A Christmas to Purr About (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 22)

by Patricia Fry

  “Or what?” Savannah asked.

  “Or, my sister took it for him.” She spoke more quietly. “I have this funny feeling the two of them have hooked up.”

  “Sheesh,” Bonnie said. “And the plot thickens.”

  Christie sneered in Bonnie’s direction, then said, “Well, more power to them. I think I can do better than someone who lies, steals, and beats up women.”

  Savannah chuckled. “Yes, I imagine you can. You just need to believe in yourself and your values and…” she clenched her teeth, “stop being so quick to distrust people…and cats.” After thinking for a moment, Savannah said, “The authorities checked all the local pawn shops and didn’t find your ring.”

  “Yeah, he said he drove to Straley. But he has since come into some money, and he got it back. I told him to just keep it and that’s when he got mad at me.”

  “So when were you going to tell me that you’d made a mistake—that you knew we didn’t have your ring?”

  Christie wept quietly. “I really am sorry.”

  Savannah grimaced and chose not to respond. In fact, she didn’t say another word to the young woman until they entered her yard. “Here we are.”

  “Wow, you have a nice place,” Christie said, looking around.

  Bonnie quickly dismounted, tied her gelding to her horse trailer, and approached Savannah, who had slid out of her saddle. “I’ll help you get her down off there.”

  Savannah nodded. “Thanks. She seems to have gotten some strength back. I imagine I can get her into the house okay.”

  “All right,” Bonnie said, after they’d eased Christie down from the mare. “Got her?” she asked, watching to make sure Savannah could manage her.

  “I can walk,” Christie said, pulling her arm away.

  Bonnie took Peaches’s reins and started to lead her to the hitching post. She stopped. “Now, you want me to board her for the next few months, right?”

  “Yes,” Savannah said, “if you have the room.”

  “Sure do. No problem. Shall I just take her now?”

  Savannah reached up and patted her mare’s neck. She hugged her. “Yes, I guess that’s a good idea. Thank you, Bonnie.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” Christie said as she walked slowly toward the house with Savannah.

  “You probably don’t need an ambulance, do you?” Savannah asked the younger woman. “I can drive you over to Straley.” She lifted the makeshift compress Christie still held to her head. “Sure looks like you need stitches.”

  Christie hesitated. “You’d do that for me? No, I couldn’t pay for an ambulance.” She started to cry. “Jerry took just about every cent I’ve made since I’ve known him. He’s such a moocher.”

  “Yes, I’ll take you,” Savannah said, sounding somewhat annoyed. “Let me check on my baby first.”

  Before they reached the wraparound porch, Margaret stepped out with Lily in her arms. “What happened?” she asked. When she got a good look at the injured woman’s face, she frowned and glanced from her to Savannah. “What’s she doing here? What happened to her?”

  Savannah laughed nervously. “I found her on the trail. Her former boyfriend evidently gave her a beating.”

  “Oh,” Margaret said, still appearing confused.

  “Auntie, let’s get Christie into the house. I’m going to take her to the hospital—I think she needs stitches. Can you watch Lily for another hour or so? Michael should be home by then. I’ll text him and let him know you’re waiting for him.”

  “Sure. No problem. Hey, have him pick her up at my house. I think I’ll take her over there for a while.” She looked again from Savannah to Christie. “Vannie, do you know what you’re doing?”

  “Yes. Christie can catch you up on the news. I’ll be right back,” she said, heading toward her bedroom to change her clothes. Before disappearing, she turned and demanded, “Christie, tell my aunt who took that ring.”

  ****

  “So you’re off the hook with your accuser?” Michael asked Savannah later that evening after she’d returned from Straley.

  “Yeah, lucky break. I guess her fiancé took the ring—or maybe her sister, who’s been seeing her fiancé did it.”

  “That’s what Maggie told me. So how is the gal?”

  “They were going to stitch her up and keep her overnight for observation. She called her parents. They took over from there.”

  “Oh good.” He hugged her. “So glad that awful ordeal is settled.”

