A MEOWvelous Witness (Klepto Cat Mystery Book 17) (3 page)

“Gosh, I talked to Iris briefly today and she didn’t say anything.”

“No, she doesn’t know about it and neither does Damon. Craig was home when Jackson called yesterday. He’s the one who talked to him. Then, I guess, they met today.” When Michael glanced up at Savannah, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Oh nothing,” she said, looking a little ruffled. “But I think Colbi and I saw Craig with Damon’s father early this morning at the diner. I remarked to Colbi how much I thought that guy favored Damon.” Wide-eyed, she asked, “So that really was his father?”

He shrugged. “I guess so.”

“Well, that’s just an awful thing to happen. And right before their wedding, when everyone should be happy and carefree.” She laughed. “Except that Colbi seems a little overwhelmed.”

Michael grinned. “Well, I don’t think Mr. Jackson will be bothering them for a while. Craig took care of that.”

“Oh my gosh; what did he do?”

“I guess he found that there were some warrants out for Mr. Jackson’s arrest, and he made a call to authorities. With any luck, Jackson will be sitting in a jail cell when Damon and Colbi say their vows.”

“Oh good. So Iris and Damon don’t know about any of this, huh?”

He shook his head. “I guess not.” Michael then focused on their large grey-and-white cat. “Did you forget to feed Rags?”

“No, why?”

“He’s begging like he’s hungry.”

She chuckled. “No. He’s begging because he can’t resist my chicken-and-rice casserole. He wants a piece of chicken.”

“You don’t need this,” Michael said to the cat. “It’s too spicy.”

“Spicy?” she queried.

“Well, you’ve obviously added salt and pepper. He doesn’t need any of that. Did you save some plain cooked chicken for him?”

“Sure did; for the cats and for Lily,” she said getting up and fetching Rags a few pieces. Just then, she saw Buffy peer out from her pink canopy bed. “Here’s some for you, sweet kitty.” About that time, Walter sauntered into the room. She engaged the black cat and enticed him with a chicken treat.

“What about Lexie?” Michael asked.

“Do dogs like chicken, too?” Savannah teased, as the afghan-mix danced around her feet.

In the meantime, Michael wiped Lily’s face and hands, then lifted her out of the highchair. “I’ll get the punkin ready for bed while you take care of the kitchen, okay?”

“Sure. I’ll catch up with you two for a bedtime story in a few minutes.”

Once they’d put Lily to bed, the Iveys decided to watch a movie in their bedroom.

“What’s on your agenda for tomorrow?” Michael asked.

Yawning, Savannah said, “I think I’ll go by the newspaper office and place an ad for all those things that have been taking up space in our shed. Antonio and I cleaned it out today when he came to plant the spring veggie garden and we found enough extra tools for someone to start their own gardening business. I’d like to sell everything together—or donate it to a worthy organization, maybe. You might want to look through it to see if there’s anything we should keep. But who needs four shovels, three pitchforks, two fertilizer spreaders, three wheelbarrows, and all that other stuff?”

****

“So you and Colbi are going shopping, are you?” Michael asked while rinsing dinner dishes the following evening.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Savannah scolded, picking up Lily.

“What’s our daughter doing now?” he asked.

“Trying to give her dolly a bath in Lexie’s water bowl.”

He shook his head. “She is creative.”

“Yes, and quick.” Savannah grabbed a kitchen towel. “Here Lily; let’s dry off your baby. Help Mommy dry your baby.” Under her breath, she said, “I wish you’d learn to leave the animals’ water bowls alone.” She turned to Michael. “I didn’t tell you where I found her this afternoon.”

“Where?” he asked.

“Halfway in Buffy’s bed trying to brush her with her little broom set. Buffy didn’t seem to mind, did you, girl? But I know Lily can be rough. She clobbered Rags over the head with her dustpan while he was eating breakfast this morning and when he ran off, someone finished his food.”

“The dog?” Michael asked, chuckling.

“It probably was Lexie, or it could have been one of the other cats.” She shook her head. “I don’t know, Michael; some days it’s just hard to keep up with all the shenanigans around here.”

“I know,” Michael said. “While you were gone that weekend with the girls, Lily gave Walter a juice bath.”

“A juice bath?”

“Yes. She found him sleeping under that blanket on the chair in there and started sprinkling juice from her sippy cup on his tail. I was glad I only had to clean his tail. The last time I gave that cat a bath—when I first found him—I thought he’d never speak to me again.” He put the last of the dishes in the drainer and wiped down the sink counter. “Hey, did you place the ad for all that stuff from the shed?”

