by Patricia Fry
“Really?” Peter confirmed.
She nodded. “He went in through a window. Well, like Rochelle said, the place was under a bunch of brush, metal, wood, and other stuff, so we couldn’t move freely around it or anything, but Rags could.”
“Isn’t that your phone?” Michael asked.
Savannah stood up. “I guess it is.” She excused herself and walked into the dining room where it was charging. “Hi, Colbi. How’s it going? Sure do appreciate you entertaining Teddy the other day. I owe you one.”
“Oh, he’s such a cutie. It’s interesting watching the difference in how little girls and little boys play,” Colbi said.
“Yes, night and day, aren’t they?” Savannah changed the subject. “Hey, Craig told me that Damon’s almost ready to publish his novel. So he’s finished it?”
“Yeah, about a dozen times,” Colbi said.
Savannah laughed. “I know what you mean; are we ever satisfied? I’ve discovered that the two hardest things about writing a book is starting it and finishing it.”
“Have you started your new book on Rags’s search for his family?” Colby asked.
“No. All I have is notes so far. I want to finish the sequel to his memoirs first. I have a good handle on that one, believe it or not, despite all the crime-stopping Craig has Rags and me doing.”
Colbi chuckled. “Think of it as fodder for more books.”
“Yes, but it’s so time-consuming. I should just turn Rags over to Craig and stay home with the children and write.”
“Why don’t you?” Colbi asked.
“And miss out on all the fun?” Savannah said, laughing. “Besides, someone has to protect Rags. I’m not sure Craig could handle him and his shenanigans by himself. Heck, there was a whole room full of us yesterday at the nursing home with Rags, and you should have seen the trouble he got into there.”
Colbi laughed. “Like what?”
“Well, we have company right now. Peter and Rochelle brought Adam and Simon for a visit this weekend, but let’s get together soon and I’ll tell you all about it.”
“Or I can read about it in your next book,” Colbi said. She changed her tone. “Hey, since you have company and all, let me tell you briefly why I’m calling. My brother and Leah are involved in an interesting mystery over at the old family homestead. We got to thinking that maybe you could shed some light on what’s going on.”
“Me? What is it? Why me?” Savannah asked.
“Because you have a klepto cat. They think they might have one too.”
“They have a cat?”
“Well, no,” Colbi said, “but something or maybe someone is leaving things on their porch, and they thought maybe it was a cat. Just about every morning they get up and find little gifts outside their front door. They don’t know what to do with the stuff or where it’s coming from.”
“Like what,” Savannah asked, “dead rodents, birds?”
“No. As I understand it, it’s medicine, sunglasses, a set of keys, part of a driver’s license, a photo, random pieces of documents…oh, and receipts from stores and fast-food restaurants in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and other places south of here.”
“Now that’s odd, isn’t it?” Savannah said
“We think so,” Colbi agreed. “Some of that stuff has tiny holes in it, as if an animal has been chewing on it or simply carrying it with their teeth—you know, like Rags does.”
Savannah hesitated, then asked, “So you think an animal is bringing that stuff to them? From where? Where is he getting it, for heaven’s sake?”
“Now that’s the question,” Colbi said. “Where’s it coming from? Leah thought you could help answer that.”
“Me?” Savannah confirmed.
“Well, yeah. Like I said, you have a klepto cat. You know how they operate.”
Savannah asked, “You don’t think Rags is sneaking out and taking things all the way over to Harrison’s and Leah’s, do you?”
“No,” Colbi said. “Probably not, but do you think it is a cat? Is this common behavior for a cat? Where would a cat get that kind of stuff?”
Savannah was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Is there a name on the driver’s license or the medicine? Is the medicine in pill bottles?”
“No, in those little packets pills come in—you know, it’s that new thing some pharmacies offer now. They package pills so you take the right dose each day without having to dole them out of the bottles yourself. The packets are quite small. I believe they’re antibiotics.”
“Is there a name on them?” Savannah asked.
