The Cats that Walked the Haunted Beach (The Cats that . . . Cozy Mystery Book 10)

by Karen Anne Golden

  A tear formed in Colleen’s eye. “I love you, too. Text me when you get to the airport.”

  “I most certainly will do that.”

  Colleen opened the door and walked outside. She handed the limo service driver, a woman, her mother’s bag. She gave an I told you so wink to Katherine, who held Mum’s arm and was guiding her to the car.

  Mum got in and smiled. “Katz, I’m really truly sorry about your cats getting out. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Water under the bridge,” Katherine said, then smiled. “Be careful getting home.”

  “I will.”

  The driver closed the trunk, then Mum’s door. She climbed in behind the steering wheel and drove down the service road.

  Colleen and Katherine stood outside the cabin and watched Mum leave. They waved, then Katherine asked, worried, “Is she going to be okay?”

  Colleen shook her head. “In a minute, I’m texting Jacky to see if he’ll take Mum back to that alcohol addiction center. I don’t trust her to do it herself.”

  “Good idea. Let’s head back in. My feet are freezing.”

  Colleen looked over at Katherine’s feet. “Where’s your slippers?”

  Katherine snickered. “I’m waiting for Prince Charming to bring them.”

  Colleen chuckled, “That’s my line. You already have your Prince Charming,” then asked, “I wonder what time it is?”

  “Around ten.”

  Colleen became very animated. She said frantically, “I have to curl my hair.” She rushed back to the cabin.

  Katherine called after her, “If you’d cut your hair short like mine, you wouldn’t have to bother.”

  ***

  Kate woke up in a small, dark room. She was lying on her side. She tried to sit up, but the pain was too much. Her ribs felt like they’d been hit by a sledge hammer.

  The room had an overpowering, foul smell to it. The torn vinyl floor reeked of stale beer and rotten food. A sliver of light shone through the tattered curtain to show rubbish piled along the room’s perimeter: mostly crumpled newspapers, cardboard boxes and empty food cans.

  She couldn’t remember ever feeling so awful. Her head throbbed and her stomach hurt. She was disoriented, then remembered she had been assaulted the night before by someone she couldn’t even identify.

  She remembered trying to return Arlo’s wallet, but Misty was in a bad mood, so she went home. She couldn’t find her keys and was rummaging around her purse, when a man came up behind her and demanded money. She gave him her purse, but he wasn’t satisfied with that. He pushed her off the porch, then started kicking her. The pain was so severe, she passed out.

  Where am I, she wondered. She carefully got up and felt her way to the window. With her left arm, she moved the curtain to the side. Sunlight poured in. She could see the dust raining down from the filthy curtain. She coughed, which caused a stabbing pain on her right side.

  Looking out the dirty window, she could see a wooded area in the back. A rusted, broken-down pickup was jacked up on cinder blocks; its tires were missing. There was a sandy lane that didn’t look like it had been used very much, except for the vehicle that had brought her here. She searched for that vehicle and was relieved she didn’t see it. But that doesn’t mean he’s not close by. Take it in baby steps, she thought.

  She limped to the closed door, turned the handle, and opened the door. She stepped on something sharp and realized she was walking without shoes. She said in angry voice, “The jerk took my shoes!”

  Examining her foot and not seeing any blood, she walked slowly down a narrow hall, which led to a small living room/kitchenette combo. The front door was standing open. She glanced around the room and discovered she was in some kind of old mobile home.

  A pile of garbage and old clothes were next to the door. She sorted through the pile and found an old pair of men’s sneakers. Sitting down on a wood chair, she grimaced as she put the soiled shoes on. They were several sizes too big, but she put them on anyway. The hard part was tying the laces. Every time she leaned down to tie the shoes, an excruciating pain stabbed her right side. Finally, she tied them. She did a final search of the room but didn’t find her purse or shoes. She stepped out of the trailer and struggled down two steps.

  She said to herself, talking out loud, “There has to be a road nearby. You have to force yourself to find it. It hurts like hell, but you have to keep walking. Don’t stop. You can do this, Kate. You can do this.”

