Meow for the Money (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 14) (9 page)

As soon as she stepped through the front door, Savannah heard someone sobbing. She quickly followed Megan toward the sound and found June in the cat room sitting in her chair with her long-haired tabby, Tabitha, lying limp on her lap.

“Oh no, what happened?” Savannah asked. “Is she…?”

“I think so,” Megan said. “There’s a note.”

“A note?” Savannah asked frowning. She knelt next to June and gently put her hands on the cat. “Let me take a look. She’s breathing—it’s labored and faint, but she’s breathing.” She turned to Megan. “What did the note say? Did it give a clue as to what happened to her?”

Megan shook her head. “It said, ‘eight more to go.’”

Savannah clenched her jaw. “Damn!” She then turned to June. “Okay, let’s get her to the clinic immediately. Michael should be arriving about now. I’ll call and tell him we’re coming. If she’s been poisoned, there may be time. Megan, would you help June to the car. I’ll take Tabitha.”

“It’s too late,” June said, wiping tears from her face. “I just know it’s too late.”

“Come on, we have to try to save her,” Savannah insisted, gently lifting Tabitha off the distraught woman’s lap. She rushed to the car with the cat cradled in her arms, handing her to June as soon as she was seated in the passenger seat. Savannah started to climb into the driver’s side when she stopped and asked Megan, “What time did they eat this morning?”

“Just now.”

“Where’s her food dish? I want to take a sample with us.” She headed back toward the house with Megan, who handed her Tabitha’s plate. “Take away any food that’s left, will you?” she called after the aide.

“The other cats’ food?” Megan asked.

Savannah shouted as she rushed toward the front door, “Yes, all of it!”

Once they arrived at the clinic, Savannah eased Tabitha off June’s lap, rushed into the clinic, and handed her to Scarlett, their long-time receptionist. “This is Tabitha,” she said. “Dr. Mike’s expecting her—it’s an emergency.” She then went back to help June, who had slipped out of the car and was making her way slowly toward the clinic.

“Will she be all right, Dr. Mike?” June pleaded, when Savannah ushered her into the exam room.

“Sit here,” Savannah suggested. “I’ll go get the food sample.” When she returned, she said, “The food doesn’t smell right, Michael. It has a sweet smell that’s familiar to me.” She sniffed at it again. “I’ve smelled it before.”

“Antifreeze,” Bud said as he entered the room.

Michael glanced up at him and nodded.

“Oh no,” Savannah moaned, touching the barely conscious cat affectionately. She looked at Michael. “Are you going to pump her stomach? Make her vomit?”

“When did she eat?” he asked. “The food looks fresh.”

“Probably ten or fifteen minutes ago,” June said, choking up.

“Yes, I’ll try to get her to vomit. She seems to be awake and aware enough.” As he reached into a cabinet for hydrogen peroxide, he asked, “What about the other cats? Are any of them showing signs of illness? Did they all eat the same thing?”

“Tabitha’s on that special diet we’re feeding Mazie Mae, remember?” June said. “Oh no, my Mazie Mae. What if she’s sick, too?”

Michael peered at the woman. “Can you call someone and ask them to take a look at her?”

“Yes,” June said, fumbling to pull her phone out of her small purse. Once she had the phone in her hand, she tapped on the screen. “Hello, Megan. How’s Mazie Mae? Is she showing any signs of being sick?” She hesitated, then said, “Yes, Megan, now. I want you to go look at her now and tell me if she’s okay. Hurry!”

After a few moments, June’s demeanor relaxed some. “Good,” she said into the phone. “Thank you, Megan.” She looked at Michael. “Megan said she’s acting normal. No one else seems to be ill. Oh, Dr. Mike, you just have to save my Tabitha.”

Michael looked at June, then at his wife. “Savannah, why don’t you both wait in the reception area? June, you’ll be more comfortable in there.” When she protested, he said, “Please, we’ll take good care of Tabitha.” He then called, “Susan, can you assist me?” as he picked up the limp tabby and headed into the lab area.

It was several minutes later when Michael reappeared. He knelt next to June. “I think she’s going to be okay. We’ll know more after an hour or so.” He took her hand. “June, it appears she
was
poisoned—although it doesn’t look like she ate much this morning.”

