A Very Meowy Christmas Read online

  A Very Meowy Christmas

  A Klepto Cat Mystery

  Book 38

  by Patricia Fry

  A Very Meowy Christmas

  A Klepto Cat Mystery

  Book 38

  Author: Patricia Fry

  ISBN: 978-1-7332772-3-5

  All rights reserved

  © 2019 Matilija Press

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter One

  Michael held tightly to Teddy, his eyes brimming with tears as he paced in front of the Buckhorn Café. He put an arm around Savannah, and whispered, “I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

  Savannah embraced Michael and their sleeping son. “I know, honey. They’re okay.” Her voice cracked. “They just have to be.”

  “I hope so,” Peter said, overhearing her comment. He laughed a tad hysterically and made an attempt at humor. “Because, when I get a hold of Simon I’ll…” He couldn’t continue.

  “You’ll what?” Rochelle challenged gently.

  Peter ran both hands through his hair. “I don’t know. I’m just so worried and angry at the same time.”

  Michael choked up. “Welcome to parenthood, guy.” He looked into the distance. “I don’t know why the search crew wouldn’t let us go with them tonight. I feel so helpless.”

  “You were out there all day,” Savannah soothed. “The guide is right. We need to rest. Remember, tomorrow we’re following Rochelle’s vision. We’ll meet at daylight with fresh supplies and Rags.”

  “What if Rochelle’s wrong?” Michael hissed. “We could be wasting precious time. You heard them say that the boys could easily find themselves in trouble. They could fall off a cliff or into a swift-moving portion of the river.”

  Savannah stared into his face. “What if Rochelle’s right? Besides, there are people out there with search dogs. They know what they’re doing, Michael.” She added, “And so does Rochelle. Her predictions and visions are rarely wrong. She has helped in a lot of situations like this.”

  Michael shook his head out of frustration. He looked down at Teddy.

  “Why don’t you let me lay him down?” Gladys asked quietly. “I’ll sit with the children.”

  Michael kissed Teddy and handed the sleeping toddler to his mother-in-law. “Are you going back to the cabin?”

  “Yes. I think we all are.” Gladys sensed Michael’s resistance. “They know where you are. They’ll call. Come on, let’s get some rest,” she urged. “You may have a long day ahead tomorrow.”

  Michael glanced at Peter and Rochelle, who stood on the edge of the porch gazing down the road where the search team had driven from view. He took a deep breath, raised his eyes to the heavens, and muttered, “If there’s such a thing as a Christmas miracle, we could sure use one now.” He took a ragged breath and called out, “Hey you two, let’s go try to get some sleep.”

  When Peter hesitated, Rochelle said, “There’s nothing we can do here. They know how to get in touch with us.” She squeezed his arm. “Peter, I just know they’re okay. There’s a reason for this, and it’s going to stun everyone when we learn the truth.”

  “If you believe they’re okay, why are you so dang nervous,” Peter challenged. He put his arm around his wife and pulled her close. “You’re worried too. I know you are.”

  She nodded. “I’m terrified. But that’s the human part of me. I’m also trying to accept what the universe is telling me—that the boys are safe.”

  Savannah smiled weakly at Rochelle and followed the others to the cars.

  “Wait,” Michael said. He faced Savannah. “Did you say Rags is going with us in the morning?”

  She nodded. “Rochelle suggested it. She said he’s more intuitive than any of us and he loves both Simon and Adam. She believes he can lead us to the boys. In fact, I guess a cat was part of her vision.”

  “Lordy, lordy,” he muttered as the two of them climbed into their car.

  Savannah sighed softly. She reached into the backseat and caressed Lily’s little leg and smiled at Teddy, who was sleeping soundly in Gladys’s arms. Michael assured her that Teddy would be safe outside of his car seat for the short drive back to the cabin, so she turned in her seat and leaned her head against the car window. As tears welled up in her eyes, Savannah took a deep breath and tried to remember how they had arrived at this frightening moment.

