They both laughed.

  “So what’s your role these days, here at the inn? You and Rupert are managers, right?”

  Ruth nodded as she led the couple up the stairs. “I manage the cleaning staff and reservations. I’m helping Iris with the cats now that Francine’s gone. We miss her. She’s so good with the cats. I had no idea something like too many cats would rattle her.”

  “That is a surprise,” Savannah said, “but she seems to be pretty routine-oriented. She tries to keep the cats on a schedule, doesn’t she?” She added, confidentially, “Frankly, I think you have to be less rigid—kind of scattered—in order to be successful at managing cats.”

  Michael chuckled. When the two women looked at him, he said, “That’s one of those oxymorons, isn’t it?”

  “What?”

  “Managing cats,” he explained.

  The women laughed and Ruth led the couple and the cat into the third room along the hallway. “We thought you would be comfortable in here. You’re close to the cat room. Iris wants you to spend some time with Rags in the cat room tonight, so this will be convenient for you.”

  “Okay.” Savannah turned to Michael. “Want to bring Rags’s pen up here, hon?”

  “Sure,” he said, placing their duffle bag on the floor.

  “I hear Arthur and Suzette are coming for a visit next week,” Savannah said.

  Ruth’s face lit up. “Yes, I can’t wait to see them. Did you know they’re having a baby?”

  “I heard,” Savannah said, smiling. “Happy, happy news. They’re doing well? Enjoying life?”

  Ruth nodded. “Yes. They have a good life, and it’s about time. They’ve been through so much with the raw deal the Peytons gave Artie. It was a miracle that Artie and Suzette found each other as children in the burn center, stayed in touch, and fell in love…” Ruth clasped her hands together under her chin. “It is such a beautiful love story.”

  Savannah agreed. “You must be proud. You were with Arthur through it all, weren’t you, as his nanny?”

  “Yes, keeping a secret for the evil Mrs. Peyton, and all at poor Artie’s expense.”

  Savannah smiled. “But look how well he’s doing now. He seems to have put all of that behind him.”

  “Yes,” Ruth said. “I mustn’t dwell on what was. The evil is no more.” She gushed, “Yes, it will be so wonderful to see them.”

  “Want to put Rags in here now?” Michael asked when he returned with the pen.

  “I think so,” Savannah said. “We’ll probably have work for him to do later. Let’s go get a glass of wine and some supper, and we’ll let him rest.” She looked around the room.

  “What are you looking for?” he asked.

  “I’m just wondering where all the cats are.”

  Ruth lowered her brow. “Good question. It’s unusual of late to not see cats everywhere. Hmmm, maybe they don’t like so many visitors.”

  “Could be,” Michael agreed, leading the way back down to the dining room.

  “I think everyone’s here,” Iris announced a short while later. She clinked a spoon against a glass to get their attention. “Thank you all for coming.” She winced. “I don’t know if you’ll thank me for the invitation by tomorrow morning or if you’ll be cursing me, but I do appreciate your presence and your willingness to help out with whatever’s going on here with these uninvited cats.”

  “Where are the cats?” Brett asked.

  “Good question,” Iris said.

  “I know,” he quipped. “I’m a college student; I know how to ask a good question.”

  When the laughter subsided, Iris said, “I don’t know where the cats are. Maybe they’ve all gone back where they came from and we can party all night. But I have to tell you, there were cats here two hours ago while we were preparing for this evening. As usual, they seemed to come out of the woodwork. You’ll probably see what I mean sometime this evening.”

  “Do we have a plan?” Michael asked.

  Iris nodded. “Maggie and Max and Nola—oh, and Luke, Nola’s right-hand guy at the cat ranch—suggested we break into small groups and hang out at assigned spots where the cat activity has been most prevalent. Just sit quietly and see what happens. Log where you see the cats, and describe them so we can try to keep track of which cats are showing up where. Know what I mean? If the cat is wearing something, write that down—pink collar with bow, brown velvet cape…”

  “Pasties,” Damon said, “garter belt, spats…”

  Colbi shook her head in feigned disgust at her husband’s remark, then asked, “Iris, will someone be stationed outside? Surely they’re not just materializing from within the building.”