“No, no she didn’t. She left a lot on her plate.”

“She must have sensed something was wrong with her food, although most cats like the taste of antifreeze.”

June chuckled a little through her tears. “Not Tabitha. She’s a finicky eater.”

“So Mazie Mae’s okay?” he asked, looking from June to Savannah.

Savannah nodded. “According to Megan, she’s just fine. They don’t feed them together.” She managed a slight smile. “June says sweet Mazie Mae can be a little aggressive at mealtime.”

“Dr. Mike, what am I going to do? My cats are in danger and I don’t know who’s trying to harm them.”

“I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head.

Savannah faced the woman. “June, the idea about cleaning house—letting your staff take some time off—might be a good one. How about if I get a group together to help you out for a while?”

The elderly woman stared at Savannah, her eyes wide. “Who?”

Savannah glanced at Michael. “We have friends—most of them adore cats. Several of them love to cook. In fact, you met some of them at the cat-alliance meeting. I’m sure they’d enjoy a vacation at your home taking care of you and your cats until we can clean up this mess.”

“Well, let’s go see Sterling. Maybe he’ll be awake and I can run the idea by him.” June looked at Savannah, then Michael before asking weakly, “Can I see her before we go?”

“Sure. Come on back,” Michael said, helping the woman up and steadying her.

“Oh, my darling Tabitha,” June said, dabbing at her eyes, “you look so pitiful.” She put her hand against the wire cage. “You are so loved, sweet girl. I’ll be back to get you soon. Please be well.”

Savannah choked back tears as she walked with June out of the recovery area, through the reception room and out the door toward the car. Once they were buckled into the SUV, Savannah headed to the hospital an hour away in Straley.

“We’d like to see Sterling Goss,” Savannah said to the receptionist.

“Are you relatives of Mr. Goss?” she asked.

Savannah shook her head and glanced at June.

“He’s a dear friend of mine,” June explained.

“They’re only allowing family to visit at this time,” the pert brunette said.

Just then they heard a new voice. “Oh, hello, Ms. Balcomb.”

“Mrs. Goss,” June said, greeting her, warmly.

“Elizabeth,” the woman corrected. “Have you come to see Sterling?”

“Yes, yes, but they say he can’t have visitors.”

With that, Elizabeth Goss turned to the receptionist. “I’ll vouch for this woman. She’s like family to my husband. I’ll take her up and let her see him.”

The receptionist nodded.

“I’ll wait here for you, June,” Savannah said.

When the two women returned to the lobby several minutes later, June looked as if she’d been crying. “Thank you Mrs. Goss…um, Elizabeth,” she said. “I appreciate being able to see him. So they believe he’ll wake up, do they?”

Elizabeth nodded. “Yes. It may take a few days—but the doctor says he’s healing and improving in his deep sleep state and we should not worry too much.” She smiled weakly at June and then Savannah, saying, “I’m going to sit with him for a while.” Resting her hands on June’s arm, she said, “It was nice seeing you, Ms. Balcomb.”

“Yes, and thank you ever so much for letting me see Sterling. You take care,” she said, patting the woman’s hands. “I will pray for him. I’m sure you’ll have your husband home in no time.”

After watching Elizabeth Goss enter the elevator, June lowered herself into a chair. “I’d like to sit here for a moment, if you don’t mind, Savannah. I need to rest before the walk to your car.”

“That’s fine. I’ll bring the car around to the front.” As she turned to leave, Savannah nearly bumped into Craig Sledge, who was on his way into the lobby.

“Well, what are you two ladies doing over here this morning?” he asked.

“Craig, hi.”

“Good morning, Detective,” June greeted.

Craig frowned. “Are you here to see Mr. Goss?”

The two women nodded.

Craig looked sideways at them. “They didn’t let you in, did they?”

“Mrs. Goss took me up to see him,” June explained. “Detective, it’s just so sad to see him like that. He must wake up—he just has to.”

Craig thinned his lips and glanced from one to the other of the women.

“Oh, Craig,” Savannah said. “There was another attack at the estate.”

“What?”

