by Patricia Fry
"You said your renter's friend came with cats. Did you see them?"
"Oh, no I guess I didn't, but I did see some cat things, now that I think about it. I was so stunned to see my belongings in my house that I didn't pay much attention to anything else. Yes, there were cat beds and one of those climbing things for cats. No cats, though. They were probably hiding or sleeping or something."
"So what's next, Mom?" Savannah asked. "Where do you go from here?"
"I guess I wait to find out what the detective learns about those two women." She let out a breath. "And we'll continue to search pawn shops and thrift stores and consignment shops for my property. Vannie, do you know how many pawn shops there are in Los Angeles County?"
****
"So you didn't set the traps?" Margaret asked when she called Savannah early Saturday morning. "I came over here to the Randolphs to check them, and Gabby told me you decided not to set them."
"No, we didn't," Savannah said. "I'm sorry, Auntie. I should have called you. Things got hectic last night out there, and I plumb forgot. Gabby and I decided not to set them."
"An executive decision, huh?" Margaret teased. "So what happened?"
"Didn't Gabby tell you?"
"She started to, then her grandmother called her inside for breakfast," Margaret said.
"Well, we found a home for several of the cats."
"What?" Margaret shouted.
"Yes. You know that man who Colbi and I thought shot at us? It was Lawrence Nolan. He was living in that old van above the ranch."
"I saw that in the paper this morning. The article said he was out there waiting to die and he had a bunch of cats with him. Crazy old man," Margaret grumped. She laughed. "So that's where all the cats were coming from?"
"Not all of them. He says he had five, but he took home another five or six, and we gained another six when the big yellow tabby had kittens."
Margaret chuckled. "Gabby told me she was part of the respiratory team. So all of them survived?"
"Yes, thanks to her and Craig."
"Craig?" Margaret asked, disbelieving.
"He didn't want to do it, but we walked him through it and he did fine. I think he was pretty proud of himself." Savannah chuckled. "He asked Bud if they could name one of the kittens after him."
"After Craig?" Margaret clarified.
"Yes."
"Oh, that's funny." Margaret asked, "So what now? Who's left out here, do you know?"
"Let me grab the log." Savannah soon reported, "One pregnant female and one bi-color, it looks like. Hey, I think I saw the bi-color last night, but I haven't seen that Calico in a while, have you?"
"No," Margaret said. "She didn't go with Lawrence?"
"I don't think so. I'm sure I would have remembered her. I wonder if she had her kittens someplace." Savannah said. "It's possible. Why don't you have Gabby look around the washhouse. If you don't find them, maybe the two of you can take the golf cart up to where we found Mr. Nolan. That's where the other pregnant cat was trying to have her kittens. We'll want to check on her and make sure she's found something to eat." She giggled. "Actually, she's probably fine. You know, the reason we weren't catching any of those cats in the traps was because of Mr. Nolan. He was feeding them. Hey, I'll bet she's up there maybe sheltering in the old van. Are you at the ranch now?" Savannah asked.
"Yes," Margaret said. "Gabby and I filled the water bowls and one pan of kibbles. I'm just getting ready to leave. How about I let Gabby look around? I'll go home and help with the morning chores in the cattery. If Gabby doesn't find them, I'll ask about using the cart to search for them. Where is that van?"
"Just follow the road next to the bunkhouse. You'll see it in the brush."
"Okay," Margaret agreed. "So we only have the two cats left, do we? That happened fast."
"It sure did." Savannah heaved a sigh. "I'm just glad we got Lizzie out of there before she made friends with Mr. Nolan."
"Lizzie?" Margaret questioned.
"The little tabby I brought home—the one who climbed into the car with us, remember? You haven't been over to see her."
"You still have her? Vannie, you were supposed to turn her over to Ida. She wanted to foster her. Didn't you get my message?"
"Oh that," Savannah said frivolously. "I'm doing fine fostering her. I like fostering her, in fact. Ida can take the next one who needs fostering. Maybe she'd like Goldie and the new kittens."
