The Celebrity Cat Caper (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 6)

by Patricia Fry

  "You got that right," Rob said. "Michael, did you know he took my wallet right out from under my nose and hid it in his stash?"

  Michael cringed. "Oh no. I'm sorry."

  "It's okay, we got good footage," Rob said. "And nothing was missing."

  "Lance?"

  Everyone turned to see Cheryl standing in the doorway, pulling her denim jacket tightly around herself. She said, "Wanna go for a ride or something? I'm bored."

  "Uh, my car isn't here right now. Maybe later."

  Cheryl stepped inside and closed the door. "Where's your car, Lance?" she asked sternly.

  "Uh, Julie had to run an errand."

  Cheryl's soft demeanor exploded into rage. "That bitch!" she hissed. She glared at Lance as if she wanted to say something else. Then she opened the door and walked out, slamming it shut.

  Rob scowled at Lance. "Buddy, I can't even imagine what it's like being you, and I sure don't want to find out." He stood and slapped Lance on the back. "What do ya say we get out of these fine people's way? Maybe see if Cheryl, DeeDee, and her old man—what's his name, Ray?—want to go get a piece of pie or something."

  "Well don't go too far. You know, our friend Charlotte will be here in..." Savannah looked at the clock on the microwave, "…half an hour."

  Rob flipped a few pages on his pad. "Oh, that's right." He turned to Lance. "Crank has some snacks out in the tent. Come on, let's go see what he has," he said ushering the cameraman toward the door.

  "I don't want to go out there and face Cheryl," Lance said in muted tones.

  Rob slapped him on the back. "Hey, you made your bed; you're gonna sleep in it, lover boy. So come on."

  Chapter 4

  "Are you ready to continue?" Rob asked when Savannah greeted him at the kitchen door an hour later.

  "Yeah, I guess," she said.

  "Where's the star?"

  "Upstairs with Charlotte."

  "We'd like to get some shots of him maybe taking something out of a purse or a pocket. Do you think he would do that for us?"

  "Shouldn't be a problem, especially if treats are involved," she said with a wink. "Charlotte can get him to do just about anything."

  "She may be a little shy with everyone around, though," Michael said.

  Savannah nodded. "And overwhelmed by the lights and cameras."

  "We've had enough experience filming animals and children that we should be able to make her feel comfortable. We'll give it a good try."

  "Have you worked with Downs children before?" Savannah asked.

  "Oh, she has Down syndrome?" Rob asked. "Yeah, I have, actually. Severe or mild?"

  "I'd say quite mild. She's a delightful child," Savannah said.

  "Shouldn't be a problem. I'm sure Rags will help her relax." Rob peered into the dining room and through to the living room. "It's getting pretty dark. We're probably going to need more lighting for shooting this segment, right Lance?"

  "Exactamundo," Lance said. He walked into the dining room and glanced around into the living room. "Can we film in this area?" he asked. "There's more space to set up the lights and reflectors."

  "I like it," Rob said. He made a call with his cell. "Crank, is Julie back?" He hesitated and then said, "Would you send all three gals in, please? Have them bring their equipment. Thanks."

  Once the team was assembled, Rob gave instructions: "Lance and DeeDee, I want you both to run your cameras. Julie, arrange the lighting to shoot in this direction—toward the staircase. I think I'll have the child and the cat sitting on the stairs, if we can get him to stay put. DeeDee, if he wanders, would you pick up the slack with your camera?"

  "Sure," she said.

  "Cheryl and I will wear mics. I'll interview. Cheryl, come in whenever you feel I've missed something or we need to change direction." He looked around at the film crew. "Got it?"

  Everyone nodded.

  "Michael and Savannah, go ahead and have a seat there in the living room where the child…Charlotte, right?" he asked. Savannah nodded and he continued, "…where she can see you."

  "Where do you want the purse?" she asked.

  "Oh, yes, the purse." He glanced around the room. "How about just setting it there on the coffee table. Would one of you go get…Charlotte, now? Oh, here she comes. Hi, Charlotte. Come on down. Is Rags with you?"

  Charlotte stopped at the top of the stairs and stared down at the film crew.

  Savannah could see that the girl was a little taken aback, so she walked to the bottom of the staircase and asked, "Would you like to bring Rags down to have his picture taken?"

