Karen Anne Golden - The Cats That 02 - The Cats that Chased the Storm (11 page)

“Fond of Beatrice?” he said, rolling his eyes. “Excuse the English, but we ain’t friends. Biddy is a
beeotch
. I don’t like the way she treats her employees. And her husband Frank is a drunk. He’s always getting into fights at the bar.”

Katherine quickly
sketched out her theory regarding Carol Lombard’s accident. She mentioned Beatrice’s visit to the house, and how gold coins fell out of her change purse. She also talked about Beatrice’s over-exuberance in obtaining Orvenia’s documents under the auspices of the Erie museum.

“This is quite a long shot.
  Why would you suspect Beatrice?”

“‘
There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact’,” Katherine said with a feigned British accent.

“Arthur Conan Doyle, right?”

Katherine nodded.  She didn’t tell him about Scout’s Halloween dance when Beatrice’s name was mentioned, or the other fang-marked clues, but said instead, “Before Carol left my house – minutes before she died – we loaded two boxes of my great aunt’s stuff in her car. After the wreck, Chief London said they weren’t in her vehicle. I think Carol drove the boxes over to Beatrice’s, then attempted to drive to the city. I think Beatrice followed her and drove her off the road.”

“I wouldn’t think Beatrice capable of that, but Frank might be. He’s gotten in trouble with the law many times. He’
s already had one DUI conviction. Maybe we should drop by the station and see if the chief is available,” he suggested.

“I kind of wanted to set Beatrice up. I don’t think the chief would want to be a party to it, because he might feel she’d claim it was entrapment.”

“What on earth do you have in mind?” he asked, puzzled.

“Let’s go in the library. We’ll sit at a table close to the front desk. If Beatrice is there, we can talk just loud enough so she can hear.”

“What will we say?”

“I’ll say I’ve found a journal belonging to William Colfax that suggests where the gold is hidden. You’ll ask me more details. I’ll say it’s in pink mansion’s attic. We leave and then camp out in the attic. If she takes the bait, she’ll break in the house and look for the money herself.”

“What if her nutcase husband comes along?” Jake asked uneasily.

“That’s where you come in,” Katherine said, patting his arm. “You can tackle him and I’ll take on Beatrice.”

“Not so sure about this plan, Katz. Sounds dangerous to me. What if he’s armed?”

“You mean packing a gun?” Katherine said
, surprised.

“
Everyone
has a gun in this town!”

Suddenly discouraged, she said, “I didn’t think of that.”

“Let’s talk to Chief London.”

“Okay, I guess,” Katherine said reluctantly.

Jake fired up the Jeep and drove to the Erie police station. Chief London wasn’t there, but Katherine was able to catch him on his cell phone. When she told the chief the plan, she didn’t have to put him on speaker because his voice was so loud, it blasted out and filled the room.

“You want to do what?” the chief squawked. “That’s the most cockamamie thing I’ve ever heard of.”

Jake stood nearby and shrugged his shoulders.

“Where are you?” the chief shouted.

“The police station,” Katherine answered warily. She regretted calling the chief in the first place.

“Stay where you are. I’ll be there in a few seconds.”

“Wow, I think my eardrums have burst,” Katherine complained, sitting down on a hard vinyl seat. Jake found a chair next to her.

Jake laughed and said, “He sounded like a hysterical parrot.”

Katherine rolled her eyes. “It was your big idea to tell him.”

“Guilty,” Jake said throwing up his hands.

Chief London’s cruiser pulled in front and he jumped out. Rushing in, he said, “I’ve beat you to the punch!”

Katherine and Jake exchanged curious glances.

“Beatrice Baker’s Crown Victoria has a serious dent on the front bumper with multiple paint scratches. Detective Martin rushed a paint sample to the state lab. They matched the body paint on Carol Lombard’s car.”

“Beatrice did it!” Katherine said. “I knew it!”

