The Secret Claws Read online

  “No.” He suddenly changed his mind. “Wait, yes I did. I went out there to get tools to board up that window last night.” He said under his breath, “I need to call and have that fixed.”

  Savannah put her hand on his arm. “Let’s wait until we get home, shall we? I want to pick out a design for the stained glass, and one of us should be there when they install it, to make sure the kitties don’t get out or in the way or something. It’s okay as it is for a few more days, don’t you think so?”

  “Okay,” Michael said with a sigh. He asked, “Is everyone ready to go? We’ll soon be on the mountain road. Keith, how about you let me go ahead when we hit the turnoff so you can keep an eye on that trailer I’m towing.”

  “Sure. You know where we’re going, anyway.”

  “If I can remember; it’s been a long time since I’ve been up there. Savannah,” Michael asked, “how about you?”

  “Yeah, I sorta remember how to get there. Craig wrote down the directions. I have them on my phone.”

  “How big is Craig’s cabin?” Holly asked. “Will it handle this group?”

  “It had better,” Michael said, “otherwise some of the kids will have to sleep in the car.”

  “How about a tent,” Adam suggested. He turned to Cassie. “Want to sleep in a tent? Do we have a tent, Dad?”

  Michael twisted his face, curled his fingers to look like claws, and roared. “Sure,” he snarled, “you kids can sleep on the ground with bears roaming around and monkeys sneaking in and biting your toes.”

  “Daaad,” Adam said, “there are no monkeys up there.”

  “Yeah,” Cassie agreed, “monkeys live in the zoo, Uncle Michael.”

  After the laughter had died down, Savannah said, “To answer your question, Holly, there are two bedrooms with two beds each—a double bed and a single, as I recall. There are two full-size sofas in the living room. We brought sleeping bags and there are plenty of blankets. There’s also a large basement with a funky room off to one side that could offer privacy for someone. Craig has put cots in the basement, and this time of year it should be warm enough to sleep in there. So to answer your question, yeah, it will accommodate the ten of us just fine. The kitchen opens up into a good-sized dining area and a large living room, so that’s nice.” She turned to her mother. “Mom, you might actually like the small room in the basement. Craig told me he had a bathroom put in down there last year.”

  “With modern plumbing, I hope,” Holly said.

  Savannah nodded. “Yes. So I was thinking that we could take the larger room for our family. Teddy’s bed and all his stuff should fit in there. Holly, you two and Bethany can sleep in the second bedroom, and the older children can sleep in sleeping bags, either in the living room or on cots in the basement.”

  “I dibs the basement!” Adam said.

  “Why the basement?” Michael asked.

  “Because it’s more like camping,” he replied.

  “Yeah,” Cassie said, “I want to sleep on a cot in the basement.” She looked inquisitively at Michael. “What’s a cot?”

  “A portable canvas bed,” Keith explained. When Cassie continued to look confused, he said, “Like a hammock, only it doesn’t swing.”

  Michael offered, “Like you see the soldiers sleeping on in war movies.”

  Savannah frowned at him. “She doesn’t watch war movies.” She tried her hand at describing a cot. “It’s made of cloth and doesn’t have a real mattress, so you can fold it up and take it hiking with you.”

  “Oh,” Cassie said, still appearing confused. “Okay, I guess.”

  “Let’s go, then,” Keith said, standing up and helping Bethany down from her chair.

  ****

  The two-car caravan arrived at the turnoff onto the mountain road later that morning.

  “Stop here for a minute,” Savannah suggested. “I want to call Auntie before we lose service.” Into the phone, she asked breathlessly, “Hi. Anything?”

  “No.” Margaret said.

  “Did you check the shed?”

  “Yes; nothing. I don’t know where your cat is, Vannie. He could be having breakfast with a coyote up in the hills for all I know, or maybe he rode down to the sheriff’s office with Craig last night when he arrested your burglars and he’s on the payroll now, or…”

  Savannah let out a sigh. “Never mind.”

  In a more serious tone, Margaret said, “Hey, Max is out checking with neighbors as we speak, going on your theory that Rags could have gotten himself closed in a shed or a barn.”