  "Uh…oh, here he comth," she said, motioning toward the cat, who rubbed up against her leg and then darted down the stairs.

  "Come sit on the steps with Rags," Savannah said. "This is Rob and he has some questions for you."

  "About what?" she asked shyly.

  Savannah smiled. "About Rags."

  "Okay," she said, moving slowly down the stairs.

  "You want to sit right here for me?" Rob asked.

  "Okay," she said, lowering herself down to the third step from the bottom. "Do you want Ragth in the picther?" She asked. "I can go get his harneth and leath."

  Michael stood. "I'll get it."

  Once Charlotte and Rags were settled and the camera was rolling, Rob began asking questions. "So what's the most unusual thing you have found in Rags's…stash?" he asked.

  Charlotte thought about the question. She stroked the cat's fur as he lay at her feet. When she finally spoke, she did so with a sense of great accomplishment. "A thigar," she said.

  "A…what…oh, a cigar?" Rob asked.

  "Yeth," she said with a big grin.

  Michael and Savannah stared at one another. She shook her head and frowned.

  "Where do you think he found that?" Rob asked.

  Charlotte shrugged. "It wathn't thmoked."

  Rob looked over at Savannah and Michael. "Do you know where he would get a cigar?"

  Savannah shook her head. "Someone's pocket, I guess," she said.

  "Now that's pretty unusual, for sure," Rob said smiling at the girl. "A cat with a cigar… Did he chew on it?"

  "Oh no. Ragth ith thmarter than that!" she said indignantly. She smiled up at Rob, holding out one hand. "I made a ring with the band."

  Suddenly Lance said, "Well, I'll be." He turned off his camera and twisted to look behind him.

  "What?" Rob asked, frowning.

  "Where's my jacket?" Lance demanded. "Oh, there it is." He walked over to where he'd tossed his light-blue windbreaker on a dining room chair, reached one hand into the pocket, and pulled out a cigar. "That thief," he said. "He took one of my cigars!"

  "You've been initiated," Rob said, laughing out loud.

  Lance frowned. "Hey, those babies aren't cheap, you know."

  Still chuckling, Rob said, "Yeah, not so funny when he takes something of yours, huh Lance, my boy? Come on, let's finish up here and then you can negotiate to get your stogie back."

  Once the camera was rolling again, Rob said, "Charlotte, I hear you've helped Rags solve some crime cases."

  Her eyes widened and she nodded, her soft red curls bobbing alongside her face. "Yeth! I found a thcarf, and a note, and a hanky…Detective Craig wanted that thtuff."

  "And you won a medal, didn't you, for helping the sheriff's department?" Rob asked.

  Charlotte blushed, reached inside her blouse, and pulled out a cat-shaped medal hanging from a ribbon tied around her neck. "Thith one," she said. "I told about thomething I thaw and heard and it helped everyone find the lotht cath."

  "You are a remarkable young woman, Charlotte. You know that?" Rob asked.

  Charlotte lowered her head and petted Rags.

  "Hey, do you see that purse over there on the table?"

  "Yeth."

  "How about taking the cat over there and showing it to him. Let's see what he does when he sees it," Rob suggested.

  Charlotte stood, took Rags's leash, and led him into the living
room. She showed him the purse and he immediately jumped up on the coffee table and began sniffing it. Within a few seconds, he had one paw in the purse, then his nose went in. He dug around in the purse, then pulled back, sat down, and looked around the room at everyone. Charlotte turned toward Rob and said, "There'th nothing in there he wanth."

  Rob grinned and shook his head. "A discriminating cat, huh? Well, that's okay. So Charlotte, do you have anything you'd like to tell us about Rags while we're here?" he asked.

  The girl looked up, glanced at Rob, and said, "Ragth ith my friend."

  Rob stared at the girl for a moment and then said, "That's a wrap." He glanced around the room at the others. "Good job, everyone." He then addressed Charlotte: "Honey, you were fabulous. Thank you."

  "Can I thee the movie?" Charlotte asked.

  "Yes, I'll send you all a copy once it's finished."

  "Tomorrow?" she asked.