“Yeah, it’s all the same name…someone named Bruce Lang. Harrison has asked around and Leah has been on the computer, but they can’t find anyone by that name in this area.”
Savannah glanced into the living room where Michael continued to entertain their guests. “Gosh, Colbi, I don’t know what more they could do. Hey, how about a camera? They can buy one fairly cheaply now, or borrow one. Craig might know how to get a loaner from the police department.”
“You mean put up cameras around the house?” Colbi asked.
“Sure,” Savannah said. “Once they find out what sort of animal it is and if they can catch it, maybe they can put a camera on it to see where this stuff is coming from.”
“Hey, that’s a good idea,” Colbi said.
Savannah offered, “I could come out and take a look around if they’d like me to, but I don’t know what I can do about this that they can’t.” She looked into the living room again. “Maybe Rochelle will ride out there with me tomorrow…I mean on horseback.”
More excitedly Colbi said, “That would be great. Yeah, I think they’d appreciate talking to you about it.”
“And maybe Rochelle could offer some of her insight,” Savannah suggested.
Colbi hesitated, then said, “Oh, that’s right, she’s psychic or something. Yeah, please do get in touch with Leah and they’ll show you what’s been going on. They’re really at a loss and can use the help and support. Thanks, Savannah.”
“Sure. Talk soon.”
“Who was that?” Michael asked when Savannah returned to the living room.
She dodged Teddy when he pushed a truck toward her. He giggled. She smiled at the toddler and ran her hand over his blond curls, then sat down and looked at Michael. “It was Colbi. She said Harrison and Leah have a mystery unfolding out at their place.” She grinned at Rochelle. “I told her maybe I’d bring you out there on a clue-finding mission.”
“Me?” Rochelle questioned. “What kind of mystery?”
“They think they have a klepto cat in the area bringing them all kinds of things that belong to a guy named Bruce Lang.”
“Do they think it’s Rags walking three or four miles to deliver stuff to their house?” Michael asked.
Savannah shrugged. “I guess they’re interested in knowing more about the klepto-cat profile.” She turned to Rochelle. “Maybe when the guys get back from fishing tomorrow we can ride over there and look around. Want to?”
“On horseback?” Rochelle squealed.
Savannah nodded.
“Sounds fun. Sure.”
“I want to go riding,” Adam said.
Savannah grinned. “We only have two horses.”
“You could walk,” Simon suggested.
“Or ride behind the saddle,” Adam said.
Savannah laughed. “How about if Rochelle and I ride tomorrow afternoon, then the horses will be calmer for you boys to ride on Sunday morning.”
Simon frowned. “Calm? I don’t want calm. I want to ride a bucking bronco. That looks fun.”
Savannah tousled his hair. “There are no bucking broncos here. Sorry. All you’ll get here is a nice, quiet, safe ride.” She winced. “At least I sure hope so.”
****
“What do you and Karl have planned for today, Mom?” Savannah asked Saturday morning as the Iveys, Gladys, and their guests finished breakfast.
“I’m not sure,” Gladys said.
“We might go to the farmers market, then I promised I’d fix him a home-cooked meal.”
“Nice,” Savannah said. “Did he like the ginger cookies you made for him?”
“He sure did.” Gladys smiled. “He said he thought about them a lot while he was sitting in that jail.” She shook her head. “I’m so glad he owned up to the warped relationship he had with his son, and will finally let the little brat suffer the consequences of his own actions. Karl said it was hard to do, but he knows it’s the right thing, for both him and Daryl. He hopes that Daryl will be a better man for it.” She frowned. “But I’m not so sure that’s going to happen.”
“Why not, Gladys?” Rochelle asked gently.
“That kid’s been getting away without being punished for his bad behavior his entire life. He may never understand that actions come with consequences. He’s never been allowed to or expected to experience them. I’m not sure prison is a breeding ground for learning positive life lessons like that, but Karl has hope.” Gladys sighed. “Maybe he also has a plan.”