  “Okay. Well, we’re heading up the mountain now, so we may lose reception. Text me or call and leave a message when you find him, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you, Auntie. I just hope he shows up soon.”

  “Me too,” Margaret cranked. “I have work to do.”

  Savannah wept quietly for a moment, then said, “I’m so sorry to burden you with this, but I don’t know who else I can count on.” Her voice trailed off.

  “It’s okay, Vannie,” Margaret said more gently. “Don’t you worry; we’ll find him. Safe travels now. Talk to you soon.”

  “Thank you.”

  Meanwhile, Keith exited his car and approached Michael. “Hey, Bethany wants to ride with Lily for a while. Okay with you?”

  “Yeah,” Adam said, “Cassie and I want to finish that game we started. Can we trade, Dad?”

  “Okay with me,” Michael said. “Let me make room for her car seat.”

  “I’ll give you your place back, Vannie,” Gladys said from the front passenger seat.

  “No, no, Mom. I’m fine back here with the kids. How about we put Lily and Bethany in the very back so they can play together?”

  After everyone was situated, Michael began the drive slowly up the winding mountain road with Keith following. They’d been traveling for about half an hour when Holly said, “Keith, what is that in their trailer?”

  “What?”

  “Well, there’s a bump that keeps popping up under the tarp. I see it, then I don’t. I can’t figure out what it is.” She pointed. “There, see that bulge?”

  “Yeah,” he said unconcerned.

  “Watch,” she instructed, “it moves.”

  “Oh, honey, it’s the wind—you know, little air pockets cropping up here and there under the tarp.”

  Adam sat up straighter in his seat and suggested, “Maybe it’s something rolling around in there.”

  “Could be,” Keith agreed.

  “No,” Holly insisted. She pointed again. “Did you see that? It’s not rolling and it’s not the wind. There’s something under that tarp.”

  Keith laughed. “There are a lot of things under that tarp—Teddy’s stroller, our suitcases, food, the cooler...”

  “Honey,” she demanded, “I think it’s alive.” She clutched her hands at her chest. “Do you think a vagrant climbed in there while we were eating breakfast?” She turned to Keith and begged, “Make them stop so we can get him out of there. We don’t want some stranger in our cabin with us.”

  “Awe, Holly, I don’t think…”

  “I saw it move!” Cassie announced.

  “Yeah,” Adam said. “I think someone’s under there with our stuff, moving around.”

  Holly picked up her phone and tried to call Savannah. When she got the no signal message, she frantically suggested, “Keith, honk your horn, flash your lights. We have to make them stop!”

  “Not on this narrow road, I’m not,” he insisted. “Besides, I’m sure that all you guys are seeing is wind pockets.”

  “I don’t think so, Keith,” Holly asserted.

  Rather impatiently, he said, “Okay, keep trying to get Savannah; I’ll watch for a place to pull over.”

  Meanwhile Cassie and Adam continued to sit forward so they could keep an eye on the trailer.

  “Hello!” Holly shouted, “hello! Can you hear me? Oh hi, Savannah. Listen, you have to pull over; there’s som
eone in your trailer. Savannah? Hello?” Holly looked down at her phone. “Darn it. I don’t know if it went through or not.” She bounced a little in her seat and pointed. “Hey, there’s a road coming up ahead. Get them to turn off there. Flash your lights!”

  “I see that guy moving around again,” Cassie announced. “He keeps poking the cover up.”

  “The tarp,” Adam corrected. He then spoke more excitedly, “I see it. I think he wants out of there.”

  “Yeah, we want him out of there too,” Keith said, repeatedly flashing his lights and honking at Michael. Finally, he saw the trailer’s brake lights flash. “I think they got the message. Michael’s probably looking for a place to pull over.” He sighed. “I hope the turnoff is adequate for his rig. Don’t want to jackknife that thing.”

  “What’s the problem?” Michael called out, approaching Keith after parking alongside the road. He bent down and peered under the trailer. “Is it a tire?”

