A Christmas to Purr About

by Patricia Fry

  “So you don’t recognize any of these women?”

  She looked at the photographs again and shook her head. “Actually, it could be any one of them, except that one,” she said, pointing at a brunette. “Unless she wore a blond wig. I just didn’t pay any attention to the gal’s face.”

  Craig gathered the photos into a stack and sat back in his chair. He picked up the coffee mug Savannah had placed in front of him. After taking a sip, he said, “The owner of the beauty salon next door gave me a similar description.” He pulled out a piece of paper, unfolded it, and spread it out in front of Margaret.

  “That’s her! Yes. That’s the gal I saw leaving the studio yesterday. Where’d that picture come from?” she asked.

  “The surveillance camera outside the beauty salon.”

  “So who is she?” Margaret asked.

  “Perhaps a client of the photographer,” he said. “But I suspect she might be a relative or a friend. We haven’t gotten that far in the investigation.” He positioned the other photos next to the printout. “Now do you recognize her?”

  “Yeah, that could be her right there,” Margaret said, pointing. “Don’t you think so?”

  He nodded, put the photos away, and had started to take a bite of his cobbler when his phone chimed. He looked at the screen, then answered, “Sledge here. Well, that’s not what I wanted to hear. But thanks for letting me know.” Craig pocketed his phone and picked up his fork again. “Bad news,” he said, before taking the bite.

  “What?” Savannah asked hesitantly.

  “They haven’t been able to find the ring at any of the local pawn shops. They’ll start looking in nearby towns.” He dropped his eyes. “And she’s still pressing charges. She still believes you and your cat had something to do with that ring going missing.”

  “What a bunch of crap,” Margaret said in Savannah’s defense.

  “We know that, but we’ll have to go the extra mile to make sure the complainant knows it and that she’ll remove her talons from Savannah’s throat.” He glanced at the women, then continued eating his cobbler. Once he’d finished, he took a swig of coffee, stood, and headed toward the door. “I’d better go.”

  “Thanks, Craig,” Savannah murmured.

  He gave her an off-handed salute and left.

  After a few moments, Margaret asked more cheerfully, “When’s your mom coming? She’ll be here for Christmas won’t she?”

  “Yes, she’s coming for Lily’s birthday party and she’ll stay through Christmas. Adam will be here, too. We’ll have a full house.”

  “Well, with two rooms to spare,” Margaret reminded her.

  “Yeah, want to come stay with us? We can have a slumber party.”

  Margaret grinned. “Naw. I think it’s more peaceful at my house.” When she noticed her niece stand and move toward the kitchen window, she said, “You know, I think you could use some cheering up. It’s a nice day, why don’t you go ride your horse or something? I’ll entertain Lily.”

  Savannah looked at her aunt. “Really?” When Margaret nodded, she said, “I’d love that, but I promised Michael I wouldn’t ride alone.” She rubbed her belly. “Especially now.” She faced Margaret. “Can I take a rain check? Michael and I have an appointment with an attorney at noon today. But maybe Bonnie or Shelly can ride with me this afternoon or later this week, if your offer still stands.”

  “Sure. Who’s watching Lily when you go to the attorney?”

  “Oh, I figured we’d take her with us.” She hugged her aunt. “But I’m definitely interested in going out for a little ride, if you really don’t mind watching her. Let me see what I can work out and I’ll call you later.”

  ****

  Savannah and Michael arrived at the attorney’s office at noon and were ushered in directly.

  “Dr. and Mrs. Ivey, I’m Veronica Ruiz. I understand my friend, Detective Sledge, referred you to me.”

  “Yes,” Savannah said, taking a seat and placing Lily on her lap. Michael sat next to his wife and the attorney returned to her chair behind the desk.

  “What an adorable child,” Ms. Ruiz said.

  “Thank you.” Savannah took Lily’s jacket off her and pulled a baby snack out of her purse.

  The attorney smiled, then said, “So, as I understand it, you’re being hassled or harassed by two women for, seemingly, two different reasons.”

  Savannah glanced at Michael, then looked at the attorney. “Three, actually.”

