Justine and the Catamount Confrontation: Cat Clues, #5

By Ruth Hay

The disastrous explosion at Journey's End throws Justine into a dilemma just when she thought her life was becoming more normalized.

What choices does she have now? How will she deal with three very different cats? How will she cope with the challenges converging on her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ruth Hay
• Release date: Jul 22, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393313748

Book preview

One

I have never had any difficulty in finding cats.

For example, at the moment I have three of them around my feet.

Finding a man who could be an asset in my strange life, has not been quite so simple.

There was an early marriage in Canada with Shawn Jordan, that fell apart fairly quickly.

There was a brief dalliance with Jackson in Scotland, that was more medical than romantic as he was the masseur sent to help me with my injured leg.

I did meet a very interesting man called Mark in Canada, while I was being evaluated for my psychic capabilities, but I never pursued that connection. We were perhaps too much alike.

So, given this unsatisfactory background history, what am I doing planning to set up house in England with my three cats and an in-house vet?

---

Of course, Doctor Daniel Hudson is no ordinary vet, or ordinary man for that matter. With his red hair and beard and those magnetic green eyes, he is remarkable in appearance.

He has a way with animals that may not be equal to my instinctive insights, but he has a deep voice that soothes the most frightened creatures and the beautiful tender touch in his hands that comforts and can diagnose, as well as heal, hidden injuries.

I begin to have hopes that he can work that kind of magic on me.

In time.

It’s early days yet.

---

The past three months have been frantic and filled with stress.

Despite considerable public interest in the house called Journey’s End, we managed to escape without being connected to the events that derived from the house’s deep and complex past history.

Once the building was declared unsafe because of the collapse of the major part of it, I was on my way to Exeter with my cats and as far as the authorities were concerned, I disappeared.

My mother’s husband set up a bank account for me in which, eventually, a sum of money will be deposited to cover the loss of property when the excavations of the Egyptian artifacts caused the house’s collapse.

Neither Estelle nor Oliver Rosyth admitted to knowing my whereabouts.

Tamsin Preston, my estate agent for the sale, was similarly close-mouthed whenever reporters came by.

To all intents and purposes, I was just another of the buried mysteries attached to that unusual house in the unusual location.

When the officials from The British Museum departed to London with their finds, the site was boarded up and warning notices left in place to warn off the curious.

Personally, I hoped never to see it again.

Tabitha could have died in that black hole far below ground level.

Olaf could have been trapped down there when he rescued her.

Dan could have broken every bone in his body when he risked the ladder descent and retrieved a few of the tomb treasures.

I still have nightmares in which I am lying on the cold ground with a painful right leg, and holding onto a shaky wooden ladder waiting for Dan’s head to reach the light again. I hope to banish that dream when we move into our own place…………together.

Two

I left the search for our new house to Daniel.

I hunkered down with Estelle and Oliver and the three cats, and tried to catch up on my sleep and settle my cats who were not yet used to the feline threesome that had somehow developed without my intention.

Catrine was no trouble. She has been with me since her birth and she knows me best. She is the only cat I have ever encountered who can, on occasion, actually communicate with me. She is very special.

Midnight is also a rescue cat like Catrine, but he is older and has been with me for only a few months during which time he has been moved around a lot, and been required to make many adjustments.

Tabitha was gifted to me along with Journey’s End. She always lived there and so she has been most disturbed by the events that occurred prior to the move.

I give credit to my mother and her husband for their patience. Their house has been invaded by me and three different animals who are still working out their relationships to each other and to me.

Midnight is a large, black and powerful male. He would like to dominate the household but tiny Catrine schooled his behaviour on his first introduction to civilized living, and he is overcoming his early defensive and scavenger instincts only because he adores her so much.

Tabitha is fully house-broken, and yet she is uncertain about me. I keep a tight rein on her in case she should escape and venture off into even more danger than she found in her former home.

All in all, it has been difficult.

Dan has gone about his work and his teaching duties at the Plymouth Veterinary College.

Somehow, he found the time to unearth a suitable house for us near Dartmouth. He assures me I will like it. I hope he is correct in that assumption. The mouth of the River Dart is right on the Channel coast. It is too close to the busy tourist areas of Devon. Following the river north on the map, leads to a place I abhor. Dartmoor is a barren windswept place where ghosts and spirits roam. I could never live in peace there.

Until Dan has time to show me his choice, I am reserving judgement and keeping my cats right where they are for now. He is anxious for us to move in together. Our first and only night of intimacy was better than either of us could have expected, and he is eager to resume the relationship.

From what I can fathom, he is in a similar situation as am I. Neither of us has been able to maintain a romantic connection for any length of time.

In my case, moving around so much has made it impossible.

In Dan’s case, he works too hard to take the time to find a new partner.

What he suggests is the two of us sharing a house but with space and time to be alone, so we can also pursue other interests or obligations.

It sounds ideal for me. I need my solitude to restore my psychic energies.

Whether this plan will work for both of us cannot be known until we try it out.

One fine day close to the end of February, Dan called to ask me to accompany him to see the house.

I finished my teaching session this morning. The students have a week for exam prep so I am free for a few days. Will you come?

Of course, I agreed. I will admit that Dan was increasingly occupying a part of my mind and my emotions.

It was time to settle our future.

We drove from Exeter, skirting the edge of Dartmoor, heading toward Newton Abbot and then south following the River Dart.

There was a good feeling of freedom. We were both leaving responsibilities behind for a while and looking forward to a new start.

I relaxed and let Dan drive. The countryside was green and varied and I looked out of the window eagerly waiting for my first sight of our possible new home.

I did not notice any buildings nearby when Dan pulled over to the grass verge and stopped the car.

Justine, I want you to see the house for yourself without any undue influence from me. Follow that track and take your time. I will be waiting for you.

I thought this was a great introduction. Making my own decision without his influence was the best way for me. I blew him a kiss and did as he suggested.

The track was narrow. Stones jutted out here and there. I was obliged to watch my feet for several minutes. When I raised my gaze again, I had gone some distance from the main road and reached a knoll on which a house sat, facing me. The windows were lit by the western sun and impenetrable to my gaze.

The house faded into its green and woody surroundings. It was much like a Canadian log home at first glance, but instead of sturdy logs, the exterior was made of brown bricks and topped by a steep slate roof covered in moss.

I immediately questioned Dan’s choice. This place looked old, like a settler’s cottage set into the hillside.

I had to admit it reminded me of the location of Journey’s End but without the grand sea view or the two storeys that it had contained.

Surely, Dan had oversold his three-bedroom house? I could not see that kind of space in this building.

I almost turned back and retraced my steps but I was reluctant to present a negative opinion and disappoint him.

I decided to look closer.

I am glad I did.