The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer (3 page)

“Okay, I'm going for it. I'll meet you back here.”

“Cool beans,” Jackie said.

“Cool beans? Is this town still in the nineties?” Sarah teased.

“Shut up.” Jackie smacked her arm again.

“This is physical abuse.” Sarah rubbed her arm, trying to appear injured.

Jackie laughed. “Be thankful, I like hanging out with you.”

“All I have to do is ring her doorbell, right?” Sarah poked her head out from behind the tree. She noticed the tomato pulp still clinging to the siding and peered up and down the street for the notorious Wykowski boys.

“That's right,” Jackie chuckled.

Sarah took a deep breath and sprinted across the street. She stopped at the porch stairs. A group of cats were sunning themselves on the steps. They meowed at her as if they were hungry. Jumping when one of them rubbed against her legs, she bent down and stroked its back, never taking her eyes off of the house.

Sarah petted the cat, while she worked up the courage to climb the stairs. She heard the loud purr of the contented feline and it eased her anxiety. All of a sudden, she felt a hand squeeze her arm. Her heart leapt in her chest and she let out a yelp.

Turning, she spied Jackie. “I almost peed my pants!”

Jackie giggled.

“What are you doing here?” Sarah muttered and gave Jackie the evil eye.

“I couldn't stay behind the tree and miss all the action.”

Sarah glanced around and pointed to some overgrown bushes in front of the porch. “You can hide over there.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah spied her sister running toward them and stifled a groan.

“I didn't want to stand by myself,” Lacey whimpered, slightly out of breath. She tugged nervously on the hem of her T-shirt as she eyed the house.

Sarah groaned and her shoulders slumped as if she carried a heavy burden. She sighed and pointed at the bushes again. “You hide over there with Jackie and be quiet.”

Sarah waited until the other girls were out of sight, and then climbed the stairs. Stopping when she reached the porch, Sarah took some deep breaths before stepping o
nto the sagging stoop. Walking
gingerly, she hoped the porch would support her.
Her stomach clenched when it groaned. She took another step and then another, the porch complaining with every footfall. Halfway across the stoop, she heard the girls behind the bushes.

“She's almost to the door,” Lacey said in a low voice.

Sarah bit her lip, stifling the disapproving remark dancing on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she turned and glared at the bushes, willing its occupants to shut up. She made eye contact with Jackie, who quickly ducked behind the shrubs, pulling Lacey with her.

What in the world is she doing?” Lacey asked.

“Shhh,” Jackie responded.

Sarah shook her head and continued her journey. She felt Jackie and Lacey watching her as she crept toward the door. Reaching the entryway, she was surprised to find the storm door wide open. The only barrier between the Cat Lady and the rest of the world was a flimsy screen door hanging askew on its hinges.

Alarm bells rang in Sarah's head.
This has got to be out of character for someone who never leaves her home.
She turned back and whispered to the other girls. “Hey!”

Jackie poked her head out. “What?”

“The storm door's open.”

“So?”

“So what do I do?”

“Duh, ring the doorbell.”

Sarah shrugged and pushed the doorbell. It let out an irritating buzz and she had the feeling it had been broken long ago and never fixed. She dashed down the stairs.
The cats scattered, alarmed by the sudden activity. Reaching the shrubs, Sarah hid with her sister and Jackie.

Gasping for breath, Sarah waited for a reaction from the old woman. Her heart pummeled her ribs and she pressed her hand to her chest to calm it.

After a few minutes, Sarah started to pace. “Well, nothing's happened.” She peeked out from behind the shrub and saw the screen door hanging ajar. “I bet she's not even home. I'm going to try again.”

Jackie shrugged. “Be careful, remember she's a witch.”

Sarah shook her head, and then peered out from behind the shrubs. Once again, she climbed the stairs. She was braver this time and it didn't take her as long to make it to the door.

She looked inside, her heart lurching in her chest. She tiptoed to the picture window and peered through it. Gasping, she ran back to the entryway. Pulling it open, she lunged inside.