  She studied the tire indentations on the lane and followed them away from the trailer. She caught a distant memory of something she’d learned in Girl Scouts. She thought, the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. If I’m walking south in the morning, the sun is on my left. “I think that’s what I learned. If I’m walking north I’ll end up in the Lake. If I’m walking south I’ll find some kind of road.” Then she worried, What if I find a road and some lunatic picks me up? That would be my luck. Suddenly she wished she hadn’t recently binged on true crime books. Every scary scenario popped up in her mind — every one of them leading to her being murdered at the end of the story.

  “Forget it! Keep walking! Shut up, inner voice. My side is killing me,” she said aloud.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Saturday Early Afternoon

  Seagull Cabin Three

  Katherine and Colleen had returned to their Adirondack chairs on the screened-in front porch. Scout and Abra were busy stalking a large ant, which managed to dodge their pounces. Jake had called earlier and said they’d be arriving soon. He said Daryl was gassing up the Impala. He’d made a joke about the gas station in Seagull named Gas and Gull. Katherine laughed and said the town was obsessed with seagulls.

  After a few minutes, Colleen said, “I hope they’re getting here soon, because I’m starving to death.”

  “Me, too. Jake said they’re bringing us lunch.”

  The Siamese stopped what they were doing and looked inside the cabin. They flicked their ears and muttered something in Siamese.

  A loud knock sounded on the cabin’s back door.

  Katherine got out of her chair. “Surely that can’t be them. Jake just called.”

  “Want me to get it,” Colleen said, not moving from her chair.

  “I’ll get it, carrot top,” Katherine snickered. She walked to the door and opened it. Stevie Sanders stood outside.

  Stevie took a step backwards. “Katz,” he said, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

  “I can ask the same. What are you doing here?”

  Stevie winked and flashed a handsome smile. “You go first.”

  “Colleen and I are here. We rented a cabin.”

  “Yes, the girls’ retreat. I had no idea it was in Seagull. What a coincidence?”

  “How?”

  “I’ve got a date with a gal who lives next door to you.”

  “Who?” Katherine asked, stepping through the doorway and onto the rear small porch. Normally, Stevie didn’t divulge personal information, but he’d just mentioned he had a date.

  “Her name is Kate Allen. Have you met her?”

  Katherine continued staring at Stevie like she was seeing things, then said, “Yes. We’ve met Kate. She’s very nice. Last night, she grilled steaks for us.”

  “Her car is parked outside, but she’s not answering the door. Any idea where she is?”

  Katherine glanced over at Kate’s rear parking area. She could see Stevie’s truck parked behind Kate’s Prius. “Not sure. We haven’t seen her since last night. Maybe she took a walk on the beach.”

  Both Katherine and Stevie startled when they heard the loud engine roar of the Impala pulling in.

  Daryl parked.

  “What’s he doing here?” Jake asked, fuming.

  Daryl advised, “Only fools rush in.”

  “That’s a bunch of crap,” Jake answered. He got out of the car and walked over to Katherine and Stevie. He wore an angry expression on his face. “Hey, Stevie, what are you doing here?” he asked
with an unfriendly tone.

  Stevie’s grin quickly changed to a frown.

  Daryl joined Jake on the sidewalk.

  Katherine said, “Stevie has a date with the woman who lives next door. She wasn’t home, so he came over to ask if I knew where she was.”

  Jake continued his angry look at Stevie.

  Stevie put his hands up. “I’ve got no quarrel here. I’m spending the day with the gal next door, but she’s not home. I’ll head on back to her place.” Stevie started to walk away.

  Katherine shot Jake a cold look that combined disapproval with surprise, then said to Stevie, “Wait a minute. If she doesn’t return home soon, would you let me know?” Katherine suddenly became very worried.

  “Yep,” Stevie said, walking back to Kate’s cabin, but stopped to get something out of his truck.

  Daryl appraised the tension between husband and wife. He thought it wise to give them some space. “I’ll get the cooler,” he said. He headed back to the Impala.

  Katherine snapped at Jake, “What was that about? You looked like you wanted to bite Stevie’s head off.” Her green eyes became mere slits.

