by Patricia Fry
“Who do you think it is?” he asked, grinning.
“The attorney?” Colbi asked, her eyes wide.
Craig nodded. He then said, “Now Colbi, the window where the cats saw whatever it was they saw—was it open or closed?”
“Oh…uh…why, Craig?”
“Can you recall? Normally, you’d close windows this time of year, but I have a hunch…”
“Yes,” Colbi said suddenly. “It was open a little. I closed it when I saw the cats on the window sill. I thought they were trying to get out or something, because they were so worked up, you know.” She sat forward in her chair. “Harrison did some baking a couple of days ago and I guess he opened that window.” She shifted in her chair. “Yes, Craig, it was open, I remember now, I had to close it so the cats didn’t push out the screen and escape.”
“I’ve forgotten, Colbi,” he said, “is it a side slider or a vertical slider?”
“Vertical and old. I worry about Dolly getting squashed if the window were to fall, so I usually put something in to brace it when it’s open. The brace wasn’t in there, which is another reason why I was so eager to close the window when I saw the cats on the sill.”
Craig sat back with a satisfied look on his face.
“Why is this important, Craig?” Savannah asked.
“Well, my theory is that not only did the cats see who dumped the body—and we do believe Jackson was killed somewhere else and brought to your place to incriminate you or Damon—but if the window was open, they could also get that person’s scent. So in my world, this is a double-whammy against that phony lawyer.” He grimaced. “Now to get some more traditional evidence and even maybe a confession.” Standing, he said, “Okay, we’re done here. Go on and take the cats home. Have a nice evening. And thank you. I think they made our work just a little easier.”
Savannah smiled. “Glad we could help.”
“Yeah, that was interesting,” Colbi said.
Just then a deputy walked toward Craig and whispered something to him. Craig nodded, then stood and started to leave, when, in Columbo fashion, he turned and said, “One more thing.”
“What?” the women asked.
He scratched his head and thinned his lips. “I’d like to ask one more favor of your cat, Savannah. Do you think he’s up to it?”
“Well, I don’t know. What do you have in mind?”
“Something simple, really. I’d like to have you walk him through the booking area on his leash. That’s all. Did you bring his leash?”
Savannah nodded.
“Want to try this?” he asked her.
Savannah stared at Craig, then glanced at Colbi. “I guess so.” She stood and released Rags from the carrier, put his harness on him and attached the leash. “Ready?” she asked.
“Let’s go.” Before opening the door, he said, “Now, I want you to walk through the room out there with the cat, all normal-like. Don’t make eye contact with anyone. Just take one stroll across the room and back again—slowly. I’ll watch the cat for any reactions. Then come on back to this room and you and Colbi can leave. Okay?”
“Sure. Sounds simple enough,” she said, as she eased into the booking area. Amidst the noisy rumble, she took the walk with the cat across the room while Craig watched from the doorway.
Savannah cringed when she heard a wolf-whistle and quickly looked away from a leering man who was just being brought in through the front door wearing shackles. As Craig had instructed, she lowered her eyes and avoided making eye contact with anyone.
Rags, in the meantime, followed behind her, stepping out to the right once to check out someone’s boot and crossing over in front of her to examine a paper cup lying under a chair on the floor. They had just about reached the opposite wall when Savannah felt a tug on the leash. She looked down and saw Rags crouching and staring in the direction of a man who was seated in a chair across from the reception desk. When she pulled on the leash, Rags wouldn’t budge. She glanced back at Craig, who motioned for her to pick up the cat and return to the room. As she stooped to pick Rags up, however, she gazed in the direction he stared and her heart began to race. Her eyes wide, she scooped him up and hurried back toward the conference room. “That’s him,” she whispered when she approached Craig. “That’s the man I saw arguing with Damon last week.”
He smiled knowingly and nodded.
“What happened in there?” Colbi asked as the two women eased into their jackets and picked up the carriers, preparing to exit through a side door held open by a deputy.
