Vanished in Cherry Hills (Cozy Cat Caper Mystery Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

person.”
    “Nice to meet you, too.” Kat searched for a resemblance between the sisters but couldn’t pick up any likeness besides their bright, brown eyes. Whereas Mrs. Polanski was on the heavy side and didn’t appear to have aged at all in the past fifteen years, Helen had a more slender build and hadn’t bothered to hide the gray hair and facial wrinkles suggestive of a woman over sixty.
    Kat’s eyes alighted on a framed photograph on one of the end tables. In it, thirty-something versions of the two sisters smiled for the camera, their arms swung around each other’s waists. Mrs. Polanski was thinner in the photo but otherwise unchanged. The taller brunette with her hair cut to her shoulders had to be Helen. Even back then they didn’t look so similar.
    Her gaze strayed, a glance around the rest of the living room confirming what Jessie had meant when she’d called her aunt a cat lady. Kat counted seven felines of various sizes and colors before Mrs. Polanski diverted her attention again.
    “Tell us what’s been going on with you,” she said, a hungry expression on her face. She nudged aside a couple tabbies before plunking onto the couch, dragging Kat down beside her.
    Kat twisted her hands in her lap, remembering her reason for being here. But before she could say anything, Mrs. Polanski started talking again.
    “How long has it been since we saw each other?”
    “Fifteen years.”
    “Fifteen years!” Mrs. Polanski shook her head. “What have you been doing all that time?”
    “School and work, mostly. I just moved back to Cherry Hills a couple months ago. Did Jessie tell you I’m waitressing at the diner?”
    “Of course! Jess says you’re a model employee.”
    Kat shifted positions. “Oh, well.”
    One of the tabbies that had lost his seat jumped on Kat’s lap. He gave her an appraising look as he kneaded her thighs. Apparently she passed whatever test he’d subjected her to because he settled down and started to purr.
    “But Jess said that was only a temporary thing for you,” Mrs. Polanski went on.
    Kat nodded, running her hand down the tabby’s back. “I’d really like to get a job in computer programming.”
    Mrs. Polanski beamed as if Kat had announced she’d discovered a cure for cancer. “I always knew you were a smart one. Didn’t I tell you, Helen? Didn’t I tell you this one was going places?”
    “You sure did,” Helen said.
    “And now look at her.” Mrs. Polanski peered at Kat with undisguised admiration. “She’s fixing to get herself a fancy-pants high-tech job.”
    Kat’s cheeks flushed. “Oh, well. I haven’t actually found any positions in my field yet.”
    Mrs. Polanski slapped her palms on her thighs. “Why, I bet one day you’ll be on TV telling everybody about the robot you invented to perform surgery or fly jets. Are you working on anything like that?”
    “Uh, no.”
    “Well, you will,” Mrs. Polanski said, patting Kat’s hand. “Once them geniuses in Silicon Valley find out you exist, they’re going to try to steal you away from Cherry Hills. Mark my words.”
    Kat focused on thoroughly scratching the tabby’s chin so she wouldn’t have to look directly at Mrs. Polanski. She wasn’t used to receiving so much praise.
    “Jessie tells me you’re looking for your mama,” Mrs. Polanski barreled on.
    Kat snapped her head up, startled by the abrupt subject change. “Yes, actually, I am.”
    “I might be able to help you out there.” Mrs. Polanski stood up and bustled over to a kitchen table barely big enough to seat two. She brushed a few cats aside and picked up a file folder, waving it around. “I brought some newspaper clippings I saved from the eighties.”
    Kat sat up a little straighter. “Is my mother mentioned in any of them?”
    Mrs. Polanski ambled back over to the sofa and held the folder out to Kat. “Well, now, you’ll have to go through them and see for yourself.”
    Kat held her breath as she took the folder, her heart