by Patricia Fry
Savannah shook her head. "Then who in the heck were we chasing up the hill? Are there two like that one?"
"I think there are," Gabby said. "I've wondered that myself, or else she knows how to—what's it called—wish herself from one place to another."
"Levitate?" Colbi said, laughing. She asked Savannah, "Shall we try it?"
"Let's do," Savannah agreed.
With Gabby and Randy looking on, the two women managed to catch the little cat and wrangle her into the carrier.
"Whew!" Colbi said. "She's feisty."
Savannah held up the carrier and peered into it. "She sure is. And we caught the right one. Hi, sweetie," she crooned. "See there on her neck where the fur's matted. When she turns her head you can see she has an open sore there. An abscess, no doubt."
"Poor kitty," Gabby said, moving closer. She whispered, "It'll be okay. You'll be okay."
Savannah smiled at the girl. "The cat whisperer."
"Huh?" Gabby said.
"You're the cat whisperer," Savannah repeated. To Randy, she said, "Anyway, Mr. Randolph, there seems to be someone living up above there and I think he's the reason why we can't entice these cats into the traps. It appears that he's feeding them. We need to see if we can talk him out of doing that so we can get these cats the help they need. We'd like to transport the pregnant females to a safe place before they have their litters, and we need to get the males taken care of before they impregnate any more females."
"How do you expect to talk to a man who has a gun?" Randy asked.
Savannah grinned. "Or pretends to have a gun."
"I heard the pop," Colbi insisted.
"But was it actually a gun shot?" Savannah challenged.
Colbi stared at her. "You want to take that chance?"
Savannah shrugged, then suggested, "Maybe Craig will help us with that."
"Craig on cat duty?" Colbi snarked.
"Why not?" Savannah asked. "He's always eager to work with Rags. Why wouldn't he help us with these cats? Besides, that guy could be a fugitive…"
"Or a hunter or a crazy," Colbi added.
Savannah grinned at her. "Well, we've accomplished something out here today. Let's take this little one to see Michael, then it'll be time for me to pick up the kids."
"Do you need me to play with them while you write today?" Gabby asked.
Randy chuckled and put his arm around the girl. "Getting bored around here, are you?"
"Sure," Savannah said, "if you'd like to help me out, I'm always happy to have you. I'm picking up my stepson, Adam, in a few minutes. Okay if he hangs out with you?"
"They've moved already?" Colbi asked.
"Yes. Escrow closed earlier than they expected, so they moved in last weekend." She asked, Gabby. "So, what do you think?"
"Oh, well…" Gabby stalled. She tilted her head. "Does he like to play with the kids?"
Savannah nodded and said, "Yes, and he loves the animals. He hasn't met Lizzie yet, but I'm sure he'll enjoy getting to know her. He also likes spending time with the horses."
"Then yes, I'd like to meet Adam. He sounds like my kind of buddy."
Everyone laughed.
"Well, get your stuff and you can ride with me."
"I'll hurry," Gabby said, running back toward the ranch house.
****
"You two haven't stopped talking since we picked up Adam," Savannah said, smiling into the rearview mirror at the children.
"Are we bothering you?" Gabby asked innocently.
"Absolutely not," Savannah said. "I love that you have so much in common and are having such good conversations. Keep it up."
"Where are we going now?" Adam asked. "To pick up Lily and Teddy from school?"
"Not quite yet," Savannah said. "We need to take that cat to see your dad."
"Can I go in?" Adam asked.
"Sure, both of you can." She parked the car. "Come on."
"I'll carry the cat," Adam offered. He looked inside the carrier. "She's scared. Savannah, can I put that blanket over the cage so she isn't so scared?"
"Good idea," Savannah said.
They'd just stepped inside the lobby when Adam caught a glimpse of Michael walking across the hallway. "Hi, Dad!" he called.
Michael stopped. He smiled broadly, took his usual long strides into the reception lobby, and hugged Adam. "Hi, Son. What are you doing here?"
"Helping Savannah and Gabby with this cat. She's wild and hurt."
