Free The Big Kitty by Claire Donally

a cat shelter.
    “And the board has been very lax,” Veronica complained. “I’ve recommended punitive action—levying fines, for example. But even your father—despite his personal problems with Mrs. Spruance—wouldn’t live up to his responsibilities, I’m sorry to say.”
    Good for Dad,
Sunny thought. Except for a sprinkling of newcomers, most of the houses in the neighborhood were still owned by the “original settlers,” as they called themselves, or by their children. While Sunny could feel a little impatience when that close-knit feeling exhibited itself negatively as clannishness, she also shared their background. This was her home, and it was the Spruances’, too. Ada and Gordon Spruance—Gordon Senior—had bought their house as newlyweds. They’d raised a family, and Ada had grown old there.
And maybe a little odd, too,
Sunny privately admitted. But Ada had been a part of the community for decades. Where did Veronica Yarborough come off trying to change that?
    “Perhaps Mrs. Spruance would have taken her lottery winnings and moved out, cats and all,” Sunny suggested.
    “More likely, she’d have thrown the money away on kitty caviar and lawyers to harass the association.” Veronicamoodily sipped her water. “The crazy old woman told me often enough that she intended to stay in that house until the day she died.”
    “Well, that is what happened, isn’t it?” Sunny said brightly.
    Veronica took another sip as she considered the implications. “There’s a son, isn’t there? Although he hasn’t lived on the property in some time.”
    Sunny stayed silent, letting Veronica think aloud. “It might be possible to require him to make repairs—at least to paint the place. Certainly the board couldn’t argue with that. The son might have roots in the community, but he’s moved out. And the man has a criminal record, for heaven’s sake. We might even be able to levy fines for noncompliance, make it too expensive to keep the property—”
    “I understand Oliver Barnstable has already made an offer on it,” Sunny said.
    Veronica actually looked pleased. “The house could end up in worse hands. He’s one of the more forward-thinking people in this town. The right sort of renovations could bring a much more suitable family into the neighborhood.”
    Yeah, you would think that,
Sunny thought as she rose. “Well, I don’t want to take up too much of your Sunday afternoon.”
    Veronica looked disconcerted. “I thought you were going to interview me.”
    “First meetings are generally for background.” Sunny lied easily. “I think I have enough to start with. I’ll be in touch if I have more questions later.”
    Frankly, Sunny had already heard enough from Veronica Yarborough. The woman hadn’t just declared war on Ada,she’d shown herself equally willing to carry on the war to the next generation, harassing Gordie. The homeowners’ association president definitely had a strong motive. Ada Spruance with a six-million-dollar war chest would have been a definite threat to Veronica’s plans to make this part of Kittery Harbor safe for “more suitable” residents.
    And now that threat was gone.
    *
    His belly low, Shadow advanced to the top of the coffee table, moving each paw as silently as possible. Not that the prey he was stalking was going anywhere. The thick book sat at the far end of the table, near where the Old One sat dozing.
    A change in breathing made Shadow lift his head up.
The new Old One,
he corrected himself. This one was male, and much quicker to anger than the old Old One … the dead Old One.
    But this Old One just made a couple of lip-smacking noises and sighed, drifting into deeper sleep.
    Shadow resumed his project. He’d never really considered why things fell. There were times when he’d fallen, sometimes twisting desperately in midair to land on his feet. But why was that? Why didn’t things stay as they were instead of tumbling down?
    He got both his forepaws