Karen Anne Golden - The Cats That 05 - The Cats that Watched the Woods (5 page)

On top of a mirrored chest of drawers, a Tiffany lamp careened. Barbie screamed, “Katz, grab that lamp.”

Katherine ran to the chest and rescued the lamp. “Barbie, look out behind you!”

The kittens vaulted to the five-shelf display stand that displayed Katherine’s great aunt’s Lladro porcelain collection. They did a dead stop, and then used their back legs to launch off the bottom shelf. The display stand began to wobble as if the town of Erie had been struck by an earthquake. The figurines began swaying, teetering, close to falling and being smashed to smithereens. The kittens shot out of the room. The adult cats were getting tired of the chase; Lilac and Abby bowed out and assumed their regular positions on top of the window valance.

“No. . . no. . . no,” Barbie scolded, sprinting to the stand. She began catching the figurines that were tumbling off the shelves. She handled them like a professional juggler and managed to return them to their original places without any damage.

Scout, Abra and Iris galloped after the kittens as they thundered upstairs. Each cat tried to out-paw the other. Katherine and Barbie heard a loud crash.

“Oh, no, Barbie! We’d better get up there to make sure none of them is hurt.”

It was too late for a sprint up the stairs. The three cats and two kittens had returned and were now heading for the back office.

Katherine joined the chase and called back to Barbie, “Close the door behind me.”

Barbie couldn’t move fast enough. The race shifted and the cats galloped back upstairs.

Returning to the atrium, Katherine said, “Hopefully the kittens will discover the new playroom up there.”

Barbie asked, “Playroom?”

“I converted one of the guest rooms into a cat room. It’s a cat’s dream come true.”

“I want to see it,” Barbie said excitedly.

The two climbed the stairs and found the kittens busy in the playroom. They’d discovered a stash of busy balls and were batting them around the room.

“What did I tell ya?” Katherine said knowingly.

“This is way too cool,” Barbie said in awe.

The playroom was in the front of the house on the east side. In the curved turret area, Margie had designed padded benches underneath each of the three windows, so the cats could soak up the morning rays. In the center of the room were five multi-leveled cat trees. Cokey had built a two-level cat walk around the room. He made it out of reinforced plywood and then carpeted it. The first level was four feet from the floor, while the second level was eight feet. Various ramps made of sisal provided access to the walks. The crowning point was two beams that intersected the middle of the room. This had become Lilac’s and Abby’s favorite feature.

“I asked Cokey to take the Victorian furniture out of here and store it in the attic,” Katherine explained.

“You said guest room. Where’s your guest gonna sleep? Oh, ha! Ha! I get it—in the attic?”

The kittens discovered the first cat walk and were streaking around the room. The adult cats were trying to catch their breath. They hadn’t had this kind of exercise in quite some time.

Katherine laughed, “No, not the attic. I have a guest house on Alexander Street where my
future
guests will stay.” Katherine didn’t elaborate that the room had been Colleen’s mum’s while she was staying last winter. As much as she loved Colleen’s mother, when mum visited in the future, she’d be staying at the guest house.

“Well, Barbie,” Katherine continued, “That was what I call a Siamese stampede. I think they’re going to be okay. Let’s go back downstairs. Hey, do you want something to drink? Soda, iced tea, or iced something else?”

“Sure,” Barbie said, then to the kittens, “Mommy will be back in a minute. Have fun!” The kittens totally ignored her. Scout, Abra and Iris assumed their positions on top of the cat trees with a look of pure delight on their brown masks.

Before Barbie left the room, she walked over and petted Iris. “How’s my sweet baby?” she asked. Iris reached up to be held. Barbie was no stranger to Iris. Many months before, she had saved the Siamese from harm’s way. Barbie picked up the purring cat and gently hugged her. Iris gently nipped her on the ear.

“Ouch, I forgot you do that,” Barbie said. She placed Iris back on the cat tree and joined Katherine in the hallway. “I just love that little girl the same way I love Dewey and Crowie.”

Katherine answered. “It’s funny how they pull your heart strings.”

They walked downstairs to the kitchen. Barbie was talking a mile a minute about her job, her school, and her new boyfriend.

