Claws for a Cause (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 15) (20 page)

Bea looked away, muttering, “After what she did to us?”

At that, Edwin pressed his lips together and shook his head. He watched as Leah slowly climbed the stairs with her baby. He then focused on the young girl, who sat quietly nearby, watching Rags and Buffy explore the playhouse she built. “Do you like to write, Charlotte?” he asked.

“Yeth. I love to write. I wrote a book for my mom.” She looked at Edwin. “Do you like to write?”

He chuckled. “I sure do. I run a newspaper, so I write a lot.”

“You make newthpaperth?” Charlotte asked, her eyes lighting up. “I like to read the cartoonth. I can read motht of the wordth.”

“Yes, I make newspapers, but I don’t write the cartoons,” he said chuckling. “I enjoy reading them, too.”

“Laughing maketh you happy,” Charlotte said. “Did you know that?”

“Sure did,” Edwin said. “It’s hard to be sad when you’re laughing, isn’t it?”

“You got that right,” Charlotte said, matter-of-factly. She pointed at him. “You’re one thmart newthpaper man.”

Almost everyone laughed while watching Charlotte try to lure Rags, Buffy, and now Walter into the playhouse. Even Bea chuckled a time or two at some of the cats’ antics.

“Charlotte, would you like a bottle of water?” Savannah asked.

“Okay,” she said, heading toward the kitchen. She turned. “Anyone want one?”

“I’d love one,” Edwin said. “Thank you.”

“Yes, please,” Bea said quietly. When Charlotte returned with three bottles, she set one on the floor next to the playhouse and handed the other two to Bea and Edwin.

“Thank you,” Bea said.

Charlotte nodded. “Welcome. Can I help you open it? I’m good at opening waterth. My neighbor, Debi, hath crooked handth like you do and I help her open her water bottleth.”

“That’s sweet of you, Charlotte. Yes, I have crooked fingers, don’t I? It’s from arthritis,” she explained.

“Yeth,” Charlotte said. “Debi, too.” She moved closer. “Can I look at your handth?”

Bea hesitated, then held one hand out for Charlotte to see.

Holding Bea’s hand in hers, Charlotte asked, “Doeth it hurt?”

“Sometimes,” Bea said.

After examining Bea’s hand for a moment, Charlotte said, “Debi told me there’th anger and fear in her handth.” She looked Bea in the eyes. “Do you have anger and fear in yourth?” Before Bea could answer, the teen added, “Laughter and forgiveneth maketh uth happy. Otherwithe, we’re thad and everyone we love ith thad, too. Did you know that?”

Unable to respond, Bea blinked back a rush of tears. “Charlotte,” she said, “you are wise beyond your years and I’m an old fool.”

“You are?” Charlotte asked, her eyes wide.

“Yes. May I hug you, dear child?”

Charlotte’s face lit up. “Okay,” she said as she wrapped her arms around the weeping woman. She pulled back, a look of concern on her face. “Are you okay?”

Bea kissed Charlotte on the cheek and smiled into her eyes. “Never better, child…never better.” She then asked, “Can you help me up?”

“Do you have to go now?” Charlotte asked in her innocent manner.

“No, I want to go hold my grandson,” she said, affectionately patting the girl on the shoulder as she headed for the stairs.

Half an hour later, Leah and her mother appeared on the staircase. “Edwin,” Bea called out, “you ought to see him eat. He’s quite the little piggy. He’s going to outgrow the newborn outfits we got him way too fast.”

“Oh that’s right, we forgot to bring in the gifts. I’ll go get them,” Edwin said, stepping out the door.

Charlotte, noticing this, turned to Leah and, pointing after Edwin. “Okay, he’th the grandpa, right?”

Leah nodded.

She nodded toward Bea. “And the’th the grandma?”

“Yup.”

Charlotte smiled. “Good. They’re nithe people.”

****

A couple of hours had passed when the Bentons prepared to leave. By then, Charlotte’s mother had come to pick her up.

“Where are you staying?” Savannah asked.

“We saw a motel on our way into town. We’ll be leaving tomorrow around noon.”

“Why don’t you stay here? We have the room. We’d be happy to have you.”

“Yes,” Leah said. “That would be awesome. You could take turns getting up with the baby,” she teased.

“…and feed him what,” Edwin asked, “a hamburger?”

“We don’t want to put you out,” Bea said to Savannah.

“No trouble. We have food coming in—should be enough for us all, if I know the source.”

Michael looked confused. “From where?” he asked.

