By Cat or By Crook Read online

  “Well, Melody wants me to go up into the attic and sort of take inventory.”

  “Oooh, the attic in a turn-of-the-century home,” Savannah said. “…where gangsters used to hang out. Sounds interesting.”

  “Oh stop with the gangster references,” Iris insisted. “You sound like your aunt.”

  “Okay, alleged gangsters,” Savannah said. “Iris, you can’t deny the stories.”

  “Rumors, Savannah.”

  “Okay, rumors.”

  “So, wanna help me?” Iris asked, her eyes wide.

  “Can’t you get some of the workers you’ve hired to do it?”

  Iris thinned her lips. “Evidently it’s an issue of trust. Melody has come to trust me—or so it seems—and she doesn’t want any of the others up there.” She grimaced and said in a squeaky voice, “I don’t want to go up there by myself.” When Savannah chuckled, Iris became more serious. “Don’t laugh, kiddo. There’s something going on up there. I don’t know what it is, only…” she paused. “…I hear things.”

  “In the attic?”

  “Yes, at night when I’m working upstairs.” Iris hesitated. “Savannah, something lives up there; I’m sure of it.”

  “Probably squirrels or…rats,” Savannah said.

  Iris cringed. “Oh, thanks a lot. Now that really makes me want to go up there.”

  “Have you told your boss about that—I mean that you think something’s running around up there?”

  “Well, Melody seems to hear what she wants to hear and there’s a lot she prefers not to deal with—bats in the belfry being one of them.” She put her hand on Savannah’s arm. “The siblings didn’t even know the place had an attic until I told Melody about it a couple of days ago.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. When I started hearing the skittering and thumping up there, I snooped around and found a set of pull-down stairs hidden in the ceiling of one of the rooms we haven’t worked in yet. It’s like someone, at some time, went to a lot of trouble to hide access to that attic.”

  “Oh, now that really makes me want to go up there,” Savannah said, facetiously. Her eyes wide, she added, “Iris, there could be bodies up there—you know, dead ones.”

  Iris laughed. “Or maybe they’re alive…or their spirits are. Do you suppose it’s ghosts making the racket at night?” She looked pleadingly at Savannah. “Will you go up with me? I so don’t want to go alone.”

  After thinking about it, Savannah said, “Sure, I guess…for you.” She then asked, “Hey, can’t you get your husband to do it?”

  “Craig? Are you kidding?” Iris huffed. “I know my man. No part of him would be in the least interested in climbing into an attic that might be full of who knows what.” She grinned at Savannah. “But I was pretty sure you’d be curious enough to say yes. When?” she asked.

  “Preferably during daylight hours.”

  “But whatever lives up there is active at night,” Iris whined.

  “A good reason to go in the daytime,” Savannah said. “We should be able to figure out what sort of critters are visiting the attic.” When Iris looked puzzled, Savannah explained, “By what they’ve left up there—you know—fur, damage, excrement.”

  “Excrement?” Iris repeated, frowning. She was quiet for a few moments before suggesting, “What if it is spirits…bad ones?”

  “Then there probably won’t be any excrement.” When Savannah realized that Iris was being serious, she said, “Well, if it is ghosts, that should give you a thrill. You like that sort of thing, right?”

  Iris protested. “Not evil ones. From what Colbi and Damon tell me, people may have died in that house, and not from natural causes. The kids have been digging up stuff about the Kaiser estate and the goings-ons there during its heyday…you know, in the old newspapers. They have access to the early ones there at the newspaper office where they work.” She leaned toward Savannah. “I told you about the blood stains I found in one of the bedrooms, didn’t I?”

  “No!” Savannah said recoiling a little. She grinned across the table. “So you haven’t totally discounted those stories as rumors, then?”

  “Well…” Iris started.

  “Okay, all the more reason to go up into that attic in the daytime,” Savannah said.

  Iris let out a sigh. “All right, when?”

  Before Savannah could respond, she realized why Lily had climbed up into her lap. The toddler was able to reach the box of animal crackers and sat quietly feeding them to their Afghan hound-mix dog.