“Someone tried to poison one of June’s cats this morning.” When she saw the concern on his face, she said, “We just came from the clinic. We think she’ll be okay, don’t we, June?”

The woman nodded weakly. “Savannah,” she said, “can you get your crew together? I think I’ll take you up on your offer.”

“Crew?” Craig questioned.

Savannah said, “Well, she’s having so much trouble at her place—pets and people close to her are being harmed and harassed, I just thought…”

“Oh no, what did you think, Detective Savannah?” he asked, smirking playfully.

“I thought we ought to clean house at the estate—ask everyone to leave and bring in people we know we can trust to take over with June and the cats until…”

June chimed in, “Until you catch whoever’s doing the bad stuff, Detective.”

Craig rubbed his chin and looked at June. “You,” he said.

“Yes?” June asked impatiently waiting for him to complete his thought.

“It’s you. You’re the common denominator in all this.”

June cringed and slumped a little in the chair.

He stared at her for a moment, then said, “Savannah’s idea sounds like a good one. Let’s get everyone close to you out of there, including your relatives.” When June started to protest, Craig said, “Just until we sort out what’s going on. We’ll be questioning them all. We should have a bead on the perp soon enough.” He locked eyes with June again. “It seems to all boil down to your money, doesn’t it?”

Grimacing, she finally forced herself to say, “I suppose so. But I believe things will settle down around me soon, don’t you? Once everyone knows that I’m not leaving a large sum of money to any one person, no matter how many cats there are? Naturally I want them well-cared-for, but Savannah has helped me realize that someone who would do it for the money may not be doing it for the right reasons.”

Craig nodded and smiled at the woman. “But they’d still be handling a lot of money, isn’t that right? This person would be making financial decisions related to the cats.”

June agreed. “Yes, with Sterling’s guidance. I have my wishes spelled out.”

Savannah glanced at Craig, then said quietly to June, “I think what the detective is saying is this person would still have access to nearly the entire estate.”

“Yes,” Craig said, “and many a greedy heir has been known to manipulate a bequest to his or her advantage. Unfortunately, it’s done all the time.”

June sighed deeply. “I suppose you’re right. There are no guarantees, even in a deathbed wish.” Slapping her hands against the arms of the chair, she struggled to stand, saying, “Well, let’s get this show on the road, Savannah, shall we?”

“Where to now?” Savannah asked, as they drove out of the parking lot.

“Where’s your baby? Don’t you need to go home to your baby?”

Savannah smiled. “She’s in good hands. Let’s take care of you today.”

“You’re a good girl,” June said, peering at Savannah. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all you’ve done.” She then sucked in a breath and sat up straighter. “Okay, let’s check on Tabitha, then I want to go to the law firm and see who’s going to manage my account until Sterling is back to work. I must make sure everything’s in order. And then let’s send my staff away on a nice vacation and put a halt to visits from my family. We’ll hire security guards to keep them away.” She turned to Savannah. “So who will be coming into my home to care for the kitties? Can we meet them today?”

Savannah raised her eyebrows. Grinning, she said, “You are one in-charge lady, aren’t you? You know how to get things done.”

“You got that right. Now let’s do it, shall we?”

“Okay, I’ll make some phone calls while you chat with the folks at the law firm.” She glanced at her passenger. “I’ll ask the detective to be there when you make the announcement to your staff. We want things to run smoothly.” When June looked puzzled, she said, “You never know how people are going to react to a surprise like this.”

By one thirty that afternoon, Savannah and June were back at the estate. Lily was asleep in a portable crib and Tabitha was lying comfortably in a plush kitty bed next to June’s chair. Security guards were in place around the property and Megan, Clarence, Marco, Ginger, Phillip, the housekeepers Martha and Addie, and the alternating cooks Bev and Gwendolyn had all assembled in the cat room. June’s interim attorney, Virginia Watson stood by as June addressed her staff, and Craig watched their reactions. “We’re making some temporary changes here at the estate. I’m happy to announce that you’re all going on a two-week vacation to the destination of your choice.”

There was a burst of comments. “What?”

“A vacation?

“I can’t afford no vacation. Do we hafta leave?”

