The Cats that Played the Market (The Cats that . . . Cozy Mystery Book 4) (14 page)

“Deputy Jones is on administrative leave until we find out what the hell happened,” Sheriff Goodman said defensively.

“Listen, thanks, Sheriff. Keep me informed and up-to-date.” He pressed the off button and fired Katherine a worried glance.

Katherine was shaking her head. “My nightmare with this woman just won’t stop. What should I do?”

“The state police will find her. It won’t be long before she’s in custody again,” he assured. “But in the meantime, I want you to go home, pack a bag, and get out of town for a few days. Text me where you are. I’m not sayin’ I can provide police surveillance. Probably can’t because we don’t have the manpower, but try to get away from Erie, as far as you can. Patricia’s nuts. She might come after you.”

Katherine hurriedly got up and walked to the door. “I’ll be in touch.”

The chief had grabbed the phone and was punching in a number. He waved Katherine on rather abruptly, but she understood he was angry about the latest turn of events, and he was concerned about her safety.

Katherine ran to her car, opened the door, and jumped in. Nervously fumbling with the clasp on her crossover bag, she extracted her cell and called Jake. “I’ve got an emergency,” she said breathlessly. “Chief London wants me out of town.”

“Why?” Jake asked in disbelief.

Katherine turned the ignition, floored the accelerator, and peeled out on Main Street. “Patricia Marston escaped. I’m heading to the pink mansion now. I don’t have time to explain.”

“Katz, I’m not far. I’ll meet you there and help corral the cats. We’ll decide later where to go.”

Driving in front of the house, she was shocked to see a red pickup blocking her parking spot.
Surely that’s not the stolen vehicle,
she thought
. Would Patricia be stupid enough to park in front when the police are looking for her?

Quickly getting out of the car, she rushed up the steps to the front porch landing. She was startled when Mrs. Murphy opened the door.

“Hello, Katz. I was just headin’ to the kitchen to make a bit of tea,” she slurred.

“Whose truck is that?” Katherine asked uneasily.

Mum ignored the question. “I’ve been talkin’ a bit of treason with your friend from the library. She’s waitin’ for you in the living room. I’ll fix some tea.”

Katherine took Mrs. Murphy by the arm. “Come with me,” she insisted. She directed her to the stairwell.

Mum resisted. “Whatever ‘tis the matter?”

Katherine said firmly, “Shhh! Lower your voice. Go to your room and lock the door. Call Colleen and tell her to not come back to the house until she hears from me.”

“In the name of all the saints,” Mum said, as she staggered upstairs.

Katherine sprinted past her to her back hallway bedroom. She pulled the Glock out of the gun safe and joined Mum outside her door.

“I’m
going
to call the police. Please relax,” Katherine reassured and then, with rising alarm in her voice, “
Where
are the cats?”

“The last time I saw them, they were in the kitchen.”

“Hurry! Get in your room.”

Mum finally went in and locked the door.

Katherine yanked her cell out of her bag and called Chief London. “I think the vehicle Patricia Marston stole is parked in front of my house,” she said anxiously. “It’s a red pickup.”

“Katz, stay in your vehicle. Do NOT go inside,” the chief ordered. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“That’s a problem because I’m
already
inside.” She disconnected the call and tapped Jake’s number. It rang and rang, then went into voice mail. “Don’t come. Chief’s on his way.” She put the cell in her back pocket.

Gripping the Glock with both hands, she cautiously walked downstairs. Suspecting the woman in the living room was armed, Katherine swiftly searched downstairs, leaving the living room for last. She had to get to the cats in the kitchen, and shut that door so they wouldn’t run into the living room. Entering the kitchen, she was shocked to find the cats weren’t on the register or on the window valance.
Oh, my God. They’re in the living room with a murderer.

Walking into the living room, with her gun poised to shoot, Katherine found Patricia Marston sitting on the mauve loveseat. She had Abby by the scruff of her neck and was pointing the stolen deputy’s gun at the terrified Abyssinian. “Come any closer and I’ll kill her,” the woman threatened, then added in a menacing voice. “Now put your freakin’ gun down.”

