Hopscotch Homicide (Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 16) by Kathi Daley Page A

is done delivering. If we don’t find the cat’s owner we can set them up in one of the extra rooms.”
    “The kittens sure are tiny.” Alex rested her head on my shoulder. “They look so helpless. I’m glad you found them in time.”
    “Me too, sweetheart.”
    Alex and I sat and watched the kittens until my phone buzzed. I looked at the caller ID. It was Salinger.
    “I need to take this. You can stay and watch as long as you want to.”
    I quickly made my way into the living room and away from listening ears.
    “Are Zak and the others okay?” I asked the minute I answered.
    “They’re fine,” Salinger assured me. “I realized you might only have heard part of what I said, so I called back as soon as I could.”
    Thank God. I let out the breath I’d been holding all afternoon.
    “What happened?”
    “Zak and the others were having lunch at the South Shore Marina when they noticed a boat that was heading that way was taking on water. Zak and Levi left the younger boys in the restaurant with Pi while they went out to try to help the smaller boat.”
    “Is everyone okay?” I asked.
    “Everyone is safe and sound, but I’ll admit things were hairy for a while. An eight-year-old boy in the boat fell overboard and his dad, who isn’t an experienced swimmer, went in after him. They were both in real trouble by the time Zak got to them. Both Zak and Levi dove into the water to help the pair. I’m afraid their phones were in their pockets and are ruined, but everyone is back on shore and fine. Zak and Levi are both soaked, so the restaurant owner is lending them some clothes. I’m sure Zak will call you from a landline as soon as he can.”
    “Thanks for calling me back. I was really worried.”
    “Figured you would be. I gotta go. The barge is here to retrieve the damaged boat. I need to talk to the guy and then head out to respond to the dozen or so accident calls I’ve had in the past hour. It’s pretty bad out here, so stay inside until the storm passes.”
    With that, the line went dead.
    I returned to the kitchen, where Ellie was waiting anxiously. I told her what had happened and she let out a sigh of relief.
    “Thank God everyone is okay,” she said.
    “Yeah. I have to admit I was getting worried.”
    “Zoe!” Alex yelled from the laundry room.
    I ran toward the connecting door.
    “Something’s wrong. The mama was nursing and everything seemed fine, but she started to pant and whine.”
    I hurried over to the box and ran my hands over the mama cat’s stomach. “It looks like she has one more, and I think she’s struggling. Tell Ellie to get a blanket.”
    Alex ran and did as I asked. I moved the kittens that had already been born to the blanket and then ran my hand over the mom’s belly. There was definitely another baby stuck in the birth canal.
    “I’m going to reach inside to see if I can help the kitten out. I need the two of you to hold the mom. Be careful that she doesn’t bite or scratch you.”
    Alex held the front legs while Ellie helped with the back. Mom wasn’t thrilled with my interference, but I was pretty sure she and the kitten would both die if I couldn’t work it out. I took my time and slowly eased the baby from the mom’s body. I freed it from the birth sac and gently massaged it to stimulate breathing.
    “Is it alive?” Alex was crying.
    “Yeah,” I assure her. “It’s alive.”
    I cleared the placenta and made sure Mom was okay. She seemed to be, but I planned to call Scott Walden, our veterinarian, just to be safe. I replaced the towels in the birthing box with clean ones and returned the kittens to their anxious mom.
    Ellie, Alex, and I watched as Mom settled in for a nap with her babies safely beside her.
    “I can’t believe you knew how to do that,” Alex said as she settled in to watch the cat family nod off to sleep. “It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”
    “Part of my job is helping mama animals deliver their offspring if they need