Клэр Донелли - Catch As Cat Can

Then he heard other footsteps coming in. Maybe this was Good Petter. Shadow peered around the big chair and got a surprise. It was the Generous One, moving in that funny way the humans did when they thought they were being quiet.

Voices came from above, and then Sunny, the Old One, and the Old One’s She were coming down the stairs. Obviously, they were surprised to see the Generous One, too. Shadow stayed where he was. He didn’t like it when friends fought, and whatever the two-legs were saying, it wasn’t friendly. Some of it sounded sad, some angry.

Then the humans began moving toward the room of food.

Maybe this is better, Shadow thought. Maybe the fight is over and they’re going to eat.

But, no, instead the Old One opened the door to the dark place below, and he, Sunny, and his She went down the stairs. This didn’t look like a good thing. It didn’t look like a game, either. Shadow watched in puzzlement as the Generous One slammed the door. Then he put a shiny thing in his pocket, went down the hall to the front door, and left.

Shadow crept into the kitchen and sat in front of the closed door. He could hear agitated voices on the other side. Couldn’t the two-legs get the door open? Shadow thought humans could do that.

Now you know how it feels to be a cat, he thought as he heard banging from the other side.

He put a curious paw out to push against the wood. It didn’t move. He gave it a quick scratch, but he could see claws wouldn’t work, either.

Then he heard a rattling noise. He looked up to see a metal thing moving slightly—not a knob like most doors, but a squarish thing kind of like the catch on the screen door that he was able to jump up and work. He heard Sunny’s voice calling him, like when they played the Chase the String game.

Shadow crouched down, then sprang up, his paw batting at the metal thing as he passed it. But the door didn’t open.

He landed on the floor, staring up, as Sunny called him again. He jumped, but again the metal thing resisted his efforts, for that try and two more.

It doesn’t move when I hit it, Shadow thought, examining the thing above his head. But it sticks out enough. Maybe I can catch it . . .

He gathered himself for another leap, but this time instead of batting at the recalcitrant thing, he hooked a paw around it. A sharp vibration went through his leg, and then the metal thing twisted beneath him, trying to dump him to the floor. Shadow spun in midair, getting his legs under him and springing away from the sneaky thing—just in time.

The door almost flew open, and Sunny came running out, calling his name. She swooped down to him, gathering him up in her arms and planting her lips to the top of his head. She didn’t do that very often. Shadow had learned that two-legs didn’t like to groom.

He settled in her arms as she hugged him close and put her lips on him again.

This is pretty nice, he thought. But I wouldn’t want to play that game again. It’s kind of stupid.

19

Sunny blinked awaytears as she kissed Shadow again on the top of the head. “You did it, little guy,” she told him. “You saved us.”

Shadow’s eyes slitted and he purred with pleasure. Then his eyes went wide as a series of barks echoed their way up the stairs, and Toby came galumphing into the kitchen, capering around Sunny’s feet at all the excitement.

Shadow’s expression of pleasure disappeared. Now he gave Sunny a look as if he’d just received an awful surprise, like the time he’d tried to jump onto the hood of Mike’s car while he was washing it and had slid all the way across to land in the pail of soapy water. “You know Toby lives here,” she whispered to him. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t bother you.”

By now, Mike had brought Mrs. Martinson up the stairs and installed her on a kitchen chair. Sunny shifted Shadow around her neck like a stole and scrambled down the hallway, retrieving her cell phone and calling up Will’s personal number. Don’t go to voice mail, don’t go to voice mail, she silently chanted as the phone rang.

“I’m at Helena Martinson’s,” she told Will when he picked up. “Neil Garret was just here.”

“What? Why?” he instantly demanded. “I figured he’d be out of town by now.”

“He stopped off to pick up a pistol from Vince Martinson’s old gun collection,” Sunny told him. “The reason Neil gave Val the slip is because Yancey Kilbane kidnapped Abby Martinson. If Neil wants to save her, he’s got to turn up at Charlie Vane’s ship in less than an hour now.”

“Neil got a gun.” Will sounded as if he wanted to make sure he was hearing correctly. “I don’t suppose Mrs. Martinson gave him one willingly.”

“No, he got hold of the gun first, rounded us up, and locked us in the cellar.”

“Is that where you are now? Should I send help?”

“No, we got out,” Sunny said. “I’ll save the story of how. You won’t believe it anyway. But maybe you should send some cops to Vane’s boat—try to cut Neil off before he does something stupid.”

“If he felt that he needed a gun, he doesn’t trust Kilbane very much.” Will sounded worried. “I’ll call it in, but the nearest patrol cars are probably up in outlet-land. Do you have a car model or description I can pass along so we can maybe intercept Neil?”

“Sorry,” Sunny apologized. “We didn’t see him come up, and we were down in the basement when he left.”

“Too much to hope for,” Will muttered. “I’m on my way back from Levett, so I’ll head for the dock directly.”

Alone, Sunny thought. But all she could say was, “Be careful.”

“Definitely,” Will replied.

They hung up, and Sunny turned to Mike. “Will’s calling it in—I figured he’d get farther than we would dialing 911. But it’s going to take a while before the cops get there.” She took a deep breath. “I think we need to catch up with Neil—slow him down until some help arrives.”

She glanced at Helena Martinson’s worried face. “We’ll need to beat the clock, but I’m betting on Will.”

Sunny unwound Shadow from around her neck and passed the cat to Mrs. M. “Can you take care of Shadow? I don’t want to leave him alone after all of this.”

Shadow did not look happy, clinging to Helena’s arms and glaring down at the barking Toby. “Thanks,” Sunny said. “We’ll be back with good news, I promise.”

She headed for the door with Mike in tow. Her dad looked frankly dubious, but he kept quiet until they were out in the street. “Sunny, it’s not a good idea to make promises you might not be able to keep.”

“I know, Dad. But I’m going to do my darnedest to make sure things turn out okay.”

She started rushing back to their house, to find Mike speed-walking right beside her. “ We’re going to do our darnedest,” he told her.

They just about flew up the driveway to Sunny’s Wrangler. She got behind the wheel, buckling into her seat belt. Mike did the same. “I suspect it’s going to be one of those kinds of rides,” he said.

Sunny started the engine, and they were off. She negotiated the local streets at as fast a speed as she could safely manage. Mike glanced at his watch. “He has quite a lead on us. How do you figure on trying to catch up with him?”

They hit a county road, and Sunny pushed the speedometer a little more. She’d been sorting through options as they drove and had finally decided on one—not the best choice, she had to admit, but the only chance to cut down their travel time to town. “I was thinking of taking Ridge Road.”

“Ridge Road!” Mike burst out. “Are you crazy? You want to take an unpaved goat track in the dark?”