Cabin FURvor (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 16) Read Online Free Page A

from window to window, her light-brown ponytail swishing from side to side.
    “No,” Margaret said, “I heard it. I think it’s a bear crashing through the brush and growling—no, it’s snarling. Lock the doors!” she demanded. “Put that window up!”
    “A bear?” Ernie said, turning and rushing toward his own car.
    Savannah lowered her window and called after him, “Hey, who’s going to pull that thing out?”
    Without another word, the Good Samaritan jumped into his car, turned it around, and headed back up the mountain road.
    “Oh no,” Savannah said, sighing deeply. After raising her window to close it, she rested her head on the steering wheel. Then, lifting her head, she flipped her hair behind her ears, stared at her aunt through green eyes, and said, “Well, we’ve got to get that thing out from under the car, unless you want to spend the night here.” When no one spoke, she said, “Okay Auntie, you back the car down the hill a tad and I’ll pull the log out.” Before she could get out of the car, however, something caught her eye. “Well, that’s strange.”
    “What?” Margaret asked, glancing around.
    “Ernie stopped his car up the road there. I wonder what he’s doing.” More quietly, she asked, “Do you suppose he ran into that bear?”
    Margaret blew a puff of air through her lips as if trying to drum up a heap of courage. Finally she said, “Okay, get out of the car and I’ll scoot over.” When Savannah hesitated, Margaret said, “Well, go on. We don’t want to spend all night here.” She spoke more quietly. “Just be careful, Vannie, will you?”
    Once Savannah was outside the car, she pulled her heavy jacket around herself. “Go,” she hissed. “Move it back just a little and let’s see what happens.” But before Margaret could put the car in reverse, Savannah let out a yelp, grabbed the back door handle and hollered, “Open up! Let me in!” She heard the lock disengage, quickly pulled the door open, and shrieked, “Scootch over, Colbi!”
    Stunned, Colbi grabbed Dolly off the seat and threw herself toward iris, while Savannah leaped into the car.
    “What are you doing?” Colbi asked from the floorboards, as Iris and Margaret laughed almost hysterically.
    In the meantime, the tabby had squeezed from Colbi’s grip and jumped into the back of the SUV and, before Savannah could get into the car far enough to close the door, Rags made a dive for it and disappeared into the night.
    “Oh no,” Savannah said after slamming the door shut, “did he just escape?”
    “Who?” Margaret asked.
    “Rags. I think he slipped past me.” Her voice pinched, she said, “He’s outside with…”
    “With what?” Iris asked, her expertly mascaraed eyes like saucers.
    “With…whatever that is out there.” She glanced through the windows, shouting, “Lock the doors!”
    “What did you see?” Iris insisted. “Did you see something?”
    Savannah thought for a moment. “I heard it.” She grimaced. “Oh, there’s something out there, all right, and I don’t know if it’s human or animal or…”
    “Or what?” Colbi asked, her tone nearly hysterical. “What did you hear?”
    “Rags,” Savannah said, lowering her head. “What am I going to do? How am I going to get him back in the car?”
    “Oh my God!” Margaret hissed. “Look. What is that?”
    Once the others had focused on what Margaret was pointing at, Colbi gasped.
    Iris grabbed Colbi’s arm and scrunched down in her seat, saying, “Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!”
    Savannah sat frozen in place. “Unbelievable,” she muttered. She then stiffened and whispered, “Hey, do you hear that? Something’s scratching on the car.”
    “Well, it’s not the…monster, ’cause he’s out there,” Colbi said, pointing. She grabbed Savannah’s arm. “…unless there are more than one of them.”
    “Rags,” Savannah said. “Could it be Rags wanting back in?” She unlocked the door and ever so slowly opened it as