The Cats that Surfed the Web

by Golden, Karen

“Why would anyone want to do this?” Colleen asked, grabbing Katherine’s terry cloth bathrobe. She began soaking up water from atop the dresser.

  “I don’t have a clue, but maybe someone wants to scare me out of this house.”

  “But that doesn’t make any sense.” Colleen stopped sopping up water.

  “I think we should leave this room, and have the chief take a look at it.”

  “We can put the cats in my room,” Colleen suggested.

  “No, that’s not necessary. How about that other bedroom at the end of the hall? The one with the super tall headboard?”

  “I’ll carry the ladies’ room,” Colleen said, lifting the empty litter box. “Do we have any stuff to put in it?”

  “Cat litter? There’s some in the closet next to your room.” Katherine put down Abigail, who quickly moved ahead to join Lilac in the hallway. They rubbed noses. Scout and Iris crept behind Colleen down the hall.

  “Check your bedroom. Is everything okay?” Katherine called after her.

  Colleen went into her room and shouted, “I don’t believe this. Someone dumped my suitcase . . . my clothes are everywhere.”

  “What?” Katherine said, rushing down the hall. She found Colleen standing next to the bed, holding what remained of her smashed EMF meter.

  “Oh, no they didn’t,” Colleen said furiously.

  “Who would do this?”

  “And it was freaking new.”

  “But why would someone break your ghost gizmo and not your cell phone? Look, it’s still on the charger.”

  Colleen grabbed her phone and quickly put it in her pocket.

  “We need to tell the chief right away, but first help me get the cats in their new room before something else happens.”

  Katherine went back to her ransacked room and picked up the empty water bowl. She juggled the bowl, cat food dishes, and the heavy plastic bottle of spring water and made her way down the hall. She nearly tripped over Scout, who had shot down the hall.

  “Waugh,” Scout cried.

  “Are you thirsty, Scout?” Katherine said, setting the load down on the floor next to the antique bed. She opened the spring water bottle and filled the cats’ water bowl. Meanwhile, Colleen had found the litter and poured a small amount into the box.

  “Put in more than that,” Katherine advised.

  Lilac and Abby had jumped on the unmade bed and were rolling back and forth.

  “Look at those two creatures already at home on the bed as if they know they’re sleeping here tonight,” Colleen ventured.

  “It seems very cold in this room. For starters, I’m going to need a few blankets. Later, I need to find some clean sheets to put on it.”

  “In the meantime, I’ve got something warm for them to sleep on,” Colleen said leaving the room. She returned carrying a cable-knit sweater.

  “Not your best sweater,” Katherine warned.

  “It’s only for a couple of hours. How can they possibly hurt it?” she insisted, making a little nest on top of the bed.

  Scout jumped onto the bed and began sniffing every inch of the mattress cover. Meanwhile, Iris leapt up onto the Renaissance Revival dresser and was rubbing her jaw against one of its corners. Abigail and Lilac immediately dove for the sweater. While Abby push-pawed the new bed, Lilac positioned herself in the middle of the sweater and settled into a tight circle, lying on her side.

  “I’m so thankful that whoever did this didn’t hurt my cats,” Katherine said worriedly.

  “Katz, don’t think about that now. Your cats are okay.”

  Fishing her cell phone out of her back pocket, Katherine said, “I’m going to call Mark.” Mark’s cell rang once, then went directly into voice mail. Katherine said in an uneasy voice, “Please come to the house. There’s been a terrible tragedy.”

  “Ms. Kendall,” the chief shouted from downstairs. “Could you please come down?”

  “Him again?” Colleen mumbled.

  Iris’s throat rumbled with a ferocious growl. “It’s okay, baby,” Katherine soothed.

  They shut the cats in the room and went downstairs to the atrium.

  “I need to ask you a few questions,” the chief said, leaning against one of the closed pocket doors.

  “Sure,” Katherine said. “I need to speak to you about something, also.”

  The chief looked at her expectantly, as if she were about to make a confession.