Slowly Katherine lowered her Glock, placed it carefully on the coffee table, and stepped back.

“Nice seeing you again, Ms. Kendall. I thought we’d have a little chat before I blow your head off. But for starters, I think I’ll kill each of your cats, one-by-one.”

“No-o-o,” Katherine pleaded. “What is it you want from me? I can help you get out of the state. I can drive you wherever you want to go, but don’t hurt my kids.” From the corner of her eye, she could see a shape moving through the back office hallway and up behind Patricia’s loveseat. It was Jake.

Katherine immediately tried to distract Patricia. “I’ve got money to give you. Just let me make this right.”

Jake had almost reached the loveseat, when one of the wood floorboards creaked noisily. Patricia threw Abby to the floor, turned and saw him.

Abby righted herself and raced out of the room. Scout and Abra were in the short hallway doing the death dance — swaying back and forth. Their eyes were glowing red in the dim light.

Jake dove for the loveseat but Patricia was already standing up. She raised her gun and shot Jake.

Katherine lunged to the coffee table and picked up her Glock. She aimed and pulled the trigger. Her first shot hit Patricia in the arm. But, when Katherine realized that wasn’t going to stop her, she aimed and fired a second shot.

Patricia returned a volley of shots, but the bullets hit the Belter chair and the stained glass transom instead. She staggered, dropped her gun, and fell back onto the loveseat. Katherine hurriedly kicked the gun out of reach.

Jake continued walking. His eyes were glazed and an expression of shock had spread on his handsome face. He then slumped to the floor.

Mum ran into the room, screaming. “What’s happening?”

Katherine rushed to Jake’s side. He was unconscious and losing blood. She took off her coat and removed her zip-up jacket. Using her jacket, she balled it up and applied pressure directly to Jake’s wound, which was in his shoulder, just below his left collarbone.

Tears were streaming down her face, “Oh, no! Oh, no!” she kept saying in shock. The cats, led by Scout and Abra, came into the room and stood sentry over Jake’s prostrate body. Their eyes seemed to reveal sadness and alarm. Scout began crying a mournful “waugh.” The others joined in.

Mum said hysterically, “Katz, I can’t get a hold of Colleen.”

“Go to the next room and get on the house phone. Dial 911. Ask for an ambulance.”

“Yes. Yes,” Mum said as she rushed out of the room.

Katherine knelt next to Jake, continuing to apply pressure to the wound. “Oh, you can’t leave me. I love you. I don’t want to let you go,” she cried.

Katherine could hear sirens in the distance, getting louder and closer. An ambulance pulled in front of the mansion with Chief London’s cruiser behind it. Mrs. Murphy went to the front door and opened it wide. She directed the paramedics to the living room. They dashed over to Jake. Chief London and Officer Troy ran in after them. They quickly sized up the situation, and went to Patricia.

Katherine was on autopilot. Voices around her were close but sounded distant and distorted. Maybe it was because of the deafening sound of the gun blasts. She didn’t know. She heard Chief London pronounce Patricia dead. Another voice said, “We’ve gotta get him to the trauma center in the city.” She heard a second voice call it in. Another person came in. “Chopper’s goin’ to land at the high school football field. Gotta get him in the bus and transport him there ASAP.” A female medic’s voice said to Katherine, “Ma’am, please move aside. I’ll take over.”

Chief London said to Officer Troy, “Make sure no one is on the football field and secure the area. Katz,” he said, moving over to her and helping her to her feet. “It’s going to be okay. I’m calling Jake’s parents right now. I want them to swing by and pick you up to take you to the hospital.”

Katherine said, “I can drive.”

“No hell you ain’t. I’ve seen you drive.”

“Okay, agreed. Chief London, I didn’t mean to kill her, but she kept firing.”

“The way I see it, it was self-defense. We’ll talk about this another time.”

Katherine was in shock. This was her worst nightmare. All she could see was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, bleeding on the floor of the pink mansion.
If only I’d stayed in Manhattan
, she thought.
Jake wouldn’t be dying on the floor
.

