by Patricia Fry
“Sam’s a new court-ordered volunteer,” she explained.
“Court-ordered?”
“Yeah, we work with a few teens who’ve been in minor trouble with the law and whose sentences require community service. Max particularly likes working with kids who’ve been involved in some sort of animal abuse. Of course, we work closely with them and it’s a case-by-case situation.”
“What was he arrested for?” Savannah whispered.
“He ran off with a neighbor kid’s puppy and wouldn’t tell where he’d hidden it. He claimed that the little boy was poking the puppy with sticks and Sam was trying to rescue the pup. The parents pressed charges. We figure he has a good heart for animals, just needs help in the way he chooses to express it. Max says he needs an attitude adjustment. He hopes to teach Sam new ways to help animals rather than through that gut reaction that got him into trouble.”
Savannah stared at her aunt. “You guys are something else, you know it?”
“Why?” Margaret asked.
“Well, there’s just so much more that you do around here than meets the eye. It’s impressive.”
Margaret shrugged. “Thanks. Come on in. Let’s go see what we captured on film last night. I think Max went in to set up the player.”
“So, what do you think of our new project?” Max asked when he saw Savannah enter their living room.
She looked confused for a moment, then said, “Oh, you mean, Sam? Seems like a…passionate young man.”
Max nodded and reached down to pet Rags as he strolled past. “Can I unsnap his leash?” he asked.
“Yeah, go ahead.” She glanced around. “Where’s Jack?”
Max squinted in several directions, then said, “Here he comes. Hi Jack. Rags is here for another playdate.”
Everyone laughed when they saw Rags trot over to the tuxedo cat and head-butt him. Jack stepped back and stared at the harness Rags wore.
“I don’t think he’s ever seen a cat dressed up like that,” Margaret said. “He’s really checking him out, isn’t he?”
“Did your aunt tell you we had a visitor again last night?” Max asked, as he fiddled with the recorder. “He performed for our new cameras.”
“Oh no. Did any cats escape?” Savannah asked.
Max shook his head.
“So who is it?” she asked.
“Don’t have a clue,” Max said. “Can’t tell from the film.”
“You watched it without us?” Margaret whined.
“Yeah. Here, I’ll play it back. See what you think.”
As the two women watched the video, Savannah squinted at the screen, saying, “Gosh, you can’t see his face at all…or any flesh for that matter.” She looked at Max, then Margaret. “It’s like one of those ghouls that has no face.” She shuddered. “That’s just plain creepy.”
“Tell me about it,” Margaret said. “Has me creeped out.”
“How did he break in…didn’t you lock the pens last night? I heard you were locking them now.”
“It was hard to see what he was doing in that video,” Max said. “But he actually cut the wire mesh.”
“Yeah,” Margaret said. “He made a hole big enough for even that large Maine coon cat to get through.”
“But they didn’t escape, huh?” Savannah asked.
“Nope.”
Savannah looked from one to the other. “So what are you going to do?”
Max shook his head slowly, looking defeated. “I just don’t know. I’m afraid we’re going to lose some of the cats and I don’t know what we can do about it.”
“Have you talked to Deputy Jim?”
“Pshaw,” Margaret said. “You know how much they care about cats down there at the sheriff’s office. Let Rags bring them a clue and they’ll praise him from kingdom come, but call them about someone trying to let your cats out and they don’t have time for you.” She put her hand on Savannah’s arm. “Vannie, I think we should take things into our own hands.”
“Now, Maggie,” Max said, “let’s think this through. I’m sure we can resolve the issue.”
She glared at her husband. “Yeah, what do you want to do, put the cats behind six-foot cement walls? Maybe we could rent Fort Knox for them,” she exaggerated.
He stared at her for a moment. “I’ll think of something.” He stood and hugged his wife, saying, “Everyone’s okay. No one’s been harmed. Now you and Savannah have a nice visit. I’ll take care of things here.”
Margaret sniffled, wiped at her eyes, and stood on her tiptoes to give her husband a peck on the cheek.
Before leaving the room Max smiled at Lily, who was standing next to where Savannah sat. “How are you this morning, you cute thing? Do you have a smile for Uncle Max?”
