A Picture-Purrfect Christmas (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 13)

by Patricia Fry

  The child nodded. She was quiet for a moment before asking, “Did Detective Craig catch that…awful man?”

  “Well, he’s on his trail. I talked to the detective this afternoon and the information you gave him led to the man named Scaif.” She put her hand on the child’s arm. “Hon, do you know who he is?”

  Marissa shook her head. “No. He always wore a bandana over his face, but he was familiar. I think he’s someone my father knows.” She looked up at Savannah. “Did they put my…father…in jail again?”

  “I’m not sure. But I believe that’s exactly where he’s going, and for a very long time. The man named Scaif is also going jail as soon as they find him.” She moved closer to the girl. “Honey, he is someone you know. We all know him. His name is Scaif Essinger. We know him as…”

  “Esse!” Marissa said, suddenly realizing the truth.

  Savannah nodded.

  When the child began to cry, Savannah scooted her chair closer, wrapped her arms around her, and held her. After a few moments, Marissa said, “I want to go to sleep now. They gave me a gown at the hospital. I can sleep on the sofa.”

  Savannah smiled down at the girl just as Erin stood and said, “We got your jammies from the house. Come on, I’ll get them for you.” She then said, “I also brought your journal and a few other things I thought you’d want.”

  “You did?” Marissa said wide-eyed. “Boy, do I have a lot to write in my journal.”

  “I guess you do,” Michael said, smiling.

  “Can she sleep with me?” Erin asked Savannah and Michael. She then turned to Marissa. “Rissy, I have the most beautiful room upstairs. It has a big bed—much bigger than the one we had at the other house. Want to sleep in it with me?” She grabbed Marissa’s arm. “Come on, I’ll show it to you.”

  The girls had been gone for a short while when Savannah walked up the stairs. She knocked lightly on the partially open door and heard Erin say, “Come in.”

  When Savannah entered the room, she saw that Marissa was sound asleep in the bed and Erin was sitting up next to her reading under a small lamp. Walter lay next to her on the quilt and Rags was curled up on Marissa’s pillow. “Do you need anything?” Savannah asked quietly.

  “No,” Erin said. She glanced at Marissa and the cats. “I can’t think of anything more we could possibly need.”

  Savannah smiled, then walked over and gently kissed Marissa’s cheek. Moving to the other side of the bed, she embraced Erin in a warm hug, kissing her on top of her head. “Night-night, then. We’ll see you two on Christmas morning.”

  “Oh yeah, Christmas,” Erin said. She shook her head. “I still can’t believe we’re going to get to watch a family have a real Christmas.”

  “Watch us?” Savannah said, scornfully. “Watch us? Oh no, honey, you’re going to celebrate with us. This Christmas is for you and for Marissa.” She walked to the door, leaving Erin with a puzzled look on her face. She doesn’t have any idea what’s in store for her and Marissa tomorrow, Savannah thought. She felt giddy just thinking about it.

  ****

  It was late Christmas Eve and all was quiet in the Ivey household, when Savannah’s dream of sugarplum fairies was abruptly interrupted. She awoke to the sound of a low growl.

  “What is it, Lexie?” she whispered, rising from the bed and following the dog to the window. She pulled back the drapes just in time to glimpse a figure in the muted moonlight. “Michael,” she hissed. “Michael, someone’s out there.”

  “What?” he asked, sleepily, rolling out of bed and moving toward her.

  “Someone’s out there. It looks like he’s coming to the front door.” She took a quick breath. “Did we remember to set the alarm?”

  He nodded then reached for his phone. “Nine-one-one, we have a prowler. He could be after some children we’re protecting in our home at 33 Cranberry Way. Please hurry.” He then made another call. “Craig, sorry to wake you, but I think your perp is at our front door. I’ve called the sheriff.”

  “Oh God! Okay, Michael. Be right there.”

  “What should we do, Michael?” Savannah asked.

  Just then, the couple became aware that the nightlight in the bathroom had gone out. Michael flipped the switch on the wall. “Damn, he cut the power. That’s not good,” he said, running his hand through his hair. After a few seconds of rummaging in the dark, he handed Savannah a flashlight. “Go get Lily and take her up to the girls’ room. Wait there. Don’t wake them if you can help it.” He then added, “Take Lexie with you.”

