I smiled at the kittens again. “I was wondering if you kids could do me a favor. Would you please ask all the cats you see if they know anything about any stolen jewelry? And tell them to ask all the cats they see? Tell everyone to pass the word along from cage to cage. Then have them pass the word back to us.”
The kittens started to bounce up and down. “Sure! Sure! We’ll ask all the cats we can. And we’ll tell those cats to ask other cats. And even more cats.”
One of the kittens climbed up the side of the wall. “We’ll find that jewelry for you, Buckley.”
“Thanks,” I told them. “My Mom was one of the women who had her jewelry stolen.”
All at once, the whole group sighed.
“We’re sorry,” said one.
“Yeah,” said another. “We’re really sorry!”
Just then I felt Bogey touch me on the shoulder. “We’d better get a move on, kid. We’ve got to finish our mission and get back here before our Mom does.”
I waved good-bye to the kittens. “Thanks for your help. Let me know if you find out anything.”
I dropped the curtain and a few seconds later, Bogey and I had our cage unzipped just enough for us to sneak through. Of course, it sure helped that we already had practice opening the zippers.
We both jumped down to the floor and hid beneath our table.
“Okay, kid,” Bogey told me as he glanced around. “Let’s zoom over to the Princess’ row.”
I gulped. “Um, okay.”
Funny, but no matter how many times we got out on our own, I always felt a little scared.
This time, though, I had even more reasons to be scared. And wouldn’t you know it, every one of those reasons popped into my head at that very moment.
What if we failed to rescue the Princess this time? Day one of the cat show would soon be coming to a close. How many more chances would we get to save her?
But one thing I did know for sure. This time I couldn’t risk being seen by anyone. Especially not the Count.
Bogey signaled to me and I followed him under the tables to the other side. In a matter of minutes, I knew we’d be running across the rows and under the tables once more. Thinking about it made my heart start to pound really loud inside my chest.
I took a deep breath and tried to be brave. It was time to rescue the Princess.
Holy Mackerel!
CHAPTER 12
Bogey and I raced across the first row and hid beneath the next table. Funny, but this time it didn’t seem half as hard to run across the rows as it did before. Probably because the humans were so busy talking to each other. They never would’ve spotted a couple of cats zooming by on the ground. Especially cats who were moving along as fast as we were!
Holy Catnip!
We flew across a few more rows and then we stopped to take a break.
Bogey peered out from under the table. “Okay, kid. When we get there, we’ve got to find a moment when the Princess is alone.”
I gulped. “Do you think the Count will ever leave her alone again? After she almost escaped before?”
Bogey angled his ears forward. “I think our odds are good, kid. The humans are really distracted right now. And if the Count thinks the Princess is locked in her cage, he won’t be watching her at all.”
I sure hoped Bogey was right. Because I didn’t want to have another run-in with that nasty Count.
Bogey turned to face me. “When we get there, kid, you’ve got to talk her into coming with us. This time I think she’ll be ready to go.”
I nodded. “Uh-huh. I think so, too.”
Now Bogey frowned. “The hard part will be getting her cage open.”
Right then and there, I wished I’d told the Princess about our trick of putting a cat toy between the zippers. But then it dawned on me — the Count probably didn’t even let her have any toys.
I looked up at the nearest cage that was sitting on a table. “Maybe I could sneak behind the curtain and claw a hole through the side of the cage. I think I could do it if I worked hard and put my weight into it.”
Bogey shook his head. “Too much noise, kid. Someone will hear you.”
I put my paw to my lips and tried to think. If only cats could operate a pair of scissors.
“I think I’ve got it,” Bogey finally said. “We’ll jump onto her table in front of her cage. You hook a claw into one zipper pull and I’ll hook a claw into the other. Then I’ll tug one way and you tug the other. Until the zippers open up. All we have to do is pull that door open wide enough for the Princess to slip through.”
I nodded. “And she’s so little she won’t need much room.”
