Karen Anne Golden - The Cats That 02 - The Cats that Chased the Storm (5 page)

Mark was quiet, then slowly said, “I have some bad news. Carol died in an automobile crash just outside of town.”

“Died? I’m so sorry, Mark. I drove by the wreck on my way to the vet. Chief London saw me at the scene, but he didn’t tell me
… . ” Katherine’s voice trembled and trailed off into silence.

“She was supposed to meet me at the office, but she didn’t show up for the appointment. I called her, but she didn’t answer. Then I drove by the pink mansion and saw her car parked outside. I just thought she’d forgotten and she’d call me to reschedule.”

“Mark, I know how much she meant to you,” Katherine began cautiously, joining Mark on the loveseat. “Carol told me you were getting engaged.”

“What?” Mark asked
, surprised. “Why on earth would she say that?”

Katherine was ta
ken aback. “She said you were a couple.”

“A client and attorney, that’s all,” he corrected.

Katherine was momentarily speechless, then said, “I gave her a couple of boxes of my great aunt’s personal stuff, and she left.”

Mark asked a little bit too hurriedly, “Did she say where she was going?”

“No,” Katherine said. “I assumed she was going home, but then just a few minutes later I came across the crash.”

“Why did you cancel your trip? Is something wrong with one of the cats?”

“Abby’s sick. I’m waiting to hear from Dr. Sonny.”

“How sick?” Mark asked, alarmed.

“Abby ate part of a floral arrangement from Erie Florist.  She might not make it,” Katherine said, her voice breaking.  She didn’t want to mention to Mark that Carol was the one who delivered it.

Mark was quiet for a moment, then advised, “As the attorney for Orvenia’s estate, I should remind you that if Abby dies
–”

“As if I don’t know that already,” Katherine interrupted, shocked that Mark would bring up the inheritance at a time like this.
Biting her tongue so she wouldn’t explode, she said, “Sixty percent would go to the town of Erie, thirty percent to the nutcase Marston woman, who murdered my boyfriend, and ten percent to animal welfare.”

“I’m sorry. I know you’re upset. But I’m the estate’s lawyer first, and your friend second.”

Katherine took a hard look at Mark. Realizing that he was playing the role of the meticulous super lawyer, she changed the subject. “Do you think a deer ran in front of Carol, and she tried to avoid hitting it?”

“Not likely. Deer usually don’t come out until dusk. Besides, I’ve already talked to Chief London. He said he called a crash investigator. Judging by the white paint marks on the left rear bumper, it looks like a hit and run, or worse. Maybe someone deliberately ran her off the road.”

Katherine gasped, “But, why? Who would want to do that?”

He shrugged. Taking his Blackberry out of his pocket, he called the chief. “Hey, Mark again. Did you find any boxes of old papers in the trunk? Oh, okay, I’ll talk to you later.” Hanging up he said, “The chief said the trunk was a twisted mess, but he didn’t see any boxes in it. Carol must have
taken them home and dropped them off before the accident. I hope they’re not permanently lost, but I’ll get to the bottom of this,” Mark said, getting up. He headed for the door. “Oh, here’s your key. Call or text me when you find out anything about Abby.” He hastily left, jumped in his Honda, and sped off.

Katherine could not believe her ears.
His friend is dead, and all he can think about are those stupid boxes. How cold!

Chapter Five

As the thunderstorm raged outside, Katherine tossed and turned in the ornate, Renaissance-revival bed. Moments earlier, she was awakened by her cell phone’s weather app, which indicated a tornado watch was in effect until one in the morning. Katherine cringed every time a wind gust slammed into the pink mansion. Leaning over the side of the bed, she switched on the table lamp to check on the cats. Iris and Lilac had cuddled up in a tight circle at the foot of the bed. Behind the lace curtains was the silhouette of Scout standing tall on the window sill. A brilliant flash of lightning lit up the room; Scout peaked out at Katherine and waughed loudly. Then a loud clap of thunder shook the house. Lilac and Iris woke up and growled.

Katherine tried to reassure them in a soft voice. “It will be over soon. Go back to sleep.”

Katherine worried about Abby. Dr. Sonny had called right before she went to bed and said he’d taken Abby to the city’s university, where there was a veterinarian school. He said he didn’t have the proper equipment to diagnose the cat for poisoning. He promised to call Katherine in the morning with a progress report.

Scout dropped to the floor and cried again; this time it sounded more like a warning.

The mansion shuddered, then an eerie silence permeated the house. “This can’t be good,” Katherine said nervously. Bolting out of bed, she slipped on a pair of flats and grabbed her robe.
She scooped up the house keys from a nearby bowl and put the cell in her pajamas pocket.

Two cat carriers were nearby in case they needed to seek shelter in the basement. She unhooked Lilac’s claws from the bedspread and placed her in the carrier. As soon as she shut the metal door, the other cats fled the room, pounding their paws down the hall.

“Dammit,” Katherine cursed. Lilac began shifting back-and-forth in the carrier. “Lilac, it’s going to be okay.” She jogged down the stairs with the carrier to the first floor, and then the power went out. “Oh, no way,” she said, feeling her way to the back office, and to the door that led to the basement.
Where’s the flashlight
? she wondered. Then Katherine remembered it, hanging on the bed she’d just vacated.

