Megan's Legacy

Megan's Legacy by Deidre Dalton is Book #8 in the Collective Obsessions Saga.

Megan Larkin falls for dashing Boston attorney Luke Castaneda, a newcomer to Larkin City. Locals try to warn Luke about Megan's family, their history of madness and tragedy, but he is determined to make her his wife. Other elements are at work to ensure the union never takes place, bringing another veil of evil over the Larkin's and their self-named city in the guise of a serial killer. Megan is forced to discover the truth and to set herself free from a legacy of family secrets and obsessions.

From Chapter Seven

February 2005

Larkin City, Maine

MEGAN ARRIVED AT HER office early Monday morning. The cold winds from Friday blustered in a steady downpour of rain over the weekend, and it continued coming in droves.

She made a dash from her Acura to the doorway of the office, pausing to shake her umbrella and prop it upside down against the building. She was just about to enter when she heard a soft mewling sound. She glanced around her, trying to find the source of the noise. It sounded like a cat in distress, so she was driven to help it.

The fenced area in front of the office building featured a rock garden. Small, white-painted pebbles surrounded an eastern black oak tree contained in a red-brick planter. Megan stepped toward the enclosure, braving the rain without her umbrella.

An old laundry basket was lying atop the rocks, the outer edges pushed down into the white stones. She spied a kitten through the squared-hole design of the laundry basket, its mouth opening and closing with cries, staring at her frantically. Someone obviously placed the kitten under the basket, trapping it against the rocks, and now it was miserably wet and bedraggled.

Megan nimbly climbed over the short fence. She lifted the laundry basket, freeing the kitten from its cruel prison. It began to dart off, so Megan called out: "Here kitty, kitty." The tiny feline stopped short, looking at her cautiously. "Here kitty," she repeated. The cat hesitated, so Megan used the opportunity to scoop the animal into her arms. Then she hopped the fence again and ran for the office building.

Kerry Matheson met her at the door. "You look like a wet rat," she declared. "What have you got there in your arms?"

A few minutes later Megan entered her office and sat on the daybed, where she put the kitten on the red comforter spread across the surface. She tried to take a closer look at the animal. On first inspection, it seemed healthy enough, although a bit on the thin side. The cat had startling blue eyes with white-gray markings on its fur. Small in stature akin to a runt, the kitten also had a gray-and-white striped tail. All four paws were white, worn like a pair of tiny boots.

"She looks part Siamese," Kerry observed. "Her coloring is beautiful."

Megan explained how she found the kitten, and then said: "I don't know if it's a boy or a girl." She picked up the cat, lifting it in the air to look at her underbelly. The animal hissed at her with all its diminutive might, so Megan set it down again. Almost at once, the kitten crawled onto her lap and began to purr.

"Well, what's the verdict?" Kerry asked.

"It's a girl," Megan answered, stroking the kitten on top of the head.

"What are you going to do with her?"

"I'm not sure. She's adorable, isn't she? What kind of person would leave her trapped under a laundry basket like that? I doubt anyone is looking for her." She reached for her purse, and drew out her wallet. "I know this isn't in your job description, but can you go to the store and get me a few things?"

"Sure," Kerry replied with a smile. "What do you need?"

"Some kitten food - dry and canned - along with a bag of kitty litter and a litter box. Oh, and don't forget two bowls - one for food, one for water." She handed Kerry a fifty dollar bill. "That should cover it. If there's any left over, buy some cat treats and maybe a few mousy toys."

"You're keeping her, aren't you?" Kerry asked, amused yet touched by her employer's concern for the abandoned animal.

Megan sighed, but there was a wry smile on her face. "It looks that way, doesn't it? She's so sweet - feisty, but sweet. It infuriates me that someone just dumped her off like that." She glanced down at the cat, which by now had curled into a ball on her lap, eyes sleepy. "I don't know . . . I just feel compelled to give her safety and security. I'll bet her young life has been spent at the harbor, scrounging and fighting for food and shelter." She shook her head, gazing at the kitten with warm eyes. "Something about her tugs at my heartstrings."

Kerry went to the doorway of the office, where she took her purse from a peg on the wall. "I'll be back as quick as I can with the kitty goodies."

"Thank you, Kerry. I'm going to call Jamie and see if he'll examine the kitten for me. I want to make sure she's healthy."

As soon as Kerry left, Megan lifted the feline from her lap gently. She stood up and set the kitten back on the daybed, where it stretched out its paw to her and then closed her eyes.

Megan felt tears well in her eyes. The poor little runt may have started life fending for herself on the harbor, but she was determined her new-found kitten would never want for anything again.

"HER BELLY FEELS A bit wormy," Jamie told Megan later that day after he examined the kitten. "But I have medicine for that."

"She's okay otherwise?"

"Yes. She's very healthy, although a bit underfed." He grinned. "I'm sure you'll remedy that right quick."

"Can you tell how old she is?"