"Oh, Vannie," Margaret said. "You're committing the worst fostering sin of all?"
"What?" Savannah asked, defensively.
"You've fallen for that little cutie. You still have her? Isn't she ready for a forever home? She was pretty well socialized when we found her in your car. In fact, she might have belonged to Mr. Nolan." After a moment, Margaret asked, "Vannie, are you there?"
"Even if she does belong to him, I don't think she wants to be with him," Savannah said.
"Now what makes you think that?" Margaret asked.
"She came home with us, didn't she? If she wanted to be with him, she would have stayed in his old van."
Margaret laughed. "Oh boy do you have it bad. What does Rags think about this?"
"What?" Savannah asked.
"You being lovesick over another cat."
"He's fine," Savannah said. "He knows he has a special place in my heart and that Lizzie is my foster cat. She will be going to a forever home."
"Yeah, yeah," Margaret snarked.
"We're not keeping her," Savannah insisted.
"Then why do you still have her?"
"I'm just not ready to let her go," Savannah whimpered. "I don't think she's ready quite yet, either." Quickly changing the subject, she said, "We should be able to catch those last two cats now that Mr. Nolan's no longer feeding them."
"True," Margaret said. "Mission almost accomplished."
"Randy will be happy." Savannah laughed. "I doubt Gabby will be. She'll miss singing to the cats."
"I hear she's leaving soon."
"What?" Savannah shrieked.
"Yes, she told me today. Her dad's coming to get her and she'll go up north to live with him."
"Wow!" Savannah said. "That's a newsflash I didn't expect. Gosh, I'll miss that girl. I think Adam will, too. Her dad? She's going to live with her dad? I didn't know anything about that, especially that she was leaving soon. In fact, she and Adam had plans to do something one day this week. I think Michael was going to take them fishing. Gabby has never been fishing and she wants to try it."
"She's a game little girl," Margaret said.
"Yes. How does she feel about going to live with her dad?" Savannah asked.
"She seems fine with it."
"What happened with her mother?" Savannah asked.
"I guess she wants a lifestyle change. I don't know," Margaret said. "Hey, Gabby has finished breakfast. I'll have her search for the cats. I'm going to head home now."
"Okay. Thanks for the update—on the cats and Gabby. Talk to you soon."
"Trouble at the colony?" Michael asked, walking into the kitchen with Teddy on his shoulders. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh," she said, shaking her head to clear it. "Yeah, that was my aunt. We think there are still two cats at the ranch and one of them could be having kittens as we speak, if she hasn't had them already."
"Another litter, huh?"
"Possibly," Savannah said. "But there's something else."
"What?" Michael asked.
"Lizzie."
"What about her?" he asked. "She isn't sick is she?"
"No," Savannah said. "She's fine. I'm just wondering if she might belong to Mr. Nolan. Do you remember treating her? He said he has brought his cats to you over the years."
Michael frowned and lowered Teddy to the floor. "Not that I recall. Did you ask him about her?"
"No. I didn't think of it. Now that I've thought of it, I'm not sure I want to rock the boat. Michael, he has way too many cats to need this one."
"Savannah," he said
, "you're not thinking about keeping her are you?"
She shook her head. "No. I just don't want her to go to Mr. Nolan where there are so many other cats. I don't think that's her ideal home."
He laughed. "Did she tell you that?
"Not in so many words." She added, her voice pinched, "I just know, Michael."
****
Later that afternoon after the couple had put the children down for naps, Michael took Savannah's hand. "Come sit with me. Want a glass of iced tea or something?"
She looked around. "Where's Adam?"
"Oh, he's in the office using Zoom or something like that with Simon. They evidently like to chat on Saturday mornings. So want tea?" M/p>
"I guess," she said.
He grinned. "Don't get so excited, there. You might strain something." When he returned from the kitchen with the tea, he placed the glasses on the coffee table, sat down, and pulled her to him, "Hey, you're brooding. What is it, hon? Are you worried about your mother? I'm sure Karl's taking care of her."
"Yes, actually," Savannah said. "She is heavy on my mind, but no, it's someone else I'm thinking about today."
