Cats in Cahoots (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 18)

by Patricia Fry

  Savannah nodded. “Sure.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet you’re ready for some peace and quiet,” Brianna added. She looked at Mel and Savannah. “I’d like to go. What about you, Mom?”

  “Maggie and I talked about taking a ride out to your grandfather’s old mill today. Let me check with her and see if that’s still the plan.”

  ****

  It was afternoon by the time the three cousins and the three children arrived at the shopping area. They’d wandered through several shops and let the children ride the mechanical horse, then decided to stop at the ice cream parlor. “Let’s sit on the patio, shall we?” Savannah suggested.

  “Got plenty of napkins?” Brianna asked.

  Mel nodded. “I think so.”

  “Why, are you messy?” Savannah teased.

  “I was thinking about the kids, smarty-pants.”

  “Smarty-pants,” Misty repeated, giggling.

  Savannah grinned and squeezed Misty to her briefly. “Want sun or shade?” she asked.

  “I like this spot,” Melanie said, slipping into a white wrought iron chair.

  “I want to sit by Lily,” Misty announced.

  Once they were seated, it became quiet while everyone tried to catch up on the ice cream dripping from their cones. While the others devoured their cones, Savannah fed Lily small bites of vanilla ice cream with a spoon, when suddenly, something caught her attention. She tilted her head. “Hey, do you guys hear that?”

  “Yeah,” Melanie said. “It’s the sound we heard from your house.” After quickly swiping at some ice cream running down Aaron’s arm, she pointed. “There! It’s a musical instrument. See that kid up the street? It’s coming from his flute.”

  “Yup, that’s what it is, all right,” Savannah said. She looked at the others. “Want to check it out?”

  “Why?” Brianna asked. “So now you know the kids next door have some sort of flute.”

  Savannah studied her sister for a moment. “Come on, have you ever heard a sound quite like that? It’s unique. It’s not actually music, but a rather eerie tone. I want to know more about it, don’t you?”

  “Not really,” Brianna grumbled, using a splash from her water bottle to clean a smidge of ice cream off one hand. She shoulder-bumped her cousin. “What do you think, Mel, shall we humor her?”

  “Like we used to do when she wanted to re-enact those silly Nancy Drew mysteries she had her nose in all the time?”

  Brianna joined Melanie in laughter. “Yeah, like that.”

  “You loved playing Nancy Drew with me,” Savannah insisted.

  Melanie smirked playfully. “Not when you made us play the dead guy and we had to lay there while you ran off searching for clues with that stupid magnifying glass.”

  Savannah grinned, wiped Lily’s face and hands, and aimed the stroller in the direction of the young man with the wooden flute. “I’ll be back in a minute, then.”

  “Still as curious as ever,” Mel said under her breath. She called out after Savannah, “See you later, Nancy Drew.”

  As Savannah approached the young man who sat against a wall playing the instrument, she noticed a loop of rope around one foot. Her eyes followed the rope to what appeared to be some sort of animal half-hidden in a duffle bag. Written on a crude cardboard sign leaning against the bag were the words healing sounds.

  “Healing sounds?” Savannah questioned.

  The young man lowered the instrument, looked up at her, and nodded. “I make them. The music is peaceful and healing—for stress relief.”

  “It’s an unusual sound,” she said. “Haunting, in a way.”

  The boy smiled shyly.

  “Can just anyone play one of those?” she asked.

  “No instructions needed. You just find the tone that…uh…that sort of…you know…resonates with you and you feel more relaxed and peaceful.”

  “How many notes are there? It seems to be pretty much a one-note instrument.”

  The kid squinted up at Savannah and explained, “Some of the flutes have four notes; some have eight. I even make one-note flutes. Some people find their resonating note right away in a one-note flute.”

  As the young man talked about the instruments, Savannah studied the ball of fur more closely. Is that a cat? she wondered. It looks like an orange tabby cat. Without warning, it began to move and the next thing she knew, she was staring into a familiar cat face. “Sunbeam?” she questioned.

