CATalyst for Clues (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 25) Read online

  “She gave him to her catsitter—a widowed neighbor who really likes him.”

  “Does she miss him?”

  Savannah grinned. “She says that our menagerie makes up for any longing she might have for her cat. And she knows he’s happy where he is.” Suddenly taking an off-ramp, she said, “Keep your eye peeled for a pet store, will you? If we don’t see one, Marci can probably direct us to one we can visit before leaving the area.”

  Margaret looked impishly at her niece. “Hey, Adam likes Rags. Maybe we can leave him at their house and pick him up on our way back.”

  Savannah thought about that for a moment, then said, “Naw, I can’t do that to Marci and Eric. That’s way too much responsibility, if you know what I mean.”

  Margaret chortled. She looked back at the cat, who stood on the seat peering out a side window, and she said under her breath, “Yeah. Unfortunately, I know exactly what you mean.”

  Chapter 2

  Savannah had just parked her car under a shade tree in front of Marci’s and Eric’s when Adam burst from the house, shouting, “Savannah, hi!”

  She stepped out and enveloped him in a hug. “Hi yourself, kiddo.”

  When Adam saw Margaret, he greeted her. “Hi, Aunt Maggie.”

  “Hey there, Adam. I came to see that cat you’ve been telling me about. Tiger, right?”

  He nodded. “Want to see my fort too?”

  “Sure do,” Margaret said enthusiastically.

  Adam started to turn and lead the women toward the house, when he noticed the cat in the car. “Hey, there’s Rags! I didn’t know you were bringing Rags.”

  Savannah tousled the boy’s hair. “Neither did we.”

  “Huh?” When Adam saw the look on her face, he laughed. “Oh no. Did he sneak a ride?”

  Savannah let out a sigh and nodded.

  The ten-year-old laughed even harder, then said through the car window, “Oh Rags, you’re going to have a time-out. Maybe a whole bunch of time-outs.” He quickly turned to Savannah. “Can he come in and see Tiger and my fort?”

  “I don’t think so, buddy. He didn’t pack his leash and harness.”

  “Hey, Tiger has one.” Adam stared at Rags, who continued to meow at them through the window. Then he frowned. “But he’s bigger than Tiger, so I don’t know if it’ll fit him.”

  By then, Marci and Eric had joined them, along with Adam’s five-year-old sister, Rose. “I’ll go get it,” Eric offered.

  “Thanks,” Savannah said. “He might need a potty break.”

  Marci chuckled. “Did I hear you say he hitched a ride without you knowing it?”

  Savannah winced and nodded.

  “Just when you think you’re going to have a pleasant trip,” Margaret carped, “the troublemaker shows up.”

  Most everyone but Savannah laughed. When Eric returned with the harness, she examined it. “This just may work—thanks. Let me try it on him.” Within seconds, she led Rags out of the car on the leash and he immediately dug in a patch of dirt around the shade tree and squatted.

  “I guess he did need a potty break,” Eric said.

  Savannah nodded, then handed the sneakers to Adam. “Here are your shoes.”

  “Thanks.” He held them up for Marci to see. “Now I can play out in the field, right?” Before his mother could respond, he turned to Savannah. “My friends and I are building a hideout in the wild berry bushes and Mom won’t let me go out there in my good shoes.”

  Eric smiled at the boy, then asked, “Do you ladies have time to come in?”

  Adam affectionately grasped his stepfather’s arm. “Yeah, I want Aunt Maggie to see my fort and meet Tiger.” He turned to Savannah. “You have time, don’t you?”

  She looked at her watch. “Not a whole lot. We are in kind of a hurry.”

  “Well come on, then,” Adam said, trotting toward the front door.

  Once inside, Savannah watched Adam run down the hallway, then she gestured toward Margaret. “I know you two met my aunt at the wedding…”

  “Yes,” Eric said. “Maggie, right?”

  Margaret nodded. “You have a good memory.”

  Marci smiled. “Well, Adam talks about you and your cat shelter a lot.” She reached her hand out. “Nice to see you again.”

  “You too,” Margaret said graciously. “We always enjoy Adam’s visits at the shelter. He’s fun to have around and he’s a good helper.”

