The Cat of Christmas Past Read Free

jacket tighter around my petite frame. It didn’t snow often in the islands, and we mostly enjoyed a mild climate, but every now and then a storm blew down from the north and blanketed the area in snow and below-average temperatures. The odds that I’d have cause to head out on a recognizance mission during such a storm were remote, or at least they would be if some unseen force hadn’t decided to make me the guardian of the cats Tansy was forever sending my way.
    Tansy and her best friend, Bella, are rumored to be witches. Neither of them will confirm or deny their witchy status, but both women know things that can’t be empirically explained. Bella and Tansy lived in the touristy village of Pelican Bay, which is located on the southern end of the island. They owned and operated Herbalities, a specialty shop dealing in herbs and fortune telling. While both Bella and Tansy seemed to be more in tune with the natural rhythms of the universe than most, it was Tansy who demonstrated a level of intuition that’s downright disturbing.
    I’d been pretty sure Ebenezer had been sent by Tansy due to the perfect timing of his arrival at the church, but when I’d gotten back to my cabin last night, she’d called to make certain he’d arrived safely, confirming my suspicion. I tried to pry additional information out of the taciturn woman, but all she would say was to trust Ebenezer and he would show me the way.
    My relationship with Tansy’s cats began less than a year ago, when she sent me a large gray cat named Romeo to help out with the investigation of the murder of an island council member. I guess Tansy had decided the cat and I had worked well together because after Romeo left other cats began showing up. Ebenezer was the sixth one I’d worked with in this same capacity, although I worked with other cats every day because I, along with my Aunt Maggie, operate a cat sanctuary that’s dedicated to sheltering and rehabilitating the island’s feral cat population.
    Now that Mayor Bradley was dead the cats might not be in the danger they once were, but that remained to be seen.
    “Ebenezer, are you still there?” I called. “Can you hear me?”
    I stopped walking and watched as my feline companion squeezed through a small break in the wall. The break wasn’t large enough for most adults to squeeze through, but since I’m petite I realized I’d be able to make it without a problem.
    The view on the other side of the wall was much like the one on the outside: thick foliage covered with a layer of snow. I couldn’t see the house, but I suspected it was in the center of the island, where it would be the most protected from both the elements and intruders.
    I could hear waves crashing in the background. I was supposed to call Trevor when I was ready for a ride home, although based on the increase in wind velocity, I wasn’t sure he’d be able to make the return trip to pick me up if we didn’t hurry.
    I followed Ebenezer back to the dirt path that led to the house and then up to the front porch. I could feel my heart pounding as I worked up the courage to knock. I wasn’t sure what it was I was afraid of. The man was ancient; surely he wouldn’t, or more importantly couldn’t, hurt me.
    “Last chance to back out,” I said as I stood on the cement porch, looking at the thick hardwood door.
    “Meow.”
    “He might not even be here.” The house was a large stone structure that looked dark from the outside. Of course most of the windows were covered in thick drapes that would block out the light from inside the house, should there be any.
    Ebenezer just looked at me. I could see he was becoming impatient with my stalling.
    “Okay,” I breathed. “Here goes nothing.”
    I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The iron knocker made a deep, hollow sound that seemed to echo through the area. After less than a minute an old man, stooped with age, opened the door.
    “Ebenezer.” The man looked at the cat.