  The young man stopped talking. He gazed at the cat, then back at Savannah.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  Without answering, he stood, grabbed the duffle bag with the cat inside, and started to trot off down the street, then suddenly stopped. A look of terror on his face, he tossed the bag to one side, elbowed Savannah in the same direction, and shoved Lily’s stroller away from her.

  The earsplitting crashing sound she heard seconds later, paralyzed Savannah until she thought of Lily. Stunned by the young man’s brutal behavior and feeling a very real sense of horror, Savannah scrambled to stand and find her baby. My God, what just happened? Where’s Lily? I hear her crying. Where is she? “Lily!” she shrieked.

  “Mama!” the baby called. “Mama!”

  Suddenly, she saw her child, still safely strapped in her stroller, holding her little hands out for her mother, and crying.

  “Lily!” she said, rushing to her. She unstrapped the baby and lifted her from the stroller, holding on tightly. “Are you okay?” she asked, looking her over.

  “She’s fine,” Brianna said, as she approached rather breathlessly. “Are you okay? Did that car hit you? It looked like it hit you.”

  Savannah shook her head. “No. What happened? Was that a car that whizzed past me?”

  “Yes.” Brianna pointed at her sister’s arm. “You’re bleeding. Are you sure you didn’t get hit?”

  “Oh, I guess I got a scratch from the fall.” Still holding tightly to Lily, she looked around at the commotion forming around her.

  “My God, are you okay?” Melanie shouted as she approached, holding both of her children by the hand. “Did you get hit, Vannie?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “And the baby?” She looked at the car which was now resting against the side of a building, the front end crumpled like a wad of paper. “That kid pushed her out of the way just before the car hopped the curb.”

  Tears spilled from Savannah’s eyes and down her cheeks. “Is that why he grabbed the stroller away from me?” She gazed at the car, then ran one hand over Lily’s head, whispering, “He saved my baby.” Frantically glancing around at the people who had gathered, she asked quietly, “Where is he? Oh my gosh, he didn’t get hit, did he?”

  “No,” Misty said. “He took his stuff and ran away.”

  Savannah looked up and down the street, hoping to glimpse the young man, when a woman in a dress and high heels rushed up to her. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Kayleigh Brown with the local TV station. What just happened?” she asked, holding a microphone toward Savannah. “Did you see what happened?”

  Savannah shook her head. “Not really.”

  “I was across the street in that store with my crew when I heard the crash,” she said, motioning toward the camera man who was aiming his camera at Savannah. “Were you hit?” When she saw tears still fresh on Lily’s face, she asked more gently, “Is the baby all right?”

  Savannah’s eyes welled up again. “We’re fine.”

  “A street urchin saved them,” Melanie said.

  “A street urchin?” Ms. Brown asked, moving the microphone toward Melanie.

  “He was selling some sort of musical instruments. He pushed my cousin and her baby out of the way just before that car jumped the curb,” she explained.

  “Where is this person?” the reporter asked, looking into the faces that surrounded her. “We want to interview him.”

  “Is anyone hurt?” Savannah asked. “What about the driver? Did someone check?”

  A bystan
der nodded. “Yeah, they got him out. He’s on the ground. I think he had a stroke or something.”

  The reporter focused on Savannah again. “So you don’t know who it was that saved you and your child?”

  Savannah shook her head. “I’d sure like to thank him.”

  “Misty’s right, he’s gone,” Brianna said. “He picked up his stuff and ran as soon as he knew you and the baby were okay.” She put her hand on her sister’s arm. “Vannie, you don’t look so well. Do you want to sit down? I’ll get you some water.”

  “You know, I think I’d just like to go home.”

  But the reporter kept pushing. “Can I have your name and phone number, please? We’re honoring local heroes this weekend in the park and I’d like to find that man. If we do, we want you and the baby to be part of the ceremony.”

  Just then a police officer approached Savannah and the others. “Everyone okay?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yes, just shaken. That was too close for comfort.”

  “May I ask you a few questions?”

  “I really need to get home. Please, can I give you my information and you can contact me later—or I’ll come down to the station tomorrow. I just can’t do this now. My little girl,” she started choking up, “nearly lost her life here just now. I hope you understand.”

