by Patricia Fry
“Like a clam,” Iris said. When the others looked at her, she explained, “He crawled into his shell.”
Savannah thought about what the others had said, and approached Sparky anyway. She was surprised when he swatted at her. “Well, what’s this about, young man?” she crooned, as she eased closer to the cat. She reached out and touched him and he seemed to relax. After picking him up, she placed him on top of a four-foot cat tree and began to examine him. “Oops,” she said. “He has something going on here. Iris, I don’t think Sparky feels very well. Sometimes a cat will strike out when they’re ill or in pain.”
“What do you think is the problem?” Margaret asked.
“Come help me with him, Auntie. There’s seems to be something brewing under his coat here, on his neck.” Once Margaret held the cat still and Savannah got a good look at him, she said, “Darn, he has a tick, and the area around it looks irritated. He’s probably allergic and just doesn’t feel well. That can make a sweet cat a bit cranky.”
“Oh no!” Iris exclaimed. “I guess my dream was a warning, after all. Will he die? Am I going to lose one of my cuddle cats on the very first day?”
“No,” Savannah said. She looked inquisitively at Iris. “What dream?”
“I dreamed that we lost all of the cuddle cats; some ran away, some died—it was awful.”
“Well, I don’t believe that was a warning dream, Iris. But I do think we should have Michael or Bud take a look at this cat. We want to get that tick off him and he might need treatment if he’s having an allergic reaction.” Savannah took out her phone. “I’ll call Michael and see if he can treat Sparky this morning.”
“Oh dear,” Iris fretted. She reached out and petted the cat. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”
Savannah nodded. “Sure he will.” She stepped outside to make the call. When she returned, she said, surprise in her voice, “We’re getting curb-side service. Scarlet said Pam’s out this way delivering a poodle and it would be no problem for her to come by here and get Sparky.”
“Wow, what service,” Margaret said. She smiled. “I like their new assistant, Pam. She has come out to our place to do inoculations and drain abscesses…things like that. I guess she’s sort of their roving veterinarian in training.”
Savannah lifted Sparky back into one of the carriers, petting him and speaking softly to him before latching the door. “So there are your first four cuddle cats,” Savannah said a few minutes later as she watched the other cats move around the room. She noticed Rags walking from one to the other of the cats, like a mother hen, and she ruffled the fur around his neck when he strolled past her. “Ragsie, you did good.”
“Yes, I guess he did,” Margaret agreed. “They all seem relaxed enough.”
Suddenly, Iris darted for the door. “Is that a truck I hear?” She looked out into the yard. “Oh, a van. I guess that’s Pam. Out here!” she called. She then apologized to Margaret and Savannah. “Sorry about that; I’m expecting a delivery.” She picked up Sparky’s carrier and murmured through the wire, “You’ll be just fine. We need to get rid of that awful tick, then you can come home and be pampered.” She stepped out with the carrier to greet Pam.
Savannah followed. “Hi Pam, this is Sparky. Looks like he might be allergic to ticks. He has one on his neck there, and the area around it looks inflamed. He probably needs a shot of Benadryl or something.”
Pam peered into the carrier. “Hi Sparky.” She glanced at Savannah, then Iris. “Yeah, could be. We’ll take good care of him. Come on, Sparky.”
“I’ll call later and check on him,” Savannah promised. “One of us will come and get him.”
Before Pam could drive away with the cat, Iris spotted a truck approaching. “Excuse me, ladies. That’s my delivery. I’ll be right back.”
“Can we look around?” Margaret asked, as she joined the other two women. “I want to check out your landscaping.”
“Sure,” Iris said.
Savannah turned back toward the cat room. “Wait for me, Auntie. I want to take off Rags’s harness,”
“I did it,” Margaret said, handing it to her. “I figured it was okay to let him explore with the cuddle kitties.”
“Yes, thanks. This is so nice,” Savannah said as she and her aunt strolled along the pathways of the newly landscaped grounds.
“What a difference,” Margaret said. “Last time I saw it there were open graves out here.”
