Karen Anne Golden - The Cats That 05 - The Cats that Watched the Woods (13 page)

Katherine shook her head.

“I see you have your weapon. Can I see it?”

“Of course,” Katherine said, as she pulled the Glock out of its holster. She started to hand the gun to the chief.

“Wait just a second.” He pulled a pen out of his shirt pocket and stuck it in his mouth. Then he extracted an evidence bag, inserted the pen in the gun barrel, and placed the Glock in the bag. “When was the last time you cleaned your gun?”

“I’m sorry to say I lost it after my accident. It wasn’t on me when I woke up. My cat just dug it up in the crawlspace.”

“Pull the other one, it’s got bells on it,” the chief said, joking. “Seriously, your cat?”

“I know it sounds crazy.”

“You can tell me that story another day,” he said, then went back into official police chief mode. “Did you shoot the back windshield out of Jimmy’s truck?”

“No, I was too busy trying to stay on the road.”

The chief held up the evidence bag. “The Sheriff will want to do a ballistic test on your weapon, especially since you said you lost it for a while. You’ll get it back.”

“Not a problem. I don’t think I’ll be needing it anyway. I’m in good hands,” Katherine said, as she smiled at Jake.

“Okay, I’ve got to talk to the Sheriff. I’ll suggest he get your statement at the hospital. I’ll meet you two there.”

The chief hurried off in the direction of the sheriff.

A large crow flew overhead and landed nearby. He moved from side-to-side, hopped up and down, and “cawed” loudly. He eyed the cats in the carrier, then flapped his wings and soared to the woods behind the cabin.

Jake eyes grew big. “Wow, that’s the biggest crow I’ve ever seen!”

Katherine gave a quick glance toward the woods. She thought she saw her rescuer standing at the edge, but in an instant he was gone. Scout and Abra were looking in that direction, as well.

“Caw,” Abra cried. “Raw.”

The ambulance arrived and two paramedics climbed out. One was carrying a large EMT bag, while the other stayed behind, removing a gurney from the back of the bus. The first paramedic rushed over to Katherine. “What’s your name?”

“Katherine.”

“I saw your wreck back there. Can you tell me where it hurts?”

“My chest and ribs.”

He pulled out his blood pressure cuff and placed it around Katherine’s arm. Listening carefully through a stethoscope, he said, “Blood pressure is a little high.” Feeling her pulse, “Pulse is pounding like a racehorse’s. Are you bleeding anywhere?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

To Jake, he asked, “Are you the husband?”

“No, but I want to be.”

Katherine grinned.

“Miss, are you able to stand up?”

“Yes, I think I can, if someone helps me.” She tried to get up, but then sat back down. A tidal wave of pain rippled through her ribs. “A stretcher would do me just fine.”

Chapter Sixteen

Stevie waited impatiently outside the back entrance of his father’s bar—the Dew Drop Inn. Sam Sanders pulled up in his new Toyota Tundra pickup. Stevie threw his cigarette on the gravel and extinguished it with his foot. He had an angry expression on his face.

Sam got out of his truck and walked over. “Nasty habit, son.”

“Same to you, Dad,” Stevie said with an arrogant tone.

“What’s eatin’ you?”

“Was it really smart to abandon Barbie’s car in Shermanville? Wasn’t that a little bit too close to the storage unit? You could have led the cops right to our back door.”

Sam glared for a moment, then said, “The original plan was for Leonard to drive up and get the Oxy, like he always does. But his car was being worked on, so I asked Jimmy to drive. I didn’t count on Jimmy stabbing Leonard. I picked them up at a closed rest stop and took them to a buddy of mine, who patched the old guy up. After that, we went to the storage unit so we could pick up the stuff. By the time we got back to Barbie’s car, the cops were all over it like ticks on a deer.”

“Why involve Leonard in the first place? You had the Oxy. Why didn’t you take care of it in Chicago?”

“Are you stupid? Leonard packs it for shipping,” Sam said angrily.

“Don’t ever call me stupid,” Stevie threatened. “I’m done, Dad. This was the last time I help you out with your business.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I’m goin’ legit—no more drug pickups, no more of your dirty work.”

“So where is it?” his father asked without empathy.

