Read Online The Cat, the Mill and the Murder: A Cats in Trouble Mystery by Leann Sweeney - Free Book Online Page A

rush me, okay?” I said.
    “My mama always told me the most important words she ever spoke were ‘Hang on a minute, Candace.’ She says she did manage to teach me a little bit of patience.” She grinned. “Now let’s get this show on the road.” She grabbed the sack containing a burger and fries for Jeannie and got out of the car.
    With winter darkness well upon us, the mill loomed like an overpowering shadow as we passed through the gate and up the walkway. Our flashlights did little to penetrate the night. My heart sped up the closer we got to the door.
    “Yikes!” I stopped suddenly. It felt as if I’d brushed up against something.
    Candace and Dustin halted and she pointed her light at me. “What’s wrong? Did you trip?”
    Dustin swept the brick path with his Maglite. “I don’t see any debris. You okay?”
    “It’s nothing,” I said. “Let’s hurry and get in there.” But it
was
somethin
g
—that feeling again, the brief touch against my leg. I’d heard back problems can cause strange sensations in the legs, but as far as I knew, my back was fine. Maybe this creepy place and Jeannie’s belief she had a companion cat no one else could see had seeped into my mind, because it definitely felt as though a cat had just touched me.
    If the mill had seemed as dark as night in the daytime, it was even worse now. As we walked into the expansive old factory, I heard a scurrying noise and turned quickly enough with my flashlight to catch a glimpse of cats racing along the wall to our right.
    “Shawn spoke at the town council meeting and saidthose aren’t friendly cats,” Candace said. “But they look just like mine and yours.”
    “They are definitely
not
friendly. They do not trust people,” I said. “And please keep your voice down or you’ll frighten them even more than they already are.”
    “Sorry,” Candace whispered.
    Meanwhile, Dustin forged ahead toward the hallway that led to the office where we’d found Jeannie this morning.
    But we all froze when we heard a loud moan. All our flashlights veered in unison toward the sound. I could make out the silhouette of what looked like a mound on the floor.
    But then the mound moved and cried, “Help me.”
    We all rushed over and found Jeannie lying on the old plank floor.
    Candace got there first and knelt beside her. Dustin and I followed right behind.
    “Where are you hurt?” Candace’s flashlight spread an eerie glow over Jeannie’s anguished face.
    “I—I busted somethin’,” she said.
    I got on my knees beside Candace. “Jeannie, it’s Jillian. What happened?”
    “I—I fell. They was chasin’ me and I fell.” Her eyes closed and I could tell the poor woman was in serious pain.
    Candace stood and pulled out her phone. She tapped a few buttons and then sighed in frustration. “No signal. I’m headed closer to the door to call B.J.”
    “Okay.” I rubbed Jeannie’s upper arm. The fabric of her shirt was thin. Looking up at Dustin I said, “She’s so cold.” I worried she might be in shock and not just freezing because it was so chilly in this building.
    Dustin took off his jacket and laid it gently over the woman.
    “Where does it hurt?” I asked.
    “Here.” She rested a hand on her left hip. “Can’t get up and they’re gonna get me.” But her frightened expression vanished when her gaze fell away and she focused on the floor next to me. “She came back. I knew she would.”
    “What are you talking about?” Dustin said, training his light on the empty space at my side.
    “Boots is here. My sweet Boots,” Jeannie said.

Eight
    Boots?
I blinked several times. Jeannie said Boots came back. Had I been so touched by this poor woman and her predicament that I’d been subconsciously sensing her long-gone kitty’s presence?
Yes. That must be it.
Still, the touch of a cat against me had felt so real.
    Candace returned and said, “Help is on the way.” Then she bent and whispered in my ear. “Better warn her