“A plan?” Michael asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
Gladys nodded. “He said something about staying in touch with the young man and trying to instill in him the values he thinks will serve him. I guess it could work, that is if Daryl will even give his father the time of day. He sure hasn’t shown him any respect up until now.”
“How long will the kid be incarcerated?” Peter asked.
“Karl thinks he could get as many as fifteen years. Yeah, Karl might never see his son on the outside again, and he’s carrying a heavy burden of blame for that. I want to recommend that Karl see a counselor or a therapist—you know, before he drives himself crazy with guilt.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Savannah said, rubbing her mother’s back.
Rochelle nodded. “It would be a real shame if Karl designs a self-made prison for himself after finally doing the right thing with regard to his son.”
Gladys nodded. “His daughter and I put a lot of effort and energy into changing Karl’s mind about the way he deals with his son. It sure got Karl out of jail, but we may have created a bigger mess than before.”
“Now, Mom, don’t you start beating yourself up,” Savannah said. “You did the right thing, and Karl is a big boy. He made his own decision. Right, Rochelle?”
“Absolutely,” Rochelle said. She thought for a moment and added, “However, a major change always—probably without exception—changes other things. Sometimes it changes everything. So don’t be surprised if this involves you too, Gladys.” She patted Gladys’s arm. “Definitely, though, if you see Karl going off the deep end, having issues with depression or anything like that, certainly urge him to get help.”
“Thank you, Rochelle,” Gladys said.
Rochelle jumped when Glori brushed against her leg. “Well, hello there, sweet thing.” She lifted the calico onto her lap and looked deep into her eyes. “You have the sweetest spirit. I’ll bet there isn’t a naughty bone in your little body.”
“She broke that lady’s puzzle,” Lily said, wide-eyed.
“She broke a puzzle?” Rochelle asked, amused.
Lily nodded. “Huh, Mommy?”
Savannah grinned. “Yes, she did.”
“Mommy had to fix it.”
“Where was this?” Peter asked.
“At a nursing home,” Savannah explained. “Lily and I took her and Rags for a morning of therapy and…”
“The cats created havoc,” Michael interjected. He chuckled. “I’ll bet some of those people need therapy after their visit.” When the boys entered the room, Michael called out, “Are you ready for some fishing?”
“Funny, Dad,” Adam groused. “That’s supposed to be for football, not fishing.”
Peter nudged the boy. “Well, your dad gets as excited about fishing as some guys do about football.”
“Oh,” Adam said. He grinned and shouted, “I’m ready for some fishing! Are you Simon?”
Simon put his hands over his ears. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Well, let’s go,” Michael said, picking up his jacket. “You girls have fun today. What do you have planned?”
“I think we’ll take the kids to the park for a while.” She grinned. “Or we might just stay here and have a tea party in the playhouse.”
“Yay!” Lily cheered. “I want to have a tea party. Can we make cookies?”
Savannah picked up Teddy and crooned, “And we might play in the new sand pile for a while.”
Teddy scrambled to get down. He ran to his toy box, shouting, “My trucks, my wagon,” as he started gathering more of his toys in his arms than he could possibly carry.
“Have a good time,” Savannah called after the men and boys. Just then her phone rang. She removed it from her pocket. “Hi, Leah,” she chirped. “How are you? It’s been a long time.”
“Yes, much too long. We just keep so busy. I’m sure you do too.”
“Oh, yes.” Her voice softened when she asked, “How’s Charlie?”
“Doing great. He’s such a pleasure,” Leah said. “Did you know that we’re trying to make him a little sister or brother?”
“No,” Savannah said. “That will be nice.”
“We think so,” Leah said. “We’re looking forward to having another child. Hey, Savannah, the reason I’m calling is that Colbi told me she talked to you about our situation here.”
“Yes,” Savannah said. “Seems odd. You don’t have a clue as to what’s going on or where that stuff is coming from?”
