“Doesn’t seem to be,” Holly said. “She’s just so lethargic. She’s not eating much.” After thinking about it for a moment, Savannah said, “Would you mind if I call my sister? She’s a doctor, you know.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, Savannah. I’m sure it’s nothing. As we were saying, we’ve kept her awfully busy. She’s not used to that.” She looked at Savannah. “Your sister will be here for dinner, right? Let’s watch her today and maybe ask her what she thinks if Bethany is still having symptoms this evening.”

  ****

  Everyone arrived around five for dinner. They were mingling and chatting among themselves as Gladys and Savannah put the finishing touches on the meal.

  “Oh,” Gladys said, “Janet texted me another picture of Pauline.” She laughed. “She’s wearing a harness, but she doesn’t look very happy about it.”

  “She’s wearing a harness? How’d Janet manage that?” Savannah asked.

  Gladys pulled the photo up on her phone and showed Savannah. “She found a supposedly cat-proof harness at a pet store and it comes with a guarantee. Janet says ‘so far, so good.’”

  “Adam, come look at this,” Savannah called.

  “What?” he asked, entering the kitchen.

  “What?” Cassie repeated as she followed him.

  When Savannah showed the children the picture on her mother’s phone, Adam said, “Wow!”

  “Yeah, she’s wearing a harness!” Cassie exclaimed.

  Adam looked at Savannah, then Gladys, “How did she keep it on her?”

  Gladys shrugged. “I guess it’s some special design for Houdini cats like Pauline.”

  Adam studied the picture for a moment. “She doesn’t look very happy,” he lamented.

  “Oh, look at the next picture,” Gladys suggested.

  Adam and Cassie smiled. Cassie said, “How cute. She looks happy there.” She asked, “Are those all her toys in that basket next to her?”

  “I imagine so,” Gladys said.

  Adam agreed. “Yeah, she likes her toys.” He pointed. “Look, she has her paw on the little bunny toy I picked out for her. That’s still her favorite.”

  “Make way for the chowder,” Max said, walking into the kitchen carrying a large pot. “It’s hot and ready to be served,” he announced.

  “Clam chowder?” Colbi asked. “Is this one of your famous recipes from when you were a chef?”

  “He’s still a chef,” Savannah’s aunt Margaret insisted. “Once a chef, always a chef, right, Max?”

  “Well, technically, yes. But now I do my cheffing at Chateau Sheridan.”

  “I like the sound of that,” Iris said. “If you were to open your doors to the public under that name, I’d be concerned about competition for the Kaiser Inn.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” Margaret asserted. “Us feeding the masses? No way.”

  Meanwhile, Brianna asked Michael, “What’s Rags doing?”

  “Huh?” He glanced at the cat, who lay across Bethany’s lap.

  “He keeps patting her throat.” She asked more quietly. “Has the child been ill?”

  “Well, she has been a little tired since our beach vacation.” He gazed at Rags. “Yeah, he has the biggest crush on our Beth-Beth. He’s always on her lap or lying on her tummy. I guess he actually sleeps with her now.”

  “Yeah,” Keith said, “she’s getting attached. I’m afraid we might go home with him.”

  “Be my guest,” Michael said.

  “No, I mean, I’m afraid we might go home with him. No. Thanks for the offer, but no.” He became more serious when explaining to Brianna, “Bethany hasn’t seemed to be feeling well, and I wonder if Rags senses it. It’s just since we left the beach house that he has glommed onto her.”

  “Really?” Rochelle said, overhearing Keith’s remark.

  “Yeah,” Michael said, “probably because she does so much resting. He loves a warm body to cuddle up to.”

  Brianna couldn’t keep her eyes off the child. She finally asked, “Okay, it seems to me that Rags is trying to tell us something.”

  Her fiancé, Bud, chuckled. “Is that your medical opinion, or are you using that woo-woo stuff you and my grandmother like?”

  “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” Rochelle said jokingly. She then addressed Brianna. “I think you’re right. Rags seems to be aware of something going on with Bethany.”

  Brianna nodded. “It could be her thyroid.”

  Rochelle spoke softly. “That’s what I’m getting.”