Stevie lifted a black grocery bag and shoved it at his dad. “Tell me, was it worth it for a man we’ve known forever to be murdered . . . over
this
?”

“Gettin’ sentimental on me, son? You had a job to do and you did it,” Sam said, then paused. “Oh, I get it. Does this change of vocation to the electrical business have anything with Katz Kendall?”

Stevie scowled. “She’s the witness—the only witness, since Jimmy’s dead.”

Sam put his hands up. “I had nothing to do with that fool hangin’ himself at the county jail. How do you think I felt, tellin’ his poor mama he was dead?”

Stevie looked at his father with disgust. “Seems rather convenient to me, Jimmy dyin’. Now he won’t be testifyin’. If he would have lived, he would have ratted us out. I’ve done time once. I ain’t goin’ back there again!”

“Son, you worry too much. There’s nothing that can link us to the old man’s death. Nothing,” Sam emphasized. “The Kendall woman saw Jimmy shoot Townsend. According to my inside source, the cops found drugs at Leonard’s, but not the Oxy. Case closed.”

Stevie turned and started for his truck.

Sam grabbed his arm. “Don’t go off half-cocked.”

“Let go of me,” Stevie demanded, shoving away his father’s arm. “
Never, ever
,” he enunciated each word, “go near Katz. If she ever dies mysteriously, I’m comin’ for you. Got that? Now do me a big-time favor—never call me again. I’m done! Done!” Stevie climbed into his pickup, started the engine, and drove out, almost hitting Sam’s new truck.

Sam shrugged nonchalantly, picked up the bag of Oxy, and put it in his truck. He locked the doors, then went inside and sat at the bar. “Hey, Eddie, line up a couple of shots of tequila. Oh, hell, drinks all around. I’m in a celebrating kind of mood,” he laughed.

Chapter Seventeen

A Month Later—Mid-August

Katherine stood behind the front door of the pink mansion, waiting for Barbie to show up. Iris was rubbing against her leg and purring loudly.

“It’s okay, Miss Siam. She’ll be here in a minute.”

Barbie pulled in front and parked her loaner car—a red Ford Focus. Her Mustang was still impounded by the Shermanville police until the Leonard Townsend investigation was finished. She got out of the vehicle and walked up the front steps in her soft walking cast.

Katherine opened the door, “Hi, Barbie. Come in.”

“Oh, ha! Ha! What do you think of my new kicks? Ain’t I a fashion plate?”

Dewey and Crowie ran out to greet her. Barbie sat down on an Eastlake chair and picked up the kittens, kissing them repeatedly on their heads. “Mommy has missed you so much. You’re coming home today,” and to Katherine, “Thanks so much for taking care of them. I love their new collars.”

“Oh, Jake bought them because the other ones were too small. The kittens are growing in leaps and bounds.”

Iris stood in the corner, looking sad that Barbie hadn’t noticed her. She ran out of the room and hid behind the Eastlake coat tree.

Katherine followed the cat with her eyes, then said, “It’s been my pleasure, but your cousin, Elsa, did the major cat wrangling.”

“I’ll have to thank her. How are you feeling?”

“Although it’s been a month since my cabin adventure from hell, my doctor said it could take several more weeks for my ribs to heal.”

“Heal? I didn’t think your ribs were broken.”

Katherine sat down, carefully. “I didn’t mean heal, I meant for my ribs to stop hurting. The treatment for bruised ribs is the same as if I
had
broken them. It seems my injury was to the muscles surrounding the ribs.”

“Did you get your new car?”

“Yes, Sue-bee Two—as Jake calls her—is parked in the back. I got a sleek black one this time—like the color of Stevie’s truck.”

“Oh, Stevie,” Barbie dismissed. “I haven’t talked to him since the whole Leonard mess.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because,” she answered evasively. “Let’s just leave it at that. Did you hear they found Leonard’s body last week?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Detective Martin called me. Someone had buried Leonard in an old cemetery plot on his property. They suspect Jimmy Sanders did it, but at the burial site, they didn’t find his prints, or any of the tools used to bury the body.”

“I’m surprised. Jimmy’s lights were on, but nobody was home. Katz, I couldn’t imagine Jimmy doin’ all that physical labor to bury poor Leonard. Do you think that horrible Hulk man in the woods did it?”