“Well, let me finish, hot shot,” the chief barked. “We got a warrant and searched her house. Her husband, Frank, threw a punch at Officer Glover, so we arrested him. We found the missing two boxes of documents you told me about, including the
TV Guides
. I picked up one about Star Trek, and a bunch of twenties fell out. Did you know that crazy Orvenia put twenty dollar bills in-between the pages? There’s got to be thousands of dollars in that box.”

“Maybe I should be more observant the next time I go through her stuff.”

“Also, we found more of the gold coins the CSI unit found. I’m bankin’ they came straight from the pink mansion.”

“She’s probably the one who ransacked my bedroom months ago.”

“I’d say Beatrice and her husband did it. I can’t see her doing anything on her own,” the chief said sarcastically.

Jake asked, “Are you sure Beatrice did the actual crime? That woman drives like a turtle.”

“Not saying she did. She’s an accomplice at the very least. We’re charging Frank with criminal recklessness with a motor vehicle, and vehicular homicide. My instinct tells me he was the one driving the car that pushed Carol off the road. I’m headed to the library now to pick up Beatrice for questioning.”

“Why would they
want to kill Carol? What was their motive?” Katherine asked curiously.

“Without a confession, I don’t know. But, most likely, the motive was good old-fashioned greed. Maybe sharing wasn’t one of their things. So, are we good here? I’ve got things to do,” he said dismissively.

“Yes, thanks!” Katherine said. Grabbing Jake’s arm, she said, “Right about now, I could use a piece of pie.”

Jake said, moving to the door, “Last one to the Jeep pays the bill!”

*      *      *

Later that afternoon, Jake called his professor friend at the university. He asked his friend whether he wanted to have some fun with the new metal detector the department bought. In less than an hour, Professor Wayne Watson arrived at the pink mansion carrying a Makro CF77 metal detector designed to find coins.

“We really appreciate your coming on such short notice,” Jake said, opening the door. “How ya doin’, buddy?”

Wayne was
tall – a dead ringer for Buddy Holly, complete with the thick, black-framed glasses.  He smiled. “Well, I’ve been told in no uncertain terms if I don’t use this gizmo, I lose it. You must be Katherine,” he said, extending his hand.

“Dr. Watson, I presume,” she joked.

“Good one,” he laughed. “You can call me Wayne.”

“I have one of my cats here. She made such a fuss at the bungalow, I brought her over here. Will it be too loud? I don’t want the noise to freak her out,” she said, concerned about Scout’s hearing.

“Oh, it’s not noisy at all. It’s designed to give a series of beeps when the object is found. But, I’ve got to warn you. This machine works better outside. Quite frankly, I’ve never used it inside a house. Lead the way,” he said to Jake.

“Okay, for starters let’s work from the ground floor up. I’ll show you the basement
,” Jake directed.

“I’ll join you in a moment. I need to find Scout,” Katherine said.

While the two men headed to the basement, the house phone rang. Katherine picked it up on the second ring. Scout bounded down the stairs and leaped up next to the phone. She sat on her haunches, tucking her feet underneath her. Katherine answered, “Hello.”

“Katz, it’s Monica. Thank you for releasing your interest in Gary’s life insurance policy. Your attorney sent me an authorized form.”

“You’re welcome,” Katherine answered.

Monica continued. “We’re putting the money into a trust for Gary’s two nephews – a college fund.”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Katherine agreed.

“But that isn’t the main reason
why I’ve called,” Monica said enthusiastically. “Brace yourself. Uncle Harry is driving out to Long Island this very minute to pick up Abra.”

Katherine collapsed in a near
by chair. Scout began crying excitedly. “Start from the beginning,” she said, shocked, and to Scout, “Shhh, I can’t hear, baby.”

“Some idiot left Abra at the animal shelter. She had a microchip ID implant. The shelter scanned it, then called Uncle Harry …
”

“Is she all right
? Sick? Injured?” Katherine asked in rapid succession.