“Ki-ki,” the toddler said, pointing.
Everyone turned and saw Rags and Jack walking into the room, Jack still trying to examine the harness Rags wore. “Yes, there are those old ki-kis, all right.” He squeezed the baby’s arm affectionately, smiled, and walked out toward the cat pens.
“Want coffee or tea?” Margaret asked. She looked at the baby. “How about you? Want a cookie?”
“Ki-ki,” she said.
“Tea sounds nice. I brought Lily a snack,” Savannah said as she pulled a package of baby puffs out of her jacket pocket. She picked up the baby and followed her aunt into the kitchen.
“Ki-ki,” Lily said, pointing at two black cats curled up in little kitty beds.
Margaret was quiet while she prepared the tea water and placed a few sugar cookies on a plate. She then turned toward Savannah. “I want to do a stakeout. I want to catch that guy before something awful happens.”
“A stakeout? Do you mean you and Max?”
“Um, no, I was thinking more about…”
Savannah sat rigid in her chair and began shaking her head. “Oh no you don’t. You’re not thinking about…uh-uh, not me. I don’t want any part of that. Why don’t you and Max sit up and watch for him?”
“Well, as you heard, Max isn’t exactly for it. Anyway,” She said defiantly, “I believe in woman power. I thought…”
Savannah handed Lily another treat while glancing at her aunt. “I don’t think so…you can count me out of that little plan of yours. No way.” She thinned her lips, saying, “I’ll bet you could hire a security company. One of their guards should be able to catch that guy.”
“…or gal. Vannie, we don’t even know if it’s a guy, a woman…” She slipped into a chair and pondered her niece’s suggestion. “Security, huh? Now there’s an idea.” Margaret stood when she heard the teakettle whistle, then picked it up, and filled two cups with the hot water. Before she could set the kettle back on the stove, something caught her eye. “What the…” she said.
When Savannah looked in the direction Margaret stared, she broke out laughing. “Oh my gosh, Rags, what have you been doing?” She turned the baby to face the doorway into the living room. “Look at brother kitty. Doesn’t he look funny?”
Margaret tried to speak, but was laughing too hard by then.
“What’s funny?” Max asked as he stepped into the kitchen, his newest volunteer following behind him.
“It appears that Rags has been tiptoeing through the lingerie,” Savannah said, still laughing.
Max grinned and shook his head slowly. “Will ya look at that? How’d that happen?”
“It’s the harness you have on him,” Sam said angrily. “See how dangerous it can be?” He walked toward the cat, who was draped in a lavender negligee.
“I’ll get it,” Margaret said, quickly darting toward Rags, who just as quickly ran into the other room.
“He wants to wear it,” Savannah said, still laughing. “Maybe he’s become a cross-dresser.”
“Not in my clothes, he’s not,” Margaret snapped, continuing to pursue the cat.
“That’s sick,” Sam said under his breath.
“What?” Max asked, furrowing his brow.
“Making fun of your ca
t. That’s sick,” he said. “Animals deserve respect.”
Max put his hand on the young man’s shoulder. “I’m glad to hear you say that. You’re so right. Animals do deserve respect. I’m sorry that we appear to be disrespecting Rags.” He chuckled. “But you have to admit, he does look funny peering through the lace on Maggie’s nightie.”
“Got it,” Margaret called from the living room. “Vannie, can I take the harness off him?”
Savannah nodded. “Sure.” She turned toward the young man and asked, “Do you have pets, Sam?”
He looked down at his feet. “No. Can’t have any in our apartment, plus, my dad says we can’t afford no animals.” He grinned a little. “I have lizards in my room for sleepovers sometimes.” He became serious again. “But I always turn them loose in the morning.”
“For sleepovers, huh?” Max said, grinning.
“Yeah, and our neighbor has a dog I get to take to the dog park sometimes. He’s a yellow lab.” He glanced at Savannah. “Know what they look like?”
Savannah nodded.
“Here, I have a picture of him,” he said, pulling a cell phone from his baggy jeans pocket. “His name’s Scout.”
