The Perilous PURRsuit (Klepto Cat Mystery Book 26)

by Patricia Fry

  Clay winked at him. “I know a spot just up the trail a ways.” Once he had the poles ready, he asked, “Want to join us, Michael?”

  He smiled. “Sure do. Coming, Keith?”

  “I think I’ll just chill,” Keith said, “with the cat. I’ll make sure he doesn’t get into any trouble. Besides, I’d like to keep an eye on that tree in case you-know-who shows up.”

  “Okay.” Michael turned to Clay and Adam. “Let’s go catch us some supper, then.”

  When the fishermen returned, they found Keith asleep and Rags having a standoff with a horned lizard. The lizard skittered off when the others traipsed into camp and Rags spent the next several minutes trying to follow him into a tiny crevice.

  “Well?” Keith questioned, when he woke up. When no one spoke, he frowned. “Oh, no luck, huh?”

  The men looked at Adam, who kept a straight face for a few moments before blurting, “Yeah, we had luck.” He held up a string of four fish. “Look at this, Uncle Keith!”

  Keith sat up, his eyes wide. “Wow!” He looked at his father, then Michael. “You caught those here?”

  Clay smirked playfully. “No, we ran down to the nearest fish market and bought them.” He then asserted, “Yes, we caught them here. Why are you so surprised?”

  “Because I don’t ever remember catching anything in this stream.”

  “Well, you didn’t have a lucky charm.”

  “What lucky charm?” Keith asked.

  “Adam,” Clay said, smiling. “He’s a fish magnet.”

  Adam smiled from ear to ear. “Are we going to cook these for dinner?” he asked.

  Clay nodded. “We sure are. Want to gather some wood for a fire? Then we need to clean them.”

  Adam looked at Clay. “They’re dirty? They just came out of the water. They look clean to me.”

  The others chuckled.

  “He means we have to take out their innards,” Michael explained.

  Adam looked confused. “Cut them open?”

  “Yes, Son.”

  The boy frowned. “Ewww.”

  Keith laughed. “So, I take it you don’t aspire to be a veterinarian, huh, Adam?”

  “Uh…” he looked at his dad. “I like animals a lot—but, probably not sick and hurt ones. I was thinking more about being a jockey or maybe a pilot or a scientist.”

  The others tried to conceal their amusement.

  “Well, Adam,” Michael said, “I think it would be a good idea for you to learn how to clean a fish, in case you ever have a chance to go fishing again. You enjoyed catching them, didn’t you? I mean, you caught half of those.”

  Adam nodded.

  “And you like eating fish, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, sometimes.”

  “Well, I think you need to at least watch while Mr. Pettit gives you a lesson in cleaning fish.”

  “Okay, Dad.” When he saw Clay pull out a knife, he asked, “Can I cut the fish up?”

  Clay looked at Michael, who said to his son, “After Mr. Pettit shows you how. Then you can try it, if it’s okay with him.”

  “Well, first of all, since we’re good fishing buddies now and related and all, Adam, why don’t you call me Uncle Clay?”

  “Oh, okay,” Adam said. He pointed at Keith, then Clay. “Uncle Keith and Uncle Clay.”

  ****

  The campers had been asleep for several hours that evening, all except for Michael, who stood watch for Scott Hanson to arrive. After a while, he felt his eyes become heavy. He fought it, but had finally succumbed to a deep slumber when he heard a frantic shout. It took him a few seconds to get his bearings, and then he saw it—a figure ambling from their camp and out of sight.

  “Dad!” Adam called.

  “I’m here,” Michael said, running to where the boy lay. “What happened?”

  Adam grasped his dad’s arm and said, his voice shaky, “I woke up and something was standing right there where you are, looking at me.”

  “What was it?” Keith asked, joining them.

  “I don’t know—it looked like some kind of ape or something.” Adam shuddered. “He was all hairy. All I could see was his eyes.” He grabbed Michael around the neck and held on tightly for a few minutes as Michael eased him onto his lap. “What do you think it was, Dad?” He looked at Keith. “Are there monsters up here? Big Foot, maybe—you know, that monster people see in the forests. It could have been him or an escaped gorilla.”

