In fact, I was tilting my head back and forth and moving my ears so much that I started to get dizzy.
Really dizzy.
All at once it seemed like the podium was spinning beneath my feet. For some reason, I couldn’t seem to make my eyes focus.
That’s when I felt myself falling, falling, falling.
Right into the arms of the judge.
And just as he grabbed me in his arms, he lifted me up and stretched me out. Everyone clapped again like crazy.
Funny, but they must have thought I fell into the judge’s arms on purpose. Like it was an act, or something.
I was amazed when the people kept on applauding while the judge took me to my cage. I could hear Gracie cheering in the background.
The judge put me inside my cage, and I managed to stay upright until he’d moved on to the next cat. And believe me, it wasn’t easy staying on my feet right at that moment. That’s because it sure felt like the floor was moving around me.
Finally, I gave up and flopped onto my side.
Amelia piped up. “Buckley, you were wonderful! I think you were the best cat ever! How did you know to put on such a show? Did Lil teach you to do all that?”
I watched while the cage kept on spinning around and around. For some reason, I still couldn’t focus my eyes.
“Some of it. The rest I just made up as I went along,” I managed to squeak out. So how do you know Lil?”
Amelia shrugged. “Everyone’s heard about Lil, I’m sure.”
I put my head down and closed my eyes. “They have?”
“I think Lil was pretty well known around St. Gertrude,” she said. “But she wasn’t famous all over the world like the Princess. By the way, how are you going to save her?”
I took a deep breath. “Bogey and I are working on a plan.”
That’s when it hit me. I realized how I could cheer up Amelia. And help save the Princess at the same time!
I opened my eyes and looked at her. My dizziness was starting to go away.
“Hey,” I told her. “We might need your help in our rescue operation. Especially since your cage is so close to hers. If we need to, can we hide behind your curtain?”
She stood up straight and tall. “Why, uh, yes, Buckley . . . I would be honored. You can hide in the curtain. Or, I can let you into my cage. The zipper is broken and my Mom’s been keeping it together with scotch tape. I could open my cage door in a heartbeat.”
I stood up, too, and took a deep breath. “That would be great, Amelia. I’ll tell Bogey and we’ll see what we come up with.”
Thankfully, Amelia was acting like herself again. I guess my plan to cheer her up must have worked.
“Wow,” she breathed. “I never thought I’d get to help with a rescue.”
Before I could say another word, the judge started to announce the winners. I was a little sad when he put the Third Place ribbon on Amelia’s cage. I’d really hoped she’d get a red or a blue this time, so she could go on to the next round.
But I didn’t want her to feel bad.
So I just said, “Good job, Amelia! Two ribbons in one day. Most cats don’t even get one.”
She smiled at me. “Thanks, Buckley. That’s very sweet of you to say.”
She had barely gotten the words out when the judge walked over to the cage of the tiger-striped kitten.
“The Second Place ribbon goes to Spot!” he announced. He hung a red ribbon on the side of the cage and looked back at the audience. Spot immediately started to bat at the ribbon with his paw.
The judge laughed and looked back to the audience. “Don’t forget,” he said, “the First and Second Place winners will compete in Round Three.”
Then he turned and started walking toward my cage. “And now it’s time to announce the blue ribbon winner of this round.”
Holy Catnip!
For some reason, my heart started to pound really loud, and I suddenly had a hard time breathing. All I could do was watch as the judge came closer and closer to my cage.
He was just steps away when he stopped and smiled at me. “You’re quite a cat, Buckley.”
Then he turned to face the crowd once more. He raised his arms into the air and said, “The winner of the blue ribbon for Round Two is Buckley!”
That’s when I got dizzy all over again. My cage started to spin and my legs felt like mush. I fell onto my side and then rolled over onto my back.
The whole time I could hear Amelia and Gracie and my Mom cheering while everyone clapped. Was it true? Did I, Buckley Bergdorf, cat detective, really win two blue ribbons? I could hardly believe it. I felt like I was right smack dab in the middle of a dream.