Michael peered into the carrier, and Savannah said, "I think it's an abscess. Looks like it's been draining."
He winced. "Good that you caught her."
"And she got shot at!" Gabby said.
"The cat?" Michael asked.
"No," Gabby said, "Savannah."
"I don't think he really had a gun," Savannah said.
Michael scowled, "Well, you'll have to tell me about that later. Are you going home now where you'll be safe?"
She nodded. "Just wanted to drop this little one off. Gabby and Adam are going to entertain the kids while I work this afternoon."
"Cool," he said. "Aren't they going to be napping?"
"Adam and Gabby?" Savannah asked.
"No, Lily and Teddy," he explained.
"Yes, but I'm sure these guys will find something to do until the kidlets wake up."
"Yeah, Dad," Adam said, "Gabby never fed a horse a carrot before or taken a cat for a walk. I have a lot to teach her."
When Michael looked at Gabby she said quietly, "And vice versa."
"Oh?" Michael urged.
"He's never done a cartwheel or baked a cake or…"
Michael winked at her, took the carrier from Adam, and waved as he walked back down the hallway.
****
"Hi, Craig," Savannah said into the phone after she and the four children had finished lunch and the small kids had gone down for their naps. "Busy?"
"I'm always busy," he said. "What's up? Is this about your mother down in LA with that weird case related to her storage unit?"
"You've talked to Mom?" Savannah asked.
"Yes, she called for advice. You gals can sure find yourselves in some sticky messes, can't you? Does it run in the family? Actually, I thought it was just you and your aunt and, let's not forget your cousin Jake, who's in my jail as we speak, but your demure, more sensible mother…?"
Savannah chuckled, then asked, "Were you able to give her some advice?"
"Sure," Craig said. "I told her to stay out of the cops' way and let them handle things."
"Well, thank you for that," Savannah said. "What's she been doing?"
"Nothing yet. So what's your complaint this afternoon?" he asked.
"My complaint? Well, Craig this morning, Colbi and I found a man apparently living in a broken down van above or maybe on the Randolph property. I think he's feeding the cats we're trying to catch."
"Well, that's nice of him. What's wrong with that?" Craig asked.
"We need him not to do that so we can trap them and get them help," Savannah explained.
"And you want me to go have a talk with him? Come on, Savannah, we don't get involved in playground drama. You'll have to handle that yourself."
"But, Craig, he yelled at us, threatened to shoot us, and maybe actually shot at us."
"Maybe he shot at you?" Craig questioned suspiciously.
"Yeah. Colbi and I heard a pop sound, but we're not sure it was a gun shot. Could have been. Anyway, I wondered if you would check on the guy and find out what his story is."
"You want to write about him?" he asked.
"No," she insisted. "I think he might need help or maybe a reprimand if he's trespassing and bothering the cats or harming them. That's the story I want."
"And you think I can help how?" he asked.
"Go up there and talk to him," Savannah said.
"In my spare time?"
"I don't care, Craig," she complained.
After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Want to take a ride with
me later?"
"Where?" she asked.
"To check on that guy, of course," he cranked. "Where've you been, Savannah?"
"You want me to go with you?" she asked.
"And your cat, maybe," he said. "Can you drive up to where you saw the guy?"
"We never did see him," she said. "We just heard him yelling at us from the bushes. He sounds mean and big."
"So, can you drive up there to where he is?" Craig asked again.
"I think so, maybe in that golf cart, if Randy will let us use it," she suggested. "I wouldn't want to take my car up that narrow, rutted, road. Also, Mom's in LA as you know, so I won't be free until Michael gets home. Can we go up around four thirty? I can set the traps then, too, although I wonder what the point is, we're not catching any of the cats," she grumbled.
Craig chuckled. "So the cats aren't taking your bait, huh? Iris said you girls were having trouble with that project."
"How does she know?" Savannah asked. "I haven't even had time to call her or anything."
"I guess from Colbi. What's the problem, do you think?"
"Usually when that happens it's because someone else is feeding the cats," Savannah explained. "In this case, as I said, it could be that man. There were cats around the van that we think is his."