  She jumped excitedly. “Oh, I saw my sister at the hospital. She was doing rounds. It was cool seeing her in her element as Dr. Brianna Jordan.”

  “I imagine so,” he said. “Was she surprised to see you?”

  “Yes. Stunned and a little concerned at first, of course, thinking Lily or you had been admitted. But when I told her the story, she just shook her head and said something about Rags keeping things lively around here.” She picked up Lily and snuggled with her for a moment, then headed with her toward the kitchen. “Okay if we have sandwiches for dinner tonight, Michael?”

  “No.”

  “No?” She stopped and turned.

  “No,” Michael repeated, smiling impishly. “We’re having chicken and rice casserole. Max sent some home with me when I picked up Lily.”

  “Oh, that man. I just love him. I’ll heat it up. I’m hungry. I imagine you are, too.”

  “It’s heated up, table’s set, and I made a salad.” He took Lily from her. “Wash up and let’s eat.”

  Savannah looked her husband in the eyes. “And I just love you, too. How nice,” she said, hugging and kissing him. “Thank you.”

  He reached down and rubbed her bulging tummy. “Anything for my girl and our baby boy.” As the two of them continued toward the kitchen with the toddler, Michael said, “Craig called. I told him what Maggie had told me about you finding that photographer beaten up and all. He was pretty surprised. He wondered how your cat was involved. He asked if Rags had gone on the trail ride.”

  “What?”

  “Well, he says this sounds like something orchestrated by your…what did he say?...unruly cat.”

  Savannah nodded and reached out to pet Rags as he gave her a head-butt greeting. “Yeah, I guess his bent for finding himself in crazy situations is rubbing off on me.”

  Chapter 8

  It was a couple of hours later when Michael handed Savannah her cell phone. “It’s Craig.”

  “Oh, I didn’t hear it ring.”

  “I know, you were singing too loudly.”

  “Hi, Craig,” she said into the phone.

  Craig chuckled. “Did Michael say you were singing?”

  “Yeah, Lily and I were doing karaoke.”

  “Oh,” he said, trying to picture it in his mind. “Well, anyway, kiddo, I got a call from the department a few minutes ago saying that someone came in today asking about a wad of cash and a diamond ring.”

  “Oh? Probably that woman who’s been harassing me.”

  “I don’t think so, Savannah. Wait until you hear who it was.”

  “Who?”

  “Lenore Kittredge’s sisters.”

  “Huh?”

  “Yeah, they told Jim that their mother died last month and they’ve been going through her things, trying to inventory it. They’d taken a break Thanksgiving week and when they went back to their mother’s house, they noticed that a couple of things were missing. Get this, Savannah—a large diamond ring as well as a wad of cash. From what Jim said, the sisters seemed pretty quick to accuse the third sister, Lenore. Evidently, the last time they saw those things in the home was the day your cat barfed on Mrs. Kittredge’s sweater—that very morning. The next time they went to the house, those things were gone.”

  “Wow!”

  “Now, what I want to know is how did that pouch get from Lenore Kittredge’s person into your purse? Did she take it out of her pocket or handbag to look at it and inadvertently drop it into your purse? Or did
the cat get a hold of it and put it in there? That’s the one thing we don’t know yet—how you ended up with it. But what we learned today is helping us to connect the dots, don’t you think so?”

  After thinking about Craig’s comments, Savannah said, “I’ll bet I know someone who can connect the rest of the dots.”

  “Huh?”

  “The gal who wants me to share the booty with her.”

  “Yeah, I suppose. But you don’t know who that is, do you?’

  “Probably whoever tossed that rock through our living room window. Craig, the attorney, Veronica Ruiz, has people interviewing employees, volunteers, and patrons who were at the library that day. Maybe they’ll come up with an eyewitness.”

  “Yeah, but that can take days. I’d sure like to have this case settled in time for your family to have a nice Christmas.” He cleared his throat. “Savannah, how would you feel about setting up a meeting with that gal—the one who allegedly saw how the pouch found its way into your purse?”