  Just then, Adam returned carrying a striped tabby. “This is Tiger,” he said as he approached.

  When Margaret noticed the cat tense up in Adam’s arms, she warned, “Watch out!”

  But it was too late. Tiger leaped to the floor, raced down the hall, and disappeared into one of the rooms.

  Meanwhile, Adam rubbed his shoulder. “He scratched me,” he complained. “Why did he do that?”

  “I think we frightened him. He wasn’t expecting to see strangers in the house,” Margaret explained.

  “Or a strange cat,” Savannah added. She pointed. “Oh, look—he may be frightened, but he’s still curious.”

  Everyone turned and saw Tiger creeping out of a bedroom at the end of the hall and staring into the living room.

  “Come on, Tiger,” Adam urged. “Aunt Maggie likes cats. And Rags won’t hurt you.”

  “He’ll probably come out on his own,” Margaret said. “Let’s go see your fort while Tiger decides what he wants to do.”

  “Okay.” Adam turned to Eric. “Dad, will you get the ladder for Aunt Maggie?”

  “Sure,” Eric said, following after the pair.

  Margaret stopped and asked hesitantly, “A ladder?”

  “Yeah,” Adam said, “I use a rope ladder, but most grown-up people—you know, adults—would rather climb a regular ladder.”

  Margaret cringed. “I appreciate that, I think. How high up in the tree is this fort, anyway?” she asked as she followed the boy and his stepdad out the back door.

  Savannah smiled after them, then asked, “Marci, do you mind if Rags shares Tiger’s water bowl?” She winced. “I’ll have to stop someplace and get him a new harness and leash and litter box…darn him, anyway. I’ll also need food, bowls, litter...” She shook her head. “He is such a problem child.” When Marci didn’t respond and Savannah noticed that she was still staring after the others, she asked, “Marci, is something wrong?”

  Marci quickly wiped at her eyes. “No. Nothing, really.” She fumbled while reaching for two clean stainless-steel bowls and a box of kitty-kibbles. “Here, he can have his own bowls,” she said as she filled one with water and placed it on the floor and poured kibbles into the other. She smiled weakly at the cat. “Oh, I guess he was thirsty.” When she saw Rags take a bite of the cat food, she added, “…and hungry.”

  Savannah watched as Marci stared down at the cat. “What’s wrong?” When Marci didn’t respond, Savannah asked, “Is Adam all right? Everything’s okay with Adam, isn’t it?”

  “Oh yes. He’s fine.”

  “And Rose?”

  Marci ran her hand over her younger child’s hair. “She’s good. Eric’s fine. We’re all okay.” She looked up at Savannah and burst into tears.

  “Well obviously you’re not okay.” Savannah moved closer and put her arms around Marci. “What’s wrong?” she asked tenderly. “Can you tell me? Maybe I can help.”

  Marci slowly broke away from the embrace. “No one can help.” She turned back to face Savannah. “Oh, I don’t know what to do. I…I…” she swallowed hard and looked out the kitchen window. When she noticed that the others were still inspecting Adam’s tree fort, she smoothed Rose’s hair and asked, “Do you want to go out with Daddy and Adam?”

  The child nodded and ran toward the door. Marci opened it just as Adam approached. He addressed Savannah. “Can Rags come out to my fort?”

  “Okay. Just don’t let go of the leash.”

  “I know,” Adam said, picking up the leash and leading the cat toward the door.

  “Adam,” Ma
rci called, “would you help Rose down the steps? She wants to come out with you.”

  After watching the children and the cat make their way across the backyard, Marci turned to Savannah. “I hate to burden you with this, but I don’t know what else to do—who to turn to. If I don’t tell someone I’ll surely die. I’m so tortured. You just can’t imagine.”

  Savannah led Marci to a chair and encouraged her to sit down. She frowned. “No, I can’t imagine, so why don’t you tell me? Maybe it will lighten your load a little—you know, if you share it.” Although Savannah wasn’t at all sure she wanted the burden of another problem. The one she was pursuing at the moment was overwhelming enough. She took a deep breath and sat down.

