Claws for a Cause (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 15)

by Patricia Fry

  Michael winked. “Oh yes. Well, she’s yours, then. Shall we go tell Kalani?”

  Joy nodded. “Yes, and thank you so much.”

  When Michael sat down, all eyes were on him. He turned toward the girl and petted the kitten on the head. “She seems to like you, Kalani, and I can tell you sure do like her.”

  The child nodded.

  “Would you like to have her for your very own?” He glanced at Joy. “Your mom says it’s okay.”

  Kalani’s eyes widened. She looked up at her mother, who nodded and smiled. “For real?” she asked.

  “Yes, for real.” He dug into his pocket for the meds and handed them to Joy, then gave her the box and blanket, saying, “Here’s her bed.”

  “Can I have her leash?” Kalani asked. “Then, when we’re outside, she can’t run away from me.”

  “Yes, you should keep her on a leash whenever you take her outside. That’s a good way to keep her safe,” Michael explained. He added. “Now, as she grows, you’ll have to get her a new harness, okay? She’ll outgrow this one pretty fast.”

  Kalani nodded. She took the box from her mother, placed it on the floor, and carefully placed the kitten in it. She then wrapped her arms around Michael’s neck. “Thank you,” she said in a near whisper.

  Savannah, Shelly, and Gladys dabbed at their eyes.

  “Yes, thank you all,” Joy said, then she jumped a little. “Here, let me help you with this stuff, Kalani, and then I’d better get these folks their food.” She carefully picked up the box with the kitten in it and scurried with her daughter disappearing into the restaurant.

  When the group had finished eating their loco moco, Joy returned to their table and asked, “Well, how was it?”

  “Really good,” Michael said. “I could eat that kalua pork all day long.

  The others nodded. “Very good,” Gladys said.

  Shelly and Savannah agreed.

  The server’s eyes lit up. “Are you ready for your pie?” she asked.

  “Oh my,” Gladys said, “you actually found us some coconut pie?”

  “Yes, luckily the local baker had one left and I sent my older daughter to buy it.”

  “Oh that’s wonderful,” Gladys said. “How nice of you.” She looked at the other. “Do you all have room?”

  “I’ll make room,” Savannah said. “I’ve been thinking about that coconut pie ever since you mentioned it, Mom.”

  Once they had finished their pie, Kalani appeared next to Michael again. She asked quietly, “What’s your name?”

  “Michael.” he said. “Why?”

  The child put her finger up to her cheek and thought for a moment, then said, “I’m going to call her Michaela.” She smiled shyly at Michael. “…after you.”

  “Cute,” Shelly said, watching the child disappear into the restaurant.

  It was close to four that afternoon when the island bus carrying the Ivey party stopped in front of the Crouching Lion.

  “Yes, it seems to be closed,” Gladys said. “Now look everyone. See the lion on that hill behind the building?”

  “What a cool place,” Savannah said. “…and it overlooks the ocean. It’s kinda breezy here.”

  Gladys nodded. “Yes, often is, I guess. When your father and I came here for lunch, it rained the whole time and the wind blew like crazy.”

  “That’s too bad,” Michael said. “Did it ruin your meal?”

  Gladys grinned at him. “Oh no, Michael, it was wonderful. Where’s your sense of romance, young man—and adventure?” she teased.

  When he noticed Shelly and Savannah also grinning at him, he scrunched down a little in his seat and did not respond.

  Just as the bus rounded Diamond Head on its way back to their hotel, Savannah took Michael’s hand. “How does it feel to be famous on the island?”

  “Me? Famous?” he asked.

  “Yes, you have a kitten named after you.”

  “Yeah, your name and your memory will live on long after we’re home,” Shelly said.

  Michael grinned at the women. “Pretty special, huh?”

  “Indeed,” Savannah said, smiling.

  ****

  Three days later, the Ivey party sat on the deck of an ocean-side restaurant with the entire photography group when Shelly said, “I will cherish the pictures I took here, but there’s no way to capture the ambiance, is there?”

