The Bandit Cat Investigation

By Barbara McDonell

Life is suddenly changing for nine-year-old Zoe and Ben. The O’Reilly twins are moving from their house in the country to a city home in a neighborhood they know nothing about. Saying goodbye to friends and leaving familiar surroundings is tough and they don’t want to go. They are also worried about their cat Purrsnikitty, who is famous for chasing cows and herding sheep. Without familiar woods, how will he adjust to city living? Even worse, their new street seems deserted, without any other kids for them to play with. Then, Purrsnikitty starts disappearing every day, returning home with weird gifts, like a map and an eagle feather. Where is he getting his loot? Why is he dragging it home? Has their oddball country kitty turned into a city bandit cat? Determined to solve the bandit cat mystery, Ben and Zoe investigate. When the cat gives a huge yellow maple leaf to a stranger, it triggers an exciting chain of events. In the process, the twins meet new neighbors, make new friends and learn that life in the city can be just as much fun as life in the country.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barbara McDonell
• Release date: May 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9780993891816

Barbara McDonell

About Barbara McDonell I live on the west coast of Canada in Victoria, British Columbia. That's located on beautiful Vancouver Island which is so large that it takes eight hours to drive the length of it. Wildlife is abundant - sometimes even in the city. Once upon a time, a cougar walked into the Empress Hotel for afternoon tea! I’m crazy-nuts about animals so it was destiny that my first job would be working in a pet hospital. Despite long hours and minimum pay, I loved it...but the veterinarian told me I got too emotionally attached to my patients. For several decades I was an administrative secretary, which is where I learned the importance of organizing chaos into calm. Later, I used that knowledge to reinvent myself by taking a leap of faith from a secure 9-5 job to operating my own business as a professional organizer. Because I adore organizing, I cannot stop myself from sorting groceries into categories (fruit, vegetables, tinned goods, etc.) while waiting in the check-out line. I totally reorganized a toy store display because it hid the cutest teddy bear in the world under a mess of games. To my delight, a young couple immediately nabbed that teddy. Then I spent a half-hour reorganizing the whole art section because it was so jumbled that I couldn't locate the size frame I wanted. I love variety so have a broad range of interests. Therefore, I’ve published magazine and newspaper articles on hugely diverse subjects such as cats, soppy Dobermans, hiking, hang gliding, travel fun, Victoria’s colorful history, housing issues, the making of artificial eyes...and even a short erotic piece for “Playgirl” magazine. I began writing novels on a manual typewriter. What was I thinking? Eventually, shaking in my boots, I bought a scary computer that sat on my desk in its unopened box for several weeks before I was brave enough to even unpack it. I'm always writing something. Sitting in front of my computer is where I am the happiest.

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THE BANDIT CAT INVESTIGATION

by Barbara McDonell

Copyright 2016 - Barbara McDonell

Smashwords Edition

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Disclaimer

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: The Big Move

Chapter 2: Where is Purrsnikitty?

Chapter 3: Exploring the New Neighborhood

Chapter 4: Aunt Sara’s Visit

Chapter 5: The Mystery Tour

Chapter 6: How Simon Helps

Chapter 7: Ben & Zoe Go Sleuthing

Chapter 8: Purrsnikitty in Danger

Chapter 9: The Bully

Chapter 10: Ben Finds a Friend

Chapter 11: Who is Jessica?

Chapter 12: The Sleepover

Chapter 13: Purrsnikitty Becomes Famous

Chapter 14: Finally, New Neighbors!

Chapter 15: More Good News

Chapter 16: The Celebration

Chapter 17: Solving the Mysteries

About author Barbara McDonell

Other titles by Barbara McDonell

THE BANDIT CAT INVESTIGATION

Chapter 1 - The Big Move

That's the last box, muttered Zoe as she shoved her carton into the rear of the O’Reilly family van.

Swallowing the uncomfortable lump in her throat, she climbed into the front seat. Behind the steering wheel, her mother fumbled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes before turning the ignition key.

As the car reversed out of the garage, Zoe took her last look at the beautiful country home she had lived in for all nine years of her life. A big red SOLD sign hung crookedly over a fencepost. Another family was moving in tomorrow, forcing hers to move to a small rental house on the edge of the busy city of Victoria.