  “What?” Holly yelped, overhearing Brianna’s comment.

  Keith studied Brianna and glanced at Rochelle. “Is this a professional medical diagnosis or some sort of psychic premonition thing?”

  Brianna laughed. “Probably a little of both. Do you see how Rags seems always to have his paw on the area of her throat? And you say she’s been lethargic? Is she eating?”

  “Like a bird,” Holly said. “Thyroid, huh?”

  Brianna said, “Possibly.”

  She looked at Rochelle, who nodded. “That’s what I sense.”

  “And Rags can sense that?” Holly asked. “How?”

  Brianna chuckled. “It’s a mystery to me and probably to most people, but I know that some cats and dogs are sensitive to what’s happening internally with us. Some of my patients with serious health issues have support cats who alert them when they’re about to have a seizure or their blood sugar’s low. It’s quite amazing.”

  “Are you talking about Rags?” Savannah asked, entering the living room.

  “Yes,” Holly said. “Brianna thinks Rags has diagnosed Bethany as having a thyroid problem.”

  “Oh,” Savannah said, staring down at Rags. “You know, he did that once before. He helped to diagnose a boy who had been in and out of doctors’ offices and was losing ground health-wise. One night, Rags seemed to be focusing his attention in the area of his thyroid, so his father took him back to his doctor and suggested they do some tests. That was it. The boy improved substantially after getting on the right medication.”

  “Really?” Keith said.

  Brianna approached the child. She petted Rags, then asked Bethany, “Honey, can I feel your throat? I want to see why Rags keeps patting your throat.”

  “Okay,” Bethany said.

  After a brief examination, Brianna admitted, “Well, I can’t tell much, but if you’d like to bring her in tomorrow, we can do a couple of simple tests.”

  ****

  Once everyone was seated around the two large tables set up in the dining room and living room and had filled their bowls and plates, Rochelle asked quietly, “So, Savannah, how did that technique serve you while you vacationed?”

  “Oh, the meditation thing? Good, I guess.” She thought for a moment and said, “Although there were some worrisome and challenging moments.”

  Rochelle was quiet, then asked, “But no one was hurt? And you had a good time?”

  Savannah nodded. “Yes. We had a really good time and everyone is just fine—well, except for maybe Beth-Beth.” She faced Rochelle and spoke more softly, “But I was almost arrested, you know. Rags dragged us into that darned burglary mystery and then there was Pauline, our temporary cat, running amok in the beach community stealing things. Rags had a few mishaps. There was definitely some craziness going on.” She thought for a moment. “I don’t think I was doing it right or maybe I didn’t believe strongly enough.”

  “What do you mean?” Rochelle asked. When Savannah didn’t respond right away, she said, “The technique, as I understand it, isn’t meant to cocoon you from life—you know, shield you from naturally occurring events and even those brought on by man. It’s simply a process we can use to put our mind at ease and...” she leaned closer to Savannah, “...to perhaps help us attain a mindset that protects us from the effects of bad things going on around us.” She smiled. “Anyway, it sounds like you used the technique well and had excellent results. Good job.”

  Surprised and pleased with Rochelle’s assessment, Savannah said, “Oh. Well, thank you. It really did seem to give me more peace of mind when I remembered to use it.” She sat up straighter and smiled at her friend. “I think I’m going to continue using it in my everyday life.”

  “I would,” Rochelle said. She chuckled. “In fact, I do.”

  Chapter 8

  “Yup,” Keith said when he, Holly, and Bethany returned from Brianna’s office, “she’s pretty sure she has a low thyroid function. We’ll get the test results probably tomorrow or the next day. The good news is,” he feigned a drum roll, “she’s going to be okay.”

  Holly laughed. “I’m not sure about her father, though.”

  Savannah cocked her head. “What, a doctor can’t handle being in a doctor’s office?”

  “Not when my little Beth-Beth is sick,” he said, hugging the child.

  Holly glanced at Bethany. “She’s not sick. Her system’s just a little sluggish and she may need medicine to get back on track.”

  “Brianna can prescribe for children?” Gladys asked. “Isn’t she a geriatric doctor?”