“Yeah, I have a new car payment.”

“Settle down people,” June said. “I’m paying for your trip. My attorney will hand each of you a check in the amount of $5,000. Now be on your way and have a good time. I don’t want to see you around here until at least two weeks from today. I will call each of you and let you know when to return.”

As the men and women continued to complain about June’s bombshell, Craig spoke up. “And if we see you anywhere near this property after today, you’ll be escorted off the premises and possibly arrested for trespassing.”

“What?”

“Why?”

“Can we get our things? I live here, ya know.”

“Where am I going to live for two weeks?”

June raised her voice to be heard. “Those of you who reside here at the estate—that’s Megan, Addie, Clarence, and Gwendolyn—you’ll find extra cash in your envelope for a hotel. Detective Sledge and his team will accompany you four to your quarters to help you gather your things. The rest of you are released immediately.”

“Me?” Megan shouted. “You’re kicking me out, too?”

June grimaced and nodded.

“But I was in the middle of preparing this evening’s meal,” Gwendolyn said quietly.

“We’ll take over,” June assured her. “Just go have yourself a wonderful vacation, will you?” June watched as everyone filed out of the room, then she turned to Savannah. “Well, that was tough.”

Savannah patted her hand. “You did a marvelous job.”

“Yes you did,” the attorney agreed.

June looked at Virginia, then Savannah. “Well, I couldn’t have done it without you…and Detective Sledge. Thank you all so much.” She reached down and touched Tabitha. “Oh Ragsdale, are you keeping her company?” she said, smiling.

Savannah, too, noticed Rags lying in his Egyptian-cat pose next to Tabitha’s bed. “He sure seems sensitive to a cat who’s ill or hurt,” she said.

June ran her hand along Rags’s back. “What a comfort he must be to you and Dr. Mike.”

“Oh, June, you just don’t know. He can be a handful. He’s always into some kind of mischief.”

June shook her head slowly. “I don’t believe it. He’s never been anything but a gentleman around me and my kitties.” She let out a deep sigh. “Well, the worst is yet to come, isn’t it? I must face Jody and Petra. What time is it, anyway?”

“One fifty-five,” Virginia said. “Do you need me to stick around for your meeting with them?”

June looked at Savannah. “I don’t think so, do you?” She faced the attorney. “Probably not, if you have business elsewhere. We sure appreciate you coming out this afternoon.”

“Certainly. Just call if you need anything.” The attorney approached June and took her hand. “I know that you and Sterling have been good friends for many years. It must be hard for you to see him in that condition.”

“Yes. But I trust that he will awaken.”

Virginia thinned her lips and stared into June’s face for a moment before saying, “Sure. I’ll see you later.”

The attorney had been gone for only seconds when they heard someone call out, “Mrs. Balcomb?”

Savannah jumped up and headed for the hallway. “Yes?” she said, upon seeing a security guard peering in through the front door.

“Someone’s here with groceries; says her name’s Iris Sledge.” He narrowed his eyes. “Is that Detective Sledge’s wife?”

Savannah smiled. “Yes. Would you please help her in with the groceries?” She motioned, “Have her drive around to the right and park outside the kitchen door.”

“Groceries?” June questioned, when Savannah returned to the cat room.

“Yes, we’re tossing out everything and starting fresh. Detective Sledge didn’t want to take the chance of anything in your kitchen being contaminated.”

June grimaced. “Sad, isn’t it? Just plain sad. I feel awful about turning my staff away. Most of them are trusted and trustworthy. I will miss them.”

Savannah nodded. “It’s hard to make such serious changes in your life.” She smiled. “But June, I think you’re going to like your new temporary staff.” She glanced at her sleeping child, then slipped out of the room to join Iris in the kitchen.

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them returned. “June, you met Iris at the cat-alliance meeting. She’s going to be your new chief cook…”

“…and bottle washer,” Iris quipped, reaching out for the elderly woman’s hand. “Nice to see you again.”

“Hello,” June greeted.

“She’s also the detective’s wife.”

June’s face lit up. “Oh!” She then noted, “My you have a nice crop of red curly hair. Is it natural?” She chuckled, adding, “I mean the curls; most young people today have some sort of artificial color on their hair—even the boys, for heaven’s sake.” She shook her head. “I meant is your hair naturally curly like that?”