“Oh my gosh, Colbi, I saw that man in there and so did Rags. He must have had something to do with killing Eugene Jackson. You should have seen Rags react. Gave me the shivers.”
“Well, I’m glad that’s over,” Colbi said. “That was one creepy experience, sitting in there with those women and not knowing which one was the criminal.”
“You should have seen the weirdoes that outer office.” She shuddered. “Talk about creepy.”
Before they could leave, Craig reappeared at the doorway. “Good job, ladies.” He leaned over and peered into Rags’s carrier. “And cats.”
“So what happened, Craig? Do you know who did it?”
He crossed his arms and grinned. “Colbi, do you want the scoop?” he teased.
Her eyes brightened. “Sure.”
After dismissing the deputy, he said, “Well, you see, we set up a sting operation last night.”
“Last night?” Savannah questioned. “It must have been after we saw Damon, right?”
“And before we found...what we found?” Colbi surmised.
Craig nodded. “Yes, it all took place rather quickly, at around nine last night. Iris told Jackson that she was ready to pay. They agreed upon a sum, which, of course, was Jackson’s goal. He knew he’d lose in a courtroom. So we get there, you see, and hand over the money—most of it phony…” He shook his head. “We planned to arrest Jackson for extortion. But I didn’t expect what happened next. The attorney and her accomplice must have planned all along to kill Jackson and run off with the money.”
“However, when they didn’t try to leave town, we figured they didn’t have the money and, so far, we haven’t located it.”
“You mean Eugene hid it before they bonked him over the head?” Colbi asked.
“Could be,” Craig said. He straightened. “Well, I’d better get to work.”
“And I’d better go home and start working on my article,” Colbi said, excitedly.
“Yeah, run it by me first, will you? We don’t want to taint our case against those two.”
“Sure, I don’t mind doing that, Craig. Thanks for the story,” she said as she and Savannah headed for the parking lot. Once in the car, Colbi shook her head. “Wow! I can’t believe those cats—especially Dolly. Oh my gosh, Savannah, she actually ID’d a criminal. I didn’t know she had it in her.” She turned toward Savannah. “Do you think they’ll actually use what happened in there as evidence in a court of law?”
“I don’t know,” Savannah said. “I doubt it.”
“What a story it will make. I can’t wait for clearance to write about what happened in there, even if I have to camouflage it in a novel. Heck, that might become my first best-seller.”
“Be sure to spell Rags’s name right,” Savannah joked. She then said, “Before we go home, I want to stop by my aunt’s and see that kitten I told you about. Want to go with me?”
Colbi smirked playfully. “That’s pretty far out of your way, Savannah. I mean, she lives next door to you, then you’ll have to take me all the way back home.” She looked suspiciously at Savannah. “Are you sure you want to see the kitten or is this for my benefit?”
Savannah grinned. “Come on, it’s a good opportunity to see if Dolly likes her. What do you say?”
“Oh, okay, I guess. I could use a distraction and visiting a kitten is a nice distraction. If you’re sure Maggie and Max won’t mind us barging in.”
�
��I told her we might stop by.”
“You little devil, you. You’re bent on me having that kitten, aren’t you? Well, don’t get your hopes up. One lively cat is plenty enough in my household.”
“Just think of it, Colbi,” Savannah said, grinning, “you could train her to be an eyewitness too and you’d have another cat to include in your fiction series.”
****
“Oh, she is so cute,” Colbi cooed, when Savannah led her to the pen where the young tabby waited. “Look at that face.” She laughed. “I love her eyeliner. Her eyes are so striking. Dolly, what do you think?” Colbi asked, as the cat sauntered past, paying the kitten little attention.
“I’m dying to know,” Margaret said, after placing the kitten in Colbi’s arms. “How’d they do at the lineup?”
“How’d you know about that?” Savannah asked.
“Oh, word gets around. So did the cats paw the killer?”
