The woman looked disappointed. “Oh,” she said, removing the bracelet. She handed it to Sidney. “I noticed that broken clasp.”

  “Thank you so much,” Sidney said.

  “No problem. I’m glad it found its rightful owner.”

  There was a lull in the conversation and Savannah took the opportunity to say, “Well, I’d better get dinner.”

  “Yes, see you later,” Sidney called.

  Savannah and Holly waved to Sidney and Glenn, then Holly asked Savannah, “What are we having tonight?”

  “Taco salad. I prepared most of the fixings earlier.” She pulled a hunk of cheese out of the fridge. “Just have to grate some cheese.”

  “Oh good,” Holly said. “No fuss, no muss. I made a Jell-o salad, as well.”

  “Hey,” Savannah said, reaching for the grater, “remember I told you about the crime scene Rags got us involved in on our way down here?”

  “Yes.” Holly laughed. “You guys are excitement magnets!”

  “What?”

  “There’s always something exciting going on around you—dead bodies, jewelry stashes, missing person...” She shuddered, adding, “...houses blowing up. What is it with you?”

  “It’s not us,” Savannah said. “It’s Rags. He’s just one nosey cat.” She picked up a newspaper from the counter. “I bought this today and found another article about that robbery, the missing money, and all.”

  Holly took the paper and had started to read the article when Keith called out, “Are we about ready to eat?”

  “I’ll read it later,” Holly said. “We’d better get the food on the table.” She stopped then, and stared at something on the floor. She murmured, “Yeah, he’s one clever cat. Look what he just did.”

  “Clever?” Savannah repeated, looking in the direction Holly pointed. “Raaags,” she complained. She wiped her hands on a towel and hurried to where Rags sat looking at a chunk of cheese in front of him on the floor. “How...?” she started.

  He must have reached up there when your back was turned and pushed it off the cutting board,” Holly said, laughing.

  Savannah shook her head, picked up the cheese, and threw it away.

  “You don’t let him have cheese? Our cat loves cheese.”

  “Not when he steals it and not that much of it,” Savannah said. She pointed. “Look at him. Does he look like he needs cheese?”

  Holly laughed again. “I guess not.” She then complained, “Did you see that?”

  “What?” Savannah asked.

  “I’m sure that was a dirty look he gave me as he left the room.”

  Savannah laughed. “Probably was, you snitch.”

  After giggling, Holly asked, “So, what did you find out about that crime? Anything new in that newspaper?”

  “Well, I didn’t get to read the whole article, but it seemed to cover pretty much what the detective told me—that they think there was a witness, but that she has disappeared. I’m just glad we didn’t find a body with the money. I don’t even know why anyone would choose that location to hide stuff, except that it’s handy for someone without a car—like a homeless veteran,” she said, her voice trailing off.

  “Yeah?” Holly coaxed, wondering what Savannah was getting at.

  “Well, John and his friend Ed seemed awfully familiar with that area, like they hang out there a lot. I doubt they have a car. They could be homeless or almost homeless. It’s possible that those two took the money...” Her eyes flashed when she said, “Or they found it. Yeah, I could see them hiding it in that spot, where they could keep an eye on it and where it was likely not going to be disturbed.”

  Holly picked up her phone. “Where did you say that was?”

  “Monterey.”

  Holly tapped on the screen. “Oh,” she yelped, “this must be the case. They call it the Westside Robbery. It says here that several stores were hit that night on the west side. They think it might have been a gang—a rather disorganized gang, actually, because they found some of the loot that had been dropped along the presumed getaway route. They must have had a hole in their money bag.”

  “Oh, that’s funny,” Savannah said. “Yeah, I can see those two botching a robbery, or, as I said, finding the money.” She shook her head. “I sure can’t see them pulling off something that sophisticated—robbing several stores? Not likely.” She faced Holly. “And John is confined to a wheelchair, for heaven’s sake.”

