“We do?” Savannah asked. “If some of those circus cats are the same ones that have been coming into the inn, we still don’t know how that’s happening.”

  Iris took a deep breath, then grabbed Savannah’s arm. “Look!” she shouted. “I’ll bet that’s his van. I’ve seen it before. I know it. It always reminds me of the old bread-delivery trucks that used to go up and down our street when I was a kid.” She addressed Margaret. “You remember that bread truck, don’t you? You’re my vintage.”

  Margaret nodded. “Sure do.”

  By then the trio had reunited with the others and Damon said, “Yeah, Mom, that’s not entirely unique. It’s an old style that’s coming back. Where did you say you saw it?”

  “In the neighborhood.”

  “Where you live, or at the inn?” Michael questioned.

  “The inn,” she insisted.

  “And what does it tell you?” Damon asked.

  Iris shrugged. “Well, if it’s full of cats, it tells me that maybe they do live in the neighborhood. Quick!” she shouted. “Get a picture as it goes by. I want to see who’s driving it.”

  Both Margaret and Savannah prepared to take a photo, but the van moved off in the opposite direction and they were unable to get a shot of the driver.

  “Did you get the license plate?” Iris asked.

  “I didn’t,” Savannah said. “I was aiming for the driver.”

  “Me neither,” Margaret said.

  “A great criminal gang we’d make,” Iris carped.

  The others laughed.

  “Someone lied to us,” Iris said as the group walked to where their cars were parked. “That guy does live in our neighborhood with those cats.”

  “How cool,” Margaret said. “Those were some great performers.”

  “Cool, my fanny,” Iris said. “I want those cats out of my life—performers or not. I can’t afford them.” She pretended to roll up her sleeves and she snarled, “Sir Roscoe, I’m coming to get you. You’d better be ready, Freddy.”

  “Well, it’s been fun, guys,” Michael said as they prepared to get into their cars. “See you all at church tomorrow to get our assignments for the big Thanksgiving dinner.”

  After everyone agreed they’d be there, Craig asked, “Is anyone hosting a Sunday meal after church this week?”

  “We’re having Thanksgiving together on Friday at the inn,” Iris reminded him. “Let’s not push it, okay?”

  “Whatever you girls decide,” he agreed.

  ◆◆◆

  “What’s your assignment?” Savannah asked Arthur and Suzette after church on Sunday.

  “I’ll hand out plates and utensils from noon until two,” Suzette said. “I’ll also probably volunteer in the used clothes closet.”

  “I asked for a split shift so I can help Michael at the clinic,” Arthur said. When Savannah looked sideways at him, he explained, “Remember, I once wanted to be a veterinarian, and I do love animals. I hope to learn something useful.”

  “Oh, that’s right,” Savannah said. She announced, “I’m helping with the children.”

  Colbi raised her hand. “Me too.”

  “Are you security, Craig?” Suzette asked.

  “Lord, no,” he said. “I’ll be in the food line with you.”

  “On which side of the table?” Iris joked.

  “Serving side, of course,” he insisted.

  “Max and I’ll be cooking,” Margaret said.

  Michael smiled. “I hoped so. Last year’s meal was delicious.”

  “How many do you usually feed?” Suzette asked.

  “Around two hundred,” Margaret replied.

  “And we see about fifty cats and dogs,” Michael added.

  “Do you get business from offering this service on Thanksgiving?” Arthur asked.

  Michael shook his head. “Very little. But the point is not to line my pockets, but to help the animals that have been forced to live on the streets.”

  “Do you ever confiscate animals—you know, because of abuse or neglect?” Suzette asked.

  “We call the proper authorities if we see something out of line, yes. It’s part of the veterinarian’s oath, and our moral obligation.”

  Savannah bumped Arthur and whispered, “I wonder who that is.”

  “Who?” he asked.

  She nodded toward the playground. “It just seemed like that woman was watching us.”

  He grinned. “Well, we are interesting, don’t you think so?”

  “Yeah, but how would she know that?” Savannah pointed. “Oh, there she goes. She’s kind of dressed up for a homeless person.”

