Rags, however, paid no attention to Adam. He rushed through the door to where Eli sat, jumped up onto the sofa next to him, and began butting him with his head and rubbing his body against him.

  “Gosh, I’d say he likes you,” Michael said.

  “Or is it the horned toad in your pocket?” Keith quipped.

  “He’s in your pocket?” Kristen asked.

  Eli looked sheepish, dug one hand into his pocket, and carefully pulled out a small horned toad.

  “Oh, it’s cute,” Cassie squealed.

  “Better put him back before the cat sees him,” Michael suggested.

  “Oh no, they’re friends,” Eli insisted. “Watch,” he said as he held the toad out toward Rags.

  Everyone smiled when Rags rubbed up against the small reptile. He sniffed the toad, then patted it a few times with one paw. When Eli placed the horned toad on his leg, Rags laid down next to it and began rubbing his cheeks against the little critter.

  “Well, I’ll be,” Daniel said. “If that isn’t an unusual cat. Talk about unlikely friends.” He chuckled. “Or is he trying to warm up the toad for a meal later on.”

  Savannah laughed. “You never know with that cat.”

  “He’s famous,” Cassie said. When Kristen and Daniel looked at her, she explained, “He’s been in a movie and he’s in some books.”

  “Really?” Eli asked, running one hand over Rags’s fur.

  The officer also seemed interested.

  “And he finds bad guys,” Adam added, wide-eyed.

  Daniel looked suspiciously at Michael, then Savannah. She explained, “Well, he’s a bit of a kleptomaniac and he’s found things that have helped with some police work in our town.” She continued, “He seems to have good instincts.” She grinned. “He has even pawed a few criminals in his day.”

  “He has also helped find missing persons,” Michael added.

  The officer chuckled. “Wait, is he the one who found the boy’s shoe this morning? I heard that a cat…”

  When Savannah nodded, Kristen raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

  “I didn’t know all that,” Eli said, “but I could tell he’s special.” He choked up a little. “He helped keep me warm at night sometimes.”

  Kristen moved to the sofa next to the boy. She put her arm around him. “Well, Eli, that won’t be a problem again for you. You have a home with us for as long as you want it, which we trust is until you’re grown and ready to be on your own to…um…hopefully do interesting things.”

  ****

  “So have you kids decided what was the most valuable thing you found on your treasure hunt?” Michael asked the next morning while the two families shared their last meal together at the lodge.

  “Yes,” Adam said, glancing at Cassie, who nodded. Together, they said, “Eli’s shoe.”

  Keith smiled at the children.

  Adam explained, “Because it helped to find a home for Eli.”

  Keith tousled Adam’s hair and squeezed Cassie’s shoulder affectionately, then stood, took a deep breath, and said, “Well, gang, it’s been fun. But all good things must come to an end. What do you say we finish packing up that trailer out there and head back down the hill?”

  “Is everyone ready?” Michael asked a couple of hours later. He chuckled, watching Cassie and the younger girls walk through the lodge saying, “Goodbye, fireplace. Goodbye, couch. Goodbye, bed. Goodbye, big craft and eating table…”

  “Come on, girls,” Keith said. “Let’s just say, ‘goodbye, lodge,’ shall we? We need to get on the road.” Once the children were strapped into their seats in the cars, Keith called out to Michael, “See you in the ’hood!”

  Michael nodded and the women and the children all waved at one another as the caravan pulled out onto the road—the Pettits heading for their Colorado home and the Iveys returning to the Airbnb they’d leased for a month in the same neighborhood.

  “How far away is your Colorado house?” Adam asked from the third seat in the back of the Iveys’ SUV.

  “About a hundred miles,” Michael said. “We’ll be home by suppertime.”

  “Suppertime?” Adam questioned. “How slow are you going to drive? Suppertime isn’t until five or six. It’s only one thirty now. If you drive sixty miles an hour, we’ll be home—well, to your vacation home—in only a couple of hours.”

  “How astute of you,” Michael said.

  Adam wrinkled his nose. “Huh?”