Katherine stopped at the mention of boyfriend. “A boyfriend? Good show. What’s his name? Is he from Erie?”

“Get me somethin’ to drink first. I’m dyin’ of thirst.” Barbie headed for the kitchen table and flopped down on one of the Parsons chairs. “Oh, somethin’ diet. I’m tryin’ to lose weight for my new designer jeans I just bought. I’m down to a size fourteen.”

Katherine rummaged in the refrigerator and found a Diet Coke. She popped the tab and moved to get a glass.

“Oh, I’ll take it straight up, if you please,” Barbie said.

Katherine handed her the can. “So, what kind of diet are you on?”

“It’s a custom-diet made just for me. There’s a retired pharmacist who lives out in the country and he makes me these delicious milkshakes. They’re full of vitamins, minerals and all of that good kind of stuff. He prepares enough for the week so I pick them up, put them in my cooler, and take them home. I drink them for lunch.”

“What do you eat the rest of the time?” Katherine asked curiously.

“For breakfast, I eat a light meal and for supper, I eat a balanced meal. Lots of veggies and about four ounces of meat—chicken, beef or pork. He’s got it all written up for me. I’d recommend him to you, but Katz, I think you are
way
too skinny.”

“Barbie,” Katherine said, shocked. “I’m not skinny.”

“Oh, ha! Ha!” Barbie laughed. “I’m sorry. You know how I sometimes I blurt out things without thinkin’.”

Katherine glared at her. “My doctor says I’m a healthy weight.”

“Oh, don’t get your feathers ruffled up. I was just kidding.” Barbie winked.

“Tell me about the new boyfriend.” Katherine gladly changed the subject.

“He’s from France. His name is Henri DuPree. I met him in one of my classes, but he didn’t ask me out right away. The other night, I went clubbin’ with a bunch of friends and ran into him. We ended up dancing all night.”

Katherine smiled. “I hope he’s a cat lover. What do the kittens think of him? Do they love his French accent?”

Barbie’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Tonight is our first date. Henri is taking me to dinner at a fancy schmancy restaurant in the city.” Barbie continued smiling, then became serious. “Well, back to the kittens, what do you suggest I do about Dewey’s and Crowie’s bad behavior?”

“You haven’t told me what the bad behavior is. I can see they’re hyperactive, but that’s normal for the Siamese breed.”

“They both have a habit of jumping on me and climbing me like a tree. It wasn’t bad in the winter when I wore jeans, but I’ve been wearing shorts. Look at my legs.” Barbie had several deep scratches on the backs of her legs.

“I’m certainly not an expert. I just learned the ropes by being owned by cats,” Katherine began. “When my cats are really bad, I put them in the powder room for time out until they settle down. Do you have a place like that in your apartment?”

“Yep, I have a second bedroom. After seeing your cat room, I’m kinda thinkin’ about makin’ it into one. I never have guests or sleepovers. But when I do, he sleeps in my room.” Barbie covered her mouth. “Did I just say that?”

Katherine giggled and continued with her cat advice. “Buy a spray bottle. Fill it up with water. When they do something bad, say the word ‘no’ and spray them.”

Barbie rolled her eyes in exasperation. “I tried that. The terror twins knocked the bottle out of my hand. Later they hid it. They’re super smart.”

“Forgive me for laughing,” Katherine chuckled. “I would have loved to have seen that. Iris and Abby hide things in an old chair, but a water bottle might not fit.”

“My kittens hide stuff under my bed.” Barbie glanced at her watch. “Oh, it’s getting late. I’ve got to go.” Barbie got up. “Thanks for the pop. I’ll just take it with me.”

Katherine smiled. “I guess we should find the cats.”

As they headed to the atrium, Dewey was fast asleep inside the carrier, but Crowie was missing. Barbie quietly closed the gate. She began calling the kitten’s name. “Okay, where’s my Crowie? Crowie, where are you?”

Barbie climbed up the stairs and was almost to the top when Katherine said, “Crowie’s down here.”

Barbie headed back. “Where?”

“Up there!” Katherine pointed.