  Savannah let out a deep sigh and nodded. “But for as long as my memory is intact I’ll always be able to experience it. Those sensory experiences are something you never forget.” She swooned. “It’s been just wonderful. I sure thank you all for letting us tag along.”

  Rebecca smiled. “You earned your way, and we’re so glad you could join us.” She stood. “By the way, I want to congratulate the winners of our little island photo competition.” She picked up a piece of paper and announced: “Shelly had, by far—hands down—the best photo of waves at the North Shore.” As the others applauded, Rebecca passed Shelly’s photo around the table. “Pam’s picture of the Tahitian dancers we saw last night was the top action shot. And Savannah—our newest member—got the best scenic shot.” When the applause subsided, Rebecca added, “I’m also passing around Savannah’s close-up photo of an island girl and her kitten. What a great human-interest profile shot,” she said. “If I were you, I’d submit it to the local newspaper or a pet magazine—with the parents’ permission, of course.”

  “Thanks,” Savannah said, smiling. “I’ll consider that.” She then turned to Michael and asked quietly, “Did you turn in our key yet?”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. “No. Did you leave something in the room?”

  She cringed a little. “I think I might have left my phone charger plugged in.” She took the key. “I should change Lily while I’m at it. There might not be another opportunity for a while.” She took the baby out of the highchair, then turned to Gladys. “Mom, do you need to use the room—I have to go back up and get something.”

  Gladys thought for a moment and said, “Yes, I’ll go up with you.”

  Once the women had turned down the long hallway leading to their suite, Gladys nudged her daughter, who was engaged in conversation with Lily. “Who’s that?” she asked.

  “Who?” Savannah asked, looking in the direction Gladys indicated. “That woman who just disappeared down that hallway? Probably a maid.”

  “I thought I saw her bothering our luggage.” She looked at Savannah. “I don’t know why they have guests leave their luggage out in the hall for anyone to tamper with—especially since the airlines don’t allow you to lock it.”

  “Well, it saves us from having to deal with it.” Savannah looked at her watch and frowned. “They told us it wouldn’t be out there for long—they were supposed to pick it up by six fifteen. What time is it now…” She checked her watch. “…nearly seven. I wonder if they missed ours. I’d better get in touch with Rebecca.”

  “Oh wait,” Gladys said, as they continued toward their room, “there’s Dan and Kurt now.”

  “Good,” Savannah said. She called out to the two men, “Thanks guys.”

  Dan waved. “Sure. Bus leaves in twenty.”

  “We’ll be on it.”

  The two women watched the men walk away with their bags. When Savannah started to open the door to their room, she noticed something on the floor and picked it up.

  “What is it?” Gladys asked.

  “It’s a hotel room pad,” she said.

  “Wait,” Gladys said. “Let me see. It looked like that girl I saw by our luggage was writing something. Did she leave a note?”

  Savannah examined the pad of paper more closely. “If she did, she took it with her.”

  “Huh?”

  “Someone wrote on this pad and tore off the page. I see a slight indentation, like they wrote with a pen that was running out of ink.” She looked impishly at her mother. “We could do a pencil rub to find out what she wro
te.”

  Gladys stared at her daughter. “You really do think like an investigator don’t you—just as your friend, Detective Sledge, says?”

  “Not really. The pencil rub is elementary. Actually, Brianna taught me how to do it when we were in high school. That’s how she learned to copy your signature for notes when she wanted to skip gym class or something.”

  “What?” Gladys said. “I didn’t know about that.”

  Savannah grinned and handed Lily to her. “Here, you change the baby and I’ll see if I can read what that girl wrote. I have a mechanical pencil in my purse.”

  After a few minutes, Gladys asked, “Well? What does it say? Does it give a clue as to why she was bothering our luggage?”

  Savannah frowned. She was silent for a moment, then said quietly, “It’s our address. I can only see part of it, but it looks like it’s our address.”

  “Well that’s strange. Do you suppose she took it off your luggage tag?”

  “Probably.”

  “Why?”

  Savannah grimaced. “I’d say to rob us. It’s obvious that we’re not home.”

