Michael looked at Keith before saying, “We were separated at birth. We just found out about each other a couple of years ago.”

  “Oh my gosh!” Janet exclaimed. “That’s horrible—missing out on your entire childhood with each other. I’m so sorry.”

  “We’re just thankful to have found each other,” Keith said. “We’re having a blast, aren’t we, Michael?” He play-punched his brother, “So let’s celebrate by riding the biggest roller-coaster around today.”

  “Really?” Adam said. He turned to Michael, “Can we do that, Dad?”

  Michael looked sheepishly at his son. “Naw, I doubt it. You can go, but...” he swallowed hard. “Not me. I don’t like those things. They scare me.”

  Keith grinned and said to Adam, “I’ll go with you, buddy.” He chuckled. “Your dad and I can ride the tea cups together, I guess.” He looked at Michael. “Or are you afraid of those, too?”

  “Actually, yes,” he said. “I don’t do fast, jerky, or spinning rides.” He smiled. “I’ll go on the Ferris wheel. Will you settle for riding on the Ferris wheel with me, or maybe those carrousel ponies?” He noticed the Sledges step out onto the deck. “Well, there they are,” he greeted.

  “Hey, Detective,” Adam shouted, “look what Cassie and I found!”

  “What is that?” Iris asked, shrinking back a little.

  “It’s a tunnel for a gold fish,” Bethany chirped.

  “No it’s not,” Cassie said. “It’s part of a wheel for a hamster.”

  Keith chuckled. “I don’t know, kids, I think it’s from some sort of kitchen gadget, like a snow-cone maker or...”

  “Nah,” Michael interrupted. “It looks more like a piece from a magic trick.” When the others looked at him, he explained, “I used to have this thing where you’d hide an object, then slide the doodad and it would disappear.”

  “Well, let me see that,” Craig said, taking it from Adam. “Where’d you find this amazing treasure, anyway?”

  “It washed up on the beach...” he started.

  “Yeah, from Japan or Hawaii,” Cassie added, wide eyed.

  “You think it’s been in the water for that long, do you?” Craig asked. When the children didn’t respond, he said, “It could take years and years for the currents to carry something that far and it would be covered in barnacles and seaweed and other sea creatures that attach themselves to things like this. No, I think some kid was probably playing with it in the sand along this beach yesterday.”

  “Do you really think so?” Adam asked. “I thought it was something special, maybe from a sunken war ship.”

  Craig handed it back to Adam, saying, “Yeah, if the ship was made of plastic and it sank in shallow water out here last week.”

  “Bummer,” Adam said. “There goes our sea-world museum of unusual treasures.”

  The adults chuckled quietly as Adam and Cassie trotted back down the steps to the beach.

  Savannah addressed the Sledges. “So would you two like to go on an adventure with us today?”

  “What sort of adventure?” Craig asked, suspiciously.

  “We’re going to a ’musement park,” Bethany said excitedly.

  “Oh,” Craig said. “I think I’ll pass. Iris might go with you.”

  Iris sulked. “I was hoping you gals would go thrift-store shopping with me.”

  “Oh,” Savannah said, feigning disappointment. “Dang. Maybe another time.”

  Iris perked up. “Okay, I do my best shopping when I’m alone, anyway.” She held up her phone and a mesh tote. “I’ve mapped out my route and I have my shopping bag. I’m ready to save a fortune on wonderful new clothes.”

  “Each to her own,” Savannah said, smiling at her friend.

  “Yeah,” Iris said. “I sure can’t handle amusement parks anymore. Too far to walk in my designer shoes and the rides muss up my hair. No. I’d rather shop than...”

  Michael interrupted her. “What will you do when Rosemary wants you to take her to Disneyland? You won’t tell your granddaughter no, will you?”

  “Oh!” Iris said, caught off guard. “I guess I’ll wear sneakers and a baseball cap that day.”

  When Savannah saw Craig standing on the deck staring out across the sand, she asked, “Going surfing?”

  “Yeah, right. No. I’m looking for your friend.”

  “Friend?”

  “The stalker. He does a good job of blending in.”

  “Yeah, it’s easy in this environment.” She snarled, “I hope he gets sunburned!”

