The Telltale Turtle (The Pet Psychic Mysteries)

by Jim Lavene;Joyce Lavene

  "Not as bad as my heart right now" She knitted her fingers together in front of her. "I can't hear Baylor or any other animal."

  "Wow! That must be scary. I don't always like what my gift brings me, but I'd hate to lose it. I'm probably the only man in the world who never has to look for his TV remote"

  She smiled. "I guess you do understand."

  "Jenny, Danny, and that weird cowboy from the dog food company are still out looking for Baylor. He'll turn up. And you'll get your gift back again."

  "Are you guessing, or do you have a new gift for telling the future?"

  "Let's call it a gut feeling."

  Mary Catherine started to walk toward the door and the room tilted. She would've fallen except for Charlie's quick action. He caught her close to him and her arms went around him like they were meant to be there. "Thanks," she whispered.

  "Not a problem." He smiled. "I told you that you needed me."

  "You might be right." She allowed her eyelids to flutter closed as he leaned his head down to hers. She hoped there wasn't any blood left on her face. She hadn't been kissed by an attractive man in more than two years. Despite the headache and the queasiness, she didn't want to screw it up.

  Charlie's lips had barely touched hers when the outside door to the apartment flew open and Danny yelled for her.

  "Maybe next time," Charlie muttered.

  "Maybe," she agreed.

  "MC! You gotta come quick! I was afraid to move him. I think he's hurt really bad. There's blood everywhere." Danny looked from Charlie to Mary Catherine and blinked. "Did I interrupt something?"

  Dear Mary Catherine,

  I am a four-year-old girl. I have a dog named Lucky and a cat named BBQ. My mom says I can have a goldfish too if you say it's okay.

  Is it okay?

  SIXTEEN

  EVERYONE HURRIED DOWN TO the street with Danny. Baylor lay still on the sidewalk, covered with blood that gleamed on his shiny tabby fur. Danny stood to one side with Charlie stopping short behind Mary Catherine.

  Jenny ran out of the clinic with Buck, her medical kit in her hand. She looked at Baylor, then at Mary Catherine. "What did you do to him now?"

  "I didn't do anything." Mary Catherine explained the situation. "Whoever attacked me must have left him here to die."

  "We'll see about that." Jenny rolled up her sleeves, pulled her hair back from her face and shoved a pencil in it to hold it up. "I'll see to Baylor first, then take a few stitches in your stubborn head. Ask him where he's hurt."

  Mary Catherine didn't plan on the vet doing anything medical to her. And she wasn't sure about Baylor. "Let me talk to him."

  Jenny sighed. "For heaven's sake, I thought you'd already done that."

  Charlie and Danny helped Mary Catherine get down on her knees beside the prostrate cat. She wished she could hear something from him, anything. But there was nothing. "Baylor," she crooned near his ear. "Can you hear me?"

  The cat didn't move. His small pink tongue dangled out of the left side of his mouth. His eyes were wide and glassy, staring off into the street.

  There was a pop in her ears, like water being released after swimming and suddenly, Mary Catherine could hear the robin in the tree above them who was worried about finding more worms. And she could hear Baylor. It was such a welcome relief to be normal, at least for her, she almost fainted. As she swayed, Charlie came to her left side and Buck came to take her right arm. Life was good.

  "Will you help me up, please?"

  The two men helped her get back on her feet and stood on either side of her, glaring at each other across her tabby-colored hair.

  "I might need some help getting back upstairs." Mary Catherine smiled and blinked her eyes at both men.

  "What about Baylor?" Jenny demanded. "Is he in shock?"

  "He's faking," Mary Catherine told her. "This is his new trick. It's art, I grant you. I think the blood must belong to my attacker."

  Jenny knelt down beside Baylor on the sidewalk. "That dent in your head must've reached your brain. No cat, no animal, plays dead like this. I'll take a look at him. But you better not go upstairs. You might have a concussion."

  "Trust me, I'm the injured party here." Mary Catherine leaned heavily on her rescuers. "If we had some idea who we were looking for, he'd be easy to spot. All you'd have to do is find the man whose face looks like a scratching post."

