The Cats that Stole a Million (The Cats that . . . Cozy Mystery Book 7) Read Online Free Page A

Cokenberger section.”
    “Amazing.  I had no idea this tradition existed.”
    “It’s an Erie tradition.”  Jake took her by the arm and led her to the site.  “I’ll go first.”  He carefully tip-toed to the blank section of snow, then fell back. 
    Katherine began laughing.  She couldn’t stop. 
    Jake moved his arms and legs, then got up, careful not to make too much disturbance in the snow.  He yelled at Cora’s friend with the camera.  “Angie, got an angel for you.”
    Angie trudged over and snapped the shot.  “That’s a beauty, Mr. Jake.  Your turn, Mrs.”
    “Katz,” Katherine answered, more sharply than she intended.  “My friends call me Katz.”  Katherine moved to the site next to Jake’s, slid on snow, and fell face forward.  Leaning up, she asked, “What do I do now?”
    “Fling around like a fish out of water,” Jake advised, grinning.
    Katherine followed the instructions, then got up, brushing the snow away from her face and hair. Fortunately, there was no one standing on the observation platform to see the faux pas .  Jake moved over and helped. 
    Angie took the picture, then said, “Can’t tell if it’s an angel or not, but it ain’t bad, if I say so myself.”  She walked away before Katherine could answer.
    Jake grabbed her hand, and they tromped through the snow to the Jeep.  He fired up the engine, and turned up the heater.  “I’m freezing,” she complained, her teeth chattering.  “Your heater takes forever to warm up.”
    Jake fished around the back of the passenger seat. He pulled up a towel.  “Here, dry with this.  Oh, and by the way, thanks for coming with me today.”
    Katherine rolled her eyes and sneezed, “No comment.”
    *     *     *
    On the way back to Erie, close to the outskirts of town, Katherine’s cell phone rang.  Reaching into her bag, she extracted the phone and answered it.  A very excited and loud realtor was on the other end.
    “Hi, Mrs. Cokenberger!” the voice shouted.
    Katherine moved the cell a few inches from her ear.
    “This is Lucy from the Star Realty.  We’ve got an offer on your property.”
    “Which one?” Katherine asked.  She had more than one house currently on the market.
    “The one next door to your house.”
    “The yellow Foursquare?  That’s amazing, but I haven’t signed the paperwork yet,” Katherine answered.
    “Please do sign it.  Send it right away.  And don’t forget to complete the disclosure form.  The buyer needs this information.”
    “The For Sale sign isn’t even up yet. How did the buyer know about it?”
    “Oh, he came to my office and was looking for a house in the historic district.  Lucky me, huh?” the realtor said enthusiastically.
    “Yes, definitely, but is it proper to make an offer on a house he hasn’t seen?”
    “Oh, but he has seen it.  I just showed it to him.”
    “Okay,” Katherine said in a tell-me-more voice.  “Jake and I haven’t been gone more than an hour, how could you show him the house without us seeing a vehicle parked outside?”
    “By photos.  He didn’t want to see it.  He said he was familiar with the neighborhood.  Then he made an offer,” Lucy said, still almost shrieking in an excited voice. 
    “Wonderful.  Thanks so much, Lucy.  Can you email the offer to me. I’ll look for it when I get home.  Thanks again,” she said, hanging up.
    Katherine turned to Jake. “Well, that’s good news.”
    Jake answered, “I think I heard.  The lungs on that woman.”
    Katherine laughed.  “We have an offer on the Foursquare, and I haven’t even finished the paperwork.”
    “Katz, you’ve been wrangling with the disclosure form for too long.  There isn’t a check box for ghost.”
    Katherine said almost inaudibly, “I hope the ghost is gone for good.”
    “I heard that.  Katz, you have to stop worrying about that house being haunted.  Katrina is gone.  End of story.”
    “I know, but according to law, I have to