A Picture-Purrfect Christmas (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 13) (11 page)

“Good question,” Savannah said, handing him another dish to dry. “Remember, he did that last time Marissa visited, too. It’s like he’s waiting for her to come back.” She smiled. “She sure is a delight, isn’t she? She’s so happy and interested in the things around her.”

He nodded. “Yes, a great kid—one of those who can uplift anyone around her. Well, you saw how she affected Maggie and Max.”

“Yes, Auntie was in some sort of funk about something when we got there, but it didn’t take long being around Marissa and she was my charming aunt.”

“Your charming aunt?” he repeated, looking askance.

“You know how moody and cantankerous she can get sometimes. But she has a charming side, too, and you’re right, Marissa seemed to bring that out. I cracked up when I saw Auntie on the floor showing Marissa how to make the kittens jump after that feather toy. The more Marissa laughed, the happier Auntie got.”

Michael wiped the counter dry with the towel. “Maggie was sincere about wanting her to come back, wasn’t she?”

“She seemed to be. Yeah, I think she liked our new young friend.”

“I saw you and Marissa poring over your photos before dinner,” Michael said. “Have you decided which one to enter in the contest?”

“I think so.” She led him into the dining room, where she’d isolated a few of her favorites. “Let me know what you think.”

“Oh definitely, this one,” he said, pointing to a shot of Peaches running, her mane blowing in the wind. “That sunset in the background really brings out the rich color of her coat.”

“Yup, that’s the one Marissa chose, too. Although, she was torn between that one and this one of Rags wearing a blue ribbon around his neck. I may enter them both.”

****

The next morning, when Savannah walked into the camera shop, entry forms and photos in hand, Esse was on duty wearing his gold head wrap tied at the back of his neck. “Hi, Savannah,” he greeted. “What can I do for you?”

“Just brought you an entry for the contest,” she said. “I hope I filled out the form correctly.”

He took it from her, checked it over, then studied her two photos. “Looks good to me.” He held one photo out in front of him. “Nice. Very nice.”

Once he’d taken her entry fee and placed the photos carefully in a slotted rack, he turned his attention to Lily, who sat in her stroller. Reaching out and touching her hand, he said, “I’d sure like to photograph you, little one. You’re a beauty.” He grinned at Savannah. “Ever consider a boudoir photo of the two of you?”

Savannah tucked her chin and said a definite, “No.”

He winked. “Well if you decide to do it…”

“Thanks anyway,” she said rather curtly as she turned to leave.

Before she reached the exit, he called out, “I talked to Shelly. I’m going with you and the kids this afternoon for that wilderness photo shoot. Guess I’ll see you there.”

She turned and started to say something, but he continued, “There are some great photo ops out there. I’d like to show the kids how to do infrared photography. You know there are bats, snakes, and other creatures down in some of those old mine shafts.”

Savannah pressed her lips together before saying, “Shelly and I are thinking more about birds, rock formations, flowers, scenic shots…” She stared at him for a moment. “I think the kids will have plenty to shoot without going underground with creepy crawly things.”

****

That afternoon, permission slips in hand, the children arrived eager for a three-hour adventure. It was after one o’clock when everyone took their seats in the two cars. Savannah drove the three girls in her SUV and Shelly chauffeured the boys and Esse.

“Thanks for bringing that chair for me,” Marissa said as she watched Savannah unload the all-terrain wheelchair. “Where’d you get it?”

“Oh, that isn’t important, hon. Just enjoy it. It should make the excursion a lot easier for you.”

“I can push her,” Esse said, rushing up behind the chair once Marissa was seated and the group started to move along the trail. Despite Savannah’s protest, he grabbed the handles and steered the child rather swiftly ahead of the others.

When Savannah saw the uncertainty on Marissa’s face as she glanced back at her, she called out, “Hey, Esse, take it easy. Slow down, will you?” But she couldn’t keep her eyes off Marissa as she trailed behind her with some of the other children.

“How far do we hafta walk?” Marcus asked.

Brad play-boxed him. “Are you tired already? Look at Marcus, everyone; he’s whining and crying about being tired.”

“No I’m not!” Marcus shouted, diving toward Brad head-first.

“Whoa,” Savannah said. “Now settle down guys. Save your energy. You’re going to need it.”

“Oh no,” Charm said pointing ahead of them. “We don’t have to go over that mountain, do we?”