  Marci sniffled, then glanced again briefly in the direction the others had gone. “Savannah, I know you have a lot on your mind, but I really do need to talk to someone.”

  “What is it, Marci?” Savannah asked quietly.

  She thinned her lips, then started. “I…I…God, it’s hard to say.” She let out a breath and the words followed. “I was involved in an accident right after Christmas.”

  “A car accident?” Savannah asked.

  Marci nodded.

  “That must have been frightening. Were you hurt?”

  Marci shook her head. “No. I’m fine.” She began to blubber. “It was a hit-and-run.”

  “How awful. So you don’t know who hit you?” Savannah asked. “Could you give the police a description?”

  Marci closed her eyes and shook her head. “You don’t understand, Savannah.” Her face became distorted with emotion. “I’m the hit-and-run driver. I hit another car. It was totally my fault.”

  “Oh,” Savannah said quietly. She wanted to say more, but had no words.

  Marci, however, couldn’t hold her words in. “I picked up my cell phone to look at a text that had just come in. I thought it might be Eric asking me to pick up something from the grocery store.” She spoke more slowly. “I ran a red light.” She glanced at the back door before continuing. “Eric and I’d had a glass of wine with dinner that night, and I was afraid I’d end up in jail. Then what would happen to Adam and Rose?” She twisted a tissue around her fingers. “Savannah, I know I did the wrong thing. I left the scene and I’ve been a blasted mess ever since.”

  Before Savannah could respond, Marci continued, “I stopped. I even got out of the car. I don’t think anyone saw me, except for the boy. Oh God, Savannah. He was about Adam’s age. He was lying there in the street. He looked up at me and moved his mouth, but nothing came out.” She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. “I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t face what I’d done. I thought he was dying—there was nothing I could do to help him. So I ran. And I’ve been running ever since.”

  When Marci stood and walked to the kitchen counter, Savannah followed her. She rested her hands on Marci’s shoulders, waiting for the right words. What can I say? she thought. Oh my gosh, this is awful. What if that boy died? How do I convince Marci that she has to go to the police? That’s the only right thing to do. But is that what I would do? How can a mother turn her back on her own children? She thought a bit more…But how can a mother function when she’s carrying such a burden of guilt and shame? Finally, she said, “It’s not too late to make it right.”

  Marci turned to face her. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, as hard as it would be, you have to go to the authorities. Confiding in someone is only a step—a step you needed to take. But honey, you really must take responsibility. This is not going away on its own. You’ll always wonder. You’ll live in fear of being found out. You have to go to the police. You owe it to yourself and to the people in the other car.”

  “No! I can’t do that to my family.”

  More sternly now, Savannah said, “Marci, what is it doing to you and your family now?” When the woman didn’t say anything, Savannah asked, “Do you have any idea who these people are?”

  “No.” She took a ragged breath. “But I’m haunted by every green car I see, and every car with a family inside.” She grimaced. “And then there was this cat.”

  “A cat?”

  “Yes.” She sniffled and wiped at her face with the tissue. “I saw a cat walk up to the boy and paw at him. When he heard the sirens, he got scared. I think he ran away.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I was just interested in getting out of there myself.”

  “Did you see who was driving the other car?”

  “No. I didn’t see them at all until we collided, then everything went black for a moment. When I realized what had happened and I looked at the wrecked car in front of me, I could see a woman inside comforting another child. No one was in the front seat—the driver may have been unconscious or,” she began to wail, “or he was dead.”

  “So you were able to drive away?”

  “Yes, my car had minor damage. Eric didn’t even notice it. He was gone a lot that week with his job. I took it to a body shop out of town and had if fixed right away.”

  Savannah spoke more guardedly. “Marci, you haven’t told your husband?”

  She shook her head.

  After studying Marci’s face for a few moments, Savannah said, “Okay, you chose to tell me this and I’m guessing you want my support and maybe my guidance.”

  Marci didn’t respond.

  As if speaking to a child, Savannah said, “You have to make it right or you’ll never have any peace and neither will your family.” When Marci started to protest, she said, “You must find the strength to do this. I don’t see any other way, do you? I mean, what’s it been—more than five months? And it appears that you’re not feeling any better. Do you see any point in continuing to do what you’ve been doing? Is it working for you?”