Colbi and Savannah exchanged glances. “We think so,” Savannah said. “Neither Dolly nor Rags seemed to like that one woman, and I’m pretty sure she’s the scamming attorney.”
“Well, you’ve seen her before; you know what she looks like,” Margaret said.
“Only at a distance. Any one of those women could have been her. Craig brought in four different women with many of the same features.”
“They were all big-bosomed, that’s for sure,” Colbi added, as she watched the kitten step off her lap and start batting at a feather toy. “But both cats seemed to react pretty strongly to just one of them.”
“Well let’s hope this takes the pressure off your family and family-to-be, Colbi,”
Margaret said, sympathetically. She then pointed, “Oh look, how cute is that?”
All three women smiled when they saw Dolly giving the look-alike tabby a bath.
“Awww, that’s so sweet.” Savannah said.
Colbi dabbed at her eyes. “That’s just precious. It’s as if Dolly wants to be a mommy. And look how happy the little one is.”
“She’s in ecstasy,” Margaret said, smiling. “You know, she lost her mommy at an early age, according to the story I got. The poor little thing is always trying to make friends with the other cats, but not all of them are as accepting as Dolly seems to be.”
“Is that why the kitten’s in a pen all by herself?” Savannah asked.
Margaret nodded. “Dolly’s a natural-born mother, isn’t she?”
“Okay,” Colbi said, feigning disgust, “what’s the adoption procedure? And, by the way, what’s her name?”
“Yay!” Savannah said, clapping her hands together.
“Why are you so happy, Miss Matchmaker?”
“I’m always happy to see a kitten find love.”
Margaret smiled.
Just then Max walked in and noticed the two tabbies interacting. “Well, it appears that our newest guest has found a friend,” he said. “They even look alike.”
Savannah nodded. “Maybe her mother looked like her and she thinks Dolly is her mother.”
“Unlikely,” Max said, “but possible. Anyway, what does it matter why cats connect?”Margaret reached over and picked up the kitten. Stroking her soft fur, she said, “Her name’s Molly.”
“No way,” Savannah said, laughing. “Dolly and Molly?”
“I guess so,” Margaret said.
Colbi smiled. “Cute—twin girls with rhyming names. How much do I owe you, Maggie?”
She handed the kitten to Colbi. “A wedding gift for you and Damon. I hope she will bring you years of joy and laughter.”
Colbi choked up. “How sweet, Maggie…and Max. Thank you.”
****
“It was quite a night,” Savannah said when she returned home and joined Michael in the living room. The cats seemed to dislike that one woman. I’m pretty sure she was that attorney witch. Then Rags saw the tall not-Damon’s-father and he did not like that guy at all. I think Rags’s reaction may get that guy arrested for some involvement in Eugene Jackson’s death.” She smiled. “The evening ended on a happy note when Colbi adopted the sweet tabby Max and Auntie had at their place. I love happy endings, don’t you?”
“Sure do,” he said, yawning.
She leaned playfully toward him. “Hey, Michael, guess what? The entire case might depend on a tiny, minor detail.”
“How’s that?” he asked.
“Remember that well-known trial that hinged on the way a glove fit? Well, this one might hinge on whether a window was open or not.”
“Huh?”
“You see, the thing is, if the cats only saw the killer, it may not hold as much clout as if they could also smell her or him. The question might come down to the fact that if the cats got a whiff of the killer’s scent, their testimony would be more convincing than if they simply saw him or her or both of them through the window.”
“Testimony?” Michael scoffed. “They’re going to put the cats on the witness stand?”
“No, Michael. But you have to admit their reaction to the attorney woman and the tall man could be considered testimony.”
Michael yawned again. “Maybe so.” He grabbed her hand. “Ready for bed?”
“I hope I can sleep. It’s been a pretty stimulating evening.”
He stood. “Oh, yeah, Craig called. He said you weren’t answering your phone.”
“Right, I turned the ringer off when we were at my aunt’s. What did he say?”