“No. We sure don’t, but I like your idea of putting up cameras. We’re looking into doing that. Meanwhile, Savannah, something has happened and I wonder if you can possibly come over today. If not, I understand, it’s just that…”
“What?” Savannah asked concerned. “What has happened, Leah? You sound a little frightened.”
“Yeah, well, it’s just that the things that are showing up are starting to get—well, personal.”
“Personal, how? Leah, have you called Craig? Do you think there’s something criminal behind this?”
Leah paused. “No. I don’t want to bother him.” She laughed. “And here I am bothering you.”
“No bother, hon. Yeah, I can come over. Is this afternoon okay? Rochelle is here and we thought we’d ride over on the horses. In fact, I was going to call you; you beat me to it. There’s a neat trail that leads from here to there. Michael and Peter are out fishing with the boys. We can come over when they get back. Will that be okay?”
“Oh, that would be great,” Leah said sounding relieved. “Thank you, Savannah. I really appreciate it. Harrison and I are at a loss about what this means and what we should do, if anything.”
****
“How was the fishing trip, guys?” Savannah asked when the men and boys returned from their outing later that day.
“It wasn’t a trip,” Adam said. “We didn’t go anywhere—just down to the river.”
“That’s a fishing trip,” Peter said. “We tripped down to the river.”
“Did you have a good time?” Rochelle asked.
Simon glanced at the men. “We didn’t catch anything.”
“There were a lot of other people there,” Adam added. “It was kinda crowded.”
“I lost one of my hooks,” Simon reported.
“Me too,” Adam said, “Dad’s favorite red one. I think a fish bit it off.”
Michael playfully punched his son. “Or it got caught up in some of those weeds.”
“Yeah,” Simon said, “there were a lot of weeds and our hooks kept getting caught.”
“I dropped my sandwich in the dirt and ants got on it,” Adam complained.
Simon examined his arms. “I think I got sunburned.”
Rochelle and Savannah looked at each other, then asked in unison, “But did you have any fun?”
Both of the boys shouted, “Yeah!”
Simon looked up at the women. “It was a lot of fun. I love fishin
g.”
“Yeah,” Adam said, “can we go back there tomorrow, Dad? Maybe the fish will be hungry tomorrow.”
“Well, I’m glad you had a good time,” Savannah said. “That’s what it’s all about, right?” She said to Michael, “The kids are still napping and Rochelle and I are going over to see if we can help Leah and Harrison with that klepto-cat problem they think they’re having.”
“So do they think Rags is involved?” Michael asked.
Savannah shook her head. “No, but he is the most celebrated klepto probably in the world, so they believe I might have some insight.” She cringed. “I’m a little concerned that someone might be hurt or even dead.”
Peter frowned. “Why?”
Savannah thought for a moment, then said, “Some of what’s showing up at their house is personal. It appears to belong to someone. But so far they can’t find this person or anyone who knows him.”
“Maybe he’s a missing person,” Michael said. “Have they talked to Craig? He can check the missing-persons list.”
“For some reason Harrison and Leah seem reluctant to call Craig,” Savannah said. “We’ll see what we can figure out this afternoon.” She chuckled. “Me, with my knowledge of kleptomania, and Rochelle and her woo-woo abilities.” More seriously, she said, “I hope we can convince them to call Craig.”
“Been riding?” Michael asked, looking down at her boots.
“No,” Savannah said. “We’re making this a dual-purpose activity this afternoon—maybe triple purpose.”
“How so?” Peter asked, amused.
“We’re going to ride over to Harrison’s and Leah’s. The horses will get some exercise, we get to ride, Rochelle and I’ll have a chance to visit without constant interruptions by children, and…”
“That’s three,” Peter said. “There’s more?”
“Oh, yes. We may get to help solve a mystery.” Savannah shimmied. “I’m excited.”
Rochelle rolled her eyes for the men’s benefit and followed Savannah out the door toward the corrals.
****
Leah was entertaining her son, Charlie, on the porch of their old farmhouse when Savannah and Rochelle rode up a little over an hour later.