  Jake shuffled his feet and looked guilty. “Sorry, I didn’t understand the situation. There’s a back story to this. I’ll tell you about it later. Can I come in now?”

  “Sure,” Katherine said, wearing a riled look. “I’ll let Colleen know you guys are here.”

  “I’ll grab my bag out of the car,” Jake said, still in an annoyed mood.

  “We’re on the screened-in porch,” she said, slamming the back door.

  Stevie took the cue of Katherine going back inside to return to Jake. He held a piece of paper in his hand.

  Jake stopped and glared at Stevie.

  Stevie was angry. “If you’ve got something to say to me, say it, and stop pussy-footing around.”

  Jake’s face reddened. “I do have something to say to you. I don’t want you around my wife. I know you have a thing for her. Now half the town is saying you two are having an affair.”

  “I’d love to,” Stevie said defiantly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that someday she’ll get sick of you, never being around when she needs you — like when she’s in trouble or something — because you never seem to be there for her when she is.”

  “That’s none of your business,” Jake retorted.

  “Oh, yeah, not my business,” Stevie repeated. “I’ve saved her from harm’s way, hell, I won’t mince words, from getting killed a number of times. And, where were you? If I had a woman like Katz, I’d never leave her alone and go wherever you go off to.”

  “That’s right, Stevie. You never will have a woman like Katz.”

  Stevie turned and started to walk away. He said under his breath, “That’s because one day she’s gonna be mine.” He threw the piece of paper on the ground and stormed off.

  Daryl came over and picked it up.

  Jake was furious. “I want to punch his lights out,” he said.

  “Calm down there, tiger,” Daryl said, reading the document. “Wow, Cuz, he was telling the truth.” He handed the sheet of paper to Jake. “He really is here to date a gal. Her name is Kate, and look at her picture.”

  “What about it?” Jake said, not looking.

  “She’s a dead ringer for Katz.”

  ***

  An hour later, Katherine and Jake sat on a plaid blanket on the beach, close to the path that led to it. Daryl and Colleen took a walk on the beach and were almost out of view. The couple walked hand-in-hand. Katherine was happy for them, but depressed by the news Jake had just told her.

  “I’m sorry, Sweet Pea,” he said. “Small-town, bored people make up things to entertain themselves and others.”

  “I could care less about the diner gossips. I know the people who mean the most to me would never believe it in a million years, which brings me to you. Did you believe it? Is that why you were so rude to Stevie?”

  “I didn’t believe it, but when I drove up and saw Stevie here, for one second, I didn’t know what to think.”

  “There’s no need to be jealous.”

  Jake said defensively, “I’m not jealous. Why would I be jealous of Stevie?”

  “Okay, you’re not jealous. I’m embarrassed I have to tell Stevie what the Erie yahoos are saying.”

  “I’ll do it.”

  “Seriously, Jake? The way you treated him back there. He’ll probably never speak to you again.”

  Stevie walked down the path. Jake was the first to greet him. “Hey, Stevie, want to join us? We’ve got cookies,” he said in a feigned friendly tone.

  Stevie stared at Jake and didn’t answer. Instead he said to Katherine, “I’m heading back to Erie.”

  “Kate didn’t return home?” she asked with rising concern.

  Stevie shook his head. “I guess she didn’t want to go out with me, but I’d wished she’d texted me. Two hours driving to be stood up is a little bit too much for my ego.”

  Jake blurted, “I’m sorry I was rude earlier.”

  Stevie hesitated, then answered, “No problem.”

  Katherine said in a concerned tone, “Stevie, late last night Kate left my cabin to walk to the front office.”

  “Why did she go there?” Jake asked.

  “To return a wallet.” Katherine proceeded to tell Stevie and Jake how Abra came upon the wallet and why Kate returned it. “In light of what happened at one of the cabins last night, I think we need to go to office and see if she returned it.”

  Stevie asked, “What happened in one of the cabins?”