  Looking puzzled, Ms. Ruiz repeated, “Three?”

  “Yeah,” Michael said, “but we’re not here to talk about the most recent problem. Let’s see if we can deal with the extortionist and the scammer first, shall we?”

  Ms. Ruiz thinned her lips and stared at Michael for a moment. She then opened a folder. “Mrs. Ivey…” she started.

  “You can call me Savannah.”

  “Okay, Savannah, why don’t you tell me everything you know about the sweater incident and the—shall we call it the pouch incident?” Once Savannah had told her story, the attorney asked a few more questions, then said, “All right, this is what we’re going to do. I’ll have a chat with Mrs. Kittredge’s attorney and we’ll get that sweater so we can examine it. Along with that, I want to talk to some of the people who were in the library at the time of the incidents. We want eyewitnesses. There are probably people who saw something, but didn’t know that what they saw was of any consequence. Savannah, we’ll rely on the list of the people you recall being there—I know you and your aunt met some of them by name when you were autographing books. Am I correct?”

  “Well yes. Actually,” Savannah said, pulling a piece of paper from her purse and handing it to the attorney, “I’ve made a list.”

  After looking the list over, Ms. Ruiz said, “This is great. Thank you. I’ll talk to the librarian and any employees and volunteers who were on duty that day. Once we have the particulars of the case—hopefully from credible eyewitnesses—we’ll respond to Ms. Kittredge’s demand with one of our own, which I recommend should include harassment. By the way, I’d like to have the note you told me about—the one that came in through the window.”

  “Oh, it didn’t occur to me to bring that,” Michael said. “Yeah, we still have it.”

  “Good.” She focused on Savannah. “Do you have recordings from both of the women who’ve been calling you?”

  “I think so.”

  “Can you get those to me ASAP, as well?”

  Savannah nodded.

  “Okay, then I want you to go home and relax. Go about your day without letting these two concern you. We’ll take over your worry from here.”

  “So we may not have to go to court?” Savannah asked hesitantly.

  Veronica Ruiz looked at her. “I can’t guarantee that. But I can promise you that if we do end up in court, from what I know of you and the accusations, you’ll be walking out of there in better shape than when you went in.”

  “Better shape?” Michael asked.

  “Yes, financially and emotionally,” Ms. Ruiz explained.

  Michael shook his head and winced. “Hey, we aren’t after money. We just want justice and peace.”

  Savannah nodded.

  The attorney stared at the couple for several moments. “Whatever you want. You’re the client.” She stood and reached her hand out to Savannah and then Michael. “For now, just take it easy. I’ll be in touch.” She smiled at the couple. “So what do you and your baby have planned for this afternoon?”

  Michael glanced at Savannah. “Well, I’m going back to work.”

  “Lily’s going to entertain her great aunt,” Savannah said, “and I’m getting out of Dodge.” When Ms. Ruiz tilted her head, Savannah explained, “I’m taking my horse out for a ride so she can get some exercise and I can, maybe, clear some cobwebs from my head.”

  The attorney smiled. “Sounds wonderful.”

  ****

  “I’m so glad you could come o
ut and play this afternoon,” Savannah said later that day as she and her friend Bonnie rode slowly along the trail leading into the nearby foothills. She patted her mare’s neck. “I’ve sure missed taking Peaches for a real ride.”

  Bonnie glanced at the mare. “I think she’s missed it, too. She seems happy to be out.”

  “Yeah, and happy to be with her kind.” When Bonnie looked puzzled, Savannah said, “Another horse. She probably thinks she’s a human, or a dog or cat half the time.”

  The women had been riding for about an hour when Savannah stopped her mare. “What’s that?” she asked, squinting into the distance.

  “Dang, it looks like someone’s been hurt.” Bonnie looked around. “I wonder if they were thrown from a horse or something.”

  Savannah felt her heart in her throat as she urged Peaches to follow Bonnie’s gelding toward the figure on the trail. “It’s a woman,” she said. “Do you think she’s drunk or on drugs? Bonnie, maybe we should call 911 and let them handle this.”