  Savannah cringed. “That could be dangerous. I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

  “I’ll be right there with you all the way.” When she hesitated, he suggested, “You talk it over with Michael. I’d sure like to know more about Lenore Kittredge. I think it would help your case with her if we find out she’s a thief. That would give your attorney leverage to get her to drop her suit against you or at least present a more realistic demand.”

  “Well, when you put it that way, yes, I think I can stand up to whoever the potential wannabe thief is. Okay, I’ll respond to her and see if she’ll meet with me…with us.”

  “Call me as soon as you make contact, will you?”

  Later that evening, Savannah dialed Detective Sledge’s number. “I spoke with her just now, Craig.”

  “That was fast.”

  “I’m telling you, her calls are relentless. She was pretty shocked when I answered this time. I’m meeting her tomorrow morning at ten at the coffee house on Madison. Can you be there?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll be in Iris’s car, so we don’t spook her.”

  “Okay. She said she’d be waiting for me at a table against the back wall.”

  ****

  “I’m leaving my house now, Craig,” Savannah said into her phone the following morning. “Lily’s with Michael.”

  “Good. Now leave your phone on speaker and lay it on your seat. I’ll let you know what’s going on and what I want you to do. For now, just drive on out to the coffee place. Park and do not get out of the car until I tell you to.”

  When Savannah arrived, however, she saw Iris’s car, but she hadn’t heard from Craig and she didn’t see him anywhere. She pulled in next to the car and made sure all of her doors were locked. Suddenly something caught her eye. She looked more closely. It’s Craig coming out of the coffee shop with a small blond woman. She watched as he ordered the girl to sit with him at one of the outdoor tables. When he saw Savannah watching him, he motioned for her to join them.

  “Savannah, sit down, will you?” Craig invited. “This is Linda Strickland. She has something to tell you.” When the girl balked, Craig snarled, “Tell her what you told me.”

  The girl cringed and blinked a couple of times before saying, “I was at the library staying out of the cold when I saw your big grey-and-white cat digging in that rich lady’s purse. I saw him take out the bag and put it in another purse.” She grinned. “I was amused and I seemed to be the only one who noticed this, so I watched to see what would happen next. When you walked out carrying the purse with the pouch in it, I asked the librarian who you were and she told me your name. I figured it had to be something valuable, ’cause when the rich lady discovered it was gone, she went bananas. She was looking all over the place, then left in a big hurry, pulling that kid behind her. She had no idea who had it.”

  “Tell her the rest,” Craig prompted.

  Linda sighed impatiently. “Come on man.”

  “Talk,” Craig demanded, “or you’ll be trading in that hippie costume you’re wearing for some jailhouse blues.”

  “It was my boyfriend who suggested I contact you and see if I could get a cut of whatever was in there.” She glanced nervously at Savannah. “When you wouldn’t talk to me, he wrote the note and threw the rock—you know, at your house.”

  “Through our window,” Savannah said, clenching her teeth, “where our baby daughter plays.”

  Linda lowered her eyes and said nothing.

  “So what made you think there was something of value in that pouch?” Craig asked.

  “Like I said, that woman looked rich and when she couldn’t find it, she freaked out. I figured she was on her way to the bank with it or was just coming from the bank.”

  “Why did you think I’d agree to share whatever was in the pouch?” Savannah asked.

  Linda shrugged. “Human nature.”

  “You’ve been running with the wrong people, young lady,” Craig said. He asked Savannah, “Do you recognize her?”

  “Who?” Savannah asked. She looked at Linda. “Her? Do you mean did I see her at the library? Not that I remember.”

  “No,” Craig said. “I wondered if you recognized her from the photo studio. She’s the one Maggie saw coming out of there.”

  Savannah looked more closely at the young woman. She tilted her head. “Are you Christie’s sister?” When Linda nodded, she asked, her tone accusatory, “And is your boyfriend’s name Jerry?”

  Linda narrowed her eyes and looked into Savannah’s face. “How do you know that?”

  “Let’s just say I know some of the nitty gritty about your family ties.”

