Cats in the Belfry

by Patricia Fry

  “And go where, Mom?”

  “Well…” she hesitated.

  “Here?” Savannah asked excitedly. “Are you thinking about moving back up here with me and Auntie?”

  Gladys smiled. “Actually, yes. I know you’ve suggested it before, and I believe the timing might be right. I really do want to be closer to my grandchildren and you and Brianna, when she isn’t off gallivanting. It just makes sense to live out my twilight years near family, before I’m too old to enjoy the little ones.”

  Savannah scoffed. “Twilight years? Mom, you’re barely sixty?”

  “Yeah and counting…”

  “I’d love it if you’d move up here. I suppose you’ll want a place of your own and you’ll be eager to establish a life of your own.”

  “To an extent, Vannie.” She leaned forward. “But what I’d love even more is to be involved with the kids.”

  “Sure, that’s what being a grandmother is.”

  Gladys studied her daughter for a moment, then said, “I was thinking about being a sort of nanny-grammy. I could help you with the children and this big house and your canning duties...why, you could even go back to work, if you wanted to, or have more time to work on Rags’s book. What do you think?”

  “You mean move in here?” Savannah asked, her eyes wide. “I’d love it! Yes, that would be great. As you said, I can certainly use the help and I love having you here. Oh, I can’t wait to tell Michael!”

  “Good, because I’ve rented my house out for the rest of the year. I have a few things left to do like put my things into storage. Then I’m free to come back to Hammond.”

  Savannah asked quietly. “What about Bob, Mom?”

  “We’ve kind of gone our separate ways. I think he knew I was ready to make a move and we just stopped seeing so much of each other.”

  “Oh this is great. I’m so excited.”

  “What are you excited about?” Michael asked when he walked into the room with Teddy in his arms.

  “Michael,” Savannah said, “Mom’s going to move in with us and become our nanny.”

  Obviously startled, Michael looked at Gladys, then smiled and said, “Well, that’s great. We’ll be glad to have you…and your help…for as long as you can handle all the pandemonium here.”

  Just then the baby began to fuss and Gladys said, “It’s music to my ears, believe me.”

  Michael gave his mother-in-law a one-armed hug. “Well good, then. It’s settled. You’re our new nanny and most welcome guest.”

  Chapter 12

  Teddy was two-and-a-half weeks old when his Grammy Gladys arrived along with some of her belongings, which came in a small moving van. Michael and Damon moved her things into the master bedroom upstairs and Savannah helped her decorate it to her liking. By then, Aggie had left for Colorado to spend some time with Michael’s twin brother, Keith, and his family. That evening Max and Margaret joined the Iveys and Gladys for dinner.

  “What do you hear from Brianna?” Margaret asked, as they sat down to eat.

  Savannah glanced at her mother before responding. “Not much. I guess she’s not allowed to communicate with the outside world anytime she wants to.”

  “Yeah, or she’s just having too much fun and doesn’t want to write letters. She’s never been a very good letter-writer, has she?” Margaret asked. “I got more phone calls from her than letters when she was in college.”

  “That’s right,” Gladys said, chuckling. “She isn’t much for writing.” She looked at Savannah. “Unlike my oldest girl. But I did get a note from her a couple of days ago.”

  “Where did it come from?” Savannah asked. “New York?”

  Gladys nodded. “Yes, all of her letters come from New York. She said she was in South America, but I’m not clear as to where.” She thinned her lips and complained, “That girl’s penmanship is atrocious.”

  “That’s ’cause she’s a doctor,” Margaret said, grinning. “I’ve never met one with decent handwriting.” She looked across the table at her sister. “South America, huh?”

  “Yes, she was actually packing up and getting ready to leave the jungle or rain forest or whatever it was.” She furrowed her brow. “She seemed a little concerned about their next stop.”

  “Did she know where they were going next?” Max asked.

  Savannah shook her head. “They don’t tell her anything ahead of time. She seems to be completely in the dark until they arrive someplace. Then everyone has to scramble around to gather the supplies and clothing they’ll need.”