  “Uh-oh, no-no, Lexie. No cookies for you,” Savannah said, taking the box from Lily, which caused crackers to spill onto the floor. She eased the child off her lap, then scooped up the crackers to discard them. She then placed the box in a cupboard, saying, “I think you’ve had enough wow-wows, kitty-cats, and moo-cows for one day, punkin.”

  “Kitty cookie,” Lily said, holding a piece of one toward Rags as he approached.

  “I don’t think the kitty wants a cookie,” Savannah said, wiping Lily’s face.

  “Kitty cookie,” the baby insisted, tossing the small chunk of cracker at Rags.

  “Kitties don’t like cookies,” Savannah said. However, as she washed the baby’s hands, she heard Iris chuckling behind her. She turned. “What’s funny?”

  “Your kitty seems to like cookies,” Iris said, pointing at Rags, who had devoured the bit of cracker and was sniffing around looking for more.

  “Crazy cat,” Savannah said, ruffling the fur on his head.

  Iris stood and picked up her purse. “So when do you want to go up into the attic with me?”

  “Tomorrow morning?” Savannah suggested. “Michael will be home. Adam’s coming around noon and we have big plans for the rest of the weekend.”

  “Oh? What interesting activities do you have planned for Adam this time?”

  “Well, I promised the little girl next door, Kira, that the next time Adam came, we’d go on a trail ride. Then Mom broke her arm and I was gone the last time he was here. Kira and her family are moving away soon, so I really want to take the kids out before we miss the opportunity.”

  “Sounds fun. So, do you want to meet me out there, say, at ten in the morning? The workers usually take Saturday off, so we should have the place to ourselves.”

  “Sure.” Savannah glanced in Lily’s direction and smiled when she saw her pushing her new dolly around in her buggy. “Uh-oh,” she said, quickly grabbing the buggy. “Don’t run over Ragsie, little one. Here, push your buggy this way.”

  Iris laughed. “Poor cats take their nine lives in their paws with Lily behind the wheel.”

  “Yeah, but you’d think they’d learn to move a little faster.” She faced Iris. “So tell me about this person who’s watching you.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I catch a glimpse of someone who seems to be lurking sometimes in the house, sometimes outside. I’m pretty sure I’ve been followed at night after I leave the place. Often, at night, I think I’m alone on the property, then I’ll hear a car leave or I sense that someone’s in the house with me.”

  “So you don’t know who it is?”

  “No. I haven’t gotten a good look. Sometimes I wonder if it’s my imagination working overtime.” Iris spoke more quietly. “It kind of has me spooked. Only…”

  “Only what?” Savannah asked.

  Iris hesitated, then said, “I mean, maybe it is spirits. Maybe I’m feeling the presence of spirits around the place. I have to wonder if that’s what’s rattling my cage, because I’m probably rattling theirs with all the construction going on.”

  Savannah narrowed her eyes, then said, “Oh, I get it. You’re disturbing their domicile and you think they don’t like it so they’re trying to scare you away.” After thinking about it for a moment, she added, “Iris, if there are ghosts in that place, you’d probably better get rid of them before you open it to the public. Rochelle does that kind of work, right?”

  “I think so. But Sava
nnah, ghosts can actually be an asset to a bed-and-breakfast. I’ve heard of a few haunted bed-and-breakfast inns.” She frowned. “I doubt the Kaisers would advertise theirs as being haunted, though. They don’t seem the type.” She chuckled. “However, if that place is haunted, their guests will tell them about it soon enough.”

  When Iris hesitated, Savannah jumped in, “But with the history surrounding that old house, any remaining spirits could be of the nasty variety. You don’t want evil ghosts in the inn, do you?” She laughed and shook her head as if to clear it. “What am I saying? I’m sure that whatever goes bump in the night in that old attic is not a bunch of dead people, but probably, as I said, rats and raccoons and maybe a few bats.”

  Just then, Lily walked up to Savannah and fussed to be picked up. Savannah lifted her and cuddled with her. “Someone’s ready for a nap.”