"I'd say roughly three or four months," Jamie replied.

They were standing in one of the exam rooms at the Animal Medical Clinic. The cat was on the steel table, none too happy about being poked and prodded. She glared at Jamie, her eyes darkening as she let out a wide-mouthed hiss. Her tail puffed in warning, slightly twitching at the tip.

Jamie and Megan looked at each other and laughed. The kitten seemed almost certain she was intimidating the two humans in her presence, which made the situation even more comical.

Jamie gently scratched the feline behind the ears. "Scary times, little one." He withdrew a small plastic syringe, sans needle, from the pocket of his white jacket. "I'm going to administer a liquid dose of Drontal, which should get to work on her tummy worms. Come back in a few days and I'll give her a second dose, and that should fix the problem. Then we can arrange for her vaccinations."

Megan watched as Jamie held the cat's head and opened her mouth. He squirted the pink-colored de-wormer between her clenched teeth. When he released her, she shook her head and began washing her face.

"What are you going to name her?" Jamie asked as he disposed of the syringe in a lined wastebasket against the wall.

"I've been thinking about it all day," Megan confessed. "I watched her sleep on the daybed in my office for awhile, and then tried to keep her out of mischief as she darted all over the room. She chewed the hell out of one of Kerry's ink pens, and then had the nerve to look indignant when I pointed my finger at her and said 'No!' I gathered very quickly she doesn't like being told no. She glared at me with her ears back, and then stood her ground with defiance."

"Cute," Jamie responded. "So what are you calling her?"

"Right, I was getting to that. Late this afternoon I caught myself calling her Kiki, which sort of sounds like kitty when you say it fast, doesn't it? She looked at me every time I said Kiki, so I think the name fits. Kiki it is."

"Kee-kee," Jamie sounded it out. He glanced at the kitten. "Suits her to a tee."

Megan gathered the kitten in her arms. "Maybe once she gets settled, I'll bring Kiki over to the A-frame cottage to meet Foofer, Guido and Geena."

Jamie snorted. "I envision a brutal world war in my near future."

Megan kissed Jamie on the cheek. "Thanks, cuz. See you later?"

"You can be sure of it."

THAT EVENING, KIKI WAS the center of attention during cocktail hour at the mansion. Megan affixed a new collar to the kitten's neck - colored blue with white paw prints and a tinkling bell - allowing the feline to sit on her lap as she enjoyed drinks with her family before dinner.

"Has Luke met your little bundle of joy yet?" Liam asked his daughter with a smirk. "Funny, he doesn't strike me as a lover of cats."

Megan made a face at her father. "Luke's been in Ellsworth most of the day, meeting with prospective clients. I'll tell him about Kiki tomorrow."

"I just love her eyes," Shannon commented from the divan. "They're such a beautiful blue. Kiki was very lucky you found her, Megan. Think of the fun she'll have exploring the mansion."

After dinner, Megan went to her rooms on the fourth floor. Kiki seemed to prefer the relative privacy, inspecting her litter box in the bathroom, and then sampling from her dry food and water bowls set out on the long counter space. She walked around the two rooms, sniffing, staring and generally giving her seal of approval to her new home.

Megan changed into her pajamas, top and bottom, which were dotted with cartoon depictions of bunnies. She crawled into bed, pulling the covers around her waist. After a few minutes, Kiki leapt up and found her. She began kneading the coverlet, staring at Megan with sleepy eyes.

"You're safe for life, Keekster," Megan whispered with a smile. Kiki curled up next to her, making sure their bodies touched thorough the blanket.

Megan was just about to doze off when the telephone on her nightstand table rang shrilly.

It was Luke. "Where are you?" she asked groggily.

"I'm on my way back from Ellsworth," he told her over his cell phone.

"How did your meetings go?"

"Very well," Luke replied. "I think I've found a few potential clients. What about you? Do you feel like joining me for a drink at the Amber Whale?"

"Oh Luke," she said, dismayed. "I just got into bed with Kiki."

There was silence on the other end of the telephone for several seconds. "Who the hell is Kiki?" Luke finally asked, obviously irritated.

Megan couldn't help but laugh. "Kiki is my new kitten. I found her abandoned near the harbor today. She's so cute, so adorable . . ." She paused. "You're not allergic to cats, are you?"

"No," he said dryly. "Not that I know of, anyway. I take it Kiki has the pleasure of sleeping with you while I'm headed home to my lonely bed. What do I have to do? Grow whiskers? Grow a tail?"

She giggled. "You're such a tease."

"Uh, no, I think you lay claim to that title."

"I'm taking Kiki to the office with me tomorrow," she informed him. "Why don't you pick me up for lunch so you can meet her?"

"Is that my consolation prize for being forced to sleep alone?" he groused.

"Take it or leave it, buster."

"Ah, I'll take it. On that note, pleasant dreams to you and Kiki."

"Good night, Luke."

"Nighty-night, Meggie."