Karen Anne Golden - The Cats That 05 - The Cats that Watched the Woods (6 page)

“Have you been looking out the window all day? You’re going to wear out the carpet. Maybe Barbie had car trouble.”

“In a new vehicle? I don’t think so. She would have called me.”

“Ooh, that tickles,” Jake said to Dewey who was tunneling inside his polo shirt. “Sorry, Katz, what did you just say?”

“That Barbie drives a new car. You wouldn’t expect it to break down.”

“Maybe she ran out of gas.”

“I hope not. She said one of her errands was in the country.”

Jake added, “If she did have car trouble, she’s got a huge family network of kin to help her.”

“She was so happy when she left here. She was happier than I’ve ever seen her.”

Jake extracted the kitten from his shirt. “Katz, I know how much you try to see the best in people, but Barbie has a reputation in Erie. The only way she can live it down is to move, which she has done.”

“What does that mean?” Katherine asked sharply.

“Her dad’s a criminal; her brothers have done time. Barbie has done time and once ran a whore house. That’s why the locals call her the massage queen.”

“Yes, I know that, but I think the whore house was just a rumor—a nasty Erie rumor—started by the ball-cap gossips down at the diner. Just because she lived in a rundown trailer on the bad side of town doesn’t make her a criminal.”

Jake put his arms in the air defensively. “Just sayin’.”

“She had a hair appointment in the city, which she missed. She told me she was having a first date with a man she really liked. She wouldn’t just take off and leave her kittens. She loves these cats!”

Jake stood up. Dewey launched off an Eastlake chair, and was hanging on the back of his belt while Crowie climbed up his jeans and perched on his shoulder. “Hey, you guys.” He pulled Crowie off his shoulder. “Katz, his collar’s a bit tight.”

“Barbie put them on to tell them apart, but I think it’s obvious who they are. Dewey’s mask is darker and he’s bigger than Crowie.”

Jake didn’t hesitate. He removed Crowie’s collar and began rubbing the kitten’s neck. “Poor little man,” he said softly. Dewey trotted over and Jake removed his as well.

“I tried to take them off, but the kittens wouldn’t stand still long enough for me to remove them. You must have the magic touch.”

Jake winked.

“Katz, I don’t want to sound like an alarmist, but maybe you should call the police.”

Katherine found the chief’s number in her contact list and pressed the number. The call went directly to voice mail. She explained the situation and voiced her concerns. When finished, she called Stevie, but he didn’t pick up. A message popped up on her screen, “Out of area.”

The chief was still at the station when he returned the call. His tone was serious. “Hey, Katz. I know I shouldn’t be divulging this private information, but I can count on you to be discreet. I’ve been in contact with Barbie’s brother, Dave. He came down to the station. He was concerned because Barbie was supposed to meet him at noon and she didn’t show up. In light of the message you left me, I convinced Dave to file a missing person report.”

“Oh, no, Chief. A missing person report . . .”

“In Erie, if there’s a suspicion of foul play, it’s our policy to not wait twenty-four hours so I sent email to every Tom, Dick and Harry in the Indiana law enforcement world. I won’t bog you down with the official channels I contacted, so I’ll come right to the point. Brace yourself.”

“Okay, hit me with your best shot.”

“Barbie’s car was found at a closed rest stop outside Shermanville. In case you don’t know, that’s about thirty-five miles south of Chicago. The officers didn’t find Barbie, but did find blood on the back seat—a lot of blood. We may be looking at a homicide.”

Katherine gasped. The room began to spin. She thought she was going to faint. She held onto the edge of the marble-top curio cabinet for balance. “Oh, no . . .,” she cried. Jake rushed over and put his arm around her.

“An investigating team is working on this,” the chief continued. “Right about now they’re probably combing the vehicle for clues as to what happened. Shermanville police have a search and rescue team looking for Barbie.”

“This is terrible.” Katherine paused, then asked, “Chief, don’t state-operated rest stops have surveillance cameras?”