  “Just doing his job,” Craig said. He turned to her. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Grab your coffee and join me on the beach. I want to talk to you.”

  “What?” she asked, once they’d descended the steps.

  “I met with Detective Shively yesterday.”

  “Oh, I wondered where you disappeared to after lunch.”

  Ignoring her, he grumbled, “He’s such a jerk. He still doesn’t believe the things a cat can do. I mean, even my cats at home are smarter than he is.”

  “Not everyone knows or wants to know about cats,” she explained.

  “Their loss,” he muttered.

  She chuckled. “There was a time, Craig...”

  “I know,” he cut in. “I didn’t appreciate cats either until...well, until I met your crazy cat, I guess.” He faced her briefly as they walked together. “Here’s the deal. It appears that when those vagrants you befriended got wind that you were being eyeballed as a possible accomplice or suspect, they decided to run with it.”

  “What? So John and Ed must have something to do with that robbery, or they wouldn’t be trying to throw me under the bus, right?”

  “Savannah, Shively tells me that you were in Monterey in December. Why? What took you there?”

  “Mom, Bri, the kids, and I drove down there to meet some of my cousins. One lives there and some of the others were coming in for a visit, so they invited us down. Yes, I was there in December. Why?”

  “You know that’s when the robbery occurred. Did you go anywhere near that restaurant when you were there?”

  “Yes, we had breakfast there one morning. That’s why I knew about it and suggested we stop there for lunch last week. Oh no,” she whined. “That doesn’t look good, does it?”

  “No. But you didn’t do anything wrong, so it’s not awful. I have to tell you they don’t have anything really concrete at this time, just testimony from a couple of liars, is all.”

  “What should I do, Craig?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary,” he said. “Continue enjoying your time here at the beach with your family. When are you leaving for home?”

  “Saturday.”

  “Okay, Iris and I are leaving tomorrow, but I can meet you in Monterey Saturday and we’ll have a talk with Detective Shively and see if we can clear this up.”

  “Okay,” she said, letting out a lingering sigh.

  ****

  That evening as Janet was closing her drapes, she thought she saw something moving around on her deck. She turned on the outside light and squinted, then opened the door and greeted the interloper. “Well, hello there, Miss Pauline.” She wriggled her fingers enticingly. “What in the world are you doing way over here? Oh my, I’ll bet your mom and dad are worried sick. Do they know you’re out?” She looked beyond her deck to see if anyone had walked over with the perky cat. When Pauline rushed past her into the house, she laughed. “Well, come on in. Don’t be shy.” She took another look beyond her deck. When she didn’t see anyone, she followed the cat into her house.

  “What are you doing out so late, anyway?” she asked the cat. “It’s almost ten, too late to call your folks. Gosh, maybe I should just keep you inside overnight and let Savannah know where you are in the morning.” She cooed, “Do you want to stay here with Cousin Janet, pretty girl?” She smiled. “I’d sure enjoy your company. Come on, you can sleep with me, if you want to.” She had another thought. “I can get Daphne’s bed out of the closet for you. Maybe you’d like to curl up in it like she used to do. I think I still have some kitty litter. Let’s get a pan set up for you just in case. And I have some kitty-cat food. I’ll get you a dish of water.” She shivered. “Oh, this is such a pleasure having you here tonight. It’s as if Daphne has returned.” She looked the cat in the eyes. “Are you my Daphne in disguise?” She giggled. “Actually it’s not much of a disguise. You look a lot like her.” She cuddled with the plush cat. “Thank you for coming here tonight. What a gift,” she said, choking up.

  ****

  The following morning around eight Gladys received a call.

  At the same time, Adam and Cassie ran into the kitchen. “Savannah, where’s Pauline? We can’t find Pauline.”

  “I don’t know,” Savannah said. “Have you looked in her bed, on our bed? The other day I found her curled up with some of Teddy’s toys.” She laughed. “I almost didn’t see her in there; I thought she was one of his stuffed animals.”

  “Adam, are you looking for your cat?” Gladys asked moments later.

  “Yes,” he answered, bewildered. “Have you seen her, Grammy? Cassie and I can’t find her anywhere.”