"Who?" he asked.
"Gabby. She's leaving, Michael. My aunt said she's going to live with her father."
"Is that a bad thing?" he asked.
She shook her head. "I don't think so. It's probably a good thing for Gabby, from what I know about her family. I knew she'd be leaving, I just didn't expect it to happen so soon." When she felt something bump against her leg, she looked down and found herself staring into Lizzie's eyes. "Hi, precious. What are you looking at?" she asked, picking her up. "You're such a darling, and you always seem to be close when I need a little cheering up. I love that about you. You know when I could use a sweet kitty hug." She snuggled with Lizzie and whispered, "I just love you."
"Michael put his arms around her and looked into Lizzie's face. "Who's comforting who?" he asked.
"Maybe a little of both," she said, kissing Lizzie's head before releasing her. The kitten ran at high speed after a reflection that moved across the floor, and Savannah and Michael laughed.
He said, "You know if we were going to bring in another cat..." He pulled back from her and said sternly, "…which we're not…"
"I know," she said. "Lizzie's a wonderful cat. I've fallen head over heels for her. Mom loves her, the kids get along great with her, and even you find her entertaining and cute, but…"
"But?" he repeated.
"No, we're not going to keep her." She grinned and choked up a little. "I have a plan for her. A plan I dearly hope will work out."
"Oh?" he said. "I'm intrigued."
She looked into his eyes. "Let me think more about it before I commit it to words. Okay with you?"
"Sure. He kissed her, then stood up and said, "I want to work on the kids' swing set this afternoon. Maybe I'll have it finished before they wake up."
"So are you taking the kids fishing tomorrow?" she asked, before he walked away. "Gabby's sure looking forward to it."
"I'm glad," he said. "So is Adam. Those two kids really hit it off, didn't they?" He grinned. "Do you think it's a crush?"
Savannah shrugged. "No. I think they're just two neat kids who share some of the same interests and like hanging out together."
"Hey," he said, "why don't we make our fishing trip a family affair? We can take a picnic lunch, and find a nice spot where there's room for Teddy to play. I'll bet Lily's ready to try fishing. Remember I bought her that little pole last year? She's never shown an interest in using it, but if she sees Adam and Gabby…"
Savannah smiled. "I'll bet she will want to fish if they are. Yes, we could go with you, if you're sure we wouldn't jinx you or interfere…"
He laughed. "Jinx us? Heck no, having women along usually brings fishermen luck, or so I've heard."
"Okay then, I'll be your rabbit's foot or four-leaf clover or horseshoe…"
Michael laughed, finished the last of his tea, and craned to look down the hallway. "Would you send Adam out when he's finished talking to Simon?" he asked. "He wanted to help me with the swing set."
She nodded. "Then I think I'll read for a while. I'm kind of tired today."
Chapter Seven
"Are you excited to go fishing, punkin?" Michael asked over dinner in their large farm kitchen that night.
Lily nodded. "With Gabby and Adam?"
"Yes," Michael said. "You can use your own fishing pole. We'll take a picnic lunch. It will be fun."
"What time are we going?" Adam asked.
"When everyone's up and ready," Michael said.
"What time do you want me to get up?" Adam asked.
"Whenever you want to."
Adam frowned. "Usually I know what time everything's going to happen."
Michael chuckled. "Yes, that's for when just us guys go fishing. We play by different rules when we have girls along."
Adam looked at Savannah and nodded knowingly.
When Savannah's phone rang, she reached for it and checked the screen, saying to Michael, "It's Mom, I'm going to take it. Hi, Mom," she said, walking into the dining room. "How are you? Is everything going okay?"
"Well, yes and no," Gladys said, letting out a breath.
"Oh, Mom, you sound tired. Are you all right?"
"Yes, for the most part. I am tired. It's been a trying few days." Her voice accelerated when she said, "We found some of my things—you know, things that were missing from the storage unit."
"Where?" Savannah asked. "What things?"