“Good point, but like I said, this rest stop is closed to the public. I’ve been told that the only way to enter it is to drive by the entrance, which is blocked, then back up via the exit lane. The rest stop building itself doesn’t exist anymore. There probably hasn’t been a working surveillance camera in years.”

“Did anyone see her drive in?” Katherine asked hopefully.

“No eye witnesses. As soon as we punched in Barbie’s license plate on the official database, a Shermanville officer found the car. The keys were still in the ignition.”

“Where is she then? I can’t see Barbie walking away from her new car unless she was coerced,” Katherine said. “Maybe someone abducted her, but why?”

“Don’t know, but the Chief of Police is keeping me up-to-date. Katz, got another call coming in. I’ll keep you posted.” The chief hung up.

Katherine placed her cell on the cabinet. She wrapped her arms around Jake and buried her face in his chest. “Barbie’s car was found outside of Chicago. There’s blood on the back seat. It might be Barbie’s. Jake, I’m afraid that something horrible has happened to her.”

“Shhh,” Jake whispered in Katherine’s ear. “It sounds bad, but we don’t know. Let’s just take it one step at a time.”

Dewey and Crowie had returned to the room and were taking turns climbing the legs of Jake’s jeans. He picked both of them up and held them against him. “I’m staying here tonight, Katz. I don’t want to leave you alone, and these kittens look like they need some TLC.”

“Why do you say that?” Katherine said, wiping a tear from her eye.

“Because as much as you think Barbie walks on water, these cats seem a bit scrawny to me. Crowie looks like his ribs are poking out.”

“I noticed that. They’re almost nine-months-old and should be heavier. I know Lilac and Iris were at that age.”

“They look malnourished.”

“In case you didn’t know, the modern, wedge-head Siamese are lean, but . . .” She didn’t finish her sentence. She thought about Barbie making a comment that
she
was too skinny. Now Barbie might be dead.

“I think we need to go to the kitchen and feed them. It’s supper time for the cats.” Jake said the words to get Katherine’s mind off the terrible news.

“Okay, sounds like a plan. Let’s feed them,” she said wearily. “If Barbie doesn’t turn up by tomorrow, I’ll take them to Dr. Sonny for a check-up.”

“It wouldn’t hurt.”

Following Jake through the back office, Katherine noticed her computer monitor was on. It should have been in sleep mode. She hadn’t used the computer in hours.

“Oh, no,” she said under her breath, fearing some awful news the cats had surfed up.

Jake had already gone to the kitchen and was busy feeding the noisy cats—all seven of them.

“Be there in a second,” she called to him in the next room. She hurried over to read the screen. She hoped there was an easy explanation, such as the kittens had learned to walk across the keyboard. If it was Barbie-related, she didn’t want Jake to see it. She wasn’t in the mood to talk about her cats’ special talents, although she suspected he probably already knew.

On the screen, was the first page of an Indiana spirit-hunting website. It showed a Photoshopped rendition—clearly not an actual photo—of a handsome man dressed in a Vietnam-era military uniform, walking out of a foggy lake.

“Peace Lake,” Katherine muttered; the hair on the back of her neck rose.
This is too much of a coincidence to be one of the cats walking across the keyboard. Why would they surf to this page? Does this have anything to do with Barbie?
She questioned.

Jake called from the kitchen, “Hey, you two, get back here and eat.”

Scout and Abra darted into the office. When they caught Katherine’s attention, they began to sniff the air like they smelled something unpleasant that she wasn’t aware of. Then, they started swaying back-and-forth in unison. Scout’s pupils became mere slits, while Abra’s were dilated and staring wide-open. Scout arched her back and hissed. Abra shrieked; foam was forming on the side of her jaw. They began hopping up and down like frightened Halloween cats.

Jake ran in and saw the two agitated felines. “Katz, what’s wrong with them? Did they get into any poison or something?” He rushed over to them. Scout emitted a threatening growl.

Katherine shook her head and said loudly, “Cadabra, no. Stop it!”

Scout fell on her side and was breathing rapidly. Abra began furiously washing Scout’s face. “Raw,” she cried.

Jake was shocked and backed away from the cats. “What’s wrong with them?”

