As he stepped out of the classroom, he headed back to the picnic table, then stopped. He thought he heard a baby crying. Was it a baby, or a cat? The sound seemed to be coming from the carriage house.
“Did you hear that?” he asked his dad.
“Hear what?” Johnny asked, looking around.
Again, a cry sounded from the carriage house — a loud cry. “Raw!” it shrieked.
“It’s Abra,” Jake said, breaking into a run. He’d barely cleared the door, when he found Abra collapsed on the concrete floor. She tried to get up, but fell back down. Next to her was a dirty rag.
Jake kneeled down, and began examining Abra for wounds. She appeared to be okay, but seemed to be exhausted. He carefully picked her up and held her. “It’s okay, baby girl. I’ll get you out of here,” he said.
“Raw,” Abra cried weakly. Her lean brown paw pointed toward an object on the floor.
Still kneeling and holding Abra, Jake saw what the Siamese was pointing at, reached over and picked up a USB flash drive. He dropped it into an inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket.
Daryl walked in. “Is everything alright?”
“I don’t know. I’ve got to get her to the vet. I just found her collapsed on the floor. Daryl, she was lying next to that rag on the floor. Check it out, would ya?”
Daryl stooped down, and pinched the rag on its edge. He carefully brought it to his nose to sniff. It had a pungent, acrid odor. Daryl, having been an ace in high school chemistry and a trained deputy, knew what it was. “It’s chloroform.”
Abra snuggled on Jake’s chest, and purred lightly. Jake said, “What’s it doing here?”
Abra lifted her paw and pointed toward the driveway. “Raw,” she cried.
Daryl gave a curious look. “Did that cat just try and tell us something?”
Cokey came in, and saw Abra. “What in the Sam Hill? How’d she get out here?”
“Cokey, I need a favor. Can you take her to the vet? We think she’s been exposed to chloroform.”
“Chloroform? How did that get out here? Oh, never mind. I’ll take her,” Cokey said, taking off his suit jacket. “Here, let’s wrap her up in this like a little burrito.”
“I’ll do it.” Jake took Cokey’s jacket, put Abra in it, and swaddled her. Abra looked at Jake adoringly. She blinked an eye kiss.
Jake caught the blink, and said to the Siamese, “You’ll be okay. Love you, baby girl.”
He handed her to Cokey, and asked, “Where are you parked?”
“In the alley.”
“Thanks, Uncle. I’ll call Dr. Sonny, and let him know you’re coming,” Jake said, as he called the vet on his cell phone.
***
When James O’Ferrell left the armory with Mum and Colleen in his Lady Moo truck, the two women were frantic. “Hurry! Hurry!” they both yelled at James, who was already speeding.
The driver shouted back. “What do you expect? It’s a milk delivery truck, not a pace car at the Indy 500.”
“Tell me again why you’re drivin’ this?” Mum asked James irritably.
“My Mercedes is in the shop,” he retorted.
Before he’d completely stopped the truck in front of the pink mansion, Mum and Colleen leaped out the open side door, and ran. Mum hurried down the driveway, while Colleen rushed up the mansion’s front steps and through the front door. Mum stopped and screamed, “Colleen, get back here,” and then to the group of firefighters standing at the back of the drive, “Help! My daughter ran into the house.”
A firefighter dashed down the drive to see what was wrong. “What part of the house?” he asked.
“The front door. Go get her.”
“Ma’am, there are other firefighters in there. She won’t get far, but I’ll look for her anyway.”
He sprinted off to the front of the house.
“Bless your heart,” she called after him.
Mum then walked to the back, shouting, “Where’s Katz? Where’s Jake?”
Jacky, who had been
“Did you hear that?” he asked his dad.
“Hear what?” Johnny asked, looking around.
Again, a cry sounded from the carriage house — a loud cry. “Raw!” it shrieked.
“It’s Abra,” Jake said, breaking into a run. He’d barely cleared the door, when he found Abra collapsed on the concrete floor. She tried to get up, but fell back down. Next to her was a dirty rag.
Jake kneeled down, and began examining Abra for wounds. She appeared to be okay, but seemed to be exhausted. He carefully picked her up and held her. “It’s okay, baby girl. I’ll get you out of here,” he said.
“Raw,” Abra cried weakly. Her lean brown paw pointed toward an object on the floor.
Still kneeling and holding Abra, Jake saw what the Siamese was pointing at, reached over and picked up a USB flash drive. He dropped it into an inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket.
Daryl walked in. “Is everything alright?”
“I don’t know. I’ve got to get her to the vet. I just found her collapsed on the floor. Daryl, she was lying next to that rag on the floor. Check it out, would ya?”
Daryl stooped down, and pinched the rag on its edge. He carefully brought it to his nose to sniff. It had a pungent, acrid odor. Daryl, having been an ace in high school chemistry and a trained deputy, knew what it was. “It’s chloroform.”
Abra snuggled on Jake’s chest, and purred lightly. Jake said, “What’s it doing here?”
Abra lifted her paw and pointed toward the driveway. “Raw,” she cried.
Daryl gave a curious look. “Did that cat just try and tell us something?”
Cokey came in, and saw Abra. “What in the Sam Hill? How’d she get out here?”
“Cokey, I need a favor. Can you take her to the vet? We think she’s been exposed to chloroform.”
“Chloroform? How did that get out here? Oh, never mind. I’ll take her,” Cokey said, taking off his suit jacket. “Here, let’s wrap her up in this like a little burrito.”
“I’ll do it.” Jake took Cokey’s jacket, put Abra in it, and swaddled her. Abra looked at Jake adoringly. She blinked an eye kiss.
Jake caught the blink, and said to the Siamese, “You’ll be okay. Love you, baby girl.”
He handed her to Cokey, and asked, “Where are you parked?”
“In the alley.”
“Thanks, Uncle. I’ll call Dr. Sonny, and let him know you’re coming,” Jake said, as he called the vet on his cell phone.
***
When James O’Ferrell left the armory with Mum and Colleen in his Lady Moo truck, the two women were frantic. “Hurry! Hurry!” they both yelled at James, who was already speeding.
The driver shouted back. “What do you expect? It’s a milk delivery truck, not a pace car at the Indy 500.”
“Tell me again why you’re drivin’ this?” Mum asked James irritably.
“My Mercedes is in the shop,” he retorted.
Before he’d completely stopped the truck in front of the pink mansion, Mum and Colleen leaped out the open side door, and ran. Mum hurried down the driveway, while Colleen rushed up the mansion’s front steps and through the front door. Mum stopped and screamed, “Colleen, get back here,” and then to the group of firefighters standing at the back of the drive, “Help! My daughter ran into the house.”
A firefighter dashed down the drive to see what was wrong. “What part of the house?” he asked.
“The front door. Go get her.”
“Ma’am, there are other firefighters in there. She won’t get far, but I’ll look for her anyway.”
He sprinted off to the front of the house.
“Bless your heart,” she called after him.
Mum then walked to the back, shouting, “Where’s Katz? Where’s Jake?”
Jacky, who had been
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