Vanished in Cherry Hills (Cozy Cat Caper Mystery Book 4) by Paige Sleuth Read Free Book Online Page B

to have regained some energy.
    When Shadow braced his paws on the edge of the carrier as if to lift himself out, Kat gently closed the hatch. “Thank you so much, Dr. Harry.”
    “That’s what I’m here for.” He led her to the hallway. “Stop by Sherry’s desk for your invoice.”
    “Okay.”
    Sherry had Shadow’s bill in hand when Kat arrived at the reception desk. “The 4F rate has already been applied,” the redhead chirped.
    Kat gave the invoice a cursory glance as she took it. “Thanks. I’ll add this to what Imogene owes you for her visit this week.”
    Sherry leaned back in her chair, smiling. “The charges sure do add up fast, don’t they?”
    “I’m just glad you all are so generous about discounting our bills.” Kat adjusted her grip on Shadow’s carrier. “I’ll send you a check when I balance the books this weekend.”
    Sherry waved her off. “No rush. We’re always happy to help you guys out.”
    Kat headed for the door. “I appreciate it.”
    Outside, she unlocked her car, tossed the invoice on the passenger seat, and buckled Shadow’s carrier into the back before starting off for Helen’s house.
    Shadow was much chattier on the return trip. Yesterday he’d spent the ride to the vet’s hunkered down in indifferent silence. Today he meowed almost nonstop, a heartening sign of his improving health.
    Evidently Helen was as anxious as Shadow for the cat to return home. She rushed out of the house before Kat had even shifted her car gear into park, as if she had been watching for their arrival all morning.
    “How’s Shadow?” Helen asked as soon as Kat opened her door.
    Kat climbed out of the car. “He’s fine.”
    The tension in Helen’s shoulders evaporated. “Oh, thank goodness.”
    Kat extricated the carrier from the back seat. “He was dehydrated, but Dr. Harry kept him on an IV all night and he seems to have regained some energy.”
    Helen exhaled. “That’s fantastic. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”
    “I’m happy to help.”
    Shadow meowed, and Helen smiled. “He’s telling us to set him free. He never did like that thing.”
    Kat followed Helen up the driveway. “I don’t think any cat enjoys being confined.”
    Once Helen closed the front door, Kat set the carrier on the carpet and unlatched it. Several other cats wandered over to greet Shadow as he rejoined them. They touched noses in turn, and a few gave him welcoming head licks.
    Kat stepped toward the door. “I have something else for you. Hang on.” She ducked outside and returned seconds later with the hospital invoice she’d uncovered the day before.
    Helen took it from her. “What’s this?”
    “It got mixed up in Mrs. Polanski’s folder,” Kat explained. “Nick Trotter was your husband, right?”
    Helen’s brow furrowed as she scanned over the page. “This is for Cherry Hills Veterinary.”
    “Oh!” Kat smacked her palm against her forehead. “Sorry, I gave you the wrong bill. Let me go get the right one.”
    She took the invoice from Helen and returned to her car. This time she verified Nick Trotter’s name on the top of the page and the long list of hospital charges before shutting her car door and heading back toward the house.
    She only made it halfway up the driveway before a realization hit her so hard she gasped.
    She looked down at the bill again, the words ‘second notice’ printed in red pulling her eyes to the top of the page. She forced her gaze downward, mentally tallying each line item until she finally reached the bottom of the page where the total was printed in bold.
    Sherry’s words from this morning echoed through her brain. The charges sure do add up fast, don’t they?
    Kat had a flashback of Matty covering up the Furry Friends Foster Families discount on the veterinary invoice that Imogene had given her yesterday. Without a discount, medical charges added up even faster.
    Kat lifted her eyes up to Helen’s house, her heart slamming against her rib