  “How much longer does she have to stay with the group?” Michael asked.

  “That seems to be part of the adventure—not knowing the agenda,” Savannah explained. “We don’t know when to expect her home.” She turned to Gladys. “Mom, has she given you any idea about that?”

  She shook her head. “No. That’s the part that’s hard on the family.”

  Margaret was quiet for a moment, then asked, “So how does she seem to you, Gladys? Is this what she expected? Has she started to miss the life she’d begun to establish here?”

  Savannah and Gladys looked at each other questioningly. Savannah spoke first. “When reading between the lines, I think the stress of the trip is kicking her you-know-what.”

  Gladys winced. “I agree. Oh, she’s putting up a tough exterior…” She laughed. “She doesn’t want to hear, ‘I told you so,’ but I get the impression that she’s ready to come home.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think she’s a happy camper,” Savannah added.

  Gladys turned to her sister. “Maggie, have you heard from her at all?”

  “Yeah, I got a couple of postcards. She seemed rather excited. But that was early on. I haven’t received anything from her in a week or more.” She looked at Gladys. “So a South American jungle, huh? I used to have a hankering to go there—you know, when I was younger.”

  “Not now?” Max asked.

  “No. Too many mosquitoes and snakes.” She shuddered, then asked, “So you think Bri is having second thoughts about this?”

  Gladys winced. “I don’t know if you’d say that. It sounds like the travels have been kind of hard on her—harder than she expected. She said they’d been living in a jungle for a few days—in cabins, but more remote and primitive than she likes.”

  Savannah nodded and added, “She told me it’s been hard, but she’s glad she’s challenging herself.”

  Just then they heard a sound coming from the dining room. Savannah looked at Michael. “What was that?”

  He laid his fork on his plate and stood up. “Probably your cat,” he said, heading in the direction of the commotion. When he returned, he had a handful of envelopes in his hand. “Rags was getting into the mail. Didn’t you have time to open it this afternoon?”

  “Actually, no,” Savannah said. She frowned. “But what does he want with the mail?”

  Margaret chuckled. “Maybe he’s expecting a letter or a sample from his favorite cat-food company.”

  Michael grinned at her, then handed Savannah one of the envelopes. “He was most interested in this one. He had it on the floor and was rolling around on it.”

  “Oh, from Bri,” Savannah said, taking it. After looking it over, however, she said, “But this isn’t her handwriting. It says it’s from Brianna Jordan at the generic address she gave us to use if we needed to reach her—the one in New York. I guess that’s the headquarters for the group she’s traveling with.” She paused. “Wait! It was postmarked in Los Angeles.” She smiled at the others. “Maybe she’s back.”

  “Open it, Vannie,” Gladys urged. “What does she say?”

  Before Savannah could tear into the envelope, however, Rags reached up with his paws on her lap and began pawing at it.”

  “I think he knows it’s from her,” Savannah said. She squeezed the envelope. “It’s fat. Maybe she sent him some treats.”

  “Open it,” Margaret insisted.

  “Well, this is odd,” S
avannah said seconds later, while holding up a piece of cloth.

  “What is that?” Gladys asked.

  Savannah frowned. “I’m not sure—it looks familiar, though.”

  “Is there a note?” Michael asked.

  Savannah looked into the envelope again. “Oh, yes. Let’s see, it says, ‘Twenty-thousand dollars and she’s yours.’”

  “What?” he said, reaching for the note. “What is this?”

  Savannah shook her head. “I don’t know, but I sure don’t like the sound of it.”

  Suddenly, Gladys slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh nooo,” she wailed.

  “What, Mom? Do you know what this means?”

  “That’s a swatch from Brianna’s carpet bag.” When the others looked confused, she said, “You know, that funky overnight bag she wanted so badly when she had the wanderlust before she enrolled in college.” Gladys took the piece of fabric from Savannah and fondled it. “She had to have this black-and-red paisley print bag.” She looked up at Michael and Savannah. “What does this mean? She stared down at the fabric, her words lost in her emotion. “Has someone snatched Brianna? Oh my God, where is she? Where’s my little girl?”