  Iris nodded. “Yes, Craig and Max and maybe Michael and Damon will be outside…Oh, and Rupert.”

  “I’ll go outside,” Brett said. “I don’t know cats all that well, but it seems that if they’re coming into the inn, like Colbi said, they’re coming from outside someplace. We may need quite a few eyes out there.”

  “Okay,” Iris said. She picked up a stack of papers and started handing them out. “Here are your assignments. Let me know if you’d like to change any of this; nothing is etched in stone.” She shrugged. “Mostly because we don’t know what the hell we’re doing.”

  “Can we eat now?” Craig asked.

  Brett affectionately slapped his stepfather on the back. “I second the motion.”

  ◆◆◆

  “Where are you spending the night, Savannah?” Colbi asked over dinner.

  “In the cat room with Iris and Rags. You?”

  “In the kitchen with Mattie and Ruth.”

  “Luke and I are in the lobby-dining room area,” Nola reported. She smiled, “June is so disappointed that she couldn’t be here with us.”

  “She could have come,” Iris said.

  “Oh, she’s just not up to it physically. Her advancing age is starting to take its toll on her body. She wanted me to tell you all that she’s here in spirit.”

  “I’ve got to get over to the cat ranch and see her and her sweet kitties soon,” Savannah said. “She’s one amazing woman. June Balcomb is what a true cat advocate looks like.”

  “Yes, she is dedicated, and she hates that she’s unable to do all that she wants to do,” Nola said. “And what she used to do.”

  “But she’s still making a difference,” Savannah said. “You and Luke are her strength, now that the two of you have taken over her work at the cat ranch.”

  Nola smiled. She asked, “So, Iris, what should Luke and I expect to see in the lobby this evening?”

  Iris rolled her eyes. “Oh, there’s usually a lot of activity there.”

  “Naughty activity,” Ruth added. When the others looked at her, she explained, “We’ve been cleaning up messes, repainting smudges and scratch marks…”

  “The upstairs hallway is another active area,” Iris said, looking at Margaret.

  Margaret took a sip of coffee. “Yup, that’s me and Janice.”

  “Sounds like we’ll be covering a lot of ground,” Savannah said. She pointed. “Oh, there’s one. That’s not one of yours, is it, Iris? It must be an interloper?”

  “Interloper?” Margaret repeated. “Is that author talk?”

  “What would you say?” Savannah challenged.

  “Trespasser, maybe,” Margaret said.

  “Gate-crasher,” Iris suggested.

  “Troublemaker,” Craig grumbled.

  “Well, he’s a pretty cat. Should we log him?” Savannah asked. She looked around the room. Nola, that one’s yours, right?”

  “But he came from the kitchen, I think,” Mattie said.

  “Maybe we should log it,” Colbi suggested.

  “What color do you call that?” Mattie asked.

  “It’s a tabby,” Margaret offered. “A black-and-grey tabby—small, short hair.”

  “Got that?” Colbi asked, watching Mattie write something down.

  “Got it,” Mattie said. She laid her tablet on the table and picked up her spoon. “Now let’s eat.”

  ◆◆◆

  “Should we be quiet?” Iris asked as she and Savannah settled into the cat room with Rags an hour later.

  Savannah thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Do the cats come in only when no one’s around? The one that showed up during supper a while ago wasn’t concerned about seeing all the people.”

  “That’s right. They don’t seem particular about whether there are people around or not.”

  “Well, let’s be relatively low key,” Savannah suggested, “but we need to stay awake, so we don’t want to be too subdued.”

  “Agreed.”

  Savannah gazed at Rags. “I’m not quite sure what to do with him. I’m thinking I should keep him on the long leash in case he finds a way out that we’re not aware of. I don’t want to chance losing him to who knows what or where.”

  Iris nodded and ran her hand over Rags’s fur as he walked past. “Nice duds there, bud,” she said, admiring his harness.

  “Not as nice as what he might come back wearing if we were to turn him loose,” Savannah quipped.

  “Huh?” Iris said.

  “You know, he might return dressed like that cat I saw here yesterday—like a king from Camelot or something.”