  Holly stared at her and asked, “Are you sure? He could be faking it.” While Savannah thought about that, Holly said, “Listen to this: they caught some elderly man—a retired postman—with some of the money. He claimed he found it and only spent about $30 of it on a steak dinner.”

  “How did they find him?” Savannah asked. “Was the money marked?”

  “Let’s see,” Holly said, reading further. “No. I guess he bragged to someone about having the money and his secret got out to the wrong people. He only had around $300 total. Wow!” Holly exclaimed. “They figure around thirty thousand was taken.”

  Savannah shook her head. “As I said, it’s just hard to imagine that John and Ed could pull off something like that.”

  Holly looked at Savannah. “The cops probably think that too, but from what you’ve told me, they believe you could have—a good-looking, savvy woman.” She laughed. “They probably see you as the Julia Roberts character in Ocean’s Twelve.”

  “Hmph!” Savannah huffed. “Well, if I had the money, I’d be treating all my friends to a steak dinner and not at one of those chain steak houses.”

  “We’re having steak?”Adam asked, joining the women in the kitchen.

  “No. Taco salad,” Savannah said.

  “And Jell-o salad,” Holly added.

  “Who’s having a steak dinner?” he asked.

  “Some guy who ended up with some of that stolen money Rags found the other day,” Savannah explained.

  “Do they know who took it? Was it the guy in the wheelchair?”

  “They haven’t figured that out yet. Aunt Holly just read an article online saying that the thieves dropped some of the money when they were running away and a guy found it and bought himself a steak dinner.”

  “Oh.” Adam said. He jumped a little. “Hey, I just remembered, I forgot to show you something else I found.”

  Savannah rolled her eyes for Holly’s benefit as the boy trotted out of the room. “This is sure lost-and-found week.” When Adam returned and she saw what he held in his hand, she looked puzzled. She moved closer and squinted. “What is that?”

  Adam shrugged. “I don’t know—some kind of strap.” He pulled on both ends of it. “It’s stretchy.”

  Holly gasped, “Oh! Adam, I don’t think you want that thing.”

  “I don’t?” Adam asked, looking at it more closely.

  She laughed nervously. “No, I think it’s a strap from a woman’s...um, well, undergarment.”

  “Where did you find it?” Savannah asked.

  “By where Rags and I found that money.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Savannah asked.

  Adam looked confused. “I don’t know. Everyone was busy. I was trying to hold onto Rags. I just saw it, picked it up, and put it in my pocket to look at later.”

  Savannah stared down at the lacy elastic strap. “But it could be evidence in that case.”

  “How so?” Holly asked.

  “It might belong to the woman who went missing.” She said to Adam, “I’m going to send a picture of this to the police department. It could be important to the case.” When it appeared that he was stalling, she asked, “You don’t really want to keep it, do you?”

  Adam nodded. “Yeah, I was going to make a slingshot out of it.”

  “Adam,” Michael called from the deck, “how about helping Uncle Keith and Cassie put your beach toys away.”

  “Oh, sure,” he said, trotting out to the deck. “I want to bring Pauline in, too. Is she still out there?” he asked.

  “I haven’t seen her in a while,” Michael said. Seconds later, he announced, “Oh, here she comes. Where have you been, Missy Pauline? Been combing the beach?”

  “Combing the beach?” Adam repeated.

  “Yeah, she’s a feline beachcomber.”

  When Holly could tell that Savannah was a little distracted, she asked, “Want me to finish the salad so you can send that picture to the police department?”

  She nodded. “Would you? Thank you.” She took a picture of the strap.

  “I don’t know who wears those things anymore, do you?” Holly asked.

  “I suppose there are some women who still do.” Savannah faced Holly. “As a matter of fact, gals who dance in those gentlemen’s clubs probably do—you know, pole dancers, strippers...”

  “Huh?”

  “Yeah, I read that the gal who went missing and who is a possible witness to the robbery was working at a nearby dance club. Holy cow, Holly, that could be part of her garter belt.”

  Holly’s eyes widened. “You’d better call them. That thing might be important.”

