Karen Anne Golden - The Cats That 05 - The Cats that Watched the Woods (16 page)

Chapter Twenty

Katherine was just finishing hand-washing the Haviland china cat dishes when she heard the front doorbell clang. She dried her hands and hurried to answer the door. She’d been expecting Jake and wondered why he’d rung the bell. Usually he disabled the house alarm with his cell and would come right in. She wondered who it could be. Scout and Abra seemed to know. The Siamese zigzagged in front of her, muttering to each other.

“Okay, you two. Explain what’s going on—in English, please,” Katherine kidded.

Scout cried an emphatic, “Waugh,” which seemed to say “hurry up.”

Once at the door, Katherine cautioned the cats, “Stay back from the door.” Opening it, she was surprised to see Barbie Sanders. Barbie’s face was flushed and her eyes were swollen.

“Come in. What’s wrong?” Katherine asked.

Barbie walked into the parlor and sat on the settee. Katherine took a chair opposite her.

“It’s the kittens.” Barbie began to cry.

“What about the kittens?” Katherine asked, suddenly terrified that something horrible had happened to them.

Barbie reached inside her Coach bag and drew out a tissue. Sniffling, she said, “Ever since I took the kittens home, Dewey howls all the time. He won’t eat; he won’t sleep. I took him to the vet and she said he was depressed.”

“Depressed. Why?”

“He misses your cats. I’m sure of it.”

Iris trotted in and jumped on Barbie’s lap. She reached up with her paw and brushed a tear away. “You’re so sweet, Iris.” Barbie cried more and Iris got down, not knowing what was wrong with the woman who had rescued her.

Barbie continued, “One of my neighbors—and I don’t know which one —called the police. They accused me of abandoning my baby during the day, leaving it unattended while I was away. Can you believe that?”

“Some Siamese can be very vocal, and sound like human infants.”

“Ma-waugh,” Scout agreed from the next room.

“I hope you explained to the police you have two Siamese.”

“I did,” Barbie said. “The whole time he was asking me questions, Dewey was yowling at the top of his lungs. The cop said that if I didn’t stop the noise, my neighbors could sue me, and my landlord could evict me.”

“Barbie, couldn’t you give your landlord notice and move to another apartment?”

“Katz, that doesn’t solve the problem. I’m sure Dewey would howl wherever I moved.”

“I’m so sorry,” Katherine consoled, but idly wondered what it would be like to have seven cats.

Jake let himself in and came into the room with a big smile on his face. “Hey, Barbie,” then his expression turned to concern. “Has something happened? Why are you crying?”

Katherine explained the landlord situation.

Barbie said in a quiet, sad voice, “I have to re-home my darlings. Katz, I hate to ask you this, because of everything that you’ve done for me, but would you—”

Jake blurted, “We’ll take them. Where are they?”

Katherine’s smile broadened in approval. “Yes, Barbie, Dewey and Crowie have a forever home at the pink mansion.”

Barbie got up, ran over to Katherine, and gave her a hug.

Katherine said, “Ouch! Not so tight.”

“Oh, ha! Ha! I’m sorry,” Barbie apologized, then she said to Jake, “They’re in my car. We’d better bring them in, because it’s so hot outside.”

Jake was already at the door, rushing out to Barbie’s new red Mustang. Barbie and Katherine quickly followed.

Katherine said to Barbie, “I see you finally got your car back.”

“And my bag,” Barbie said, nodding at her Coach bag.

Jake opened the door and dragged out the cat carrier. Dewey was shrieking at the top of his lungs. “Mao! Mao!”

“See what I mean?” Barbie said.

“Better say good-bye, Barbie,” Jake advised. “These little guys are hot. Gotta get them inside.”

Barbie leaned down and said to the kittens, “I love you, my little buddies.” Crowie rubbed his face on the grill of the cat carrier; Dewey retreated to the back.

As Barbie walked to her car, Katherine said, “You can come and see them any time. Call me! Text me! I’ll send you pics.”

“I will,” she choked. Barbie eased into the driver’s seat and drove away.

Jake carried the cat cage inside and set it down. He sat down cross-legged on the floor. Katherine sat down next to him. Dewey continued to howl.

Scout, Abra and Iris stood nearby. They wore perplexed expressions on their brown masks, which seemed to ask ‘why is that cat crying?’” Lilac and Abby appeared out of nowhere to see what was happening.

Jake slowly opened the door and Crowie ran out; he sprang to Katherine’s lap and began kneading her arm, purring happily. Lilac and Abby trotted over and took turns licking Crowie’s head.

Dewey remained in the back of the carrier. Jake reached in and gently lifted him out. The kitten immediately stopped yowling. Jake flipped him on his back and cradled him in his arms. “What’s the problem, little man?” he asked, rubbing Dewey’s throat. The kitten reared up and licked Jake on the nose.

Katherine teased. “You missed your calling as a cat whisperer.”

Jake smiled, then gave Katherine a serious look. “Looks like we’re going to have more in our bridal party?”

“And why’s that?” she asked knowingly.

“The bridesmaids outnumber the groomsmen.”

Katherine giggled. “I was thinking we could have a small wedding here at the pink mansion with close family and friends—”

“That way the cats can come, too,” Jake said happily.

Katherine laughed. “We better not ask Lilac and Abby to be flower girls, because they’ll eat the flowers.”

“Me-yowl,” Lilac protested. “Chirp,” Abby seconded.

“Waugh,” Scout commanded.

