The Purrfect Lie (Klepto Cat Mystery Book 12) (19 page)

He hesitated, then said, “I’m waiting for a call from a client. Do you mind taking them? I’ll get a carrier out for you. They seem calm enough.”

“Sure.”

As they slipped the two cats into the one large carrier, they noticed that Rags was still interested in them. “He’s clawing at the door like he’s trying to let them out,” Savannah said. “Hey, maybe he’s the cat burglar who’s been terrorizing Auntie’s and Max’s cattery.” Michael smiled at his wife’s sense of humor. Then he lifted the carrier and said, “I’ll put them in the car for you.” When he noticed Rags following along, dancing around excitedly and trying to peer into the carrier, he asked, “Wanna take your cat with you? He hasn’t been for a car ride, lately.”

“Yeah, I guess,” she said, lifting him into her arms before grabbing her phone and car keys.

Savannah pulled her car into her aunt’s driveway, cut the engine, and shut off the headlights.
What’s that?
she asked herself, when she saw a silhouette of someone back-lit against the greenhouse wall.
Is that Max?
she wondered.
Good gosh, it looks like that ghoul who’s been harassing Auntie and Max. I wonder if he hid inside there when they came out to check on the cats.
She lowered her car window a little and listened for any tell-tale sounds. When she didn’t hear anything, she stepped gingerly out of the car.
Oh no, here he comes. What now?
she wondered, as she crouched behind her car.
He’s going to walk right past me. Should I trip him? It’s too late to alert Max.
She looked around for something she could use to stop the cloaked intruder.

Before she could react, however, he moved quickly past her. What happened next was like something from a swashbuckler movie. A grey-and-white streak suddenly flew past Savannah and landed on the back of the intruder. “Rags, my gosh, what are you doing?” All she could do was watch as the wily cat stood on the figure’s back, clawing at the hood until it fell around his shoulders. Then the screaming started. “Ouch! Stop it!! Please, stop!”

Gads, that sounds like a woman’s voice.
“Rags!” Savannah shouted, hoping to get him to back down.
Just then the floodlights came on and Max charged out the front door.

“What’s going on?” he demanded.

“Get that cat off me!” the intruder shouted.

Savannah stared wide-eyed at the figure.
Look at all that blond hair. Who is that?
she wondered. Suddenly, she realized that Max was shouting to her.

“Savannah, get your cat,” he said.

When she looked up, she saw Rags standing a few feet from the intruder, growling as Max held the cloaked figure in a chokehold.

“Maggie, call the sheriff,” he shouted.

Savannah jumped into action. She rushed toward Rags, picked him up, and put him back in the car, jumping in after him and closing the door while she turned the key and raised the window. She picked up her phone and called 911, just in case her aunt wasn’t able to do it.

“Who is it?” Margaret called out from the front porch as she watched Max struggle to hold onto the figure.

Savannah got out of her car again, ran to Margaret, and whispered, “I think it’s a woman. Looks like a woman,” she said. “Rags pulled the hood off and exposed all that blond hair.”

“Holy cow,” Margaret said. “Did you call the sheriff?”

Savannah nodded. “Hope we don’t have to wait too long.”

“You got your wish; I hear them coming.”

“They’d better send an ambulance,” Max yelled. “Your cat drew a lot of blood.”

“What’s
he
doing here?” Margaret asked.

“Oh, has Rags worn out his welcome?” she asked, laughing nervously. “Well, he was so interested in the two guys we have in the carrier, I decided to let him ride shotgun with me. Good thing, right?”

“Max,” Margaret said, sounding rather hysterical, “we didn’t need to hire those security guards, we should have just invited Rags over for the week.”

Max grinned and nodded. “Just settle down,” he snarled when the intruder tried to twist out of Max’s grip. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Who is that little creep, anyway?” Margaret asked, stepping closer. She leaned forward, trying to peer into the face that was partially hidden by a head of thick blond hair. “Sandra Swanson,” she snarled. “Is that you, you floozy?” She then stepped closer. “Wait—that’s not real hair; that’s a damn wig.” She reached out and tugged on it and it came off in her hand. Margaret then ripped the black mask off the intruder’s face and stood there, dumbstruck. “Well, son-of-a-…it’s Sam,” she said disgustedly.

“What?” Max said, spinning the young man around to face him. “Sam. Why?”