After hesitating, Craig let out a sigh. "Okay, we'll go out there and see what his story is, but I'm not doing this so you can catch those cats. I'm doing it because the guy could be a vagrant camping out on private property and that's not good. I'll pick you up at four thirty."
"I'll be ready."
****
"Thank you for giving me a ride home," Gabby said from the backseat of Craig's car, just after four thirty that afternoon.
Craig glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "You're welcome, young lady. So you've been hanging out with Adam today?"
She nodded. "And helping Savannah with the kids and the cats."
Craig chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sure she needs help with the cats. There are a slew of them."
Savannah grinned at him, then said, "Gabby and Adam even helped me make a stew."
"All we did was pick the vegetables and cut them up," Gabby said. "That's another thing I've never done before—pick carrots out of the ground and tomatoes off of a bush. Thanks for letting me bring some home."
"Sure," Savannah said.
"How'd you get along with Adam?" Craig asked.
"He's cool," Gabby said. "I like him. If he was in my school, I'd probably want to hang out with him-eat lunch together, work on science projects, and stuff."
Craig smiled.
"Can I go up on the hill with you guys?" Gabby asked.
Savannah glanced at Craig and said, "I don't think so, honey. We don't know what that man's going to do."
"Who's going to protect Rags? He's going with you, right?" Gabby asked, petting him.
"Yes," Savannah said. She grinned. "The detective will protect him, won't you Craig?"
"You're a detective?" Gabby asked. "Oh, well, maybe I shouldn't go with you. I already have enough to write about in my journal today."
Savannah smiled. "You journal, do you?"
"Almost every day," she said. "I'm running out of pages since I've been here, probably because of all the pictures I've drawn of you guys and Lizzie."
"You're a multi-talented young lady, aren't you?" Savannah said.
Gabby rolled her eyes. "I don't know about talent, but I do like writing and drawing…"
"…and singing, and cats, and science…" Savannah added.
Gabby nodded. "Maybe not exactly in that order." She asked, "When will you be back?" M/p>
"When we finish our job," Craig said. "It could take minutes or hours. We won't know until we get up there."
"Okay, then," Gabby said, "I'll do my writing on the porch and watch for you to come back. Then I can help you set the traps."
Chapter Six
"I don't know if this golf cart was such a good idea," Savannah said a little while later.
"Why?" Craig asked.
"There are no seatbelts and it's really bouncy. I keep feeling like I'm going to bounce right out of here."
"Just hold onto the cat and to that side-rail there. You'll be fine."
She winced and tried her best to do as Craig suggested. A few minutes later she pointed. "There's the van." She said more quietly, "And some of the cats."
"Stay here," Craig said, turning off the key. He edged out of the golf cart and looked around, finally calling out, "Hello! Anyone here?" When no one answered, he called again. "Hello. I know you're here. I want to talk to you."
"About what?" came a muffled voice. "There's nothing you can say to me that I want to hear. So you might as well go away."
Craig faced the van and replied, "How do you know that? What if I came to tell you that you've won the lottery and all your troubles are over?" When there was no response, Craig said, "Sir, I'd appreciate it if you'd come out where I can see you."
"Why?" the man asked.
"I just want to check with you—you know, find out if you…" he glanced around the area, "…or the cats need anything."
"Like what?"
"Oh, a meal, maybe, or blankets." Craig said. He looked the van over and added, "A roof over your head and a comfortable bed."
"Why would you care?" the man asked.
Instead of answering, Craig moved closer to the vehicle and attempted to look inside. "May I come in?" he asked.
"No!" the man shouted. "No! Go away or I'll shoot!"
"If you want solitude in nature, shooting me would sure end that dream," Craig asserted.
"I no longer have any dreams," the man said. "My dreams have been taken from me."
"Oh," Craig said sympathetically, "that doesn't sound good. Maybe we can help. How about letting me talk to you for a minute face-to-face?"
Before the man could respond, Craig yanked open the passenger door to the van and stopped in his tracks. There sat an elderly man, slight in stature, his face deeply wrinkled. He was petting a large grey cat in his lap.