Sarah stared, unable to tear herself away.
Shock ran through her body like an electrical current as she eyed the scene before her. The crumpled form of the Cat Lady lay on the living room floor, just inside the door. No life flickered in the old woman's staring eyes. Her mouth gaped open in a silent scream and her hands were up around her head as if she were warding off blows. Turning away from the Cat Lady's body, Sarah gagged as the coppery scent of blood assaulted her. There was blood splattered everywhere, on the wall, on the carpet and under the Cat Lady's body.

Suddenly, Sarah's throat constricted and she gasped for breath. Fearing she would faint, she stumbled back out the door and collided with Jackie and Lacey on the porch.

Jackie grabbed Sarah's arm and shook her. “What are you doing? Are you crazy? I never said to go inside!”

Sarah didn't speak. Shejust
stared blankly at the porch.

Jackie shook her again. “Are you under the Cat Lady's spell?”

Lacey whimpered. “Hey, Sarah…. Can you hear me? Sarah?”

“She's under the Cat Lady's spell,” Jackie said waving her hand in front of Sarah's eyes.

“Oh my—,” Sarah moaned and clutched Jackie's arm.

“What is it?” Jackie shook her again. “Speak…say something!”

“Th-th-the C-C-Cat Lady, sh-sh-she's—
,
” Sarah stuttered.

“She's what?” Jackie demanded.

“Sh-she's dead.

 

“What?” Jackie asked, her voice so shrill Sarah winced.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah stared at her new friend. She noticed Jackie had the wild-eyed look of a horse ready to bolt.

She took another deep breath and clenched her hands, hoping they would stop shaking. Grabbing the hem of her shorts, she dropped her head and gulped more air. Her heart thundered in her chest, and the sound of her blood rushing through the veins in her ears, reminded Sarah of the roar of a lion. As Sarah tried to get a grip on the scene she had just witnessed, she raised her head and stared at Jackie.

“You won't believe this,” Sarah wailed. She stood and wiped her face with her sleeve, and then gestured with her hands. “Sh-she's d-d-dead!”

“Are you sure she isn't sleeping?” Lacey asked.

Sarah glared at her sister. She fought the overwhelming urge to slap her. “She's lying on the floor and there's blood everywhere.”

“No way! I don't believe you,” Jackie said.

“Go look.”

“No way. This is one of your tricks.” Lacey folded her arms across her chest.

“It is not,” Sarah insisted and pointed at the door with a trembling hand.

“Are you sure?” Jackie asked. “This better not be a joke.”

“See for yourself.”

Jackie eyed her suspiciously. “You do look kind of freaked out.” She studied Sarah.

“What?”

“Just making sure this isn't a joke.”

“Go look.” Sarah pointed at the door.

Jackie cautiously opened the screen door. The squeak of the hinges unnerved Sarah even more. It was an eerie sound that seemed out of place on this lazy summer day. Following Jackie into the dim interior, Sarah stopped and blinked several times. She waited for her eyes to adjust, hoping she would see a different scene the second time.

Sarah watched as both girls gasped at the site of the Cat Lady lying on the living room floor. Her body lay in a large pool of blood. She gawked at the wide, staring eyes again and shuddered.

Lacey shrieked, “Oh no! Oh no!” She started to shake and tears welled in her eyes.

Sarah put her arm around Lacey and squeezed her tight. “Shhh.”

“It smells like pennies in here.” Lacey gulped. “Where is that smell coming from? I think I'm going to be sick.” She clung to Sarah and took huge gulps of air.

“Calm down, Lacey.” Sarah squeezed her tight. She knew by the sound of Lacey's voice, her sister was on the verge of going over the edge.

“She was murdered!” Jackie said in a horrified voice.

“Someone killed the Cat Lady!” Lacey shrieked again.

Sarah squeezed her tighter and noticed her sister's eyes were wide with panic, and her voice filled with hysteria. Lacey pushed her away and pivoted, throwing up on a pile of newspapers stacked behind her.

Sarah held her hair away from her face and rubbed her back. “Are you all right?”

Lacey nodded, clinging to Sarah for support. “What is that smell?”

“I think it's the blood.” Sarah wrinkled her nose.