  “Call who?” Michael asked, when he walked in.

  “The police department,” Savannah said. “Adam found a piece we think is from a garter belt. It might be evidence in that robbery case up north.”

  “A garter belt? Do people still wear those things?”

  “Yeah, women,” Holly quipped.

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” Savannah said, walking into the living room. When she returned, everyone looked up at her and she raised her eyebrows. “Well, the detective seemed quite pleased that we found the garter belt strap. He said the possible witness who went missing was, indeed, a performer at a nearby club. He’s sending a local policeman over to get it and they’ll have it sent to Monterey by courier. He said they still haven’t recovered all the money and they don’t know if it’s been spent or if there’s another hiding place.” She chuckled and looked at Rags. “He asked if we rented out our cat.”

  Michael’s face lit up. “Did you tell him we sure do—in fact they can keep him for as long as they need him?”

  “Stop it, Michael!” Savannah scolded. She then said, “Oh, there’s one more thing. They’ve charged John along with that other guy, Ed.” She winced. “I sure was hoping John’s innocent.”

  “And he may be,” Michael said. “You know, until proven guilty. You think he’s innocent?”

  “I really do,” she said. “The officers didn’t see his reaction when Rags came out with that bag of money. He was as surprised as I was.”

  “Or he’s a good actor,” Michael suggested.

  “I don’t think so. There was something sincere about him. But...”

  “But what?” Holly asked.

  She thought for a moment and said, “Maybe he wasn’t surprised to discover that the money was there, but rather surprised that Rags found it.”

  ****

  The following day after lunch as the Iveys and the Pettits sat on their deck taking in the view, a woman of about sixty approached. She looked at Savannah and Holly. “Excuse me,” she called from halfway up the beach-access stairs, “is one of you Savannah?”

  “Yes,” Savannah said, sitting forward in her chair.

  The woman smiled. “Hi! I’m your cousin Janet.”

  Savannah looked puzzled for a moment, then she stood up and walked toward her. “Oh, yes...genealogy. Mom told me you live somewhere around here.” She offered her hand. “How nice to meet you.”

  “Thank you. You too.” She shivered. “I can’t wait to meet Gladys.”

  “Mom’s eager to meet you too. She said it will be the highlight of her trip.” She tilted her head. “Mom said you two look a little alike. Boy, you sure do; you could be sisters.”

  “You really think so?” Janet asked. She studied Savannah for a moment. “Well, you sure don’t look much like your mom’s picture. Do you take after your father’s people?”

  “I guess I do,” Savannah said. “My sister looks more like our mother.” She invited, “Hey, come up and meet some of the family.”

  Janet looked around, then said, “Well, okay,” before taking the rest of the steps up to the deck.

  “Cousin Janet,” Savannah said, “this is my husband, Michael; his brother, Keith; and our sister-in-law, Holly.” She pointed. “That’s Cassie and Bethany over there. Our younger children are napping and our eleven-year-old just walked down the beach with a new friend.”

  “Nice to meet you all,” Janet said.

  Holly looked confused. “Did I hear you say this is the first time you’ve met?”

  Janet nodded. “Yes. Gladys and I found each other on one of those genealogy sites. We’re what you’d call distant cousins. We wouldn’t know about each other at all if it wasn’t for technology. And to think that I dug my heels in and refused to get involved with that for the longest time. Finally my savvy twelve-year-old grandson sort of shamed me into learning the computer.” Her demeanor brightened. “Now I order my own groceries, share Facebook stuff with family, and I even started checking out a dating site.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m only a lurker so far.” She explained, “My husband passed away five years ago and everyone says it’s time to jump back into the water or get back on the horse or whatever.”

  “Good for you,” Holly said.

  “But be careful out there,” Keith warned. “I hear it’s not all fun and games and nice guys.”

  “I know,” Janet said. “The stories some of my friends tell would curl your toes.” She looked at Savannah. “So when’s your mother coming out here?”