  Rob laughed. "No, probably not for a few weeks." He turned to his crew and said, "Let's get out of these people's hair, shall we? Oh, and barbecue here tomorrow at noon. Then we'll head for home."

  There were a few cheers.

  Rob glanced out the living room window. "Looks like the rain's letting up. Let's pack up." He then addressed Savannah. "By the way, will you make sure that all of the principals in the shoot are invited tomorrow? We want to thank them properly. That would be the detective, your aunt, that kidnapped girl…what's her name…Colbi, the librarian, and their spouses."

  ****

  The following morning, Savannah and Michael were having breakfast. Lily lay nearby in her cradle swing, batting at a toy that hung above her. Savannah was spreading apricot jam on a slice of toast when she heard her cell phone ring. She stood and headed for the buffet where it was plugged into the charger.

  "Hello?" she said.

  "Hi, Rob here."

  "Hi Rob. What's up?"

  "Problem."

  "What?" she asked.

  "Well, we may be stuck here for another day—we've heard that there was a slide on the road home and we've already checked out of our rooms. Not sure if we should try the alternate route in this rain or…"

  "It sure came down all night, didn't it? No, I don't think you want to travel in this. Michael had the news on earlier and they said it isn't expected to let up until tomorrow morning. I'd say, you'd better stay put."

  "Just a minute, Savannah," Rob said. She then heard him ask someone else, "What?" When he came back on the phone he explained, "We're out at the RV park where Crank has his travel trailer. They just issued an evacuation order here." His voice became accelerated. "Gads, the river's rising. I can see it lapping at the banks. It's running fast."

  "That little creek west of town?" she asked.

  "Not so little now. Can't you hear it?"

  "Yeah, I hear something. That's the creek?"

  "Sure is. I'll get some pictures and show you later. In the meantime, we need to find a place to go. Shouldn't be any trouble getting to your place from town, do you think?"

  "No. You'll be fine. But wait, Rob. Why don't you all plan to stay here overnight until the rain lets up and the roads are safe. They can park the RV here and we have plenty of beds. If we need to, we can put blow-up beds or cots in your nice warm tent outside."

  Savannah looked up and saw her husband staring sternly at her. She turned away.

  "Are you sure it's okay?" Rob asked. "Gosh, that would be great. We should be able to take off in the morning. You are a lifesaver, Savannah. Thank you so much."

  "You're welcome, Rob. Just have everyone come over and we'll get situated before the party starts. See you in a bit."

  After ending the call, Savannah turned slowly toward her husband with a sheepish look on her face. "I'm sorry, Michael. I really couldn't leave them in such a pickle. They've checked out of their motel already and they've been evacuated from the RV park. The river's rising and they fear it will flood the whole area."

  "So you invited them to spend the night here?" Michael said, grimacing a little and shaking his head.

  "Yes, I did. Was it an awful thing to do?"

  Michael was quiet for a moment and then he said, "No, honey. I would have done the same thing, only…"

  "I know, Michael," Savannah said, "we barely know these people."

  "Right. But what are you gonna do?" he said with a shrug. "They have no place else to go—we certainly wouldn't want to send them out on the highway in this stuff. Even Lexie doesn't want to go out to do her job in it, do you Lexie, huh?" He smiled down at Lily and then asked Savannah, "Okay, what do we need to do to get ready for the onslaught?"

  "Well, Helena was here helping me clean before the filming. So not too much—change Adam's bed, move Lily into our bedroom…"

  "Most definitely. We want her right with us all the time with strangers in the house," Michael agreed.

  Savannah looked at her handsome husband and asked, "Are we paranoid or what?"

  "No," he said in all seriousness. He looked down at their baby and said, "We're being appropriately cautious, good parents."

  Savannah grabbed a pencil and paper and began figuring. "We can put Rob and Lance in the blue room, DeeDee and…what's her husband's name?"

  "Ray?"

  "Yeah, Raymond. They can go in the healing room. Crank has a trailer. He and James can stay there."

  "Who's James?" Michael asked.

  "He hangs out with Crank. They are the clean-up crew; they make sure the ice chest is full…things like that."

  "Go-fers."

  "What?" Savannah asked.

  "Go-fers," Michael repeated. "They go fer things."

  "Yeah, I guess," she said. She then looked down at her list. "Julie and Cheryl can have Adam's room—we'll set up a cot in there."

