PAWSitively Sinister (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 11)

by Patricia Fry

  “Oh, hi, Detective. Yes, I almost burned up in there,” she said.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay,” Craig said. He pointed at the handcuffed man. “Miriam, I wonder if you could help us out. We need you to identify this man. Can you do that for us?”

  When Miriam looked up at the man, she blinked her eyes a couple of times then said, rather loudly, “Father!”

  The man, doing his best to avoid eye-contact said, “I don’t know you. What are you, crazy?”

  “It’s me, Father, Miriam,” she said, pleading.

  When Miriam struggled to stand, a fireman helped her up and she moved closer to the man. “I’m your daughter, Father—Miriam.”

  As David Moore continued to look down at the ground, one of the officers asked, “Well, is she your daughter?”

  He glanced up into her face for a split second. “I don’t know her.”

  “I remember now, Father,” she said, breathlessly. “I remember what I saw when I followed Grandmother through the floor. I saw you… oh my God, Father. You were down there painting Jeffry’s face. You painted all their faces, didn’t you… after they were dead?”

  He squirmed. “I don’t know what she’s talking about.”

  “Miriam, what were you doing in there, anyway?” Craig asked.

  “I had to see it again… to find out if it was real.” She began to cry. “I went down in the cage and there they were—all of them, just like I remembered—only now Grandmother is there, too. When I came back out, there was fire. I didn’t know which way to go. I screamed and screamed.” She looked at her father. “Didn’t you hear me scream? I saw you outside the window sprinkling water around out of a can.”

  “Water?” Craig said, scowling. “It was gasoline. His hands smell like gasoline.”

  Miriam looked shocked. “You started the fire, Father? Why would you want to burn all those people up? And me—you almost burned me up, too.” She started coughing and, with help, lowered herself to the ground again.

  David Moore looked at his daughter, his face contorted in a mask of fear and rage. “Yes, I wanted to burn them. When Julian called and told me what those nosey people had found, I knew I had to get rid of the evidence once and for all.” He looked at the now completely engulfed structure and started to laugh. “It’s gone now—there’s nothing left for anyone to discover. It’s all finally gone.”

  Right then Savannah, Arthur, and Suzette walked up. Arthur led Rags using a makeshift harness and leash he’d created from some rope they’d found in the back of the SUV. Koko followed obediently behind them.

  “That cat!” Miriam shouted. “He saved me, didn’t he?” She looked around at the paramedics.

  “He sure did, ma’am,” one of them said. “He led the firefighters right to you. Almost lost his life doing it.”

  Savannah choked up, her lower lip quivering. “He must have heard you calling for help.”

  Miriam reached out for the cat. She petted him a few times and then pulled him to her, hugging him. “Thank you,” she murmured into his fur.

  “Let’s go, Mr. Moore. We have some things to talk over with you,” one police officer said.

  The man took one more look at Miriam, then turned and walked away with the officer.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Arthur said, kneeling down near Miriam. He put his hand on her arm. “It’s better this way, don’t you think?”

  She nodded.

  “Now what will you do, Miriam?” he asked.

  “I don’t know—go back to the streets, I guess. That’s all I know.”

  “What if Suzette and I help you and your friend Mattie, if she wants some help, to get you back on your feet and into society?”

  Her eyes widened. “Uh, you mean like get a regular job and live in a house, drive a car, go shopping… things like that?”

  “Exactly like that,” Suzette said. “But I know it can be a process—there’s a lot to unlearn and relearn.”

  Miriam sat silently for a moment, then asked suspiciously, “What do you want me to do? What’s your angle?”

  “Angle?” Arthur said.

  “Everyone’s got an angle,” she said.

  Arthur looked at Suzette questioningly. “Well, we… er… I can use help at my new place. I never learned how to cook or do household chores.”

  “I’d love to learn to cook,” she said, her face lighting up. “Food fascinates me. I worked for a while in a kitchen downtown and they let me cook a little.”

  “So cooking interests you?”

  She nodded, smiling.

  Arthur glanced at Suzette. “What if we sponsor you at a culinary school?”

  She looked from one to the other.

  “Would you stick it out?” Suzette asked. “We need you to follow through.”

  She nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Then when you’re feeling up to it, let’s talk,” Arthur suggested.

  Everyone watched as paramedics helped Miriam step into the ambulance for a ride to the hospital. As Savannah walked with Arthur and Suzette toward the car where Michael and Iris watched over the sleeping baby, she said, “You guys are serious, aren’t you?”

  They both nodded. “And if Ruthie’s sister wants a new start, we’ll help her too, right, sweetheart?” Arthur asked.

  Right on,” Suzette said, smiling.

  “So you two… ?” Savannah started.

