On the Wrong Side of the Paw Read online

  “Hi, sweet thing,” she greeted, hugging the child. “Whatcha doing?”

  Lily put on her pouty face, folded her arms across her chest, and complained, “Time out.”

  “Yes,” Savannah said sternly, entering the room with Teddy in her arms, “you’re supposed to be sitting quietly in your chair, young lady.”

  “I’m no lady,” Lily spouted, walking slowly to a small chair off to the side of the room. She sat down and picked up one of her books from the floor.

  “She gets to read during her time out?” Margaret asked. “What’s she in trouble for, anyway?” When Margaret focused on Teddy, she remarked, “What happened to him?”

  “The cherub there,” Savannah said sounding exasperated, “used him as a canvas. Lily expressed her artistic side with a marker, no less, and do you know what her excuse was—the little smarty pants?”

  Margaret tried to stifle a laugh. “No, what?”

  “That she’s not supposed to color on the walls. I guess she’s pleading ignorance. She didn’t know there was a rule against coloring on her brother.”

  “Oh dear,” Margaret said, still laughing. She looked more closely at the designs on Teddy’s body. “Won’t it come off?”

  “Not without a lot of scrubbing. I don’t want to scrub him raw. I was just about to look up how to painlessly remove marker from a baby’s skin.”

  Margaret reached out for Teddy. “Here, let me hold him while you do your research.” She studied a couple of the marks on him, “My, Teddy-boy, your sister’s quite artistic, isn’t she? That looks like a butterfly.” She tilted her head and rubbed a blue spot on his arm. “I think this is a bicycle. Tattoos,” she said. “Vannie, just think of these as tattoos. Guys get them all the time.”

  Savannah scowled at her aunt and continued searching on her phone.

  “Still no word from your mother?” Margaret asked. When Savannah shook her head, she said, “Oh no.”

  “What?” Savannah asked alarmed.

  “She has your cat with her.”

  Savannah looked puzzled. “Yes, why?”

  “Now I’m concerned. Oh my gosh, I wonder what sort of trouble he has gotten my sister into.”

  “If she needs help with Rags, then why hasn’t she called?” Savannah complained. “Surely she isn’t still driving.”

  “Oh, her phone has probably lost the charge. It happens, Vannie.”

  “I know, but it’s highly unlikely with Mom. She’s religious about charging her phone every single night overnight.”

  “Me too, but every once in a while my phone doesn’t charge because the charger wasn’t plugged in properly.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably it.” She stared at her phone screen and said, “But what is taking her so long to get home? She certainly wouldn’t do any serious grocery shopping with Rags along.”

  “Maybe she waited at the clinic for Frankie’s surgery to be over.”

  “Then why isn’t she answering her phone? Auntie, I’m worried.”

  Margaret studied Savannah for a moment. “You know, I wouldn’t be, except that your cat’s with her.”

  Savannah started to defend Rags, but said instead, “Yeah, that has me worried, too.” She faced her. “What should we do?” “Call Scarlett and find out when your mother left. Ask if she said anything about stopping somewhere on her way home.”

  “Good idea.” However, once Savannah had ended the call with Scarlett, she said, “Back to square one, Auntie. Mom left about the time Michael called me and no, she didn’t mention anything other than saying, ‘I’d better get the cat home.’ Oh, Scarlett said she was making a delivery for her, but that was only a few blocks away from the clinic. It should have taken her just a couple of minutes.” Savannah stood up and walked to the window again, hoping to see her mother’s car drive in. When she saw a car in the distance, she said, “Oh, here she comes.” She hesitated. “Wait. That’s not her car. I think it’s Craig.” She walked out onto the porch and waited for the detective to approach. She felt her stomach tighten, dreading what news he would bring. “Is this about my mother?” she asked, her voice strained.

  “Huh? What kind of welcome is that?” Craig quipped, stepping out of his car. “Can’t a friend just stop by anymore?”

  “I’m sorry, it’s just that…” She swallowed hard. “Come in.”

  He walked inside and nodded toward Margaret. “Hi, Maggie.” He frowned when he saw Teddy in her arms. “What happened to the little guy?”

