Free Catnapped (A Klepto Cat Mystery) by Patricia Fry

and, much to their dismay, she left, closing the door behind her. Thank heavens the bathrooms don’t have those lever door handles. This is one room Rags can’t escape from, she thought as she turned to walk away.
    Now what did Rags break? she wondered, as she rushed over to where she’d seen the broken glass. It looks like the glass came from an ordinary window, she thought. At least it’s not a priceless vase that had been in the Forster family for a thousand years, she mused. But how did he break a window? was her next question. And which window?
    She pulled the red-checkered café curtains back from the large window next to the door. It was intact. Then she looked at the window on the kitchen door. Broken. By what? How? She stood in place, scanning the room. What’s this? she wondered, as she stepped toward the counter top. A rock. A rock with a piece of paper attached with silver tape.
    She picked up the palm-sized stone and peeled the paper from around it, knowing full well that if this was a crime scene under the direction of CSI: Miami, she was tampering with evidence. She imagined herself now the number-one suspect and could visualize Eric or Calleigh (no, Eric—for sure, Eric) cuffing her and taking her in for questioning.
    Stop being silly, she scolded herself.
    She unfolded the paper and turned it over. “GET OUT” it read in large black letters.
    Hmmm, she thought. I never did get a chance to ask Auntie about the note I found earlier. And now here’s another one. What could this mean? Is someone out to hurt my aunt? Savannah felt a knot in the pit of her stomach. Is she in danger? Are we all in danger?
    “Meooowwwww. Meooowwww.”
    Oh gosh, what are those cats up to? I’d better get this mess cleaned up so I can let them out before they disturb Auntie. Then I’ll talk to Antonio. Maybe he saw something…or someone.
    “There you go, kitties,” Savannah soothed as she opened the bathroom door and let the two hostages out. Rags bounded over the top of Layla and jaunted off to parts unknown. Layla stopped as if composing herself and gave her tail one quick wave before stepping confidently out of the room. “Okay Princess Layla, your royal high felineness,” she said while smiling and shaking her head from side to side.
    After watching the cats disappear into the dining room toward the living room, Savannah opened the side kitchen door and stepped out onto the porch in search of the gardener. She walked around to the south side of the house and spotted him working in a raised garden bed. She yelled out, “Antonio, can you come here for a minute? I want to show you something.”
    “Si, Señorita.” He dropped his spade in the soft dirt and rushed over to where Savannah stood.
    “Antonio, did you see anyone here today while you were working?”
    He thought for a moment, then shook his head slowly. “No, Señorita. No one.”
    “Something wrong?”
    “There’s a broken window. I wonder if you can fix it.”
    The slight Mexican man frowned. “I see no broke window. Where is broke window?”
    “Right here.” Savannah led him up onto the wrap-around porch and pointed at the gaping hole in the window of the kitchen door. I must speak to Señora Margaret first, to see if she wants to talk to the police.”
    “La policia?” he said, looking puzzled and a tad frightened. “Bad man broke window in Señora Maggie’s casa?”
    “It looks that way. Someone threw a rock through the window.”
    Antonio gasped and took a step back. “Madre Mary! Who want to hurt the Señora?”
    She looked down at the gardener. “Maybe someone just wants to scare her and make her leave this house. Do you know who that might be?”
    He shook his head slowly. “I see no one, Señorita. I in back of house working all day.”
    “I know, Antonio. That’s okay,” she said, hoping to calm him. She, herself, certainly wasn’t feeling calm inside. She started to walk through the door and then stopped. “Oh, Antonio, can