  Melanie spoke up. “I saw it all, officer. I’ll tell you what happened.”

  At that, the reporter shoved her mic toward Melanie and motioned for the camera to roll. In the meantime, Brianna led Savannah and Lily back to the patio at the ice cream shop, where they sat watching the activity from a distance.

  “I’ll be so glad when Michael gets home,” Savannah said.

  “Well, you don’t have to wait long. They’re leaving in the morning. Should be home for supper tomorrow, don’t you think?”

  ****

  The following morning after an early breakfast buffet at the Sheridans, Melanie and her family prepared to leave on the last leg of their trip to Los Angeles.

  “Thank you for everything,” Melanie said, hugging each of her cousins and aunts. “Thank you, too, Max. It was wonderful meeting you.” She picked up Lily and kissed her cheek. “You are such a doll-baby. Wish I could take you with me.”

  “Can we, Mama?” Misty asked.

  Melanie flashed a grin at Savannah. “Sure, if you can talk her mommy into it.”

  “Not on your life,” Savannah said, taking the baby from her. She said to the seven-year-old, “Good bye, Misty. Thank you for helping out with the animals. You did a good job.”

  “Me, too?” Aaron asked.

  Savannah tousled his hair and smiled. “You too, buddy.” She gave Ron a one-armed hug. “Nice meeting you, Ron. Welcome to this crazy family.” Everyone waved as their car edged out of the driveway.

  “I’ll see you in LA,” Gladys called. She turned to Max and Margaret. “Breakfast was wonderful. Thank you.”

  “Yes, it was delicious,” Savannah agreed.

  “Are you feeling better?” Margaret asked her as they went back into the Sheridans’ house.

  Savannah nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

  “She slept in the baby’s room last night,” Brianna reported.

  Margaret’s eyes welled up. “I don’t blame you, Vannie,” she said, sniffling. She kissed Lily’s pudgy hand. “That was a close call.”

  Brianna sighed. “It’s been a crazy week. You know, I came here to relax and…”

  “Oh no,” Margaret said, laughing. “Hang around the two of us and you never know what’ll happen; right, Vannie?”

  Before Savannah could answer, her phone rang. She looked at the screen and reported, “It’s June Balcomb. I haven’t talked to her in a few weeks.” Into the phone, she said, “Hi June. How are you?”

  “As good as can be expected at my age. How are you, dear Savannah, and your beautiful family?”

  Savannah hesitated before saying, “We’re fine. Michael’s in Oregon helping out in an awful animal-hoarding case. He should be home later today. How’re things at the cat ranch? Sorry I haven’t been out to help lately. We’ve been busy with a wedding and now I have family visiting…”

  “Well, we miss you, of course, but you don’t have to feel guilty for taking time off. I understand. We have a few new volunteers who are working out quite well.” She paused. “Uh, Savannah, what I called about is that I’ve nominated Ragsdale to be honored on Hero Day.”

  “What?” Savannah asked.

  “Well, yes, he saved Mazie Mae that awful night when she was catnapped, you know. And he has done other incredible things, hasn’t he?”

  “Lately, he’s pretty much grounded—he’s been in a lot of trouble.”

  “Oh my. What is that dear boy accused of?”

  “Escaping mostly, running amok in the neighborhood, and taking things that don’t belong to him.”

  Savannah heard June begin to laugh. “He is an incorrigible soul, isn’t he? He dances to his own beat. And that’s part of what makes him a good candidate for Hero Day. I’m just calling to find out if you can make it tomorrow—you and your family. I expect to see you there, with Ragsdale, of course.”

  “June, I don’t know if they’re recognizing animals, are they?”

  “Oh yes. Once I finished talking to the powers that be, I had them convinced it would be good for publicity to have a feisty feline among the heroes.”

  Savannah hesitated. “Well, I’m sure he’ll be excited to hear the news. Thank you, June…I guess. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

  “What was that all about?” Margaret asked when she saw the look of uncertainty on Savannah’s face.

  “Well, June has nominated Rags as a hero. It seems that he’ll be honored on Hero Day at the park tomorrow.”

