Free Patricia Fry - Klepto Cat 05 - The Colony Cat Caper by Patricia Fry Page A

tucked in safe and sound?”
    Michael smiled. “Yup. We had a nice visit driving home. Stopped for an ice cream. He told me all about his basketball practice. He’s an enthusiastic sportsman.” He turned off the Kindle, stood, and walked over to Savannah . “He was ready for bed by nine. I think Rags went up to keep him company.” He put one arm around Savannah and his other hand on her baby bulge. “Are you two ready for bed?”
    “We sure are,” Savannah said with a yawn.
    “So what was so odd about what Iris told you?” he asked as they walked into their bedroom together.
    “Oh, something this woman who came to our meeting did tonight.” Savannah stopped, thought for a minute, and then added, “Well, the more I think about her behavior, the more I wonder if she had a hidden agenda.”

Chapter Five
    “Good morning, buddy,” Michael said when he saw Adam ambling down the stairs, still in his pjs, rubbing his eyes. Rags trotted along beside him. “Ready for breakfast?”
    “Yeah,” he said with a wide yawn.
    “Hey, didn’t you sleep well last night? You still seem sleepy.”
    “Well,” the barely nine-year-old said as he reached the ground floor and walked toward his father, “Rags woke me up and I wasn’t through sleeping.”
    “Did he want to play or what?”
    “ Yeah, I guess. He was scratching me and pulling off my covers.”
    “Scratching you?” Michael asked.
    “No,” he said with a laugh, “scratching my covers off of me like this.” The boy made clawing motions in the air while scrunching up his face.
    Michael laughe d. “Did he make a face like that, too?”
    Adam looked over at Rags and then at Michael. “No,” he said. “Cats can’t make faces.”
    Just then Rags, who was sitting a distance from Adam and Michael on the coffee table, opened his mouth and yawned widely. Both of them laughed out loud, and Adam said, “I guess cats can make faces.”
    “Who’s making faces?” Savannah asked as she walked into the room slowly, her hands rubbing the top of her bulging stomach.
    “Rags just made a face, when he yawned,” Adam said laughing. “Do it again Rags; show Savannah how you make faces,” he urged.
    After Adam’s coaxing didn’t work, Michael suggested, “Maybe if you yawn first, he’ll see you yawn and he might do it. Yawning is contagious, you know.”
    “Contagious? You mean like a cold?” he asked, looking confused.
    “Well, not quite like that,” Michael said with a chuckle. He looked over at Adam, who was staring at Rags and contorting his face, trying to mimic a yawn.
    Finally Adam asked, “How do you yawn when you don’t have to yawn?”
    “Eas y,” Michael said. “Watch me.” He swallowed and then opened his mouth, took in a breath, and within a few seconds he yawned.
    “How did you do that?” Adam asked.
    “Just try it—open your mouth, suck in some air and…”
    Adam followed his dad’s instructions, and within a couple of minutes he yawned. “I did it, Dad. I yawned on purpose.” He looked over at Rags, who still sat staring back at the boy. He waited and watched. “Aww come on Rags, show Savannah how you yawn.” After a few minutes, the boy sat down on the edge of the ottoman and said, “I guess he’s not going to.”
    “Yeah,” Michael said. “He must be immune to the yawning disease.”
    Adam grinned at Michael. “You’re funny, Dad.”
    “You’re both silly,” Savannah said, smiling. “Come on, let’s have some breakfast a nd then how about we go on an adventure?” She glanced back at Adam and said, “I’m making cat-shaped pancakes.”
    “Yay,” Adam said excitedly as they headed toward the kitchen, Rags trotting along behind them.
    ***
    A couple of hours later, Michael pulled Sava nnah’s car alongside an expanse of chain-link fencing. “What is this place?” Adam asked.
    “It’s where we come to take care of some homeless cats,” Savannah explained.
    “Oh yeah, Dad told me about that,” he said,