  “How would she get to your house to rob you?” Gladys asked.

  “Ever hear of the phone? She could call someone in Hammond and tell them where we are so they could go to the house and rob us.”

  “Oh, Vannie, that’s rather far-fetched.”

  “Yeah, I guess so, but I probably won’t relax until I get home this evening. It’s kind of unnerving, don’t you think? Why else would she go to the trouble of writing our address down?”

  Chapter 5

  Late that evening, Michael pulled into their driveway and the weary but happy family exited the SUV.

  “That was so much fun,” Savannah said, “and it’s always good to be home, but…”

  “But what?” Michael asked.

  “Well, we think that Hawaiian girl Mom saw messing with our luggage has our address and I’m kind of worried about what we might find when we go inside.”

  “Want me to go in first?” he asked.

  “Would you?”

  A few minutes later, Michael returned to report, “Everything and everyone looks okay. The alarm was set and the place was locked up. No one without a key and a code could penetrate this old house.”

  “Great,” Savannah said. “But why, then…”

  Michael yawned. “Oh, hon, let’s not over-think that note you found or you’ll never get any sleep tonight. Come on—let’s put Lily to bed and you can help me unload this stuff.”

  ****

  By nine Sunday morning, Michael had left to check on things at the clinic and Savannah and Gladys had unpacked most of their clothes and started the laundry. They were sitting at the kitchen table with a second cup of coffee when Savannah’s cell phone rang.

  “It’s Colbi,” she reported.

  Gladys motioned. “Go ahead. I’ll keep an eye on Lillianna.”

  “Hi, girlfriend,” Savannah answered. “How did it go with the feeding? Did everyone behave themselves?”

  “Oh yes, they were just fine. Your cat is a kick.”

  “Which one?”

  “Well, all of them, but mostly Rags. What a character.”

  “Did he get out of hand—do anything outrageous?” Savannah asked, holding her breath.

  “No, not really. He did bring me some of your clothes, though—he had things from your laundry hamper strewn all over the house. Or maybe it was the dog who did it. I’m not sure.”

  “Oh lordy. No, that sounds like Rags, I’m afraid. How embarrassing.”

  “No problem. Made me laugh.”

  “So, how’re things with you, kiddo? I expected to hear from you this week.”

  “I didn’t want to bother you while you were on vacation.”

  “You’re a good friend, Colbi. I sure did enjoy being away from it all. What a beautiful place. You and Damon must go there for your honeymoon—maybe to one of the less congested islands.” When Savannah became aware of the silence, she asked, “Colbi, is everything all right?”

  “Well, not exactly,” she said.

  “What happened?”

  “Damon isn’t speaking to me. He just doesn’t understand my need to help Harrison—my craving for family ties. He’s my only family, Savannah,” Colbi whined.

  “It sounds like you’ve had to make a choice.”

  Colbi paused again. “Yeah, I guess I did—at least a temporary choice. I just want to give my brother a chance and try to help him get on the right path. Harrison would do the same for me if the tables were turned.” When Savannah didn’t respond, Colbi asked, rather hesitantly, “Don’t you think he would? Isn’t that what families do for each other?”

  “Well, sure, to a degree, I suppose. Colbi, it’s too bad that you felt you had to make such a difficult choice, but I think I can see where Damon’s coming from. He loves you and doesn’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Yes, and he can’t understand why I don’t consider him family. Why can’t he see the difference? He’s close to his family. Can’t he see that’s what I want, too?”

  “Hmmm, you sound like you need a sounding board. How about if I bring Rags over to see Dolly this afternoon and we can talk—or you can talk? What time will you be finished with your work?”

  “I’m having an awful time concentrating, actually. But yes, I’d appreciate a sounding board.” She paused, then said, “Savannah, please don’t try to change my mind, because my mind’s made up.”

  “That’s not my intention, Colbi—not my intention at all. I’d just like to see you have the best of both worlds—a brother and a fiancé.”

  “Yes, that’s what I’d like, too,” Colbi said rather solemnly. She then added, more cheerfully, “See you this afternoon.”

