Un-Fur-tunate Events (Vanessa Abbot Cat Cozy Mystery Series Book 4) (8 page)

Sabrina didn't hear her. “If Frank
hadn't come up with the idea of having the picnic here, you wouldn't have
gotten involved in the investigation. I would have gotten away with it.”

“Murder is never that easy. You wanted
to save your boyfriend but that was the wrong way to go about it.”

Sabrina laughed out loud. “How naïve you
are? If you don’t have money, you end up sitting on the list until you die. That’s
how our foundation functioned.”

“That can’t be true. You were worried
about your boyfriend. You wanted to save his life, but I don’t think Jerry intended
for your boyfriend to die waiting for a transplant. Jerry was a good person, he
has always helped people in need.”

Sabrina waved her gun to one side, but
she brought it right back to pointing at Vanessa's chest. “Jerry’s dead now and
you can’t justify his actions to me. Stop trying to rationalize the foundation.”

Henry poked his head around the living
room’s archway. Vanessa glanced over at him and then returned her view to
Sabrina.

Vanessa stared at her. “Just turn yourself
into the police. If your boyfriend lives, and you kill me, you will end up
behind bars the rest of your life.”

 “I
know he only has a few months to live without a transplant,” Sabrina went on. “I
have seen his charts. I have been through it many times before as a nurse in
intensive care. I know when a patient has hope and when they don’t. I don’t
care what happens to me now. At least, I will have the satisfaction of killing
you.”

“Freeze, Sabrina, don’t make another
move,” A male voice thundered through the house, and Vanessa and Sabrina spun
around to find Pete Wheeler standing in the doorway with his .45-caliber
semi-automatic in his hand. “You're under arrest, Sabrina. Put down the weapon
and get down on the ground with your hands behind your head.”

Sabrina bared her gritted teeth and
sprang into a crouch. Gunshots exploded through the house. The first shot sunk through
the doorframe next to Vanessa's head and she dropped to the ground. Sabrina
swung around and fired at Pete. He ducked behind the front door just as
Sabrina's second bullet splintered the wood. Sabrina fired twice more, and the
bullets shattered the wooden door panels.

Vanessa covered her head with her arms.
Blue gun smoke filled the room and burned her throat and eyes. How could she
help Pete without a weapon? In the background, the frightened yowls of cats
reached her ears. She had to save her precious cats from this mayhem.

She looked up to see Henry race across
her field of view. Was he running away from danger or into it? She had to catch
him and carry him away before anything happened to him. What would she ever do
without Henry? Then she remembered Pete facing a hail of bullets on the other
side of that door. She had to find a way to save Pete—but how? Should she help
him or Henry first?

Before she could decide what to do,
Henry darted into the room and skidded on the hall carpet. It bunched into an
accordion under his feet. At the same moment, AngelPie slithered out of the
kitchen. She pushed her way behind the potted azalea in the hall and knocked it
over. It hit the floor, and the pot shattered into a million ceramic shards.
Soil and dead leaves scattered across the floor and distracted Sabrina.

Sabrina turned around to see what made
the commotion. Vanessa plunged towards her from a crouched position and pushed Sabrina
over the crumpled carpet. Sabrina lost her footing and stumbled. The revolver flung
from her hands and landed in the corner of the living room.

Vanessa darted towards the revolver.
Sabrina grabbed her ankle, tripping Vanessa and caused her to fall to the floor.
Henry pounced on Sabrina’s chest. His claws dug into her skin.

“Get off of me!” Sabrina yelled as
Henry jumped away. Vanessa kicked free of Sabrina’s grasp and made it to the
revolver.

Vanessa swung around and pointed the
barrel at Sabrina. “Pete! It’s safe now. I have the gun.”

Pete held his revolver at Sabrina.
“Don’t move.”

Vanessa hand’s shook violently. “I have
it from here, Vanessa. Put the revolver down. It’s over.”

Vanessa laid the revolver down on the
console table.

Pete smiled as he handcuffed Sabrina. “I
guess I was worried for nothing. You were able to take care of yourself.”

“The cats are the real heroes,” Vanessa
replied. “I don’t know what I would do without them.”

Vanessa looked out from the porch admiring
the sanctuary in the early dawn. There was still a mist hovering in the air.
Flossy was hopping through the grass chasing after a brave squirrel. Vanessa
took a long sip of tea. She looked over at Henry who was perched on the top
rail of the porch.

Henry’s attention was focused on a tree
where a sparrow hopped from branch to branch.

“Downtown never offered as much
excitement, don’t you think, Henry?” Vanessa remarked.  “I like it here at the sanctuary.”

Henry turned to her with his glossy
green eyes.

“Yes, Henry, when there are not bullets
flying through the air.”

Vanessa turned and looked at what
remained of her front door. The door could be replaced. Fortunately, none of
her cats had caught a stray bullet.

A worn, Toyota Corolla veered into her
driveway. Teddy greeted Pete as he stepped out of the car.

“The foundation is shut down,” Pete
called out.

Vanessa forced a smile. “I’m glad
Andrea came to her senses and testified. The foundation had a respectable beginning,
but it soured because of greed.”

Pete climbed the porch steps. “Even
Frank blamed himself for Jerry’s murder. I think the revelation of Sabrina’s
crime shocked him to the core.”

Vanessa handed Pete a cup of black
coffee.

Pete smiled. “You remembered, I take it
black.”

Henry balanced himself on the rail as
he made his way toward Pete. Henry made a soft meow.

“Steve, on the other hand, was asking
what was going to happen to his BMW.”

Vanessa grinned. “He was always
particular about his BMW.”

“Vanessa, you should really join the
police force. With the help of your cats, you would make quite the detective,”
Pete suggested.

Vanessa sighed. “I think I have had
enough excitement for awhile.”

Pete scratched Henry behind the ears.

“When do you have a night free for
dinner? I have a roasted chicken recipe that will make you forget all about the
frozen dinners you heat up,” Vanessa teased.

Pete looked over at Vanessa. “I think
it’s my turn to make you dinner. I promise you it won’t involve a microwave.”

Vanessa smiled and took a long sip of
her tea.

The End.