  “Mostly, I believe,” Savannah agreed, “but when she took over Dr. Stevens’ practice here in Hammond, it was more of a general practice. So she sees children too.”

  “Brianna placed a call to our pediatrician,” Holly explained, “and he agreed with her diagnosis and the tests she’s running. Bethany will probably be on a mild prescription and she’ll feel better in no time.” When Rags approached and began rubbing on the child, Holly petted him. “There’s Doctor Rags.” She put her hands on each side of his face and looked into his eyes. “Thank you for the diagnosis, boy. You are one very special cat.” She turned to Savannah. “Did you say he’s done this before?”

  She nodded. “Want to help me carry these trays out to the porch? Michael’s grilling hotdogs for lunch.”

  “Sure,” Holly said, picking up a tray holding a pitcher of iced tea and several glasses. She looked around. “Did Rochelle and Peter leave already?”

  “Yes,” Savannah said. “She received a large order for her jewelry line over the weekend and had to get back so she could fill it. Her business is really taking off. Who would have thought that her love for jewelry-making would blossom into something so big so fast?”

  “That’s really cool,” Holly said, “but I wish she could have stayed longer. I can listen to her talk about spiritual stuff all day long.”

  Once the two families had gathered on the porch and had chosen beverages, Savannah sat down next to Holly and said, “So yes, Rags did that probably a couple of times before, but the most memorable was a little boy we met at a signing.” She rolled her eyes at Rags, who was watching them from his inside perch at the kitchen window. “Somehow we ended up with the boy’s medical-alert bracelet that night. We suspect that Rags found it, picked it up, and put it into my purse. Talk about embarrassing! Well, we were able to get the family’s phone number and the boy’s dad brought him over to pick it up. The child had been struggling with health issues. He was going from doctor to doctor, having all these tests, and he wasn’t improving. That night Rags lay on the boy just like he was doing with Bethany. When his father noticed that Rags kept putting his paw on a spot on the boy’s throat, he remembered something a doctor had suggested—that it might be the thyroid causing the kid’s problems. Turns out that was it.”

  “Wow!” Keith said. “Ever thought about renting him out as a service cat?”

  “Yeah,” Holly agreed, “I could see him in a nursing home—although maybe his expertise is with children.”

  “Let’s donate him to an orphanage or a day care,” Michael said excitedly.

  “Let’s don’t,” Savannah grumped good-naturedly.

  Keith laughed. “You could take him in as a diagnostician once a month or so to your sister’s doctor’s office or the hospital.”

  “That’s an idea,” Michael said. “I wonder what they’d pay us for his services.”

  “Who’s that driving in?” Savannah asked from where she sat on the wraparound porch. She relaxed when she noticed, “Oh, it’s Craig.” When he stepped out of the car, she waved. “Hi, what brings you out here? Did you smell the hotdogs grilling?”

  “Hotdogs, huh?” he asked, walking toward them.

  “Yes,” Michael said. “There are plenty if you’d like to join us.”

  Craig glanced at his watch. “Sure. It is lunchtime, isn’t it?” He looked out over the orchard and the horse corral and quipped, “What happened to your view? A few days ago you had an ocean view.”

  “Good question,” Keith said, chuckling.

  “Maybe we could recreate that beach effect by bringing out the cats’ litter boxes and filling the kids’ plastic pool with water,” Savannah joked. “Or the horse trough. The horses aren’t using it right now.”

  “They’re still at the Teagues’ place, are they?” Craig asked.

  Savannah nodded. She stood. “Cassie, want to help me bring out the hotdog fixings?”

  “Okay,” she said. “Do you have real mayonnaise?”

  “Sure do.” Savannah flicked the girl’s ponytail. “You like your mayo, don’t you?”

  “Yes, but Mama buys that funny-tasting stuff.” She made a face. “I don’t like it.”

  “What funny-tasting stuff?” Holly asked, walking with them into the house.

  “You know, it’s your diet mayonnaise or something.”

  “Oh, the heart-healthy mayo. Yeah, you have to develop a taste for it, I guess. But it’s keeping us healthy,” she insisted.

  Cassie looked up at her mother. “Then how come Bethany got sick and needs medicine?”