Suddenly Savannah turned toward Michael. “Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. Something happened when I went to the newspaper office this afternoon.”

“What?” he asked, frowning.

“Well, I saw Damon in the parking lot. He was either just arriving to work or just leaving, I guess. And he wasn’t alone.”

“Who was he with?” Michael asked, as he dried a glass.

“He was talking to a tall, dark-haired man, and, Michael, it wasn’t a cordial conversation. I mean they were raising their voices. I thought Damon was going to smack him one. I didn’t know what to do, so I just stayed in my car out of sight.”

“Yeah, good idea. Could you hear what they were saying? Who do you think it was?”

“I don’t know. But I did take a couple of pictures with my phone.” When Michael turned to pick up another glass to dry, she said, “That’s not all, Michael. While I was sitting there trying to figure out what to do, this bleached-blond woman, who was probably in her fifties, stepped out of an old turquoise car—you know a vintage car—that was parked not too far away. She had a handful of papers.”

“Newspapers?” Michael asked, now leaning back against the counter.

“No, like documents. I guess she’d been there the whole time, but I didn’t notice her until she got out of the car. She tried to get Damon to look at the papers, but it seemed like all he wanted was to get away from those people. When he tried to climb into his car, the man blocked him. I could see that Damon was getting pretty hot under the collar. Finally, two women walked out of the office into the parking lot and the couple jumped into their car and sped away.”

“Good Lord. What did Damon do? Did you speak to him?”

“No,” Savannah said. “He drove off and I went on into the newspaper office. What do you think that was all about, Michael?” Before he could respond, she turned toward the side kitchen door. “Sounds like Colbi’s here.” She kissed Michael, then leaned over and hugged Lily. “’Bye-bye, sweetheart. Mommy will see you in the morning,” she said, picking up her purse and coat.

“Have fun!” Michael called after her.

****

“So are you ready to choose a dress for one of the most important days in your life?” Savannah asked as Colbi drove her small sedan out of the long driveway minutes later.

“Sure am,” she said, smiling weakly. “Like you said, I need to start crossing things off my list. Instead, it seems like I just keep adding to it.”

“Anything I can help with?”

Colbi thought for a moment, then said, “Maybe. I’ll let you know.” She glanced at Savannah as she drove. “Thank you for offering. I think most of it’s stuff I have to do, though. You know, there are a lot of decisions to make.”

“Well, once you make the decisions, give me a list.” She sat up straighter. “I am the matron of honor, you know.” The two women rode in silence for a few moments, when Savannah asked, “So what kind of dress are you looking for?”

Colbi let out a sigh. “Wish I knew.”

“Long? Short? White? Beige? Formal…?” When Colbi didn’t respond, Savannah asked, “What’s Damon wearing?”

“I guess his suit. He has one suit and it’s brown, so I suppose I should look for something either white, off white, or in brown tones. What do you think?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“I don’t particularly look good in a long dress,” Colbi explained. “I’m too small. I look like a little girl playing dress-up. So probably something short or mid-calf.” She glanced at Savannah. “Only Iris says mid-calf is out—it should be short or short-short.”

“Why didn’t you bring your future mother-in-law shopping tonight? She’s the one with the taste and the ideas.” She laughed. “I’m more casual and my style is all over the place, as you know.”

“I don’t think of you in that way. You have a nice style—a nice way of dressing.” Colbi laughed. “Actually, you and I have a similar style, only I wear more filmy things than you do.”

“Filmy?”

“Well, yeah, soft-flowing skirts and sheer blouses and scarves for accent.”

“Oh yeah, things you don’t wear around a baby.”

“Or cats,” Colbi said. When she noticed Savannah staring at her, she added, “Dolly has snagged more than one of my lacy sweaters and scarves. In fact, I usually head right up to my bedroom as soon as I get home from work and change into Dolly-proof clothes—a t-shirt and jeans.” She pulled her car into a parking lot. “Here’s the bridal shop. Ever been here?”

Savannah shook her head. “No. I think it opened a few months after our wedding.” As she picked up her purse, unlatched her seatbelt, and prepared to exit the car, she noticed Colbi staring ahead. “Anything wrong?” she asked.

Colbi jumped and took a breath. “No…uh…no. Nothing.”

