee house knew it was a bad spot. Especially for a cat.”
I was already nodding. “Because any cat would swat at those bees. And when you swat at a few of them, it makes the whole bunch mad. That’s when the swarm attac
ked. We sure found that out.”
“Yup, kid. But that little kitten didn’t know any better. And she was too scared to move by the time the bees started to circle. We got there just in the nick of time. Otherwise, she would’ve been a goner.”
I’m sure my eyes went pretty wide right about then. “But who would want to hurt a little kitten?”
Bogey shook his head. “Only a real rotten-to-the-core kind of person would set up a trap like that. And as traps go, that was a bad one.”
That’s when I gulped. “And when you think about it, that trap was probably set for . . .” Suddenly, my tongue seemed to be tied up in knots, and I couldn’t get the rest of my words out.
So Bogey took care of that for me. “For us, kid. Someone set that trap for us.”
My heart started to pound just thinking about it. “I wonder if they’ll try to do something else like that. Or leave us any more clues.”
Bogey furrowed his brow. “I don’t know, kid. Might depend on why the person is doing all this. They may not know we survived the last round. Then again, maybe they do. Though one thing’s for sure, I don’t like this little game they’re playing.”
That made two of us. “So maybe we should stop playing it.”
Bogey sighed. “Nice idea, kid. But it seems our crook just upped the ante. And it’s getting ugly. You know what would’ve happened to that kitten if we had stayed home.”
Well, I had a pretty good idea. Especially after being so close to that loud, buzzing swarm.
“Maybe Magnolia saw something,” I suggested. “Maybe we should talk to her.”
“Good idea, kid,” Bogey said with a nod. “Let’s run up and see what she knows. Because this last clue has got me stumped.”
I looked at the little jar cross-eyed. “Funny, but even with all the clues we’ve already gotten, we don’t have a clue where to go next.”
Bogey nodded. “Don’t I know it, kid. Don’t I know it.”
Then without another word, we trotted from the family room and through the kitchen, where our human family was eating dinner. And I hesitated for a moment when I heard Gracie explain something to our Mom and Dad. I could hardly believe how excited she sounded. Let me tell you, it sure made me happy to know that she was happy. Especially after the bad day she’d had.
The Case of Too Many Clues Page 15