“I never took any of them out,” he complained. “I gave them a choice. You don’t give them a choice. You make them stay in those pens whether they want to or not. I wanted to give them the choice to stay or to go—to live the life they want. It should be up to them, not you. You’re not God,” he ranted.

Savannah and Margaret stood stunned as Max said, “Well, Sam, I guess if you don’t understand it by now, after all the time and energy I’ve put into teaching you, there’s no way we can explain it to you.”

“This is your prowler?” Jim asked when he and Deputy Ben saw the tall, lanky, young man standing next to Max.

“Yeah, it seems so,” Max said.

“So you caught him yourself?” Ben asked.

“Um, the cat…” he pointed.

Jim began to chuckle. “That’s the same cat that…”

“One-and-the-same,” Margaret said. “The one and only.”

Jim grinned, then asked Margaret and Max, “Do you want to press charges?”

Max shook his head. “Naw, as long as he gets help. You know, his thinking is screwed up. Can you get him a psych evaluation or something? …and his father should be alerted to what he’s been doing.” He then addressed the boy. “Sam, you’re no longer welcome here. If we see you on our property or we have any more trouble, we will have you arrested.”

The trio watched the taillights on the squad car disappear into the night before Savannah broke the silence. “Gads, I can’t believe we beat up on that kid.”

“Well, Vannie, I’m sorry, but he deserved it—damn loony tunes.”

She glanced at her aunt, then moved swiftly toward her car. “By the way, I brought you some kitties.”

“Oh thank heavens,” Margaret said.

“Yeah, Rags told us they were wandering around outside and Michael found them lounging on our porch.”

Everyone chuckled.

“I hear you had quite a day,” Max said, as he took the carrier from Savannah’s car. “What a cool story of the twins’ reunion. Gosh, that family must be on cloud nine tonight.”

“Yeah, it was an amazing day. I’ve never witnessed anything quite like it.” She choked up. “Unbelievably heart-wrenching.”

“So what now, Vannie?” Margaret asked. “How will you top this day?”

Savannah shook her head. “I have no plans or desire to try topping it. I just want to go home and live quietly and peacefully—no more drama, please.”

Margaret grinned. “In your world? Yeah right!”

****

“What a day,” Savannah said as she settled into bed that night with her husband.

“Yeah, two mysteries solved,” Michael said. “Now can we get back to normal?” he asked in a pleading manner.

“Oh yes,” Savannah murmured as she snuggled against him. After a few moments, she asked, “Do you mean the average person’s normal or this family’s normal? Because I kind of think that we attract unusual people and circumstances. I don’t think we’re destined to…”

Before she could finish her thought, Michael groaned. “Oh no. Your phone.” When he felt her move to pick it up, he said, “Nooo, Savannah. Let it go. There’s nothing more important than…”

“Sorry, hon,” she said. “For someone to call this late, it has to be important. I couldn’t sleep if I didn’t answer it.” She kissed him on the forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

“Hello,” she said into the phone.

“Hi, just calling to check on you…and your cat.”

“Oh hi, Craig. We’re fine. You heard about our little tussle tonight?”

“Yes.” He paused, then scolded, “What are we going to do with you, Savannah?”

“What do you mean?” she asked innocently.

“You can’t be taking the law into your own hands like that.” Before she could respond, he said, “And I hear that you and your aunt went on your own investigation regarding the child-abduction case.”

“Yeah, we reunited a family. Was that a bad thing?”

“Well, what if this isn’t their child—then what?” He spoke more sternly now. “If they have a DNA test down the road and find out they aren’t related, they’ll suffer another heartbreak.”

“Craig, are you mad at me?” she asked quietly. “Or are you jealous because my aunt and I cracked the case…actually, two cases?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Craig said.

“Well, you sound grumpy and mad, when you really should be pleased and happy. I am.”

After a long silence, Craig said, “I just worry about you, that’s all. What does Michael say about all this…stuff you get yourself involved in?”

Savannah chuckled softly. “Well, he isn’t all grumpy and scoldy, anyway.” She then went out on a limb. “I think you just feel bad that you weren’t in on all the excitement. Don’t worry, Craig, I’ll be sure to include you next time we have a case.”

There was another long silence. Then he laughed. “Yeah, you do that…the next time you have a case.” He then changed the subject. “Hey I guess your neighbor is off the hook.”