“I don't believe it. The Cat Lady's been murdered,” Jackie said.

Sarah glanced at her and saw the dazed expression on Jackie's face. Her eyes were as big as saucers, and her face pale from shock.
“We don't know that. Maybe she fell and cut herself.”

Sarah stared at the body, transfixed by what she saw. She had never seen a dead body before or this much blood. The shock of it hit her like a tidal wave, and Sarah stumbled back and almost went down.
Her throat tightened, squeezing the breath from her.

All of a sudden, the sound of sirens filled the air, breaking the spell the Cat Lady's body had on Sarah. She stared at Jackie and Lacey taking in their horrified expressions.

“The police!” they shrieked all at once.

“Let's get out of here,” Sarah cried.

The girls turned toward the door just in time to see two police cars pull up to the curb.

“Crap!” Jackie yelled.

“We've got to hide!” Sarah shouted.

She spun back toward the living room, and collided with the other two girls as they scrambled to hide. Lacey lost her balance and fell to the floor, placing her right hand in the middle of the blood pool.

“Oh gross!” she gagged. “I've got blood on my hands!” She grimaced and stood, stepping in the blood.

“This way,” Sarah yelled.

Leading the way, Sarah plowed down a trail between stacks of newspapers. Piles of newspapers were everywhere. It appeared that the Cat Lady kept every single paper she'd received for the last twenty years. There were so many stacks Sarah couldn't see any furniture.
She led the girls through the trail left by the piles. Sarah felt like a rat in a maze. The girls continued their sprint and made their way into a narrow kitchen, which was just as cluttered as the living room.

Sarah found a door leading to the basement. She flew down the stairs with Jackie and Lacey right behind her. The eerie screech of the front door told Sarah the police were coming inside. Lacey closed the basement door behind her, before rushing down the stairs. Breathing heavily, Sarah climbed back up the stairs and huddled next to the door. Jackie and Lacey followed her.

Sarah wiped her sweaty palms on her shorts and took deep breaths to calm her breathing.
As she wiped her hands, she glanced down into the basement and saw light coming through a window. She could see dust floating in the air, trapped in the sunlight. The basement smelled musty, but dry.
Old boxes were piled against a wall and they were covered with a fine layer of dust. Next, Sarah noticed the dirt floor. There were no footprints in the dirt. Sarah realized no one had been in the basement in years.

“I can't believe I just saw a dead body,” whimpered Lacey. “It was so gross and that smell.” She continued to wipe her hands on her shirt.

“Shhh. I want to hear what the police say.” Sarah placed her ear against the door. Her heart thundered in her chest. It was so loud she feared it would drown out any other sound.

“Can you hear anything?” Jackie whispered. She positioned herself next to Sarah and pressed her ear to the door. The two girls faced each other, their noses almost touching.

“No, I can hear voices, but I can't make the words out.”

“I've got the weebeejeebees! All that blood.” Lacey grimaced. “I hope I don't puke again.”

Sarah glared at her sister. “Shhh.”

“I'm going to catch some fatal disease.” She scowled and continued wiping her hands on her shirt.

“Would you shut up!” Jackie whispered vehemently.

Lacey clamped her lips together and didn't make another sound.

“I wonder what happened to the Cat Lady?” Sarah asked.

“I have no idea,” Jackie said.

“This is a real mystery. Just like this one true crime story—,”Sarah started.

“How come you guys can talk, but I can't?”

“Shut up!” Sarah and Jackie hissed in unison.

The voices grew louder and Sarah heard the conversation.

“They're
in the kitchen,” she whispered
.

Jackie bit her lip
and gave her curls a nervous tug.

“They're following some bloody footprints,” Sarah reported.

Sarah heard the voices growing louder.

“They're coming this way!” She gasped.

“The footprints lead to this door,” a police officer said.

Sarah made eye contact with Jackie as she realized Lacey's blunder had led the police right to them. Turning, she glared at her sister.

Seconds later, the basement door flew open and a bright light shone down on them. The policeman had his gun drawn and aimed at the girls. Sarah's heart lurched in her chest. She'd never had a gun pointed at her before.

