Murderous Meow: A Cat-tastic Mystery!

Chapter One

“I need all the pie cookbooks you have!” Diana yelled  rushing past Magnolia.

She watched Diana scurry towards the section of the library that held cookbooks. 

“Why do you need cookbooks? You’re a chef.”

“But I heard someone new is entering a pie into the pie competition and for the first time ever, I will actually have some serious competition. I can’t lose my title!”

The annual Harvest Festival was the highlight of North Pleasanton’s autumn season. It was the last time the town wouldn’t be full of tourists before skiing season began. The Highpoint Ski Resort was 5 miles away up a long, winding mountainous road. Many vacationers rented lodgings in North Pleasanton to save money and to have the opportunity to stay in a quaint little town. It was a great influx of business for the local shops and restaurants during the winter, but Magnolia, and most of the residents of North Pleasanton enjoyed the close knit, small town atmosphere.

“You’ve been making the same pie for years and it’s always the best. Why are you nervous this time around?”

“SHE is entering the contest. Can you believe it? It’s like she’s after everything that’s mine,” Diana said. She paused and struck a dramatic pose, swiping her tiny hand across her forehead and staring skyward.

SHE was Georgia Canton, North Pleasanton’s newest resident. A former florist who had moved into a tiny, aged bungalow next door to Diana’s oversized stucco home. Georgia was tall and slender with thick dark hair that she wore pulled back into a thick ponytail that reached the middle of her back. She ran each morning, spent the rest of the day in her garden, and ended her days with a patio full of stray cats. With sparkling blue eyes and a slender but strong build, Georgia didn’t look old enough to be retired, and since most residents of North Pleasanton were married, she’d been the talk of the town amongst the senior bachelor crowd. Diana, who was attractive and previously the number one most eligible bachelorette, was not on the backburner—a position she was not used to.

“You’re a chef. I don’t think you have much to worry about.”

“I have to be sure. I will simply die if I lose to HER. Now get on that little computer and tell me every cookbook you have on the shelf.”

“That’s going to be difficult. Not all cookbooks have pie recipes and—”

“Get me the cookbooks with pie recipes!” Diana yelled.

Magnolia shrugged her shoulders and headed behind the counter. She tapped away on the computer to locate the cookbooks. The phone rang as titles populated on the screen. 

“North Pleasanton library.” Magnolia answered.

“Good morning, Mags.” 

It was Colton the local mechanic and more importantly, Magnolia’s new beau—her first since being left at the altar.

“Hi Colton.” She felt her cheeks warm as she turned away from the computer and stared off into the distance.

“I came into the shop this morning, started working and found something.”

“Okay,” Magnolia said. “What did you find?”

“A cat and five little kittens. She climbed into my jeep and gave birth on the floor in front of the passenger’s seat.”

“A cat? Kittens?”

Magnolia felt herself kick into protective mode. Her parents owned an animal sanctuary in Minnesota. Animals—cats in particular—had been some of her best friends. 

“I’ll be there in a few minutes. Do not call the shelter. I will take them.”

“Six cats?” Colton said, clearly shocked at the implications.

Magnolia knew that this was not the way to keep the first boyfriend she had in years, but there was no way she was going to let him turn over a mother cat and her five kittens to a shelter.

“Magnolia, this cat gave birth in my jeep. I need them out of here asap.” He said.

“The shelter is no place for kittens. You don’t understand. They need quiet and to be with their mom. And most shelters won’t adopt them out until they’re old enough to be spayed or neutered. We have to keep them.”

“I know nothing about cats,” Colton retorted. “And they’re in my jeep! I want them out of here.”

“The mother has found a place that works. I think we should leave them.”

“Are you insane? Leave them there for now? You will have to take care of them. I do not know what to do.”

Magnolia took a deep breath. It had been a long time since she used the skills she picked up growing up as the only child of parents who owned an animal shelter. The shelter had required her and her parents to work tirelessly to keep things afloat. As soon as Magnolia turned 18, she was excited to leave her parents’ home for greener pastures. Now she was confronted with a dilemma that required her to act. There were too many critters in danger of losing everything. She wouldn’t stand for it.

“Don’t call the shelter.”