  “Somebody ransacked my bedroom,” Katherine said. “I’m surprised you didn’t notice it when you searched the house.”

  He hesitated for a moment and then said defensively, “There was a room upstairs on the left that I didn’t check because the door was locked.”

  “My bedroom door was locked?” Katherine asked surprised.

  “I knocked but nobody answered.”

  “When I came up here, a few minutes ago, the door was closed but not locked.”

  The chief shrugged. “I heard your cat in there, so I figured you had locked it in there.”

  Katherine and Colleen exchanged questioning looks.

  Officer Glover came in. “Coroner is here. Do you wish to speak to him?”

  “Yeah, in a few minutes.”

  Officer Glover nodded and went back down to the basement.

  “Let’s have a look at that bedroom,” Chief London said.

  Katherine directed him upstairs to her great aunt’s former bedroom.

  He quietly looked around, tugged his beard, and then stared into her eyes. “You’re not into drugs, are you?”

  Katherine’s jaw dropped. She replied indignantly, “I’m most certainly not.”

  “Routine question when I find something like this,” he explained. “Do you have any idea what they were looking for?”

  “No,” she said. “What would they want with my clothes? I just hung them up yesterday. The rest of my stuff isn’t coming until tomorrow.”

  The chief nodded and said gently, “I’m sorry to be so rough on you, but we haven’t had a murder in Erie for a long, long time.”

  “What do you mean?” Katherine said warily.

  “It’s simple. Vivian Marston died in a very suspicious and apparently unnatural way in your house,” he said. “Now, you tell me, what would you think if you were in my shoes?”

  “I don’t know why she was in my house. My attorney said she was in the nursing home.”

  “Yes, Vivian was,” Mark Dunn said, entering the room. “Hi, Chief. Dan let me in through the basement.” He turned to Katherine. “I was just a few blocks away when I got your message.” Mark glanced around the vandalized room, moved over to Katherine’s side, and whispered, “Love what you’ve done with the place.”

  Katherine attempted a smile.

  The chief looked at Mark. “Was she or wasn’t she in a nursing home?”

  “Yes, but she was discovered missing from the home around seven p.m.”

  Colleen, who previously had been standing outside, suddenly bustled into the room and said animatedly, “‘Tis nonsense, I tell you. How can a woman who is in a coma go missing from her bed?”

  “Good question,” the chief said.

  Mark put up his hands. “Up to a few minutes ago, I was at the nursing home. I talked to everyone on the staff, and no one could figure out what happened to her. When I left the home, the nurse in charge was calling Vivian’s daughter, Patricia. I suggested that they also call the police.”

  “What is your involvement in this?” the chief asked.

  “As you know, my law firm has represented the Colfax family for a number of years. I’m the executor of Orvenia’s estate. Vivian Marston’s care was being paid for by a trust under Mrs. Colfax’s will.”

  “Do you have any idea why she’d be in Ms. Kendall’s basement?”

  “No, I’m just as perplexed as you are.”

  Officer Glover joined them. “I hate to interrupt, but the dispatcher called and said there were several reports of a gray-haired woman dressed in a bathrobe walking down Highway
28.”

  “What does that have to do with this?” Colleen said haughtily.

  “Mrs. Marston is wearing a bathrobe,” Katherine noted.

  “And to fill you in, Dan, Mrs. Marston was reported missing from the nursing home at seven p.m. Did the dispatcher mention that?” the chief asked irritably. “It’s close to ten o’clock now.”

  “Let me get this straight,” Colleen began. “A woman, in a coma, woke up and left the nursing home, in this freezing weather, dressed only in a robe, walked down the highway, came over to this house to specifically die in my friend’s basement. Oh, please,” she said skeptically.

  “The Erie Convalescent Home is only a few blocks north of here,” Mark added.

  Colleen rolled her eyes.

  “Chief London, Mrs. Marston has been very ill for the last several weeks,” Katherine began. “I know this is probably ridiculous, but when I was growing up, I had a cat named Bruce.”

  The chief put up his hand, “I don’t have time for this.”

