Karen Anne Golden - The Cats That 02 - The Cats that Chased the Storm Read Free Page A

explained, “we’re going to the kitchen for chunks of liver and chicken sautéed in a rich, creamy gravy straight from the can. Then we’re going to try out the new cat carriers I bought.”
    At the mention of food, the four cats trotted to the back of the house. Katherine was relieved they didn’t bolt when she mentioned the cat carriers. Hurrying after them, she quickly shut the doors to the connecting rooms. If there were going to be bad weather, she’d put two cats in each carrier and run them down to the basement.
     

Chapter Two
    During the night, the thunderstorm grew intense. The wind howled around the hundred-year-old house, and the entire frame seemed to pop, crack and moan. The single-glazed windows rattled violently. Katherine worried they might shatter at any moment. Abby and Lilac cuddled close to Katherine and objected when she got up to check the weather app on her cell phone. She had mistakenly left the cell on the Eastlake table outside her room. She left the cats burrowed under the feather comforter. Scout and Iris were absent. Katherine assumed they were working the third shift night-watch job, which consisted of patrolling the house. She was eager to find them so she could lock them up in her bedroom, in case the tornado siren went off.
    Walking down the dark hall, she fumbled for the light switch. “Iris! Scout!” she called, then was shocked to hear footsteps overhe ad. “Dammit,” she said out loud. “You cats better not be up there!” she shouted. The two guilty Siamese flew down the attic stairs and shot down the hall. Katherine moved to shut the door, which was curiously open. The new security bar had been knocked to the floor. This has to be a new trick of Scout’s , she thought. Katherine hadn’t had time to call the city locksmith to install yet another lock. “Come back here, you two,” she beckoned.
    Scout and Iris thundered back, both covered with cobwebs and fine dust. Katherine grabbed Iris, then took her to the bathroom to clean her off. “Okay, Scout, you’re next,” she announced. She carried Iris to her bedroom to shut her in with Abby and Lilac.
    Scout ran to the back of the hall. Katherine quickly started after her, but stopped in her tracks. She could feel someone staring at her. A shadow crossed the hall into the guest room doorway. Scout’s tail was thumping violently from side-to-side. She growled deep in her throat.
    Katherine could feel the hair s rising on the nape of her neck. “Who’s in there?” she demanded. In the bathroom, she grabbed a heavy bottle of hair conditioner to use as a weapon. Scout was stretched up full-length, jiggling the door handle with brown paws.
    “You’ve got five seconds to get the hell out of there,” Katherine threatened. After standing immobile outside the door for what seemed to be several minutes, she slowly opened it, then quickly switched on the overhead light. Scout dashed in and jumped on top of the ornate dresser.
    “Waugh,” the Siamese shrieked. She began to frantically groom herself. The fur on her back was raised, and her tail had brushed up three times its normal size.
    As Katherine walked in, a cold blast of air wafted past her. Hurriedly she checked the room, clutching the hair conditioner bottle and ready to do battle. She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. She checked the closet, then looked underneath the bed.
    “It’s okay, Scout,” she consoled. “I admit what just happened was creepy as hell. I’ll be sure to tell our ghost hunter friend about this.”
    “Ma-waugh,” Scout agreed.
    Still gazing under the bed, Katherine asked, “What’s this?” She pulled out an old shoe box with half the lid torn off; the other half bore multiple fang marks. Scout leaped down and tried to get inside the box.
    “Nope, not happening,” she said, removing the cat. Inside the box she found brown, weathered pages from some kind of ledger. The writing was faded, but seemed to be an accounting of sold