  “But Michael,” she objected.

  “There’s another flashlight in the office, I’ll get it. Now go!” he hissed.

  Aware of her heart pounding in her chest, Savannah slipped into her robe and headed toward the baby’s room. Once she’d lifted Lily from her crib, she motioned for the dog to follow her through the living room, into the dining room, and up the stairs. I’m so glad Lexie got more mutt genes than Afghan-hound genes, she thought. Afghans aren’t supposed to be all that sharp. “Good girl,” she said petting Lexie once they’d reached the staircase landing.

  Before she could enter the girls’ bedroom, she heard the front doorknob rattle and she stopped abruptly, looking in the direction of the commotion. Gosh, Michael has a baseball bat.

  When he saw her, he motioned to her, hissing, “Go! Go!”

  Reluctantly, she opened the bedroom door. As she did, Rags raced past her, down the stairs, and straight for the front door, where he stopped and stood, head down, growling.

  Savannah’s heart was in her throat. When she heard the door rattle again, she rushed into the bedroom, gently laid Lily between the two sleeping girls, and slipped back out into the hallway. There was an eerie silence and then an abrupt crash and the sound of tinkling glass. Savannah’s eyes widened. Oh my gosh, he smashed the stained-glass panel next to the door. In the dim moonlight, she could see the intruder’s arm reach through the broken window toward the inside door locks just before Michael brought the bat down with force.

  “Owww! Dammit! You broke my arm, you…”

  In the meantime, Rags dove through the broken window toward the stranger, whose screeching became more intense. Michael quickly opened the front door and found himself facing a man dressed in black, a ski mask over his face. He pulled the bat back in a menacing manner as the man struggled to get loose of the cat’s grip. “Rags, that’s enough,” Michael commanded.

  In the meantime, the stranger continued to hop around, trying to shake the cat off his arm. Within a few seconds, Rags dropped to the porch with a thud and the man turned to run.

  “Stop!” Michael shouted. “Stop or I’ll shoot!” he threatened, wondering if he could convince the intruder that he had a gun.

  Before the man was out of sight, Michael noticed a vehicle with dimmed headlights moving slowly into their circular driveway. When he realized it was a patrol car, he yelled, pointing, “He went that way! Toward the tack room!”

  “Stop!” Deputy Ben shouted as he bounded out of the car. But the stranger ran into the darkness, two sheriff’s deputies on his tail. A third officer in a second car made a call for backup.

  Several agonizing minutes passed before Michael turned and noticed Savannah standing in the doorway. “I told you to stay upstairs,” he scolded. Before she could defend herself, he asked, “Where’s Lily?”

  “She’s with the girls. She’s fine. Here they come!” she said excitedly, when she saw the officers walking someone toward their squad car. “They got him!”

  “Wait!” Michael called out. “That’s not him! You have the wrong guy!”

  “Are you sure?” Ben asked, looking puzzled.

  “Absolutely,” Michael said. “The jerk who broke through the door was taller, and thin. He wore a dark-colored ski mask and dark clothes. That’s not him. You’ve got the wrong man,” Michael insisted.

  “Oh no!” Savannah said, covering her mouth with her hands.

  “What?” M
ichael asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “I think I know that guy, but I thought he was in jail. Ben, it’s one of the creeps involved with Marissa’s kidnapping.”

  “Yeah,” Deputy Jim said, “those dudes made bail.” He looked at the scruffy man and said to him, “It appears you’re going back there.”

  The prisoner protested, “Why? I didn’t do nothin’. You heard the dude; I’m not the one who broke in.”

  “Is that…” Savannah started, squinting toward the corral. “…I think I heard my mare whinny.”

  “I didn’t even know she was back here,” Michael said. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, Bonnie brought her back this afternoon on her way to pick up feed.” She tilted her head. “There, did you hear that? Something has her upset.”

  “Better go check it out,” Ben said, handing the cuffed man over to another officer. He motioned toward Michael and Savannah. “You folks stay here.”