  “Hi, Unkie Craig,” Lily chirped, rushing toward him.

  “Well, hi there, Lily. What’s that all over your brother?”

  She lowered her head, then pointed at his arm. “That’s a cat.” She poked a spot on his tummy. “Pony,” she said.

  Craig began to laugh. “So he’s your art project, is he?”

  Lily glanced at Savannah.

  “Yeah,” Savannah said, “do you know how to remove marker from a baby?”

  Craig chuckled. “’Fraid not. Hey, what I stopped by for…” he gazed toward the kitchen, “aside from a piece of cobbler or pie or…”

  “Cookies!” Lily shouted. “Want a cookie, Unkie Craig? I get you a cookie.”

  “Sounds delicious. Did you make the cookies, Lily?”

  “Me and Grammy,” she said. She looked at her mother. “Where’s Grammy?” “Yeah,” Savannah said, “Craig, I thought you were coming to tell me something about my mother. I don’t know where she is.”

  He frowned. “Well, that’s odd. Did you have a squabble or something?”

  “No.”

  “Where’d she say she was going?”

  Savannah took a breath. “Well, she drove Brianna’s cat to the clinic. Michael has to do surgery on him. She left there almost an hour ago, according to Scarlett, Michael’s receptionist, and I can’t get her on her phone or anything.”

  “She has Rags with her,” Margaret said, quietly.

  “Oooh,” Craig remarked. “Now I see why you’re concerned about a sensible woman who’s been gone for only an hour. She has Rags with her.” He chuckled. “Well, the lord only knows where he might have led poor Gladys.” He snickered. “You may not see the two of them for days, but I’m sure she’ll return with some interesting stories.”

  “Craig, I don’t want interesting stories, I want to know where my mother and my cat are.” She looked at Margaret, then Craig. Near tears, she said, “I wish you two would take this seriously. I’m worried.”

  Margaret put one arm around her niece. “I’m sorry, Vannie.”

  “Cookie?” Lily said, handing Craig one.

  “Wait,” Savannah said, snatching the cookie from the child. She gave her a stern

  look. “Lily, did you lick this cookie?”

  Lily swiped at her face, looked down at the floor, and said, “Only a little.” She held one finger up and said coyly, “One baby lick.”

  Margaret and Craig could not hide their amusement. Craig said, “That’s okay. That cookie looks real good.” He took it from Savannah and bit into it. “Yum. Thank you, Lily.”

  The child beamed.

  Just then Craig’s phone chimed. He winced, slipped it from his pocket, and looked at the screen. He excused himself and took the call. When he returned, he appeared to be a little concerned.

  “Trouble?” Savannah asked.

  “Maybe,” he said. He stared at her for a moment, then turned to leave. “I’d better go.” Before reaching the door, he faced Savannah again. “Maybe you should go with me. Maggie can you…?”

  “Yeah, sure, I can stay with the kids.” She frowned. “Why?” She looked from Savannah to Craig.

  “Well,” he said, “it appears that Rags and Gladys…” he chuckled and said to Savannah, “How about I fill you in on the way?”

  Savannah recoiled. “Oh, dear. They’re in trouble with the law?”

  “Call me!” Margaret insisted, watching them leave.

  “What happened?” Savannah asked from the passenger seat of Craig’s car. “Are they okay?”

  “I think so.” He chuckled. “Although, knowing your mom, she’s probably embarrassed as hell.”

  Savannah put her hands up to her face. “Oh no. What has he done?”

  “You’ll see,” he said, grinning and shaking his head.

  Minutes later, as Craig turned onto the main street of Hammond, Savannah remarked, “Gosh, looks like a traffic jam. Maybe you should use side streets.”

  “Naw, this is where we need to be. Got your phone camera ready?”

  Savannah furrowed her brow and looked ahead. When Craig parked his unmarked official car, she stepped out and he joined her on the sidewalk. He motioned for her to follow him and she did so, apprehensively.

  “What is this, a protest or something?” she asked, trying to keep up with him. “What are all these people doing?”

  He shrugged. “You might call it a protest.”

