Karen Anne Golden - The Cats That 05 - The Cats that Watched the Woods (11 page)

Chapter Twelve

Katherine woke and tried to sit up on the bed. The pain in her ribs was too intense, so she lay back down.
What’s that sound
?
Digging?
Someone was digging frantically in the closet—excavating. The sound seemed to go on forever. Scratch! Scratch! She heard Siamese mutterings nearby.

“I think it’s covered,” she said in the direction of the litterbox.

A brilliant flash of lightning lit up the room. A heavy wind gust slammed into the log cabin. The metal roof made a warping sound. Katherine could hear the front door opening and banging shut. “Oh, no. The door’s open. My cats,” she said aloud.

Abra soared off the moose head and landed next to her. “Raw,” she cried sweetly in Katherine’s ear.

“Where’s Scout?” Katherine asked.

A loud clap of thunder spooked the cat and she shot off the bed, joining Scout in the closet.

“Scout,” Katherine called in a weak voice. Scout was busy. She was making tiny “waugh” sounds as she dug on the carpet.

“What are you doing?” Katherine asked, now fully awake. “Get out of there.”

Abra padded over to Scout and the two of them tugged at the carpet, pulling it away from the floor.

Katherine struggled to sit on the edge of the bed. She reached behind the small of her back and felt for the Glock. The waistband holster was there, but the gun was missing. “Dammit,” she said, frustrated. She remembered the last time she had it was before the accident.
It must have fallen out the holster when I wrecked the Subaru
, she thought.

Another flash of lightning revealed a bottle of water sitting on the dresser. “I need water,” she said to the cats. “If it kills me, I’m getting off this bed and grab it.” No sooner than she had one leg over, the man from the woods barged in. There was urgency in his step. The Siamese slinked to the back of the closet—safely out of view.

Katherine was no longer afraid of his disfigurement. She was more worried about the rifle he carried than the scars that lined his face. “Who are you?” she asked in a calm voice.

A large crow flew into the room and sat on the man’s shoulder. “Caw,” it said.

“My name is Katherine Kendall. My friends call me Katz.”

The man placed his rifle on the foot of the bed. He removed a small chalkboard from his windbreaker’s pocket. He also pulled out a piece of chalk and wrote:
Help you
.

“Thanks. I need to go to a hospital. Can you take me?”

The man wiped the board with his sleeve.
No phone
, he wrote.
Protect you. Man coming back.

“The man who killed Mr. Townsend?”

He nodded.

“What happens now?”

Move you
, he wrote.

“Where?” she asked, wincing at her pain.

Give you something for pain
. The man removed a small ampoule and syringe from his shirt pocket.

“You’re not giving that to me,” Katherine objected. “I just need some Tylenol. Hand me my purse.” Then she remembered her purse was in the Subaru.

The storm had grown in intensity. Hail began to hit the cabin, making loud crashing noises on the metal roof.

“We’ve got to go to an interior room,” she shouted over the wind.

“Caw,” the crow cried in alarm.

The man forcibly turned Katherine on her side and injected the needle into her hip.

Katherine screamed out in pain. “What did you just give me?”

The man gathered Katherine in his arms and took her to the closet where Scout and Abra had been digging. With one strong hand, he finished what the cats had started and ripped up the carpet panel to reveal a trap door, which he then lifted. He carried Katherine down some steps to a crawlspace, and carefully placed her on a blanket. Scout and Abra bolted down the steps and collapsed against Katherine’s side.

The man walked to the corner of the crawlspace, pulled a lantern flashlight out of a plastic tub, and placed it next to Katherine. In the dim light, Katherine thought she saw him attempt a smile, but the scars prevented him from smiling.

“Caw! Caw!” the crow cried loudly from the top of the steps. The bird flew down and landed nearby. The man grumbled something to the crow, which the bird didn’t seem to like. The crow started swaying rhythmically, flapping its wings. Scout hissed.

Exiting the crawlspace, the man tossed down a folded knife. It safely landed by Katherine’s left side. He positioned the trap door back in place and left. Katherine could hear his footsteps overhead, as he walked toward the front of the cabin.

As Katherine drifted off into a morphine-induced sleep, she heard a man’s voice shouting, “Hey, I just wanna talk to ya.” The man yelled something else, but she couldn’t understand his words. Then she heard two loud rifle shots.