“Max and Harrison got together and prepared a meal for us.” She looked at her watch. “In fact, they should be here any time.”

“Harrison’s coming?” Leah asked, looking apprehensive.

“I think that’s the plan,” Savannah said. She turned to Bea. “Let me show you to your room and you can get settled while I put a salad together.”

“Can I help you in the kitchen?” Bea asked.

“Sure, want to help me set the table?” She turned to Michael. “Why don’t you open a bottle of wine, hon?”

“Ohhh, that sounds good,” Edwin said.

Michael grinned. “We should make it champagne. It seems there’s a lot to celebrate around here these days.”

“Yes, there is,” Bea said, hugging Leah and kissing the baby. “Let’s do have a glass of champagne to celebrate. She spoke sternly to her daughter. “Not you—you’re nursing.”

“Don’t worry, Mom, I have no desire to drink alcohol.” She turned to Savannah. “Got sparkling cider?”

Half an hour later, there was a knock on the front door. “Dinner’s served,” Max called as he and Margaret stepped inside carrying pans and bowls.

“Hi,” Savannah called out. When she spotted Harrison hobbling in behind them on crutches, she said, “Oh, hi, Harrison. You’re getting along pretty good there.”

“Yeah, he even kept up with me in the kitchen,” Max said. He chuckled. “He scooted around on that old walker we bought when I had that toe surgery last year.”

“Did you learn a lot, Harrison?” Savannah asked.

“Boy, did I. Flavors. It’s all about the flavors. I learned a lot, but there’s tons more to know.”

“It’s mostly experimentation,” Max said. “I’m afraid Savannah’s going to have a mad scientist in her kitchen this evening.”

Everyone laughed.

“Hi,” Harrison said, breathlessly when he saw Leah walking toward him with the baby. He hobbled to her on the crutches and kissed the baby, then kissed her.

She turned to the couple on the sofa. “Harrison, these are my parents, Edwin and Bea Benton. Mom and Dad, this is Harrison Lee.”

“Stanton,” he corrected. When Leah looked confused, he said, “Never did make a legal name change. Stanton’s an okay name, don’t you think?”

She smiled and nodded. “It’s fine with me.”

“The baby doesn’t look like you,” Bea said.

“Mom,” Leah scolded.

“Well, he doesn’t. This man’s blond and blue-eyed, for heaven’s sake.”

“Well, he looks like me, don’t you think? And Dad,” she added.

“He could look like a squirrel and I’d still love him,” Harrison said.

Leah smiled lovingly at him and urged him to sit down and get off his feet. “Harrison’s going to be a chef,” she said to her folks.

Just then, Max returned from the kitchen. “He’s a natural, this guy.”

Margaret chimed in. “Well, I think they had entirely too much fun in the kitchen this afternoon.”

Max and Harrison exchanged grins, then Max said, “He’s going to be an asset in any kitchen he chooses to work in.”

“Because he keeps things lively?” Edwin asked.

“That, and the fact that he’s organized, stays calm under pressure, and he truly enjoys the process.”

“I enjoy the results, too,” Harrison added. He turned to Leah. “Wait until you taste what we made.”

“Shall we serve it?” Savannah suggested. “Looks like enough for an army.”

“I’m not hungry,” Harrison announced. When everyone looked at him, he explained, “I did too much sampling.”

“Well, let’s have a toast before we eat,” Michael suggested. “I’ll get more bubbly.”

“I’ll get more glasses,” Savannah offered.

Leah handed the baby to Harrison, who took him eagerly, and she said, “Come on, Mom, maybe we can help.”

“Sure,” Bea agreed, touching the baby affectionately as she walked past.

****

After waving goodbye to the Bentons the following day, Savannah and Leah stepped into the house and Savannah asked, “So, what’s the plan, kiddo? What have you decided to do?”

“Well, I want the baby to be a little older before we get on a plane. I’ll ask the doctor what he thinks about that. Maybe when he’s six weeks or two months old, I’ll fly with him to Idaho and try to put up with my folks.”

Savannah frowned. “I thought you got along just fine. They seemed to embrace you fully.”

“Well, I guess you couldn’t read between the lines. Savannah, you saw how my mother is. She’s such an opinionated, bigoted woman.”

Savannah laughed. “It’s hard for two women to share a home—a baby—especially a kitchen. It’s just one of those facts of life we have to deal with.”

“Oh, that’s not encouraging. I guess I need to get over it, huh? It
is
her home, after all—she can be the head honcho and I can stand it—it’s only temporary, right? But Charlie is
my
baby!”