“You got it, kid.” Bogey stood up and flexed his front legs. “Now let’s hurry up and get over there.”
“But wait,” I told him. “Maybe we could stop at Amelia’s cage first. Then we could spy on the Count and watch for the right moment to rescue the Princess.”
Bogey touched me on the shoulder. “Great idea. That way we’ll be hidden. You’re really getting the hang of this business, kid.”
Okay, I know we were smack dab in the middle of a rescue and everything. But to tell you the truth, I was pretty proud that I’d helped come up with part of the plan, too.
For a second I actually smiled to myself. But only for a second. That’s because I had a job to do. And I had to get my mind back on the task ahead of me.
Bogey and I glanced at the row in front of us. The coast was clear, so we raced across to the other side. The next thing I knew, we were just below Amelia’s cage.
I called up to her. “Hello, Amelia! It’s me, Buckley, and I’ve got my pal, Bogey, with me. Can we come up?”
She sounded surprised to hear my voice. “Buckley, you’re back! Sure, jump on up. I’ll hold the door open.”
I leaped up first and then Bogey followed me.
Amelia pushed the door shut and I helped her put the pieces of scotch tape back into place. I introduced Amelia to Bogey.
And that’s when I noticed he looked a little funny. To tell you the truth, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Bogey look quite like that. His jaw was open wide and for a few minutes, he just stared at Amelia.
Finally, he touched his paw to his forehead, like he was tipping a hat or something. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am. A guy like me sure can appreciate a girl like you who can think on her paws.”
For a moment, I thought the orange side of Amelia’s face turned just a little more red than usual.
She smiled. “Why, thank-you, Bogey. Are you guys here to try to rescue the Princess again?”
“Uh-huh,” I told her. “Things didn’t go so well last time.”
Amelia shook her head. “I know. I saw it all. The Princess was too scared to jump. Probably because that Count is one mean man.”
“You can say that again,” I told her.
Bogey glanced at the door and then back to Amelia. “If you don’t mind my asking, ma’am, do you know when your Mom might come back?”
Amelia shrugged. “I don’t really know for sure. My Mom’s ring went missing, and she took off after that announcement over the loud speaker. I’m not sure where she is now.”
Right about then, I felt my eyes go really wide. Gigantic, you might even say. “Our Mom had jewelry stolen, too. So your Mom is probably with our Mom. Felicia Fairweather took them all to her office.”
Bogey touched Amelia on the shoulder. “And Felicia was going to call the police.”
Amelia gasped. “Oh, my. My Mom was really upset about losing her ring.”
Before we could say more, we heard a commotion coming from near the Princess’ cage. The Count and Countess were both standing there. The Countess had her hands on her hips and the Count was waving his hands in the air.
Bogey and Amelia and I all crouched down when the Count started yelling at a blonde lady in a yellow sweater. I recognized her as the cat show volunteer who had given my Mom directions before my first round of competition. She was a very nice lady.
And as far as I was concerned, she sure didn’t deserve to be yelled at for any reason.
The blonde-haired lady looked kind of scared. And so did the Princess, who was huddled in her cage.
The Count’s voice carried back to us. “This is the poorest excuse for a cat show that I’ve ever seen. Pathetic little towns like this simply don’t know how to put on a proper show! And you certainly have a problem with your security! Not only was I assaulted by a gang of cats earlier, but now I understand you’ve had some burglaries, too. What kind of a place is this? And to think, we traveled so far to come to this show. Simply so our prized cat could win this competition.”
The blonde-haired woman frowned. “We’re all very sorry, sir. We never imagined something like this would happen.”
The Countess sneered at her. “That’s because you’re not terribly professional, are you? If you were, you would have planned for any kind of problem.”
The volunteer’s eyebrows shot up. “How can someone plan for a burglary at a cat show? Things like this just don’t happen in St. Gertrude.”
The Countess crossed her arms. “Well, apparently they do. It’s a wonder my own jewelry hasn’t been stolen.”