“Yeah, I know.” Savannah pointed. “I love those little nooks and crannies placed strategically here and there. Look, there’s one with a pair of padded rocking chairs. What a cute idea.”
“And check out those cozy wicker sofas around that inviting fire pit.” Margaret turned to Savannah. “You could do something like this in your yard.”
After thinking about it, Savannah replied, “So could you. You have nearly as much property as we do.” She grimaced. “This probably wouldn’t be a very child-friendly yard, though.”
“Why not?” Margaret asked. “I think kids would love it. Just look at all the neat hiding places where they can create forts and castles.”
“That’s what I mean. Just imagine trying to keep an eye on Lily in this yard.”
Margaret frowned. “Oh yes, I guess it would be a bit challenging.” She laughed. “You’d have to put one of those bicycle flags on her.” When she noticed Savannah looking at her, she said, “You know, those little flags on long, bendy rods that make cyclist more visible in traffic.”
“So how do you like it?” Iris asked, joining the others.
Savannah cupped a camellia blossom in her hands and smelled it. “Just lovely.”
“Great job, Iris,” Margaret said. “I’m impressed. Now can we see the inside?”
“Sure, come on.” Iris opened a door leading through a large service porch and into the spacious kitchen. “How do you like the transformation in here, Savannah?”
“Amazing. The last time I was in this kitchen, it was dark and dank.” She glanced around the room. “The lighting makes a huge difference. Well done, Iris. Really well done,” she said running her hand over the expansive counter top.
In the meantime, Margaret turned in place to take it all in. “Love it.”
Iris bowed slightly. “Thank you.” She swooned. “I do appreciate a nice kitchen. Hey, how do you like the breakfast nook we created here?”
Savannah walked closer. “I don’t remember seeing that before.”
“No you didn’t. We opened up the old pantry and put this farm-style kitchen table in here. It’s a good use of the space, don’t you think so?”
“How many does it seat, twelve?”
Iris nodded and walked off to the right. “And we put the pantry over here off the service porch. There was a lot of unused space in there.”
“Nice,” Margaret said. “Max would sure like this. He’s a hoarder when it comes to interesting ingredients and kitchen gadgets. We never seem to have enough room for all of them.” She looked at a door off to the side of the kitchen. “What’s in there?”
Iris opened the door. “The manager’s quarters, which Mavis and Michelle have yet to occupy.”
“Can I change my mind?” Margaret asked, stepping inside and looking around.
Iris faced her. “What?”
“Maybe I would like to do the cooking here. Look at this space. I could live here. Are there two bedrooms?”
Iris nodded, then said good-naturedly. “Sorry, Maggie, the job’s taken.”
“It’s so big,” Savannah said. “I had no idea.”
Suddenly, Margaret noticed Rags sauntering into the room with Oscar not far behind. “Oh hi, kitty-cats. How did you get in here?”
“They must have walked up the tube to the attic room and found their way down from there,” Iris reasoned. “Come on, I’ll show you the cats’ quarters.”
“Wait,” Savannah said. “No, Rags. Hey, Iris, I thought the gals hadn’t moved in yet.”
; “Huh?”
“Rags found some stuff in the closet. Looks like one of them cleaned out her purse.”
“Uh-oh!” Margaret shouted. “He took something. Look, he has it in his mouth.”
“Come here, Rags. Let me see that.” But when Savannah reached for the cat, he dodged her and ran out through the open door into the kitchen, Oscar on his tail. “Rags!” she shouted. “Come here. Give me that.”
Iris followed behind Savannah and the cats as they entered the dining room. “Where’d they go?”
“In here,” Savannah called from the large lobby. “I got him, but he won’t let go of it. Darn it, he’s clamped down on it like a pit bull. Auntie, will you come here and hold him while I see if I can get it out of his mouth without tearing it?” After a few moments, she reported, “There, I got it. But it has a couple of teeth marks on it. Darn you, Rags,” she added, trying to smooth it out.
“What is it?” Iris asked.
“A photograph.” Savannah looked at it. “I don’t recognize the couple. Wait,” she said, taking a closer look.
“Do you know who it is?” Margaret asked.