  Katherine explained. “After Kate left, Scout got out. Colleen and I caught her in Cabin Six. Inside we found a man lying on the floor. He looked dead, but when we heard a noise in another part of the cabin, we ran out. We hurried back to our cabin, and I called the sheriff. He investigated and said there wasn’t a dead man in Cabin Six. He accused Colleen and me of false reporting.”

  Jake broke in, “Why didn’t you tell me this when I got here?”

  Katherine frowned at him, then turned to Stevie. “With Kate’s car parked in back and her not answering the door, we need to check it out.”

  Katherine started to get up. Stevie extended his hand and helped her.

  Jake said, “I’m coming, too.”

  Stevie’s expression turned to worry. He didn’t answer, but instead sprinted down the beach in the opposite direction.

  “Where’s he going?” Jake asked.

  Katherine noticed the trio first. Daryl and Colleen were helping a woman walk. She had long black hair and was limping. “Kate,” she shouted. “Jake, it’s Kate. Something’s happened to her.”

  Jake and Katherine ran as fast as they could on the sandy beach. Stevie had already caught up with the group.

  Daryl spoke first, “I called an ambulance. They won’t be here for twenty minutes.”

  Colleen added, “The 911 operator told us to head to the lake access road by the manager’s cabin.”

  “That’s quite a hike,” Jake complained. “I can’t believe the operator wants you to walk an injured person to a location because it’s convenient for them.”

  “Stop walking,” Stevie said, standing in front of Kate. “Kaitlyn, are you okay?” he asked in a gentle voice. “Do you need to sit down?”

  “Oh, Steve, my ribs are killing me. It feels less painful when I stand up.”

  Stevie said to Daryl, in an I’m-in-charge voice, “Enough waitin’ for an ambulance. I’ve got four-wheel drive. I’m drivin’ my truck down here and I’m takin’ Kaitlyn myself.”

  Kate looked at Stevie affectionately, and mouthed the words, “Thank you.”

  “I think that’s a better plan,” Daryl agreed.

  Stevie brushed a loose strand out of Kate’s face. “Stay here. I’ll be back in a minute.” He walked away, then called back to the group, “Cancel the ambulance.”

  Daryl had already extracted his cell and was doing just that.
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  Kate said, “Let’s keep walking. I need to go to my cabin so I can get a drink of water.”

  “I can fix that,” Jake said, sprinting back to the beach blanket. He returned with a bottle of water. He removed the cap and handed it to Kate.

  She took several swigs, then handed it back. “Can you hold this for me?”

  Jake nodded.

  Katherine hovered nearby. “What happened?”

  “I got mugged last night.”

  “Mugged,” Katherine gasped.

  “I need to talk to the sheriff. I think the guy who beat me up was Arlo.”

  Katherine and Colleen exchanged curious looks. “Arlo? The owner?”

  Kate observed the look. “What’s going on?”

  Colleen explained, “We think Arlo was murdered last night.”

  “What, you think he was murdered?” Kate asked, shocked. “Was he murdered or not?”

  Katherine shrugged her shoulders and didn’t answer.

  “Hey, I didn’t kill the guy. After what he did to me last night, I’d like to murder him.” Kate reached for the water bottle and took another drink.

  Jake asked, “Can you make a positive identification?”

  “Well,” Kate hesitated. “I couldn’t see his face because he had a ski mask on, but I recognized his scent.”

  “Scent?” Colleen asked.

  “He smelled like Old Spice.”

  “Old Spice? Is that a man’s cologne?” Katherine asked.

  “I’d recognize it anywhere. My dad uses it,” Daryl added.

  “Mine, too,” Kate said. “First time I met Arlo, I smelled it and thought of my dad and my grandfather, who have been dead for a number of years.”

  “Where have you been?” Colleen jumped in.

  “I got knocked out and woke up in this creepy trailer up the road from here. I found the beach and just kept walking until you found me,” Kate struggled to speak.

  Jake said, “It’s okay, Kate. Take your time. You don’t have to elaborate. Just get better.”

  “Thanks. Are you Katz’s husband?”

  “Yes, her one and only.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Stevie drove up and jumped out of his truck. Daryl opened the passenger door.