Secrets Trickery and Meows (Klepto Cat Mystery Book 27) Read online

  Secrets, Trickery, and Meows

  Book 27

  by Patricia Fry

  Secrets, Trickery, and Meows

  A Klepto Cat Mystery

  Book 27

  Author: Patricia Fry

  ISBN: 978-0-9994724-2-2

  All rights reserved

  © 2018 Matilija Press

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 1

  “Michael, I’m glad you’re home.”

  “What’s wrong, hon?” When Savannah seemed unable to speak, he led her to the sofa. “Here, let’s sit down. Now tell me what happened.” He looked at the infant rocker and asked with more urgency, “Is Teddy okay?”

  She nodded. “He’s fine. I’m sorry, Michael. I must be acting like a hysterical female.” She grinned sheepishly. “I have no patience for hysterical females.” Forcing a smile, she asked, “Did you get Adam on the plane okay? How did that go? It must have been hard for you to say goodbye.”

  He looked down at her hand in his. “It’s always hard to say goodbye to my son. It was so much fun having him with us.” He spoke more excitedly. “I talked to one of the flight attendants and she said she’d make sure Adam gets everything he needs during the flight. She’ll even walk him out to meet his mother when they land in California.”

  Savannah smiled. “Good. I always worry when I see children flying alone.”

  “Not only that,” Michael added, “I happened to meet the couple who’ll be sitting next to him. They have a grandson his age and said they’d be glad to show Adam the ropes.”

  She tilted her head. “The ropes?”

  “You know, how to order snacks, get something to drink, and all.”

  She squeezed his hand. “Good. That must have put your mind at ease.”

  “Sure did. But I’ll still be eager to hear from Marci and Eric once Adam lands and connects with them.” Michael faced his wife. “Now tell me what has you so upset? Did something happen today?” He looked around, then blurted, “Where’s Lily?”

  “She’s okay. She’s down at Holly’s and Keith’s playing with her cousins.” She smiled. “…her cuzzes, as Lily calls them.” She said more quietly, “Michael, I found something.”

  He slumped. “Oh no. Not another…”

  “Yes.”

  “Where?” he asked, not absolutely certain he wanted to know.

  She took a couple of quick breaths. “In…in Lily’s room. Michael, I want you to move her bed into our room. I can’t stand that she’s so far away from us at night.” She choked up. “In fact, I don’t want to stay in this house a minute longer.” She stood up, walked across the room, and looked down at their three-month-old son. “Can’t we just go home?”

  Michael winced. “Hon, don’t you think you’re overreacting? There’s been nothing to indicate that we’re in any danger here.”

  Savannah faced Michael. “Overreacting?” She narrowed her eyes. “Threatening notes are showing up in this house—notes that appear to be soaked in blood—and you think I’m overreacting? How are they getting in here, Michael? We’ve ruled out Rags’s involvement in this. What’s going on?” she shrieked. “Does someone want us out of here? Why? Are they sneaking in here while we sleep? What sinister secrets are hidden in this house, Michael? She demanded more loudly, “Can you give me a logical explanation?”

  He wrapped her in a bear hug. “Okay, honey. We don’t have to stay here. In fact, when I realized how upset you’ve been, I spoke to Keith and he has invited us to stay with them for a couple of days while we try to figure out what’s going on here.” He lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “Would you like to do that? They have that great basement area where we could live until you feel more comfortable here. Besides,” he added, “we only have—what—four more days here in Colorado before we head home. What do you say, hon?”

  She nodded. “Yes. Let’s do that. Or we could stay in a hotel. I don’t care. I just want out of here.” More intently, she said, “Michael, I still think someone has a key to this house.” Michael hesitated. “But hon…”

  “What?” she challenged.

  “Well I just don’t think anyone’s coming into the house. That’s all. I still think your cat…”

  She broke away from him and spoke, as if to a child, “You and Keith have checked every inch of this place and you agree that there are no escape routes anywhere in this house…no place where Rags can possibly get out, no hidey-holes where he’s been finding or stashing things.”