Chapter Thirteen

Jake paced the floor of the Atlanta airport. Staring at the departure board, he muttered, “This can’t be good,” under his breath. “All flights to Indianapolis cancelled.” Heading over to a bar kiosk, he looked up at the wide-screen TV to monitor the local news. A middle-aged bartender came over and said, “What will it be?”

Jake found a bar stool and sat down. “A shot of bourbon. Hey, would you please turn the TV to the weather channel?”

“Sure,” the bartender said, clicking the remote.

The meteorologist was discussing a supercell thunderstorm in the Midwest; several tornado sightings were reported in east central Illinois. The map on the screen didn’t show a pretty picture. It looked like the entire state of Indiana had been painted red. She said, “Tornado warnings have been issued by the National Weather Service for these counties in Indiana, so if you’re in this area, move to. . .” Jake was alarmed to see that a scrolling bar along the bottom of the screen included Erie County.

Jake removed his cell from his suit jacket and called Elsa. She answered the phone with panic in her voice. He could hear the Erie tornado sirens blaring in the background.

Elsa said breathlessly, “I can’t talk. I’m herding cats to the basement.”

Jake said, “I won’t keep you.”

“I’ve got most of the cats down there, but I can’t find Lilac.”

“Look underneath the wingback chair in the living room. Reach up inside the torn lining. Hurry! I’ll call you later.”

Jake put his cell on the bar. The bartender slid a shot glass over and Jake downed the golden liquid.

“Top you off?” the bartender asked.

Jake didn’t answer right away. He thought back to when his wife, Victoria, had died. He was so lost, and had missed her so much. He couldn’t deal with that pain, so he frequented taverns where he’d say
yes
to the bartender ‘topping it off’ many, many times.

But his life had turned around when he met Katz. He loved her. He shuddered to think about how empty his world would be without her.

The bartender interrupted the reverie. “Sir, another drink?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jake apologized, snapping out of it. “No thanks, but could you bring me a Coke?”

Jake picked up his cell and tapped his Dad’s cell number. Johnny answered it right away.

“Howdy, son. Your mom and I are in the basement. Erie tornado sirens are blaring.”

“Just saw the red blob on the weather map.”

“The wind really kicked up in a hurry. Before we came down here, I saw Cokey’s new grill fly by like a scene from
Wizard of Oz
. He won’t be happy about that.”

Jake proceeded to tell his father about being stuck in Atlanta, and his concerns about Katherine. Johnny said, “If you want me to, I’ll drive to Peace Lake tomorrow and see if she’s okay.”

“Thanks, but I’m coming home tonight. As soon as I get to Indy, I’m driving to the cabin to check on her myself.”

“Keep us posted.”

“Sure thing, Dad. Text me when the storm’s over, so I know you’re okay?”

“Roger that.”

Jake punched in Chief London’s number, but the call went straight to voice mail. He sent a text instead: “Flight cancelled. Booked next flight to Indy, weather permitting. Should be there @ midnight. Find out anything about Katz?”

Jake didn’t receive an answer until forty-five minutes later. While leaving the airport food court where he’d grabbed a bite to eat, the chief called. Jake read the name on his cell’s screen and quickly answered. He moved to an area less-populated by weary travelers.

“Hey, Jake, are you still grounded?”

“No, flights are moving into Indy again. I’m taking the ten o’clock. Fortunately, it’s a nonstop. Got any news for me?”

“Sheriff Johnson sent one of his deputies out to Townsend’s. A powerful storm with heavy winds went through the area. It did extensive damage—trees down everywhere. He said it was a big mess.”

“What about Katz?” Jake asked, wondering when the chief would get to the point of his call.

“There’s a big oak tree blocking the road to Townsend’s. His deputy couldn’t get her cruiser more than a few feet off the highway. The power company is working to restore electricity, but rural customers will not be their highest priority. Since the tree is on private property, it will be up to Townsend to hire someone to cut it up and haul it away.”

“Thanks, Chief. Are we still on to go to the cabin first thing tomorrow?”

“Sure.  I’ll pick you up. Where are you going to be stayin’?”

“At my parents’ house. Can we leave at first light?” Jake asked.

“Yes, sounds like a plan. I’ll call before I come over.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Got another call. See ya tomorrow.”

