Patricia Fry - Klepto Cat 05 - The Colony Cat Caper (3 page)

Chapter Two

Colbi glanced up. “It’s just a security guard, Maggie,” she said while twisting her long hair into a loose knot on the back of her head.

“Yeah, I see that.”

The women watched as a slight man, wearing a tan uniform with an emblem on one sleeve, and large highway-patrolman-type sunglasses, approached. His drab brown hair was pulled back at the neckline into a short ponytail.

“Hello officer,” Margaret said with a smile.

“What are you ladies doing here?” he asked flatly glancing from one to the other.

“We’re from the Hammond Cat Alliance and we’ve come to assess the situation with the feral cats out here,” Margaret explained.

“You’re trespassing,” he said, his face expressionless.

“Um, the gate was open and the
re are cats in here that need attention.”

“Cats can take care of themselves,” he said dryly. He glanced around and then added, “Anyway, what makes you think there are any cats here?”

Colbi spoke up. “We saw them. There are at least eight or ten of them and some of them appear to need medical treatment.”

“Not to mention food,” Margaret added.

The officer rubbed the side of his face and looked around. “Well, I don’t know about cats. All I know is I’m supposed to keep people out of here. So I suggest you leave and don’t come back.”

Margaret stared at the guard for a moment and then asked, “Who do you answer to?”

“What?” the officer questioned.

“Who owns this building? We’d like to address the situation with him or her,” Margaret said. “The cats cannot fe
nd for themselves. They need human intervention and we aim to help them any way we can. Perhaps we should start by speaking directly to the property owner.”

“Uh…well…” the officer stammered. He looked down at his shoes.

Savannah, who sat a short distance away in the lawn chair, followed his eyes with hers.
What’s the deal there?
she wondered to herself.
Looks like he’s wearing spats. Spats? Now that would be weird. Maybe he can’t afford the shoes that go with the uniform so he covers his street shoes to make them look more to code.
She smiled.
I wonder if his boss knows he’s out of uniform.

“If you can’t tell me who owns the building, I’m sure I can get the information from the company you work for. By the way, what is your name?” Margaret asked.

“Um…Brad…Brad Whitcomb.”

“And the company name? Are you with Ace Security…or that other one…what is it?” Margaret asked, and then answered herself, “Oh yes, NoCal.”

“Yeah,” the guard said, swatting a fly away from his face. He looked directly at Margaret. “It will do you no good to pursue this. I suggest that you just leave those cats alone. Mind your own business.” He started to leave and then added, “If I see you here again, I will report you.” With that, the guard said, “Good day, ladies,” spun on his heels, and walked out through the gate.

“Hmph,” Margaret responded, turning to address Colbi and Savannah. “We need to find a way to get permission. I sure don’t want to be hassled every time we come out here.”

“Yeah, and from the looks of the cats, we’d better do it soon,” Colbi said.

Savannah stood and folded the lawn chair. “Let’s shove those bowls under the building there,” she said, “so the cats have better cover while they eat.”

Margaret grinned up at her niece. “I’ll do it, preggo lady. If you get down there, you may never get back up.”

“I can do it,” Colbi offered.

“Yeah, you’re the smallest and the youngest. You do it.” She thought for a moment and then turned to Savannah and said, “I have Grandpa Jed’s cane at home. It would come in handy for pulling the cat dishes out from under the building and pushing them back in.”

“Good idea,” Savannah said, making a note on her pad about the cane.

“Are you going to set the trap?” Colbi asked.

Margaret thought about it f
or a moment and then said, “Naw, let’s wait until we get authorization. Don’t know how long it’ll take. We’ll start trapping maybe tomorrow.”

A few seconds later as they walked to the car, Savannah looked around to see if they were being watched. She said
, “Did you guys notice anything odd about that guy?”

“Yeah, where did he disappear to?” Margaret said. “I didn’t hear a car drive up or leave, did you?”

“Yeah, I thought he’d keep watching us to make sure we left,” Colbi reasoned.

“Well that, too, I gue
ss,” Savannah said. “But no, there was definitely something odd about him.”

Margaret glanced up at her niece, who stood a good head taller than herself. “Oh Vannie, all those security guards are odd.”

“No, but there was something not quite right about this one.”

“What?” Colbi asked.

“I’m not sure,” she said after thinking about it for a moment. “He just didn’t seem like security-guard material.”

Margaret stared at her niece and shook her head. She then said, “Okay, I know what we need to do next. Ladie
s, let’s go talk to Jim.”

“So why are we going to talk to Deputy Jim?” Savannah asked.

“Just want to have some sort of authority in case that guard shows up again. If Jim knows what we’re doing, maybe he’ll stick up for us.” Margaret opened the driver’s side door and continued, “That Benevitas woman should have covered the trespassing issue. I’ve encountered it before in cat-rescue operations.”

Once everyone was seated in the car and Margaret had pulled out of the industrial area, Savannah turned toward
her and said, “There’s gotta be some sort of protocol they want us to follow in situations like this. Yes, I’m surprised she didn’t mention the trespassing issue.”

Colbi leaned toward the women in the front seat. “Damon has an appointment with the guy who
owns the building this week. Maybe we could meet with him too, and get permission from him.”

“Now there’s an idea,” Margaret said. “Where is Mr. Fischer now?”

“I think Damon said he’s in a nursing home in Straley.”

Margaret was quiet for a moment, then
she said, “What if he denies us access? It could become a bit gnarly—I’d almost rather just sneak around and make sure the cats are cared for—take our chances, you know.”

“On the other hand,” Savannah broke in, “maybe the owner would be glad we’re taking
care of the cats. And if we sign something saying we won’t hold him liable if one of us gets hurt on his property…”

“Good thinking, Vannie. Maybe we should bypass Jim and see if we can get permission from the owner.” Margaret made eye contact with Colbi
in the rearview mirror. “When is Damon interviewing this guy Fischer? It’s Anson Fischer who still owns the building, right?”