Amelia meowed her congratulations just seconds before her Mom grabbed her from her cage and hugged her.
I barely had time to wave good-bye before my own Mom and Gracie showed up. Gracie was still squealing and jumping up and down. I only hoped she wasn’t going to pick me up and start spinning around again. Because I was already dizzy enough.
Luckily, it was my Mom who picked me up this time. I noticed she was hugging me extra tight and I was happy just to lean into her neck and close my eyes. After all, I had been through a lot today. Especially for a rookie. And especially for a cat who was just two years old.
I’m not sure, but I think I may have dozed off for a second or two while my Mom carried me back to our cage.
But it was kind of hard to sleep, since Gracie skipped along behind us and waved my new blue ribbon the whole way. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile so big. She must have shown everyone my ribbon as we walked by. And every time she did, she also pointed right at me.
To tell you the truth, all that attention kind of embarrassed me. But then again, I really liked that my family was so proud of me.
My Mom gave me a kiss before she put me back into my cage. Bogey was sitting near the back and he’d pulled the rear curtain up. The cat in the cage behind us had done the same thing. It looked like he and Bogey had been chatting.
But I knew that Bogey was probably still on the case. Just like he always was.
While Gracie hung my second blue ribbon on our cage, Bogey motioned for me to join him.
“Come on over here, kid,” he said. “I’d like you to meet our neighbor, Ranger. Ranger, this is my associate, Buckley.”
Ranger was a light beige cat with pale blue eyes. But the interesting thing was, he had dark brown hair on his face, tail and ears.
“Glad to know you,” he said with a nod of his head.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” I said.
I laid down on my belly and stretched my arms out in front of me. As much as I wanted to chat with our new neighbor, it seemed like a nice, long catnap might be in order instead.
Bogey offered me a cat treat. “Way to go, kid. Looks like you won another ribbon.”
“Uh-huh,” I told him. “I think I’ve got this routine down pat.”
“Congratulations,” Ranger told me. “So far I’ve only gotten a red ribbon. But to tell you the truth, I’d rather be home chasing bunnies in my garden.”
Even though I was dying to sleep at that moment, I figured I’d better be polite to our neighbor. After all, it would be rude not to take part in the conversation.
I forced my eyes back open and looked at him. “But how come you’re here if you’d rather be home?”
Ranger moaned. “My Mom made me come to this. Some crazy friend of hers talked her into entering me in this show. My Mom’s friend said I’d be a shoe-in to win.”
Bogey grinned and looked down at me. “That lady was right. Because he won Second Place so far.”
By now, my eyes were getting heavier and heavier. I could hardly keep them open.
“Very nice,” I said to Ranger. “Second Place is good.”
Bogey waved a paw in front of my face. “But guess what category Ranger is in.”
I tried hard to concentrate, but my mind was getting hazy. “I give up. What category is he in?”
Ranger moaned again. “I’m a Tonkinese. I got put into the Purebred and Pedigreed group.”
Suddenly my eyes flew open wide. “Did you say Purebred and Pedigreed?”
Ranger sighed. “Embarrassing, isn’t it? A guy like me in such a hoity-toity category?”
“But . . . but . . . but . . . that means . . .” For some reason, I was having trouble forming words.
Bogey threw us both another cat treat. “Yup, you got it, kid. Our new friend here is in the same category as the Princess.”
I looked at Ranger wide-eyed. “That means she got First Place and you got Second. You’ll both be in the next round together.”
Bogey grinned. “That’s right, kid.”
Suddenly I was wide awake.
Holy mackerel!
CHAPTER 9
Holy catnip! Even though I was still tired, I wasn’t about to go to sleep now! Not after what I’d just found out about our new friend, Ranger.
While Gracie and our Mom chatted with the other pet parents in our row, Bogey and I told Ranger about our mission to save the Princess. Then I filled Bogey and Ranger in on my talk with Amelia and how she was willing to help us.