Savannah shook her head. “I guess not. It must have been taken at a Halloween party. It’s really weird. It’s some couple standing over a fake corpse.” After studying it for a few more moments, she added, “It’s freakishly realistic. They must have used a professional makeup artist.”
Margaret sidled up to her niece. “Holy cow, that’s gory, all right. I wouldn’t want to be at that Halloween party.” She started to step away, but was drawn back to the photograph. “Good-looking guy. He looks a little familiar.”
Iris stared over Margaret’s shoulder. “The dead guy?”
Margaret cringed. “Ick, no.”
“Let me see that,” Iris said, taking the photo from Savannah. “Yeah, they both look sorta familiar to me, too. They’re probably some of the celebrities the girls work for.”
“Hey, that could be a scene from a movie,” Margaret suggested. “I’ll bet that’s it.”
“Probably,” Iris agreed. She started to walk toward the kitchen. “I’ll put it back in the closet, then you’d better take me to my car. I have a gazillion errands to run.”
Before Iris could leave the room, Margaret whined, “Can’t we see the upstairs cat room and the guest rooms?”
Iris let out a sigh. “Yeah, of course, you can. But it’ll have to be quick. I want to get Francine out here and I still need to order flowers, buy litter boxes, litter, kitty food.” She faced the women. “What kind of cat food should I get?”
“Are you going to leave the cats out while you’re gone shopping?” Margaret asked. “I mean, loose in the house?”
Iris glanced at the two cuddle cats, who were milling around the downstairs area with Rags. “Yeah, I’d like them to get used to the place.”
“Well, you’d better hurry back here with their litter, pronto-quick.”
Iris put her hands up to her face. “Oh my gosh, that’s right.” She tossed the photograph on the credenza. “Okay, everyone, grab a cat and let’s put them back up in the attic room. There’s a litter box up there.”
Iris picked up Oscar. When Margaret saw Sophie wander in, she snagged her and the two women toted them up the two sets of stairs to the cat room, where they found Ginger lolling in a kitty hammock. Iris placed Oscar on the floor and quickly moved to the right side of the room, where she closed and latched a small door. “That’ll keep them inside while I’m gone,” she explained.
“Talk about a major makeover,” Savannah said as she joined the others with Rags on his leash. “This is like a fairytale land for cats. It’s wonderful.”
“Isn’t it?” Margaret said, depositing Sophie on a small cat tree.
Iris rushed to close the door behind Savannah and Rags. “Whew, it’s going to be a lot of work managing these cats.”
“And you only have four. Wait ’til you have eight or ten,” Margaret said. When Iris looked at her with doubt in her eyes, Margaret added, “Welcome to my world.” She looked around. “Do the cats know where their litter box is, Iris? Did you show it to them?”
“Oh. No, I didn’t. Should I?”
“Where is it?” Savannah asked.
Iris pointed. “Hidden in that cube over there.” She picked up Sophie, saying, “I’ll show her where it is.” She then carried Oscar to the box, while Margaret introduced Ginger to it. The orange tabby sniffed around the box, then quickly entered the cube, where she stayed just long enough to make a deposit.
“You are some lucky kitties,” Margaret said before the women left the attic room.
“Aren’t they?” Savannah agreed, picking up Rags and carrying him down the stairs.
Iris reached out and ruffled Rags’s fur. “He’s a load, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, but he wouldn’t walk for me. He doesn’t want to leave his friends.” Upon reaching the lobby, Savannah placed Rags on the floor and handed her aunt the leash. “Will you hold onto him while I go get the carriers?” Once she’d put the carriers in the car, she returned to the house and called out, “Iris, someone’s here.”
“Who?”
Before Savannah could respond, Margaret summoned her to the dining room, “Vannie, come look at this.”
“I didn’t see who it was, Iris,” she said over one shoulder as she joined her aunt.
In the meantime, Margaret pointed to a large black-and-white photograph hanging over the credenza. “Look at this neat picture Iris found in an old newspaper.”
“Wow, that’s great,” Savannah said. “I didn’t notice it before.”
