Black Cat and the Accidental Angel (Black Cat Mysteries Book 3) (23 page)

Chill bumps careened down John’s arms and prickled across his neck. What did it mean? Today was August 31. He’d picked Peter up at exactly 9:50 A.M. on Highway 20!

Peter knew I was coming. He was watching for me. But, how?

John slipped the paper into his wallet, the words crashing through his head.
For He shall give His Angels charge over thee
…

Lightning slashed and collided with a roll of thunder somewhere over the hills. Dark clouds blotted out the sun and hung over the foothills. There’d be more rain by nightfall. A sense of peace flowed through John. He checked the clock on the dash. 11:15 A.M.

Thanks to Peter and his knowledge of the dirt road, there was just enough time to get to the airport, just enough time…the chicks would make the flight and maybe he’d get home before the storm hit.

John squeezed into the traffic on the highway and then bumped along the shoulder beside the cars, until he reached the dirt road. He swung onto the dirt road and bounced along until it curved back to the highway—just beyond the accident, as Peter said it would. Off to the left, ambulances and fire trucks lined the highway. A tow truck had pulled a delivery van out of the ditch and back onto the asphalt. He turned right onto the freeway completely ahead of the accident.

A road sign. Reno—13 miles

Later that night, just before bedtime, Cindy asked about his trip to Reno.

“We got to the airport at 11:58 A.M., just before the chicks’ deadline. They made their flight.”

“I’ll bet they’re glad to be in their new homes tonight.” Cindy crawled into bed.

“Funny thing,” John said. “I picked up a nice young man on Highway 20 and gave him a ride. He asked about Angel. It was almost as if he knew her.” John laughed.

“Maybe they were friends before she came to us.” Cindy laid her teddy bear on her pillow.

“When I dropped him off, he left his backpack in my truck. I tried to take it back to the house where I left him, but he wasn’t there. And, in the afternoon, when I came back up the freeway, I couldn’t find the driveway with the red marker where I left him.”

“You mean he disappeared? Where did he go, Daddy?” Cindy’s eyes popped open. She pulled the blanket over her nose.

“Now, isn’t that a good question? It is a mystery, isn’t it? I guess if he needs his backpack, he’ll give me a call. He took my card.”

“If he calls back, ask him if he wants one of Angel’s kittens.”

John grinned. “I’ll do that.”
This child was a natural salesman if there ever was one.
“You get to sleep, now, you hear? Good night.” He tucked the blanket around her and kissed her forehead.

He closed her bedroom door and stood for a moment, thinking about the note in his wallet. A rumble of thunder echoed over the hills.

He took the Bible off the top of the buffet, sat on the sofa and laid it beside him. He pulled out his wallet and opened the slip of paper he’d taken from Peter’s notebook.
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

John slipped the paper back in his wallet and opened the Bible, flipped to the Concordance, and skimmed the pages.
Anchor
…
ancient
…
Ah, there it is.
Angels
…

Chapter Twenty-Four

D
ewdrops of rain clung to the ridge of the porch. Black Cat’s gaze fastened on a particular droplet as it oozed into an elongated shape, then separated from the beam and splatted into the dirt.
Plip. Plop.
Another raindrop formed at the edge, then trickled over to follow the first droplet to the ground. Throughout the night, the summer squall had raged down the mountain. But now, with the storm clouds blown away, the morning sun dried the wet earth and was warming the vineyard and the yard.

“Angel. It’s so beautiful outside. Leave the kittens sleeping. Come with me. Let’s walk down to the stream and see if there’s any storm damage.”

Angel patted Faith’s multi-colored back, gave Muffins’ golden head a slurp and rasped her tongue across Rambo’s back. She squeezed through the cat door John had cut into the back door for Black Cat’s convenience and followed him around the house and out past the Emu enclosure toward the vineyard.

“John is cutting some trees, but we’ll be back before they get home.” Black Cat hopped over puddles, carefully placing each foot to avoid patches of mud.
Ick
…
ick
…
ick. Hate mud between my toes.
Raindrops still clung to the grape vines, like blue and green and amber diamonds, reflecting the sky and autumn leaves. A rumbling sound came from the direction of the stream.

Angel tipped her head to listen. “That can’t be the creek, can it?” She scrambled through the brush to the water’s edge.

Run off from the storm now sent torrents of rushing water downstream, tearing at the riverbank, uncovering previously buried rocks. Glistening through the water, irregular shaped objects sparkled and rolled from side to side in the bottom of the creek bed.

Angel stepped carefully toward the edge of the embankment. “Look! Can you see it?”

“It’s gold! That’s what those men were looking for. The run-off from the storm must have washed more of it from the bank. We’ve got to find a way to tell John!”

“He’ll be gone all day. How can we get him down to the river when he gets home?” Angel pulled her ears down.

Communication! It always reared its ugly head when he needed to tell his
person
something important. “This much gold could save John’s ranch! We have to think of something.”

The cats stood on the riverbank, staring at the gold nuggets shimmering beneath the water.

“I have an idea.” Black Cat leaned further over the edge. “I’ll dive in and pick up the biggest nugget. We can take it back to the house.”

“You can’t! It’s way too dangerous. The current is too strong. You’ll wash away.” Angel nervously trod the grass, her tail whipping back and forth.

