Free Cabin FURvor (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 16) by Patricia Fry

going to call Damon before we head back across the lake. He’s following that story I was working on yesterday. I want to find out what else he’s learned, if anything.”
    “Are you going to tell him what we just learned?” Iris asked, rolling her eyes.
    As the others pulled bills from their pockets, Savannah said, “I’m still trying to digest all of it. It’s just too weird.”
    “Yeah, it’s sensory overload for me,” Iris admitted.
    As the women left the café, Savannah put her arm around Iris’s shoulders. “Why don’t we sit here in the sun for a few minute?”
    “Good idea,” Margaret said, lowering herself onto a short rock wall west of the buildings.
    “Ahhh, feels good,” Iris said. She then squinted toward Savannah. “What just happened in there? Was that real or did we just step out of the Twilight Zone?”
    Savannah and Margaret chuckled hesitantly and Margaret said, “Yeah, let’s assume that’s it—we somehow stumbled into a Rod Serling vortex.”
    At that, Iris quickly focused on Margaret. “Vortex…Maggie, where did you learn such a term?”
    “From you, probably.”
    The women had changed the subject by the time Colbi returned to the group. As she approached, Iris smiled at her. “How’s my son?”
    “Good. He had lunch with my brother at the culinary school in Frisco. People can go in by invitation and eat some of the food they prepare. Yesterday, they made pasta dishes. Damon said some of them were really delicious.” Colbi giggled. “Harrison got special recognition for his. Damon said he was so pleased.”
    “Cool,” Savannah said. “So the two of them are getting along now that Harrison has changed his lifestyle?”
    Colbi’s eyes lit up. “Yes. I’m so, so happy to have my brother and my fiancé on good terms now.” Suddenly, her tone changed. “Oh, Damon said that missing-woman story might bring him up here.”
    “Up here?” Iris repeated.
    “Yes, they have a lead that’s pointing them in this direction. If they get it validated, he may come up here on assignment. If Craig’s on the case, we might see him up here, too.”
    “Oh,” Iris said, her demeanor suddenly sullen.
    “What’s wrong?” Savannah asked. “Don’t you want to see your husband?”
    Iris thinned her lips. “Well, I have mixed feelings.” When she noticed the others waiting to hear more, she whined, “I love spending time with my son, and my husband, but I was so looking forward to an all-girl adventure with my BBFs.”
    The other three women laughed and rushed Iris, enveloping her in a group hug.
    “Hey you guys, lay off,” Iris squealed. “You’re going to knock me off this wall.”
    Savannah pulled back. “Awww, Iris, even if the guys do come up here, we’ll still have fun.”
    “Yeah, no man’s going to spoil our weekend,” Colbi said, “even if they are my fiancé and my future father-in-law.”
    “Pshaw,” Margaret said. “No man in his right mind would hang around this group of women for very long.”
    “Hey,” Savannah said, scanning the area with her eyes, “want to go for a hike before we motor back to the cabin?”
    “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind stretching my legs,” Colbi agreed.
    Iris nodded. “Sure. I think there are some trails that go along the river a ways.”
    “Into the forest?” Margaret asked. “With wild animals? What if I get a blister? I’m not used to walking in these shoes.” She sat back down on the wall. “Maybe I’ll just stay here and wait for you.”
    Savannah grabbed Margaret’s arm. “Oh no you don’t, Auntie. You’re going to have the full all-girls weekend experience. Now come on.”
    “Against my will?” she grumbled, as Savannah pulled her along toward the path into the dense forest.
    The others giggled as they followed behind.
    ****
    “You did really well,” Savannah said to her aunt a couple of hours later when the foursome returned to the boat dock. “You didn’t get any blisters, did you?”
    “No, I don’t