  Linda stared silently at Savannah, then at Craig. She glanced around the area nervously.“Yes or no?” Savannah pushed.

  Linda looked down at her hands and nodded.

  Shaking her head in disbelief, Savannah started to laugh. “So Christie accuses me of taking her ring, then Linda and Christie’s fiancé, who is now Linda’s boyfriend, try to extort money from me—money that isn’t mine. The money and the ring was probably stolen by Mrs. Kittredge, who is also trying to extort money from me in a total scam.” She laughed facetiously. “Isn’t that just one crazy series of coincidences—all of it, it seems, intended to disrupt my life.” She looked at Linda and slammed her hand down on the table. “I’m just so angry at the whole bunch of you right now, I could…I could just…” Without finishing her sentence, Savannah stood and walked away.

  “I’m sorry,” Linda said, weakly.

  “Too little, too late,” Craig told her. He then said, “Savannah, come here. There’s more.” Once she approached the table, he nudged the girl. “Tell her.” When Linda looked confused, Craig prompted, “About the sweater.”

  Linda shaded her eyes and looked up at Savannah. “Your cat didn’t throw up on that rich lady’s sweater. The kid she was with dropped his sandwich on it. Boy was she mad. When she saw the cat come over and sniff the sweater, I guess that’s when she decided to blame the cat.”

  “Well, isn’t that interesting?” Savannah said. “Linda, would you be willing to tell this to an attorney?”

  “Go to court?” she screeched. “I said I was sorry.”

  “No, I don’t think you’ll have to go to court. Just tell the last part of your story to my attorney and I’m sure that will be the end of it for you.”

  “You won’t have me put in jail?” she asked hesitantly.

  Savannah smiled. “No, but I do have half a mind to make you work off the time you should spend locked up. I mean, there is the matter of our broken window.”

  “Huh?” the girl said.

  Savannah sat back down in her chair and faced the girl. “Linda, what do you want out of life? What do you enjoy? Do you have any skills?”

  “Um…well…I like art and the outdoors…” She smiled. “And dancing. I love to dance. I thought I’d be a dance teacher, but…stuff sorta got in the way, if you know what I mean.�
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  “I think I know what you mean—drugs, right?”

  Linda nodded ashamedly.

  “Do you enjoy washing windows?” Savannah asked cheerfully.

  The younger woman frowned and shook her head violently. “No.”

  “Well, good. Then that’s how you’re going to repay your debt. Once we get our window replaced, you’ll come over and wash all of our windows.” She grinned impishly. “And, Linda, we have a big house.”

  When Linda started to protest, Craig took the sleeve of her filmy blouse between his thumb and finger. “Yeah, you’ll sure lose your identity when they put you in that drab blue jumpsuit they wear in the slammer.”

  Linda glanced at Craig and Savannah, then grumbled, “Yeah, okay, I’ll wash your stupid windows.”

  Craig grinned. “I was pretty sure you would.”

  “Thank you, Craig,” Savannah said as she exchanged cell phone numbers with Linda, then watched her jog swiftly down the street. “So what now?”

  The detective looked across the table at Savannah. “I’m going to have a cup of coffee. Can I get you anything?”

  “Yeah, tea…hot tea.”

  ****

  “So all of the mysteries and issues were connected?” Michael asked that evening over dinner.

  “Pretty much,” Savannah said. She shook her head. “Bizarre. Really bizarre.”

  “And the mayor’s wife has dropped her complaint against you?”

  “Yes. Veronica Ruiz called this afternoon to give me the news. She said the woman’s husband plans to get her some help. They think she’s been having small strokes.”

  “Can a stroke turn an honest person into one who lies, cheats, and steals?”

  “Good question.” Savannah leaned forward. “Oh, I hear that Mrs. Kittredge went down fighting. She wouldn’t drop the charges, even after hearing Linda’s eyewitness statement describing what really happened to her sweater. It wasn’t until the issue of the pouch and the money came up that she finally let go. I guess she was kind of obsessed.”