  “Please, hear me out.”

  “All right, but make it quick,” he demanded.

  “Bruce was an outside cat. When I was a child, my parents and I lived in Brooklyn. One day a car hit Bruce. My mother saw it happen from the front window. When she ran to the front door and opened it, Bruce staggered in and collapsed on the living room carpet. That’s where he died.”

  Mark gave a curious look. “Do you think that Vivian Marston knew she was dying and wanted to die in this house?”

  “Could be,” Katherine said. “Didn’t you say she loved this house?”

  “For pity’s sake. The woman was incapacitated,” Colleen said to the chief and then to Katherine. “Now do you want to stay in this house? I vote we get out of here as soon as possible,” Colleen implored.

  “No, ma’am,” the chief said. “I’m afraid I’m going to ask the two of you to remain in the county for at least seventy-two hours.”

  “With all due respect, you cannot ask them to remain in the county unless you think they are suspects,” Mark protested.

  “Mr. Dunn,” the chief began. “I don’t need to quote the law to you, but Vivian Marston’s death occurred in an unusual manner. The coroner is already here, and I’ve notified the Indiana State Police.”

  “This is ridiculous,” Katherine protested. “I can’t leave the house for seventy-two hours?”

  “Maybe less. It depends when the coroner’s report is in,” the chief answered as he started to leave the room. He looked at Katherine and said, “You can leave the house, but just don’t leave the Erie area. Anyway, you weren’t planning on leaving us so soon. You just got here.”

  “No.”

  “Good. We’ll get this thing sorted out.”

  “Chief, I think you’re making a mistake,” Mark said slowly.

  “Whatever happened under this roof, happened under her roof,” the chief snapped. “I’m not going to say Miss Kendall is a suspect until I know more, but she and her friend are material witnesses at least.”

  “Incredible,” Colleen said under her breath. “This makes absolutely no sense. We’ve been at the blasted movie all night. Why would we want to harm the poor woman?”

  The chief clumped down the stairs.

  Mark turned to Katherine and said, “How do you think Vivian got in the house?”

  “I think Vivian let herself in with the new key,” Katherine said, suspiciously.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The chief found a key on the basement floor close to Vivian’s body.”

  “I did not give Vivian a duplicate key to your house,” Mark said tenaciously. “So, where’s the key now?”

  “The chief put it in an evidence bag. Listen, I’m not positive it was a new key to the house because he wouldn’t let me compare it with my key. Oh, by the way. Who did you hire to change the locks?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Well, try this out for size,” Katherine said sarcastically. “The strange thing about this old house is that doors become locked and unlocked by themselves. It’s a long story and I’m really too tired to tell it now, but one question—whom did you hire to change the locks?”

  “Cokey Cokenberger, of course.”

  Colleen and Katherine exchanged doubtful looks.

  “Seriously?” Katherine asked, shocked. “The handyman changed the locks and not a professional locksmith?”

  “I bought the locksets from a locksmith in the city, and I hired Cokey to install them. He’s done this sort of work for me before.”

  “Okay, fine,” Katherine said, throwing up her arms in exasperation. “I know I’m jumping to conclusions. Maybe that key the chief found doesn’t fit the new door locks, but I want to feel secure in this house. I don’t relish getting up in the morning and finding another escapee from the convalescent home dead in the basement.”

  “Hear, hear,” Colleen agreed.

  “Where are the cats?” Mark asked, changing the subject.

  “In the bedroom at the back of the hall,” Katherine answered.

  “Would you prefer if I stayed here tonight?” Mark offered. “I can sleep in the sitting room.”

  “Yes, that would be grand,” Colleen readily accepted.

  “No, thank you,” Katherine said stubbornly. “We can fend for ourselves.”

  “Okay, in that case I’ll go now,” Mark said. “But first I want to have a word with the chief before I leave. I’ll call you first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Katherine did not answer.

  Colleen said, “Thanks. You have been a wonderful help.” She elbowed Katherine in the ribs.

  “Oh yes, thanks,” Katherine stuttered. “I’m sorry, but this whole thing has brought my New York up.”