“Hulk man? Is that what you call him? That so-called horrible man saved my life,” Katherine countered. “I can’t imagine how he’d have time to bury a man when he was taking care of me.”

“Just thinkin’ out loud.”

“Detective Martin said the gun used to kill Leonard belonged to Jimmy. There was gunshot residue on Jimmy’s hands, which confirms he shot Leonard. The investigators believe the reasons why—the motive —is your cousin, Jimmy, killed Leonard Townsend over illegal drugs.”

“Stevie’s cousin,” Barbie corrected. “Actually, no blood relation to either one of us. My Dad’s brother, Uncle Harlon, remarried a woman who had two sons. He adopted both of them. One of them was Jimmy. In high school, Jimmy and Stevie were pretty tight and called each other cousin, then later went their separate ways.”

“There is one thing that doesn’t make any sense to me. Why would Leonard and Jimmy take your car, then abandon it?” Katherine asked.

Barbie shrugged. “Beats me. I think Jimmy stole it because he didn’t think his piece of junk would make the trip.”

“Why Shermanville? What’s there?” Katherine asked curiously.

“I don’t know. I’ve never been there.” Barbie set the kittens down. Dewey cried a loud “Mao,” and the two kittens scampered upstairs. She sighed, “I just want my car back. I’ve talked to my insurance agent to see if they’ll pay to replace the back seat. The thought of blood stains in my new car is disgusting.”

“Detective Martin said the forensics team did a bloodstain pattern analysis. She said the blood matched Leonard’s.”

“Do these people not read statements? I could have told them it was Leonard’s blood,” Barbie said sarcastically. “I saw the poor man get stabbed.”

“I need to ask you something, and I don’t want you to get mad.”

“Fire away.”

“If Jimmy left his pickup at Leonard’s, why didn’t you use that vehicle to escape?”

Barbie became defensive. “I didn’t have the keys. I may be jack-of-all-trades, but I don’t know how to hot-wire a car!”

“Previously you said when Jimmy and Leonard returned, they were in the blue pickup. How is that possible when Jimmy stole your car and left the truck?”

“I didn’t say that. When they returned, I could hear them talking in the yard. Then I hid in the closet.”

“But Barbie, why would you have to hide from Jimmy Sanders?”

“Oh, ha! Ha!” Barbie laughed uncomfortably. “You need to give up your computer training classes and go into law enforcement. What’s with the twenty questions?”

“It was a traumatic event for me. I just want to understand.”

“Jimmy has a terrible temper, and it’s even worse when he’s had a few beers. When he first came to Leonard’s, he was drunk. I could hear him slurring his words. Leonard was protecting me by telling me to hide. He demanded my car keys because he wanted to get away. I think he was goin’ into town to get help, and then come back.”

“But wouldn’t Jimmy know that was your new car parked outside, and that you had to be inside the house? All he’d have to do was look for your registration in the glove compartment.”

“I don’t keep my registration there. I keep it in my purse. I just bought my car. How would Jimmy know it was mine? Besides Katz, I’ve said all this stuff in my statement. Not to be a jerk about it, but do you want a copy of it?”

Katherine didn’t answer. “Where’s your purse now? Didn’t you say Leonard took it?”

“The Shermanville police have it and said that when I pick up my car, they’d return it then, or I could drive up there and get it sooner. I’ll just wait, because I’ve had time to cancel my credit cards and get a new driver’s license.”

“That being the case, Jimmy could have looked in your bag at your wallet and known the car was yours. Is that why you were so afraid and hid? You were afraid Jimmy would come looking for you? Has he hurt you before?”

“Yes, Officer Kendall,” Barbie said irritably.

“I’m sorry,” Katherine apologized. “I hate to ask these questions, but they’ve really been bugging me. Okay, let’s get back to the day I had my accident. Someone else must have dropped Jimmy and Leonard off and they walked to the house.”

“Stevie said that man in the woods worked for Leonard. Maybe he brought them back. I really don’t know.”

“That could explain why he was in the vicinity when I crashed.”

Barbie’s face lit up. “That has to be it. The Hulk has some kind of connection, some kind of role in all of this. Are you going to tell the Sheriff?”