“What do you mean?”

“Evidently, Mrs. Crankshaw died of accidental poisoning.”

“Oh no,” Savannah said. “What happened?”

“Yeah, well, sometimes older folks get things mixed up and she mistook a poisonous substance for one of the spices or powders she likes to cook with and it slowly poisoned her system. It doesn’t appear that her husband knew anything about it, although the DA wants to investigate further. I think he’s an innocent bystander. In fact, he had this stuff in his system, too, only he evidently didn’t eat as much of it as his wife did. He said that she put it in her health drink every day.”

“Oh, that poor woman,” Savannah said. She looked at Michael as he lay in the bed, hands behind his head, watching her. “Hey, it’s late. Gotta go. Thanks for calling, I think.”

“Sure. Goodnight, Savannah. Hey, I’m sorry if I came on too strong. It’s just that Iris and I care about you and Michael and that little Ivey of yours. But hey, let me know if you ever want to join the force. You and your cat.” He cleared his throat and coughed before saying, “You’d be an asset.”

“Wow,” Savannah said after hanging up the phone. “Craig sure chewed me out.”

“Good,” Michael said, smiling.

She grinned. “Then he complimented me. Invited me to join the force.”

“What?” Michael said, pulling back. “You’re not…”

Savannah shook her head vigorously, her blond hair swishing from side to side. “No way, Michael. I love my life as a mother and wife,” she said, kissing him. Then she whispered in his ear, “…but a good mystery to unravel sure can spice things up.”

Other books in the Klepto Cat Mystery series

Catnapped
(Book 1)

When Savannah Jordan agrees to help her aunt while she recovers from a broken foot, she doesn’t expect to walk into a mystery, become part of a not-quite-legal surveillance team, be kidnapped by a deranged stranger and meet a steaming hot veterinarian.

Beloved neighborhood cats are missing—the community can only guess at their fate—and Aunt Margaret’s life is being threatened. Is it because she has a clue to the missing cats or is it something more sinister? Of course, as in all of the Klepto Cat Mysteries, Rags, an ordinary cat with a most unusual habit, has a paw in saving the day.

If you like light mysteries with only a little terror, if you’re infatuated by interesting cats and if you love a love story, you must read this book.

Available at Amazon.

Cat-Eye Witness
(Book 2)

Savannah and Aunt Margaret open the old Forster home to the Hammond Cat Alliance for a fundraiser to help rehabilitate the abused horses rescued months earlier from the catnappers.

Before the afternoon is over, the collected funds go missing and someone is murdered in an upstairs bedroom.

Suspicion surrounds Iris, a local waitress and Savannah’s new best friend. The only witness to the murder is Rags, Savannah’s cat. With the assistance of a cat psychic and Rags’s good friend, Charlotte (the young girl with Downs), the cat helps to “paw” the killer… but not before an attempt is made on Rags’s life. The case is solved only after Rags comes face-to-face with the killer for the second time.

Detective Craig Sledge is new to this book, as is Damon, Iris’s errant son. Sledge finds this to be one of the muddiest cases he has ever worked, with inconsistent clues and no apparent motive. He’s constantly surprised, perplexed and impressed by the cat’s uncanny ability to come up with clues he has missed. His fascination with the attractive Iris Clampton also mystifies the detective.

In this story, one of the rescued horses goes into labor and there’s a night of high drama at the ole corral as veterinarians Savannah and Michael work to save the foal. This experience renews Savannah’s deep interest in horses and riding, which ultimately serves to help her bond with a very important surprise character who finds his way into her life and Michael’s just as they prepare to say their wedding vows.

While Rags is the animal star, he isn’t the only animal featured in this story. Layla is back in all of her tangerine feline beauty. And Rags makes friends with Buffy, a perky almost Himalayan cat and the inseparable duo, Walter, an all black cat and his sidekick, Lexie, a charming Afghan mix dog. Savannah’s new ride, Peaches, also debuts in this story. An incident with this mare adds another dimension to Savannah’s and Michael’s relationship. Can he hold her with open arms?

Some say this is a love story with a mystery in the background. And it’s a story of family and friendship as newlyweds Margaret and Max continue to be a meaningful part of Savannah’s and Michael’s world.

Available at Amazon
.

Sleight of Paw
(Book 3)