  "Not sure that'll work," Michael said, shaking his head.

  She crinkled her brow. "Why not?"

  "Remember, I told you they don't like each other."

  "Oh, that's right. Let's see, how can we split them up?"

  "One of them can sleep on the sofa or we can put a cot in Lily's room. We do have that extra room downstairs that we haven't done anything with yet."

  "We'd be opening a can of worms if we have to get that room ready. Let's just make sure we have everything we need out of the nursery, and one of them can sleep in there. Lily can sleep in her portable crib tonight. It's just for one night, after all."

  By the time the crew had arrived, the plans were set. Michael and Savannah showed everyone where they would sleep and all six of the inside guests followed along on the entire tour. When they entered Adam's room—the last stop upstairs—Savannah addressed Cheryl and Julie. "You ladies have a choice. You can both bunk here in Adam's room or one of you can use a cot in the nursery downstairs. The baby will be with us in our room."

  "I'll take the nursery," Cheryl said, brushing her black side bangs away from her heavily made-up eyes. She looked at Savannah, asking, "Is there a bathroom down there?"

  "Yes," Savannah said. "You have a private bath. Julie, you'll share the one down the hall with Rob and Lance. DeeDee and Raymond have a connecting bath."

  "Sounds good," Julie said, flashing a smile at Lance, who pretended not to notice.

  Savannah didn't notice. "Well, you all get settled; the other guests will be here for the party pretty soon. Will the food be delivered or do we have to go get it?" she asked Rob, who was standing near the doorway of Adam's room with some of the others.

  "They'll bring it around two," he said. He suddenly turned toward the window. "Boy, it's really coming down."

  "Sounds like hail," Michael said.

  DeeDee shivered a little. "I believe it is. Gosh, I haven't seen a storm like this in years." She snuggled against her husband. "Kind of exciting."

  "It's kind of eerie, if you ask me," Cheryl said.

  "Eerie?" Savannah asked.

  "Yeah, here we are in this old house, it's raining cats and dogs…" she glanced down at Rags, who was tagging along w
ith the group, and said, "Oops, poor choice of phrases. Sorry Rags. But it reminds me of an old-timey murder movie. When it gets dark, it'll even be more creepy."

  Raymond leaned toward Cheryl and let out an eerie laugh, which made her jump and clutch Lance's arm. He pulled her to him and wrapped both arms around her saying, "Don't worry, damsel in distress, I'll protect you." The two of them laughed heartily.

  Savannah couldn't help but notice Julie's expression. She sure hates that woman, she thought. She looked at Lance. Looks like they're being played by the same man.

  "Okay, everyone out of my room," Julie shouted. "I want to change into my party clothes." She put her hands on her hips and batted her eyes. "Or stay, if you want and watch me." She shrugged, glanced at Lance, and said, "It's up to you."

  Cheryl was first to rush out through the bedroom door. "I'm outta here." Everyone else followed behind her, each walking to their respective quarters to freshen up and deal with their belongings.

  "Fresh towels and washcloths in the linen closet outside the bathroom at the end of the hall," Savannah announced. "Come on, Ragsy," she urged, "I think someone just drove up—got company…" she sang out.

  As Savannah took the last few steps toward the front door, Rags darted ahead of her. He stood with his paws on the windowsill, peering through the stained glass. Just then, the door opened and Margaret and Max walked in. Damon and Colbi followed—all of them beginning to remove their raincoats.

  "I hear you have a houseful of guests for the night," Margaret said.

  "How do you know that?"

  "I called a while ago to see if you needed anything and Michael told me."

  "Yeah, some of the main roads are closed," Damon said. "In fact, I may have to go out on assignment at any moment."

  "The roads are really getting flooded," Iris said as she and Craig came through the still-open front door.

  Savannah reached for Margaret's and Colbi's coats. "Let's hang these in the service porch," she said.

  "Here, I'll help you," Max offered.

  "Thanks. Can you get Iris's and Craig's coats?" She motioned with her head, saying, "Come on in, everyone."

  The group joined Michael in the kitchen just as he was hanging up the house phone. "That was Reba," he said. "She and Charlotte aren't going to try making the drive." He chuckled. "She said the rain freaks her out."