“That’s no mountain,” Brad said. “It’s just a hill, isn’t it, Ms. Savannah?”

She nodded. “Yes, but we aren’t going over it. We’re heading for the river at the base of the hill. That’s where we’re apt to find some animals and maybe some interesting trees and landscapes.”

“Animals?” Charm cringed, pulling her fists up against her chest. “You mean like bears and lions?”

Savannah shook her head. “Probably not. But you might see a beaver, a chipmunk, and a variety of birds…maybe even an eagle.” Just then she noticed Esse lean down and say something to Marissa, who promptly turned in her chair, a look of desperation in her eyes. Savannah gritted her teeth.
It’s time to put a stop to this,
she thought, as she sprinted past Shelly, Selene, and Chuckie. When she began keeping stride with Esse and the wheelchair, Marissa reached out and took her hand, holding on tightly as Savannah did her best to keep up. Finally she said, “Esse, why don’t you hang back and keep the laggards from going off the trail.” She glanced behind her and added, “See if you can encourage Charm to catch up. I’ll keep Marissa company.” When he balked, she said, “Please, I think they’ll listen to you better. I can push Marissa.”

Once he’d fallen back with the two boys and Charm, Marissa turned in her chair, put her hand on Savannah’s, and whispered, “Thank you.”

Savannah smiled at the child.

Fifteen minutes later, the motley group straggled into a meadow beside a slow-moving stream. Shelly raised her voice. “Okay, I want everyone to choose a buddy. Do not let your buddy out of your sight. Those children who came with Savannah, stay with Savannah. Those who rode in my car, you can hang with me. I see that Chuckie and Marcus want to be buddies. Brad, you can be mine.”

“Can we go in the mines and take pictures of the bats?” Marcus asked excitedly.

Savannah flashed a disgusted look at Esse. “No. You’re going to stay above ground and photograph what you can find up here.”

After a while, the group gathered for bottled water and a snack. “So what did you find that was interesting?” Shelly asked the children.

“I got a picture of a bird’s nest,” Chuckie said.

“Ohhh, where? In a tree?” Selene asked.

“No, on the ground.” He pointed. “It fell out of that tree right over there.”

“Selene, do you want to share what you saw?” Savannah suggested.

“What?” she asked, seemingly confused.

“At the water’s edge,” she prompted.

“Oh yeah,” Selene said, swiping her hair out of her face. “A bullfrog.” She looked at Savannah. “Is that what it’s called?”

She nodded.

“Charm and I saw him stick out his tongue.”

“Did you get a picture?” Shelly asked.

“No,” Charm said frowning. “He jumped too fast and we couldn’t keep up.”

“That’s a hazard of wildlife photography,” Shelly said. “The animals are unpredictable.”

“I took a picture of the mountains and trees,” Chuckie said. “They don’t move.”

“That’s right,” Shelly said, chuckling. She pointed. “Now why don’t you children watch that tree as we sit here and rest. I think you’ll see a woodpecker. Ever see a woodpecker in the wilderness?”

“I don’t even know what a woodpecker is,” Chuckie said. “Sounds like a bad word.”

“You haven’t seen Woody Woodpecker on TV?” Brad asked.

“No.”

Savannah set her water bottle down and pulled a bird book from her backpack. “Here are pictures of several different types of woodpeckers and a whole lot of other birds. Why don’t you thumb through this book and maybe you’ll find some of the birds you’ve seen out here or in your neighborhood. Did you all see the blue jays along the trail?”

“Yeah, let me see if I can find a picture of one,” Charm said.

“I want to look at it next,” Brad whined.

“We’re never going to see any birds if you don’t be quiet,” Selene suggested.

Once the group had settled down a little, Savannah walked over to where Marissa sat in her chair, aiming her camera toward the ground next to her. “What are you shooting?” she asked.

The child sat up smiling. “A bug, but he just flew away.” She held the camera up so Savannah could see the screen. “See? It’s a yellow one with black spots.”

“Oh nice shot.” Savannah sat down next to the girl. “You’ve been kind of quiet today. Everything okay?”

Marissa took a deep breath, then nodded, smiling. “Yeah. I’m fine. Really. Maybe a little tired.”

Just then Esse walked up to where Savannah and Marissa sat. “Hey, Rachel…” He glanced sheepishly at Savannah and then coughed and cleared his throat. “Um…er…Marissa,” he said quietly, “I know where a deer has been bedding down behind those shrubs over there. Want to go see if he’s there now? You could get the most awesome shot of anyone today.” The child looked in the direction Esse pointed and he said, “Don’t worry. I can carry you over there.”

