Read Online Meow or Never (Vanessa Abbot Cat Protection League Cat Cozy Mystery Series Book 3) by Nancy C. Davis - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Nancy C. Davis
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her
breath and put out her hand to open the door.
She cast a quick look at Penny and
found her flushed and breathless, too. “Do you really want to do this?”
Vanessa pulled herself up. “I don't
want to do it, but my cats are in there, and so is Detective Wheeler. He should
have been out ages ago, and he could be hurt or in trouble. I'm going in one
way or the other.”
Penny nodded. “Let's go then.”
Vanessa pushed the door open and peered
into the dark. She and Penny tiptoed inside, but they saw no sign of Pete or
the cats. Vanessa dared not call out. Walter was waiting somewhere in that
building. Was he lurking around some corner, standing astride Pete's dead body,
waiting for the chance to finish off Penny and Vanessa too? That would leave
only Alan to testify against him.
Vanessa put her hand out again,
fumbling for the first thing she could find. Her hand found Penny's hand, and
the comfort of sharing the danger gave them the courage to move forward. The
door opened into an entrance hall and, from there, parted into three different
halls moving into different parts of the mill.
“Which way should we go?” Penny asked.
“If we weren't facing an accused
murderer,” Vanessa replied, “I would suggest we split up to search the
building. But since we are facing an accused murderer, I won't suggest
that. So, since we don't know where we're going or what we're looking for, I
suppose we should just pick one at random and see where it goes.”
Penny nodded and they stepped forward
again as Aurora scampered out from behind a potted plant and stopped right in
front of them. She looked up at Vanessa and meowed.
“Aurora!” Vanessa exclaimed. “Just what
do you think you're doing in here?”
Aurora walked toward one of the halls.
She stopped and meowed at Vanessa again. “She wants us to follow her. She must
know something and wants to show us.”
To Vanessa's surprise, Penny didn't
laugh her head off and ask how Vanessa could possibly know what the kitten was
trying to tell them. She only nodded as if it all made perfect sense. Then
again, Penny was in the Opportunity Shop when Henry and the other cats caught
Walter in the first place. Vanessa's cats were capable of anything.
The two women held each other by the
hand and followed Aurora. The kitten led them down the hall, past empty
offices, to a large warehouse. Most of it stood vacant and echoing, but a few
giant rusted pieces of equipment occupied the far corner. Scaffolding rose from
the floor to the ceiling and surrounded the equipment.
When they entered the warehouse,
Vanessa caught sight of Henry and Teddy balancing on top of an angled conveyor
belt rising to the ceiling. They teetered on the very precipice. The crash of
metal drew Vanessa's attention to the top of the scaffold.
High above the warehouse floor, a
figure moved against the ceiling. Vanessa squinted to make it out. Then she
sucked in her breath when she recognized Pete.
“Oh, there he is,” she murmured. She put out her hand to wave to him,
and she opened her mouth to call out, but Penny held her back with a hand on
her arm.
Vanessa looked to see what made Penny
hold her back and followed the direction of her gaze to the top of the
scaffold. Then she sucked in her breath when she recognized Walter facing off
with Pete. Pete crouched; ready to spring at any moment, and Vanessa spotted a
pistol gleaming in Walter's hand.
The cry died on her lips, and she
choked on her breath. Was she going to stand here and watch Walter kill the man
she loved? But what could she do to stop him? She couldn't climb up that
scaffolding. He would shoot Pete long before she got her foot on the first
rung. She glanced around, but nothing presented her with even a glimmer of
hope. Penny didn't have to hold her back. Fear and uncertainty kept her rooted
to the spot.
“You won't get away with this, Walter,”
Pete called out. “The SWAT team is right outside. Give up now and let me
breath and put out her hand to open the door.
She cast a quick look at Penny and
found her flushed and breathless, too. “Do you really want to do this?”
Vanessa pulled herself up. “I don't
want to do it, but my cats are in there, and so is Detective Wheeler. He should
have been out ages ago, and he could be hurt or in trouble. I'm going in one
way or the other.”
Penny nodded. “Let's go then.”
Vanessa pushed the door open and peered
into the dark. She and Penny tiptoed inside, but they saw no sign of Pete or
the cats. Vanessa dared not call out. Walter was waiting somewhere in that
building. Was he lurking around some corner, standing astride Pete's dead body,
waiting for the chance to finish off Penny and Vanessa too? That would leave
only Alan to testify against him.
Vanessa put her hand out again,
fumbling for the first thing she could find. Her hand found Penny's hand, and
the comfort of sharing the danger gave them the courage to move forward. The
door opened into an entrance hall and, from there, parted into three different
halls moving into different parts of the mill.
“Which way should we go?” Penny asked.
“If we weren't facing an accused
murderer,” Vanessa replied, “I would suggest we split up to search the
building. But since we are facing an accused murderer, I won't suggest
that. So, since we don't know where we're going or what we're looking for, I
suppose we should just pick one at random and see where it goes.”
Penny nodded and they stepped forward
again as Aurora scampered out from behind a potted plant and stopped right in
front of them. She looked up at Vanessa and meowed.
“Aurora!” Vanessa exclaimed. “Just what
do you think you're doing in here?”
Aurora walked toward one of the halls.
She stopped and meowed at Vanessa again. “She wants us to follow her. She must
know something and wants to show us.”
To Vanessa's surprise, Penny didn't
laugh her head off and ask how Vanessa could possibly know what the kitten was
trying to tell them. She only nodded as if it all made perfect sense. Then
again, Penny was in the Opportunity Shop when Henry and the other cats caught
Walter in the first place. Vanessa's cats were capable of anything.
The two women held each other by the
hand and followed Aurora. The kitten led them down the hall, past empty
offices, to a large warehouse. Most of it stood vacant and echoing, but a few
giant rusted pieces of equipment occupied the far corner. Scaffolding rose from
the floor to the ceiling and surrounded the equipment.
When they entered the warehouse,
Vanessa caught sight of Henry and Teddy balancing on top of an angled conveyor
belt rising to the ceiling. They teetered on the very precipice. The crash of
metal drew Vanessa's attention to the top of the scaffold.
High above the warehouse floor, a
figure moved against the ceiling. Vanessa squinted to make it out. Then she
sucked in her breath when she recognized Pete.
“Oh, there he is,” she murmured. She put out her hand to wave to him,
and she opened her mouth to call out, but Penny held her back with a hand on
her arm.
Vanessa looked to see what made Penny
hold her back and followed the direction of her gaze to the top of the
scaffold. Then she sucked in her breath when she recognized Walter facing off
with Pete. Pete crouched; ready to spring at any moment, and Vanessa spotted a
pistol gleaming in Walter's hand.
The cry died on her lips, and she
choked on her breath. Was she going to stand here and watch Walter kill the man
she loved? But what could she do to stop him? She couldn't climb up that
scaffolding. He would shoot Pete long before she got her foot on the first
rung. She glanced around, but nothing presented her with even a glimmer of
hope. Penny didn't have to hold her back. Fear and uncertainty kept her rooted
to the spot.
“You won't get away with this, Walter,”
Pete called out. “The SWAT team is right outside. Give up now and let me
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