  When they saw the woman collapse into a heap along the edge of the trail, however, the riders urged their mounts ahead to where she lay. Savannah quickly dismounted and Bonnie took Peaches’s reins. “Hey,” Savannah said, shaking the injured woman a little. “Wake up. Are you hurt?” When she heard the woman moan, she gently rolled her over to get a better look. That’s when she saw the gash over the woman’s eye. Her blond hair was matted with blood and partially hid her face. “What happened?” Savannah looked around. “Were you on horseback?”

  The woman rolled her head back and forth. She spoke haltingly, “Jerry did it…I didn’t think he would…he said he would kill me.” When she heard rustling in the brush, she panicked and tried to scramble to her feet. “Let me go,” she hissed. “He’s coming after me.”

  “Just relax,” Savannah crooned. “It was the horses moving around. You’re okay. Bonnie, please toss me a bottle of water,” Savannah instructed while she removed her own t-shirt. She asked, “Can you help me hold her so I can try to clean this wound? It’s full of dirt and her hair’s stuck in it.”

  “Sure,” Bonnie responded, sliding off her gelding and tying both horses to a sturdy shrub.

  “Let’s roll her over onto her side while I pour water on the gash,” Savannah suggested. She dampened her t-shirt. “Someone attacked you?” Savannah asked as she blotted at the stranger’s face.

  The woman nodded. “We came up here on his motorbike.”

  “Yeah, I thought I heard one on the other side of the hill,” Bonnie said.

  “We had another fight and he said…he…uh…was going to…uh…kill me.” She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, then opened them. “I didn’t want to come up here with him. He’s threatened to kill me before,” she wailed, “but I didn’t think he’d actually try to do it.”

  Once Savannah had cleaned the gash as best she could and wiped most of the blood from the woman’s hair, she got a better look at her and noticed something familiar. I know her, she thought. Where have I seen her before? She stood up and looked into the woman’s still somewhat dirty, tear-stained face and that’s when she remembered. She tightened her lips and asked without emotion, “So who is this Jerry—your fiancé?”

  “Yes,” the woman said, taking a better look at Savannah. “How did you know?” Suddenly, she realized who she was talking to. “Oh, it’s you.” She turned her head to the side to avoid making eye contact.

  “Should I call for help?” Bonnie asked. “How badly do you think she’s hurt?”

  Savannah stood and looked around, trying to decide what to do next. She untied her hooded sweatshirt from the back of her saddle and slipped into it, zipping it up over her bra. “Well, I’m not sure,” she said leaning over the woman again. She poured more water on her blood-stained t-shirt and blotted at the woman’s wound. “I think you’ll need stitches. Can you hold this compress against your head?” She looked around for alternatives, but knew that probably the only reasonable way out for this woman was on the back of one of the horses. “Can you stand?” she asked her.

  “Why?” the woman sneered.

  “Christie, I don’t like this anymore than you do. But you need help and we’re the only ones here. You could have a concussion. What did he hit you with, anyway?”

  “A rock. He knocked me down and I hit my head on a rock.”

  Savannah winced. She looked over at Peaches and back at the photographer. “Do you think we could get you up on my horse?”

  Christie lifted her head from the ground a little, then moaned and lowered it again. “I guess I have to if I want to get out of here.”

  “I think you’re right. Now let me help you up.”

  “Wait, Savannah,” Bonnie said, moving closer. “You shouldn’t be trying to lift her in your condition. Let me see if I can get her up on the horse.”

  Savannah chuckled nervously. “How are you going to do it? She’s about twice your size.”

  “What do you think I do all day?” Bonnie persisted. “I load hay, lift heavy saddles onto tall horses…”

  “Okay,” Savannah interrupted. “Sorry, Bonnie. Yeah, you are one strong woman for your size.” When she saw her friend’s disgusted look, she snickered. “I mean, you are one strong woman. Come on, let’s see if we can get her up into my saddle.”

  “Where will you ride?” Bonnie asked, helping to support Christie as she struggled to her feet.

  Savannah shrugged. “I can walk.”