  “What?” Margaret exclaimed. She slapped her knees and let out a huge guffaw. “That cat, a hero? Does she know how much trouble he gets into around here?”

  “Now, Maggie,” Gladys said, “Rags is a nice cat and he has done some praiseworthy things. If Mrs. Balcomb wants to honor him, why not let her?” When Margaret started to protest, Gladys stiffened. What happened next stunned both Savannah and her sister. They watched as their mother gave Margaret a stern look, raised her voice, and said, “Just can it, Maggie. Savannah doesn’t need to engage in a debate with you right now.” She turned to Savannah, smiled, and said quietly, “Shall we get the princess home for her nap, honey?”

  Savannah looked at her mother, disbelieving. She glanced at her aunt, who was obviously stunned. When she made eye contact with Brianna, the two of them burst out laughing.

  “Yeah, let’s go before there’s a sister-rumble,” Brianna quipped.

  Savannah glanced at Margaret again, then said to her mother, “I haven’t heard you talk that way since the day Bri and I were wrestling in the living room and knocked a vase of flowers off the coffee table.”

  Margaret began to chuckle. “Yeah, that was a voice from the past, all right.”

  Gladys grinned sheepishly. “Well, don’t mess with my daughters or you’ll hear it again.”“I’m sorry, Vannie,” Margaret said, walking over and hugging her. “I didn’t realize you were so…touchy. Of course you’re still traumatized after that accident yesterday. I really am sorry.”

  “It’s okay, Auntie. Thank you.” She began gathering Lily’s toys, when her phone rang again. Upon hearing the voice on the other end, she smiled across the room at the others. “It’s Colbi. Hi honeymooner,” she said cheerfully into the phone. “How are you?”

  “Wonderful,” Colbi said.

  “So you two are having a good time?”

  “The best. I love it here. I can see why you thought this would be a good place to honeymoon. It’s so romantic.”

  “So what are you calling for, in the middle of your honeymoon?”

  “Just to say hi, check in, tell you how much I appreciate and miss you.”

  “Awww, that’s sweet.” She began to choke up.
“I really need that right now.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, nothing I want to worry you about. I’m sorry I said anything.”

  “Tell me, Savannah,” Colbi insisted.

  “It’s just that we had a near-miss yesterday downtown. A car careened out of control and just missed hitting Lily in the stroller. A young man pushed us out of the way.”

  “Oh my gosh, Savannah. Is she okay?”

  “Yes, perfectly fine, but I’m a mess. I can’t stop thinking about what could have happened.”

  “But it didn’t. You’re fine. The baby’s fine.”

  “Yes. You’re right. I’ve got to get a grip. Michael will be home today and I don’t want to greet him feeling this way.” She took a deep breath. “On a lighter note, Rags is going to be celebrated tomorrow.”

  “Why?”

  “Why not?” she quipped. When Colbi hesitated, Savannah explained, “They’re having Hero Day in the park…”

  “Oh that’s right. It was in the works before we left. So what does Rags have to do with it?”

  “Well, June nominated him for saving her kitty.”

  “No kidding. Now that’ll put an interesting twist on the event. Be sure to dress him in a bow tie.”

  “Oh, that’s a great idea. I just might do that.”

  “Hey, Savannah, know what I’m going to do? I’m going to nominate him, too.”

  “Why?” Savannah asked.

  “Well, I still believe he’s the one who saved Dolly when the two of them were lost in the mountains. I don’t think she would have survived on her own. He knows stuff most cats don’t. And wasn’t it Rags who brought you the address of the cat hoarder who was keeping me hostage? If you hadn’t acted on that information when you did, I wouldn’t be honeymooning as we speak.” She choked up, then said, “Yes, I’m going to cinch the nomination. I’ll call right now.”

  “After that, I hope you go back to honeymooning. Thanks for calling, Colbi. It’s great hearing your voice. Hugs to Damon. Stay safe.”

  ****

  It was two that afternoon when Michael pulled into the driveway. Brianna had left to greet Bud at his house and Gladys was napping, as was Lily.