Patricia Fry - Klepto Cat 04 - Undercover Cat (4 page)

Savannah stood, put her hands on her hips and spoke sternly. “They’re practically engaged, Michael.”

“Yeah, I know. But it’s out of character for Bud to be so…infatuated,” he said.

Margaret looked over at Michael and grinned. “Humph. I remember a few years ago when our resident veterinarian was infatuated.” She pointed at him and said, “You were mooning over Savannah like a lovesick puppy.”

Michael’s face turned solemn. “Yeah, well that was different.”

“How?”
Margaret challenged.

“
Uhm…well…I…” Michael stammered.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Margaret laughed.

Savannah flashed a brief smile in Michael’s direction and shook her head. She then addressed her aunt, “Anyway, Mom and Sis will be here tomorrow. Why don’t you and Max come for dinner? I’m pretty sure they’re going to church with us Sunday.” She looked down at the floor and said, “We’ll all pray for Colbi.”

***

Meanwhile in another part of town, Colbi heard voices. She moved toward where she knew the door to the stairway was, put her ear up to it, and listened.

She heard a woman say, “Go give this to her, will
ya?”

The man asked, “But, we’re
gonna kill her, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, we’re
gonna kill her just like we planned.”

“So why are we
wastin’ money feedin’ a dyin’ girl, Lida?”

Colbi
hugged her jacket to her in an attempt to ward off the biting chill.
I’ve never felt so terrified. What is happening? Why is this happening?

“Don’t
ya git it, George? You don’t feed her and she dies here. We have to keep her alive until we know what we’re gonna do with her!”

“Shouldn’t you have thought of that before we took her last night?” he shouted.

“And let her write that story of hers? Oh no. We would have been arrested. Look here at all this stuff she was gonna say about us. They’d put us in prison for sure.”

There was silence and then the man said more quietly, “I don’t want to go to prison.”

“Well, that girl in there wants us to—look at how she has twisted things to make us look like the bad guys. It ain’t fair. And she’s gonna pay.” Lida raised her voice again. “These stupid cats had better not cause us to get arrested.”

Colbi
heard George laugh an evil laugh. “They’ve been a pretty good meal ticket, haven’t they? People are so gullible.”

“Yeah, I like the soft-hearted ones,”
Lida agreed. “The saps. They open their pockets the widest, all in the name of the glorious pussy cat.”

There was more laughter

Colbi cringed. A stream of tears rolled down her cheeks.

“So how are we
gonna to do it?” George insisted. “We can’t starve her to death. We can’t spill her blood here. What about poison?”

“
Naw, I’m thinking more like an accident.” It was quiet and then Colbi heard the woman say, “Dammit.”

“What?”

“We shoulda taken that old rattletrap truck from her place. We could drug her, put her in her own truck, and push it off the edge of a mountain road.”

“With what?” he asked.

“What do ya mean, ‘with what?’” she yelled.

“What would we drug her with?”

“Don’t matter. Sonny can get us somethin’ from his hospital friends.”

“
Hmmmm, now there’s an idea,” George said. “Only we’d have to be careful about footprints and fingerprints. It’s kinda risky.”

“Murder’s risky business.”

“Then why are we
gonna do it?”

“George,” she said with a sigh, “
do you like our lifestyle? Do you like drivin’ that nice car of yours? Do you like that big-screen TV in there? I know you like the porn channel.”

“Yeah!” he said, snickering.

“Well, that’s why. She was gonna take it all away from us. We can’t let her do that, now can we?”

Oh
my gosh. They really are going to kill me. What am I going to do?
She closed her eyes to stop the tears, but rivers of them squeezed out and ran down her face. She made her way back to the thin mattress, pulled the lightweight blanket tightly around her bare feet, and lay there shivering partly from the cold and partly from fright.

When
Colbi stopped straining to hear what her captors were saying, their voices simply became white noise in the background of her frightening thoughts.

It was Saturday morning at the Ivey household.