Now the Count jumped in. “In any case, all this tension is much too stressful for the delicate Princess Alexandra. Since it appears the show is at a standstill for the evening, well . . . then we shall withdraw for the night. No need to have us suffering while you and your crew try to get things under control.”
All of a sudden, my heart started to pound inside my chest. Was the Count really taking the Princess away for the evening? I didn’t even know what hotel they were staying at. What if he didn’t bring her back in the morning? Then we’d never have a chance to rescue her.
Luckily, the volunteer asked one of the very questions that was on my mind. “Again, sir. We’re so sorry that all this has happened. Please promise me you will come back in the morning. Things will be different then. And you’ll see that we are putting on a really wonderful cat show.”
The Countess stuck her nose in the air and started packing up some of the Princess’ things.
The Count let out a short laugh. “Ha! Of course we’ll return tomorrow. After all, we expect the Princess to win Best in Show. We certainly wouldn’t want to miss the chance to show up the rest of these mongrel animals.”
I let out a low growl. Who did he think he was, calling us mongrel animals? He seemed to be forgetting that Bogey and I both had two blue ribbons! And Amelia had a red and a purple.
The volunteer started to wring her hands. “Thank-you, sir. I promise things will be better in the morning.”
But instead of answering, the Count simply grabbed the Princess from her cage and stuck her in her pet carrier. The Princess hunched down like she was trying to be invisible. I couldn’t help but notice how wide her eyes were. I knew she must be really, really scared. I wished I could have saved her right then and there.
Bogey put a paw on my shoulder. “Take a deep breath, kid,” he whispered.
I did just that. In fact, I took a whole bunch of deep breaths while we watched the Count and Countess go stomping down the aisle. Taking the Princess with them. And that’s when it really hit me that she was gone for the night.
Holy Mackerel!
I think my heart sank clear down to my knees. If only our first rescue had gone off like it was supposed to. If only the Princess had jumped when I told her to.
I stretched my front legs out and put my head down between my legs. I couldn’t remember ever feeling so bad. This had to be the lowest point of my life. Ever. And to think, I was only two years old.
Beside me, I heard Bogey say, “Don’t sweat it, kid. It’s not over till it’s over.”
Amelia put her paw on my head. “You did your best, Buckley. You’ve got to feel good about giving it your best try.”
Funny, but right at that moment, I didn’t feel good about anything. In fact, I felt so bad I couldn’t even move.
That was, until I heard the rip, rip, rip of scotch tape being pulled off. I looked up to see Amelia’s red-haired Mom opening the cage door.
She looked at Amelia, and then at me, and then at Bogey. Then back to Amelia again.
Well, if I had thought things were bad before, I guess I had no idea how much worse they could get. Because this was obviously the last straw for Bogey and me. I was just sure we were going to get kicked out of the cat show now. As they say, it was probably the end of the line for us.
But then something amazing happened. In fact, the first time I heard it, I didn’t believe my ears. But then I heard it again. Amelia’s Mom was laughing. She laughed and laughed, and then she reached in and petted all three of us.
“Amelia, I didn’t realize you had company. How nice of your friend, Buckley, to drop by for a visit. And I’ll bet this is his brother, Bogey. Lovely to meet you Bogey.”
With those words, I sat up and purred for Amelia’s Mom. Just to thank her for being so nice to us. Bogey did the same. Amelia meowed to her.
Amelia’s Mom smiled at us. “It’s sweet of you boys to be friends with Amelia. She’s an only cat, and sometimes I think she gets a bit lonesome.”
I was so glad my friend Amelia had such a nice Mom. Instead of nasty owners like the Count and Countess.
I reached up and gave her Mom a kiss on the nose. Just to show my appreciation.
She laughed again. “Well, thank-you, Buckley. You’re quite a charmer. I can see why you keep winning blue ribbons. But I’ve got some good news for you and Amelia. The kitten who won Second Place in your last round got sick and went home. That means Amelia will be in the next round of the Cutest Family Pet Competition with you, Buckley.”