Jake thought,
I pray she’s okay
. Katherine’s well-being was always on his radar screen. His imagination was going wild with terrible things that could happen to her. He worried that the cabin didn’t have a basement. Chances are it didn’t. Would she know where to go during the storm? Did a tree fall on the house? Was there flooding? Were the cats okay? And, the most troubling question—was she in worse danger from Townsend than the storm? He rationalized,
She’s got her Glock
.

Chapter Fourteen

Stevie slowly climbed the cellar steps, not knowing what would greet him on the other side. “I hope there ain’t a tree blockin’ our way out.”

Barbie demanded, “Hurry up and just open the door.”

Stevie opened the door to find the living room windows shattered; shards of glass were everywhere. A large tree limb had crashed through the roof. Broken branches and leaves littered the room.

“Can we get out? I’m getting claustrophobic.”

“Yeah, but I think we should wait until it’s light outside to go back to my truck. I’m thinkin’ there’s a lot of storm damage. How about I go upstairs and find some sheets, blankets and stuff, and we sleep down here?”

“Not likin’ that idea. It stinks worse down here.”

Stevie didn’t answer, but stepped up to the main floor and headed to the closest bedroom. Later, he returned with one pillow and two blankets. “This is all I could find. It’s a mess up there. I’m wonderin’ if the roof isn’t goin’ to cave in the front of the house.”

“Are you sure we’re safe down here?” Barbie asked. Her eyes had grown to the size of saucers.

Stevie spread the blankets on the floor and then the pillow.

“Who gets the pillow?” she asked.

Stevie teased. “I think we should flip a coin.”

“No way. I get it. You’re not the one living off of diet shakes the last three days. Leonard’s refrigerator was practically empty.”

“Just take it,” Stevie smirked as he threw the pillow at her.

She caught it, then kneeled down and lay on the blanket. She winced. “My ankle is killing me. Do you think I broke it?”

“You wouldn’t be hobblin’ around if you did—probably a sprain.”

“Stevie, there’s something I really need to know. What did you really put in your truck? Was it drugs?”

“My tools,” he said defensively. “I just bought that reciprocating saw—two hundred forty bucks.”

“I saw you carrying two things.”

“My ratchet-threader set was over six hundred dollars. Anything else you want to know about my business?”

“What was it doin’ here?”

“There was a problem with the electrical at the cabin down the road—”

Barbie interrupted. “What cabin?”

“Leonard’s vacation cabin. He rents it in the summer. I had to get the work done because the person was coming on Thursday. You’re such buddies with Leonard. Looks like he would have told ya.”

“Hells bells!” Barbie exclaimed. “That was Katz on Thursday.Why didn’t I see her when she arrived?”

“As soon as it gets light, I’ll head over there and check it out. Maybe the old geezer took her there.”

Barbie changed the subject. “If I’d known Leonard was on Dad’s payroll, I wouldn’t have ever come out here.”

“Payroll?” Stevie asked sheepishly.

“Yeah, Leonard’s a drug dealer.”

“Shhh,” Stevie whispered, putting up his hand. “Did you hear that?”

They heard the back door slam and heavy footsteps above them. Stevie put the flashlight in his teeth, grabbed his gun, and aimed at the door. Barbie got up and crept to the corner. The door above creaked open, and a man stepped down several stairs. He held a handgun.

“So, Cuz,” he said. “Would be nice if you took your gun off of me.”

“Stay where you are, Jimmy,” Stevie ordered.

“I woke up thinkin’ that you’d come out here and get the dope.”

“What dope?” Stevie asked. “I haven’t seen any dope.”

Jimmy observed Barbie for the first time, “What are you doin’ here, Cuz?”

“I ain’t your ‘Cuz,’ so stop sayin’ it,” Barbie answered. “Is somebody else with you?”

“No, does it look like it, stupid?”

Barbie shot Jimmy a dirty look, then thought fast on her feet. “I saw this big man with scars on his face take the drugs and head into the woods,” she bluffed, hoping the not-so-bright Jimmy would leave and look for the Hulk, who had a rifle and seemed to know how to use it.

“You better not be lyin’ to me, or I’m comin’ back for you.” Jimmy sprinted up the steps with Stevie following.

“Are you threatening us?” Stevie accused.

Jimmy didn’t answer, and headed to the back of the house.

Stevie returned to the cellar. “Come on, sis. We’ve got to go someplace else and hide until morning. I don’t trust Jimmy.  He’s liable to come back and shoot us.”

“There’s a shed behind the house. I know it well.”