“There’s just too much to look at,” Margaret reasoned. “It’s like a museum in here.”
“It’s Craig,” Iris said from the front window. As she walked to where the other women stood, she explained, “He’s in charge of security. I think he’s bringing guards out today to familiarize them with the place.”
“Security?” Margaret asked, hesitatingly.
“Well, yes. It’s always a good idea to hire security when you’re inviting the public to an event.” Iris rolled her eyes. “And when the event is being held in a rather notorious former gangster den.”
Margaret nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, although I wouldn’t have thought of it.”
Iris put her hand on Margaret’s arm. “That’s because you’re not married to a career detective.”
“Probably,” Margaret said. She focused again on the old photograph. “What year was this taken, Iris?”
“We think it was the 1940s.”
Savannah looked more closely at it. “Do you know who those people are?”
Iris smiled. “A couple of them. That’s the original Mr. and Mrs. Kaiser and some of their friends or relatives.” She tapped her finger on one figure. “We think that’s a crook named Alvin ‘The Nose’ Garvin. He died in a prison riot not long after this picture was taken.”
“Ohhh, juicy stuff,” Margaret muttered while standing on her tippy toes trying to get a better look at the man.
“Hi, Craig,” Savannah said, seeing him enter the room.
“Hi, ladies,” he greeted. He glanced down at Rags. “On cat duty, are you?”
“Yup,” Iris said, giving him a peck on the cheek. She looked at the two men who accompanied her husband.
“Hon,” Craig said, “this is Bart Crandall and Jonesy…uh, Vince Jones. Guys, this is my wife, Iris, and our friends, Savannah and Maggie.”
Nods were exchanged all around, but Bart Crandall seemed more interested in the old photograph the women had been looking at. He moved closer and squinted at it. “Great picture.” He glanced around the room. “It was taken here, wasn’t it?”
Iris nodded.
“Do you know who those people are?” he asked, continuing to stare at the photograph.
“I was just telling my friends that we believe the couple in the center are the senior Mr. and Mrs. Kaiser, the original residents of the house. The man to the far r
ight is…”
“Alvin ‘The Nose’ Garvin,” he said, sounding a bit surprised.
“You know about him?” Iris asked.
Bart nodded. “Yeah, I’m a big gangster-history buff. I collect old photos, especially if they have ties to the underworld of the twenties, thirties, forties.” He tapped on the photograph. “I think that’s Elmer Floyd. He disappeared sometime in the nineteen fifties or sixties. Never was found. And that’s the lovely Lorraine Tyler.” When he heard a gasp, he turned. “Do you know of them?”
Iris hesitated before saying, “Actually, I think we…”
“…dug them up,” Margaret said, wincing.
“What?” Bart asked. “On this property?” He looked at Craig. “You found them buried here?”
Craig grimaced. “I believe we did.”
Iris took a deep breath as she picked up her purse from a nearby chair. “Well, nice to meet you. Thanks for coming out. I have to run some errands.” She turned to her husband. “Craig, don’t open the door to the cat room, okay?”
“I wouldn’t think of it,” he said.
“You running a cat house here, Sledge?” Vince asked, smirking.
“It’s the wife’s deal,” Craig explained. He pointed at Rags. “And we’re talking kitty-cats of the feline sort.”
Just then, Rags surprised everyone by leaping atop the credenza.
“Whoa!” Bart said, stepping back.
Vince watched Rags as the cat jumped down and picked up the small photograph that had floated to the floor. “He’s got something there.”
“What?” Savannah asked, walking closer. She clenched her teeth. “No, Rags. Give me that.”
“I got it,” Craig said, quickly darting toward the cat after he’d dropped the item again. He picked it up. “It’s a photograph.”
“Oh yeah,” Iris said, returning to where her husband stood. “I meant to put it back in the girls’ apartment. Rags stole it earlier.”
“He’s a klepto?” Vince asked with a smile on his rugged face.
“Yeah,” Craig said, petting Rags. “And a working member of our local sheriff’s department.” When both men looked puzzled, Craig said, “He has quite a resume. I’ll have to tell you about it sometime.”