  Jenny put her latex gloves on and leaned close to Baylor. As she was set to examine him, Baylor jumped up and began to follow Mary Catherine back into the building. "I can't believe it!"

  Danny laughed. "Yeah, he's some loco gato."

  Baylor trotted behind Mary Catherine, who forbade him from going upstairs until he'd had a bath. She was so glad he was unhurt and she could hear him again, she almost let him go upstairs anyway when he complained about being hungry.

  She sat down in one of the plastic chairs in the clinic waiting room. Baylor jumped on her lap and she didn't shoo him down off her clean clothes. "Have you seen him before?"

  Baylor meowed and shook his head. Whoever attacked Mary Catherine was wearing a mask. He'd managed to scratch the person's arms; that's about all. He admitted to going into the fray blinded by rage. It could've been anyone, even someone he knew. He didn't remember. Of course, it wouldn't matter because Mary Catherine's attacker would be scarred for life after his self-confessed, lethal strike.

  Buck shook his head. "That beats all. I don't know how she talks to them, but I think she really does."

  Charlie ignored him. "We should get a blood sample before Baylor gets cleaned up."

  The cat jumped down and hissed, daring Charlie to try and take a blood sample without losing some of his own.

  Mary Catherine laughed. "Not that kind of blood sample." She looked at Charlie. "He was afraid you meant out of him. I'm afraid he's had too many blood tests. He doesn't like needles. But you mean a sample of the blood on his fur."

  "We can take it to an independent lab." Charlie reached over to get a long cotton swab from a jar behind the counter.

  "Or you could let the professionals handle it." Jenny and Danny were followed into the building by Detective Angellus.

  Angellus looked at the cat and at Mary Catherine. "What have you got yourself into this time?"

  The several variations of the story came out at once, causing Angellus to shout, "All right! One at a time! Mary Catherine first, since she looks like she saw the most action, and I can't talk to the cat."

  Mary Catherine was happy to tell him what happened-with a little embellishment that Baylor called her on. She ignored him, but made sure Angellus knew how important Baylor's role was in saving her life.

  "So you think this guy was here to hurt you?"

  She shook her head, immediately sorry. "I don't think so. I think he broke in and was trapped. I believe he was looking for something in my bedroom."

  Angellus wrote down what she said. "Was anything missing?"

  "Not that I could tell. And that's the funny part. It must've been something very specific because he left my Cartier watch and a diamond necklace behind. He wasn't interested in robbing me."

  "And where were you while this was going on?" Angellus asked Charlie.

  "I was going home after you let me go. I thought I should stop in here."

  "You thought you should stop in?" Angellus raised one dark brow. "I would've thought, after this morning, you'd know the lady didn't want you here."

  Baylor was absolutely certain Charlie came in after the attacker. Mary Catherine couldn't argue with him. "I called him," she lied. "I wanted to apologize for what happened this morning. I was lucky Charlie got here when he did. Who knows what might've happened."

  "Fine. I guess that means you're off the hook. Again. But don't go too far." Angellus glared at Buck. "What about you?"

  Surprisingly, Jenny spoke up in his defense. "We've all been down here today working on this Meaty Boy thing. Buck was here the whole time."

  Buck smiled and thanked
her. Jenny blushed a deeper red than any of Mary Catherine's scarlet scarves. "We have an answer to the dog food problem," Buck said. "I wasn't involved in what happened to Mary Catherine, if that's what you're thinking."

  "Let's leave that paranormal stuff to her, huh?" Angellus turned to Danny, who raised his hands and swore he was driving his taxi all day until he got to the apartment and found Baylor on the sidewalk.

  The group was silent after that. Angellus put away his notebook. "I won't lie to you. I don't have any idea what's going on. If all of this ties together, it's beyond me. I think Dowd is right, much as it pains me to admit it. If we test a sample of blood on Baylor's fur, we'll at least have a comparison to go by if we find a suspect."