  “Tomorrow, actually. Some of her plans with her friends changed when one of them had emergency surgery. She helped out until family arrived, and now she feels as though she’s in the way.”

  “Sounds like my cousin,” Janet said. “When, tomorrow?”

  “She should be here sometime in the afternoon. Would you like to join us for dinner tomorrow night? I think we’re grilling, right guys?”

  “Sure,” Keith said.

  “Yeah, whatever you want,” Michael added.

  Savannah smiled coyly, then addressed Janet again. “Come over around five or six—we’ll eat closer to six.”

  “Only if I can bring homemade cookies,” Janet said.

  “Certainly,” Savannah agreed. She winked at Cassie and Bethany. “There are a few cookie monsters around here.”

  Janet looked at her watch and frowned. “Well, I’d better get down to the station.”

  “The train station?” Savannah asked.

  “Police station,” Janet explained. She laid a hand on Savannah’s arm. “You people lock up your valuables now; we’re having a rash of burglaries.”

  “Oh?” Holly exclaimed.

  “Yes,” Janet continued. “Someone’s brazenly entering beach homes and taking things of value. It’s probably someone who’s blending in here at the beach community, because it’s always something small that’s taken—something that could be easily hidden in the pockets of board shorts or even a pair of women’s shorts or a swimsuit cover-up.”

  “Gads,” Savannah said. “Has this been going on for long?”

  “Not that I know of. Only for maybe three or four days.”

  “Oh, wait,” Holly said, “I wonder if it’s the same person who took Sidney’s keys and Michael’s.”

  Savannah frowned. “Yeah, and that gal’s tennis bracelet. But most of that stuff is just being moved around, it seems. The items turn up someplace else—sometimes before they’re even missed.”

  “What?” Janet said.

  Savannah waved her hand in the air. “Probably not related.”

  Holly raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, it could be birds.” When Janet looked confused, she explained, “Like Savannah said, the stuff seems to be moved from one home to another, and we’re beginning to think it’s a seagull or maybe a raven picking up shiny things and dropping them when he gets tired of carrying them.”

  “Interesting,” Janet said. “Say, my neighbor found something in her yard yesterday—a little purse with coins in it—I think they were valuable coins, you know, collectibles of some sort. She turned them over to the police. Know what they told her? They said, ‘That’s not the first thing that’s been turned in from your neighborhood this week.’” Janet looked at the others. “So it’s happening over here too, is it?” She leaned closer and spoke more quietly. “It’s as if someone’s taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Actually, the reason I’m going to the station this afternoon is to report someone.” Her eyes flashed when she explained, “I saw a woman wearing a piece of my jewelry this morning. I took a picture. I even spoke with her and got her name. Now, it could be that she bought it from the real criminal, or maybe she’s the thief. Either way, the cops need to do their job and check her out.”

  “Did you ask her where she got it?” Savannah asked.

  Janet became defensive. “And get my head bashed in or be arrested for harassing her? Oh no, I thought it best to get the police involved. I live alone, you know. I don’t want any trouble I can’t handle.”

  “Well, I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been robbed,” Savannah said. “I hope you get it back.”

  “Yeah. Well, you’ll want to keep your valuables under lock and key while you’re here, at least until they’ve caught the thief.” She chuckled and added, “Or the bird.”

  Savannah laughed, then asked, “How far away do you live, Janet?”

  “From the street side, it’s a block and a half. I walked over here on the beach today and it’s a little farther. It’s probably the equivalent of maybe two or two-and-a-half blocks.” She looked at her watch. “Oh, I have to scoot—just wanted to find your place. When she started to turn, she noticed Rags, who was watching the outdoor activity from inside. “That is one intelligent cat,” she observed.

  Michael glanced at Rags and asked, “What makes you say that?”

  “He just looks smart. I’ll bet he knows stuff.” Janet stared at him for a moment. “Wait, is that the cat your mother told me about? He’s some sort of star or something, right?”

  Savannah nodded. “Yes. He stars in a series of children’s books.”