“And you get to come here and hang out with a lot of cats,” Margaret said, when she returned to the kitchen.
The boy nodded.
“Do you go to school?” Savannah asked.
“Yeah, a continuation school. I do a lot of the work at home, but I go to class a few mornings a week. I might graduate ahead of my class,” he said proudly.
“Then what?” Savannah asked.
His eyes lit up. “I want to have a ranch where animals of all kinds can live free.” He glanced at Max. “…without cages.”
Max and Savannah exchanged looks, then Max put his arm across the boy’s shoulder. “Well, Sam, I like the way you think.”
“Yeah,” Margaret said, “but you need to know a lot about animal behavior and instincts before you can successfully manage that sort of sanctuary.”
“I know what animals want,” he said, defiantly.
“Well, let’s go to the computer, shall we?” Max invited. “There are a couple of programs I want you to check out.”
“Whatever you say, Mr. Sheridan.” The boy ran his hand along Rags’s back as he and Max walked past the cat toward a small office in the back of the house.
“Wow, what a big chip that kid has on his shoulder,” Margaret said.
“And a big heart for animals,” Savannah added. “Interesting mix.” She asked, “Hey, can you go with me tomorrow to Straley? I want to visit that big party store and pick up some plates, napkins, table cloths, and stuff.”
“Sure,” Margaret said. “What time?”
“I’ll pick you up around ten.”
****
The following day, Savannah pulled up to Margaret’s and Max’s house just before ten with the baby in the backseat.
“Hi, you two,” Margaret said as she slipped into the front passenger seat. “How is everyone?”
“Good. How about you?” Savannah asked. “Any more problems last night?”
“No. Of course, I’m not getting much sleep listening for strange noises. But no—nothing showed up on our cameras.”
“So the volunteers know you’re filming them?” Savannah asked.
“No. We haven’t told anyone. Anyway, we only turn the cameras on at night.” She chuckled. “It’s kinda fun watching the kitties playing out there. The ferals really come alive at night.”
Savannah reached out and touched Margaret’s arm briefly. “Hey, I had the most unusual encounter after I left your house yesterday morning.”
“What happened?”
“Well, I ran into Mr. Crankyshaw—I mean Crankshaw,” she said, chuckling.
“Oh? What nasty thing did that old man have to say?” Margaret asked.
Savannah rolled her eyes. “He sure is cranky, isn’t he? I’d hate to live inside his head. Of course, he criticized me for having Rags on the leash.”
“I suppose he’d rather the cat come over and leave deposits in his garden,” Margaret said sarcastically.
“Yeah. Well, I’m pretty sure he’d call the cops if he saw Rags anywhere near his place.” Savannah set her jaw. “I must say, I don’t appreciate being called an abusive cat owner, especially by someone who doesn’t seem to know much about cats.”
“He said that?” Margaret asked. “…that you’re an abusive cat owner?”
“In so many words, he did,” she said indignantly. She mimicked the man: “Cats aren’t dogs and shouldn’t be treated like dogs. If you want a dog, get a dog; don’t try to make a cat into a dog.”
“Hmmm.” Margaret muttered. “Odd. I can’t even imagine why he cares. He says he doesn’t like that dog he’s always walking.”
“I think he just wants something to gripe about, don’t you? If you say it’s a nice day, he says it’s too breezy or there’s not enough breeze or…” Savannah said. “I’m just glad I had Rags with me for him to criticize; otherwise, he might turn his ugliness against Lily.”
“Ohhh,” Margaret said, her brown eyes flashing, “that would be a mistake. He’d never survive the mama-bear attack.”
Savannah laughed out loud.
Nearly thirty minutes later, Savannah announced, “Here we are at the city limits. Now, do you remember where that party store is?”
“Yeah, take the next right. It’s about three miles. Did you bring the stroller? We may have a little bit of a walk.”
“Yup. I figured there’d be walking involved. You said you wanted to go to the hardware store.” Savannah squinted at her aunt. “Why the hardware store?”
“Oh, you know what cute things they have in there—gifty things. I want to pick up something for Rose’s birthday.”