  “You see, Son,” Michael explained, “quite a bit of our driving will be on mountain roads and you can’t speed around the curves. So I’ll drive only about forty miles per hour and sometimes slower until we hit the freeway. Then we might have to stop so Teddy can eat and that takes time. But you’re right, if we were taking freeways all the way, we’d get there much earlier. So my advice is to sit back and relax. Enjoy the beautiful scenery.”

  “Okay,” Adam said.

  After a while, Adam complained, “Dad, it’s crowded back here. Can’t Rags and Lexie sit someplace else?”

  Michael glanced in the rearview mirror. “Sorry, Son. All the rest of the space is taken up. Want to stop and stretch your legs?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good idea,” Savannah said.

  Gladys agreed. “Looks like Teddy’s ready for an afternoon snack.”

  Savannah smiled at the infant’s reflection in the mirror she’d adjusted so she could watch him as they traveled.

  “I want a snack,” Lily chirped.

  Michael glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Of course you do, punkin.”

  Within a few minutes, Michael announced, “This looks like a good place to stop. Any objections?”

  “No,” Savannah said. “There’s a park with a couple of empty picnic tables. Glad we had room in here for the little cooler. I packed a few small water bottles and some of Mom’s brownies.” She pointed. “There’s a fast-food place if anyone wants coffee or something else.”

  “Perfect,” Michael said, pulling into a parking place near the grassy area.

  Once the family was seated and enjoying brownies and beverages, Lily squealed. “No, Rags!”

  “What’s he doing?” Savannah asked.

  “He scratched me,” Lily whimpered.

  “He scratched you?” Gladys asked. When she looked down at the cat, she laughed. “It’s her sweatshirt ties. He’s playing with them. Here, I’ll tuck them inside her shirt.” She murmured, “There, Lilliana. Now he can’t get them. All better?”

  Lily nodded and continued eating her brownie.

  Savannah checked Teddy, who was nursing under a nursing cover, then looked at Lily. “Mom, I’m glad you made blond brownies.”

  Gladys chuckled. “Yeah, blond crumbs don’t make as much of a mess as brown crumbs.”

  Michael noticed Adam staring off into the distance. “What are you looking at, Son?” he asked, turning in that direction.

  “I was watching those people over there by those houses. I think they’ve lost something.”

  “Yeah, it does look like some sort of search party, doesn’t it?” Michael agreed.

  “Search party?” Adam asked. “What’s that?”

  “Oh, you know, like a posse or a vigilante group,” he joked.

  “You think they’re looking for outlaws, Dad?”

  “Hey,” Michael said, “maybe they’re on a treasure hunt.”

  Adam sat up straighter and focused more intently on the people. “Do you think so?”

  “Could be. Why don’t you go ask them?”

  “Ask strangers?”

  “Hey, everyone’s a stranger until you meet them. Isn’t that how you make friends?” Michael suggested. “Are you finished with your brownie, Adam? Why don’t you take Lexie over there to see what they’re doing? The two of you can burn off some energy.”

  “And Rags,” Savannah added. She placed what was left of her brownie on a napkin, took a couple of swigs from her water bottle, and looked down at the baby. “He’s finished, I guess.” She removed the cover, kissed the baby on the cheek, and placed him in his car seat, saying, “Hey, I’d like to move around a little too. Come on, Adam. I’ll take Rags and you can lead Lexie.” When Adam hesitated, she asked, “What? Do you want Rags?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hey, I’m happy with that. Lexie’s easier than Rags is any day.” Savannah untied the dog’s leash from a nearby tree. “Come on. Let’s work off some of that brownie.”

  Adam looked confused. “Huh?”

  “Get some exercise,” she explained.

  Adam followed Savannah with Rags on his leash for a ways, then he balked. “Are you really going to talk to those people?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Let’s get closer and see if we can figure out what they’re doing. They sure look like they’re searching for something.” When Adam held back a little, she said, “Come on, buddy, get that cat to moving there. He’s the one we want to tire out.”

  “Yeah,” Adam said, “then maybe he won’t keep climbing all over me in the car.”