“Good news. They did arrest the attorney, but not only on the cats’ testimony.” He grinned before saying, “Yeah, they were able to go into her hotel room and they found some evidence he couldn’t discuss with me. She got so rattled during her interrogation they also caught her in a lie. Craig thinks they’ve got her, dead to rights.”
“What about the tall guy?”
“Yeah, he was arrested, too. Craig believes that he and the attorney were trying to horn in on Eugene’s scheme while he was in jail.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, they had the paperwork and I guess they thought if they showed it to Damon, he’d ante up something to get rid of them and to help keep his mother out of it. According to Damon, they were willing to take as little as $5,000. Then when Eugene got out of jail, he took over and the attorney jumped on his bandwagon.” He frowned. “But what I can’t figure out is why they killed Eugene before he got the money.”
“Well, they all believed they did get the money,” Savannah explained. When she saw that Michael was waiting to hear more, she continued, “Craig told us he set up a sting operation and actually paid out some of the money. It was only a small amount, but the way he presented it to them, it looked like a lot of cash.”
“Oh, so now you have criminals fighting it out over the take, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess something like that. Craig said crooks often turn on each other and the worst of them will kill. In this case, I guess Eugene Jackson’s friends or partners or whatever, were badder dudes than he was.”
Michael shook his head slowly. “Well, I hope that’s the last Damon and Iris hear from those crooks.”
“Yeah, I’d like to see this case be put to bed and all tied up in a neat bow so Colbi and Damon and Iris can get on with their lives.”
Chapter 7
“Good news, Vannie,” Margaret said as the two of them sipped coffee together at the Iveys’ house the following morning.
“What is it, Auntie?”
“They caught those kids—you know, Bonnie and Clyde—those jerkos who torched my car.”
“Oh really? Where?”
“I guess hitchhiking in Stratton. They’d shoplifted a tin of cookies from a deli and the owner got a good description and ID’d them. They sent me a picture and sure enough, I could identify them as the kidnappers. So they’re behind bars or turned over to their parents, depending on how old they are. I just hope they get punished so they never try anything like that again. That was darned scary.”
“I imagine
it was. Did they say why they did it?”
“I guess they were just out joyriding and got carried away. They were evidently on a little motorcycle. When it ran out of gas in the mountains, they decided to take someone’s car. I came along just at the wrong time.”
“Riding a motorcycle with one of them on crutches? Didn’t one of them use a crutch?”
Margaret’s eyes widened. “Yeah. I don’t know how that worked, but I guess a passenger could carry a crutch while riding on the back of a bike.”
“So you’ll probably have to go to court to testify, huh?”
“I hope not, but yes, that’s a possibility. Arrgh.”
“Hey, on a lighter note, Michael and I are having a little dinner party here tomorrow night. Colbi and Damon and the Sledges will be here. It’s a celebration of sorts.” She smiled at her aunt. “And now we can celebrate your good news, too.”
“Yes, I’d love that. What time? What can we bring?”
“Say, around six. Want to bring some interesting bread to go with the lasagna and green salad?”
“Sure. Maybe Max will make some sort of Italian dessert. Do you like tiramisu?”
“Oh my gosh, yes! That would be super!”
Margaret took a sip from her cup before asking, “So what’s your sister been up to?”
“I was just telling Michael I talked to her this week. She’s great, needs a bit of a respite and we may do a sistah thing.”
“A trip?” Margaret asked.
“We’re not sure. She might be spending some time at Bud’s ranch and we can do some girlie things while she’s here in town. Want to join us?”
“Depends on what you decide to do,” Margaret said, suspiciously.
“Okay, we’ll keep you posted.”
****
“Less than a week until your big day,” Savannah said as she and Colbi headed for the kitchen the following evening to open the bottle of wine Damon had brought.
“Six days,” Colbi said.
Savannah squeezed her around the shoulders. “Are you excited?”