  "What about the crazy guy who keeps calling MC on the radio?" Danny asked.

  "I think Colin and I have the beginning of an answer for that." Mary Catherine explained about the convenience store clerk and the raccoon. "All we have to do is wait for the man to come around again and pay Teddy to call the station. He thinks Colin is with the FBI, so I'm sure he'll call."

  Angellus had a pained expression on his lean, dark face. "And how does Cheetos the raccoon fit into all of that?"

  "He saw the man on the phone in back of the store," she explained. "He may not be the same man, but it's something to go on.

  When Mary Catherine put her hand to the painful gash in her head, jenny stepped forward and demanded the inquisition come to an end. "I think she needs stitches. Maybe even a brain transplant. I mean, some rest."

  Everyone turned to look at her and Mary Catherine fainted dead away on the clinic floor.

  When she woke up again it was night. She wasn't in pain and her brain felt normal. She thought she was in the hospital until she saw the huge picture of dogs playing poker on the wall across from the bed. Surely no hospital could be so tacky.

  It hurt a little when she moved. Between the car accident and being attacked in her apartment, her whole body was in agony. She definitely needed a massage. But if she wasn't in the hospital and she wasn't at her home, where was she?

  Baylor jumped up on the bed and answered her question the best he could. It seemed she wasn't hurt badly enough to stay at the hospital but Detective Angellus (Baylor referred to him as the crab man) thought she shouldn't go home yet. The police were collecting evidence from her apartment and she might be in danger of being attacked again.

  "Thank you for saving me." She stroked the cat's clean fur. "You're my hero."

  He acknowledged her thanks with the sometimes graceless tact only a cat can have. He went on to tell her one of the two men who went with her to the hospital decided she should spend the night at his house. Baylor couldn't really tell her which man it was, but she assumed from the size of the room it wasn't Danny.

  Her slippers and robe were on the bed. She put them on and walked out of the bedroom, Baylor immediately behind her, claws partially extended and senses heightened.

  Mary Catherine knew where she was before she descended the elegant stairway. She had no doubt Charlie lived in a small apartment. This had to be Buck's home.

  Her head didn't hurt anymore, but she took her time getting downstairs. The furnishings were typically masculine-a suit of armor on the landing and paintings of scantily clad young women hanging on the walls. The carpet on the stairs was new. It reflected the expense of her surroundings, if not the good taste.

  But men were like that-especially if they spent too much time alone. With the proper incentive, she could have this crusty old bachelor's pad in decent shape in no time. Of course, that would mean taking on the crusty old bachelor who would come as a package deal. She didn't think she was ready for that yet.

  She saw Charlie, Danny, and Buck in the study at the bottom of the stairs before they saw her. Buck and Danny were playing cards while, from the sidelines, Charlie nursed what looked like bourbon. She was flattered they'd all stuck around to see how she was. Buck and Charlie had ulterior motives; they both wanted to sleep with her. Danny, on the other hand, was simply a good friend.

  Baylor sat down beside her on the bottom step, wondering what she was doing. He supposed she was choosing a mate from among the three men, and was quick to point out that none of them were worthy.

  "I suppose you're the only one who's truly worthy." She stroked his fur and he purred in agreement. "I don't think that would work out, but I appreciate the offer."

  Taking a deep breath, she pushed the double doors into the study completely open and swept into the room. All three men got to their feet, Buck knocking over a cup of coffee in the process.

  "MC! It's good to see you vertical," Danny said. "How are you feeling?"

  "Like I was hit by a chair." She caught the image of herself in the mirror that hung between the two large sets of deer antlers above the bar. A large white bandage covered most of her head and the top of her face. She grimaced but found a place to sit down anyway. It wouldn't be worth falling down again to get away from that image.

  "Is there anything I can get you?" Buck offered. "I told Mrs. Chambers, my housekeeper, to keep the kitchen open."

  "No, thanks. I'm not hungry. Maybe just some water."

  Buck tried to summon his housekeeper but the intercom seemed to be dead. "I'll go get it myself. You just sit right there."