“Sure is,” Iris said, tucking a ringlet behind one ear. She sat down next to June. “Now, I brought in the basic kitchen ingredients. Do you have any food allergies, sensitivities, or special likes and dislikes I should know about?”

June gazed into Iris’s expertly made-up eyes. “Well, let’s see…I enjoy my tea—hot and iced—chamomile, if you please.” She frowned. “And not that artificial stuff that comes in a bottle.” Her expression brightened when she said, “I love my sweets, especially lemony treats and chocolate. I’m particularly fond of mushed up food.”

“Mushed up?” Iris asked.

“Creamy casseroles, enchiladas, things like that.” She put her hand on Iris’s, “…only nothing spicy. I can’t handle spicy food these days. Oh, and no bell peppers. They give me gas. I like grainy breads—full of good seeds, wheat berries, and such.” She glanced at Savannah. “I think I’m fairly easy to please in the cuisine department.”

Savannah nodded. “I’ve seen her eat a variety of food—sandwiches, salads, soups.”

“Oh yes. I appreciate my salads. And peaches are my favorite fruit. Savannah brought some of her home-canned peaches for my enjoyment.” She rolled her eyes. “Delightful, just delightful.”

“Okay then,” Iris said. “It sounds like cooking for you will be fun. How about if I create a menu and run it by you before we finish the shopping? Sound good, Ms. June?” Iris asked.

She nodded, smiling. “Sounds wonderful, Iris. Thank you.”

Iris stood to leave, but turned and asked, “Is tomato bisque and a fresh veggie pasta okay for supper? I can also serve a wedgie…er…um…I mean, a lettuce wedge salad with blue cheese and beets. Sound good?”

June smiled. “Wonderful, yes.” She leaned toward Iris. “Could I have a few shrimp swimming in my soup? I love shrimp.”

“Great idea,” Iris said. “Never thought of that. Okay then, I’m off to the grand kitchen. Dinner will be served in about…” she looked at her watch, “…four hours.” As she turned to leave, her husband entered the room. “Hi, babe,” she said, walking past him and out through the door.

Craig smiled after her, then addressed June. “They’ve all left the premises.” He smirked. “…grumbling the whole way.”

June frowned before saying, “I can’t be responsible for how they choose to feel about this. If they’re as trustworthy as I hope they are, they’ll be brought back. It’s as simple as that.” She glanced at Tabitha and Rags. “But I can’t allow my cats to be in jeopardy.”

“You’ve done the right thing,” Craig said. Suddenly he jumped a little. “What’s that I hear?”

Savannah smiled as she stood and headed for the portable crib. “It’s Miss Lily waking up from her nap.”

“Oh,” he said, looking at the baby. He continued, “Mrs. Balcomb, things will be back to normal as soon as we figure out who’s causing you grief and your staff will be refreshed after their nice vacation.” He took on a more serious stance. “Now, we found a few things among staff belongings.”

“Oh?” June said, eager to hear more, yet obviously apprehensive.

“We confiscated this slip of paper with your attorney’s name and contact information from your driver’s room; what’s his name—Clarence?”

“Yes?” June said, questioningly.

“Does this seem odd to you in light of the fact the Sterling Goss was attacked?”

“Not really. Clarence asked me for this information a couple of weeks ago. Said his uncle was looking for a good estate attorney.”

Craig stared at June before saying, “Oh.” He then continued, “We also found this.”

“What is that?” June asked, looking at the object he held in his hand.

“A scale.”

“Yes?”

“Well, it’s designed to weigh minute amounts, as in a sedative powder someone wants to add to a glass of iced tea, for example,” he said, obviously trying to make a point.

“Where did you find that?” she asked, dreading to hear the answer.

“Among your aide’s things—Megan Vale.” When June seemed to withdraw, Craig asked, “Do you know if she does drugs? Sometimes these are used to measure units of cocaine and other drugs.”

“Oh my!” June exclaimed. “I don’t know.” She fidgeted in her chair. “I guess some of my staff have secrets, don’t they?” She looked at Craig. “Anything else?”