"Some of the smaller pieces of art—a couple of hand-painted vases that your great-aunt Violet was supposed to have painted, but I'm not sure that's true. Anyway, we found those and a chair. I love that chair. Well, most of what was in the storage unit were things that I loved too much to leave in the house when I rented it or to part with."
"Where did you find it?"
"At a pawn shop. One of them had several of my things, but we're not finished. We still have more shops to visit. It's a process because I don't actually know everything I'm looking for. I made a list of what I can remember. Some of the things we found are not on my list, but I asked Rose and Maggie to send me pictures they have of the things that were in Mom's and Dad's house. That has helped with the identification." M/p>
"So you got them back?" Savannah asked.
"No. It's not that easy. I have to somehow prove they're mine—you know, with pictures or an identifying mark or something. Then the police will take them into custody while they further their investigation. Best case scenario would be if we find the woman who stole them and hawked them and she confesses. Then I get my things back and she goes to jail and I don't know how the shop owner gets his money."
"Well, it does sound as though you're making progress. That's good."
"I saw the cats today," Gladys said.
"Cats?"
"At my rental. I wanted to take another look at the things MaryEllen said her friend gave her along with the things she brought into the house. Vannie, that woman—MaryEllen's friend—decorated the room she's staying in with some of my things. Can you imagine that?" More quietly, she said, "Unless it was MaryEllen who did the thievery and the decorating. Oh, Vannie, I don't know what to believe or who to believe. But I can tell you it was brutal watching the police grill poor MaryEllen. She convinced them that she's innocent and I'm leaning in that direction, too. Now they're trying to find her friend—you know, Amanda, the gal who has moved in with her."
"You haven't met her, yet?"
"No, but as I said, I saw the cats. Two matching white cats of some special breed. I don't know what. However…"
"However?" Savannah questioned.
"Well, one of the police officers—a woman—was suspicious about them. She's into cats and evidently a call came in about a pair of cats fitting their description being stolen recently."
"Good grief," Savannah said. "That's odd—your stolen things showing up at your rental and now possibly stolen
cats? Yeah, you need to find your renter's housemate. Does MaryEllen, suspect that her friend could be involved in all that?"
"I don't know. They're going to check for some of those pieces of rice in the cats to find out if they're the ones that were stolen."
"Rice?" Savannah said. "Oh, you mean a chip." She laughed. "Yes, it is like a piece of rice."
"So when are you coming home? The kids keep asking me. They sure miss you."
"Awww, how precious. I miss them too and my sweet life in your home. We have more pawn shops to go through. I really, really want to find that doll and her clothes. Today Karl and I heard of a secondhand store where they take children's things on consignment. We only learned about it late today, so we'll visit there first thing in the morning."
"Great," Savannah said. "I hope you find the doll. I know it means a lot to you."
"Yes, it does. I just think it would be fun for Lily to have your doll and especially the clothes, but don't get your hopes up, Vannie. It's quite likely that we're on the wrong track. I've resigned myself to the fact that some of my stuff may be gone forever. Anyway, I'll probably fly home Monday or Tuesday. I don't think they need me here any longer. I've provided everything I can as far as I know. How's everything there?"
"Great!" Savannah said. "We're going fishing tomorrow. Adam and Gabby will be with us. We're all looking forward to that."
"How's Lizzie?" Gladys asked quietly. "I miss her, too. She's the sweetest thing."
"She's fantastic! Yes, we're really enjoying her while we can."
"You mean you're not going to keep her?"
"No. That decision has been made, but we'll definitely make sure she goes to the best possible forever home." Savannah interrupted herself. "Oh, Mom, Auntie's on the phone. I'd better talk to her. She and Gabby were going on a special mission today and she's probably calling with a report. I'll talk to you soon. Stay safe."
"You too, honey," Gladys said.
"Hi, Auntie. I expected to hear from you earlier."
"Well, we're just getting back. That ride in the golf cart is brutal. I let Gabby drive it and I walked part of the way up and back."
"I'll bet she enjoyed that," Savannah said.
"Oh yes," Margaret said, laughing. "What a kid. She's fun to hang out with."