  ****

  It was the second week in December. Savannah’s mother, Gladys, and her Aunt Margaret were four days into their Southern California road trip, and Savannah was trying to keep up with all the household and childcare chores that her mom usually helped with. She had spent much of the day checking out preschools for four-year-old Lily and enrolling Teddy in Barbara Bryant’s day care program.

  “It was fun reconnecting with Barbara’s family this afternoon,” she told Michael over dinner that night. “Alicia and Jenna both help their mom out with the children a couple of days a week.” She laughed. “Boy, do those girls look alike. Remember how gaunt Alicia was when we helped reunite her with her family? The twins had similar mannerisms, and you could definitely tell they were sisters, but they didn’t look quite so much alike then. They sure do now. And I’ve never seen Barbara happier.”

  “So is that all the girls do? Work at the day care?” Michael asked.

  Savannah shook her head. “I think they do that just to please their mother and they seem to enjoy it, but they’re both pursuing more education. Jenna works part time for an attorney and aspires to pass the bar herself. Alicia wants to go into law enforcement.”

  “Interesting,” Michael said. “And their husbands are okay with this? I mean those are some pretty demanding and sometimes dangerous professions.”

  Savannah shrugged. “I guess they are.” She chuckled. “It’s easier and more satisfying for some women to shed a noncompliant husband than to turn their back on their passion.”

  He stared at her for a moment, and finally muttered, “You don’t say?”

  “Well, yeah.” She continued, “We should all be free to follow our dreams. We can’t let anyone hold us back.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Michael, there are men who try to stand in the way of their wife’s dreams—who dictate what they want for the wife, instead of allowing her to spread her wings and fly.” When she realized Michael was grinning at her, Savannah asked, “What?”

  “You’re just so cute when you’re up on that pedestal fighting for womankind.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Are you making fun of me?”

  “No,” he declared. “Not me. I wouldn’t do that. No way. I want my woman to soar with the eagles or whatever bird she wants to follow.”

  “You are making fun of me!”

  Michael took her hand and spoke more tenderly. “No I’m not, hon. You’re absolutely right. We need to support one another.” He turned back to his plate and took a bite before saying, “So it’s okay with you if I go skydiving this weekend or maybe mountain climbing?” He pretended to become more excited. “Oh…oh, maybe I’ll try bull riding. That sounds like a manly activity that my understanding wife would encourage.”

  “Michael, stop it,” Savannah spat. Before she could continue, her phone chimed.

  When she stood up, Michael said, “You aren’t going to answer that during dinner, are you?”

  She hesitated briefly then headed for the dining room where her phone was charging. “I’m finished. Besides, I’m waiting for a call from one of the preschools we visited today.” />
  When Savannah returned to the kitchen, she found Michael clearing the table. Lily was helping him, and Teddy was smearing an applesauce spill across his high chair tray with his hands.

  “Is our daughter enrolled?” he asked, opening the dishwasher and showing Lily where to put the spoons.

  Savannah wiped Teddy’s hands and face with a washcloth, and released him to the floor. She watched as the nineteen-month-old toddled toward his toy box, then responded to Michael. “Not yet. I have pamphlets from both preschools for you to look at. I’m leaning toward the Country Day School, but I haven’t ruled out Alphabet Soup. Both seem to have the curriculum Lily will need in order to adjust academically and socially to kindergarten. You know she won’t be eligible to start kindergarten until she’s almost six. The cutoff date in California now for children entering kindergarten is September first. Lily misses it by three months. But most schools have a pre-kindergarten program for the children who are ready.”

  Michael looked up while drying his hands. “Things have changed since we were in school, haven’t they?”

  “Yes. For one thing, kindergarten is more like first grade, because of the socialization and learning opportunities most kids have had by the time they’re five or six.” She ran her hand over Lily’s hair as the child wriggled a feather in front of their Himalayan-mix cat. “I want her to be ready.”

  “Do you think she’s ready for the preschool program?” he asked.