“Oh, pooh. What’s a little water? I can do it.” Before the words were out of his mouth, he realized how foolish they sounded. She was right. The water could very well wash a cat down the river. Even if the water didn’t send him crashing to his death against the rocks…he hadn’t even thought of that…how could he grab hold of a little nugget in his teeth without swallowing the whole darn river?

He gulped down the bile in his throat, his stomach twisting.
Leave it to me. I always have to play the big hero
. Too late now. He was committed. After such a bragger’s claim, Angel would think he was a scaredy-cat if he didn’t follow through.

He eyeballed the nugget, gathered his feet together and jumped in. The cold water took his breath away. He headed straight for the nugget, but the force of the water pushed him sideways. He couldn’t even see the object, much less pick it up with his teeth. Angel was right. It was hopeless.

Okay, forget the nugget. I’ve got to get out of here.
Survival instinct took over. He turned back toward the bank, choking and coughing as his head broke water. He thrashed toward the water’s edge, scrabbled at the bank, trying to get a purchase on a root or something solid, but the rushing water dragged him back, toppling him upside down. Struggling to raise his head above water, he thrashed and gasped for air. As he tumbled down the river, crashing into branches and rocks, a flash of gold caught his eye.
Angel!
He heard her faint and garbled voice.

“Black Cat! What shall I do? Oh, Black Cat!”

Panic gripped his heart.
Angel! The babies!
Why had he been so stupid?
Is this the way it ends?
His head broke the surface. He gulped a breath of air and swallowed water. The bushes blurred as he passed. The sky grew dark. Water swirling…choking…
Angel!
Which way was up? A rock loomed ahead and everything turned black.

“Black Cat!”
Numm numm
(lick, lick). “Wake up. Oh, please don’t die.”
Numm, mmm.
“Won’t you please speak to me?”
Mmm mmm
…
(lick, lick).

The roar of the river still filled his head, muddling her voice. Something wet and rough rasped across his face, the coarse texture ever so gently caressing his cheeks, his forehead, pulling him back from the darkness, pulling him back…

Black Cat opened his eyes. His face reflected back from Angel’s eyes. He shivered.
Cold
…
so cold.

Water dripped off Angel’s nose onto his face as she licked his mouth and eyes. He lifted his head, coughed and gulped in a breath of air. “I’m…okay…I’m…” He rolled to the side, coughed and water spewed through his nose and mouth.

“Oh, oh. You’re alive. Thank goodness. You’ve got to stop doing this. That’s twice. How many times can I bring you back from the dead?”

“
Ah-choo
!” He took a deep breath. “And, how many times am I going to come back from the dead? How did I get out of the river?”

“You washed downstream. The water wasn’t so deep down here. I…I pulled you out.”

He lifted his head, his eyes wide. “Angel! You shouldn’t have. You could have been washed away, too.”

“No. It’s alright. You don’t understand. I can’t die. It’s the only reason why I’m here. I knew I could save you. I had to save you—”

“What do you mean…you had to save me?” He sat up and stared at her wet, mud-caked face. Water puddled on the ground beneath his body. “What are you talking about?” A tremor went through his body. But, it wasn’t from the water soaking his fur. It was something more. Something big and scary. Something he couldn’t put into words.

Angel closed her eyes and sighed. “I haven’t been honest with you, but, now, I have to tell. The day of the accident. I…I died when the truck hit our car and our carrier was thrown out. I died, Black Cat. I died and went to Heaven.”

Black Cat gasped.
She what?
Died?
His eyes burned.

“St. Peter met me at the gate. I begged him to let me come back, not to take me yet. You were so badly hurt and you needed me. I told him about the babies. I pleaded with him to let me come back and stay with you, just for a little while.”

Black Cat closed his eyes. “I can’t listen to this.” Her words made his blood run cold.

“You must. I have to tell.”

“No. No. Please, don’t say anymore.” The darkness threatened to consume him again.

“You must listen. You have to understand. At last, St. Peter relented. He agreed to let me come back until the babies were born and settled, until your memory came back, until you didn’t need me anymore. He promised I could stay…but, only as long as you needed me.”

“No…No!”

“You see? That’s how I knew I could pull you from the river, because all the babies don’t have homes yet. They still need me. You still need me. You haven’t completely gotten your memory back. John still needs to save his ranch. I knew I could save you. Don’t you understand? My mission… My assignment. I’m not done yet.” She dropped her head.

Black Cat laid his head on his paws and closed his eyes. Maybe if I don’t move, time will stand still. Maybe this is all a nightmare. Maybe when I open my eyes, I’ll be home with my real family, whoever they are.

One of his eyes peeked open. A ray of light bounced off the nugget at Angel’s feet and danced across her face. He lifted his head. “What have you done?”

She shrugged. “When I got you out of the water, I went back into the river to get the nugget, so we can take it to John. I told you. Nothing can hurt me. Not until you have your memory back and Rambo and Faith have homes…because he promised.”

“Angel.” Black Cat gulped down the lump in his throat. His memory was coming back. Two of the babies already had homes. Faith and Rambo would soon be settled. With the gold in the river, John could save his ranch… If her story was true, she was running out of time. It must be true because she’d risked her life and pulled him from the water, went back for the nugget and lived to tell the tale. The river couldn’t take her…because
he promised
.