The gurney was wheeled in and Jake was carefully lifted and placed on it. He moaned once but his eyes didn’t open. Katherine tried to move with him, but too many people were surrounding the gurney. Jake was rolled outside, then loaded up into the bus. When the ambulance left with lights flashing and siren wailing, she collapsed on her knees on the frozen sidewalk and began sobbing. Daryl and Colleen drove up and got out of the Impala. Daryl ran over, “Is Jake alive?”

Katherine nodded.

He squeezed her shoulder and then joined the officers and medical personnel pouring in and out of the mansion, including the coroner, who had just arrived. Colleen ran for Katherine and knelt down next to her. She held her friend in her arms and rocked her. “Katz, I’m here. It’s going to be okay. What happened? Katz, talk to me. What’s going on?”

Katherine stammered, “She shot Jake and then I shot her. She’s dead.”

“For the love of Mary, who is
she
?” Colleen implored, terrified.

“Patricia Marston. I killed her. I shot her and she’s dead.”

Colleen comforted. “Katz, we’ve got to go inside and make sure Mum and the cats are all right,” she said, getting up. She held her hand out to Katherine who slowly got up. They walked into the mansion and began looking for the cats.

They found Mrs. Murphy sitting on an atrium Eastlake chair, drinking from her flask.

“Not now, mother,” Colleen thundered. “I need your wits about you to help us. Have you seen the cats?”

Mrs. Murphy said, “I want to go home. This wretched place is terrible. Get me out of here.”

“Calm down, Mum.”

“Colleen,” Katherine cried from the dining room. “We’ve got to get the cat carriers out of the office. After we find the cats, I want you to drive mum and the kids to the bungalow. Stay there tonight. Put the cats in their room.”

“Of course, Katz.”

Katherine removed her car keys from her pocket and handed them to Colleen.

Daryl came into the room and said, “Katz, can you come here
quick
. We’ve got a problem with your cats.”

Katherine hurried into the living room and found Scout and Abra doing their Halloween death dance in front of Patricia’s lifeless body. “Hiss,” Scout shrieked. Abra was foaming at the mouth, ejecting spittle around her as she shook her head. Scout hissed again and growled a long, menacing growl.

The coroner, police and medical personnel stood back, not knowing what to do. Katherine stooped down in front of the frenzied pair and began talking to them in a soothing voice. “It’s okay. Mommy’s going to take you out of here.” She managed to snatch both and take them into her office. Colleen was right behind and grabbed the carriers out of the closet. After Katherine placed Scout and Abra in one carrier, Iris appeared out of the kitchen and ran to that carrier’s door. The Siamese was shaking and had her tail between her legs.

“It’s okay, Miss Siam,” Katherine said, putting her inside. Iris began washing Abra’s face.

Daryl came in. “How can I help?”

Katherine said with a trembling voice, “I have two more cats to find. I think I know where they are.” She handed Daryl the second cat carrier and walked back to the living room. She avoided the location where Jake and Patricia had been shot and moved to the front of the room, where Abby’s and Iris’s favorite wingback chair was located. She got down on her knees and gently felt inside the torn chair lining under the seat until she felt a cat. She brought it out. It was a terrified Abby. She kissed her on the head, then placed her inside the carrier. Reaching back again into the chair, she found Lilac, who was quivering.

“Me-yowl,” she cried.

“It’s okay, Lilac. Calm down, sweetie.” She cradled the upset Siamese next to her chest, kissed her, then placed her next to the Abyssinian.

Once the cats were safe in their carriers, Daryl said emphatically, “Katz, we’ve got to get them out of here. This is a crime scene.”

“Can you take Mum, Colleen and my cats to the bungalow I own? It’s two houses down from Cokey’s and Margie’s.”

“Yes, I know where it is,” he said, then to Colleen, “Pack a bag. I’ll come back for you and your mom.”

Katherine walked back to the kitchen and removed the bungalow keys, which were hanging on a key hook mounted on the wall. She went back and handed them to Daryl. “The cat’s room is the second bedroom on the right. When you get there, let them out, but first make sure the bedroom door is closed. I don’t want them running amok in the house.”