“On the floor, now!” he boomed.

The girls scurried up the stairs and dropped to the ground, spreading their arms and legs.

At the sound of the officer's command, another officer loomed in the doorway and stared down at the girls.

“Klonsky, search them for weapons,” the first officer said.

Lacey started to cry. “We didn't do it! We just found the body!”

“Yeah,” Sarah piped up.

Her pulse raced as Klonsky probed her for weapons.
His rough hands on her body made her skin crawl. Sarah winced and shivered. She made eye contact with Jackie, grimaced, and shook her head.

“No weapons, Walker,” Klonsky said.

“Okay, let's get them cuffed and down to the station,” Officer Walker said.

“Wait, we didn't do anything!” Sarah yelled.
She glanced at Lacey and groaned. Her T-shirt was smeared with blood. Sarah's spirits sank.
We're in big trouble.

“We're innocent!” Jackie screamed and flailed her arms.

“We'll talk about that downtown. Now get moving,” Officer Walker said, pushing Sarah forward.

She moved a few steps to the right to get past the officer's belly.
A lover of donuts
, Sarah observed and stifled a nervous bubble of laughter.

“We're going to jail,” Lacey sobbed.

“We didn't do anything,” Sarah insisted.

“We'll talk downtown,” Klonsky said, escorting the girls to the police car.

Walking to the cruiser, Sarah noticed a small crowd forming across the street. She studied the faces of the Cat Lady's neighbors and watched their expressions harden when they saw the girls in handcuffs. Suddenly, feeling like a criminal, she lowered her gaze.

Klonsky opened the car door. “Watch your heads.”

The girls grunted in effort as they struggled to get inside the car.

“Hurry up!” Klonsky snapped
.

Sarah snorted. “It's not easy getting into a car with your hands cuffed behind your back.”

“You girls should've thought about that before you murdered the old lady.”

“So she was murdered!” Jackie's eyes widened.

“We didn't murder anyone!” Sarah argued.

Her anger at being searched was no match for her rage at being unjustly accused. She sent Klonsky an angry glare before leaning her head against the seat and closing her eyes. Sitting close to her sister, she smelled the coppery scent of blood on her shirt. Turning her head, she tried not to gag.
The tight space in the car was heating up and sweat formed on her brow.

“That's right, we're innocent,” Jackie insisted.

“Save it for the station,” Klonsky muttered as he slammed the door and walked back inside the house.

Sarah opened her eyes and raised her head. The sweat on her forehead rolled down the side of her face.
“Ugh.”

“What's the matter? Jackie asked.

“I can't wipe the sweat off of my face.” Sarah wiped the side of her face on the back seat. “What's going on out there?”

“I don't know,” Jackie said, trying to blow some of the curls out of her face.

After an eternity, or so it seemed to Sarah, Klonsky reappeared from inside the house and climbed into the car. He ignored the girls as he started the engine. As they pulled away from the curb, an ambulance came into view. Behind the ambulance were three more police cars.
This is definitely a crime scene.

“This is going to be the longest car ride of my life,” Sarah groaned.

“No doubt, girlfriend,” Jackie grimaced.

Lacey started to sob. “We're going to jail!”

As the cruiser picked up speed, Sarah stared at the world from behind the tinted window. The full force of her predicament hit her like a sledgehammer.
What if this is the last time I see sunlight?
Her stomach fluttered.
It won't be,
Sarah argued.
You're innocent. You didn't do this.

Lacey sobbed. “I can't believe we're going to jail.”

“You just had to get blood all over you, didn't you?” Sarah snapped.

“Like I did it on purpose.”

“Shut up, Sarah. It could've been any of us,” Jackie said.

“Yeah.” Lacey wiped her face on her sleeve.

“Maybe,” Sarah conceded.

The cruiser slowed and turned into the parking lot of the police station. Klonsky parked the car and turned off the engine.

“What's going to happen to us, now?” Lacey sniffled.

“Hey, Officer, what's going to happen to us, now?” Sarah asked.

Without turning his head, Officer Klonsky said, “Since you girls are under seventeen, we have to call your parents before we can question you.”