“Well, let’s go get your wedding dress, shall we?” Savannah said cheerfully, climbing out of the car. Within seconds, Colbi joined her and they approached the door to the shop. “Wow, big selection. This will either make it super easy to find something you like or it’ll be totally confusing,” Savannah quipped as they entered.

“Yeah, well, I’m counting on easy.” Colbi stood in place and gazed at the racks and racks of dresses. “Overwhelming,” she said under her breath.

“Hey, you’re not going to fall in love with anything from this distance.” She took Colbi’s arm. “Come on. Let’s go zero in on that perfect dress, shall we?”

“Can I help you find something?”

Colbi and Savannah turned to face a woman of about forty with a sassy short hairdo and wearing a smart black dress that flattered her thin figure. “Uh, where are your size small dresses?” Colbi asked.

The woman looked from Colbi to Savannah and back again. “For the bride? Are one of you the bride?”

Colbi nodded. “Yes, I am.”

“Formal or informal?”

Colbi hesitated. “I’m not sure.”

“Can we see both?” Savannah asked.

“Right this way,” the woman gestured. “I’m Sarah. Shall I start a room for you?”

Colbi looked around the shop and noticed there was just one other clerk, who seemed to be working on a computer. There were no other customers. “Okay. I hope I find something to try on.”

“I’m sure you will. We have many lovely dresses in your size. Here are the formal wedding gowns.” She motioned toward a rack against a wall. “We do tailoring right here on the premises. If you plan to lose or gain weight, we recommend you bring the garment to us for your final fitting ten days before the wedding. We’ll do any necessary alternations then.”

Colbi nodded, her eyes scanning the array of dresses before her.

Sarah then walked across the shop, Savannah and Colbi following behind, and she pointed out another rack of dresses. “Here are our cocktail and party dresses, perfect for a less formal occasion.”

The vast array of dresses held Savannah’s and Colbi’s attention for the next hour, during which time Colbi tried on several that garnered compliments from Savannah and both clerks. As she stepped out of the dressing room wearing a fitted sea-green number with a lacey bodice, she suddenly turned somber. Before Savannah could comment, Colbi covered her face with her hands and rushed back into the dressing room in tears.

“What happened?” Sarah asked.

Savannah frowned. “I don’t know.”

“Oh, it’s probably wedding jitters,” the second clerk—a middle-aged bespectacled woman with shoulder-length auburn hair said. “I see it often with first-time brides.” She looked at Savannah. “This is her first, right?”

“Yes,” she said, keeping her eye on the dressing-room. After a few moments, she knocked on the door and asked quietly, “Colbi, are you all right?” She waited for another several minutes before Colbi appeared, a forced smile on her lips. “I just can’t decide,” she said, moving with determination toward the exit. “Savannah, can we just go? I guess I’m not in a shopping mood tonight.” She flashed a quick look at the clerks. “I’m sorry. I’ll be back…on a better day.” “Hey, there’s a coffee shop up the street. How about I buy you a cinnamon latte,” Savannah offered, after they’d stepped out to the sidewalk.

Colbi hesitated, then agreed, “Okay.”

“Feel better?” Savannah asked, once they were seated at a small table away from the hustle-bustle of customer placing their orders at the counter.

“I guess.” She looked across the table at her friend. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened in there. I…I guess…I…” she stammered. “I’m so distracted.” She put her hands alongside her face. “There’s so much to do and I feel so…so…scattered. I can’t make a decision.”

Savannah leaned forward. “Kiddo, I’ve never known you to be like this. What’s wrong?” When Colbi didn’t respond, Savannah asked, quietly, “You aren’t having second thoughts about marrying Damon, are you?”

“Oh no,” Colbi insisted. “There’s just so much to do, that’s all. I’m on stress overload.”

Savannah frowned. “Come on, I’ve seen you handle more details than this without getting frazzled. Is there something going on at work that’s adding to your stress?”

Colbi stared into the latte she held in her hands. “Yeah, things are kinda hectic at work.” She peered over her coffee mug at Savannah, then put it down on the table. “Today…”

“What?” Savannah asked. “What happened today?”

She waved her hand in front of her face, her eyes welling with tears. “Nothing. Nothing important. I’m fine,” she said, “…really. Just a bit overwrought. I’ll be ready to pick out a dress in a day or two. The timing just isn’t right. You know how shopping is.” Savannah noticed Colbi’s lips curl into a smile, but her eyes remained rather dark, as she said, “Either you’re in the mood or you’re not, right?”