  Arthur grinned and pulled Suzette to him. “Now that she’s here, there’s no way I can let her go. Yes, she’s staying. She’ll get her schooling up here somewhere while I learn the ropes of my father’s estate.” He shook his head. “I don’t know yet how badly my mother’s second husband has fouled things up.”

  “Then Arthur will start following his passion,” Suzette said. “… whatever he decides that is.”

  When the trio approached the cars, Michael looked at Savannah and said, “Well, hon, it’s been quite a night.”

  Savannah choked up again. She reached down and petted Koko as she picked up Rags and hugged him to her. She peered in through the car window at their sleeping baby, then kissed her handsome husband. “Yes,” she said, “it’s been quite a night, with a very happy ending.”

  Other books in the Klepto Cat Mystery series

  Catnapped (Book 1)

  When Savannah Jordan agrees to help her aunt while she recovers from a broken foot, she doesn’t expect to walk into a mystery, become part of a not-quite-legal surveillance team, be kidnapped by a deranged stranger and meet a steaming hot veterinarian.

  Beloved neighborhood cats are missing—the community can only guess at their fate—and Aunt Margaret’s life is being threatened. Is it because she has a clue to the missing cats or is it something more sinister? Of course, as in all of the Klepto Cat Mysteries, Rags, an ordinary cat with a most unusual habit, has a paw in saving the day.

  If you like light mysteries with only a little terror, if you’re infatuated by interesting cats and if you love a love story, you must read this book.

  Available at Amazon.

  Cat-Eye Witness (Book 2)

  Savannah and Aunt Margaret open the old Forster home to the Hammond Cat Alliance for a fundraiser to help rehabilitate the abused horses rescued months earlier from the catnappers.

  Before the afternoon is over, the collected funds go missing and someone is murdered in an upstairs bedroom.

  Suspicion surrounds Iris, a local waitress and Savannah’s new best friend. The only witness to the murder is Rags, Savannah’s cat. With the assistance of a cat psychic and Rags’s good friend, Charlotte (the young girl with Downs), the cat helps to “paw” the killer… but not before an attempt is made on Rags’s life. The case is solved only after Rags comes face-to-face with the killer for the second time.

  Detective Craig Sledge is new to this book, as is Damon, Iris’s errant son. Sledge finds this to be one of the muddiest cases he has ever worked, with inconsistent clues and no apparent motive. He’s constantly surprised, perplexed and impress
ed by the cat’s uncanny ability to come up with clues he has missed. His fascination with the attractive Iris Clampton also mystifies the detective.

  In this story, one of the rescued horses goes into labor and there’s a night of high drama

  at the ole corral as veterinarians Savannah and Michael work to save the foal. This experience renews Savannah’s deep interest in horses and riding, which ultimately serves to help her bond with a very important surprise character who finds his way into her life and Michael’s just as they prepare to say their wedding vows.

  While Rags is the animal star, he isn’t the only animal featured in this story. Layla is back in all of her tangerine feline beauty. And Rags makes friends with Buffy, a perky almost Himalayan cat and the inseparable duo, Walter, an all black cat and his sidekick, Lexie, a charming Afghan mix dog. Savannah’s new ride, Peaches, also debuts in this story. An incident with this mare adds another dimension to Savannah’s and Michael’s relationship. Can he hold her with open arms?

  Some say this is a love story with a mystery in the background. And it’s a story of family and friendship as newlyweds Margaret and Max continue to be a meaningful part of Savannah’s and Michael’s world.

  Available at Amazon.

  Sleight of Paw (Book 3)

  In this story, Michael Ivey, the local veterinarian (Savannah’s new husband) is attacked by an enraged client and then later accused of this man’s murder. The evidence quickly stacks up against Michael, until Rags, Savannah’s kleptomaniac cat, starts digging up clues implicating the unlikely suspect.

  Coinciding with the details of this challenge is the discovery that the old house, which the couple purchased from Savannah’s aunt, is cursed. Is this why the couple has not been blessed with a child?

  Savannah’s sister Brianna comes for a visit. She teams up with the Iveys’ vet tech, Bud, to discover how to break the gypsy spell and they fall hard for each other. Will their courtship be strengthened or weakened by a frightening carjacking incident?

  Detective Craig Sledge is prominent in this story as the lead investigator in the murder case. As usual, he engages in some creative tactics to get the information and the confessions he’s after. He has also become embedded in Savannah’s friend, Iris’s family. He’s dating Iris and helping with her son, Damon’s rehabilitation in prison. If you read the 2nd in the series, you know that Rags (the cat) helped to put Damon in jail.

  Available at Amazom.