  “Right.” Savannah smiled when she saw Adam start to jog with Rags trotting alongside him. “That’s the way. Good job.” When they got closer to where the group was milling around, Savannah hung back and watched them. She couldn’t help but notice the somber demeanor among the four young people. She approached them. “Is something wrong? Anything we can help with?”

  A girl who appeared to be about eighteen looked at Savannah and Lexie, then glanced at Adam. “Yes,” she said. “Our grandmother’s cat got out and we can’t find her.” She choked up and added, “We’ve been looking for her all morning. Nana is so upset. She loves that little cat.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Savannah said. “What does the cat look like? We’ll keep an eye out for it.”

  Just then the girl noticed Rags walking around at the end of his leash. “She’s his color, only smaller and fluffier.” She stared at Rags for a moment. “We’ve tried to get our grandmother to use a leash with Lucy, but Nana doesn’t want to restrict her.” She shook her head. “We tell her it’s better to restrict her than lose her. That cat keeps us busy looking for her. She likes to go exploring.”

  A young man in his twenties walked up behind the girl. “Yeah, Nana lets her out, then calls us crying because Lucy didn’t come home.”

  “How long has she been missing?” Savannah asked.

  “I think pretty much all night. She didn’t come in for supper last night…”

  “…or breakfast this morning,” a younger girl added.

  Savannah frowned. “Gosh. Does she usually stay away for this long?” She glanced quickly at Adam and said, “By the way, I’m Savannah; this is Adam.”

  “Hi,” the older girl said. “I’m Ellen.” She nodded toward the young man and the younger girl. “These are my cousins, Zach and Taylor.” She pointed to a teen who was staring into a cell phone. “My sister, April, is over there.” Ellen let out a deep sigh. “Hey, I’d better keep looking.” She shook her head. “But I’m pretty worried for Lucy. This is the longest she’s ever been gone.” She gazed up the street. “Nana was helping us look for Lucy, but she got tired and went back to the house to rest.”

  “And pray,” Taylor said solemnly.

  Ellen nodded. “If we do find her, maybe this time Nana will agree to keep her inside or at least get her a leash and harness like your cat has.” She stared at Rags for a minute and said, “Hey, what’s he doing?”

  “Oh, he’s just trying to pull my arm off,” Adam complained.

  Savannah chuckled. “He has a mind of his own.”

  “Like Lucy,” Ellen said. She squinted, thinking, then said, “Maybe it has something to do with their coloring. Are all gray-and-white cats headstrong?”

  “Could be,” Savannah said. She turned to Adam. “Shall we see where Rags wants to take us?”

  “Okay, I guess,” Adam agreed, racing after Rags, who had picked up speed by then. “Where are you going, Rags?” he called, trying to keep up with the cat. When Savannah and Lexie caught up to Adam, he said, “I think we’re in an alley. Look, there are houses on both sides and these are people’s backyards.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right.” Savannah stepped back a few paces and started to turn away. “Adam, we really ought to go back to that grassy area.”

  “Why? Don’t you want to see where Rags is taking us?”

  She shuddered. “I don’t like alleys.”

  “Why?” he asked again

  “Well, you’re kind of vulnerable in an alley and there could be vicious dogs in some of these yards eager to protect their property.” She started to lead Lexie toward the park when she heard something. “Adam,” she whispered, “did you hear that?”

  “What?” he asked.

  “Listen.”

  “Oh yeah. Is that a bird? I think it’s a bird.”

  She shook her head. “No. It sounds more like a cat to me—a kitten, maybe. Let’s see if we can get closer so we can hear it more clearly.”

  “In the alley?”

  Savannah hesitated and looked around. When she heard the sound again, she winced. “Yeah, we’d better check it out. It could be a cat in trouble.”

  Meanwhile, Rags began moving in the direction of the sound. He stopped and cocked his head, then took a few more steps forward before stopping again.

  “He hears it too” Savannah said. “What is that, Rags, huh?” She and Adam walked along behind Rags as he slowly led them away from the park and deeper into the alleyway.