Just as she was about to unlock the door, the tornado siren went off, wailing its ominous warning. Katherine desperately called the cats’ names, to no avail. “Scout! Iris!” Something heavy fell on the house; she could hear breaking window glass in the kitchen. “Oh, my God! Come here!” she cried frantically.

Still clutching the carrier, she opened the door. The space beyond was pitch-dark. Groping the outside of the doorframe with one hand, she carefully stepped down to what she hoped was the top step. As she slowly descended the stairs, she felt cats brush past her legs. “Thank God,” she said. On the ground floor, she found a lantern flashlight, turned it on, and slowly moved to the center of the basement.

Heavy, explosive sounds hit the windowed solarium that was above ground. T
he house seemed to expand and contract; it creaked and moaned. After she set the carrier down, something whizzed through the air and hit her on the back of the head. The lantern flew from her hand and landed upright several feet away. Katherine staggered and collapsed to the floor. Scout stood close by and was swaying back and forth, emitting a morbid-sounding wail. “Yowl,” Iris screamed. “Me-yowl,” Lilac screeched in the carrier. Scout continued her macabre dance.

When Katherine regained consciousness, she rubbed the back of her head. She didn’t feel any blood, so she slowly sat up and began looking for the cats. A shaft of light from the lantern shone through a gaping hole in the buckled outer wall of the
foundation. Bricks and broken glass were strewn everywhere. Dust rained down on her with each gust of wind from the departing storm. Crawling to the lantern, she found the overturned cat carrier. She was afraid to look inside, then Lilac began whimpering. “Are you okay, my sweet girl?” she asked, slowly uprighting the carrier. Lilac crept to the metal door and rubbed her face against it. Nearby, Iris was standing in a pile of debris. Her brown mask was covered with dust. Katherine carefully lifted her up to check to see whether she’d been injured. Iris cried out a loud yowl. “Shhh, you’re okay. I’m putting you in with Lilac.” Opening the carrier’s door, she gingerly placed Iris inside. Scout slinked closer to the hole in the wall, continuing her Halloween dance and shrieking at the top of her lungs. She was lurching up and down; her eyes glowing red. “Scout, come to me,” Katherine pleaded. Scout seemed to be in a trance.

Having seen this behavior before, Katherine didn’t relish getting any closer to see what Scout had found.
It better not be another dead body
, she worried. Getting her bearings, she began moving wood debris and bricks out of the way. Suddenly, a pain ripped down her left arm. A shard of glass stuck in her robe sleeve. She inched forward and snatched Scout. The Siamese squawked in protest, but Katherine held her tight. In the dim light, Katherine looked down, and stifled a scream. There in the rubble was a human skull.

“Waugh,” Scout uttered at the top of her lungs. Her muscular body trembled against Katherine.

“Scout, we’re okay, but we’ve got to find a way out of here,” she said, beginning to crawl away from the skull. “Just stop fighting me.” Katherine stopped when she heard voices outside, shouting her name.

“Ms. Kendall,” Cokey yelled. “Are you down there?”

“Yes,” she answered weakly.

“Can you talk louder? We can hardly hear you. What part of the basement are you in?” he shouted. She could see the dancing of his flashlight beam in the turret room – where Gary had been murdered.

“I’m close to the turret.”

“Okay, stay where you are. The window is blown out. Jake’s
positioning a ladder so we can climb down and get you.”

“Cokey, are you okay? Is your family all right?” she called to the next room.

“We’re good. Some minor roof damage, that’s all.” She heard him talking to someone else and the sound of sirens in the distance. “We got the ladder set up. Jake’s coming in for you.”

“Where are you?” Jake asked.

“I think I’m right outside the door but I can’t get through.”

Jake began throwing debris to the side; Cokey joined him.

When Jake flashed the light on her, Katherine squinted. Scout growled.

“Are you injured?” Jake asked, getting to her first.

“I got hit in the head, but I don’t think I have a concussion. There’s a shard of glass in my arm. I’m squeamish, so can you pull it out?”

The piece of glass fell to the floor. “It was just stuck in your sleeve,” he said.

Cokey picked up the cat carrier with the two Siamese in it. “Listen, Ms. Kendall, I’m going to take the carrier and hand it to my son, then I’ll be right back. In the meantime, Jake had helped Katherine up to her feet. She struggled to hold on to the squirming Scout. With Jake supporting her arm, Katherine walked into the turret room and stepped on the ladder. She made it up the rungs and out into the night.

Cokey’s
twelve-year-old son, Tommy, was holding a pet carrier. He said, “Dad said you might need this, so I brought it from home.”

“Thank you so much,” Katherine said, putting Scout inside.

After Cokey and Jake climbed out of the basement, Jake said, “We could barely make a path to get over here. Can you walk?”

“I’m not sure,” she answered wearily. “My legs seem to be made of jelly.”

Cokey beamed the flashlight to the house next door. A large maple tree had fallen in front of it. “Ms. Kendall, you’re going to stay at my house tonight.”