“Aunt Rose is having a birthday? How old is she, anyway?”
“She’ll be sixty.”
“I thought you were sixty.”
“What?” Margaret almost shouted. “Me? No way.”
“Well, how old are you?”
Margaret mumbled something Savannah couldn’t hear.
“What? Did you say sixty-five?” she joked.
“No! If you must know, I’m fifty-nine,” Margaret admitted rather reluctantly.
Savannah laughed. “Oh, that’s right,” then added, “well, you look good. You have the nicest skin. I wish I’d gotten the Brannon skin like you and Brianna did.”
Margaret glanced at her niece. “Wish I’d gotten those long legs,” she lamented.
“Yeah, they do come in handy for reaching the top shelf at the grocery store, running after my cherub, and beating short people out when hailing a cab,” she said, laughing.
Margaret smirked playfully at her niece before saying, “Pull into this parking lot.”
Once inside the store, the two women were rummaging through a bin of sale items that happened to include some of the Hello Kitty stock, when they heard a voice. “Gosh, these are great prices, aren’t they?”
Savannah looked up, smiled, and said, “Well, hi.”
“Hi,” the woman responded. “Are you planning a party for your little girl? How old is she?”
Savannah stared at the woman. “Uh…she’ll be a year old…in…”
“December tenth,” Margaret said, glancing at her niece, who seemed to be having a problem forming her thoughts. She said to the woman, “Your little girl looks to be about the same age,” then, to her niece, said, “Look, Vannie, a playmate for Lily.”
The woman nodded and peered lovingly at the child she held in her arms. “Yes, she just turned a year. We also had a little party with the Hello Kitty theme. She does love kitty cats.” When Savannah continued to stare without responding, the woman took a step back and asked, while covering her mouth, “Do I have spinach in my teeth?”
“Oh no,” Savannah said. “I’m sorry. It’s just that…well, I thought you were someone I knew.�
�� Just then Lily began to fuss. Savannah shook her head as if to clear it and said, “Excuse me,” as she lifted the baby from the stroller.
Margaret looked from one to the other of the women. “You know, I think I’ll run over to the hardware store while you visit…and shop. I’ll be back in a flash.”
“Uh, sure,” Savannah said. She then explained to the woman, “I know I seem to be staring. I’m sorry. You…look a lot like someone I just met…well, you two could be sisters, except your hair is darker red and—wow, curly!” she exclaimed.
“Yup, that it is,” the woman said, laughing. She put out her hand, “Hi, I’m Mary. This is my daughter Crissy.”
Savannah shook Mary’s hand, then reached out to the child. “Hi Crissy.” She looked into Mary’s light-green eyes. “I’m Savannah. This is…” she turned and said, “Well, that was my aunt Margaret and this is my daughter Lily. “When was her birthday?” Savannah asked, nodding toward Crissy.
“Sunday,” Mary said.
“They’re just about the same size, aren’t they?” Savannah noticed.
“Ki-ki,” Lily said, pointing.
Crissy pointed at Lily and said, “Ba-by.”
Savannah smiled. “Now there’s a word Lily hasn’t tried, yet—but she hasn’t been around any babies, except in the church nursery a couple of times.”
When Lily squirmed to get down, Savannah placed her on the floor. Immediately, Crissy wanted down and her mother lowered her to the floor. There, the little girls stood looking at each other, Crissy clutching a pink plastic purse. Right away, Lily’s eyes were drawn to the purse, but when she reached out and tried to take it, Crissy pulled away from her, holding stubbornly to the purse.
Lily stared at the child for a moment, then she retrieved her doll from her stroller. She held it out to Crissy, who promptly dropped the purse and took the doll. Naturally, Lily picked up Crissy’s purse and began examining it.
“A little negotiator, huh?” Mary said, laughing.
Savannah cringed. “Oh, that was more like manipulation.”
Mary smiled and looked down at her daughter. “She doesn’t have many children to play with, either. My husband and I just moved here from Frisco and we don’t know a lot of people yet. Her birthday party consisted of us, our landlord, and her two boys—an eight-year-old and an eight-month-old.”