“I saw it again last night,” Savannah said quietly.

Michael stopped buttering the slice of toast and turned toward his wife. “The activity out beyond the orchard?” he asked.

“Yes, something moving around…dim lights…” She twisted her face in thought. “It’s like a ghost or something out there,” she said.

“Well now, honey, we can’t see any of that during the day. I wonder if the moonlight and cloud shadows are playing tricks on your eyes.”

“No, Michael,” she insisted. “There’s something out there in the dark, moving around at night. I know it. I’ve seen it.”

He set the plate of toast on the table next to jars of Savannah’s homemade peach and plum jams. He then knelt next to her, lifted her chin, and looked into her eyes. “You’ll have to wake me up some night so I can see what you’re seeing.”

She heaved a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

“I’m serious,” he said, standing and leaning his six-foot frame against the kitchen counter. “If there’s something out there, I want to know.”

She flashed her green eyes in his direction. “There is something out there—well, you’ve heard the coyotes, lately. Don’t you think they’re coming in awfully close?”

“Yes, I’ve never heard them this close,” he said, gazing toward the large kitchen window. “Usually, they’re lured into residential areas during a drought, when water and small mammals are scarce in their natural habitat. But why they’re coming in now, I don’t know. Seems as though there’s plenty of what they need in the foothills beyond the river.” He walked over to the window and stared out toward the orchard for a moment. “Do you think it’s coyotes that you’re seeing?”

Savannah joined him at the window before saying, “No. It’s more human-like—well, I think so, anyway.”

Michael kissed Savannah on the forehead, took her shoulders and turned her away from the window. “Let’s eat, shall we? We still have a few things to do before your mom and sister get here.” He sat down and scooped a large spoonful of cut fruit onto his plate and passed the bowl to Savannah. “They’re coming here before they go over to Straley, is that the plan?”

Savannah dished some fruit onto her plate and took a piece of toast. “Yes, they’ll spend the night here tonight and Sunday and head over to
Straley to go apartment-hunting for Brianna Monday morning. They’ll probably stay here Monday night, too—maybe through Tuesday—depending on how the apartment-hunting goes.”

Three hours later, Michael called out to Savannah, “They’re here!”

“I see that,” she said. “I saw them from an upstairs window.”

“Now take it easy, there,” Michael said as he watched his wife descend the staircase.

“I am,” she insisted. She took another step and then, “Whoa, there, Ragsy.” She stopped and waited until the lanky cat had scampered past her to the ground floor. “I guess he’s eager for company,” she said. “See, I’m being careful. Why are you such a worrywart?”

“You’ve got my son or daughter in there. I don’t want anything to happen to him or her.”

Savannah stopped her descent and scowled at Michael.

“Or you, sweetheart. I don’t want anything to happen to you, either,” he said, rushing to the bottom of the staircase and reaching up to give her a hand.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s all about the baby…the baby…” she complained, resting her hands alongside her protruding tummy.

He grabbed her around the waist, pulled her too him, and murmured in her ear, “You know better than that. It’s about our family.” He pulled back, slid his fingers alongside her face, looked into her eyes, and said with a slight smile, “You, me, and baby makes three.”

Savannah broke loose and started toward the front door, when Michael grabbed one of her hands. “You know I love you more than anything, don’t you, Savannah?”

She stopped, turned. “Yes, Michael. I do.” She slumped her shoulders, looked down. “I’m sorry, I’m just hormonal, I guess.
And tired of being fat!”

The couple looked over in time to see Rags standing with his paws on the windowsill next to the large front door, trying to see through the stained-glass window.

“He’s eager for company, isn’t he?” Michael remarked, as he opened the door wide.

“Anyone home?”
Brianna called out.

“Yes we are!” Michael said. “Come in, come in.”

“Hi guys,” Gladys Jordan said, stepping into the living room first. “Good to see you. Michael, you look great.” She reached up and gave him a one-armed hug.