  Michael thinned his lips. “Yeah. I guess we did do that. Okay, let’s bundle up the baby and go tell Keith and Holly they’re having overnight guests.”

  Savannah smiled weakly. “Thank you, honey.” As she wrapped a light blanket around Teddy, she thought back to five days earlier, when she had felt more carefree and safe.

  ****

  It was their next-to-last full day at the lodge in the mountains of Colorado, where they’d finally found Michael’s and his twin brother Keith’s, alleged biological father, Scott Hanson. The family, including Scott’s mother, Aggie, and Savannah’s mother, Gladys, sat around a large table eating lunch at the Ridgecrest Inn, when Keith said to Scott, “I don’t think anyone recognizes you.”

  Michael grinned. “Yeah, you know some of the people in here, don’t you?”

  “Yup. Sure do. But they don’t know me all clean-shaven like this.” Scott gazed across the room at the waitress, then at the men sitting around a table in the back. “They don’t have a clue, do they?”

  Suddenly a loud cry rang out and a woman screamed, “My baby! My baby!” The man with her took the child, turned him upside down, and gently shook him. Everyone stared in horror, not knowing what had happened or what to do, when the man shouted, “He’s choking! My God, he can’t breathe!”

  Michael and Keith both jumped to their feet, but Scott, who had been sitting closest to the couple and the child, reached them first. “Let me have him,” he insisted. When the man resisted, Scott gently took the baby from him, sat down with the infant across one arm, and proceeded to thump him between the shoulder blades. When the child coughed up a grape half, several onlookers cheered until they realized the child continued to lie limp in Scott’s lap.

  “He’s still not breathing,” Scott said. He then instructed, “Spread that blanket over the table.” He gently laid the baby on the blanket and began CPR. Several seconds later the child gasped and started to cry.

  “Thank God!” his mother whispered, picking up her baby to comfort him. When she and her husband were sure he was breathing properly, they addressed Scott, who by then had walked back to his seat and started to sit down.

  “Sir, how can we possibly thank you?” The man asked.

  Scott turned to him as his wife approached with the baby in her arms. Scott reached out and patted the child’s tear-stained cheek. “Right place at the right time,” he said. “It’s thanks enough that the little guy cooperated.”

  “We will be eternally grateful,” the woman said, her voice thick with emotion. She took a ragged breath and held out her hand. “By the way, we’re Marta and Richard Hanson. This is our son, Randy.” When she noticed Scott’s puzzled stare, she asked, “Is there something wrong?”

  “No…no…” he stammered. “It’s just that my name’s Hanson too. I’m Sc
ott.”

  Marta looked at her husband, then back at Scott. “Oh my gosh. Isn’t that serendipitous?” She shivered. “Gives me goose bumps.”

  “I wonder if we’re related,” Richard said. “Wouldn’t that be something?”

  Scott nodded. “Yes. I don’t know much about our family tree.” He turned to Aggie. “Mother, have you done any genealogy? These people might be some of our relatives.” When the elderly woman stood up and moved closer, he said, “Mother, this is Marta and Richard Hanson.”

  “Oh my,” Aggie said. “Yes, I have dabbled in genealogy over the years. I’ll have to check my notes and see if I’ve come across your family. Do you know where your people hail from or the names of some of your ancestors?”

  Richard shook his head. “The only Hansons I know are my parents and one grandfather. Granddad told me once that his folks ran a hardware store in the East during the thirties. I think it was in Massachusetts. Hey, give me your contact information and I’ll see what I can find out.”

  Once information had been exchanged, along with hugs, the larger family group returned to what was left of their meal. Michael was first to speak. “That was mighty impressive. Where did you learn that technique?”

  “Yeah,” Keith said, “you were so calm and collected. You obviously knew what you were doing.”