  By then, Clay was also awake and the three men chuckled.

  Adam looked around before asking, “You saw it, didn’t you, Dad? Do you know what it was?”

  “Yes, I saw him disappear into the brush.”

  “Good God, Michael. What was it—a bear?” Clay asked.

  Michael stared into the darkness. “No, I believe we had a visit from the elusive Scott Hanson.”

  ****

  The following morning as the men ate turkey jerky, granola bars, and dried fruit, Clay asked, “Which way did he go, Michael? I mean, the dude who invaded our camp last night.”

  He pointed. “Up that trail, there.”

  Clay stared in that direction, then asked, “Do you want to hike up that way and see if we can find him?”

  Keith pulled out a map and laid it over a boulder. “I don’t know. Let’s see if we can figure out what to do next.” He pointed. “This is where we are now.” Running a finger across a section of the map, he asked, “You think he went this direction? Let’s see where that leads.”

  Clay frowned. “It appears to circle back around to the area above the Ridgecrest.”

  “I think you’re right, Dad.”

  “Can I see?” Adam asked.

  Keith made room for the boy. “Sure. The lodge where we’re staying is here. And this is where we are now.”

  His eyes wide, Adam said, “Wow! We walked a far ways, huh, Dad?”

  “We sure did,” Michael agreed. “Uncle Keith says the trail we think Scott Hanson took last night could lead him back to a restaurant that’s right about here.” He turned to Keith. “How treacherous is that trail? Is it reasonable that he would use it or would he be more likely to camp right here in this area somewhere?”

  Keith looked at his dad. “As I recall, it’s not a bad trail, just not well-traveled.”

  Clay nodded. “But that was a long time ago when we were coming up here, Son. Things change, you know—even the accessibility of trails because of fallen trees, flooding, slides…”

  “So we don’t actually know anything more than we knew yesterday, right, gang?” Michael asked.

  “Hey, Dad,” Adam said, “can I go see if he took the pictures from the Old Witch Tree?”

  “Okay. I guess so. Take Rags with you. He might like to move around a little this morning.” Michael watched the boy and the cat disappear around a boulder, then asked, “Okay, what will it be—shall we take the same route back, or do you want to follow where we think Scott Hanson went?”

  Keith shook his head. “I think that would be futile. He’s so familiar with these mountains and he’s used to hiding out. I just don’t know how we’d find him unless…”

  “Unless what?” Michael asked.

  “Well, we could hire guides who know this area much better than we do…”

  “Hey Dad, Uncle Keith, look what I found,” Adam called as he returned to their camp with Rags. “He didn’t even take the pictures. These pictures were still there.”

  Keith looked puzzled. “Do you suppose we put them in the wrong spot?”

  “Or Adam frightened him off before he could take them,” Michael suggested.

  “So what are you boys going to do?” Clay asked.

  The brothers looked at each other and Michael said, “I don’t know—leave them there in the tree?”

  Keith stood up. “Wait. Maybe he left something. Adam, did you find anything else in there?”

  He shook his head and looked down at Rags. “No. But I didn
’t really look around ’cause Rags was trying to pull me.”

  Michael squinted toward the cat. “Pull you? Was he interested in something near the tree?”

  “I don’t know,” Adam said. “I was just trying to get him to come with me to show you the pictures.”

  Michael glanced at the others. “Well, let’s take him back down to the tree, shall we? Let’s see if we can figure out what had Rags so interested.”

  “Yup,” Adam said, once he and the others approached the tree with the cat, “that’s where he wanted to go when I brought him here before.”

  “What do you smell, boy?” Keith asked, watching the cat sniff around an area under the tree.

  “I think it’s those pine needles,” Adam said. “Yeah look, he’s trying to dig around in that pile of pine needles.”

  “What’s under there, Rags?” Michael asked, moving some of the needles aside.

  “Probably a lizard or a rat,” Keith suggested.

  Just then Michael exclaimed, “Wait! There is something here.”

