The Curious Cat Spy Club

by Linda Joy Singleton

  So I do the whole swing-throw-and-aim thing again. But it’s harder with such a heavy weight on the rope.

  It takes four tries before the steel hook snags my backpack strap.

  I tug and pull and my spy pack moves an inch. Another inch. And another. I’m reaching for the spy pack when I hear footsteps from outside the door.

  And the knob begins to turn …

  - Chapter 25 -

  Rescue

  I freeze in place, my arm stretched through the wire, my fingers brushing against my spy pack. This can not be happening. Not when I’m so close to escaping. Drats!

  The door inches open …

  The Skeets are back and I’m still locked up. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life. What’s going to happen to me? Officer Skeet can’t let me go because I know about his crimes and he’ll end up jailed in a cell not much bigger than this cage. If I promise not to tell anyone, maybe he’ll let me go. He’s a pet-napper, not a kidnapper, so he won’t hurt me, I hope. But keeping his crimes secret would be wrong. More pets would be hurt. What am I going to do?

  I’m shaking as I clutch the hay hook in my hand, ready to use the sharp weapon to save my life.

  The door opens wider. I see a polished brown shoe and …

  “Kelsey,” a voice calls out. “Are you in here?”

  “Leo?” I exclaim in disbelief.

  He steps into the room, light from outside glints off his blond hair like he’s part angel. I’m so happy to see him I feel like singing, “Hallelujah!”

  “I’m here!” I jump to my feet, the hay hook thudding to the hay-covered cement. “I’m so glad it’s you! When that door opened I thought you were Skeet!”

  “I look nothing like him.” Leo tilts his head, puzzled. “I’m much smaller and shorter.”

  “I didn’t mean really him—just that he’s coming back and bringing his uncle—who I so do not want to see. Hurry, get me out of here!”

  “Why are you in a cage?”

  “Really?” I roll my eyes. “That’s the question you ask me?”

  “It’s a logical question.”

  “You think being in here was my idea?”

  “No.” He jiggles the cage door. “It’s locked.”

  “Great deduction, Sherlock.” My words are sarcastic but I’m smiling because I’m so glad here’s here. “How did you know I was in trouble?”

  “I found your bike but not you. So I flew my bird-drone over the yard and when it came back the camera showed Burt Skeet leaving the shed and looking meaner than usual.”

  “I think he was more scared than mean,” I say.

  “I was scared when I couldn’t find you,” Leo admits. “Sorry I wasn’t here sooner. I didn’t check email until after breakfast.”

  “It’s okay. You’re here now.”

  He looks nervously around the shed. “These animals are unnaturally quiet. Are they dead?”

  “Not dead—drugged by Officer Skeet.” I glance at the door nervously. “No time for explanations, we can do more for the animals once we get away. I don’t want to be here when Officer Skeet shows up. He fooled everyone. But he won’t anymore if I can get out of here.”

  Leo jiggles the lock. “Where’s the key?”

  “No idea. But I have picks in my spy pack. Be quick—unless you want to deal with two Skeets.”

  Leo goes pale but moves quickly. He digs into my spy pack for the picks. He jabs the lock a few times but it won’t open. So he slips the picks through the cage to me and holds the lock sideways so I can jiggle the pick in the tiny hole. The sweetest sound in the world is the lock clicking open.

  When Leo opens the cage door, I tumble out, falling against him. He grabs and holds me in his arms so I won’t fall. While I catch my breath, I lean against him like we’re hugging. We both jump back from each other.

  “Thanks,” I say, pretty sure I’m blushing because he is too.

  He just nods, looking down at his shoes.

  “Let’s get out of here.” I’m already opening the door. When I step outside, the gray clouds have cleared to a sky bright with sunshine and I take a wonderful deep breath that tastes like freedom.

  Leo and I race across the yard, past rainbow koi fish swimming in a pond and a car half-hidden under a tarp. He offers me a boost to the fence, and climbs up beside me. We’re poised to jump down when there’s a shout.