  Iris stood. “Well, I have a long to-do list. I’d better be going.” She kissed Lily. “Happy birthday, princess,” she said, waving offhandedly as she approached the side kitchen door. “See you tomorrow,” she called.

  “Sure,” Savannah said, walking with Lily toward her bedroom.

  ****

  “Cats!” Savannah said after she and Iris had walked around in the attic with a flashlight for a few minutes the following morning. She pointed to a cardboard box. “See, that’s cat fur. A cat—or many cats—have been curling up in these boxes of old clothes.” She pointed. “And that looks like mouse remains.”

  “So you can tell cat fur from, say, rat or raccoon fur?”

  “Sure,” Savannah said. “It’s finer and there’s no ticking like you would normally see on wild animal fur. Yes, I’d say cats have been hanging out up here, maybe for a very long time.” She looked around. “But I don’t see any up here now. They must come and go, probably by day and night.”

  “Huh?”

  “I mean, they come up here at night where it’s warm and safe and go back out during the day. Are there cats on the property? You must have seen some in the house.” She glanced back at the opening. “But how would they get up in here if the ladder is concealed in the ceiling?”

  Iris shook her head. “Not in the house. Never have I seen a cat in the house. But there are cats living out among those trees behind the old shed. Melody pointed some out to me once. They’re wild cats.” She laughed. “She’s like you—cat crazy. I see her just sitting out there sometimes. I figure she must be keeping those cats company.”

  “So does your boss know the cats are coming up here at night?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Iris, if they aren’t welcome up here—if the owners don’t want them up here—we’d better find out how they’re getting in and put a stop to it.”

  Iris shrugged.

  “Let’s see what we can find, shall we?” Savannah suggested, walking along the perimeter of the attic. “Oops,” she said, stumbling. “A shoe.” She picked it up. “A very old shoe from…what period would you say this is from, Iris? You know vintage clothing.”

  “Cool,” Iris said, when she got a good look at the shoe. “That must have been Geraldine’s.”

  “Who’s that?” Savannah asked.

  “Melody’s mother.” She then said, “I need to go through this stuff. I might find some neat vintage purses. You know how I love vintage purses.” She swooned, then took a deep breath and let it out. “But not today. We’d better stay on task.”

  “Okay,” Savannah said, placing the shoe in a box and continuing her trek around the attic room. Finally, she stopped. “Hey, looks like they’re coming in right here. See the fur caught on the edges of the wood around this opening? Do you know where this might lead, Iris?”

  “Well, I believe that’s right over guestroom number five. We’ve almost finished that room and I don’t recall seeing any sort of gap cats could slither through.” She let out a sigh. “Like I said, I’ve never seen a cat in the house. But I guess wild cats can be sneaky devils. Let’s go take a look in that room below, shall we?”

  “Maybe the carpenters closed the hole,” Savannah suggested, when she couldn’t find even a small opening in the closet or elsewhere in room number five.

  Iris shook her head. “No,” she said. “No, there were no holes in this closet or in the ceiling of the room at all.”

  “No vents or unfinished sections of ceiling?”

  “No. Nothing like that.”

  Savannah scratched her head and looked around. “Let’s check outside. There has to be an opening someplace.” She turned to Iris. “You say you still hear critters overhead when you’re here at night—even since you finished that closet off?”

  “Yes,” Iris said. “I came out to take care of a job last night and they were quite active up there.”

  Once the two women were outside, Savannah peered closely at the house, especially along the foundation. Several minutes later, she said, “Well, this is a puzzle. You’re right, there’s not a space anywhere that even a rat could fit through.”

  “Then what am I hearing up there at night and how are they getting up there? Savannah, I think the only way we’re going to find out for sure is to go into the attic at night.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” Savannah gazed toward the stand of trees south of the house and beyond the shed. “So where are the cats now? You say they live out there?” she asked, pointing. She walked toward the trees. After looking around in the shadows and shrubs, she said, “I don’t see any cats, although it appears that someone’s feeding something out here.” She chuckled. “Using some mighty fancy china, too.”