  “New York up?” he asked quizzically.

  “It’s like a cat’s fur rising when it’s angry. Well, to me, that’s my New York. I’ve got my fur up. And I’m not going to let this deter me,” she said adamantly.

  Mark said good night and left.

  The two women discussed how they would move pieces of furniture to barricade the exterior doors. “We’ll start with the side covered carport door,” Katherine said, running down the stairs.

  “Wait, stop,” Colleen said. “What was that business about staying in Erie? What did that mean? I can’t go back to New York?” Colleen worried. “How would I explain that to my boss-from-hell? While I was on vacation I was a suspect for murder! Gee, that really increases my chances of getting a raise. What about my date with Mario?” she continued.

  “I don’t know what to think. For now, let’s start barricading the outside doors so we can call it a day. I’m exhausted.”

  Colleen descended the stairs, “Later, when we go to bed, keep your door closed.”

  “Why?” Katherine asked.

  “Because you snore and those furry creatures of yours . . .”

  “I promise to keep my door closed, if you promise to keep yours closed.”

  “And, another thing, why didn’t you mention my suitcase being dumped and my stuff flung all over the room? And my ghost meter being broken?”

  “Because I didn’t want the chief to think we were nuts. No worries. I’ll order you one online, and by the time you get home, you’ll have it for your next ghost-hunting adventure.”

  “Thanks, Katz.”

  “And I beg of you, if you see something spooky or hear something that goes bump in the night, do not scream,” Katherine warned. “I’ve had enough drama for one evening.”

  “I’ll pull the covers over my head and ignore it.”

  “Purrfect. Purrfect,” Katherine repeated, rolling the letter R. “We’re getting giddy.”

  “I vote for tea.”

  “I second the motion.”

  Heading to the kitchen, Colleen said, “I change my vote to a pint of Guinness.”

  “A glass of wine would be great,” Katherine said. She gazed out the slats of the window blind and looked at the ambulance parked outside. />
  “What’s going on?” Colleen asked, pouring the wine. She slid a glass across the table to Katherine.

  “They’re loading Mrs. Marston into the ambulance. There’s this stocky guy standing next to the chief. I wonder if he’s the coroner. Oops,” Katherine said, stepping back from the window.

  “What now?”

  “I think the chief saw me looking out.”

  “So? It’s your house. Well, not yet, but in the future.” Colleen sat down and poured a bottle of Guinness into a tall glass. “You were awfully tough on Mr. Lawyer this evening. I think you hurt his feelings.”

  “Colleen, I know you mean well, but I’m not up to another relationship so soon after Gary. I’m being very cautious. Besides, he was talking out of both sides of his mouth, as the estate’s attorney and as my attorney, even though I never hired him.”

  “Yeah, right,” Colleen said skeptically.

  They heard the ambulance pull out of the drive. A moment later, they heard two car doors slam and an engine start up. Katherine went back over to the window blinds and sneaked a look outside. “There goes the chief,” she said, stepping back.

  Colleen popped up beside her and peered through the slats. “Hey, there’s another car pulling in.”

  “What kind of car?”

  “It’s white with a blue emblem on it. Oh, the saints preserve us, there’s a woman coming this way.”

  “Which door?”

  “The side door.”

  Katherine rushed to the carport door and opened it before the woman had an opportunity to clang the antique doorbell.

  “Ms. Kendall,” the woman said, somewhat surprised.

  “Yes,” Katherine answered, not moving from the doorway.

  “My name is Detective Linda Martin. I’m an investigator for the Indiana State Police,” she said, showing her badge. “I’ll be assisting the County Coroner in assessing Mrs. Marston’s cause of death. Could I please have a few words with you? I know you must be exhausted from this trying experience, but I’ll try to not take up too much of your time.”

  “Come in,” Katherine said, motioning her into the dining room.

  “This is truly a beautiful house. I understand you’ve only lived here a brief time.”

  “Yes, since Sunday evening,” Katherine said. “How may I help you?”