  Patricia Fry and Her Books

  Stay in touch with Patricia Fry, author of the Klepto Cat Mysteries

  Subscribe to her Catscapades Blog: http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades

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  Other books in the Klepto Cat Mystery series

  Catnapped (Book 1)

  When Savannah Jordan agrees to help her aunt while she recovers from a broken foot, she doesn’t expect to walk into a mystery, become part of a not-quite-legal surveillance team, be kidnapped by a deranged stranger and meet a steaming hot veterinarian.

  Beloved neighborhood cats are missing—the community can only guess at their fate—and Aunt Margaret’s life is being threatened. Is it because she has a clue to the missing cats or is it something more sinister? Of course, as in all of the Klepto Cat Mysteries, Rags, an ordinary cat with a most unusual habit, has a paw in saving the day.

  If you like light mysteries with only a little terror, if you’re infatuated by interesting cats and if you love a love story, you must read this book.

  Available at Amazon.

  Cat-Eye Witness (Book 2)

  Savannah and Aunt Margaret open the old Forster home to the Hammond Cat Alliance for a fundraiser to help rehabilitate the abused horses rescued months earlier from the catnappers.

  Before the afternoon is over, the collected funds go missing and someone is murdered in an upstairs bedroom.

  Suspicion surrounds Iris, a local waitress and Savannah’s new best friend. The only witness to the murder is Rags, Savannah’s cat. With the assistance of a cat psychic and Rags’s good friend, Charlotte (the young girl with Downs), the cat helps to “paw” the killer… but not before an attempt is made on Rags’s life. The case is solved only after Rags comes face-to-face with the killer for the second time.

  Detective Craig Sledge is new to this book, as is Damon, Iris’s errant son. Sledge finds this to be one of the muddiest cases he has ever worked, with inconsistent clues and no apparent motive. He’s constantly surprised, perplexed and impressed by the cat’s uncanny ability to come up with clues he has missed. His fascination with the attractive Iris Clampton also mystifies the detective.

  In this story, one of the rescued horses goes into labor and there’s a night of high drama at the ole corral as veterinarians Savannah and Michael work to save the foal. This experience renews Savannah’s deep interest in horses and riding, which ultimately serves to help her bond with a very important surprise character who finds his way into her life and Michael’s just as they prepare to say their wedding vows.

  While Rags is the animal star, he isn’t the only animal featured in this story. Layla is back in all of her tangerine feline beauty. And Rags makes friends with Buffy, a perky almost Himalayan cat and the inseparable duo, Walter, an all black cat and his sidekick, Lexie, a charming Afghan mix dog. Savannah’s new ride, Peaches, also debuts in this story. An incident with this mare adds another dimension to Savannah’s and Michael’s relationship. Can he hold her with open arms?

  Some say this is a love story with a mystery in the background. And it’s a story of family and friendship as newlyweds Margaret and Max continue to be a meaningful part of Savannah’s and Michael’s world.

  Available at Amazon.

  Sleight of Paw (Book 3)

  In this story, Michael Ivey, the local veterinarian (Savannah’s new husband) is attacked by an enraged client and then later accused of this man’s murder. The evidence quickly stacks up against Michael, until Rags, Savannah’s kleptomaniac cat, starts digging up clues implicating the unlikely suspect.

  Coinciding with the details of this challenge is the discovery that the old house, which the couple purchased from Savannah’s aunt, is cursed. Is this why the couple has not been blessed with a child?

  Savannah’s sister Brianna comes for a visit. She teams up with the Iveys’ vet tech, Bud, to discover how to break the gypsy spell and they fall hard for each other. Will their courtship be strengthened or weakened by a frightening carjacking incident?