  Undercover Cat (Book 4)

  A popular local journalist goes missing just before she has the opportunity to turn in her story exposing unscrupulous cat hoarders. Not only is Colbi a friend of Savannah’s and Michael’s, Damon (now out of prison and employed by the local newspaper) has a strong personal interest in her. In fact, Damon breaks some rules and some trusts in his search for Colbi.

  Is this a love connection? It’s doubtful because Colbi is a strong advocate for the feral cat population and Damon hates cats—or so he believes.

  Colbi’s rescue is almost too late. She needs time to heal both physically and emotionally. So the Iveys invite her to recuperate in their home. Just when Colbi begins to feel safe, a body is discovered in the Iveys’ orchard and Rags (their kleptomaniac cat) goes missing. Can someone in a nearby homeless camp shed some light on the evolving mystery?

  Available at Amazon.

  The Colony Cat Caper (Book 5)

  Savannah Ivey, a veterinarian out on maternity leave; her aunt Margaret, the founder of the Hammond Cat Alliance; and Colbi Stanton, a reporter for the local newspaper take on a cat colony at an old, abandoned building. Odd activity around the place makes them wonder if it actually is vacant; some believe it’s occupied by something other-worldly.

  When a stranger comes to town and suggests the Alliance open the old building to a fund-raiser, everyone gets involved, including Rags, Savannah’s kleptomaniac cat. He finds something that day that stirs a lot of people—both law-abiding and crooks—into action. Are the feral cats and their caretakers in serious danger? What (or who) lurks inside the old building? What secrets does it hide? And who has the key that unlocks the mystery?

  Available at Amazon.

  The Celebrity Cat Caper (Book 6)

  Rags, the kleptomaniac cat, opens up a whole new bag of tricks, when he becomes a therapy cat in a children's reading program. A documentary film crew arrives to capture the cat in action and they get more than they bargained for. Find out how Rags handles his sudden celebrity status.

  In this story, Savannah and Michael Ivey invite strangers into their home during a torrential rainstorm and learn that one of them has a sinister past. Someone is murdered, Savannah is stalked, Michael's life is threatened, and Rags helps to uncover an old mystery that, until now, has everyone baffled.

  The Iveys' baby Lily is three-and-a-half-months old and, along with nine-year-old Adam, provides some sweet and warm moments throughout this fast-moving story with many twists and turns.

  Avalable at Amazon

  The Corral Cat Caper (Book 7)

  The Corral Cat Caper features a lot of horse energy. It's rich in adventure of the feline as well as equine sort. In one scene, Rags attempt to save their sweet kitty, Buffy, from a catnapper and Savannah helplessly watches this drama unfold via a surveillance camera app on her phone.

  This story is full of sweet and evil surprises, unexpected twists and turns, and plenty of action and adventure.

  Available at Amazon

  The Gallery Cat Caper (Book 8)

  An old friend of Michael’s, who has become a successful artist, invites the entire Ivey family to his beach house. But their vacation is not all fun-and-games. It appears that someone is out to get the artist; and the Iveys and their friends keep stumbling upon clues to the tangled mystery.

  Rags is up to his old klepto tricks, and it’s a good thing because, not only do his uncat-like antics prove to be amusing, he manages to save two lives.

  Join the hilarity and suspense as this mystery unfolds. Enjoy some of your favorite human and animal characters as well as a few new ones, all of them giving this story a light and rich quality.

  Available at Amazon

  Mansion of Meows (book 9)

  Rags's documentary is scheduled to debut. The showing will take place at the investor's San Francisco mansion, where the Ivey family and film crew will stay. Of course, the mansion holds secrets and Rags is instrumental in letting the cats out of the bag.

  Savannah and Aunt Margaret share another daring adventure and, of course, find themselves in deeper than they expected.

  This mystery may be the most eerie in the Klepto Cat Mystery series.

  Available at Amazon

  PAWtners in Crime (Book 10)

  When Michael and Savannah invite young burn victim and heir Arthur Spence into their home, they don’t expect danger to follow. The sensationalism around his family’s dark secrets have the paparazzi in a photo-snapping frenzy and the young man isn’t yet equipped to deal with their shenanigans. Are they issuing the unnerving threats to Arthur’s life, or is it a beloved family member? Rags, the kleptomaniac cat, has a new PAWtner in fighting crime and what a team they make. They delight in sticking their noses and digging their claws into the facts of the frightening matter. Hold onto your seats—there are some harrowing moments in this story, and some startling surprises.

  Available at Amazon

  Table of Contents

  PAWSitively SinisterA Klepto Cat Mystery Book 11 Author: Patricia Fry ISBN: 978-0-9908313-5-8

  Chapter 1Estate Sale Today!

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Other books in the Klepto Cat Mystery seriesCatnapped (Book 1)

  y Book 11)