“Mags, I know your parents were all into the animal thing, but we’re talking about six cats. I can’t keep them here. Besides, they’re not—”

“No!” Magnolia said, stopping Colton before he could say that he didn’t like cats. “I’ll handle this.”

“How?”

She wasn't sure, but there was no way she was going to let a cat family go to the shelter.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“You sure? Isn’t the library open?”

“Diana’s going to watch things for me.”

“What? I have pies to cook!” Diana yelled in the background.

“I’ll see you in a few minutes 

“What’s happened?” Diana asked.

“A cat had kittens in Colton’s jeep.”

“Well, that’s not my problem!”

“Right, but he was going to call the shelter to come and get them,but I talked him out of it.I’m sorry that I didn’t ask first, but I’ll be back in five minutes. I promise.”

Diana folded her arms over her chest and smacked her lips.

“Fine. I can watch the library but only for five minutes,” Diana said, flipping her silver and gray hair off of her face. “The Harvest Festival is tonight. You know I have to be ready.”

“I have a hard time believing that you haven’t already made the pie you intend to enter in the competition.”

“I might have a pie or two ready, but I don’t think they’re as good as they need to be to beat HER.”

Magnolia shook her head. “I’m sure the pie you have is fine, but I’ll be back in a few minutes.” 

“Fine,” Diana said. “I can stand behind the counter.”

“That’s all I need. Thank you!”

Magnolia ran to the garage behind the library, started up her lime green Volkswagen Beetle and took off for Colton’s shop. It was only a few blocks away, but she wanted to get there as quickly as possible.

He was standing outside when she pulled up. Magnolia parked at the end of his long driveway and rushed towards Colton.

“Ready for this? She’s not friendly,” he said before opening the door to the shop.

“She’s scared,” Magnolia said. “Let’s get a look at her.”

He opened the door and led Magnolia to the back of the shop where his jeep was parked. 

“Be careful,” Colton said.

"Magnolia grabbed the door handle and turned to Colton.

“It might be intimidating for her to see you standing here.”

“Intimidating? It’s a cat!” He exclaimed.

“Yes, and she has feelings. Let me handle this, please.”

Colton shrugged and walked away from the jeep. Magnolia pulled open the door and climbed into the driver’s side. “I am a human that wants to help. What is your name?”

The cat hissed and covered her kittens with her body.

“I’m not going to hurt you. And no, I’m not from the shelter.”

The cat stopped hissing and tilted her head. She was a beautiful gray and black striped tabby with white feet and shades of blonde around her neck.

“You understand me? How?” the cat asked.

“We can talk about that later, but for now. What is your name?” Magnolia asked.

“Fiona. But how do you understand me? I demand to know!” Fiona screeched and yelped.

“Are you communicating with the cat?” Colton called from across the shop.

“Don’t be silly!” Magnolia yelled back, letting out a nervous laugh.

“Oh, that’s a relief. I was getting worried about you thinking that you might be able to talk to animals. That ain’t natural.” Colton chuckled

“No, it’s not,” Magnolia said, hoping her voice sounded playful and relaxed. She turned back to Fiona“I’m going to take care of you and the kittens. No need to worry. You’ll have fresh litter to use, a bowl of water to drink, and top-notch kibble.”

“I prefer wet food,” Fiona replied.

“Of course, the occasional wet food treat. In fact, we can mix a little wet food in with the kibble to make a little gravy.”

“My human used to carefully prepare my meals on her stovetop alongside her own food. Those were such good days,” Fiona said, dreamily. “But if canned wet food is the best you can do, I accept your terms.”

“Excellent. Now, I just need to get a quick look at the kittens.”

“Stay away, human. I know what your type does! You take away kittens, give them to other humans who then dump them on the street.”

“Fiona, do not worry. I just want to make sure that the kittens are all healthy. I will not be taking any of them.”

“You have about five seconds before I bolt from this Jeep.”

“And where would you go? The nights are getting pretty cold around here. It would do some good to have a human on your side.”

“Maybe. A warm place would be nice,” Fiona said. Her eyes had softened and it looked like she was contemplating trusting Magnolia.

Fiona knew she needed a warm place for her kittens. Perhaps trusting this human was better than having to move at this delicate hour.

