Karen Anne Golden - The Cats That 05 - The Cats that Watched the Woods by Karen Anne Golden
Authors: Karen Anne Golden
Ads: Link
cackling loudly. He didn’t know the short stranger; he’d never seen him before.
When the young woman with the short black hair pulled up and parked, he got distracted and moved to get a closer look. He followed her with his remaining eye, then realized she was the woman staying in the cabin. Her car windows were down, and he could hear cats meowing inside.
This was the part of the story that puzzled him. Did the shooting happen before the woman walked into the house, or afterwards? He remembered hearing the gun shots and wanting to warn the woman to get out of there. He knew that for her safety, he had to get her into the woods. But he didn’t want any harm to come to the cats, so he opened the Subaru’s hatchback and took out the carrier. He ran it over to the closest shed and placed it inside. He was thankful the cats had stopped screeching. This guaranteed the killer wouldn’t find and harm them.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw Lenny’s body. It looked like he’d been shot in the head. He remembered sprinting to his ATV to get his rifle. He was a crack shot. He hoped he could get back to the woman before the short man did, but he was too late. She was already in her SUV, racing down the lane.
He was squinting through the rifle sight, aiming for the blue pickup, when he caught movement behind a large oak tree. It was that woman he’d sighted for several days. Who was she? Where had she been hiding? She made a wild dash to the edge of the woods and seemed to be trying to catch up to the Subaru. She was limping. He lunged after her—stopping only to take a few shots at the blue pickup; the first round shattered the back window. When he heard the terrible crash, he prayed it was the pickup, but it wasn’t.
The woman in the woods saw him—saw his disfigured face—and screamed. She staggered deeper into the woods. He had to find her, but first he had to take care of the cats.
Securing the cat carrier in his trailer with a bungee cord, he reached for his rifle and stepped cautiously to the house. He prayed the strange woman with the wild blond hair wasn’t inside, and if she was, he hoped she didn’t have a gun. He didn’t think she did because, she’d had the opportunity to shoot him several times when they encountered each other in the woods. Better be safe than sorry , he thought. It was getting very hot outside. He didn’t want to leave the cats outside too long.
Jogging to the house, he opened the screen door, which opened noisily on its rusted hinges. He checked out the house, then walked back to the living room coffee table full of Oxy. He found a black shopping bag nearby and swept the drugs into it. He’d deal with that later. He didn’t want Oxy. He wanted something else.
He moved to the kitchen pantry and lifted a plastic box off one of its shelves. It was Leonard’s medical emergency kit. Removing a glass ampoule and several syringes, he carefully put them in his pocket and walked back to the ATV.
When he arrived at the cabin, the crow flew out of the house and landed on the cat carrier. “Caw. Caw,” the bird cried.
“Caw,” the smaller Siamese answered. The bigger one stared at him suspiciously; she bared her teeth and growled.
He freed the carrier from the bungee cord, then carried it to the cabin. He set it down on the bedroom floor.
Katherine lay on the bed, deep in sleep. The man inspected her body to see how significant the injuries were. She had several contusions on her face and head. The palms of her hands were bruised, as well. When he lifted up her tank top, he found a very large hematoma had formed on her chest and ribs. He surmised that the SUV’s frontal air bag did a number on her. She was small, petite. She was probably sitting too close to the steering wheel. There wasn’t much he could do about the bruised ribs.
She didn’t appear to have any broken bones. He prayed she didn’t have internal injuries, because then he couldn’t help her. All he could do
When the young woman with the short black hair pulled up and parked, he got distracted and moved to get a closer look. He followed her with his remaining eye, then realized she was the woman staying in the cabin. Her car windows were down, and he could hear cats meowing inside.
This was the part of the story that puzzled him. Did the shooting happen before the woman walked into the house, or afterwards? He remembered hearing the gun shots and wanting to warn the woman to get out of there. He knew that for her safety, he had to get her into the woods. But he didn’t want any harm to come to the cats, so he opened the Subaru’s hatchback and took out the carrier. He ran it over to the closest shed and placed it inside. He was thankful the cats had stopped screeching. This guaranteed the killer wouldn’t find and harm them.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw Lenny’s body. It looked like he’d been shot in the head. He remembered sprinting to his ATV to get his rifle. He was a crack shot. He hoped he could get back to the woman before the short man did, but he was too late. She was already in her SUV, racing down the lane.
He was squinting through the rifle sight, aiming for the blue pickup, when he caught movement behind a large oak tree. It was that woman he’d sighted for several days. Who was she? Where had she been hiding? She made a wild dash to the edge of the woods and seemed to be trying to catch up to the Subaru. She was limping. He lunged after her—stopping only to take a few shots at the blue pickup; the first round shattered the back window. When he heard the terrible crash, he prayed it was the pickup, but it wasn’t.
The woman in the woods saw him—saw his disfigured face—and screamed. She staggered deeper into the woods. He had to find her, but first he had to take care of the cats.
Securing the cat carrier in his trailer with a bungee cord, he reached for his rifle and stepped cautiously to the house. He prayed the strange woman with the wild blond hair wasn’t inside, and if she was, he hoped she didn’t have a gun. He didn’t think she did because, she’d had the opportunity to shoot him several times when they encountered each other in the woods. Better be safe than sorry , he thought. It was getting very hot outside. He didn’t want to leave the cats outside too long.
Jogging to the house, he opened the screen door, which opened noisily on its rusted hinges. He checked out the house, then walked back to the living room coffee table full of Oxy. He found a black shopping bag nearby and swept the drugs into it. He’d deal with that later. He didn’t want Oxy. He wanted something else.
He moved to the kitchen pantry and lifted a plastic box off one of its shelves. It was Leonard’s medical emergency kit. Removing a glass ampoule and several syringes, he carefully put them in his pocket and walked back to the ATV.
When he arrived at the cabin, the crow flew out of the house and landed on the cat carrier. “Caw. Caw,” the bird cried.
“Caw,” the smaller Siamese answered. The bigger one stared at him suspiciously; she bared her teeth and growled.
He freed the carrier from the bungee cord, then carried it to the cabin. He set it down on the bedroom floor.
Katherine lay on the bed, deep in sleep. The man inspected her body to see how significant the injuries were. She had several contusions on her face and head. The palms of her hands were bruised, as well. When he lifted up her tank top, he found a very large hematoma had formed on her chest and ribs. He surmised that the SUV’s frontal air bag did a number on her. She was small, petite. She was probably sitting too close to the steering wheel. There wasn’t much he could do about the bruised ribs.
She didn’t appear to have any broken bones. He prayed she didn’t have internal injuries, because then he couldn’t help her. All he could do
Similar Books