  When he stopped, Savannah followed his gaze and gasped. Overhead on a balcony two stories up, was a familiar form. Before she could speak, someone grabbed her from behind.

  “Oh, Vannie, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how it happened.”

  “Mom, are you all right?” Savannah asked, looking her mother over. “What’s going on, how did…?”

  Meanwhile, Craig took Savannah’s arm. “They want you up there. They need your help.”

  “Me?” Savannah cranked. “Up there?”

  Craig nodded.

  She turned to Gladys. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes,” she said, “but I don’t know about that baby up there. Rags won’t let anyone near her.” She nudged Savannah gently. “Go, see if you can get Rags out of the way before she falls.” When Savannah hesitated, Gladys said, “Go! Rags can’t keep the infant safe forever.”

  “Rags is doing what?” Savannah screeched.

  “Come on,” Craig said, ushering her through the crowd toward a fireman. “This is Savannah Ivey. She can deal with that cat up there.”

  “What’s going on?” she asked. “Is my cat okay?”

  “He’s fine. He just won’t let us do our job. That baby’s stuck up there on the terrace. I guess the cat saw her and he ran up the fire escape. It appears that he has been keeping the baby from falling through the railing, but he won’t let any of us, even the nanny, near the child. If you can get the cat away from the baby, then we can do our job.”

  Craig chuckled and said to the fireman, “Alls the cat’s doing is his job. He does it well, don’t you think so?”

  The fireman smirked at Craig. “Yeah, Detective. Only he doesn’t follow orders very well.”

  “How can I get to him?” Savannah asked. “Should I go inside up the elevator?”

  “No. We’ll take you up the ladder. Hopefully, the cat will come to you.”

  “That big ladder?” Savannah questioned. “What if I’m afraid of heights?”

  “As tall as you are, ma’am, that’s doubtful,” one fireman quipped. He then said, “I’ll go up with you. I won’t let you fall.”

  She took another look toward the balcony. “Okay, let’s go.”

  As Savannah and the fireman reached the balcony, she surveyed the situation. She made eye contact with the nanny through the glass doors leading into the apartment, and she looked at the baby, who was playing just inches from the railing. Rags sat leaning against the child on the railing side. “Rags,” Savannah said. “Rags.”

  The cat looked at her, then at the child, and meowed.

  “He won’t move,” Savannah said. “He seems to be trying to keep the baby from getting any closer to the railing. I can’t reach him from here.”

  “Can you climb over the railing?” the fireman asked.

  “Yes, I think I can.”

  With the fireman behind her, Savannah started to step slowly over the railing. “Rags,” she soothed, “just stay where you are. Good boy, Rags. I’ll help you make sure the baby’s safe.” Thank heavens and genes for long legs, she thought as she lowered herself onto the balcony, trying not to startle the baby or the cat. Both sat still and watched her, and she saw this as an opportunity. She walked up to them, petted Rags and quickly lifted the baby into her arms.

  The crowd below began to cheer. Savannah carried the baby to where the nanny eagerly waited, and handed her off. She reached for Rags, but before she could get her hands on him, he raced past her into the apartment.

  “Get him away!” the nanny screeched. “Keep him away from the baby.”

  Savannah quickly picked up the cat and held onto him as a fireman approached from the inside. “Is she okay?” he asked. “Are there any injuries? Did the cat scratch her or anything?”

  “I did not see the cat hurt her,” the nanny said, holding the baby close while fighting back tears. “No, I’m sure she’s just fine.”

  As one of the firemen checked the baby over, Savannah asked the woman, “Is it okay if I go through your apartment and take the elevator down with the cat?”

  The woman nodded, and one of the firemen chuckled. “Didn’t like climbing that ladder, huh?”

  Savannah grinned at him and started to leave with Rags in her arms. She turned back, however, when she heard the baby cry.

  “Wait,” the woman called. “Sophia wants to see the cat again. We should maybe take a picture with him to show her parents. They’ll be coming home today.”

  “Sure,” Savannah said, walking toward the baby, who calmed down when she saw Rags. The child patted the cat and laughed.

  After both Savannah and the nanny had taken a few pictures, Savannah’s phone chimed. She put it up to her ear and heard Craig say, “Everything okay?”