Ranger grinned. “Well, I never would have figured you guys for being cat detectives. Sounds like a great business to be in. I’m an adventurer myself. So I guess I can understand a little about rescue operations.”
My ears perked up. “An adventurer?”
Ranger lolled onto his side. “Oh, yeah. I’ve been everywhere. Traveled all over the country. I’ve hiked in the mountains and kayaked a lake or two. I’ve rubbed noses with an elk and even escaped a big, mean mama owl once.”
Right about then, I’m sure my eyes went pretty wide. “Wow, you’ve done some really cool stuff!”
Bogey handed us both another cat treat. “So, I’ll bet you wouldn’t mind if we asked you to help out with the rescue.”
Now Ranger sat up again. “Are you kidding? I’d love it! It would sure make this boring old cat show worth my time.”
“Great!” Bogey and I both said at the same time.
Ranger looked from me to Bogey. “Just let me in on the plan and I’ll do my part. Especially if that little Princess is being abused. I’ve got a left hook to the backside that’s guaranteed to make any human yowl. Even more when I put my claws into it.”
Bogey grinned again. “That’s a trick I’m sure will come in handy.”
“Uh-huh,” I agreed. “I wouldn’t mind seeing that Count get a taste of his own medicine.”
I turned to Bogey. “Um . . . so, I guess we’d better come up with a plan, huh?”
Bogey nodded. “Don’t sweat it kid. I’m way ahead of you. I’ve already got this one figured out.”
To tell you the truth, I was glad to hear it. Because, being a rookie, I sure didn’t have a lot of experience when it came to things like thinking up a plan. In fact, I didn’t really have any experience at all. And since this case was such an important one — and the Princess’ safety was at stake — I figured making plans was best left up to the experts.
Bogey pulled out the cat show program and opened the pages to the schedule. “Take a look at this. The next round for the Purebred and Pedigreed Competition is at the same time as the Agility Competition.”
I glanced at the schedule. For once, I realized exactly what Bogey was getting at. Was it possible I was starting to leave my rookie status behind?
I sat up nice and tall. “That means you and the Princess and Ranger will all be out of your cages to be taken to your events.”
“Aaahh . . . ” Ranger nodded. Apparently he’d caught on, too.
He looked at me and then at Bogey. “So we can get free to save the Princess.”
Bogey nodded. “You got it. And we make our move when we’re all on the way back.”
I raised my paw to ask a question. “But what if Gracie won’t take me with her to the Agility Competition again. You know, since I escaped last time?”
Bogey looked at me. “I know it’s tough, kid, but I want you to stay here this time. And when our Mom takes me out of the cage, I want you to stick a cat toy right in the spot where the zippers come together. So she can’t close the zippers all the way.”
“Um, okay,” I said. “Any special reason why?”
He flexed his claws and examined them closer. “Remember when we wiggled the zipper open and pulled the program in?”
“Oh, right,” I said. “So I’ll bet you want me to open the cage like we did before.”
Holy Catnip! Was I really catching on to this whole cat detective business?
Bogey gave me a quick wave of his paw. “That’s the stuff, kid. Then I want you to get out and run over to Amelia’s cage. Hide in there until you see the Princess come back from her competition.”
I smiled at that idea. I figured Amelia was going to be pretty surprised when she saw me again. But I also knew she’d be pretty excited to help with the rescue.
Now Bogey passed us each another cat treat.
“I can hardly wait to hear my part,” Ranger said. “I’m glad I met up with you guys.”
“Us, too!” I told Ranger as we watched Bogey pour the rest of the treats onto the floor.
“It’s like this,” Bogey told us. “Here’s our cages.”
He put two treats side by side to represent our cage and Ranger’s cage. Then he put another treat up and to the right.
He looked from me to Ranger. “This represents the Agility area.”