  Savannah nodded. “Oh yes. The directors of the preschools we visited today spent a little time with Lily and they both said she’s bright, can concentrate and focus well, and she knows how to follow directions. She already knows most of her letters and numbers because we’ve been working with her.”

  He chuckled. “And she recognizes a lot of animals. Last night she showed me a picture of a wallaby and explained the differences between wallabies and kangaroos.”

  “Yeah,” Savannah said, “she’s a curious child. Monica Ballinger, from Alphabet Soup, said she seems to be eager to learn and that’s the kind of child who does well in her program.” She picked up the two brochures and handed them to Michael. “Here, read these and see what you think. I’m going to start the kids’ bath.”

  Before she could take a step, Lily shrieked. Savannah looked down at the child but saw nothing out of the ordinary. “What was that all about?”

  Lily pointed. “Rags took Buffy’s toy.”

  Savannah chuckled. “Oh, I see.”

  “He grabbed it like this,” Lily insisted, falling backward in the process of demonstrating. She sobbed. “That’s Buffy’s toy. Buffy’s sad. I’m sad. Rags is bad!” she exclaimed. “Bad boy!” she shouted.

  “Maybe we should enroll her in a drama class,” Michael suggested.

  Savannah made a face. “Yeah, that’s what she needs, drama lessons.” She sat down next to the child and petted Buffy’s luxurious fur as the cat lay comfortably in her bed. “I think Buffy’s okay. She’s not crying.”

  “But that was her toy!” Lily wailed.

  Michael picked Lily up, draped her over his shoulder, and spun around. “I think someone’s tired. Let’s go get you ready for bed, okay?”

  Between spurts of laughter, Lily shouted, “Get Buffy’s toy, Daddy!”

  Savannah shook her head at their daughter’s outburst and started to retrieve the feather wand from Rags. She stopped. “Hey, Lily, look. Rags dropped it right there for Buffy. She can get it if she wants it.”

  “Give it to her,” Lily demanded.

  “Okay,” Savannah said, shrugging. She picked up the wand toy and showed it to Buffy, who looked at it briefly, then continued giving herself a lick bath.

  “What does Rags have, now?” Michael asked, nodding toward the lanky grey-and-white-cat. “I think he took it out of your purse, hon. He must have wanted that piece of paper pretty badly; he knocked your purse over and crawled halfway inside it.”

  “Raaags,” Savannah scolded. She started to approach the cat, when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. “No! No!” she called, running across the room. “Teddy, stop!”

  “What’s he doing?” Michael asked.

  She scooped up the toddler, saying, “His truck was caught in that electrical cord and he was about to pull the lamp off the table.” She scrutinized the lamp cord. “We need to do something about that.”

  “What was he doing behind the chair?” Michael asked.

  “It doesn’t matter. Little boys are liable to go exploring anywhere. We need to make sure the whole house is safe for him.” Savannah started to follow Michael and Lily toward the hallway with Teddy, then stopped and said, “Hey, we’d better go check on Rags. What do you have, Rags?” She grimaced. “Yup, he sure did spill my whole purse. Darn him.” When she drew closer, she remarked, “All you wanted, Rags, was that stupid piece of paper?”

  Michael laughed. “What’s stupid about it? Hey, you’d better grab it before he shreds it. What is it, anyway? Looks like a letter.”

  Savannah lowered Teddy to the floor. “It’s actually trash, I think.”

  “You carry trash in your purse?”

  “Sure I do. If I pick it up and there’s no trash can around, I stick it in my pocket or my purse and deal with it later.”

  “I had no idea,” Michael said, grinning.

  “Well, that’s what keeps a relationship interesting,” Savannah replied in a flirty tone, “learning something new about your spouse every once in a while.”

  “Yeah,” Michael teased, “that’s a real fascinating tidbit. My wife collects trash.”

  Ignoring him, Savannah asked the cat, “What is it, Rags? What are you trying to show me?” She turned to Michael. “See that? He appears to be showing it to me like he’s proud that he found it or something.”

