The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer (12 page)

“Great, we'll take that back to the tent, and check it out.” Sarah walked over and grabbed the album. “We don't have time to look at it now.” She stepped back and placed it in her backpack.

“I can't seem to find anything,” Lacey complained.

“I can't either.” Sarah brushed her hair out of her eyes. “You would think the Cat Lady would've kept a diary or something.”

“You hide your diary between the mattress and springs,” Lacey pointed out. “Maybe the Cat Lady did the same thing.”

“Have you been reading my diary?” Sarah asked, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at her sister.

“Not at all,” Lacey feigned innocence. “I just know where you keep it.”

“I'm definitely moving it now.” Sarah walked over to the bed and reached between the mattress and springs. Her efforts were rewarded and she felt the leathery binding of a book. “Hey, I think I found it,” Sarah beamed as she pulled the book from its hiding place.

“What is this?” Jackie knelt and pried something from the carpet.

“What is it?” Sarah walked over to where Jackie knelt. She carried her backpack with her, placing the diary inside.

Jackie aimed her flashlight on it. “It's some sort of tie tack or lapel pin. It has the number ten on it. I think it's got blood on it!”

“It's a clue! Wrap it in this tissue and put it in my backpack.” Sarah handed Jackie a tissue and her knapsack.

Jackie wrapped the pin in the tissue, and put it in Sarah's pack next to the diary. She had just zipped it close when a loud thump came from the rear of the house. Sarah clicked off her flashlight and dropped to the floor. Her companions followed her lead.

“What was that noise?” Lacey whispered. Sarah heard the tension in her voice.

“I don't know,” Sarah replied in a low voice.
Sweat rolled off her forehead and down the side of her face.

The girls stayed frozen in their crouched positions. Sarah listened for more thumping noises.

“I don't hear anything else,” Jackie whispered.

“I think it's time to go,” Lacey whined.

“Yeah,” Sarah agreed. “Let's go.”

Sarah led the girls into the hall. She stopped just outside the bedroom door and listened. The hair on the back of her neck prickled, but she heard no other noise.

“Let's go already,” Lacey insisted.

Sarah moved forward again. She made it as far as David's bedroom before the sound of voices startled her.

“Crap.”

She opened the door to David's room and scrambled inside. Jackie and Lacey were right behind her. Sarah shut the door once her companions were out of the way.

Heavy footsteps thumped up the stairs. “I don't think it's a good idea ta be here,” a man whined.

Sarah recognized the voice as one of the men from the creek. Klonsky had called him D.W.
Her stomach tightened into a painful knot, and her heart pounded against her ribs.

“I lost something, and I want to make sure I didn't lose it here.”

Sarah shuddered at the sound of Klonsky's snarling voice. Pressing her ear against the door, she listened. Jackie followed suit. Grabbing Jackie's hand, she squeezed as she strained to hear more of the conversation. Her throat constricted and she had a hard time swallowing. Lacey huddled next to Sarah as if she were cold.

“What did ya lose?” D.W. complained.

“My service pin. You know, the one I got when I had ten years on the force.”

“That's jus' great,” D.W. fumed, showing a rare spark of anger. “You're a cop and you lose somethin' at your own crime scene.”

“Calm down,” Klonsky grumbled. “The lady could have grabbed it in the struggle.”

Sarah heard the two criminals as they reached the top of the stairs. They were right outside David's door.

“Come on,” Klonsky exhaled an irritated sigh as he stomped further down the hall. “It could have her print on it… even a partial would be bad.”

Sarah couldn't hear the conversation anymore, but she'd heard enough. Her heart lurch in her chest and goose bumps rose on her skin.

“We found his pin,” Sarah whispered.

“We've got to get out of here,” Jackie muttered.

Lacey's breath was hot and quick on the back of Sarah's neck, as she grabbed Sarah's shirt and held on for dear life.

“If we're going to go, we've got to go now,” Sarah said.

She turned the knob on the door and slunk out into the hall. Pausing, she listened to the two men rummaging around in the Cat Lady's bedroom. Sarah crept toward the stairs—Lacey and Jackie were right behind her.

Sarah held her breath as she tiptoed down the stairs. Her heart pounded against her ribs. She was sure the men would hear it and come searching for the source of the noise. She wanted to get down those stairs as fast as she could. Lacey still clutched the back of her shirt, slowing her down. Jackie took up the rear.

They reached the living room when the sound of a door opening from above stopped the girls dead in their tracks. Sarah searched frantically for a place to hide.
She heard
heavy footsteps as the criminals
moved toward the stairs.

“Over here,” she muttered.

The girls dashed behind a couple piles of newspapers just as Klonsky and D.W. came down the stairs.

“It's not here. So, we're fine,” Klonsky said.

“'Less the cops found it already.”

Klonsky laughed. “No problem, I'm heading up the investigation, so I know what they have. Everything's going like clockwork.”

Sarah heard the arrogance in his voice, and it turned her stomach. The villains' footsteps grew fainter as they turned toward the kitchen.

Suddenly, Lacey sneezed against Sarah's back. Sarah's breath caught in her chest and her throat tightened. She turned and grabbed Lacey's head, forcing it down into the carpet. Lacey struggled against her and whimpered in protest. Sarah let her up only to keep her quiet. Clamping her lips together, she stifled the groan that was about to escape.
I can't believe my sister's bad timing.
Clapping her hand over Lacey's mouth, Sarah pressed down tightly. She could feel Lacey's teeth against her lips. Her sister struggled against her. Sarah was pressing too hard. Reluctantly, she eased the pressure off of Lacey's mouth.

“What was that noise?” D.W. asked from the kitchen.