  Keith walked toward him and scrutinized the area in the trailer where they’d seen the odd activity. He stepped back and motioned for Michael to join him. He pointed and whispered, “It appears that we’ve picked up a hitchhiker—probably some homeless dude who climbed aboard at the restaurant.”

  Michael examined the tie-downs on the tarp. “It can’t be,” he said. “The tarp’s still secure.”

  “But watch,” Keith suggested, pointing.

  “Yeah, Dad,” Adam said, joining them, “there’s something under there.”

  “Wind, my son,” Michael chortled. “It’s called wind.”

  “I don’t think so, Michael,” Holly said, walking up to them with Cassie.

  “What’s wrong?” Savannah asked, stepping out of the backseat of their car with Lexie on her leash. “Do we have a flat?”

  Adam ran to her and said quietly, “Someone’s in the trailer.”

  “What?” she hissed, edging closer to the others. “Michael, what are you doing?” she asked when she saw him begin to remove one of the tie-downs. “Michael, don’t do that!”

  Keith picked up a sturdy stick he found lying nearby, and motioned for the women and children to step back.

  In the midst of it all, Lexie started barking and turning in circles.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Savannah said sweetly, trying to calm the dog.

  “She knows someone’s under there,” Holly whispered, hooking one arm in Savannah’s for support, while holding Cassie close with the other hand.

  When Michael realized the dog was agitated, he cringed. “Well, let’s take a look, shall we?” Before lifting the tarp, he checked to make sure Keith was ready with the stick. He glanced at the others, then tossed the tarp back, ducking in case Keith needed to swing the bat. When he heard a rush of chatter and exclamations, he turned back toward the trailer. “Good Lord,” was all he could mutter when he saw a familiar whiskered face peering out from amidst their belongings. “Is this someone’s idea of a joke?” he complained. “Because if it is, I’m not one bit amused.” He faced the others. “Who did it? Who’s responsible for this?” He looked at Savannah, who was attempting to squelch the urge to laugh hysterically.

  “I had no idea,” she said between chortles. She handed Lexie’s leash to Adam, then moved closer to the trailer. Reaching in with both hands, she lifted the stowaway from his refuge. “Rags, what do you think you’re doing?” she demanded as Lexie excitedly danced around her.

  “Unbelievable,” Holly said. “Does that cat know no bounds?”

  “Not where my sanity’s concerned,” Michael complained, affectionately scratching the top of Rags’s head.

  Meanwhile, Cassie and Adam fawned over Rags. “Is he okay?” Adam asked. “He must have been in there for a long time. He could have suffocated or starved to death.”

  “I doubt that,” Keith said, “but he might need to relieve himself.”

  “How are we going to let him do that?” Savannah asked. “I can’t turn him loose. Obviously, he can’t be trusted.”

  “It’ll be just my luck that he did his business on my favorite shirt,” Michael carped.

  “Oh, honey, your clothes are in your suitcase on the other side of the trailer.” She thought of something. “But hey, we might have one of his harnesses with us. You guys didn’t empty out the trailer completely, did you? I had a box in there with his extra leash and harness and a bag of litter and cat food, believe it or not.”

  Michael squinted. “So you did sneak him in. You’re getting to be a pretty good actor. You had me going with your pretended concern that he was lost…those fake calls to your aunt and all.”

  “No, Michael,” she persisted, “I did not know he was in there. I swear. He did this all on his own. It’s just that habit of mine to plan for the unexpected with him. I’ve learned to over-pack for Rags. I put all that extra stuff in there for our trip to the beach last week.” When the others looked puzzled, she shrugged. “Well, you can see why I do that, can’t you?”

  Holly and Keith nodded without much expression.

  Savannah handed the cat to Michael and pointed. “If you didn’t unload it, that box should be right about here. Keith, want to loosen this rope for me?”

  “Bingo,” she said when Keith lifted the tarp. She dug inside the box and pulled out a harness and a leash. She glanced around inside the trailer. “Looks like he found the bag of kibbles. Good to know you’re self-sufficient,” she said to the cat while strapping the harness onto him. She took him from Michael and eased him to the ground. “Now, let’s go potty, shall we?”

