More praise for the New York Times bestselling Cats and Curios Mysteries
“Written with verve and panache.”
—Carolyn Hart, New York Times bestselling author of the Death on Demand Mysteries
“Quirky characters, an enjoyable mystery with plenty of twists, and cats, too! A fun read.”
—Linda O. Johnston, author of the Pet Rescue Mysteries
“[A] wild, refreshing, over-the-top-of-Nob-Hill thriller.”
—The Best Reviews
“This exciting road trip goes from danger to humor and back as the adorable cats are brilliant tacticians who amusingly but cleverly maneuver the niece somewhat for treats but often to keep her safe. Fast-paced cozy readers who enjoy something different will relish the charming Cats and Curios Mysteries as Oscar’s niece continues her dangerous adventures into the weird, whimsical world of her late uncle.”
—Genre Go Round Reviews
“Whimsical . . . Contains a stunning clever twist . . . Cozy readers who enjoy something amusingly, satirically different will relish this.”
—Gumshoe Review
“Full of quirky, yet credibly described characters . . . