Free Karen Anne Golden - The Cats That 05 - The Cats that Watched the Woods by Karen Anne Golden Page A

Okay?”
    “The rain is so hard. I think I’ll sit here a minute until it lets up. Thanks, Elsa.”
    “You betcha.”
    Katherine disconnected the call and re-read Elsa’s directions. She committed them to memory. When the rain let up, she pulled back onto the highway and drove the fifteen miles. The cats became quiet again, which was a relief, because Katherine swore she was a nervous wreck, and kicked herself for wanting to have this little adventure in the first place. She just wanted a few days to chill out about the wedding—AKA Cora’s show—and the fact that Jake was insisting they have a prenuptial. On the latter issue, Katherine knew there were good legal reasons for it—Scott Wilson had said so. She reasoned, Jake wants the prenup so he can show me he’s not marrying me for my money.
    Turning onto Port Logan road, Katherine drove five miles to a fork in the road. She veered right. She left a paved road for a dirt one. It had a lot of potholes, which woke up the cats. “Raw,” Abra protested.
    “I think we’re about there,” Katherine consoled.
    The narrow dirt road meandered through a wooded area, then turned into a private lane that led to Leonard Townsend’s house. The house was a gingerbread-trimmed farmhouse, which had seen better days. Katherine parked in front and wondered where Mr. Townsend’s car was, and why the place seemed so desolate. No porch light. No lights inside the house.
    “I’ll be back in a minute,” she said to the Siamese. “Gotta get the key.” Katherine climbed out of the SUV and was relieved it had stopped raining. She could hear distant thunder. Perhaps the storm wasn’t over yet.
    Both cats were standing tall in the carrier, very curious about their surroundings.
    Katherine walked up to the front porch. When she knocked on the battered screen door, a manila envelope fell on the threshold. She picked it up. The word “key” was written in bold, black letters. She opened it and pulled out a handwritten note with a map to the cabin. Leonard apologized for not being there, and wrote that he had to leave to tend a sick friend. He said he’d be back in the morning. Katherine extracted the key and got back in the car.
    She worried, How many people have keys to the cabin? What if there’s an ax murderer lurking or a zombie in the barn?
    “Should we go home?” Katherine asked the Siamese.
    Scout nudged the metal gate; Abra cried a sweet “raw.”
    “Okay, I take that as a no. We’ll have our back-to-nature adventure.” She turned the key in the ignition and pulled out. The road to the cabin was just as bumpy, but not quite as hilly. It had gotten dark early because of the rain, so Katherine turned on her headlights. Driving around a sharp curve, she could see the faint outline of a cabin. A flash of lightning further illuminated it.
    “I love it!” Katherine exclaimed. It looked better than the Internet picture; it appeared brand-new. She parked in back, got out, and explained to the cats, “I’m going to leave you out here for a moment. I’ve got to go in and cat-proof. Let me unload your litterbox first.” She grabbed a large litter pan, bag of cat litter, and two water bowls.
    Unlocking the cabin door, she found the light switch and turned it on. She also found the porch light and flipped on that one, as well.
    “It smells wonderful in here. Like a pine forest,” she said out loud. Looking around, she could see new construction. The walls were natural wood paneling, the floors a rustic-looking oak. The kitchenette had new appliances; a flat screen TV sat on the fireplace mantel. Upstairs were two bedrooms and a small bathroom; the downstairs had two bedrooms and a luxury bathroom, complete with soaking tub. Katherine picked a room for the Siamese and placed their litter pan in there. The screened-in porch seemed dry, and when she brought in the cats, she put them out there while she unloaded the rest of the car.
    Once the car was unloaded, she picked up her