  “Shhh,” Iris shushed. When Savannah looked at her, she hissed, “I hear something.” She looked at Rags. “So does he.”

  “Well, I’ll be,” Savannah said. “Hello, kitty. Aren’t you a cutie?” She addressed Iris. “Petite Siamese-mix, white paws. Write it down.”

  “Oh, yes,” Iris said, jotting a note on her tablet. “So where did it come from?” she asked.

  “Out of that closet, I think. Right, Rags?”

  Both women gazed at Rags, who simply sat at Savannah’s feet, staring across the room at the new cat. He tilted his head, then trotted toward the closet, snaked his way around the partially open door, and disappeared inside. Savannah held tightly to the leash.

  Meanwhile, the Siamese-mix sauntered up to Iris for petting, and Iris accommodated her. “She’s a sweet girl,” she said. “I think I’ve seen her before.” She asked the cat, “Where’s your tutu? I’m pretty sure you wore a lavender tutu last time you were here.”

  “Here comes another one,” Savannah said, moving out of the way of the closet door. Rags followed the cat into the room and Savannah picked him up. She watched as the almost identical Siamese-mix walked toward the first one and rubbed against her. “Well, isn’t he dapper,” she said, “in his vest and tie?” She shook her head. “Amazing. It’s as if they’re coming from a movie set.”

  “Or a party,” Iris said. “Have you two been to a party?” She pointed. “Oh, Oscar just saw them.”

  “What do the cuddle cats think of these new cats coming and going?” Savannah asked.

  “There have been no problems that I’m aware of.” Iris nodded toward Oscar. “See, he just seems interested in greeting the twins.” She squealed. “Look, she’s wearing a necklace. I didn’t see that at first. Gads, it looks like diamonds. Did you see that, Savannah?”

  “Diamonds?” she repeated. Savannah lowered Rags to the floor and looked more closely at the necklace on the Siamese-mix. “Oh, I doubt that. But it sure is pretty.” She petted the little female. “You are beautiful, girlfriend. Now tell us, where did you come from?”

  “Look,” Iris said, “another one just came out from under the bed.”

  “Dang,” Savannah said, “we should have taken inventory of the cats that were in here when we arrived. Did you look under the bed earlier?”

  Iris shook her head. “Well, we can take inventory now. There’s Sophie in the hammock up there, and Oscar, of course.” She jumped to her feet. “Hey, Ginger’s back. There’s Ginger!” She approached the orange tabby, who was watching from a tunnel in the cat tree. “Wait, that’s not Ginger.” She picked up the cat and looked him over. “This one’s smaller and has shorter hair and lighter fur color.”

  “Write it down,” Savannah said. She looked around. “Who else is in here?” She ran her hand over Rags’s back and coaxed, “Find the kitties, boy. Yeah, there’s one.” She followed Rags toward a nylon tunnel that curved around the other side of a cat tree. “Iris, this isn’t one of yours, is it?” she asked upon seeing a large black-and-white cat peering out from the tunnel.

  “No,” Iris said. “But I’ve seen that one before, I’m pretty sure.”

  “What a furry boy,” Savannah said, reaching in to pet him. “Black and white, large, long-haired…probably a male.”

  “Got it.” Iris shook her head. “Sheesh. I was in here this afternoon and there were only four cuddle cats. Where are these cats coming from?” she whined.

  “That’s what we’re here to find out,” Savannah reminded her.

  “And how are we going to do that, interrogate them?” Iris joked. “I mean, we’ve witnessed two cats appear and we still don’t have a clue as to where they came from.”

  “Did Michael check for trapdoors and things like that in this room?” Savannah asked.

  “Yes. Because so much of the action seems to take place here, he checked this room really carefully for escape routes. Nothing. He found nothing.”

  ◆◆◆

  Meanwhile in the kitchen, Colbi, Ruth, and Mattie made themselves comfortable on oversized cushions on the floor between the kitchen and the service porch. “Can cats open doors?” Mattie asked.

  “Sure,” Colbi said, “if they’re not latched or locked.” She faced Mattie. “I’ve seen videos on YouTube of cats using all sorts of interesting strategies to open doors.”