  Scott looked at Aggie and she smiled back at him. “So you remember that, do you?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I guess so. I took a CPR class, didn’t I? I wondered how I knew what to do.” When he noticed that the others at the table were waiting for more, he explained, “It’s quite a mysterious experience to have your memory come back so quickly after an extended bout with amnesia. You find out that you know things and sometimes can’t remember how you acquired that information.” Before he could continue, a man approached the table.

  “I want to shake your hand,” he said, smiling. “I’m Al. I own this place and…well…I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a heroic act, at least not in my establishment.”

  As Scott offered Al his hand, the sixty-something-year-old waitress joined in. “Yeah. That was really something. Are you a doctor?” She reached out for his hand next. “I’m Wanda, by the way.”

  Before Scott could respond, he felt a strong grip on his shoulder. He turned quickly and saw that two other men had also approached their table. One of them said, “That was like watching a doctor show on TV. You saved that little baby’s life.”

  Scott scooted his chair out and stood up so he could address the group surrounding him. “All I did was a CPR technique I once learned. Anyone can do it and everyone should learn how to do it.” He nodded toward where the couple and their baby had been sitting. “That could happen anywhere and to anyone. It’s important that we’re all trained to help.”

  Instead of responding, one of the men cocked his head and asked, “Hey, have I seen you before? You seem kinda familiar. Do I know you?”

  Scott grinned. He winked at Michael and Keith. “Actually, Merle…” he nodded toward the other man, “and Spike, you do know me.” He took the server’s hand in his. “And so do you, Wanda.”

  She stepped back and squinted at Scott, then pulled her glasses from her apron pocket and slipped them on. She glanced around at the others who were seated at the table, finally smiling. “Hey, don’t tell me that you’re…” She hesitated.

  “Who, Wanda? Who is he? I can’t quite put my finger on who he is,” Merle said.

  “The hermit,” Spike said quietly. He started to laugh. “Are you the old hermit?”

  Wanda studied him now more intently. When Scott grinned at her, she said, “Well, I have to tell you, you don’t look all that old and you sure as heck don’t resemble that woolly man who takes things from our back porch.”

  Scott winked. “Used to take things, Wanda.” He ran his hand over his freshly shaved cheek. “Yeah, my boys here, they took me in and made me clean up my act. And my mother and I are going home to Connecticut. No more mountain-living for me.”

  “Wow!” Wanda said.

  Merle chimed in. “Yeah, I didn’t know you had such a vocabulary, neither. You never had much to say before.”

  “That’s right,” Spike said. “Except for that time we goaded you into sharing some beers with us. You talked up a storm that night.”

  Scott laughed. “Yes. There are two things that’ll loosen my tongue: liquor and being around people I know, like, and trust.”

  Merle nodded and Spike said, “I guess that’s true for any of us.” He offered his hand. “Well, sir…um…what name are ya going with now?”

  “Scott Hanson. That’s my name.”

  “Scott Hanson,” Spike continued, “it’s nice seeing you again. And it’s a pleasure knowing someone with such courage. I’m afraid if you hadn’t been here, we would have all just sat back and watched that baby die.”

  Merle nodded. “Shows ya what a miserable bunch of nothings we are, doesn’t it?” He turned to Spike. “Hey, what do you say we spend tomorrow looking for a place where we can learn that CRP thing?”

  “CPR,” Scott corrected. “Hey, Wanda, can I use one of your order slips there? I’ll write down the name of the hospital where I stayed for a few days. They’ll be able to tell you where they’re giving classes.”

  “Great!” Spike said. “Hey Merle, maybe we can give blood too. I hear they need blood for the blood bank.”

  When a couple of customers stepped into the restaurant, Wanda walked away to greet them and Al headed back to the kitchen. Spike and Merle returned to their table, discussing some of the things they could do to help other people. Scott heard Merle say, “I feel better already just talking about doing this stuff.”