“Fine. You can take a look at them. Do not touch!”

“I don’t plan on it. I’m just here to help.”

Fiona reluctantly removed her front paw from over the five kittens underneath her. Magnolia kept her word. She looked at the kittens and nodded before backing away and smiling at Fiona.

“When the kittens are three weeks old, you can move to the library with me.”

“The library? You mean inside?”

“I do. You’ll also have free run of my flat. It is attached to the library and we can put in a kitty door for you to come and go as you please.”

“What’s the catch, human?” Fiona growled.

“Nothing. I just want you to be comfortable. Does that sound like a plan?”

Fiona growled again, but Magnolia saw a light in her eyes when going “inside” was mentioned.  

“Going inside sounds great. It will be nice to not have to search for a new place once the kittens become rambunctious.”

“I agree. You won’t be able to keep them sequestered in the footwell of the Jeep. You’ll need to find something more secure. What do you think?”Magnolia asked, waiting for her response. 

***

Fiona thought this was a good offer, but could she really trust this human? The mechanic’s shop had been easy to get into because the  door was left unlocked. She wasn’t sure there was another place in the shop that would be safe for nesting.There was always clanking in the background and equipment was spread out on the floor. Being surrounded by books and resting comfortably in this woman’s personal flat sounded ideal. During the day, Fiona and the kittens could hunker down in the flat, where she assumed it would be nice and quiet. Then, in the evenings, they could explore the library, and she could instill the love of all things literary in her children that she had developed when she had a human of her own. Oh, how Fiona missed Grandma Mabel, her owner, who passed away suddenly when Fiona was just a year old. When Grandma Mabel’s children came to clean out the house, they argued over who would take Fiona. In the end, none of them wanted her. She ended up on the street of North Pleasanton. Luckily, there were plenty of areas throughout the town.

“How do you know there isn’t something out there waiting for me?”

“You mean like your colony?”

“No. My…fiancé.”

Magnolia’s eyebrows raised, causing Fiona to hiss. She hated when humans acted like they were the only ones who could have love and relationships.

“His name is Phillip. He’s a gorgeous and sweet golden and white prince of a cat.”

“But he’s not here.”

Fiona let out a low growl.

“I had to get inside for the kittens. He likes being free…I didn’t think he’d come with me.”

“I see.”

“No, you don’t!” Fiona said, her heart aching.

“I’m sorry. I can see that you’re hurting. What if I found Phillip?”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because you obviously miss him.”

What if her plan was to find Phillip and take the kittens? Was that what this woman was proposing? People would take the kittens away from their mothers as soon as they were old enough, and she had heard stories about this. Sometimes, humans would take them away when they weren’t even old enough, and the mother never heard another thing about their kittens.

“You’re not taking my kittens.”

“Is that what you assume I am proposing?”

“Yes. No one keeps five kittens and a cat. No one would even keep me as one cat.”

“What would you think if I told you that, growing up, I had at least 10 pets at any given time?”

“That doesn’t sound like a normal way for humans to have pets. I know you’re trying to trick me.”

“I’m not trying to trick you. My parents run an animal sanctuary in Minnesota.”

“I’m not moving to Minnesota.”

“I know. I’m asking if you would like to live in the library. I don’t see why you’d have to be split from the kittens. Six cats living in the library with me—I think that’s perfect.”

It was a generous offering. Fiona was nervous, but this could be a beneficial situation for her. At least for now. And if this woman found Phillip, they could make plans together regarding their next move. Fiona thought for a moment. Was it possible that this woman was serious? Could she trust this strange woman who was willing to take on six cats?

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“Well, I guess you don’t know whether or not you can trust me, but my boyfriend wants you out of his jeep. I probably can talk him into letting you stay for three weeks, but after that, you’re going to have to leave. Don’t you think it would be better if you had a soft place to land?”

It was true. This was the best thing for Fiona and the kittens. A nice, cozy place indoors, especially as it got colder outside. She wondered what Phillip would think. Oh, how she missed him.

“Okay, human. I have one demand.”

“What is it?”

“Let us move in now.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and one more thing?”

“Yes?”

“Find Phillip.”

 

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