Gone, Kitty, Gone (A Cat Groomer Mystery, Book 4)
Gone, Kitty, Gone
(A Cat Groomer Mystery)
by Eileen Watkins
Buy from Amazon
ISBN: B07Q7W9G27
(Kindle)
ISBN-10: 1496722973
ISBN-13: 978-1496722973
Summary
With her new grooming van, Cassie agrees to take part in a huge cat expo at a hotel/conference center near Chadwick. She'll give grooming demonstrations, using shelter felines to encourage adoptions. The three-day expo includes a major cat show and an appearance by pop singing star Jaki Natal and her cat Gordie. A Scottish fold, Gordie has become almost as famous as his owner through social media. But when he goes missing, and a hotel security guard is found dead, Jaki freaks out; she fears it could be the work of a stalker who’s been sending her creepy, anonymous messages.
While the cops focus on the case of the murdered man, Jaki learns about Cassie’s history of solving cat-related crimes and begs her find Gordie, before he pays a high price for his fame. Cassie wants to help but finding one cat-napper in a convention full of feline fanciers could be harder than finding a whisker in a haystack. The nameless stalker literally might be anywhere…or anyone!
What Reviewers Are Saying
“Distinctive characters, all of whom contribute to the crime-solving in one way or another, drive the well-paced plot. Cat cozy lovers will be enchanted.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Watkins’ series is distinguished by the incorporation of facts about cats relating to each case…educational as much as entertaining.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Novel Excerpt
A calm, female voice announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, one of the hotel’s fire alarms has been triggered and we are investigating the cause. Please evacuate all upper floors and proceed to the lobby until we can be sure that it’s safe for you to return to your rooms. Do not use the elevators. Cat show participants can remain in place in the ballrooms for now. Thanks for your cooperation.”
“Think it’s an electrical problem?” I asked Mark. “First the lights, then the fire alarm?”
“Does seem like a weird coincidence,” he said.
The crowd in the lobby swelled as overnight guests also evacuated their rooms, many with their cats in tow. Through the tall windows we saw one fire truck roll up outside, with no apparent urgency. However, two black-and-white Chadwick PD patrol cars already stood near the hotel’s entrance with their emergency lights flashing.
A uniformed, female cop strode past me at a brisk clip, talking into her radio. I caught just a few words: “Need ambulance…security guard down, in stairwell… unresponsive.”
What did that mean? An accident, maybe? Someone electrocuted?
A knot of panic-stricken hotel guests had jammed up at the lobby’s automatic front doors, trying to get out to the plaza. “C’mon,” said Mark, “there’s another exit from the concourse.”
We ended up in the parking garage. From the back corner I could hear raised voices. Two of them belonged to Perry and Jaki.
“Sweetheart, I’m sure he’s okay. We’ll find him. Just calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down, and don’t call me sweetheart!” The pop star did have a set of lungs, for sure. “Some random guy put him in the carrier. I thought he was a hotel employee, but no one’s seen him since.” I heard hysterical tears in her voice. “Oh my God, somebody took him! They stole Gordie!”
#