  It’s the Skeets—both of them.

  Burt Skeet’s red ponytail flies behind him as he runs toward us shouting, “Stop!”

  Behind him, Officer Skeet is running toward us too.

  “You kids get back here!” he shouts with the fierceness of a man who is used to giving orders.

  “Not a chance,” Leo says, balancing on top of the fence beside me.

  When Leo offers me his hand, I take it and we both jump to the other side of the fence.

  Safe.

  I don’t find out that Becca was partly responsible for my escape until we’re far enough away from the Skeet house to rest in a busy grocery store parking lot. Leo stops his gyro-board and I coast up beside him. He takes out his cell phone and I watch over his shoulder as he texts Becca: She’s ok.

  That’s when I find out what happened. When Leo got to the willow tree and I wasn’t there, he rode around until he spotted my bike hidden by the Animal Control truck. When he couldn’t find me, he called Becca. He told her all about our suspicions about Officer Skeet and his nephew.

  “She believed me,” Leo says. “Then she told her mother—who got in touch with her friend Sheriff Fischer—who headed right over to the Skeet house. While I waited for him, I heard voices from the backyard and my bird-drone took the picture of Burt Skeet leaving the shed. I decided there wasn’t time to wait for the sheriff. I sent a text to Becca, saying I was going in after you.”

  “And you found me,” I say. “That was really brave.”

  He shakes his head. “According to my calculations, there was only .28 percentage of danger. If I hadn’t helped you, the sheriff would have. He’s probably already arrested Officer Skeet.”

  “I hope so, although …” I think of Burt Skeet. I believe he really didn’t know his uncle was a pet-napper. He may have a strong streak of meanness toward short kids but he really admires his uncle.

  Leo is hopping on his gyro-board, so I climb back onto my bike. I expect him to turn off for his own house but he stays with me all the way home.

  When I invite him in, he shakes his head. “I just wanted to make sure you got home okay.”

  “I’m okay.” Thanks to you, I think. But I don’t want to embarrass him.

  “Uh … I better go. My parents were acting weird—weirder than usual—when I left. They were talking without yelling.”

  “That’s a good thing,” I say.

  “Maybe.” He brushes dirt off his shirt. “They want to have a family meeting.”

  He zooms off as I walk up the steps into my apartment—where my family is still sleeping. The wall clock shows it’s been only an hour and a half since I left home. Unbelievable!

  I should wake up my parents and tell them everything but my legs wobble like noodles and I’m so tired I go straight to my room. I drop my spy pack on the floor, climb into bed, and fall asleep.

  - Chapter 26 -

  Interrogated

  “Kelsey, Kelsey!”

  My mother’s voice breaks through a deep fog of sleep. I open one eye and then the other. “Huh?” I murmur, not sure why I’ve been sleeping when the sun is shining like it’s late afternoon.

  Mom holds out the phone and looks at me with the strangest expression ever. “Kelsey, why is Sheriff Fischer calling to speak to you?”

  Instantly, I’m awake.

  “Oh … that.” I take the phone and sit up straight in bed. I look down at the black spy clothes I’m still
wearing, and everything rushes back.

  This begins a confusing afternoon of questions and answers and shocked looks from my family. Usually I’m the one snooping outside doors, but during my long explanation to the sheriff, I catch Kenya and even Kyle listening in the hall.

  I answer Sheriff Fischer’s questions honestly but I don’t tell him about the kittens, the Skunk Shack, the CCSC, and even Burton Skeet. I skip the part about him locking me in a cage. I guess I feel sorry for him. Weird, huh?

  I’m a collector of secrets, so I give the sheriff a short version. I tell him that Becca, Leo, and I noticed a lot of pet disappearances. Our suspicions grew when we found out the same tattooed man had returned several dogs for rewards. And I give Leo the credit for taking aerial photos that led to the discovery of the brown Toyota in Officer Skeet’s yard. I say I knew it was wrong to go into the shed but I heard barking and worried a dog needed help.