“Looks about right,” Ranger said. Then he pointed to an area on the other side of our cages. “Right about there is where the Purebred and Pedigreed Competition Stage is.”
Bogey put a treat there, too.
And I pointed to a spot between our cages and the Agility area. “That’s where the Princess’ cage is.”
Bogey placed a cat treat where I showed him. Then he put another one in place when I pointed out the location of Amelia’s cage.
Ranger gave us both a nod. “Excellent map. Reminds me of something I once saw on a camping expedition in the Rockies.”
Now Bogey motioned for us to move in closer, so no other cats could overhear us. “Here’s the plan. Ranger, you wiggle away from your Mom when she brings you back from the competition. Then sneak over to the Princess’ cage and hide under the table beneath her cage. And wait for my signal.”
Ranger grinned. “Sounds good. You can count on me.”
Bogey pointed at the Agility area. “Then I’ll get away from my Mom when she brings me back from my competition. I’ll meet you under the table.”
Now Bogey looked at me. “Here comes the important part, kid.”
I gulped. “Important part?”
Bogey sat up and looked me straight in the eyes. “Yup, kid. This is your chance to shine. You’ve got to jump out of Amelia’s cage and call to the Princess. Then you’ve got to convince her to jump off her pillow and come with you. When she does, I want you to bring her back here to our cage. Get her inside and out of sight. When I get back, we’ll cover her with our blanket and have her hide in the back corner. So no one will even know she’s here.”
Wow, I had to admit, that was quite a plan.
“There’s only one problem,” I told Bogey and Ranger. “The Princess won’t jump off her pillow. She’s been trained to stay on that thing. Her owners will hurt her if she jumps off. She’s too scared to jump.”
Bogey put his paw on my shoulder. “I know, kid. She’ll be scared all right. But I think you can convince her to jump. You’ve already talked to her once. And it’s obvious she trusts you.”
I stared at my paws. “Um, if you think so.”
“Chin up,” Ranger told me. “It looks to me like you make friends with everybody, Buckley. If anyone can convince her, it’s you.”
Okay, I have to say, it’s nice when your friends believe in you. The only thing is, it’s not easy when your friends believe in you, but you don’t believe in yourself. That’s just something you hav
e to figure out on your own.
Because I was pretty sure the Princess was not going to want to jump off that pillow. When I told her to jump, she was probably going to freeze and be too scared to do anything. How in the world would I ever convince her?
Still, I knew I had to try. I had to give it my all out effort, in order to save her.
I looked up again. “Okay, guys, I’ll do my very best.”
Bogey nodded at me. “I knew you’d come around, kid. Now, here’s the rest of the plan. The part where Ranger and I come in.”
Ranger tilted his head. “I’m listening.”
Bogey turned to him. “After the Princess takes off with Buckley, her owner will come after her, of course.”
Ranger grinned. “And I’ll bet you want me to use my left hook to his backside.”
Bogey returned the grin. “With full claws, if you please. While I go for his ankles.”
“Ah, yes,” Ranger agreed. “The old ankle-tackle trick. Also with claws. I’ve seen it done a few times in my life. It’s something that’ll really trip him up.”
“You got it,” Bogey said. “Then at the end of the day, we’ll sneak the Princess into Buckley’s pet carrier. He’s big enough that she can easily hide behind him and no one will see her. She’ll come with us to our house and the Count will never know.”
I arched my ears forward. “But won’t our Mom find out that we’ve got another cat in the house?”
Bogey tossed us each another cat treat. “Don’t sweat it, kid. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Plus we’ll get Lil and even Mokie to help out. We’ll be able to hide the Princess for days until our Mom finds out.”
Before I could say another word, Felicia Fairweather’s voice rang out over the loud speaker again. She announced the next round in the Agility Competition. And she also announced the next round in the Purebred and Pedigreed Competition.
Bogey touched his paw to the edge of our cage and I did the same. Ranger raised a paw, too, and we all did a paw bump.
The Case of the Cat Show Princess Page 7