  “With all those people watching?” Keith joked.

  “Okay, turn your backs, then,” Savannah suggested.

  ****

  The two families, Lexie, and the tagalong cat arrived at Craig’s mountain cabin before noon.

  “I still can’t believe him,” Michael said as he parked the car and trailer. He gave Rags a sideways glance. “He won’t even allow us a few carefree days away.”

  “So you believe this is an intricate plan he designed?” Savannah challenged. “He knew we were coming up here and he figured out a way to be included? Is that really what you think?”

  “Probably,” he said unconvincingly. He scowled playfully at her. “And you, my little wifey, you had his box all packed for him. You two were in cahoots against me.”

  She laughed. “Oh, Michael, just chill, will you? What is, is. Now get used to it.”

  Feigning a sulk, he complained, “Yeah, what is, is my fishing trip’s ruined.”

  Savannah grinned at her husband. “Stop being so dramatic.” Just then she realized, “I’d better call Auntie and let her know.”

  “From here?” he asked. “Don’t you have to go across the lake or something to make a phone call?”

  “Yeah, but I remember us finding one little spot where you can get service not too far from the cabin. Let’s see, it’s…” she looked around, “over there, I believe. Come on, Rags,” she urged, tugging on his leash.

  When she and Rags returned to the cabin minutes later, she looped his leash under a chair leg in the living room and proceeded to help the others unload the cars and trailer.

  “What did my sister say?” Gladys asked.

  Savannah grimaced. “Well, she was kind of annoyed.” She mimicked Margaret, “‘I spent half the day looking for him and all the time he was taking a trip to the mountains, probably laughing all the way up the hill.’ Then she said something about never agreeing to take responsibility for him again.”

  Gladys laughed. “Sounds like Maggie, but I can’t say as I blame her.”

  Savannah ignored her mother. “I wonder if we can find a pen of some sort around here.” When Michael looked at her quizzically she said, “For Rags. Maybe there’s a wild animal trap in that storage shed out there. I’d like to have a way to confine him.”

  “He can stay in the basement,” Michael suggested. “He’ll have a lot of room in there.”

  “That’s an
idea.” Savannah glanced at Rags and instantly became alarmed. “What in the heck are they doing?”

  “What?” Michael and Holly asked.

  “Well, Lexie was nosing around the base of that floor lamp, and look at Rags—he’s pawing at it. Don’t do that, you two!” she shouted. “You might knock it over and break it!”

  “They probably saw a bug crawl under there,” Holly said. “Our cat loves to torment bugs and spiders.”

  “Yeah, I imagine that’s what it is,” Savannah agreed, continuing to put things away.

  “That’s my baby,” Lily chirped when Michael dropped an armload of items onto one of the sofas. “My baby, Mommy,” Lily said, picking up her doll and hugging it. She looked around. “Where’s her blankie?”

  Savannah lifted the bundle Michael had deposited and started to carry it into the bedroom, saying, “We’ll find it, punkin. Your baby’s okay. It’s warm enough. She doesn’t need her blankie right now.”

  “Lily,” Bethany said, running into the room, “I got my dolly. Want to play dollies?”

  “Good idea,” Holly said. “You girls can play here in the living room while we put things away in the kitchen.”

  “Okay,” Bethany said to Lily, “that brown couch is your room and my room is on the other couch. Let’s make our babies take a nap and we’ll have a tea party. Mommy, where’s my tea cups?”

  Holly tilted her head. “I think I saw them in the blue bag on your bed in our room. Go look in there.”

  “What did Maggie say when you told her where Rags was?” Keith asked, placing a box on the kitchen counter.

  Savannah chuckled. “Oh, like I was telling Mom and Michael, she’s a bit annoyed that she wasted all that time looking for him, and was surprised to learn of his most recent exploit.” She winced. “I guess I owe her when we get back, although, she sounded relieved that she doesn’t have responsibility for Rags this weekend. And no dog to walk, either.”

  “Yeah,” Michael said, wheeling two suitcases through the front door, “we brought all the problems with us.”