  I finish by telling Sheriff Fischer that I took photos and lists of information we collected about the missing pets.

  The sheriff says he has more people to talk to and that my parents may need to bring me to the station.

  “I’ll need more information on this pet thieving ring,” he adds, and I hear paper rustling like he’s consulting his notes.

  “Sure. But I never saw the old lady or the Santa look-alike. I only saw the man with the Spider Tattoos.”

  “Tell me everything you can remember about him,” Officer Skeet says.

  “He wore a western hat and boots, and he carried a big silver key ring.” As I say this, something clicks in my head. I think back to when I pedaled after Spider Tattoo to hiding out in the closet in Officer Skeet’s shed.

  And a crazy idea hits me.

  “You say there are four people involved in the pet-napping ring?” Sheriff Fischer is asking. “Skeet, two men, and an elderly woman. One man has a spider tattoo and the other has a white beard like Santa. Is that right?”

  “That’s right … but it’s wrong too.” I can just imagine Leo saying nothing can be both wrong and right. But it’s the truth, and the more I add up the clues, the more I know I’m right.

  When I explain to the sheriff what I think really happened, he seems surprised but glad too.

  “You just made my job easier,” he says with a chuckle then hangs up.

  I’m returning the phone to its cradle when my parents come for me. They take me to their room and do some interrogating of their own. I give the same story I gave the sheriff; short and truthful, minus a few spying details that would get me grounded for life.

  “You shouldn’t have gone into a stranger’s yard,” Mom says sternly, but her arm is around me and she doesn’t sound mad.

  “I thought an animal was hurt,” I say. “And he wasn’t a stranger. I met him when I was at Becca’s house.”

  “Just don’t do it again,” Dad adds, giving me a hug too.

  Then we do something my family hasn’t done since Dad lost his job—we go out to dinner. All six of us dine at a nice restaurant with cloth napkins. No plastic silverware or fast food.

  Everyone is in a great mood. Dad is excited about his job interview tomorrow. Mom is confident Dad will get this job. My brother tells us all (in boring details) about a college he’s applying to which offers a full-ride scholarship. Even my sisters are interested to hear about my adventure this morning.

  I have a great time, ordering a cheeseburger dripping with cheese and my favorite zucchini fries. Dad even lets us have ice cream for dessert.

  But all through the fun, I wonder what’s happening with Leo, Becca, the missing animals and the Skeets. How did Leo’s family meeting go? Since Becca was involved in my rescue, does that mean we’re friends again? Will all the animals be returned to their owners? And what happened to the Skeets?

  If Officer Skeet is locked up in jail, he’ll find out how it feels to be caged like an animal. I’m proud that I helped stop him stealing any more pets.

  It’s not until the next day that I find out what really happened.

  - Chapter 27 -

  A Little Bit of Justice

  I wake up the next morning thinking of kittens … and missing my Honey. I wonder where she’s living now. Is she close by or on the other side of town? Is she in kitty foster care or adopted into a family?

  If only I could adopt her. I’d sleep with her every night so when I wake up she’d be curled up beside me. But even if Dad gets this job, it’ll be months before we can move into a house. By then Honey will have forgotten about me. But I’ll never ever forget about her.

  You’d think that after all the drama yesterday, I’d be allowed to stay home from school. But not even. My parents are annoying that way.

  I don’t mind going to school, though, because I have so much to ask Leo and Becca. I want to know what they told the Sheriff and if they’ve heard anything new. There hasn’t been any news on TV or online about Officer Skeet’s arrest—and I’m going crazy with curiosity.

  At school, when I finally spot Becca, she’s with the Sparklers. I start to walk over to her, but she sees me and turns away from her friend to mouth to me, “See you after school. Skunk Shack.” She turns back to talk to her friends.

  Really? I think with a rush of anger. After everything we’ve been though, she’s still pretending not to know me? Well, I’ll show her—I’ll ignore her in homeroom. Even if she turns around to talk to me, I won’t reply. I won’t meet her after school at the Skunk Shack. I won’t ever talk to her again. I have other friends. I do not need Becca Morales.