  Before Holly could respond, Adam burst into the kitchen and said breathlessly, “Can Rags come out? His friend’s here.”

  “His friend?” Savannah questioned.

  “Lucy,” Adam called from the service porch. He approached Rags with his harness and leash. “It’s okay if I take him out to see her, isn’t it?”

  “Sure,” Savannah agreed.

  “What kind of friend is it?” Cassie asked. “A cat? A squirrel?”

  “No, Lucy’s a dog,” the boy said as he led Rags toward the door.

  “A dog?” Holly repeated. She picked up a tray holding condiments. “He has a dog friend who visits him?”

  Savannah smiled. “Yes, come on,” she said, following Adam and Rags out the door.

  Everyone watched as Adam trotted down the porch steps toward the dog with Rags. Cassie started to follow him, but stopped. “Adam, that looks like a wolf.” She cringed. “I saw one like it at the zoo.”

  Keith stood and studied the dog. “She sure is wolf-like—must not be too far removed. Is she feral?”

  Michael chuckled. “You’d think so half the time the way she wanders, although old Mr. Fenton seems to be keeping her closer in recent years. But no, she’s not feral. She’s about as gentle as they come.”

  “Well, will you look at that,” Craig mused, watching the two animals greet each other. “They really are buddies—homies, as they say in the hood.”

  “Unlikely friends,” Holly offered. “How cute is that?” She squealed, “I love it when Rags rolls over and she nuzzles his furry belly. And look at that wiggle butt thing Lucy does. Very cute,” she said, pulling her phone from her pocket and taking a few pictures.

  “I wonder what brought her over here today,” Savannah said. “Like Michael said, she hasn’t been here in a while.”

  “She’s thanking us for helping her friend after he shot himself,” Adam suggested, laughing when Lucy licked his face.

  “Or,” Michael said, “she smelled the hotdogs grilling.” He called out, “Who’s hungry? Come and get it.”

  Savannah smiled as the children all rushed to claim a hotdog. Adam handed Savannah Rags’s leash and Holly stepped up to help Bethany and Lily with their meals.

  Once the children were all seated and eating at a table on the lawn a distance away, Savannah picked up the baby monitor and listened for a moment. “I guess Teddy’s still napping.”

  Craig glanced around. “Where’s your mother?”

  “Oh, spending the afternoon with Auntie. They were going to Straley to visit friends and do some shopping.” She then asked, “So, Craig, what brings you out here?”

  He glanced at the children, and said quietly, “John and Ed are out on bail.”

  Savannah stared at him in disbelief. “How did that happen?”

  Craig shook his head in disgust. “Evidently they got a hotshot attorney who found enough loopholes in the case against them to get bail awarded.”

  “How in the world could those two afford a hotshot attorney?” she asked.

  He tightened his lips. “I suspect there’s someone else behind this whole thing—someone who doesn’t want those guys talking.” He leaned in closer to her. “In fact, maybe the ringleader wants them out in the open where he can arrange for a little accident.”

  “Are you talking about that burglary in Monterey?” Michael asked, sitting down next to Savannah. “They found all the money that was taken, didn’t they?”

  Craig nodded. “I think so, but don’t forget, someone’s still missing and presumed dead, so it’s more than just a robbery.”

  “Yeah, and I would think that even if they found the money in a robbery, there’d be punishment for whoever took it,” Keith added.

  “Right,” Craig said.

  Savannah let out a sigh. “At least I’m no longer a suspect, so I can relax.” When she saw the look on Craig’s face, she slumped in her chair. “Oh, no, Craig. Don’t tell me this isn’t over. I thought when Rags found the rest of that money...”

  “I’m sorry, Savannah, but I’m pretty sure those two crooks or whoever pulls their strings like the idea of having a scapegoat.” He coughed and cleared his throat. “They’re pointing a finger at you again.”

  “How can that be?” Savannah wailed.

  “I’m not sure, but our esteemed Detective Shively...” he said through clenched teeth, “well, he thinks maybe Rags found that money in the wheelchair...” he threw his hands in the air dramatically, “...and the money at the restaurant, because he was with the person who put it there.”