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“Hello, there, you cutie pie,” she cooed. “This is why I love my job.”

A huge grin stretched across her face as she examined the patient.“Girl. About seven or eight weeks. Most likely a Maine Coon or Maine Coon mix.”

She placed a stethoscope against the kitten’s tiny chest. “Heartbeat is good, and from what I can see, she has no injuries.”

“So the blood wasn’t hers?” Nan asked, her hands clasped against her chest.

“No, but I still have four others to examine.”

I took the first kitten back, and Charles handed Dr. Lowe the second. This one was also deemed fit as a fiddle.

One by one, the doctor declared each baby—three girls and two boys—healthy and without injury.

“So then where did the blood come from?” Charles wanted to know.

Dr. Lowe shook her head.“Sorry, but I couldn’t say.”

“Are there many litters abandoned on people’s doorsteps around Glendale?” I pressed. I was glad the kittens passed their health check but felt uncomfortable leaving without any answers as to their origin.

“This would be the first I’ve come across it,” she responded, which didn’t mean much given how short a time she’d been working here. “Do you think it was a random drive-by or that someone meant to leave these kittens with you specifically?”

Charles answered for me.“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

“And not having much luck, unfortunately,” I added with a heavy sigh.

“Well, the important thing is that they’re safe now that they’re with you. If you need help finding them homes, we could put a flyer up in the office,” she suggested while jotting a note on her chart. “No charge for today’s visit. Good luck!”

Having been dismissed, we settled the kittens back in their carrier. I was still so confused by their sudden appearance. Could someone be sending me a threat? Is that why they’d been covered in blood? It may seem farfetched, but I’d had my life threatened before—so why not now? Why not with this?

“What should we do now?” I asked Charles.

But it was Nan who answered.“For whatever reason, these kittens found us. I say we provide them with a loving home and stop worrying about the rest.”

“Yes! Yes! Let’s do that!” Paisley yipped with excitement, then ran fast, tight circles around the office. Zoomies.

“Nan,” I growled. “These are things we should discussin private.”

She crimsoned under the scrutiny of my gaze but didn’t apologize for making the suggestion.

“Do you want to keep one?” I asked Charles.

“Jacques and Jillianne would never forgive me if I brought another animal home. You know that.” He was right. His two hairless cats weren’t exactly hospitable. They also spoke only in rhymes and riddles, which would, no doubt, drive any kitty we sent to live with them batty.

Thankfully, Nan and Paisley both remained quiet as we made our way out of the clinic. Was I a bad person for not wanting to add an army of cats into my daily life? I mean, who knew what kind of damage Octo-Cat could do to their psyches with the opportunity to raise them up from this young age? My side still hurt from where Octavius and all five kitties had climbed up my leg and torso. No, I definitely couldn’t handle this kind of havoc every single day.

Another thought popped into my mind and scared the living daylights out of me.What if the kittens wanted to help with the P.I. business? Dealing with one cat already took a great deal of both patience and delicacy, but six?

No, thank you. I’d sooner work as an underappreciated paralegal for the rest of my days.

“We’re not keeping them,” I sputtered a couple minutes later, my mind more than made up. “But we will make sure each of them finds the perfect home.”

Nan crossed her arms over her chest and pouted while Charles nodded his agreement.“We’ll find them great homes,” he said, lacing his fingers through mine.

I looked to Paisley who lay dejectedly on my lap.“I guess all puppies have to grow up some day. I just didn’t know it would come this soon for mine.”

I had to bite my tongue to keep from reminding her that she’d only known her “puppies” for less than an hour.

The clock was ticking fast. Now I needed to protect both the kittens and their dog mom. Nothing else mattered until we could find a way to give everyone a happy ending.

Chapter Twelve

Once we’d made it home again, Paisley tended to the kittens in the living room while Nan prepared lunch for the humans.

Charles and I ventured up to my work library to work on posting an ad for the kittens online and to design a flyer for the vet’s office. Despite Pringle’s earnest advice, we were offering them free to a good home—provided the would-be owner could provide a great veterinarian reference.

“I’m sorry our big day together got ruined,” I told Charles while navigating the same free graphics program I’d used to create a simplistic logo for the Pet Whisperer P.I. website.

Charles moved behind me and rubbed my shoulders while I worked and we chatted.“What are you talking about? This is great. A real memory in the making.”