  “Then maybe that’s what’s happening here,” Ruth reasoned. “There has to be an explanation.” She pointed and whispered, “Hey, look. I think we caught ourselves a cat right there. See that cabinet door wobbling. I’ll bet there’s a cat behind it. Watch now.”

  Sure enough, within seconds a cat peeked out at them.

  “Oh, isn’t she pretty?” Colbi said.

  “How do you know it’s a girl?” Mattie asked. “You haven’t seen the other end of the cat yet.”

  Colbi chuckled. “From the coloring. That’s a calico.” She watched the svelte cat emerge from the cupboard, and attempted to entice the cat with her fingers. When the cat walked up to her, Colbi petted her. “See, she’s a tri-color—black, orange, and white. It’s a rare calico or tortie that isn’t a female. In fact, I’ve never seen or heard of a male calico or tortie.”

  “What’s a tortie?” Ruth asked.

  “They’re black and orange sort of mottled with no white patches,” Colbi explained. “Torties also come in shades of grey and light orange. That’s a dilute tortie.”

  “Oh, I think one of the cuddle cats is like that,” Ruth said. “Yup, she’s a girl. Her name’s Sarah.”

  Curious now, Colbi walked to the cabinet where the cat had come from. She opened the door and started to look inside when she gasped, quickly stepped back, and dropped to the floor. Immediately a white cat joined her. “Where did you come from?” she asked. “You startled me.”

  Mattie pointed. “He came right out of that same cupboard where I keep my baking pans, darn it. I don’t need you cats walking across my clean pans and cookie sheets,” she scolded. Chuckling, she told Colbi, “Since this has been going on with the cats, I’ve turned all the pots and pans upside down in the cabinets so no cats will be curling up or sitting in them. Ick.”

  “Good idea,” Colbi said. She approached the cabinet again, crouched, and peered inside. She reached in and pushed against the top of the cabinet, the sides, the bottom, and the back of it, then sat back on her heels and muttered, “They’re apparitions.”

  “What?” Mattie asked.

  “You know, ghosts. There’s no other possible explanation.”

  Ruth stared at Colbi, then said, “Well write them down.”

  Colbi jumped a little. “Oh yeah. I forgot. So we have a white cat…” she looked it over, “with a pink nose and green eyes. Or are they gold? A calico with half of her face orange and half black, and a large grey-and-white. Hey, I wonder what’s going on outside. Do you suppose the guys are seeing these cats as they make their way into the place?”

  “I imagine so,” Mattie agreed, “unless they just aren’t paying attention at all.”

  ◆◆◆

  Meanwhile, the men had each claimed an area where they could watch for cats. They decided to regroup every half hour or so to report what they’d observed. At the first break they met in the azalea garden not too far from the kitchen door.

  “How’s it going?” Craig asked.

  “I haven’t seen a thing,” Michael reported.

  “Neither have I,” Damon said.

  “I thought I saw something,” Brett said, “but it turned out to be a raccoon or a possum. I don’t think it was a cat.”

  Max and Rupert agreed that they hadn’t seen any cat activity either. When all eyes were on Craig, he admitted. “Nope. Nothing.”

  Michael asked, “Craig, have you ever seen any of those cats out here?”

  The detective shook his head. “I don’t think so, just inside.”

  Rupert agreed. “No. I’ve never seen them out here at all.”

  “So they have to be getting in some other way than from outside,” Michael said. He glanced at the others. “Hey, how about we check with the gals to see if anything has shown up inside?”

  “Good idea.” Craig pulled out his phone and called Iris. When she answered, he said, “Oh, hi, babe.”

  “Hi.”

  “Why are you whispering?” he asked.

  “I’m watching for cats, that’s why. Don’t want to scare them away. Have you seen any out there?”

  “No,” he said, “nothing yet. How about you?”

  “Lots of activity,” Iris whispered. She then said, “Hey, gotta go. Another one just came in.”

  Before he could respond, the phone went dead. He looked at it, then reported, “I guess Iris and Savannah have a lot of cats showing up in the cat room.”

  “Really?” Michael said.

  “I just got a text from Colbi,” Damon said. “Those three gals evidently saw a couple of cats come out of a cabinet in the kitchen.”