Colbi nodded. “I think that’s what Damon said. He’s going to see him today or tomorrow.”

“Call him, Colbi, would you? See if you can get an address. We could drive over there and take care of this today.”

“You’re not needed at your shelter today, Auntie?” Savannah asked.

“Naw, the census is low and we have volunteers coming in to clean pens and socialize the newer cats. My hubby should be able to do without me for a while longer,” she said. She reached over and patted Savannah’s hand. “I’m enjoying this time with you lately, since you’ve been staying home from the clinic. It’s kind of like old times, isn’t it—you and me out and about, trying to save cats?”

Savannah laughed. “Yeah, and getting ourselves in trouble. It’s déjà vu, for sure.”

“My call went to voicemail,” Colbi reported. “I left a message.”
“I’m thirsty,” Savannah said. “How about we stop for an iced tea while waiting for Damon to call?”

Margaret glanced quickly at Colbi. “There are water bottles in that little cooler next to you—wanna get one for Vannie? …and me too, if you don’t mind.” She quickly changed lanes and said
with a sigh, “Well since we have time, let’s go ahead and talk to Jim. Might as well cover that base, too.”

“Good plan, Auntie,” Savannah said. “Glad you’ve learned your lesson about trying to outwit the sheriffs.”

Margaret looked briefly in Savannah’s direction. “What are you talking about? When did I ever do anything that wasn’t above board and lawful?”

“Are you kidding me?” Savannah shrieked. “Trespassing, spying, running illegal surveillance operations, hiding evidence…”

“Okay stop!” Margaret shouted. “False, false, false…” she said, accenting her words by poking her index finger in the air.

Savannah stared over at her aunt and crossed her arms over the top of her baby bump. “Oh really?”

Margaret cringed slightly. “Well, there were extenuating circumstances,” she said quietly, and then more loudly, “and we did save those cats, didn’t we?”

“Touché,” Savannah said, laughing. “Indeed, we did.”

“You two are a crack-up,” Colbi said. “And fun to hang out with.” She leaned toward Margaret from the backseat and said, “Maggie, did you really do all those things?”

She flashed a smile back at Colbi. “Whatever it takes to save the cats, girl. Whatever it takes.”

“Now you’ve got me worried,” Colbi remarked. She added with a smile, “And kind of excited.”

“Ye
ah, with Auntie along, this gig will not be boring.” Savannah laughed. She then said, “Uh-oh, do you think we could stop for a potty break before we go see the sheriff?”

“Gotta go again, huh?” Margaret said. “How about at McDonalds? There’s one just ahead
.”

“I’m not fussy. Just get me there in time, that’s all I ask,” Savannah said, looking anxiously toward the fast-food restaurant off in the distance. “These urges sometimes come on in a hurry.”

***

The women arrived at the sheriff’s office just as Deput
y Jim was preparing to climb into his patrol car. “Wait, Jim,” Margaret called out the car window as she pulled into the parking lot.

He raised his head, spotted Margaret, and walked over to her car. “Morning Maggie,” he greeted. “What’s up?”

“Just wondering if we’re violating any trespassing laws out at the abandoned Fischer building, by managing the cat colony that has developed there.”

Jim glanced at Savannah and Colbi and then focused his eyes on Margaret. “Well, it
is
private property.”

“But there
are cats in danger…they need care,” she retorted.

“I’m not even sure it’s safe for you ladies to be out there.” He hesitated and took a deep breath. “We get strange reports coming from that neighborhood.”

“Like what?” she asked in an almost challenging manner.

“Oh, people see things, hear things…we get calls, but we never find anything when we arrive.” He looked off into space for a moment and then said, “One officer thought he saw something a few months ago, but his sighting could not be substantiated.”
Could be a gang hangout for all we know. Might be a danger for you.”

“Well, all the more reason why we should get those cats out of there—move them to a safer location.” Margaret looked ahead through the windshield and then back at the deputy. “Jim, we w
ere out there just now and a security guard confronted us.”

He rubbed his chin, squinting his eyes. “Security guard? That’s odd. That place has been abandoned for so many years… I can’t imagine anyone paying a security guard at this point. What company wa
s he with?”

“He didn’t say. He just mumbled something when I threw the names of a few companies out,” Margaret said.

From the backseat, Colbi added, “I didn’t see a company name on his uniform.”

“What about his car?” Jim asked. “Did it have a logo?”

“Didn’t see one,” Margaret responded.

“No logo?”

“No, no car,” Margaret said.

“No car? Way out there? That
is
odd.”

“Jim, do you know who owns that building?”

“I guess old man Fischer still does.”

“Do you know where we can find him?”
“Last I heard, he was in a nursing home—something’s not right with him, you know, after that accident.” The deputy looked over at his car and then back at Margaret. “He could be dead by now, for all I know.”

“Okay, Jim. I think you’ve told us what we need to know. Thanks.
”

He stood there for a few moments—looking from one to the other of the women and said, “Now Maggie, use common sense. I know cats are important to you ladies, but your well-being is more important, don’t you agree?”

“Sure,” she said as she turned the key in the ignition. “We’ll be careful—just doing our job, as you guys always say.” With a chuckle, she shifted into reverse and waved at the officer, who stood staring after them as they drove off.

“Oh, that’s Damon,” Colbi said looking down at her cell ph
one. “Hi! Thanks for calling. Just wondering if you know which nursing home old man Fischer’s in.”

“Are you planning to go there?” Damon asked into the phone. “’Cause if you are, it’ll be pretty much a waste of time. He doesn’t know what’s going on anymor
e. In fact, I guess he’s been that way ever since the accident.”