  Detective Craig Sledge is prominent in this story as the lead investigator in the murder case. As usual, he engages in some creative tactics to get the information and the confessions he’s after. He has also become embedded in Savannah’s friend, Iris’s family. He’s dating Iris and helping with her son, Damon’s rehabilitation in prison. If you read the 2nd in the series, you know that Rags (the cat) helped to put Damon in jail.

  Available at Amazom.

  Undercover Cat (Book 4)

  A popular local journalist goes missing just before she has the opportunity to turn in her story exposing unscrupulous cat hoarders. Not only is Colbi a friend of Savannah’s and Michael’s, Damon (now out of prison and employed by the local newspaper) has a strong personal interest in her. In fact, Damon breaks some rules and some trusts in his search for Colbi.

  Is this a love connection? It’s doubtful because Colbi is a strong advocate for the feral cat population and Damon hates cats—or so he believes.

  Colbi’s rescue is almost too late. She needs time to heal both physically and emotionally. So the Iveys invite her to recuperate in their home. Just when Colbi begins to feel safe, a body is discovered in the Iveys’ orchard and Rags (their kleptomaniac cat) goes missing. Can someone in a nearby homeless camp shed some light on the evolving mystery?

  Available at Amazon.

  The Colony Cat Caper (Book 5)

  Savannah Ivey, a veterinarian out on maternity leave; her aunt Margaret, the founder of the Hammond Cat Alliance; and Colbi Stanton, a reporter for the local newspaper take on a cat colony at an old, abandoned building. Odd activity around the place makes them wonder if it actually is vacant; some believe it’s occupied by something other-worldly.

  When a stranger comes to town and suggests the Alliance open the old building to a fund-raiser, everyone gets involved, including Rags, Savannah’s kleptomaniac cat. He finds something that day that stirs a lot of people—both law-abiding and crooks—into action. Are the feral cats and their caretakers in serious danger? What (or who) lurks inside the old building? What secrets does it hide? And who has the key that unlocks the mystery?

  Available at Amazon.

  The Celebrity Cat Caper (Book 6)

  Rags, the kleptomaniac cat, opens up a whole new bag of tricks, when he becomes a therapy cat in a children's reading program. A documentary film crew arrives to capture the cat in action and they get more than they bargained for. Find out how Rags handles his sudden celebrity status.

  In this story, Savannah and Michael Ivey invite strangers into their home during a torrential rainstorm and learn that one of them has a sinister past. Someone is murdered, Savannah is stalked, Michael's life is threatened, and Rags helps to un
cover an old mystery that, until now, has everyone baffled.

  The Iveys' baby Lily is three-and-a-half-months old and, along with nine-year-old Adam, provides some sweet and warm moments throughout this fast-moving story with many twists and turns.

  Avalable at Amazon

  The Corral Cat Caper (Book 7)

  The Corral Cat Caper features a lot of horse energy. It's rich in adventure of the feline as well as equine sort. In one scene, Rags attempt to save their sweet kitty, Buffy, from a catnapper and Savannah helplessly watches this drama unfold via a surveillance camera app on her phone.

  This story is full of sweet and evil surprises, unexpected twists and turns, and plenty of action and adventure.

  Available at Amazon

  The Gallery Cat Caper (Book 8)

  An old friend of Michael’s, who has become a successful artist, invites the entire Ivey family to his beach house. But their vacation is not all fun-and-games. It appears that someone is out to get the artist; and the Iveys and their friends keep stumbling upon clues to the tangled mystery.

  Rags is up to his old klepto tricks, and it’s a good thing because, not only do his uncat-like antics prove to be amusing, he manages to save two lives.

  Join the hilarity and suspense as this mystery unfolds. Enjoy some of your favorite human and animal characters as well as a few new ones, all of them giving this story a light and rich quality.

  Available at Amazon

  Mansion of Meows (Book 9)

  Rags's documentary is scheduled to debut. The showing will take place at the investor's San Francisco mansion, where the Ivey family and film crew will stay. Of course, the mansion holds secrets and Rags is instrumental in letting the cats out of the bag.

  Savannah and Aunt Margaret share another daring adventure and, of course, find themselves in deeper than they expected.