Sarah heard footsteps coming back into the living room.
All of a sudden, a beam of light flashed around the piles of newspapers. Her heart lurched in her chest and her spirits sank.
We almost made it. What
will
Klonsky do if he
catches
us
?
A chill ran down her spine and she held her breath, praying they wouldn't be discovered.

“Probably one of those cats,” Klonsky said.

“Yeah. You know there's somethin' familiar about this here house,” D.W. said.

Sarah watched the beam of his light as it roamed around the room. She heard him amble through the maze of newspapers coming closer to where they hid. Her heart thundered in her chest.
I wish I could disappear into the floor.

“You don't say?” Klonsky asked.

“Yeah, I'm thinkin' I've been here afore.”

“You were here before, with me, the other night.”

“No, I mean afore that.”

“I doubt that.” Klonsky dismissed him. “Come on, let's get out of here.”

“Lon, I thinks I been here,” D.W. insisted.

“Let's go.”

Sarah watched as D.W., in a moment of independence, took a step toward the shelves. He shone his light on the photos and took several more steps to get a better look at them. By doing this he stepped directly on Jackie's hand. Jackie grimaced in pain as his full weight crushed her hand.

D.W. shone his flashlight on the ground. “What the heck?”

“Yeow!” Jackie howled. She tugged at her hand trying to pull it out from under D.W.'s foot.

D.W. shrieked and dropped his flashlight. He stumbled back against a pile of newspapers. They cascaded to the floor.

“Run!” Sarah shouted.

She grabbed Lacey's hand and pulled her away from the carnage.
Turning toward the kitchen, Sarah saw Klonsky looming in the darkness. He blocked the only way to escape.

All of a sudden, Lacey tripped and pushed Sarah from behind—she stumbled, stopping inches away from Klonsky. She couldn't see his face, and hoped he couldn't see her.

“What the heck…” he snapped. He brought his light around to see.

Sarah swung her backpack and knocked his flashlight to the floor. She could hear it rolling away out of reach. Klonsky staggered back and lost his balance. Next, she heard a loud thump as he crashed to the floor.
He must have tripped over a kitchen chair.

Thinking fast, Sarah reached around Lacey and grabbed Jackie's strap on her backpack. She tugged it, trying to pull it off her shoulders. Jackie seemed to understand what she was doing and dropped the backpack to the floor.

“Perfume,” Sarah whispered.

Jackie rummaged around inside and pulled out the bottle and handed it to Sarah. Meanwhile, Klonsky floundered in the dark, looking for his flashlight.

Spying her opportunity, Sarah dashed by the crooked cop, pulling Lacey with her.
She heard Jackie fumble with her backpack and hoped she was right behind them.

Sarah made it to the basement door before Klonsky had recovered his flashlight. She heard Jackie yelp and her gut twisted into a tight knot. The dirty cop had just captured her friend.

Clutching the perfume bottle, she pushed Lacey toward the stairs.

Sarah turned and saw Klonsky struggling with Jackie. She dashed toward them and sprayed Klonsky right in the face with the perfume. He yowled in pain. Dropping Jackie's arm, he balled his hands into fists and rubbed his eyes, then
stumbled back against the kitchen counter.

“Got him,” Jackie said in a low voice.

Sarah grabbed Jackie's hand and raced down the basement stairs. She heard the satisfying bang as Jackie slammed the door behind her.
Reaching the box stairs, Sarah was relieved when she found Lacey there. Scrambling to the top of the stairs, she pulled Lacey behind her.
Her hands shook as she climbed. Throwing the perfume bottle to the side, she struggled out the window. Glancing back, she saw Lacey and Jackie right behind her.

Once outside, Sarah took several gulps of the cool night air as she stood trying to bring her shaking hands under control. She waited for her two companions to come through the tiny window.

Just as Lacey wiggled out of the casement, the back door burst open and Klonsky lurched into the night.

“Run!” Sarah shrieked.

Sarah pulled Jackie out of the window, and then grabbed Lacey's hand. She took off sprinting through the Cat Lady's back yard. The tall grass gripped her ankles as she ran, slowing her down. Jackie ran behind her, and Sarah heard her gasping for breath. Forging ahead, she saw the fence separating the Cat Lady's yard and Mrs. Farnsworth's. Turning toward it, she ran, hoping to scramble over it before the crooked cop caught them.

Sarah reached the fence and dropped Lacey's hand. She placed her hands on the top horizontal board. Putting all of her weight on the board, she pulled her legs to one side. Up and over like a gymnast leaping over the pommel horse. Landing, she turned and helped Lacey over. Jackie imitated Sarah's move and all three girls were over the fence.

Sarah spied Klonsky running toward them. She hoped he couldn't see the fence. It was dark and the fence was a rotted gray color, too dark for someone to detect at night.
Grabbing Lacey's hand again, she ran through Mrs. Farnsworth's yard. Jackie was right behind them.

Sarah stopped when she heard the splinter of wood and a sharp cry of pain. Looking back, she could just make out the image of Klonsky on the ground and D.W. hovering above him.
Yes!

Turning, Sarah let go of Lacey's hand and ran as fast as she could. She could hear Jackie and Lacey behind her, gasping for breath as their feet pounded the pavement.
They sprinted blindly down the streets of Harrisburg. Sarah heard strangled shouts as they ran but she didn't stop. Finally, the girls reached their tent and scrambled inside. All three teens collapsed on the floor and lay there with their chests heaving.

“I can't believe we almost got caught by the killers,” Lacey gasped, and then started to cry. “I'm not sleeping out here. I'm going inside.”

“Calm down,” Sarah said.

“Don't tell me to calm down. We almost got caught by the killers!” Lacey looked like she was about to hyperventilate.