“They’re shocked by something they see in the future,” she said in a matter-of-fact voice.

Jake walked over to Katherine and put his hands on her shoulders. “Why on earth would you say such a thing? We don’t know that.”

“Scout and Abra will be fine in a few minutes. I’ve seen them do this before. They only do the dance when something terrible is about to happen, or may have already happened. I have a strong suspicion that Barbie’s in a great deal of danger.”

“Whoa, your cats are psychic?” Jake asked skeptically. “This is over-the-top, Katz. When did this happen before?”

Katherine hesitated, then said, “When I found Vivian Marston’s body. Scout did the swaying back and forth in front of Chief London. The afternoon you were shot, Scout and Abra did the same thing by Patricia Marston’s body.”

“Strange,” Jake remarked. “When you called Scout ‘Cadabra,’ that was like launching a word bomb. She stopped immediately.”

“‘Cadabra’ was Scout’s stage name. She doesn’t like to be called that.”

Scout got up and hurried over to Jake. She rubbed her face on his knee and reached up to be held. Jake picked her up, “You really hurt my feelings when you growled at me. It’s time to calm down now. Your heart is racing a mile a minute.” Jake began pacing the floor with Scout in his arms. “It’s okay, baby doll. Just calm down.”

Katherine returned her attention to the computer screen. “Jake, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it? You’re fifty shades of pale.”

“I’m not going to Savannah with you.”

Jake set Scout down. “Why not? We’ve got our flights and hotel lined up. My mom and dad are coming over to take care of the cats.”

“I meant to tell you earlier but —”

Jake broke in, “Katz, are you worried about leaving the cats? They’re in good hands.”

Katherine shook her head. She exited out of the website without having to explain it to Jake. She’d already divulged enough about the cats.

Jake continued. “Is it because Barbie’s missing? The police will find out what happened. You don’t need to sit at home waiting for a phone call. The chief can call you in Savannah.”

“It’s got nothing to do with Barbie.”

“Katz, I was really looking forward to this trip with you. Everyone in the history department is attending. Professor Watson is taking Leslie.” Jake moved a chair over to Katherine’s. He sat down dejectedly. “My paper is about prohibition in Erie and your great Uncle. I wanted you to be there when I presented it.”

“I’m so sorry. I decided not to go before Barbie went missing. I talked it over with my grief counselor and she agreed I need some alone time.”

Jake got up and pulled Katherine out of her chair and into an embrace. “Is everything okay with us?” He kissed her on the forehead.

Katherine hugged him back. “Yes, everything is fine.”

“What are you going to do while I’m away?”

“Remember that cabin near Peace Lake—the one with the stocked pond? I’ve rented it for four days. I’ll be leaving the same day you fly out.”

“Are you taking the cats with you?”

At the mention of cats, seven inquisitive felines circled the couple, yowling loudly.

Scout cried a loud “waugh” to Katherine, which sounded like “you better take us.”

Katherine said to the cats, “Alone time doesn’t include you. Elsa will take good care of you.”

“Naugh,” Scout protested.

“Elsa? Who’s Elsa? I thought my parents were the official cat sitters.”

“Elsa is the caregiver next door. She’ll be taking care of the cats and staying at the pink mansion while I’m away.”

“Katz, wouldn’t you rather have my parents—whom you know—take care of them, instead of someone you hardly know?”

“Elsa has a side business—pet sitting in the Erie area. She’s licensed in the State of Indiana—bonded and insured. I did an Internet search. Her references check out just fine.”

“What’s Elsa’s last name?” Jake inquired.

“Adams. She’s Barbie Sanders’ cousin. Elsa’s mom is Barbie’s mom’s sister. So they’re related on the maternal side. Barbie’s mom was Sam Sanders’ third wife; she lives in Kentucky now.”

“Interesting,” Jake said.

Katherine replied optimistically, “I figure when Barbie comes back, she’ll be pleasantly surprised to see her cousin taking care of all the cats. I think it’s too much to ask your parents to care for seven feisty felines, especially since I’m not going with you. Now I’ve got to figure out how to tell your mom.”