  Gladys grinned. “She’s with Janet.”

  “Huh?” Adam said. “Your cousin took her someplace?”

  “She didn’t take her anywhere, but she’s going to bring her back in a few minutes.” When the others seemed confused, Gladys said, “Evidently Pauline showed up on her deck last night and Janet invited her in to stay. She was worried about her being out so late.”

  “Oh, my gosh. I wonder how she got out,” Savannah said. “Or did we forget to bring her in at dark?”

  Holly shook her head. “With all the kids in and out, it’s a wonder we haven’t lost both cats and Teddy.”

  “That’s an awful thought,” Savannah mused. She then said, “I’m so glad Janet snagged her. How sweet of her.”

  Gladys laughed. “She said she had the absolute time of her life and she has some stories to tell us when she and Pauline get here.”

  “Uh-oh, I wonder what she did,” Cassie said.

  “Yeah, she can be kinda naughty,” Adam added.

  “What does she do that’s naughty?” Michael asked. “I thought she was a dream cat the way you all talk about her.”

  “Well, she doesn’t always mind and do what you want her to do. I think she hides things when you’re not looking, or else Rags is getting sneakier.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Savannah said. She studied the children for a moment, then said,

  “Well, let’s eat before Janet gets here. I want to hear what stories she has to tell us.”

  ****

  “I truly believe she’s the reincarnation of my Daphne,” Janet said in all seriousness when she joined the Iveys and the Pettits in their dining room.

  Gladys lowered her brow. “Really?” She asked more tenderly, “When did you lose your kitty, Janet?”

  “Christmas before last,” she said.

  “Isn’t Pauline about two years old?” Holly asked. “Maybe she is your Daphne.” When the others looked at her, Holly said, “There are a couple of gals in my yoga class who swear that their pets have returned in the form of another cat or dog. Keith has clients who have told similar stories.”

  “That gives me goosebumps,” Janet said. “Last night I sure felt like my Daphne had returned.”

  “Because Pauline looks like Daphne?” Michael asked.

  “That,” Janet said, “and the fact that she seems to know me and my home. It’s uncanny.” When she saw the others waiting to hear more, she leaned forward. “Well, one thing Daphne used to do every chance she got was to knock over Uncle Edgar’s picture.” She addressed Gladys. “I showed you that picture of him on my shelf.”

  “Yes,” Gladys said, “you have a lot of family pictures.”

  Janet nodded. “But that’s the only one she ever knocked over, and to do it she had to weave her fluffy self between a couple of other photos and get in behind it. Then she’d pat it once and over it would go.” Janet opened her eyes wide and announced, “Pauline did the exact same thing last night.”

  Janet laughed. “Not only that, this morning she accompanied me into the bathroom and proceeded to unwrap the toilet paper from the roll. Daphne did that so often, I had to keep the bathroom door closed.” Before anyone else could speak, she said, “Oh, and she slept with me, right in the crick of my knee, just like Daphne used to do.” Janet picked up Pauline. “I just love her so much and she seems to like me, too. This morning she followed me everywhere I went. She watched me fix my hair, tidy up the place, eat my breakfast like she was truly interested in what I was doing.” She ruffled the cat’s fur. “Didn’t you, sweet thing?”

  Just then there was a rap on the sliding glass door. “Oh, it’s Sidney,” Savannah said, opening it. “Good morning. Come in.”

  “Thanks. I just wanted to find out if this sandal belongs to one of your little girls.” She looked down at the floor behind Savannah and said, “Wait. I forgot about that cat. I saw it here last week, didn’t I?”

  “Yes,” Savannah said. “That’s Pauline.” When Savannah noticed Sidney staring at the cat, she asked, “Why?”

  “Oh, well, I came here to tell you that my neighbor on the other side of us caught a cat on their security camera last night; it brought this sandal up onto their deck.” She pointed. “The cat looked just like that one. Was she out last night?”

  “I guess she was,” Savannah said. “She found her way to Janet’s house up the other direction.” She then said, “Sidney, this is our cousin, Janet.” The two women nodded at one another and Savannah asked, “Janet, when did she show up at your place?”

  “About ten.”