Stunned, Craig said, "Mr. Nolan? Lawrence Nolan?"
"Okay, who sent you?" the man cranked. "Did Lindy put you on my trail? How did she know?"
"You know him?" Savannah hissed, walking closer with Rags.
"Just that he's been reported missing and his whole family is out there putting up posters and hiring people to find him."
"Why?" the man asked. "Are they after my money? Yeah, that's what I don't want to see, the scavengers hovering over my ailing body hoping to get their hands on my money. No sir. If I'm going to die, I'll do it my way. I've already made out my will. Those greedy nephews of mine will find out soon enough who does and who doesn't get a piece of what I built over my lifetime."
"But Mr. Nolan…" Craig said.
The man raised his voice. "And I can tell you that some of it's going to the cats whether my heirs like it or not."
Craig tried to get his attention again. "Mr. Nolan, they aren't looking for you because of your money."
"Bet me," the man grumbled.
"Your family wants you to come home, sir," Craig said. "They found out about your diagnosis and all they want is to take care of you. Your wife and daughters are going crazy with worry—and your grandchildren. Lindy's one of your grandchildren, right? Mr. Nolan, how about if we reunite you with your family?"
"No!" he said. "I don't want them to see me like this. I won't have it. I'll die my way, up here with my cats."
Craig grinned. "I have news for you, Mr. Nolan. You aren't at death's door. The test results came back negative. The docs believe you have another ten years in you at least."
"What?" The man stared hard at Craig, finally saying, "You're making that up. I don't believe you. I have all the symptoms."
"That may be true, sir, but you don't have the disease." Craig swallowed hard and explained, "Oh, you're not a completely well man, I guess. You have some issues, but it's not terminal."
The man sq
uinted at Craig. "Who are you, anyway? Why do you have this information? Did my family hire you?" He frowned. "And how did you find me up here?" He shook his head. "Oh, I get it, you used helicopters. I saw one fly over a couple of days ago."
Craig chuckled. "No, sir, I'm afraid it was the cats who led us here. By the way, I'm Craig Sledge, Detective with the Hammond Sheriff's Department."
"Well, I've never had anyone from the sheriff's department lie to me before. I guess there's no reason for you to start now. So my family wants me home, do they?"
"Desperately," Craig said. "Come on, let's figure out how to get you back down to civilization." He looked around. "How are you getting food up here, anyway? You weren't riding that bike to town, were you?"
"Oh no," he said. He motioned toward the back of the van. "I loaded up real good with food for me and for my cats. I figured I only had a week."
"How long have you been up here?" Savannah asked quietly.
He looked at her and at Rags, who was in her arms. "Is that one of my cats? What are you doing with him all strapped up like that? I don't do that to my cats. They want to run free."
"This is my cat," Savannah said. "Did you bring those cats up here with you?"
"Some of them. I don't know where the others came from." He looked at her more closely, "Hey, weren't you up here a few days ago."
"Yes, you shot at us," she complained.
"No I didn't," he said. "I just pretended to shoot at you. Didn't want to be bothered."
"So how many cats are yours?" Craig asked. "Maybe I'd better get a van up here. Are all of your cats here with you now?"
Lawrence Nolan looked in the back of the van. "I think so. Five of them are mine. Let's see, there's Peanut; Rowdy, he's the tiger-striped boy there; Gisele…" He looked at Savannah and Craig. "Do you remember Gisele MacKenzie? Well, this pretty lady sings a lot, so I named her after my favorite singer."
He pointed. "That regal gal is Maude, and this lap cat is Smokey. They go exploring in the morning, but they come back here to nap. Sometimes they bring friends." He pointed to a couple of cats that were lounging in the shrubbery nearby. "That black one and the tiger over there aren't mine, but I'll take them if no one's caring for them."
"We'll have to talk about that," Savannah said. "We're in the process of rescuing the feral cats in this area, but we've run into some problems." More sternly she said, "Number one is that you're feeding them, so they won't go into the traps."