“But I want to stay in my house,” she protested.

Cokey didn’t answer right away, then said, “Do you want the good news, or the bad news?”

“Good news,” Katherine answered.

“The good news is you’ll be getting a new car because a tree smashed your Toyota flatter than a tortilla!”

“Oh, no,” she said sadly. “Well, if that’s the good news, what’s the bad news?”

“The tornado did extensive damage to the mansion. From what I can see, most of the windows in the back part of the house are destroyed. A large tree smashed into your kitchen. I really won’t know the full extent of it until daylight, but suffice it to say, you won’t be living here anytime soon. So we’ll deal with it in the morning.”

“There’s something else we have to deal with,” Katherine said, remembering the skull. “We need to call Chief London. Scout found a skull.”

“What the hell?” Cokey said in disbelief. “What kind of skull? Where?”

“Here, hand me your flashlight.” She aimed the beam at the hole in the basement foundation. “In there,” she said, and then added, “It’s human!”

“This ain’t good,” Cokey said, scratching his head.

Jake suggested, “Let’s worry about it in the morning. That skull’s not going anywhere. Chief London has enough on his hands right now.”

Cokey agreed. “We better get home, because it’s starting to rain.” He picked up the carrier with Iris and Lilac in it. “Hey, where’s Orvenia’s cat?”

“She’s staying tonight at the vet
in the city.  She ate something she wasn’t supposed to.”

“
Yep, they’ve been known to do that!” Cokey replied, then asked his son, “Tommy, can you carry the other one?”

“Sure, Dad,” Tommy answered, and looked inside the carrier. “What a handsome boy? Can we get one?”

“Scout’s a girl. Hey, I can carry that,” Katherine said to Tommy, then winced in pain.

“Like hell you are,” Jake said. Without asking, he took one of Katherine’s arms while Cokey took the other. They supported her as they walked to Cokey’s house on Alexander Street. When they got to the front porch, Jake said, “Try and get some rest. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day for
all
of us.”

“Thanks,” she said. Cokey and Tommy were already in the house when Cokey’s wife, Margaret, ran out. “What can I do to help?” she asked.

“Hey, Aunt Margie,” Jake said. “You take one arm, and I’ll get the other.”

As she walked into the kitchen, Katherine observed a kerosene lamp sitting on the table.

“Power’s still out,” Margaret said, then turned to Cokey. “How long before you get the generator running?”

“Not long, but remember it’s for keeping the basic electrical running, so no hot water, no cooking on the stove.”

Tommy entered the room carrying a first aid kit; he opened it and handed his mom clean gauze and sterile ointment.

“I really appreciate this,” Katherine said. “I think I couldn’t walk because the tornado scared me to death. The only place that hurts is the back of my head.”

Margaret leaned over and looked. “I can see a slight abrasion. If it’s okay with you, I’ll clean it off and put some antibiotic cream on it.”

“That’s fine with me,” and then, “Ouch! That hurts!”

“Sorry,” Margaret apologized.

Glancing around the room, Katherine looked for Jake, but he was gone. “Where are my cats?”

“Cokey and Tommy took them to the guest room. I’ll show you,” Margaret said, offering her hand to help Katherine up.

“My legs feel better now. I can walk.”

“I have no idea when the power will be back up, but here’s a flashlight. I’ll show you where the bathroom is and your room.”

“Thanks again. But I’d like to go to my room first.”

“Well, here it is. I’ll bring you some bottled water and bowls for the cats,” Margaret said, shutting the door.

Katherine gazed in
wonder at the contents of the room – mostly her favorite Mission style furniture, with a few Eastlake pieces. The dresser was made of tiger oak, with griffins holding the mirror. The bed had a patchwork comforter on it. The Siamese were still in their carriers. They were unusually quiet. She worried about not having litter boxes when Tommy knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Katherine said. Tommy held a large litter pan and a small bag of litter.

“You must have cats,” Katherine observed.

“Oh, we have one. Mom says he’s a handful.”

“What’s his name?”

“Spitfire,” Tommy answered innocently, then closed the door.

I hope Spitfire doesn’t bust in here and mess with the girls
, Katherine worried. Margaret came in. “Here’s a sheet and a blanket. Oh, and some water. Is it okay if the cats share one bowl?”

“Perfect,” Katherine said.

“Well, get some sleep,” Margaret said, closing the door.

Katherine was too tired to make the bed. She threw the sheet on top of the comforter. She opened the two carriers and the Siamese timidly walked out. “Yowl,” Iris said in a booming voice. “Shhh, you’ll disturb the peace. Inside voice, Miss Siam.” Scout jumped on the bed and lay on her side. “Are you okay?” Katherine said, concerned. “Waugh,” Scout said tiredly. Lilac began pawing at the water bottle. “Okay, I’ll get you a drink,” Katherine said, pouring water into the bowl.

She used her flashlight to find the bathroom, went inside, and closed the door. Turning on the faucet, she thought,
Thank God the water’s running
. She did a double-take when she saw her disheveled appearance in the mirror. “Oh, my God,” she said aghast, looking at her matted hair.
And Jake saw me like this
!