The Cat, the Vagabond and the Victim: A Cats in Trouble Mystery

by Leann Sweeney

  Soon we all crowded into the store. Decades ago it had been a family home, and the stacks of toys, tools, small appliances, magazines, books, lamps, fishing gear and so much more made what had once been the small living area seem even tinier. And there before us was this battered old love seat—obviously a new addition. It filled what little space had been in the center of the room, and since we couldn’t get past it, we all stood staring down at its dingy brown upholstery.

  Ed stroked his gray beard. “This here is the problem.” He looked down at a whining Yoshi. “Help me out, fella. Make some noise.”

  Yoshi complied by jumping on the love seat and yelping at the space between the back and bottom cushions.

  We all heard a cat meow in reply. I would have expected a hiss if one of my three cats found themselves trapped in this sofa, but Magpie had been at the shelter so long, she was probably used to dogs barking.

  I put my hand to my mouth and muttered, “Oh my. Is she stuck?”

  “Darn right,” Ed replied. “Only good thing is she can almost get her head through that crack. I reached down and felt the tag on the collar, got a flashlight for a better look. Like I said on the phone, she’s one of yours, Shawn. But I’ve been working for an hour to coax or help her out of there and it ain’t happenin’.”

  “Actually, Gramps, she’s now my cat.” Finn smiled at Ed. He’d taken to calling him Gramps not long after he came to live with Tom.

  Ed’s bushy eyebrows rose in surprise. “Well, there’s a new development. Guess she needs savin’ right quick, then.”

  Shawn addressed Finn. “Yoshi’s done his job. Maybe he needs to go in the back while we work on this problem. The cat’s probably scared.”

  As soon as the dog was in the back room, I fit my fingers between the back of the love seat and the attached cushions. I used a soft, coaxing voice. “Hey, baby. You okay?” I wiggled my fingers. The sofa was old and dirty, and I was thankful the dark brown of the cushions hid a lot more than the stickiness I could feel.

  It only took a minute for Magpie to wriggle her head out. Finn laughed and immediately took out his phone and snapped a picture. “Got to think of a caption for this when I put it up on Instagram.”

  “Such a pretty girl,” I whispered, stroking the side of her face.

  Meanwhile, Shawn was looking underneath the love seat in the back to check if she’d gotten in there through a rip or tear. He stood after checking. “She either got in there the way she’s trying to come out, or came in through the bottom.”

  “There’s no hole in the bottom, Shawn,” Ed said. “I woulda seen it.”

  “So she can get out, but she’s choosing not to.” Shawn wore a wry smile. “Typical cat.”

  Sure enough, Magpie began to worm through the space and finally Finn couldn’t stand it anymore. He grabbed hold and pulled her out.

  It was then that we saw she had a thin gold chain wrapped around one front leg.

  “Ah. So you were Dumpster-diving again.” Finn held her up and looked into her eyes while Shawn unwound the chain. It seemed to have a locket attached.

  Magpie, with her mottled black-and-gold fur and pale green eyes, was indeed a beauty. But as I held her back legs so Shawn could untangle the chain, I felt a stickiness. When Shawn was finished, Finn held his new friend close and I glanced at my hands.

  My palms were rusty red. I held my fingers to my nose and immediately recognized the smell.

  Blood.