“What’s this?” he asked, looking at what she held in her other arm.

“Something for the baby,” she said with a wide smile.

“Oh, it’s adorable,” Savannah said.
“Hi Mom.” She hugged both her mother and the teddy bear she held.

“Show them what it does, Mom,” Brianna said, slipping through the front door behind her.

“Oh yes. Watch this.” Gladys squeezed the bear’s paw. “Grandma loves you. Grandma loves you.”

“That’s coming from the bear?” Michael asked.

Gladys handed him the toy and he squeezed the button several more times to hear the recording Gladys had programmed into it. “Cool,” he said.

“Very sweet,” Savannah agreed. “Hi
Bri,” she said, hugging her sister. “Good to see you.” She pulled back and asked, “Are you ready to settle into your new job?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.” She paused, then said, “Yes, I’m ready to take on the geriatric community—walkers, gout, arthritis, and all.” Then she chuckled and said, “Just look at how you’ve blossomed since the last time I saw you—what—in August?”

“Has it been that long?”

“I haven’t seen you since Easter,” Gladys said. “You look healthy—look at that baby belly.
Can’t wait to meet my grandchild. Here,” she said, taking the bear from Michael, “listen baby.” She held it next to Savannah’s stomach and pushed the button.

“Can he hear that?” Michael asked.

“He?” both Gladys and Brianna said in unison, each with an expectant look on their face.

“
Naw, we still don’t know what it is,” Michael said. “We decided we don’t want to know, right, honey?”

Savannah nodded. “Yup, so when we get tired of referring to the baby as ‘him or her,’ we get lax and just use ‘him.’”

“Oh look at that cat of yours,” Brianna said. “He wants to check out the bear.” Everyone laughed as they watched Rags, who was standing on his back feet, stretching up Gladys’s leg with his front paws, trying to get a better look at the talking bear.

“Now go play with your own toys, Rags,” Michael said. “Leave that alone.” He then turned to Gladys. “So, you say he…uh…or
she
can hear what’s going on out here…from in there?” He nodded in the direction of Savannah’s belly.

“Sure,” Gladys said. “The baby listens in on all the conversations you have with each other and…well, with anyone Savannah talks to. Sometimes expectant parents play music or recite poetry or read the classics for their unborn babies.” She glanced from Savannah to Brianna. “I used to read to you girls before you were born.”

“What, Nancy Drew mysteries?” Brianna quipped.

“
Noooo, cute little nursery rhymes mostly, although, you’d think I read scientific books to you the way both of you navigated toward medicine.”

“Hey, I like that idea,” Michael said. He turned to Savannah. “We could decide what we want him or her to be and we could read books on that topic out loud at night before we go to sleep.”

Savannah grinned at her husband. “Or we could let him or her grow up and decide what he or she wants to be.”

“Oh…I guess you’re right,” he said. “Well, can we read animal stories to your tummy?”

Everyone laughed. “Yeah, you do want a child who likes animals, don’t you?” Gladys said as she acknowledged Lexie, who was nudging the woman’s free hand with her nose. Gladys set the little bear on the sofa along with her purse and bent over to pet the dog, who was dancing around now, eager for attention.

“Do you have luggage you want me to bring in?” Michael asked.

“Yes—in the back,” Brianna said. “You remember how to open the back of the Lexus, don’t you?”

“Sure,” he said as he stepped out the front door and onto the spacious wrap-around porch.

“Can we see the nursery?” Gladys asked, clasping her hands together under her chin.

“Let’s wait until Michael comes back in,” Savannah said with a wide smile. “He takes such pride in showing off his handiwork.” She looped her arm in her mother’s and glanced back at Brianna. “Come on, I’ll show you to your rooms.”

Leading them through the first door on the left at the top of the stairs, Savannah said, “Mom, this is your room.”

“This is Maggie’s old room. Savannah, you have done quite a nice makeover.” Gladys scanned the room with her eyes wide, a smile on her lips. “It’s just lovely.”