“This I don’t know, but he asked me to call you. He’s going to re-train her and use her in his Hocus Pocus act again.”

“Hang on a second. Scout, Abra has been found. She’s okay!” Scout nuzzled her hand and waughed loudly in approval. Katherine said to Monica, “This news makes my day!”

“Uncle Harry is going to be in Chicago in June. He wants you to come and see the show,” she gushed.

“Yes, of course.”

“I’ll let you know when!”

“Thank you, and hugs!” Katherine said, hanging up. She picked up Scout and held her close. “This is unbelievable. Abra’s okay.”

“Waugh,” Scout cried with joy. She head-butted Katherine’s forehead and purred noisily.

Jake came up from the basement and walked into the room. “You two look very happy,” he observed.

“I just got the best news. Scout’s sister has been found. We get to see her in Chicago. Would you like to go?” she asked eagerly.

“I’d love to,” he smiled, “but in time you’ll have to explain to me how your cat’s sister got lost.”

Katherine nodded. “C
an you do me a favor?” she asked. “Can you show Wayne the attic. I’m taking Scout to the bungalow. I think she’s over-excited and needs to be with the other cats.”

“Sure.”

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Katherine said, picking up Scout. The excited Siamese clung to Katherine as they walked out the door to the rented SUV.

After taking Scout home, it took more than a few minutes to return. As soon as Scout was in the door, she initiated a steeplechase race that went on and on. Katherine had never imagined a cat could be so visibly happy, but Scout was elated. The other cats sensed her joy and became playful as well. Returning to the pink mansion, Katherine found Jake and Professor Watson in the attic. The metal detector was silent.

Jake shook his head. “Haven’t found anything of interest. Some rusty nails. An old closet hook.”

Wayne turned off the machine. “Sorry. Not finding anything up here either. Like I said, this machine is designed to be used outside.”

Katherine was disappointed. “I was sure we’d find a stash of gold coins.”

Wayne explained, “From my experience, most treasures are buried. There’s truth in that old wives’ tale about burying your fortune in the back yard. I could come back and scan the property.”

“Wait, just a minute,” Jake said avidly. “Do you have time to do a scan of a cemetery plot?”

“Sure. My car or yours?”

“Yours. My Jeep is a two-seater, unless you want to drive,” he said to Katherine.

“It would be easier if it were my car,” Wayne said. “I can put my detector in its case.”

Katherine said to Jake, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

He nodded.

“Where are we going?” Wayne asked.

“To the Ethel cemetery. Once we get in the car, I’ll tell you how to get there.”

Jake and Wayne climbed in front, and Katherine sat in back. Before she could sit down, she had to push aside countless fast food wrappers and containers. Wayne’s car was a mess. Several miles outside of Erie, they arrived at a historic cemetery marked by a plaque from the National Register of Historic Places.

“I remember this place now. This is where Victoria is buried,” Wayne said to Jake.

Jake nodded. “The older graves are in the back. Drive down this service road, over the hill, then around the curve.”

“What’s the name on the headstone?” Wayne asked.

Katherine said, “Amanda Colfax. I don’t have a date.”

“Let’s just get out and walk,” Jake suggested.

Wayne stopped the car and the three climbed out. Carrying his metal detector, Wayne followed.

“Hey, I found it,” Katherine said. “Well, I mean, I found a bunch of Colfax relatives, but I don’t see Amanda.”

“Right here,” Jake said, pointing to a weathered gravestone with a cherub on top. “Born in 1912; died in 1929. Sound about right, Katz?”

“Doing the math in my head, she was only seventeen years old,” Katherine said. “Mark said she died in a car accident.”

Wayne turned on the detector and began making passes over the grave. He did it several times, before he said, “Nada.”

Katherine said, “Why don’t you pass it behind the gravestone?”

Wayne stepped past her. Immediately the detector started beeping. “Oh, yes, we’ve got something here. Jake, can you run back to the car and grab a shovel?”