  Leo will talk to me, I have no doubt of that.

  But Leo isn’t at school.

  So at lunch I sit at my usual table with Ann Marie and Tori. I try not to listen to Becca’s laughter from two tables away. She’s with her real friends, I remind myself. I. Do. Not. Care.

  It’s like the last week never happened. No Leo or Becca, no kittens, no club. I don’t want to feel sorry for myself, but someone has to and I’m very good at self-pity. I don’t wallow long, though, because of the rumors.

  Leo isn’t the only one missing school—Burton Skeet is also absent. And rumors about him fly like feathers in a twister. Some say he’s at juvenile hall while others say he’s moving away with his uncle. I don’t know exactly why he’s gone, but I know more than the other kids. Poor Skeet.

  I doubt he’s changed into someone who will be kind and never squish a short kid in a locker. But I understand the pain of losing faith in someone you admire. I’ve never told anyone but I used to look up to my dad like he was a superhero. If I broke something, he fixed it. If I cried, his strong hugs held me together. And when my siblings wouldn’t play with me, he’d challenge me to a game of chess. There was nothing he couldn’t do—until he lost his job and confidence. He became less hero and more human. I still love and respect him—just in a more realistic way.

  Burton is dealing with a whole lot of reality.

  The rumors, unfortunately, only confuse the facts. By the end of school, I have no idea what happened to either of the Skeets.

  But I’m pretty sure Becca knows, so I swallow my anger, and bike to the Skunk Shack.

  When I get there, Becca is sitting outside on a stump, still wearing the tiger-striped skirt and shimmery gold blouse from school. She didn’t stop by her house to change her clothes.

  “I won’t stay long,” I tell her with my chin held high.

  “I wish you would,” Becca says softly. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

  “Me? Mad at you?” I shake my head. “You’re the one mad at me. You ended our club—remember?”

  “About that …” Her dark curls droop around her face as she glances down at the weedy ground. “I’m always telling Burt to control his temper but I need to do it too. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m sorry too,” I say. “I shouldn’t have told Leo you kissed Burt.”
<
br />   “Yeah, you shouldn’t have. But I did stuff I shouldn’t have either—including that stupid kiss.” She makes a bitter face. “I can’t believe I thought he was a nice guy. He was working with his crooked uncle all this time and I think he tossed the kittens in the dumpster. I was so wrong about Burt, and you were right.”

  “Not that right,” I say and tell her about Burt’s uncle convincing him the kittens were rabid.

  “He could have told his uncle no,” Becca argues.

  “It’s not easy refusing someone you admire.”

  “You’re defending him to me?” Becca asks, surprised.

  I give her a faint smile. “I still don’t like him.”

  “I don’t either … but I did.” Becca rubs her finger on a knotty hole in the stump she’s sitting on. “The other Sparklers thought we’d make a cute couple so they kept pushing me to go out with him. I finally did—just to a movie. I even had a good time. But it doesn’t matter anymore because you were right—he’s a jerk. And I’m glad he’s gone.”

  “Where is he?” I suck in my breath. “Jail?”

  “So you heard that rumor too.” She chuckles. “But it’s wrong. Burt sent me an email saying good-bye and that he’s sorry. His dad doesn’t want him influenced by his uncle, so he’s moving in with his dad in Chicago.”

  “But his uncle won’t be around because he’ll be in jail,” I say.

  “No. He wasn’t arrested and may not ever be.” Becca frowns, brushing off an ant crawling on her skirt. “The laws protecting animals aren’t the same as for people. Mom is spitting mad and says she’ll make sure he never works in this county again.”

  “But weren’t all the stolen animals in his shed enough proof?” I ask.

  “Minor charges like animal cruelty are rarely enough for jail. He told the Sheriff he was trying to protect the animals from the real pet-nappers and blamed everything on his accomplices.”