  “Yeah,” Spike said, “it is kinda uplifting, isn’t it?”

  Michael slapped Scott on the back playfully. “Way to go. You’re an inspiration.”

  “Yes you are,” Savannah said. “I’m impressed.”

  “You’ve even motivated those dullards to do something positive,” Michael said. “Well done, Mr. Hanson.”

  Keith smiled. “I’m proud of you, sir.”

  Scott grinned shyly, then said, “Hell, boys, I’ll bet you do things like that in your veterinary practices every day.” He looked at the women. “And you gals…” He shook his head. “Well, women are just plain awesome, the way you give birth and care for small ones so lovingly.” He laid his hands on the tabletop. “And another thing…enough with the Mr. Hanson and sir. I know it’s a stretch for you to call me Dad and that’s okay. You may not be convinced yet that I am your father. We can do that test if you want to. But in the interim, using my given name would be just fine with me. Can’t you call me Scott?”

  Michael and Keith looked a little sheepish and Keith said, “Sure…um…Scott.”

  Michael nodded, then said, “So Scott, you were about to tell us how you came to learn CPR.”

  “Yeah,” Adam said, “did you go to doctor school?”

  Scott smiled at the ten-year-old, then became more somber, explaining, “As I remember it, Mother fell ill one night when we were out someplace.” He looked at Aggie. “Isn’t that right, Mother?”

  She nodded. “We were at a premiere dinner party and I guess I fainted and was having trouble breathing.”

  “Yes, she was turning all shades of purple. I was in my twenties then or I was nearly twenty. Well, an ordinary guy who happened to be at the party that night did CPR on Mother and she came out of her spell—you know, started breathing and all. I don’t think her doctor ever did figure out what happened that night. But he said from the sounds of it Mother might not have survived if that stranger hadn’t done CPR. It scared me to think that it could happen again when no one but me was around, so I went right out and learned how to do it.” Scott looked at Aggie. “Is that how you remember it, Mother?”

  She nodded and smiled. “Yes, Son. That’s what happened all right.”

  “Have you done that to other
people?” six-year-old Cassie asked.

  Scott shook his head. “No. I’ve never had the opportunity before. And if I had, I’m not sure I would have remembered that I knew how to do it. My memory just recently started to come back, you know.”

  “But you sure remembered today,” Keith said.

  Scott nodded, then asked, “Do any of you know CPR?” He was surprised and pleased to see nods coming from Michael, Keith, and their wives.

  “Well, good for you,” Scott said. He smiled proudly. “That’s my family.” He then frowned. “So why didn’t any of you jump in to help that poor child?”

  Keith burst out laughing. “Hey, Pops, what was there for us to do? You had everything under control.”

  ****

  The following morning back at the lodge, Michael and Keith helped Scott and Aggie load their belongings into the Iveys’ SUV.

  “Boys, I sure do thank you for driving us down to catch the shuttle,” Scott said. “Brenda will meet us at the bottom of the hill and we’ll spend a few days with her and her husband before we fly to Connecticut.” He smiled at Aggie. “Brenda can’t wait to meet her grandmother.”

  “Well, it’s been fun,” Holly said, hugging Aggie. She pulled back and smiled. “Your granddaughter will love you.”

  Savannah hugged her next, holding baby Teddy in one arm. “I so enjoyed our time together. Hope to see you again soon.”

  Aggie smiled warmly and kissed Teddy’s cheek. “Yes, soon,” she said. She reached out to Gladys next. “I’ll sure miss you—cooking together, sharing a cup of tea…it’s been delightful.”

  Gladys embraced the elderly woman. “Yes,” she said, “delightful.” She walked with her toward the car and steadied her as she stepped into the front passenger seat.

  After telling Holly and her daughters goodbye, Scott ran his hand over Teddy’s head. “You’re going to grow up to be a wonderful young man just like your big brother.” He hugged Savannah. “Now take care of all those boys and that sweet little girl, will you?”