  Marci stood up straighter and took a deep breath. “You’re absolutely right.” Then she slumped. “But how?”

  “I don’t know. If you’re reluctant to go to the authorities, maybe you could find the family. Make amends with them.”

  “What if…?”

  “Marci,” Savannah said firmly, “don’t you think you’ve lived with the fear long enough?”

  The distraught woman took an uneven breath and nodded, then reached out and hugged Savannah. “Thank you. You really are a wonderful woman. I’ll think about what you’ve suggested.”

  “Now don’t do this because I suggested it. Do it because it’s the right thing to do, okay?”

  Marci nodded and murmured, “Thank you.” When she heard the others returning to the kitchen, she quickly excused herself. “I need to freshen up. Be right back.”

  Savannah did her best to change her demeanor. She blinked a couple of times, took a deep breath, and managed to smile at the others when they entered the room. “So Adam, what did Auntie think of your fort?”

  The boy glanced at Margaret and giggled. “She thinks it’s peachy keen.”

  Savannah grinned. “Peachy keen, huh? Is that good or bad?” she teased.

  “Good.” He laughed. “She thought the whole fort was going to fall out of the tree.”

  When Savannah looked at her aunt, Margaret complained, “I felt like I was sitting in a bird’s nest.”

  Eric chuckled. “You do have a bird’s-eye view from up there.”

  “Yeah,” Adam said, “you can see clear across to the other street and even the roof of the school and the bells at the church.” He tilted his head. “Aunt Maggie said she doesn’t like church bells.”

  “No, I didn’t exactly say that,” Margaret protested. “I said I don’t like bell towers.” When she saw Adam scratching his head, she added, “Sometimes they can be spooky.”

  Savannah smiled at her, then said, “Hey, we’d better gather up the cat and continue on our way.” She looked around. “Where’d he go?” Panicking, she asked, “Adam, you brought him back in, didn’t you?” When he nodded, she peered into the living room, then she heard Marci call out.

  “Here he is. He and Tiger are getting acquainted.” She g
estured. “Come take a look.”

  “Oh goodness. Is he behaving himself?” Savannah asked as she walked down the hall toward Marci.

  “Probably not,” Margaret said.

  When the group approached the room Marci had indicated, they all relaxed, for there they saw Rags curled up on Adam’s bed with his head on the pillow and Tiger was licking the top of Rags’s head. Savannah smiled. “Oh, Ragsie, how cute you are.”

  Eric chuckled. “He’s making himself right at home, isn’t he?”

  “Yeah,” Margaret said, “what does he think this is, a spa?”

  “Ki-ki!” Rose shouted with delight when she saw the two cats.

  Savannah looked at the child, then at Marci. “She’s speaking?”

  “Yes. Finally she’s starting to say a few words. Sometimes it takes Down’s children longer to speak. Some don’t speak at all, or they begin saying a few words once they start working with a speech therapist.” Marci smiled down at the child. “It looks like our girl won’t be silent after all.”

  Savannah squinted. “It seems like she was speaking when she was younger.”

  Marci nodded. “Yes, then she stopped. It happens sometimes with these children.”

  “You’ve all learned to sign, haven’t you? I’ve seen Adam using sign language with Lily. In fact, she tries to use it with the animals and I truly wonder if they understand.”

  “Sure, some animals can learn to understand signing,” Marci confirmed. “It’s kind of a universal way of communication.”

  “Gosh,” Margaret said, “just think what a quiet world we’d live in if everyone signed.” When she noticed the others looking at her, she explained, “Restaurant-dining would be much more pleasant without all of that loud chitter-chatter disturbing your meal.”

  “Only if they’d outlaw ceramic plates and metal utensils,” Eric said. “Talk about loud background noise.” When no one commented, he said, “Paper plates and rubber utensils—that would make my world more pleasant.” He gave Marci a peck on the cheek, squeezed Adam’s shoulder, and nuzzled with Rose. “Gotta get to work. I’ve played enough this morning.” He addressed Margaret and Savannah. “Good to see you both.” He frowned. “Good luck finding your sister.” Before walking away, he added, “Be careful.”