Kittens and Killers Read online

  Due to a series of unusual circumstances, Fenella had looked after both dogs for a short while some months earlier. Now they were back with their proper owner, Harvey, who lived in the building next door to hers. Fenella sometimes took one or both dogs on walks to give Harvey a break. When he’d recently taken a short trip, Fenella had been delighted to keep the animals again, just for a few nights.

  “You were walking pretty fast,” Harvey said. “If you want a good workout, you can take Winston for a run.”

  “I will, actually,” Fenella told him. “I feel the need to wear myself out today.”

  Harvey nodded. “Off you go, and don’t mind Fiona if she complains. She’ll be fine with me.”

  Fenella grinned and then took Winston’s leash. They set off at a brisk walk, but Winston was clearly eager to increase the pace with every step. They ended up jogging until Fenella didn’t think she could manage any longer, before dropping back to a fast walk.

  “You’re hard work,” she told Winston.

  He gave her an impish grin and then began to pull on his leash, heading for the sea.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” she told him. “I’m sure Harvey has better things to do today than take you for a bath.”

  Winston gave a few more gentle tugs on his leash before he gave up and settled for running forward a few paces, stopping to wait for her catch up, and then repeating the game. They were nearly back to the bench where Harvey and Fiona were resting when Winston began to bark loudly.

  Harvey walked over to join Fenella as she watched Winston barking at a large storage shed on the side of the road.

  “What’s he all worked up about?” Harvey asked.

  Fenella shrugged. “He’s barking at the shed.”

  “I hope he hasn’t found a body,” Harvey told her. He flushed. “I didn’t mean to suggest that you keep finding bodies or anything,” he said quickly. “I mean, I just meant, that is, I hope he hasn’t found a dead mouse or something.”

  “Yes, of course,” Fenella said dryly, well aware of what Harvey actually meant.

  “Should we ring the police?” Harvey asked.

  “Does Winston usually bark at sheds?”

  “We walk past this one every day. He’s never shown any interest in it at all.”

  Fenella felt a familiar sense of dread as she looked from the dog to the shed and back again. The last thing she wanted to do was find another dead body.

  “Maybe you should ring that friend of yours, the police inspector one. Maybe he should come and see what’s in the shed,” Harvey suggested.

  “Maybe I’ll just take a peek. I’d hate to bother the police if it’s just a dead mouse.” She handed Winston’s leash to Harvey and took a step forward, and then another. “What is this shed for, anyway?” she asked.

  “They store the beach chairs in it during the summer,” Harvey told her. “They may store them in there during the winter, too. I don’t know. It should be locked up tight this time of year, anyway.”

  There was a padlock on the door, and from what Fenella could see, it was intact. Winston had stopped barking, but he was still staring at the shed with intense focus. Fenella sighed. “I’m going to have to call the police.”

  “That’s probably wise. Ring that friend of yours.”

  Fenella debated with herself for a minute. She could call 999 and they would send the closest constable to investigate, or she could call Daniel. Which was likely to be quicker, she wondered as she glanced at the time. She still had to get Jack to the airport.

  Daniel answered his mobile on the first ring. “Is everything okay?” he asked before she’d even spoken.

  “I hope so. I’m on the promenade with Harvey and Winston. Winston is barking at the storage shed at the far end and he won’t stop.”

  Fenella was sure she heard the man on the other end of the line sigh. “I’ll send someone and I won’t be far behind,” he said. “Don’t go inside the shed.”

  “It’s padlocked.”

  “So I need to find someone with a key.”

  “I have to get Jack to the airport.”

  “I’ll be as quick as I can.”

  Daniel disconnected. Fenella looked at Harvey and shrugged. “Someone is on their way.”

  Harvey nodded. “I supposed they’d be cross if I went home, wouldn’t they?”

  “Yes, they would. If there is any evidence of any sort of crime, they’ll want to talk to you.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought. I’m going to go and sit down, anyway.”