  “Maybe she’s not homeless,” Arthur said.

  Savannah squinted, thinking. “Maybe, but she sure has some of the earmarks of being a street person.”

  After studying the woman briefly, Arthur asked, “Will you bring Rags on Thursday? I heard someone say Rags is sort of a therapy cat at these pop-up clinics Michael does.” He chuckled. “Hey, maybe you should take your clinic on the road. You could advertise a mobile clinic with Rags, the therapy cat.”

  “Wait a minute, young man,” Craig snarled playfully, “don’t encourage them to take my partner away. Who would solve crimes in this jurisdiction?”

  Arthur grinned. “Who, indeed?”

  “By the way, Arthur,” Craig said, moving closer, “I may have a lead on this mysterious Missy gal.”

  “Yeah?” Arthur said. “I’m all ears.”

  “Ever do your genealogy?”

  “No. My grandmother Pearl showed me a family Bible once. Of course, that was James Peyton’s family, not mine. So really, no. Why?”

  “Well, I’ve done a little of it for you. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “It’s okay to look into someone else’s historical background?” Suzette asked.

  Craig winked at her. “I’m a detective, remember? It’s what I do.”

  “But genealogy—that seems like it should be private,” Colbi agreed.

  “I guess not,” Craig said. “Anyhoo, Arthur, I found out that your father had a brother. His brother’s deceased, but he had a daughter, and guess what her name is.”

  “Uh…”

  “Melissa Spence Logan. She goes by Missie.”

  His mouth agape, Arthur exclaimed, “Oh? Where is she, do you know? So she’s married; does she have children?”

  Craig shrugged. “I don’t know. It appears she’s divorced, and I could find no address for her.”

  “What does she do? What’s her profession?”

  Craig shook his head. “Don’t know.” He moved closer. “Tell me, how did your father make his money?”

  “Oh, well, as I recall, he managed or owned a finance company or a bank or something. I was pretty young at the time, but it seemed like my grandfather worked there too, until he died. They were always talking business. I hated it when they talked business.”

  “Do you remember an uncle who talked business with them?” Craig asked.

  Arthur shook his head slowly, then said, “I remember a man coming to my grandparents’ house. We lived there—my mother, father, sister, and I. Sometimes he’d go out to dinner with us. After my grandfather died, I didn’t see him much. I think he may have been part of the family, but he didn’t seem to fit in very well. I remember hearing that he got hurt in a fight and he wasn’t quite right. I guess he could have been my father’s brother.”

  Arthur looked at Craig. “As for the money, it could have actually come from my grandfather, but all I know for sure is that when my father died, my mother got his estate to handle until Karen and I were of age.” He winced. “Of course, Karen died.” He asked, “So do you think Missie is my cousin and she wants the family fortune?” He shrugged. “Sure, I’d share it with her. If it was our grandfather’s estate, it seems only right that half of it is hers.” He thought for a moment. “But if it was my grandfather’s estate, I wonder how my mother ended up with it—I mean, if my dad had a brother.”

  “Families do strange things with their money, son,” Craig said.

  Arthur lowered his brow in thought. “Well if she actually is my cousin and her father didn’t get anything from our grandfather’s estate, I should share what I have with her. Can you get in touch with her and tell her that?”

  Craig rubbed his chin. “If it were only that simple.”

  “Why can’t it be?” Arthur asked.

  “Well, we don’t know what the will said. We’re not sure she actually is your blood relative, we have no idea where she is, and if the man who accosted you was telling the truth, she’s behind the harassment and bullying you’ve been subjected to. She could be considered a criminal.”

  ◆◆◆

  “So Iris,” Savannah asked Monday morning when she and Rags visited the inn, “what’s the cat situation?”

  “Quiet. It’s kind of spooky. I haven’t seen a cat except for mine for three days.” She looked down at Rags, who stood at Savannah’s feet. “Hi, boy. Come to play with Koko?” She glanced toward the staircase. “She’s around here someplace.”

  “It is quiet,” Savannah said. “Where are your guests—I mean Arthur and Suzette?”