Yesterday Zoe and her twin brother Ben had finished school for the year and said goodbye to all their friends.

It’s just not fair, she said, wiping tears on a sleeve of her t-shirt.

Here in the country they had explored endless woods and trails and had never run out of exciting new adventures. But what would they do in the city? Where would they find places to play? She wondered if they would even find new kids to play with before classes began again in September, nine long weeks away.

Mom braked to let a deer and fawn cross the narrow winding road.

I know it's hard, sweetheart, she said, gently squeezing Zoe’s shoulder.

On her lap, Zoe cradled a metal cat carrier. Inside, Purrsnikitty meowed in protest at being caged in a loud moving vehicle. When she pushed her fingers between the bars to comfort him, he bumped his black velvety head against them.

Over her shoulder, Zoe saw Ben slumped in the back seat with his face almost completely hidden under his black floppy hat. Quiet for once. All she could see was his mouth curved downward with gloom.

This shouldn’t be happening, grumbled Ben, taking off his red-framed glasses. Dad built us that house with his own hands. Me and Zoe have never lived anywhere else.

Losing my job when the company closed business was certainly a nasty surprise, acknowledged their mother. And without that salary we couldn’t afford the house mortgage payments. But Personal Assistants like me are always in demand, so I will find another job. It just might take time. Who knows, this move might be good for us.

"How could it be good? spat Ben with disgust. We're losing our house. Zoe and me will hate living so close to the city!"

It'll be fine, Ben, you'll see. We’ve been through tough times before and we adjusted.

After a pause, Zoe whispered, Like when Daddy died of cancer.

Like that, Mom agreed, merging the van onto the highway that would take them to their new house an hour away.

Chapter 2 – Where is Purrsnikitty?

When their mother had signed the rental agreement for this new house on Maple Street, the twins had been so upset that they refused to leave the car. Today was therefore their first time inside it.

It took Zoe and Ben less than three minutes to explore the entire place and realize its one-story meant the house had no attic, no basement, no garage. And it certainly didn’t have any secret hidey-holes like their dad had built into their country home, special for them.

Without a separate dining area, Zoe realized the kitchen would have to accommodate their table and chairs.

Overall, she decided, these quarters were cramped. But at least three bedrooms meant there would be some private space for each of them.

This place doesn't even have a family room, Ben complained.

Living rooms work just as well as family rooms, said Mom. Look at that nice wood-burning fireplace.

To Ben, it just looked sooty and small.

In their country home, the family room had been the most important room in the house because that was where they all gathered after dinner. Sometimes they did individual things there and other times they did things together, like on Friday nights that were reserved as Family Nights.

On those nights they sometimes played Chinese Checkers, Monopoly, or a word game Mom created because Zoe was clever with spelling and definitions. Because Ben couldn't spell worth beans, he invented silly words that made them laugh - even Zoe sometimes admitted that his made-up words often made more sense than real words. Plus, it prevented anyone correcting his spelling because those words didn’t exist in any dictionary.

Sometimes they borrowed old black and white movies from the library. Ben loved solving mysteries and that was why he always wore his black sleuthing fedora hat and why, when it was his turn to choose, he always picked The Maltese Falcon starring Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, his tough private eye hero. This meant that the family had watched the film twenty-six times.

"In my opinion, Zoe had said last week, that’s twenty-five times too many. Ben can quote the entire dialogue without making a single mistake!"

Standing in the kitchen surrounded by packing boxes labeled things like Zoe's Books, Ben's Stuff and pots and pans, Zoe watched Purrsnikitty somersault over his captured ball. Because they hadn’t found their broom yet, his black fur was dusty from rolling on the unswept floor.

Look, Mom, this floor slopes so much that Purrsnikitty's ball rolls from the fridge to the stove before he even bats it!

Let's be sure to keep him inside for a few days, cautioned her mother. That way he'll get used to his new home before he goes outside and gets confused about where he lives now.

To prevent escape, Zoe carefully locked the pet door that previous renters had installed in the front door of the kitchen - that was one good thing about the new place.

Lots of people thought black cats