  Harvey walked back over to the bench, pulling the dogs’ leashes so that they followed. Winston barked a few times before he gave up and joined Harvey. Fenella stayed where she was, wondering what the police were going to find inside the shed.

  “Ms. Woods, what a surprise,” a familiar voice said a few minutes later.

  Fenella forced herself to smile at Constable Howard Corlett. She’d first met him when he’d responded to her 999 call after she’d found her first dead body. She was really hoping that whatever was in the shed wasn’t going to add to her body count.

  “How are you?” she asked, “and how is little Odin?”

  The constable grinned. “He’s getting big now. Jenny is going all out, planning a huge first birthday party for him. We’ve a few months to go, but it’s going to take her that long to get everything sorted.” He showed Fenella a few pictures from his phone while they waited.

  “Inspector Robinson should be here soon,” he said after they’d looked at dozens of nearly identical photos. “He’s trying to track down the man with the key.”

  “And he managed it,” Daniel added as he walked around the corner of the shed. “He’ll be here in a few minutes.”

  Fenella glanced at her watch. “I hope so,” she said softly.

  “I appreciate your ringing me,” Daniel told her. “A lot of people would have just kept walking, especially if they had somewhere else they needed to go.”

  “With my recent experiences, I couldn’t just keep walking.”

  A van pulled up to the curb and parked. The man who climbed out looked as if he’d been dragged out of bed. “I’m Jake. Is there a problem?” he asked Daniel as he walked toward them.

  “A neighbor was walking his dog past the shed and the dog got excited,” Daniel told him. “We thought it was best to check that everything is okay.”

  “It’s probably a dead rat or something,” Jake shrugged. “Happens all the time.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Daniel told him. “I’d appreciate it if you could give me the key and let me open the door.”

  “Boss said I’m supposed to open the door.”

  “In that case, I’m going to ask you to wear gloves.”

  Jake frowned. “How about you open the door,” he suggested.

  Daniel put on a pair of gloves and then took the key from Jake. The constable snapped a few photos with his phone as Daniel approached the shed’s door. The lock seemed to stick for a second, but then it snapped open. Daniel removed it, dropping it into a plastic bag before handing it to the constable.

  As he slowly began to pull the door open, Fenella found that she was holding her breath. Behind her, she could hear Winston barking in spite of Harvey’s efforts to calm him down.

  “Are there lights inside?” Daniel asked Jake.

  “There should be a switch right inside the door. Can’t remember which side it’s on, though.”

  As Daniel flipped the switch and the small building was filled with light, Fenella began creeping forward. Daniel took a step inside the shed and then began to chuckle.

  “You’re laughing,” Fenella said. “That has to be a good sign.”

  He nodded. “Take a look,” he invited.

  Fenella joined him the doorway to the small building and then blew out a relieved sigh. In the back corner of the room, tucked between dozens of folded chairs, a cat stared back at them.

  “It’s just a cat,” she called to Harvey.

  He
shook his head. “Winston never bothers cats. Make sure she’s okay, please.”

  Daniel and Fenella exchanged glances. “Can I check on her?” she asked him.

  “I think that’s going to be up to her,” Daniel replied. “She doesn’t look very friendly, though.”

  Fenella nodded. The cat began hissing softly as Fenella approached her. “Hey, there, I just want to check that you’re okay,” she told the animal in a gentle tone. “I won’t hurt you. I just want help you.”

  The cat stopped hissing, but didn’t look any happier when Fenella stopped. She held out a tentative hand. “I have a kitten at home. Her name is Katie. Maybe I should take you home so you can meet her,” Fenella said. As the cat continued to stare, Fenella babbled away about Katie and her apartment and anything and everything in the friendliest voice she could manage. As she spoke, she crept closer and closer to the animal, with a hand outstretched.

  “It’s just a stray.” Jake had joined Daniel in the shed’s doorway. “We chase them away when we see them.”

  Fenella put her hand on the cat’s head and scratched gently. For a moment she thought the animal was going to run, but instead she took a hesitant step toward Fenella. As she did so, Fenella noticed that she had a badly damaged front paw.