“Only this,” he said, revealing a package of surgical gloves. “These were found in the cook’s quarters.”

“Well yes, those are required for when the cooks are mixing a meatloaf, making meatballs, cutting up a chicken...”

Craig stared at the package. “Oh, I see.”

June chuckled. “Well, good try, Detective, but I don’t think you’ve discovered any real clues there.” She frowned. “I’m not pleased to hear Megan might be on drugs, though. That’s not good news. We’ll have to work on that when she returns.” As an afterthought, she added, “…if she returns.”

Just then, they heard the doorbell chime.

“Uh-oh, did that startle the baby?” June asked, when she saw Lily look up from where she sat playing near her mother.

“Oh no, she’s fine,” Savannah said just as Iris entered the room. Iris offered, “How about if I take Lily with me to the kitchen? She can help me put the rest of the groceries away. She’ll probably be bored with your guests, anyway.”

Savannah chuckled. “Yeah, probably. Although she does like watching the kitties in this room.” She kissed Lily’s little face before Iris walked away with the baby, then Savannah left to answer the front door.

At the same time, Craig excused himself. “I’ll be back. Want to get a cup of coffee.”

Savannah was surprised when she opened the front door to see a rather fit and good-looking dark-complexioned man of about fifty standing in front of her. He stared at her for a moment, then smiled widely. Holding his hand out and bowing slightly, he said, “I’m Petra Salvo. Who are you, lovely lady?”

“Savannah Ivey,” she said, immediately wishing she hadn’t offered her hand. She pulled back when it appeared he wasn’t going to let it go anytime soon. “Salvo?” Savannah questioned.

“Yes, my father was Princeton Salvo. This is his home…well, it would be if he were still living.”

When Savannah seemed confused, he said, “Oh, his wife never took his name. She kept her family name. I think she hyphenates for some occasions.” When Savannah continued to stare at him, he asked, “May I come in? I have a meeting with my…stepmother.”

“Of course,” she said standing back and allowing him to step inside the foyer. “She’s in the cat room.”

He smirked, then asked, “So who are you, may I ask—I mean to my stepmother?”

Savannah hesitated. “A friend.”

As they reached the cat room, Petra motioned dramatically for Savannah to enter first. “Hello old woman,” he said, bursting boldly through the doorway after Savannah.

“Hello Petra. You’re looking well.”

“Forgive me for saying so, but you don’t.”

June started to respond, but instead simply said, “Won’t you sit down? We’re waiting for Jody. I have something to say to both of you.”

“Oh? Is this some sort of sting operation?” he joked, half-heartedly.

Neither Savannah nor June laughed.

Wow, he sure seems nervous, like he’s had too much coffee or something. Maybe he’s one of those type-A personalities.

“Sounds like she’s here,” June said when they heard a woman’s voice call out.

“Can I get a glass of water?” Petra asked, starting to head toward the kitchen.

Savannah and June glanced at each other briefly, then June motioned toward a tray with a pitcher of ice water and four clean glasses. “Help yourself, Petra.”

“Thanks,” he said, unenthusiastically walking slowly toward the tray and pouring himself half a glass of water.

“Oh,” Jody said upon seeing Petra when she entered the room with her son in her arms. “Hello,” she greeted rather flatly. She approached June with an air kiss, then placed Carlo on the floor and handed him a couple of toys she’d pulled from a tote bag.

“Hi,” Petra said. “Water?” he offered, holding his glass in the air toward her.

“No thanks,” Jody said, avoiding eye contact. “What’s this about, Aunt J? Why did you want to see me?” She flashed a quick look at Petra, appearing confused.

“Sit down, both of you,” June invited.

“I’ll stand, thank you,” Petra said in a snarky manner.

June stared at him for a moment before saying, “Suit yourself.” She took a breath and announced, “Things are changing around here as of today. As you know, we’ve been visited by some alarming episodes, lately.”

Petra grimaced. “Alarming episodes? What are you talking about, old woman?”

June peered at him for a moment. “I think you know what I’m talking about. Andrew was murdered, Sterling was attacked, and someone has been trying to harm the cats.”