  She picked up the piece of paper and Rags promptly reached toward it standing with his front paws on her thighs. “Rags, you’re going to knock me over,” Savannah complained, pushing him away gently. When Rags jumped up against her again, she sat down in the nearest chair and asked, “What is wrong with you?”

  Meanwhile, Michael lowered Lily to the floor and the two of them joined Savannah. “What is it? Why do you think he’s so fascinated with it? Does it smell like fish? Maybe it was in the trash with a fish carcass.”

  “It doesn’t smell,” Savannah said, sniffing it absent-mindedly. She unfolded the piece of paper and exclaimed, “Oh! Maybe it isn’t trash.” She looked at Michael. “I found it in Barbara’s neighborhood this afternoon. I had to park down the street and this came blowing past me, so I picked it up.” She laughed. “I thought of it in sort of poetic terms at the time. I was thinking, ‘look at that piece of paper cartwheeling down the street.’”

  “Cartwheeling, huh?” Michael repeated. “What does it say?”

  “Well, it’s addressed to someone named Mary.” She turned it over a couple of times. “I guess it was in the trash or someone turned their sprinkler on it. I can’t make out all the words. Wow!” she remarked.

  “What?” Michael asked.

  “Well, here it says, ‘leave it at the…’ I can’t read that part. But then it says ‘or else—something-something—your family.’ Michael, this sounds like a threat.”

  “Is it signed?” he asked.

  “Yes, but I can’t make it out.” She showed it to him. “Is that a D or a B?”

  “It could be an R.” He studied the letter for a moment. “Must be from someone this Mary knows.” He picked up Lily and headed toward the hallway again, saying, “It could just be a friendly note urging Mary to water her petunias or to use her flight miles or a gift card that’s about to expire.”

  Savannah stared down at the letter and murmured, “I don’t think so.” She called out, “Michael, wait!” When he turned to face her, she said, “Alicia’s name was Mary. Remember that? The man who kidnapped her raised her as Mary. Do you suppose this letter is meant for her?”

  “Maybe,” he said, “if she has a gift card or m
iles ready to expire.” He thought for a moment, then nodded toward Rags. “Ask your partner there. He seems to have some strange interest in that letter.”

  Savannah petted Rags. “Yeah,” she said quietly, “he sure does.” She asked, “Rags, do you sense someone’s in danger or does this letter actually smell like fish?”

  ****

  The following day after breakfast, Michael said, “You’re quiet this morning.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that letter and wondering what it means. I sure hate to think that Alicia’s in any sort of trouble or danger. That family is still healing from being separated for all those years.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “I guess I might talk to Craig. But I’m not sure I should discuss it with the detective without speaking to Alicia first.” Savannah shook her head. “Oh, I just don’t know.”

  “Who’s the letter from? Did you figure that out?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I think it’s RJ.”

  “So do you know who that might be? Did Alicia ever mention someone with those initials?” Before Savannah could answer, Michael had another thought. “It could be an old letter that has nothing to do with anything anymore. Was it dated?”

  “No.” Savannah looked down at Rags. “If that letter isn’t important, then why was he so interested?”

  “We all make mistakes, Savannah.” He chuckled. “Even Rags.”

  When her phone chimed, she looked at the screen and frowned. “It’s Max. I hope everything’s okay.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be?” Michael asked. “You’re not getting all paranoid on me are you?”

  Ignoring him, she answered, “Hi, Max. How are you this morning?”

  “Puzzled, that’s how. Say, do you and Michael have anything strange going on over at your place this morning?”

  Savannah laughed. “Define strange. I mean, it’s almost always a circus here.” She asked more seriously, “Why? Has something happened?”

  “I’m not sure, but it appears that someone’s been snooping around my property. I thought I heard something last night when I got up to check on one of our new cats.” Max’s tone changed and he asked, “Did Michael tell you about him? He came in with a chip on his shoulder and a couple of pellets in his hind end.”