  Suddenly Rags stopped. He peered through a hole where a piece of board was missing from a wooden fence, then sat down, looked up at Adam and Savannah, and meowed.

  “I hear it too, Ragsy,” Savannah said. “Sounds like a kitten, doesn’t it?” She walked alongside the fence to the four-foot-high gate and looked into the backyard. “Hello!” she called. “Hello! Anyone home?” When there was no response, she tried the latch. She looked at Adam, who stared back with wide eyes. “It’s open. Let’s go in.”

  He balked. “Trespass?”

  “Yeah, I think there’s a problem here. We can’t just walk away.” She stepped in through the open gate and Adam followed. “Look at Rags,” she whispered. “He’s focusing on that pile of stuff over there.” She looked around, then called out again, trying to attract the resident’s attention. When no one responded, she handed Lexie’s leash to Adam. “Here, I’ll trade you.” She took Rags’s leash and quickly followed him to the pile of rubble. She listened. “I can hear it more clearly. Adam, I think there’s a cat buried under this stuff. Look at Rags. He knows something’s here.” She handed Adam the leash. “Hold onto him while I move these things.”

  Adam watched wide-eyed, struggling a bit to keep Rags under control, while Savannah began moving pieces of wood, bricks, rocks, and sections of pipe until she’d uncovered a three-foot-by-four-foot piece of plywood. She started to lift it when she heard a gruff voice shout, “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Chapter 3

  “Oh, hello,” she said, standing up. “I’m sorry to intrude, but…”

  “Then scram! Go on, get out of here!” the eighty-something-year-old man bellowed.

  Adam stepped back a few paces while Savannah motioned toward the plywood, saying, “But I think there’s a cat under there. We’ve got to let it out.”

  “A cat?” the man snarled. “Who cares? I sure as hell don’t.”

  Savannah looked at Adam, then said to the man, “Listen, a cat’s gone missing in the neighborhood and I think she’s under that piece of plywood. Please, let me get her out and we’ll be on our way.”

  “No!” the man insisted. “Leave now. There’s no cat here. I don’t allow cats on this property. Now go!” he said, stepping toward them threateningly.

  Savannah looked anxiously at the sheet of plywood, glanced at Adam, and muttered, “We’d better go.” When Adam held his ground, she said more quietly, “Come on. It’s okay. Let’s go,” as she ushered him and the two animals out of the yard.

  “You’re just going to let that cat die in there?” Adam asked once they were out of earshot of the old man.

  “No!” she said emphatically. “I’m sure as hell not.”

  He giggled. “Savannah, I never heard you say that word before.”

  She grinned sheepishly and continued boldly leading the way out of the alley. When she noticed that the search group had dwindled in size and the three remaining young people were sitting down and looking at their cell phones, she rushed toward them. “Hey!” she called out. “I think we found your kitty.”

  Zach quickly stood up. “What?”

  “Lucy,” Savannah explained, “your grandmother’s cat. I think I heard her crying.”

  Ellen moved closer. “Where?”

  “You found her?” Taylor asked.

  “I think so, but the old man who lives there won’t let me get to her. We heard a cat mewing from under a piece of plywood in his backyard.”

  Ellen scowled. “Old cranky Mr. Fields. He hates cats. I should have known. He’s threatened to hurt Lucy before.”

  Zach nodded. “But we knocked on his front door earlier and he swore he hasn’t seen Lucy.”

  Just then Michael approached, slightly out of breath. “What’s going on?”

  “Oh Michael,” Savannah said, “their grandmother’s cat’s missing. We think we found her, but the resident won’t let us get to her. I think she’s in danger, Michael.”

  He looked into the faces of the young people, then at Savannah. “Where is the cat?” he asked. “If they won’t give us access, we’ll call the cops or animal control. They can’t get away with blocking an animal rescue even if it is on their property.”

  Ellen grinned and clapped her hands. “All right!” she shouted.

  “Let’s do this,” Zach said, smiling.

  Taylor eagerly followed along behind the others as Savannah and Adam led the way toward the alley. When the six of them reached Mr. Fields’ property they found the gate locked.