A MEOWvelous Witness (Klepto Cat Mystery Book 17) by Patricia Fry Read Free Book Online Page A

don’t you take a few weeks off work? Iris and I can help you with all of the wedding details—we’ll have fun while we’re getting things done and you can relax. In fact, your mother-in-law-to-be and I can do some of the shopping while you have a mani, pedi, and facial.”
    Iris added, “And a massage.”
    “Sound good?” Savannah asked.
    “Wonderful,” Colbi said. “But…”
    “Hey, is that a car I hear?” Savannah asked, heading quickly back toward the picnic area. When the three women arrived, they saw a vehicle all right, but it wasn’t Margaret’s. It was a forest-service truck carrying two rangers.
    “Good afternoon, ladies,” the driver said as he exited the vehicle. He glanced at the horses. “Out for a ride, are you?”
    The women nodded. Savannah gazed beyond the truck, hoping to see her aunt drive in. “We’re supposed to meet someone here for a picnic. Did you happen to see a silver Jeep Liberty on the road when you came up?”
    “Up?” the second ranger said. “We came down the road from the station. Saw only two cars up that way—both Jeeps, but not the Liberty. They were off-road-equipped Wranglers—camouflage color. I think they were traveling together.”
    Savannah glanced toward the road again. “Thanks.” She then took out her phone and placed another call to her aunt. “Nothing,” she said to the others. “It goes to voicemail. She’s nearly an hour late; where could she be?” she asked, not expecting an answer.
    Suddenly the women heard one of the rangers shout from the other side of a shrub. “Just look at this mess. I’m sick of babysitting folks whose parents didn’t bother to teach them responsibility…or manners.”
    When he returned carrying a plastic bag full of trash and a handful of empty containers, Savannah gasped. “Wait!” she said as he started to place the metal containers in an empty garbage bag he’d pulled from the truck bed. “Let me see those.” Taking one in her hand, she said, “Iris, look at this. Isn’t this one of my aunt’s dishes? You know, she has a set of these metal bowls with plastic lids—she takes them to picnics and potlucks.”
    “Yeah,” Iris said. “I have seen them before.” She frantically looked around the area. “Oh my gosh. Where is she? She wouldn’t eat and just leave, would she?”
    “I can’t imagine her doing that,” Savannah agreed.
    Worry lines formed on Colbi’s pretty face. “What do you think has happened?”
    “Yeah,” Iris said, glowering, “and who helped her eat our lunch, anyway? That bowl there looks like it held a lot of food.”
    Savannah took a closer look at the containers and said more slowly, “I don’t think it was a person.”
    “What?” Colbi yelped.
    “Well, look at this. There are teeth marks on the lid—don’t those look like teeth marks or claw marks, maybe?”
    “A wild animal ate our lunch?” Colbi asked.
    “And maybe Maggie, too,” Iris said, fear evident in her eyes.
    “Now that’s an odd thing for you to say,” Savannah scolded.
    Colbi clutched her light jacket more tightly around herself. “Are you saying a bear or coyote or wolf ate our food? Maybe they scared Maggie off and she drove back home.”
    Iris’s voice became softer. “Maybe the animal attacked her and she drove herself to the hospital.”
    “Let me have a look,” one ranger said, walking toward the women. He took the lid from Savannah and examined it. “Yeah, a small animal might have chewed on this, all right, but probably after someone tossed it. Looks to me like whatever was in that bowl was eaten with one of the plastic spoons we found.” He handed the container back to Savannah and headed for the truck to join his co-worker.
    “Are you going down the hill now?” she called. When the driver nodded, she said, “Would you watch out for a woman in a…”
    “Yeah, I know, a silver Jeep Liberty. Sure will.” Before driving away, he asked, “What do you want me to tell