Miss Demeanor: The Case of the Crooked Cat

By Ed N. White and Celia J

Someone is napping the community cats and holding them for ransom. Only a week after her harrowing escape from the woman with the long blonde hair and her accomplice, the scary tattooed man, Celia is investigating another crime along with Detective Lieutenant Beth.She gains her first clue from the lovable old Sally McNally, a former NASA scientist with well-meaning but often confused moments.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Histria Kids
• Release date: Oct 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781592112180

Book preview

cover-image, Miss Demeanor – The Case of the Crooked Cat

Miss Demeanor

The Case of the Crooked Cat

Celia J.

Teen Girl Detective

Miss Demeanor

The Case of the Crooked Cat

Created by Ed N. White



Picture 1

Histria Kids

Las Vegas ◊ Chicago ◊ Palm Beach

Published in the United States of America by

Histria Books, a division of Histria LLC

7181 N. Hualapai Way, Ste. 130-86

Las Vegas, NV 89166 USA

HistriaBooks.com

Histria Kids is an imprint of Histria Books. Titles published under the imprints of Histria Books are distributed worldwide.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the Publisher.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022937276

ISBN 978-1-59211-168-8 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-59211-218-0 (eBook)

Copyright © 2022 by Ed N. White

Contents

Chapter One How it Began

Chapter Two Sally McNally

Chapter Three Beth and the Precinct

Chapter Four Jacky the Dip

Chapter Five More Beth

Chapter Six She’s Walking, Yes, Indeed

Chapter Seven The Pied Piper of…

Chapter Eight Marcel the Monster

Chapter Nine Solid Gold Evidence

Chapter Ten Cranberry Juice and Catnapping

Chapter Eleven The Drop

Chapter Twelve Case Solved

Chapter Thirteen Home Again

Chapter Fourteen The Championship in Many Ways

Chapter One

How it Began

WKKP Breaking News: The person known as The Cat Napper has done it again. For the fourth time in as many weeks, a local cat has been catnapped and held for ransom. Owners have reported this to police only after meeting the ransom demands, and their cats are returned. Police urge anyone with knowledge of these crimes to come forward with any information they may have. Now on a lighter note…

The postcard came in the mail to me, Celia, this morning, advising that my annual check-up was due on the fifteenth. It wasn’t really for me. It was for Mr. Whiskers, my cat. Each year, he gets a check-up and his shots to keep him healthy. I don’t particularly like shots, but he doesn’t seem to mind. I’ll tell him about this after lunch. Right now, I’m putting the finishing touches on my new business cards. I struggled for a while with a name for my detective agency, cooking up some doozies like Whiz Bang Detective Agency and Fabulous Bigtime Investigations (FBI). In the end, I settled on:

CELIA J.

PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

I also added my email address, but my dad said he didn’t want me to put my phone number on it. He said to keep that private and only give it out to any clients I got. Good thinking, Dad. There are a lot of creeps out there in the world.

I called Emerson Animal Hospital to get an appointment. Then, I called my dad to see if that worked for him because he’ll have to drive us there. I tried to get Mr. Whiskers to ride in a basket on the front of my bike, but he was having none of that. I’ll be so glad when I’m old enough to drive a car, not only to take the cat to the vet but to solve crimes outside my community.

On the day of our appointment, Dad dropped us off and told me to call him when we finished, and he would come back for us. He’s a busy man, owning a machine shop with a dozen employees.

I carried Whiskers into the office in a soft-sided carrier, placed him on the bench in the waiting room, and went to the reception desk.

Hi, Celia, nice to see you and Mr. Whiskers again. Cathy greeted us from her desk sitting there in her wheelchair, decorated with two small American flags sticking up from the seatback. It will soon be the Fourth of July holiday.

Hi, Cathy, nice to see you also. Whiskers feels the same, but he’s not talking today. We both laughed at that. Then I asked, Would it be alright if I put one of my business cards on the bulletin board?

Sure, what business are you in?

I’m a private investigator, a CSI Junior Tech level one. I’m taking Forensic II next week to improve my skills, and I’ll be working with Detective Lieutenant Beth Frankel again. We broke the case against Lynette Duhamel and Jerry the Moke. Maybe you read about that in the paper.

I did, Celia, and I was very impressed by the coverage. It seems like you were a great help to the police. It didn’t give your name, I guess, because you’re a minor, but I knew who they were referring to.

Thank you, here’s one of my cards for yourself.

She looked at it and nodded, then said, Very impressive. Good luck with your work.

I said, Thank you, Cathy, then tacked a card to the bulletin board and sat with Whiskers to wait for the doctor.

I was watching the wall-mounted TV tell me about the catnapping when Dr. Bridget Emerson opened the exam room door.

I carried Whiskers into the exam room. Dr. Bridget was another one of those women who, like Detective Beth, are my heroes. They can’t replace my mother, but since she died, I’ve looked to people like them and included them in my imaginary family, helping me with my grief. At the end of my first case, The Case of the Long Blonde Hair, when Beth brought back my father’s check and my phone, which was stolen when I was kidnapped, she and Dad hit it off very well. They haven’t had a date since then, but they’ve talked on the phone twice that I recall. I keep hoping.

Well, hi, Celia and Mr. Whiskers. Dr. Bridget took the carrier and placed it on the shiny exam table, unzipping it as she smiled at me.

Hi, Doctor Bridget.

She took out the cat and laid him down, keeping a soft hand on his back. What have you been up to lately, Celia? She put the stethoscope in her ears and placed the metal end on Whiskers.

I helped solve a crime and worked with the police, and I’m going to Forensic II camp starting Monday.

Dr. Bridget started examining Whiskers’ ears. Yes, I heard about that. That’s very exciting. Congratulations.

Thank you, I’m looking for another case to work on.

Dr. Bridget was cleaning Whiskers’ ears with a Q-tip she had dipped in a solution. You know, there is something that may be of interest to you.

I jumped at that, Really!

Yes, a friend of mine had her cat stolen and paid a ransom for his return.

I was immediately on to this. I just saw that on the TV. Wow! That sounds like something I can investigate.

When we’re finished here, ask Cathy to give you the address and phone number of Sally McNally, and if you call her, tell her I referred you to her. She may be able to help you. I know she’s talked to the police, but maybe a second set of eyes and ears might help solve these crimes. It’s a terrible thing." Dr. Bridget was preparing to give Whiskers his shots. My thoughts were already logging in on case 003.

When Dad dropped us off at