  “Whoa,” Bonnie said when Christie began to collapse. “You’d probably better ride with her, Savannah. She’s pretty unsteady. You don’t want her to fall off the horse and suffer more injuries.”

  Letting out a sigh, Savannah agreed, “Yeah, I could do that.” She looked around the area, then suggested, “Bonnie, hold her right there. I’m going to lead Peaches over near that rise.” Once she had Peaches in position, she dropped the reins on the ground. “Let’s see if she remembers how to stand ground-tied.”

  Bonnie chuckled. “Oh, she’ll remember. That was one of my most successful lessons with her.”

  “Okay, then let’s see if we can walk Christie up this incline and maybe she can get into the saddle by herself.”

  Once they had Christie in position, Bonnie urged, “Now hold onto the horn and I’ll give you a boost. It’s not far.”

  “Have you ridden a horse before?” Savannah asked.

  Christie shook her head. “I’ll ride behind the saddle. I don’t want to be responsible for steering this thing.”

  It took a couple of tries, but they got Christie onto the horse. As Savannah led Peaches out into the open, Bonnie edged up next to her and whispered, “Do you know that gal?”

  Savannah nodded. “Yeah, she’s one of the problems I wanted to get away from today.” She looked Bonnie in the eye. “She has pressed charges against me because she thinks Rags stole her engagement ring.” Savannah mounted her mare, then noticed Bonnie still standing in place staring at her and Christie. “Hey, let’s go, shall we? The lady needs stitches.”

  The women had ridden for several minutes in silence, when Savannah said, “I thought you were breaking up with him.”

  Christie hesitated, then complained, “I can’t do that until I get my damn ring back.”

  “You know that I don’t have your ring.”

  Christie remained silent, then said, “There’s no other possibility, is there?”

  “Yes, there is, Christie. There has to be, because it wasn’t me. Have you talked to that blond woman my aunt saw coming out of your studio the day we were there?”

  “No. She wouldn’t have taken it. She wasn’t anywhere near my studio that day.”

  “Then why does she show up on a surveillance camera just outside the salon right next to your studio at that exact time?” Savannah huffed.

  “The clock on the camera had to be wrong. She said she wasn’t there and I believe her.”

  Savannah fumed for a moment as they rode along the t
rail, then asked, “Who is she? She must be someone you know.”

  “My sister.”

  “And your sister has a pristine record?” Savannah asked. “I mean, she’s always told you the truth? As far as you know she isn’t a thief?”

  “No. She’s not thief. She’d never take from me. I’m her sister.”

  “And you’ve never known her to do anything like this before?” Savannah pushed.

  “No…well, just when she’s hungry or needs something. Then she only takes from strangers,” Christie admitted.

  “So she’s a druggie?” Bonnie asked disgustedly.

  Christie glared at Bonnie.

  “Well, is she?” Savannah asked.

  The photographer took a deep breath. “She has it under control. She just enjoys the lifestyle—no worries, no responsibility. I don’t blame her; being responsible sucks.”

  “She never took anything from your parents or you before?” Savannah asked.

  “Nothing of much value—just trinkets.”

  “Just trinkets?” Bonnie said, shaking her head.

  Savannah felt a tightening in the pit of her stomach. Exasperated, she raised her voice. “Christie, she probably considered your ring a trinket. Gads, are you dense? What are you thinking? You’d rather accuse someone wrongly than to make your sister own up?”

  “Well, it looked like your cat took it. You know that.”

  “And you thought we lied to you about the x-rays. You saw the x-rays yourself, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, but how do I know you didn’t get the ring out of the cat and keep it?”

  “How do I know you even had a ring at all?” Savannah insisted.

  Christie was quiet for several minutes, then she said, “I’m sorry.” When Savannah didn’t respond, she added, “Jerry has it. He told me about it this afternoon when he brought me up here. I went ballistic.” She began to sob. “But he said he wasn’t breaking up with me, he just wanted the ring to pawn for some money. All along he planned to get it back from the pawn shop. He saw me put the ring in the drawer after our last fight, so he knew it was there. He must have taken it the night before when he came to pick me up for dinner. Or…”