  Keith moved closer. “What is it?”

  “Well, it looks like someone buried a pot.” Michael brushed aside the debris and opened it. “It’s provisions,” he announced. “Dried meat and canned food, some dehydrated food, and water.”

  “Oh, that sort of provisions,” Clay said.

  Keith looked around. “Do you think Scott left this stuff here? If so, he’s surely coming back.”

  Clay nodded. “If he lives up here, he probably has provisions buried all over the place.”

  “Could be,” Keith said. “Well, let’s put this stuff back.”

  “Then what?” Michael asked. “I mean, he didn’t take the pictures—why do you suppose that was?”

  Keith shook his head. “You got me. Maybe, as you said, Adam scared him away when he hollered. I say we put the pictures back in the hollow, then pack up and head for home base.”

  “Or…” Michael said, an impish look on his face, “we could take the pictures and make him come to us.”

  Keith grinned. “You mean try to beat him at his own little game?”

  “Why not?”

  ****

  “So how’d it go?” Holly asked when the men returned to the lodge.

  “Yeah, did you see him?” Savannah wanted to know.

  Keith glanced at the others. “Well, sort of, almost, I guess.”

  “What does that mean?” Dorothy asked, chuckling.

  “Adam and Michael saw him.”

  “Yeah, he about scared Adam to death,” Michael said.

  “But he didn’t talk to you?” Savannah asked, her eyes wide.

  “No. He just visited our camp in the middle of the night to… um… I guess stare at Adam. Then he left.”

  “He didn’t even take the pictures,” Adam said. “You know, from the Old Witch Tree. So we brought them back here.”

  Just then Aggie walked into the room with Gladys. Michael and Keith both approached her. “Hi, Aggie,” Keith said, hugging her. He frowned. “How are you doing? I imagine it’s been a rough few weeks for you.”

  She pulled back, took one of Keith’s hands, and squeezed it. “Yes, it has. It’s wonderful to see you boys.” She patted Michael on the cheek and smiled. “…and your lovely families.”

  “We’re glad to see you,” Michael said, hugging her. “How was your trip?”

  Aggie smiled. “Very nice. The travel experience is only as good or as bad as the reason for the trip, don’t you think so?” The brothers glanced at each other, then looked at Aggie expectantly as she continued, “I’ve been very much looking forward to being with you all again.” She took Michael’s arm and looked into his eyes, then Keith’s. “Did you find Scotty?”

  “No,” Keith said. “Well, not so we could communicate with him or anything.”

  Michael winced. “Yeah, we’ve crossed paths with him a time or two, but there seems to be no interest on his part—you know, to talk to us or anything.”

  “How does he look?” she asked hesitantly.

  Keith tightened his lips. “It’s hard to tell.”

  “Yeah, he’s pretty hairy,” Michael explained.

  “Mountain-mannish,” Keith added. “And we only see him in passing and usually it’s dark.”

  Michael agreed. “It isn’t until he’s gone that we realize it must have been him.” He winced. “So no, we haven’t caught up with him. But we’re getting some clues that might help us make contact with him.”

  As they spoke, Adam approached Aggie. “Hi GranGran.”

  “Adam, there you are,” Aggie said smiling. “It’s so good to see you, young man. So you went on the overnighter with your dad and your uncle, did you?”

  “Yeah, it was fun. I caught some fish and we ate them for dinner.”

  “Really?” Savannah said, tousling the boy’s hair. “That was special.”

  “Here, let’s sit down so we can talk,” Michael suggested, leading Aggie to a chair.

  Just then, Dorothy walked up to the elderly woman with Clay at her side. “Aggie, this is my husband, Keith’s father, Clay. Clay, this is Agatha Hanson. It’s her son you went out after yesterday.”

  Clay leaned over and took Aggie’s hand. “So nice to meet you. I’m sorry for your recent loss. I certainly hope the boys can locate your missing son and reunite the family.”