  ****

  “Oh yes, that’s Melody,” Iris said. “This is where she feeds the wild cats.” Savannah looked at her, then narrowed her eyes and scanned the area. “They aren’t in the attic. They aren’t out here. Where in the heck are they?” She stared at the house for a moment, muttering to herself, “Somewhere between here and there, I suppose.” She addressed Iris. “I guess we really do need to explore the attic after dark. But can we wait until next week?” She looked at Iris. “Hey, why don’t you take some time off this weekend?” When Iris balked, Savannah said, “I wish you would. You’re going to work yourself sick.”

  “Yeah, Craig’s been hinting that he’d like me home more often. Maybe I’ll see if he wants to drive out to the coast and have a bowl of clam chowder tomorrow.”

  “Now, that would be nice.” Suddenly, Savannah jumped. “Who’s that?”

  “Who?” Iris asked.

  She nodded inconspicuously toward a large Dumpster on the southeast side of the house. “I thought I saw someone moving around out there.”

  “Really?” Iris said. “So it isn’t my imagination.”

  “What?” Savannah asked.

  “Like I told you, I keep having this weird feeling that I’m being watched.”

  “Maybe it’s just the odd Kaiser family making sure you’re doing your job.”

  Iris glanced toward the Dumpster. “Could be, I guess. But it’s rather unnerving, especially when I see a figure lurking outside the hardware store while I’m picking out paint colors and when I notice the same set of headlights in my rearview mirror following me at night. Maybe I’m getting paranoid, but I swear someone’s stalking me.”

  “And you’re convinced it’s a person and not a spirit?”

  “I’m not sure.” She chuckled. “Do ghosts drive cars?”

  “Iris,” Savannah said sternly, “have you told Craig about this?”

  She hesitated before saying, “The less he knows about that sort of stuff, the happier I am. I mean, do you realize how fast he’d make me quit this job if he thought I was in danger?”

  “Yes, I think I do,” Savannah said with a firm edge to her voice. “Iris, maybe it’s something you should consider.”

  “And throw away the opportunity of a lifetime? I don’t think so. You know what a feather this will be in my cap and a boost to my home-decorating business. Nothing has happened, Savannah. Quitting now wou
ld be premature. I’m watching my back and keeping a wary eye. I think I’m the best judge of whether or not I’m in any danger. Besides,” she said, “it could be spirits; I don’t think we can take that possibility off the table yet, do you?”

  After staring at her friend for a few moments, Savannah grabbed Iris’s arm and began pulling her toward the stand of trees.

  “Where are we going?” Iris asked, in a panic.

  “Let’s go see who that is and what he wants.”

  “Huh?” Iris said, balking.

  “Come on,” she said, continuing to pull Iris along. “It’s better to know than to wonder.”

  However, as the women rounded the Dumpster, all they saw was the back of someone in the distance, running to beat the band.

  “Hmph,” Iris said, under her breath. “Probably a transient sneaking up here to do some Dumpster diving.”

  ****

  “Hi Savannah,” Adam said when she entered her home later that day. “Are we going riding?” he asked eagerly.

  “We sure are. Tomorrow morning.” She tousled his hair. “Got your boots and hat, buddy?”

  “Yeah, but I still don’t have any chaps.”

  “I think we’ll stay out of the thick brush,” Michael said. “You won’t need chaps.”

  “But, Dad, we’re going on a trail ride, aren’t we?” When Michael nodded, the ten-year-old reasoned, “Sometimes there’s a lot of bushes on a trail. What if the horse decides to walk into the brush when I don’t want him to?”

  Michael play-slugged his son. “That’s why horses come with reins.”

  “You’ve decided to go?” Savannah asked her husband.

  “Yeah, wouldn’t miss it.” He grinned. “Colbi and Damon want to entertain Lily. Damon said they need practice for when their baby comes.” Quickly changing the subject, he asked, “Is Kira going with us?”

  “Last I heard, she is. I’ll check again to make sure. Then I’ll text Bonnie and ask her to hold Wilson, Beulah, and Delilah for us. By the way, Bonnie said we can use their trailer to take Peaches over there. It’ll be easier to ride from their stables than it would be to haul three horses over here in a two-horse trailer and back again.”