Brianna feigned a pout. “This was my room last time. Where do I sleep, in the dungeon? Am I the ugly stepsister now that you’re the fairy princess who is about to make the queen a grandmother?”

“
Nooooo,” Savannah said, running her hand over her sister’s dark-brown, carefully straightened hair. “You’re no such thing. You, after all, are about to give our mother a new son-in-law?”

“Yes, Brianna. I am so looking forward to seeing you settle down with the man of your dreams,” Gladys said wistfully.

“Don’t hold your breath, Mother,” she said. “I’m not as easy to tame as my big sister, there.”

“Where do you want these?” Michael asked, sounding a little breathless as he appeared at the doorway with a suitcase in each hand and an overnight bag tucked under one arm.

“The red one goes in here, I guess,” Gladys said.

“I’m in the dungeon,” Brianna said.

Michael lowered his eyebrows and looked over at Savannah. “Dungeon?”

Savannah didn’t notice. She was still staring at her sister.
What’s going on with her, I wonder? I will definitely have to find out. Are she and Bud having problems? I certainly haven’t noticed Bud acting anything but high on love, lately. Gosh, I hope Brianna isn’t having second thoughts.
“Uh, Brianna’s in the blue room—next door,” she told Michael.

“Oh, we’re naming the rooms, are we?” Brianna said. “Like the White House. Do you have an oval room, Savannah?”

“Nope, just a blue room, Adam’s room, the master bedroom, this room—which Auntie calls the ‘Room of Doom,’ the nursery, and…”

“Room of Doom?”
Brianna asked, wrinkling her nose. And then, “Oh yes, now I remember. You had a murder here, didn’t you?”

“
Eeeewwww,” Gladys said. Then she looked up at Savannah. “Well, I don’t care what my sister calls it or what happened here, this room is beautiful and I’m too happy to waste one minute with a negative thought.”

“My
kinda gal, Gladys,” Michael said as he placed the red suitcase on the luggage stand and turned to walk down the hallway with the other two bags.

Brianna followed behind Michael. “I want to see my room.”

“Me, too,” Gladys said. “And then can we see the nursery?”

“This is pretty,” Brianna said. “It certainly is blue. I hope I don’t get the blues sleeping in here.”

“Oh Bri,” Savannah said, “blue isn’t related to the blues—it’s actually a calming and relaxing color.”

Gladys looked at her daughter. “I didn’t know that.” She squinted a little. “Now, what colors did I see in my room? I recall a nice soft tangerine shade…”

“Yes,” Savannah said, “creativity, vitality, healing. It’s a great color to immerse yourself in. In fact, we should call that room ‘The Healing Room.’” She glanced around at the others. “Any objections?”

“Much better than the ‘Room of Doom,’” Gladys offered. “Yes, I like that: The Healing Room.”

“Where did you learn this stuff?” Brianna asked.

Savannah looked over at her sister, her blond
pony tail whisking to one side. “What stuff?”

“About colors.”

“Our friend, Iris.
She loves color and design. Well, you’ve seen how she dresses.”

“Yes, I couldn’t believe what she wore to your wedding,” Gladys said.

“Mom, times have changed. It’s okay now to wear bright colors to weddings and jeans to a funeral,” Brianna explained. “And with Iris’s figure, height and red hair, she can sure pull it off.”

Savannah leaned toward her sister, placing her hand on her arm. “And would you believe that she buys most of her designer clothes and shoes at thrift stores and consignment shops?”

“Really?” Brianna said. “I wondered how she could dress like that on a waitress’s salary.”

“Well, she does have a knack for decorating,” Gladys said. “I like this room, too. Just look at the detail around the ceiling, the wainscoting, that beautiful wallpaper…”

Michael said, “Savannah and Iris chose the wallpaper.”

“And Michael expanded the closet in here. It was just a tiny space.” Savannah flung the closet door open and pointed.
“Hangers for your clothes, Brianna.”