  “She needs a vet,” Fenella told Daniel. “I don’t know what happened to her, but she’s suffering.”

  “I’m surprised she hasn’t bitten you yet,” the other man said. “Strays like that one are usually pretty mean.”

  Fenella ignored him as she tried to get a better look at the cat without upsetting her. She pulled her hand back a bit and the animal stepped forward again. There appeared to be an ugly cut running across her body, and one of her back paws looked damaged as well.

  “I’m going to try picking her up. She needs Mr. Stone,” Fenella said. As she reached for the animal, she saw movement from further in the corner. “Kittens,” she exclaimed.

  “Kittens?” Daniel repeated.

  The other man sighed. “I wasn’t planning on taking kittens to the shelter today.”

  “I think they’re too small to be away from their mother,” Fenella said, eyeing the tiny bundles.

  “How many?” Daniel asked.

  “Three or four. I’m going to bring you the mother cat and then I’ll come back for the kittens.”

  Fenella picked up the injured animal as gently as she could, talking softly to her as she did so. “Now you stay here with Daniel while I see to your babies,” she told her.

  Daniel looked slightly uncertain as she handed him the cat, but he didn’t object.

  “There are four kittens,” Fenella announced. She picked them up carefully and then walked back to Daniel. “They’re small and incredibly sweet. Let’s get them to Mr. Stone’s office.”

  The veterinarian’s office was only a short distance away. While the constable helped Jake lock up the shed, Daniel and Fenella headed to the vet’s office with the cat and her kittens.

  “It’s Sunday,” Daniel said when they reached the office and found it dark. “He doesn’t have Sunday hours.”

  “There’s an emergency number,” Fenella said, nodding toward a small sign on the door. “My hands are full. Can you call him?”

  Daniel tried to shift the injured mother cat so that he could get to his phone, but the animal objected loudly.

  “I’ve rung him,” a voice said from behind Fenella. “I have his emergency number in my phone.”

  Fenella smiled at Harvey. She’d nearly forgotten about him. “What did he say?”

  “He’ll be on his way in a few minutes. I think I woke him, not that he admitted to that.”

  “What time is it?” Fenella asked, suddenly remembering Jack.

  “Quarter to nine,” Harvey told her.

  “What time are you supposed to be collecting Jack?” Daniel asked.

  “Nine.”

  “I suppose you can leave the kittens with me,” he said, sounding uncertain.

  One of the kittens opened its eyes and began to mew softly. The mother cat tried to jump out of Daniel’s hands to get to her baby.

  “I think it might be best if I stay here,” Fenella said as Daniel tried to calm the mother. “I was allowing plenty of time. If I’m a few minutes late, it won’t matter.”

  Mr. Stone arrived a short time later. “They’re pretty tiny, aren’t they?” he said conversationally as he unlocked the door to his office. He led them into one of the exam rooms and then checked over the mother.

  “It looks as if she was in a fight with a larger animal. It may have been another cat, or a dog, maybe. She’s a fighter, though, from the looks of it. I’m going to have to use a local anesthetic to stitch up her side. Some of her other injuries might need stitching as well.”

  “What about the kittens?” Fenella asked.

  Mr. Stone called one of his assistants and asked her to come in to help with the mother cat before he turned his attention to the kittens. “They all appear to be in good health,” he said. “They’re young and will still need their mother, if possible, for at least a week yet.”

  “So what happens now?” Daniel asked.

  “I’m going to sort out the mother and then do my best to feed the kittens with an eyedropper,” he told them. “I’m hoping my assistant might be willing to take the whole family home tonight, as I’m nursing a sick collie at my flat and I don’t think being around an angry dog will be good for the cat family.”

  “You haven’t said anything about payment,” Fenella said, “but I’m happy to pay for whatever treatment any of them need.”

  Mr. Stone smiled at her. “That’s kind of you. I’ll charge you at my cost for supplies, and donate my time. I wasn’t doing anything today anyway.”