On top of the parlor window valance were Lilac and Abby with Crowie in the middle. They were fast asleep.

“Oh, ha! Ha! Sweet! Listen, Katz, I’ve got a million errands to run. Then I’ve got to get back to the city for my hair appointment. Gotta look good for the date, right?”

“It’s awfully hot outside. Do you want to leave them here, and then pick them up on your way out of town? It’s no trouble.”

“Katz, you’re a doll! Thanks a bunch. I shouldn’t be but a couple of hours.”

“No problem. When you come back, give me a heads up call and I’ll have your kittens ready to go.”

Barbie blew a kiss at the carrier and grabbed her capacious Coach bag. She rushed to the front door. “See ya in a little while,” she said, leaving.

“Okay. Bye.” Katherine simultaneously reset the house alarm and looked out the door sidelight, watching Barbie get in her car and leave. She then walked to the parlor.

“Lilac, Abby,” she said softly to the exhausted felines. “Can you get Crowie to come down?”

“Chirp,” Abby cried sleepily and put her paw over her eye.

“Me-yowl,” Lilac belted.

The kitten woke up, yawned, and stretched to full height. Without warning, he dove off the valance and landed in Katherine’s arms.

Startled, Katherine said, “You little monkey.” She cradled the kitten and kissed him several times on the head. “You’ve got to warn me when you’re going to do that.” She placed him inside the carrier with his brother Dewey, who woke up for a split second, then went back to sleep. Katherine walked to the linen closet outside the powder room to find a soft fleece baby blanket for their bedding. She was surprised Barbie didn’t have a blanket already in there.

She wondered about Barbie’s drinking the nutrition shakes. Why would anyone drive all the way to the country just to get them? Why would a retired pharmacist make a diet shake in the first place? Was there a drug in it? Something was fishy. Katherine didn’t want Barbie to revert back to her old, wild days.

*              *              *

In the parlor, the antique grandfather clock bonged six times. Dewey and Crowie stood on their hind legs with their paws on the clock cabinet, watching the large pendulum move back and forth. They moved their heads like they were following a tennis match. Their person hadn’t returned.

Katherine was beside herself with worry. She walked back to the office and rummaged through a stack of business cards on her desk until she found the one Stevie Sanders had given to her. She entered his number on her cell.

Stevie answered, “Stevie’s Electrical.”

Katherine didn’t mince words. “This is Katz Kendall. I’m worried about your sister, Barbie.”

“How can I help ya, ma’am?”

“Barbie came over this morning, left her kittens, and said she’d return in two hours. That was nine hours ago.”

“Left her kittens? What kittens?” he asked, flustered. “I wouldn’t worry none. My sis is never on time. She’ll roll up soon. By the way, did she say where she was goin’?”

“She said she had a bunch of errands to do. One of them was to go out in the country.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch what you just said. I’m driving to the city. Sometimes I lose calls in this area.”

“She said she was running errands,” Katherine repeated.

“Well, if she’s this late, she must have driven out-of-state to do them,” Stevie laughed nervously. “Listen, I’m losing the signal . . .” The call ended.

Katherine was going to hang up anyway. Stevie was absolutely no help. She questioned why she called him in the first place. Maybe brother and sister weren’t that close. Why else wouldn’t he know about Barbie’s pride and joy—her kittens?

While she was on the phone, Jake disabled the house alarm with his cell and came in. “Hey, Sweet Pea. Where’s those demon kittens you’ve been texting me about?” “Mao,” Dewey yelped, rushing in to meet the newcomer. Crowie followed close behind. Jake sat down cross-legged on the floor. The kittens immediately started climbing him like a tree. “Ouch,” he said, then to Katherine, “We need to trim their claws. I take it Barbie hasn’t come back.”

“Not yet. I just called her brother, Stevie. He said this was her MO to be late.”

“Where’s the other cats?” Jake flipped Crowie on his back and began kneading the back of his neck.

“They’re probably sacked out in the play room. The kittens are like the Energizer Bunny. They’ve worn out my cats.” Katherine moved to the parlor window for the fiftieth time and looked up and down Lincoln Street. No red Mustang. No Barbie.