  The pair of officers had been gone for only a few minutes when Michael and Savannah heard someone shout. “Got him!” When they returned with the tall man in black, Jim asked, “Is this him?”

  “That’s him,” Michael said, scornfully.

  Jim chuckled. “The horse and the cat had him cornered…corralled, you might say.”

  “What?” Michael asked, glancing at his wife.

  When the officers moved closer, Ben said, “Yeah, we found him hiding in a tree behind the tack room. Evidently, the cat had climbed the tree behind him. When he saw the cat, he started to back down and the horse leaned over the fence and took a bite out of his ass.” Ben glanced at Savannah. “Sorry ma’am,” he said trying to contain his laughter.

  Just then the captured man began to shout, “Arrest these people!” he demanded. “I was just walkin’ by and they attacked me for no reason…them and their wild animal.”

  “Wild animal?” Ben questioned.

  The man’s eyes grew large. “Yeah, they have some sort of wild jungle cat. Look,” he screeched, “I’m bleeding to death here and my arm’s broken, man.” He tried to squirm out of the deputy’s grip. “I didn’t do nothin’. I’m innocent, I tell ya. Hey, you gotta take these cuffs off. My arm’s broken.”

  Ben shook his head, then led the man to the squad car. “Now get in,” he instructed. “We’ll take you to the hospital.”

  Before he could climb into the car, they heard a small voice. “That’s Sam.”

  “Marissa, Erin,” Savannah said, when she turned and saw them standing behind her.

  “I thought you girls were sleeping,” Michael said, gently taking the baby from Erin.

  “What’s Sam doing here?” Erin asked.

  Michael glanced at the prisoner. “Who is he?”

  “Mavis Cotton’s disgusting nephew…and there’s the other one,” she said, pointing to the man peering out at her from inside a second patrol car.

  Just then another officer walked up holding Rags in his arms. “Is this the wild animal that attacked you?” he asked, grinning.

  “Oh there he is,” Savannah said.

  “Yeah, he was helping us fill out the report,” the officer said, chuckling.

  Another officer quipped, “Okay if he joins us for coffee and donuts later?”

  Neither Savannah nor Michael saw the humor in the moment. “Just bring him here so we can put him back to bed, please,” she said without emotion. She then looked up and asked, “Who’s that?”

  Everyone gazed in the direction Savannah indicated and saw Detective Craig Sledge walking up the long driveway with another man in tow. They heard a booming voice. “Damn cat,” the man shouted. “If it wasn’t for that damn cat, none of this would have happened,” he complained.

  “Wrong!” Craig said. “If only you hadn’t tried to harm those children, you pervert.”

  “Esse,” Savannah said under her breath as the officers paraded him in front of a patrol car on their way to secure him inside.

  “Yeah,” Craig said. “Found him trying to get away on a dirt bike stashed down near the highway.”

  “I knew it was you,” Marissa said. “Why?” she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Who is that?” Erin asked. “What does he want?”

  “Me,” Marissa said quietly. She pointed. “He’s the one who tied me up and buried me in that cold hole. That’s exactly what he wore every day.” When she started to sob, Erin put her arms around her.

  “Well, he won’t bother you anymore, young lady,” Craig said, walking up closer to the girls. “You can be sure of that.”

  “But my father…” Marissa started.

  “He won’t be bothering you, either,” Craig said quietly. “I’m afraid he’s dead.”

  “Dead?” Marissa said.

  He nodded. “We found him floating in the river out near where they were keeping you.”

  “The wicked witch is dead,” Marissa said quietly, then she began chanting, “The wicked witch is dead.” She took a breath and said, “I don’t want to wish anything bad for anyone, but I just can’t help it. I…”

  “I know,” Savannah said, embracing Marissa. “I know.”

  “How long will he be in jail?” Marissa asked.

  “Probably for the rest of his life,” Craig said. “Guess who’s the prime suspect in the murder of your father? Kidnapping and child torture are serious charges, but murder comes with a one-way ticket into prison and maybe even an e-ticket ride to the gas chamber, if they ever reenact capital punishment here.” He then said to the officers, “Let’s move them out so these folks can get their sleep.” He winked at the girls. “Tomorrow’s Christmas, you know.”