  “Yes,” she responded. “Just taking some keepsake photos.”

  “For the baby’s album?” one of the fireman asked.

  Savannah smiled. “Yes, and the cat’s.”

  ****

  “So what happened?” Margaret asked her sister once she and Savannah had returned home with Rags.

  “Well,” Gladys said, “Scarlett asked if I’d make a delivery. With Frankie needing that emergency surgery, she had to stay late and miss the small window of opportunity to deliver meds to a client. He had a plane to catch and…oh, it was just kind of a mix-up and I volunteered to help Scarlett out. The client lives in one of those apartments downtown. I’d just delivered the stuff when I noticed a commotion. I looked up to see what had everyone’s interest, and there was a baby crawling around on one of those balconies all by herself. It was a frightening sight. She kept pulling herself up at the railing and looking down below. A couple of people ran inside the building to try to find the apartment and get the parents’ attention.” She took a breath and shook her head. “Then someone pointed out the cat…”

  “Rags?” Margaret asked.

  Gladys nodded. “As it turned out, yes. He was climbing the fire escape up to that balcony where the baby was. I couldn’t believe my eyes. When he reached the balcony, the child was immediately drawn to the cat—she sat down and began patting him and lying across him. When she’d crawl close to the railing, Rags would herd her away. It was something to watch—horrifying, but somehow the cat seemed to be protecting her—keeping her safe.”

  “So why didn’t someone rescue the baby?” Margaret asked.

  Gladys made eye contact with Savannah, who cringed. “It wasn’t that cut and dried, Maggie.”

  Margaret glanced at the cat. “Of course not. So what happened?”

  “Well, he wouldn’t let anyone near the child, not even her nanny. He went into protective mode and everyone was afraid to go near him. When I saw this, I was terrified of what the crowd might do to him.” Her eyes widened. “When the firemen and sheriffs got there, things began to accelerate and Rags became even more protective. I guess that’s when someone called Craig. I think it was Deputy Ben. I told him that was Rags up there. They figured Craig would know what to do.”

  “How’d he get out of the car?” Savannah asked. “And why didn’t you answer your phone?”

  “It all happened so fast,” Gladys admitted, sounding a little flustered.

  Margaret moaned. “I know how that goes.”

  “Yeah, well, the only thing I can figure is that he slipped past me when I got out of the car to deliver that medication. I didn’t even realize that was Rags up there on that balcony until I started to get into the car and saw that he was gone. I panicked, as you can imagine. When I got back out of the car to get a better look at the cat, I inadvertently locked my purse inside. There I was with no car keys or phone. One of the sheriff’s deputies managed to get my car door open; that was after Vannie showed up with Craig.”

  “What an experience,” Savannah said.

  “Yeah,” Gladys carped, “one I hope never to have again.” She then said, “Oh, I think he’ll be in the evening paper. Damon was there with a camera and I answered a few of his questions.”

  “Oh dear,” Savannah complained.

  then her phone chimed.

  “I thought you’d be calling about Frankie,” Michael said when she answered.

  “Oh, Frankie. How’d he do?” she asked. “Is he okay?”

  “Just fine. It was a fish bone. It had caught in his throat. He’s much more comfortable now. I’ll bring him home to stay one more night. Bri can come get him tomorrow, if that’s okay with you. Bri sounded relieved when I suggested that.”

  “Certainly. Yes, bring him here. He’ll probably want to thank Rags for the diagnosis.” “So why didn’t you call about Frankie?” Michael asked. “Did you get busy with the kids? Or did you go out to check on the cat colony?”

  “Actually, I was busy with Rags and someone else’s baby.”

  “Huh?”

  “Yes, I guess you’ll read about it in the newspaper tonight.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, Rags and I went to some extreme heights today to save a toddler.” Before he could respond, she added, “Gotta go. I’m still trying to figure out how to get a pony and a kitty-cat off our son. See you later, hon.”

  Chapter Three

  “A spectacle,” Michael muttered while eating dinner later that evening.

  “What?” Savannah asked, reaching for a piece of cornbread.