I’m sure my eyes must have gone really wide about then. I looked at my friend and she looked at me with wide eyes, too. At least I had something to be happy about at that moment.
“Okay,” Amelia’s Mom said. “I’d better take Buckley and Bogey back to their Mom. She’s probably looking for them.”
She picked up Bogey and draped him over her shoulder. I helped her out by climbing up to her other shoulder. Then she wrapped her arms around us both.
“Say so long, Amelia. You’ll see Buckley again tomorrow in the next round of your competition.”
I meowed good-bye to Amelia and she waved good-bye to us. I noticed Bogey touched his paw to his forehead again, like he was tipping a hat.
“Thanks for your hospitality, ma’am,” he said. “I hope we meet again. You’re a one in a million kind of gal.”
Amelia touched a paw to her chest and tilted her head. To tell you the truth, it made her look really cute. If she pulled that move off in the competition tomorrow, well, she would be a winner for sure.
We reached the end of the row and we were back in our cage a few seconds later. Amelia’s Mom let us down very gently and then zipped up the cage.
We barely had a chance to get a drink of water and a bite to eat when I heard the kittens calling from the cage beside ours.
“Buckley! Buckley!” they all yelled at once. “Buckley, we’ve got some information for you!”
Well, at least that was some more good news. Or, rather, I hoped it was good news.
I pulled the curtain up to see the kittens bouncing in their cage next door.
“Buckley, Buckley!” said the littlest one. “Remember when you asked us to ask all the cats we could find to see if anyone knew about any stolen jewelry?”
“Yeah,” said a second kitten. “And then they were supposed to pass that information back to us?”
“Well, guess what?” finished a third kitten. “We got some information back.”
Finally the last kitten spoke up. “You’ll never believe it. But we found out there’s been missing jewelry at other shows, too.”
I gasped. “Really? How many other shows?”
“I counted two,” said one kitten.
“And I counted three and then four,” said another.
“Maybe
five,” another kitten said.
Now the kittens all started to talk at once. And before I knew it, they started to play and wrestle . . . and well . . . they sort of lost track of what we were talking about.
I smiled and dropped the curtain. I turned to tell Bogey what I’d found out when we heard Ranger calling from behind us.
“Hey, guys,” he hollered. “You’ll never guess what I found out.”
Bogey pulled up our back curtain and handed Ranger a cat treat.
I grabbed one, too and looked at Ranger. “Hmmm,” I said, “let me think. I’ll bet you heard from some other cats that jewelry has gone missing at other cat shows, too.”
Ranger’s mouth dropped open. “Wow. You guys are good! Now I can see how you got to be cat detectives.”
Ranger saluted me again, and I started to choke on my cat treat.
Bogey grinned and thunked me on the back so I’d quit choking.
But before any of us could say more, our Mom and Gracie came back. We both waved to Ranger and then let our curtain drop.
Our Mom looked kind of sad and worried. And I could see that she still wasn’t wearing her bracelet. I figured nobody had found it yet.
She unzipped our cage while Gracie opened the door to our pet carriers.
Our Mom rubbed my head and then picked me up. “Okay, boys, it’s time for us to go home now. The cat show is over for the day. And a police officer will be coming to our house to ask about my missing bracelet.”
I tried to make my Mom feel better by giving her a kiss on the nose.
She smiled. “Well, I may not have my bracelet, Buckley, but I’ve still got you. You’re a real gem, too.”
She put me in my pet carrier and Gracie shut the door. A few minutes later, she put Bogey in the pet carrier next to mine.
Before I knew it, we were being carried out of the St. Gertrude Events Center. Just like all the other cats who had been there for the day.
That’s when it really hit me. The first day of the cat show was already over. My Mom’s bracelet was still missing and we still hadn’t rescued the Princess. To top it off, we only had one day left to save her. And if we didn’t rescue the Princess by the end of day two . . . well, we would never have a chance to save her.
The Case of the Cat Show Princess Page 10