“I’m not convinced the man in the woods had anything to do with what happened. I think he’s a recluse with a medical condition. He couldn’t speak, but he was able to write on a chalkboard. Leonard was a kind soul to take care of him.”

“If you do tell the Sheriff, he’ll want to question him. How’s he gonna find him? Katz, Leonard owns—I mean owned—hundreds of acres. It would take a lot of cops to search that area. It would be like findin’ a needle in a haystack. Katz, I’m very good at keepin’ secrets,” Barbie said, shifting the conversation. “I haven’t told anyone else, except for Stevie, about the Hulk, because I’m tired of people thinkin’ I’m nuts. You gotta admit it. It’s a crazy story.”

Katherine agreed. “You think people would think you’re nuts, how about me? I told the police Leonard’s body was in the backyard. When they didn’t find the body, they looked at me like I had three heads.”

Barbie laughed, which relieved some of the tension.

Katherine smiled, then said, “Thank you, Barbie. I don’t plan on telling anyone about what you’ve told me. I’ve told Jake my story, but I don’t think he’s fully convinced there was/is such a person. As soon as I can, I’m going back to the cabin and try to find him.”

“You’re going back there? Are you crazy? Why?” Barbie asked with disbelief.

“He’s an unsolved mystery. I want to find out who he is. Does he have any family who could help him? I
want
to help him.”

“If I were you, I’d wait until the cops clear the area. Or worst-case scenario, you’d go out there and get arrested for trespassing. Talk to Leonard’s son, Roger. He inherited the place.”

“Wow, Barbie, how do you know this stuff?”

“I went to the funeral a few days ago. I talked to his son, who was in my class in high school. He lives in Erie. I’m sure he’d rent the cabin to you. He’d probably sell it to you. He gave me the idea he didn’t want anything to do with his dad’s property.”

“I’m not sure I’m staying at the cabin. Jake and I are driving out there for the day—soon, I hope.”

“For a second there, I thought you were goin’ to ask me to go. I’d rather die before I went back to that place,” Barbie said, getting up. “Katz, tell me where the carrier is so I can take my babies home.”

“Cokey’s working in the basement. I’ll text him and ask him to help you carry them out.”

“No need. I’m getting around pretty good in my soft boot.”

Katherine thought,
If that’s the case, why did you wait so long to pick them up?
She bit her tongue and didn’t say it.

“Their carrier is in the parlor. I’d get it for you, but I can’t lift things yet.”

Barbie went into the parlor and picked up the carrier. “Dewey! Crowie! Come to mommy,” she said, setting it down.

The kittens bounded down the steps.

Katherine got up, “I want to say good-bye.” She picked them up and kissed each one of them on the back of their necks. “I’ll miss you, you little monkeys.” Iris slinked in the room and yowled softly. “Iris will miss you, too.”

Barbie reached down and put the kittens in the carrier.

“Oh, Barbie, before I forget. Dr. Sonny has the kittens on a special diet so they’ll gain weight. He said they were too small for their age.”

“Yeah, I guess I kinda suspected that. Leonard was making their food, too.”

Katherine thought,
Why is this woman so gullible
? Katherine walked to the marble-top curio and grabbed a tub of prescription canned cat food. “Directions are on the can. He said you should take them in to be reweighed in two weeks.”

“Thanks, Katz, for everything. I’ll be in touch soon.” Barbie put the tub on top of the carrier, reached down, and picked up the cage.

Katherine moved over to the door and opened it for her. “Take care now. I hope to see you soon. Next time you’re in town, bring the kittens over for playtime,” Katherine said, closing the door.

Katherine suddenly felt very sad. She had gotten very attached to the kittens, and now they were gone. She wondered if she’d ever see them again. She sensed that her friendship with Barbie was waning. Barbie seemed to know more than what she was telling. Katherine didn’t trust her anymore.

Iris walked over with her head down and her tail between her legs. She threw herself against Katherine. “Yowl,” she cried.

Katherine picked her up and held the seal-point against her chest. “I understand, sweetheart. I’ll miss them, too. And I’m sorry Barbie was too busy to hold you.”

Iris reached up and affectionately bit Katherine on the ear.

“Thanks, I appreciate the love bite, too.”