“I don’t think so,” she said staring down at her hands. “Thank you, though.” She then said more loudly, “Hey, I’m sure the other kids would like to see the deer.”

Esse frowned and put his finger to his lips in a shushing manner. Before he could stop the near stampede, he was surrounded by children, cameras ready, begging him to tell them where the deer was. Letting out a sigh, he said, “All right. Come on, I’ll show you.”

Savannah glanced up at Shelly and saw that she was helping Selene stage a shot, so she took charge. “Wait! I think the students should stay out of the brush. There’s plenty to photograph right here.”

“Awww,” Brad said.

“But we want to see a deer,” Chuckie complained.

“If you’re quiet, you could see a deer right here,” she explained.

“Ms. Savannah’s right,” Shelly said. “Now bring your cameras over here. I want to show you something. Esse, we can use your help, if you don’t mind.”

Savannah glanced at Marissa inquisitively and noticed a slight smile on her face. When the child saw Savannah staring at her, she said, “I’m sorry for acting that way. There’s just something about him…”

“It’s okay, kiddo,” Savannah said, running her hand along the girl’s natural curls. “We’ve gotta trust our instincts. Sometimes it’s all we have to go on.”

Marissa smiled weakly. “This has been so much fun. I love being out in the forest like this.”

“Yeah, me, too. It really makes you feel closer to Mother Earth.”

“And to God,” Marissa said.

“What’s that?” Savannah said, tilting her head a little. She looked into the distance and saw a swirl of dust. “Dang, looks like some motorbikes coming this way.”
I hope it’s not those dirt-bike dudes we met out here before,
she thought.
Where’s Shelly?
she wondered. That’s when she noticed her working with Brad on a close-up shot of a discarded snake skin. The other children were scattered around the meadow, photographing whatever caught their eye.

“Marcus and I are going to climb that hill and look at that fossil again,” Chuckie called out.

Shelly nodded her approval. “Stay together,” she reminded them.

“Look how pretty that turned out,” Marissa said, showing Savannah her photograph of a flower.

Savannah smiled. “It’s lovely. You really have an eye. You could frame some of your photos, you know it?” She was aware that the motorbike-rumble was drawing ever closer.
I wonder why he’s moving so slowly
, she thought.
Usually they’re tearing up the trails out here at high speed
.

“What’re you guys doing?” Marissa called out when she saw Charm and Selene lying on a large flat rock overlooking the creek.

“Taking pictures of the fish. Come on,” Selene invited. “There’s room for one more.”

“Yeah,” Charm said, “there are tons of baby fish over here.”

When Savannah saw Marissa struggling to wheel herself toward the girls, she grabbed the chair’s handles. “It’s tough-going out here in this thick grass. Let me give you a push.” She’d just helped Marissa get settled on the rock with the other girls when she heard Chuckie wail. “Stop!” he shouted. “That’s mine!”

About that time, they heard a motorbike start up. Savannah glanced at the girls, saying, “Stay put,” before racing toward the commotion on the knoll. Shelly ran after her, but seeing that Savannah had reached the boys first, she hung back so she could keep an eye on the other children.

“What happened?” Savannah asked.

“That guy broke my camera,” Chuckie complained, “…on purpose.”

“Why?” Savannah asked, frowning.

“I don’t know. I was taking a picture of that mountain over there and he walked up, grabbed my camera, and smashed it with his foot.”

“Yeah, for no reason,” Marcus said. “Then he jumped on his motorbike and took off. Didn’t you hear him?”

Savannah stared off into the distance after the rider. “Did he say anything to you?”

Chuckie looked at Marcus. “Yeah, he said, ‘Sorry kid, but you can’t be taking pictures like that.’”

“And all you were taking was a landscape shot, right?” Shelly asked as she joined the others on the knoll.

The boys nodded.

The two women looked at each other inquiringly. “That’s strange,” Shelly said.

Chuckie pouted. “I had some good pictures in there. Now I have nothing.”

“Well, let’s go back down,” Shelly suggested. “I have another camera you can use and we have an hour before we leave.” As they worked their way down from the knoll, Savannah looked out over the meadow. “Where are the others?” she asked, sounding a little panicked.