  “Oh, they went sightseeing with Ruth and Rupert. Suzette wanted to see June Balcomb’s cat ranch, for one thing.” Iris jumped. “Oh, here comes Koko.” She ran her hand over the cat’s back as she walked past. “Been having a mid-morning snack in the kitchen, have you?” She laughed when she saw the greeting between the two cats. “Turn him loose, Savannah. They’ll be fine.”

  “Okay. Be a good boy, Ragsie,” she cooed, removing his harness. She and Iris watched as the two cats trotted off together.

  Savannah hesitated, then asked, “Is Ginger back?”

  “No. We miss that little girl around here. She was

  the comical one. She always made us laugh.” Iris tilted her head. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  Savannah thinned her lips. “I hate to tell you this, but I think Ginger has run off and joined the circus.”

  “What?” Iris yelped.

  Savannah pulled out her phone. “I took this video Saturday during the cat performance. I don’t know how we missed it.” She tapped the screen and handed the phone to Iris.

  “Oh, my gosh!” Iris gasped. “Is that? Do you think that’s…? Craig!” she called. “Come look at this.”

  “What are you caterwauling about now?” Craig asked good-naturedly as he entered the dining room.

  Iris walked the phone to him. “Look. Is that Ginger? See that white tip on her tail? I think it is.”

  Craig stared into the screen, then murmured. “Well, I’ll be. It could be, but…”

  “I know, but how?”

  He looked at his wife. “I think that circus freak has to live nearby and he’s been stealing cats. Wasn’t anyone in the neighborhood missing cats?”

  Iris and Savannah looked at each other and Savannah said, “Just one woman mentioned something about her cat running off. Remember that?”

  “Yeah, I guess. But it didn’t mean much at the time. Do you suppose…?”

  “What?” Craig asked. “That the cat whisperer is stealing cats and seducing them into performing by feeding them fish? Do I think he’s guilty of feline trafficking?”

  “His printed program indicates that all of his cats come from shelters,” Iris said.

  “The shelter of homes,” Craig snarked.

  Iris sat down hard. “Now what are we going to do?”

  “Watch for the cats to come back, maybe, then…um…hey, we can follow them home,” Savannah suggested.

  “How are we going to do that?” Iris insisted. “Evaporate? The cats seem to materialize, then evaporate. It’s all done by pure magic, I tell you.”

  “Now, babe,” Craig soothed, “let’s not over-dramatize this.”

  “I’m over-dramatizing?” she screeched. “How would you explain what’s happening?”

  “Well, I don’t know yet, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out. There has to be an explanation.”

  “Caroline,” Savannah yelped. When the others looked at her, she said, “I wonder if Caroline, the cat psychic, could help us with this.”

  “A cat psychic?” Craig repeated.

  “Hey, let’s do it,” Iris said eagerly. “I’m desperate here.”

  “Only thing is,” Savannah said, “how are we going to do it without cats?”

  “Well, most of my cats are still here,” Iris reminded her. “Maybe they’ll talk.”

  Savannah thought for a moment and said, “Maybe. Hey, I’ll call her. I think I still have her number.”

  ◆◆◆

  “Thank you for coming,” Savannah greeted when Caroline arrived at the inn thirty minutes later. She gestured. “This is Iris Sledge. She runs the Kaiser Inn.”

  “It’s beautiful,” Caroline said. “I’ve come by this way and always wanted to see the inside.” She looked around. “You’ve done a great job.” She was quiet for a moment, then said, “There’s a lot of cat energy around this place.”

  Iris nodded. “The former owners had cats living in the walls, and I have cuddle cats.”

  “Cuddle cats?” Caroline questioned.

  “To give the place a homey feel and for guests to enjoy overnight in their room if they want.”

  “How charming,” Caroline said. She looked down at Savannah’s feet. “And who’s this? Wait, I think I’ve met him before, haven’t I? Is this Rags? He was upset …”

  “Yes,” Savannah said. “He had witnessed a violent act, and…”

  “Someone kicked him,” Caroline said. “He was traumatized. But he seems okay now.”