  Fenella knew that the man loved animals, but she also knew she could afford to pay for the stray cat’s care. Before she could argue, though, Daniel interrupted.

  “If your assistant can’t look after them, what will happen to them?” he asked.

  “I’ll have to start ringing around to try to find someone else,” Mr. Stone sighed. “If you’d like to volunteer, I’d be delighted.”

  Daniel shook his head. “I don’t have the time to look after them properly.”

  “I do,” Fenella told the men. “If your assistant can’t take them, I will.”

  Mr. Stone chuckled. “Are you quite sure? Once the mother is recovered, they can all go to a shelter, of course, but that isn’t the best place for her and the kittens while she’s unwell.”

  “I can take them for a short while, anyway,” Fenella said, beginning to regret her impulsive offer.

  “Let’s see how things go,” Mr. Stone said. “If you come back in an hour or so, I should be able to tell you more.”

  “I have to get to the airport,” Fenella said, looking at the clock. It was already nine. “It will probably be closer to two hours before I get back.”

  “I’ll still be here,” Mr. Stone told her. “I want to take things slowly and easily with our little family here.”

  Daniel walked back outside with Fenella. “You’re going to have to take them home, you know,” he said.

  “Yeah, I know,” she sighed. “I just didn’t want them stuck in a shelter, that’s all.”

  “Knowing you, you’re going to want to find good homes for all five of them as well, aren’t you?”

  Fenella shrugged. “I can’t keep them all, that’s for sure. Do you want a kitten?”

  Daniel laughed. “I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t have time to look after them properly.”

  While she thought about arguing, Fenella was painfully aware of how quickly time was passing. Daniel walked with her to her building.

  “I’m just relieved we didn’t find a body,” she said at the door.

  “That’s a good point. Do you want to ring me when you find out what’s happening with the cats? If you’re going to be looking after them, you might need to reschedule our dinner tonight.”

  Fen
ella frowned. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Ring me when you’ve spoken to Mr. Stone again,” Daniel suggested. “I can always come to your flat with Chinese food or something.”

  “Great, thanks.” Fenella rushed up to her apartment to grab her car keys. She was on her way down to the parking garage under the building when she realized that she’d picked up the keys to Mona’s car rather than the more sensible one she usually used for errands. While she loved driving Mona’s convertible, she wasn’t sure that Jack’s bags would fit inside its tiny trunk.

  Not wanting to waste any more time, she decided to take Mona’s car anyway. They could always call a taxi to take the bags if necessary. The priority at the moment was getting to Jack before he got too upset.

  “Are you okay?” he demanded as he opened the front door. Fenella was barely out of the car.

  “I’m fine. I took my neighbor’s dog for a walk on the promenade and the dog started barking at a storage shed.”

  “Do I even want to ask why that made you late?” Jack looked confused.

  “I’ll explain in the car.” Fenella grabbed the largest of his suitcases and carried it to the car.

  “That’s never going to fit in there,” Jack told her as she opened the small trunk.

  Fenella picked up the bag and turned it sideways. It took a bit of wiggling, but once she’d slid it into the trunk it seemed to take up very little room.

  Jack carried his other two bags down and then shook his head. “I can’t believe that one fit. You’ll never get two more in there.”

  The other two bags were easier to maneuver into place. Fenella shut the trunk and then smiled at Jack. “All set?” she asked.

  He stared at her for a minute and then nodded. She did a quick walk through the house to make sure that he hadn’t forgotten anything and then locked the door behind them. They were halfway to the airport before Jack spoke.

  “How did you get the bags to fit in that tiny trunk?” he asked.

  “This was Mona’s car,” Fenella explained. “Mona was magic.”

  “What about a barking dog held you up this morning?” was Jack’s next question.

  Fenella was surprised that he didn’t question the magic, but then, he’d seen it with his own eyes. She spent the rest of the journey telling him about calling the police and finding the kittens.