  When he was gone, Charlie swallowed the last of his bourbon and got to his feet. "I guess I'll be going. I wanted to make sure you were okay. I'll talk to you later."

  "Where are you going?" Mary Catherine hated to lose even a small part of her audience. It wasn't every day a woman got to be admired this way. "We haven't solved the problem yet."

  "Listen, MC," Danny butted in. "I think this guy is part of the problem. Maybe you should let him go"

  Baylor hissed at Danny, assuring Mary Catherine that Charlie was not part of the problem. He was sure the man could help end all the trouble so he could go home and flex on his favorite sofa.

  "What'd I say?" Danny patted Baylor's head. "We're amigos, right?"

  Baylor walked away from Danny with a swish of his tail.

  "Thanks" Charlie smiled at Mary Catherine and touched her cheek with a long finger. "But I don't think you're up to solving anything tonight and I think Buck has been on the verge of kicking me out ever since we got here. I don't want to get into that. Call me when you get home."

  "Tell me what really happened with my cousin." The words came out of her mouth before she knew what she was saying. "I don't know why yet, but I think it has something to do with all this."

  "When you're better," Charlie promised as Buck came back with water in a crystal goblet. "We'll talk."

  Mary Catherine knew there was nothing else she could say. Men weren't particularly social creatures in the first place-adding rivalry for a female only made matters worse. She'd have to follow her sudden hunch about her cousin tomorrow or the next day; whenever she was on her feet again.

  It made sense now that she thought about it. The man who'd attacked her was looking for something without monetary value, at least at first glance. Maybe he was looking for something that could help her cousin take the building from her.

  The deed was in a safety deposit box and her aunt's will was finalized two years ago. Nothing he could find in her bedroom could help him, but he couldn't know that. Was it possible her cousin would stoop so low as to try and steal the building from her?

  Mary Catherine's mind was filled with images from the last few days. There was the car accident, Baylor's accident, and now the man in her room. That sounded like a pattern to her. Maybe her cousin thought he could get rid of her.

  There was no way to prove any of this, at least none she could see. She could tell Angellus her theory in the morning, she yawned. Despite being unconscious for several hours, she was exhausted.

  "Maybe I should go too." Danny got up and put on his ball cap. "Give me a call when you're ready to go, MC. You know I'll be here."

  "Thanks, Danny. I'm sure I'll be fine tomorrow. Thank you
for staying."

  "Sure. I hope we can figure out what's going on with all this. Things have just gotten kind of crazy."

  Buck walked Danny to the front door, obviously not threatened by the younger man. Mary Catherine sat back in her chair and tried not to think about the mess she was in. It was hard not to think about it since it involved her well being, but she tried to clear her mind. A good night's sleep would help this situation.

  She was glad when Buck was polite and unassuming, walking her back upstairs to her room without complaint. She could've handled him if he'd gotten out of line, but she was relieved that she didn't have to.

  "I hope this will clear things up between us," Buck said before he left her at the bedroom door. "I've always had the greatest admiration for you, Mary Catherine. I hope we'll be closer when this is over."

  "I hope so too." She didn't want to commit to any kind of relationship with him. Right now her thoughts were with Charlie. She wasn't sure what it was about him that she found so intriguing. She'd been kissed many times and that peck he gave her couldn't even be considered passionate.

  Maybe it was that odd psychic sense about him. She'd met many men and married many men. None of them had been psychic. She believed Charlie had a gift for finding things and being there when there was trouble. It put him in a bad light; she could see that now.

  Baylor yawned and meowed from the bed, taunting her that it had taken her long enough.

  "Are you okay, Mary Catherine?"

  She glanced up, surprised to find Buck still standing in the doorway. "I'm so sorry. I'm not myself. I hope you understand. Maybe we can talk tomorrow." She shooed him out of the room. "Good night. Thank you for letting me stay here."

  She closed the door and stood against it for a few minutes. She was really feeling very well now that she'd been up and moved around. Some of that was the pain medication for the gash in her head, no doubt, but most of it was her. Life was too interesting to lie around for long.