Savannah nodded. “So how long do you think you’ll stay there?”

She shrugged. “Maybe a few months. Harrison may take a shortcut to culinary school. Max knows a chef in Straley who he worked with in Chicago. He’s getting ready to retire from a really good job at a fine restaurant and he’s agreed to bring Harrison aboard, once he’s getting around better. If this chef sees the promise in him that Max does, he’ll train him to take his place, with the restaurant owner’s okay, of course. There are some contingencies, but Harrison is pretty determined and focused. He knows that if he wants me and baby Charlie, he’ll have to bring home the bacon.”

“Well, put,” Savannah said. “What happened to the carnival idea?”

Leah let out a sigh. “It’s still a possibility, but if this other job works out and the timing’s right, it just makes sense to both of us to take that opportunity. Know what I mean?”

Savannah smiled and nodded. “Then you’ll move back here to the Stanton home?”

“Yeah. Colbi and Damon plan to be married in May, so we’ll see how things are then with me, with the baby, and with Harrison and we’ll decide which direction to go.”

“Good for you, Leah. You’re going to have a good life, you know it?”

****

That night at dinner, the Iveys and Leah were chattering about all that had transpired in the past few weeks, when Rags sauntered into the room.

“Watcha got there, Rags, old boy?” Michael asked. “Does anyone know what that is? Leah, it’s not yours, is it?”

“Looks like he shredded something, doesn’t it?” Savannah said. She started to reach for the piece of paper, when Rags picked it up and ran out of the room. “Oh, there’s my phone,” she said. “I’ll be right back. Hi Craig,” she said into the phone. “How are you?”

“Good, and you?”

“We’re super here. Everything’s amazingly super. We’re sure enjoying the baby. Michael walked the floor with him this afternoon while Lily, Leah, and I took a nap.”

“Is he that fussy?” Craig asked.

“Actually, no. He’s a really good baby. I think Michael has the baby bug. He just walked him for fun. When I woke up, I found him sound asleep in the recliner with the baby snoozing away on his chest.”

Craig chuckled. He then cleared his throat and said, “Did you and Leah get a good look at that red suitcase?”

“Well yeah, I guess,” she said. “It was pretty gross and smelly.”

“Did you notice the marks around that slit-open area?”

“Marks?” she said. “Not really. I don’t remember marks.”

“Well, I’d like you and Michael to take a look at it.”

“Why?” she asked. “I don’t really want to get near that stinky thing again if it isn’t absolutely necessary.”

“Savannah, I think they’re claw marks.”

“Claw marks?”

“Yes, from a cat.” He paused. “I’d like to bring it over, have you and Michael take a look, and tell me what you think.” He then added, “Don’t worry, we had the thing washed.”

“You washed off evidence?”

“No, we took what we believe we needed and then cleaned it. That’s when we got a better look at the area that was torn open. I can be there in ten minutes with the suitcase, is that okay?”

“Sure,” she said. “We’re almost finished eating dinner.”

“Craig’s bringing our old suitcase over here in a few minutes,” she announced when she returned to the table.

Leah made a face. “Ewww.”

“He said he cleaned it up.”

“Why is he bringing it here?” Michael asked.

“He wants us to look at the opening Leah made in it. He seems to think there’s something suspicious about it.”

Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang.

“Come on in, Craig,” Michael greeted.

“How is everyone tonight?” the detective asked as he stepped inside carrying a garbage bag.

“Good,” Michael said.

“Hi, Craig, have you met Charlie yet?” Savannah asked as she walked toward him cradling the baby.

Setting the bag down, he said, “Oh, well look at this little guy. Isn’t he a fine specimen?”

“Fine specimen?” Savannah repeated, laughing.

Craig cleared his throat and glanced around at the others. “Well, he is a good-looking baby as far as babies go. I mean…” he stuttered.

“Never mind, Craig. Come in and sit down,” she invited. “Want coffee?”

“Sure do,” he said, sitting near where Lily played with one of her musical toys. “Hi there, peanut,” he said to her.

“Ba-bee,” Lily said, pointing.

“Yes, that’s a baby, all right.”

“I’ll get the coffee,” Leah said. “Black?”

Craig nodded.

“So, did you bring the grimy suitcase?” Savannah asked, sitting across from the detective.

“Yes, and I think you’re going to be interested in what I found. But, first tell me this—did Rags have access to this bag before you set it out for the rubbish truck?”

Savannah and Michael made eye contact. She said, “Well, I guess he must have, actually. I mean, it sat in here behind the sofa for a few days before trash day. Why?”