  “Yes. ‘Bye, kiddo.”

  “How’s Colbi?” Gladys asked when Savannah joined her and Lily in the living room several minutes later.

  “Oh, kind of troubled, actually,” Savannah said. “She can’t seem to see that her brother has brought a lot of strife into her life, yet she’s determined to turn him into the brother she desperately wants.” She faced her mother. “So you’re going to Auntie’s and Max’s for a few days before heading home? When are you going over there?”

  Gladys handed Lily a block and urged her to put it into a basket with the others, then addressed her daughter’s question, “I think she’s fixing lunch for us—so probably around eleven. I want to repack and get cleaned up. Why? What do you have planned today?”

  “Well, I’m going over to Colbi’s later. I want to bathe Lily and put her down for a nap while I straighten up a little around here and finish the laundry. I also want to make arrangements to get Peaches home from the boarding stables. She’ll probably need some exercise, unless Bonnie had time to ride her.”

  “You have a busy day planned. I should be out of your hair soon.”

  Savannah hugged her mother. “Oh, Mom, I’m going to miss you.” She looked at Lily. “She’s going to miss you. I wish you’d consider moving up here closer to your grandchildren.”

  “Grandchildren?”

  “Well, yes; Adam’s only an hour away and Michael and I do plan to have more children. You’d be close to your sister and Brianna’s only an hour away in the other direction.”

  “Oh, that reminds me,” Gladys said, “Brianna’s taking a day or two off this week and Maggie and I thought we’d do a family meal.”

  “Super! We can do it here.”

  “I’ll suggest that to Maggie and Max and see what they think.”

  Savannah smiled. “Good,” she said, picking Lily up and lifting her high into the air. “Now let’s get you a bath. Want a bath?”

  Lily waved one hand toward her grandmother, saying, “’Bye-bye…bath.”

  “’Bye, sweet thing,” Gladys said, smiling.

  Fifteen minutes later, Savannah walked with Lily into the master bedroom. “Mommy needs to finish unpacking. Want t
o help Mommy?” Handing her a shoe, she said, “Here, you can put this shoe in the closet, okay?”

  Lily looked at the shoe, then pointed toward the closet.

  “Yes,” Savannah coaxed, “can you put the shoe in the closet?”

  Lily smiled up at her mother, then ran to the closet with the shoe and tossed it inside. She squatted and studied the shoes for a moment, then turned toward Savannah. “Shoe,” she said, pointing.

  “Yes, shoe. Want to put this shoe in the closet?” Savannah asked, holding out the mate to the first shoe.

  Lily looked at the matching shoe in the closet, picked it up and ran with it to Savannah. Dropping the first shoe, she took the second one and toddled off with it to the closet, tossing it at the other shoes. She then came back and got the first shoe, running to the closet with it and throwing it in.

  When Savannah saw her sit down and start moving the shoes around, she smiled and began a task of her own. “Okay, you work with the shoes and I’ll put my jewelry away,” she said, carrying a travel pouch containing some of her favorite pieces to her jewelry box on their large dresser. Before removing the earrings and necklaces from the pouch, she looked at Lily again. “Hmmm, silly girl, trying on Mommy’s and Daddy’s shoes, are you?” She then glanced at the emerald-green sweater she’d laid out to wear. “Now where are those green earrings Aunt Colbi gave Mommy?” she muttered, looking through one of the drawers in the teakwood jewelry box. “They’ll go perfectly with this sweater.” When Rags walked into the room and stretched with his paws up alongside Savannah’s leg, she petted him with one hand and said, “…yes, purrfect, huh Ragsie?”

  “Who are you talking to in here?” Gladys asked, peering in through the bedroom doorway.

  Savannah laughed. “Just my children—the regular one and the furry one.”

  “What’s she doing?” Gladys asked, smiling toward Lily.

  “Oh, I gave her a job; she’s supposed to be putting away my shoes. Now she’s playing Cinderella.”

  “Cute. Well, you two have fun. I’m going to Maggie’s and Max’s. We’ll talk later about the family gathering, okay?”