  “Well, my neighbor’s surveillance camera caught her around nine fifteen dropping off this shoe.” Sidney looked at Janet. “Did she bring you anything?”

  “As a matter of fact, I found a strange dog toy on my deck this morning. I guess she could have brought it, although I didn’t see her with it.”

  “A dog toy? Is it red with yellow on it—a sort of clown character?”

  “Yes,” Janet said. “Why?”

  “Well, the camera showed it on Freda’s and Bob’s deck while the cat was there.” She looked down at Pauline, who now sat at Janet’s feet. “That cat. I’m sure it was that cat.” She pulled a photograph out of her pocket. “Here, see what you think. Is this your cat?”

  After scrutinizing the picture, Savannah handed it to Michael and groused, “It sure could be her.”

  “Do you mean Pauline is the burglar?” Adam asked, dumbfounded.

  “No,” Savannah insisted. “She can’t be. She doesn’t roam...”

  “Honey,” Michael said, “she was caught on camera and she found her way to Janet’s house.”

  “But that was just once,” Savannah said. “She’s been here all the rest of the time,”

  “Are you sure?” Keith questioned. “I’ve seen her outside when I get up to make the coffee in the morning. I haven’t mentioned it because I figured one of you had gotten up earlier and let her out. But hey, maybe she was just coming home after a night out.” He chuckled. “She sure was hungry the two times this happened.” He patted Adam on the back and quipped, “Hey, Buddy, it looks like you’ve got yourself a true cat burglar, there.”

  “Oh, my gosh,” Savannah said, dropping into a chair. “I had no idea.” She looked up at Sidney. “Hey, want a cup of coffee? Come join us here at the table.”

  “No, I need to get back. Glenn and I are going out to breakfast with friends. I just wanted to let you know what my neighbor caught on camera.” She held up the pink sandal. “So does this belong to one of your little girls?”

  “No,” Savannah said. “It’s not Lily’s.” She looked at Holly, who shook her head.

  “So that’s her secret, is it?” Michael huffed. “Wait until I get my hands on Bernice.”

  “Who’s Bernice?” Holly asked.

  “The waitress who bamboozled us into taking that cat. As if we don’t have enough on our hands with Rags, we drag home a bona fide cat burglar.” He rested his head in his hands and pretended to be overwhelmed by the news.

  “How’s she been getting out, anyway?” Savannah asked.

  Michael picked up the cat. “She’s just one sneaky girl, this one.” He cuddled with her. “What are we going to do with you, Miss Pauline, the burgling machine?”

  Holly stared in shock. “So this sweet little thing has been causing the chaos in the neighborhood this whole time—taking jewelry and all that other stuff?”

  “It’s hard for me to believe,” Savannah said. “But maybe it’s not her; all the camera caught her with was a dog toy and that little sandal, so we can’t be sure she’s to blame for all the other thievery.”

  “Well,” Sidney said, “on my way here, I talked to a few others and showed them this picture. Most of them ID’d your sweet kitty, there. I mean, they said they had seen the cat. She’s been seen all over this beach community.”

  “I swear,” Savannah said, “I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”

  Sidney smiled and patted Savannah’s hand. “Hey, everyone thinks it’s a kick. No worries. It makes for interesting conversation.” She addressed Pauline. “You’ll be the talk of the town for a long time to come, you cute little fluff ball.” She waved as she walked toward the door. “Hey thanks for the entertainment, guys.”

  “I appreciate the generous attitude,” Savannah said. She winced. “But I’m so embarrassed. How we didn’t see the signs, I’ll never know. Sidney, tell everyone...” she started, then said, “I have no idea what we should say. But do let them know we’re on it. Pauline is henceforth a kept cat.”

  “No worries, Savannah,” Sidney said, waving as she edged out the door.

  Once Sidney had gone, Michael asked rather dramatically, “Again, I ask, what are we going to do with her?” He added, as if making an important proclamation, “I refuse to be responsible for two klepto cats!” When Rags walked into the room and began rubbing against his legs, Michael ruffled his fur and said, “This cat I have to put up with because he was part of my wife’s dowry.” When the laughter died down, he added, “But Pauline makes him look like an angel.” When Pauline began squirming in his arms, he eased her onto the floor.