  The elderly woman dabbed at her eyes. “That’s my hope too, Clay. Wonderful to meet you.” She took Dorothy’s hand and looked at her admiringly. “I already told your wife this, but I also want you to know how grateful I am to the both of you for taking in William… ahem… Keith William… and loving him. He tells me that he had a wonderful childhood and that the two of you are devoted parents. Such a blessing.”

  Clay glanced at Keith. “He’s the blessing. It’s been a pure pleasure.” He winked and flashed Aggie a mischievous smile. “… except for the time he…”

  “Oh, Clay,” Dorothy interrupted. “He was a wonderful child and you know it.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “So when do you have to go back, Dad?” Keith asked.

  “In the morning. We thought we’d get on the road after breakfast.” He gazed at Savannah, Holly, and Gladys while patting his stomach. “We are going to have one of those delicious breakfasts you gals make around here, aren’t we?”

  “Absolutely, Dad,” Holly said.

  Just then Cassie ran up to Clay. “Grandpa, come play dominos with us. We have two whole boxes of dominos.”

  Clay’s face lit up. “Really? Yeah, I want to play dominos.” He looked at Adam. “Come on, son, let’s show the girls how it’s done.”

  “Sure,” he said, following Clay into the dining area.

  Aggie smiled after them, then she asked the brothers, “So, do we have a plan?”

  Keith glanced at Michael. “Plan?”

  “For finding my Scotty and bringing him back here.”

  “Well, I have a few ideas,” Keith said.

  “Like what?” Michael asked.

  “I’d like to take the trail behind the Ridgecrest again.” Keith addressed Aggie. “We found a stash this morning that could be Scott’s. I’d like to search for more of those. I think if we can locate them, it’ll give us an idea of where he’s hanging out and where he’s liable to go next.” He looked at Michael. “What do you think?”

  He shrugged. “Could be.

  “What kind of a stash?” Savannah asked.

  “Oh, you know, provisions—food, water…”

  “Why don’t you remove them?” Holly suggested quietly. When the others looked at her, she explained, “Take all but maybe one or two.”

  Michael’s eyes lit up. “Well, that might work, provided we can find more of them.”

  “Yeah, that could be a good strategy,” Keith agreed. “But there’s an awful lot of country out there.”

  “I doubt that he’s using much of it these days,” Michael said. �
�From what I saw of him last night, he’s not moving as agilely as he probably was in his earlier years.”

  Aggie started to choke up and Michael patted her hand, saying, “If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to convince him to return to civilization, where he can get the food and medical treatment he needs.”

  “Do you think he’s ill?” Aggie asked.

  Michael winced. “Well, he can’t be all that healthy living this sort of lifestyle.”

  “Yeah,” Keith said. He shook his head. “But I still can’t get over the amount of terrain he seems to cover in a day.”

  “Can we go with you tomorrow?” Savannah asked.

  Michael smiled. “Getting cabin fever, are you, hon?”

  She grinned. “Maybe a little.”

  “Yeah, I’m up for another hike too,” Holly said. She glanced across the room. “Gladys has plans with the children for tomorrow.”

  Aggie perked up. “Yes, we’re going to make fruit-and-veggie bugs and have a picnic.”

  “Okay, then, you gals be ready to go by eight,” Keith instructed.

  ****

  The two couples, along with Rags, had been traveling the mountain roads for a couple of hours the following morning when Michael said, “That looks like a ranger up ahead. Let’s stop and see if he can tell us anything.”

  “Good idea,” Keith agreed. As he drove closer, he asked, “What’s he doing, directing traffic?”

  “What traffic?” Savannah quipped. “We haven’t seen a car since we made the turn onto this dirt road.”

  “Hi there,” Keith called as he and Michael stepped out of the Jeep.

  “Morning,” the ranger said. “Where are you headed?”

  Keith glanced at his brother and said, “We’re looking for someone.”

  “Are they camping up yonder?” the ranger asked.

  “We’re not sure.”

  “Well, if they are, they won’t be for long. We’re evacuating those we can find and not letting anyone else in. That’s what I’m doing here; keeping people from going into that area.”

  Michael thought for a moment, then asked, “What about that old guy who lives up here somewhere—the one they call the hermit?”