  “Oh yes. He’s fine.”

  Caroline looked around. “Does he live here?”

  “No, I brought him over to play with his friend, Koko.” Savannah pointed at the Siamese cat lounging on one of the sofas. “That’s Koko. She’s visiting from out of town.”

  Caroline looked at Koko and Rags, then she addressed Iris, “So tell me what you’d like from me today.”

  “Well, we have a strange case of cats coming and going and we’re trying to figure out where they’re coming from, how they’re getting in, and where they’re going when they leave. One of my cuddle cats is missing, as if she disappeared into thin air with all of the other cats. Only some of them return; she hasn’t.”

  Caroline looked confused. “Cats are coming in and you don’t know where they’re coming from?”

  “Or how they’re getting in,” Iris said. “They just seem to materialize from out of nowhere.”

  Caroline tilted her head. “You aren’t talking about spirit cats, are you?”

  Savannah chuckled. “No, flesh-and-fur cats you can touch.”

  “And that pee and poop,” Iris complained.

  Caroline grinned, then asked, “Have you tried following them?”

  “Well, we had a bunch of people here one night watching to see how the cats were getting in and where they were going, and we still have no idea how they’re doing it.”

  Savannah added, “We went around the neighborhood asking about missing cats. No one could offer anything by way of explanation. It’s just a strange mystery.”

  “Then,” Iris said dramatically, “we went to the cat circus in Straley over the weekend, and…”

  “You were there?” Caroline asked, smiling. “That was a terrific show, wasn’t it?”

  Iris raised her eyebrows. “But we were surprised to learn that one of my cuddle cats was a performer.”

  “What?” Caroline screeched.

  Iris continued, “And we recognized at least some of the cats in the show as those that have been visiting us here.”

  Caroline remained silent. She watched as Rags joined Koko on the love seat before she murmured, “Well, isn’t that interesting? So they must live around here someplace.”

  Savannah shook her head. “If so, no one knows about them. We canvassed the neighborhood and couldn’t find anyone who knew anything about cats roaming or appearing or vanishing.”

  “Hmmm. So what is it you want me to do?” Caroline asked. “How do you envision me helping with this?”

  “Maybe talk to my cuddle cats and see if they know where the other cats are coming from,” Iris suggested. She winced. “I don’t know. We’re at the end of our rope.”

  Caroline grinned. “Yeah, people usually call me as a last resort. Okay, where are the cats you want me to see?” She looked at Rags. “Does he know anything?”

  “He might,” Savannah said. “He was here a couple of times when the invasion was taking place.”

  Caroline thought for a moment, then said, “Let me talk to the resident cats first. Where are they?”

  “In the cat room,” Iris said. “Come on.”

  “Oh, this is a wonderland for cats,” Caroline said. “I can see why cats would escape and come here to play and recreate.” She petted a part-ragdoll cat that lounged in a kitty hammock. “Hi, beautiful.”

  “That’s Sparky,” Iris said. She pointed. “There’s Sophie over there.”

  She looked around and spotted a couple more cats. A black-and-white cat walked up to Caroline and rubbed against her legs.

  “That’s Oscar,” Iris said.

  “Okay, guys,” Caroline said to the cats, “I’m going to address you all together. Everyone pay attention, okay?” She sat down on a stool, then briefly faced the women. “You two sit over there behind me.” When Rags and Koko joined them Savannah started to usher them out, but Caroline said, “Let them stay. Rags might be helpful.” She closed her eyes, then opened them and stared at Sparky for a while. When Oscar lay down, she focused on him. After several minutes, she noticed Rags sitting on a nearby cat tree staring intently at her. She stared back. Finally, she stood up, took a deep breath, and faced the two women. She sat back down on the stool.

  “Well,” Iris said, “did they say anything worthwhile?”

  “Oh, yes,” Caroline said. “They all have stories to tell.” She chuckled. “I could write a book with the things Rags revealed.”“Oh, yes,” Caroline said. “They all have stories to tell.” She chuckled. “I could write a book with the things Rags revealed.”