The other cats stopped what they were doing and followed Scout upstairs to the playroom. Dewey and Crowie launched off their new humans’ laps and raced behind them.

Katherine leaned into Jake. “You really know how to make a girl happy.”

Jake kissed her tenderly on the lips. “Katz, with someone as precious as you, it’s been pretty easy.”

The End

Dear Reader . . .

Thank you so much for reading my book. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. If you liked “
The Cats that Watched the Woods
,” I would be so thankful if you’d help others enjoy this book, too, by recommending it to your friends, family and book clubs, and/or by writing a positive review on Amazon and/or Goodreads.

I love it when my readers write to me. If you’d like to email me about what you’d like to see in the next book, or just talk about your favorite scenes and characters, email me at:
[email protected]

Amazon author page:
http://tinyurl.com/mkmpg4d

My Facebook page is:
https://www.facebook.com/karenannegolden

Website:
http://www.karenannegolden.webs.com

Thanks again!

Karen Anne Golden

The Cats that Surfed the Web

Book One in
The Cats that
. . . Cozy Mystery series

If you haven’t read the first book,
The Cats that Surfed the Web
, you can download the Kindle version on Amazon:
http://amzn.com/B00H2862YG
Paperback is also available.

Forty four million dollars. A Victorian mansion. And a young career woman with cats. The prospect sounded like a dream come true; what could possibly go wrong?

How could a friendly town’s welcome turn into a case of poisoning, murder, and deceit? When Katherine “Katz” Kendall, a computer professional in New York City, discovers she’s the sole heir of a huge inheritance, she can’t believe her good fortune. She’s okay with the clauses of the will: Move to the small town of Erie, Indiana, check. Live in her great aunt’s pink Victorian mansion and take care of an Abyssinian cat, double-check.

With her three Siamese cats and best friend, Colleen, riding shotgun, Katz leaves Manhattan to find a former housekeeper dead in the basement. Ghostly intrusions convince Colleen, a card-carrying “ghost hunter,” that the mansion is haunted. Several townspeople are furious because Katherine’s benefactor promised them the fortune, then changed her will at the last minute. But who would be greedy enough to get rid of the rightful heir to take the money and run? Four adventurous felines help Katz solve the crimes by serendipitously “searching” the Internet for clues.

The Cats that Chased the Storm

Book Two in
The Cats that
. . . Cozy Mystery series

The second book,
The Cats that Chased the Storm
, is also available on Kindle and in paperback. Amazon:
http://amzn.com/B00IPOPJOU

It’s early May in Erie, Indiana, and the weather has turned most foul. We find Katherine “Katz” Kendall, heiress to the Colfax fortune, living in a pink mansion, caring for her three Siamese and Abby the Abyssinian. Severe thunderstorms frighten the cats, but Scout is better than any weather app. A different storm is brewing, however, with a discovery that connects great-uncle William Colfax to the notorious gangster John Dillinger. Why is the Erie Historical Society so eager to get William’s personal papers? Is the new man in Katherine’s life a fortune hunter? Will Abra mysteriously reappear, and is Abby a magnet for danger?

A fast-paced whodunit, the second book in “The Cats that” series involves four extraordinary felines that help Katz unravel the mysteries in her life.

The Cats that Told a Fortune

Book Three in
The Cats that
. . . Cozy Mystery series

The third book,
The Cats that Told a Fortune
, is available on Kindle and in paperback. Amazon:
http://amzn.com/B00MAAZ3ZU

Autumn in Erie, Indiana means crisp, cool days of adventure. Katherine “Katz” Kendall—heiress to a fortune—settles into her late great aunt’s Victorian mansion with her high-spirited feline companions. What better time to host a Halloween party?

Katz sets the stage with spooky decorations, a fortune teller, and even a magician. Scout—a Siamese with extraordinary abilities—fang marks a “Wheel of Fortune” Tarot card. Is it because her person will soon receive millions, or does that card have a more ominous meaning? Although Iris is smitten with the Russian charmer, it’s unclear whether he’s a lovable rogue, or an opportunistic thief. Katz’s new boyfriend Jake and best friend Colleen join in the fun.

Along the way, Katz and her cats uncover important clues to the identity of a serial killer, and Katz finds out about Erie’s crime family . . . the hard way.

This
fun, fast-paced third book in “The Cats that . . . Cozy Mystery” series involves five extraordinary felines that help Katz solve a crime.

The Cats that Played the Market

Book Four in
The Cats that
. . . Cozy Mystery series

If you haven’t read the fourth book,
The Cats that Played the Market
, you can download the Kindle version or purchase the paperback on Amazon at:
http://amzn.com/B00Q71LBYA

Karen Anne Golden’s sweet, romantic, cozy mystery “The Cats that Played the Market” is a cat lover’s delight. A blizzard blows into Indiana, bringing gifts, gala events, and a ghastly murder to heiress Katherine “Katz” Kendall. With the cats providing clues, it’s up to Katherine and her friends to piece together the murderous puzzle . . . before the town goes bust!

It’s Katherine’s birthday, and she gets more than she bargains for when Colleen and her mum visit the Victorian mansion to celebrate. Handsome boyfriend Jake
adds to the joys of the season.
After all hell breaks loose at the Erie Museum’s opening, Katherine and her five cats unwittingly stumble upon clues that help solve a mystery. But has Scout lost her special abilities? Or will Katz find that another one of her amazing felines is a super-sleuth?