  Chapter 9

  “I’m glad you were able to make the electricity come back on last night,” Savannah said as Michael plugged in the Christmas tree lights the next morning. “We couldn’t have that fairytale Christmas without the lights,” he said, grinning. “Aren’t there two little girls here dreaming of a fairytale Christmas?”

  She grimaced. “I’m not sure they know what a fairytale Christmas looks like. I think I’m the one with the dream—wanting that special Christmas for them.”

  Michael gazed at the tree, smiling. “I believe they’re going to get it this year.”

  “Oh, yes,” she said, wiping Lily’s face and lifting her from the high chair, which she’d moved into the dining room. She placed the baby on the floor and glanced at Michael, who continued to study the tree to make sure all the lights were lit. “Coffee’s ready. I made some cocoa, too.”

  “With marshmallows?” he asked, expectantly.

  She nodded. “With marshmallows.”

  In the meantime, Lily stood looking at the tree, pointing and repeating over and over, “Uk, uk, uk.”

  “What’s she saying?” Michael asked.

  Savannah shrugged. “Heck if I know. Some secret language, I guess.”

  Michael picked up Lily, raising her over his head as she giggled. “When are you going to let us in on your secret, huh? Huh?” he urged, jiggling her as she continued to giggle and laugh.

  “How about we move some furniture in here closer to the tree,” Savannah suggested. “Let’s see, the loveseat, maybe, and Walter’s chair. I’ll set the dining room chairs around.”

  They’d just finished rearranging the furniture when they heard a sweet voice ring out from the staircase landing. “See, it wasn’t a dream, Errie. Ms. Savannah and Dr. Mike are still here. So is Lily and the Christmas tree.”

  “Don’t go so fast,” Erin cautioned. “It’s not going to disappear, you know.”

  “I can’t help it. I’m just so excited.”

  “Good morning, girls,” Savannah said, smiling. “I see you’re wearing your new robe and jammies. They fit, huh?”

  “Yes. We found them on our bed when we woke up this morning. From you?” Erin asked.

  Savannah nodded.

  “Thank you,” the teen said, hugging Savannah and then Michael. She sat dow
n next to Lily and began playing with her and the new toy Michael had helped her open.

  “I love pink,” Marissa said. She wrapped her arms around Savannah. “Thank you.” She then hugged herself. “These jammies are so cozy. I’ve never worn anything this soft before.”

  “What is it, Lily?” Erin asked. She turned to Savannah. “Do you know what she’s saying? She keeps pointing and saying, ‘Uk, uk, uk.’”

  “I don’t know,” Savannah said.

  “It’s duck,” Marissa said. “She thinks that goose ornament is a duck.”

  “How did you know that?” Michael asked. “We’ve been trying to figure it out for days.”

  Marissa laughed. “I taught her to say duck and now she thinks all birds are ducks.”

  “Good to know,” he said, also laughing.

  “Cocoa?” Savannah offered.

  Both girls nodded, their eyes wide.

  “With marshmallows?” Savannah asked.

  “Yeah!” they said enthusiastically.

  “Can I help?” Erin asked, standing.

  “No,” Savannah called over her shoulder, “you wait there. I’ll bring it.”

  “Here, Erin,” Michael said quickly, “why don’t you help Lily open this gift and I’ll take a picture of you both. Okay?”

  “Sure,” Erin said, moving closer to the baby.

  Once everyone had a mug of cocoa in hand, Erin asked, “How’s Rags feeling today? I mean, after his wild night rounding up those bad guys?”

  Savannah ran her hand over the lanky cat, who was busy giving himself a bath. “He seems a little slow-moving this morning, but I think he’s okay. He ate a good breakfast,” she added.

  The teen glanced at Buffy, who lay in her canopy bed peering out with round blue eyes. “Hey Buffy, you missed all the excitement,” she said. She then reached out and scratched Walter around the neck as he lounged on the edge of the area rug, keeping a keen eye on her.

  “The tree is even more beautiful today,” Marissa said.

  “That’s because it’s Christmas,” Michael told her. “Everything’s more special on Christmas. How are you feeling, hon?” he asked the child.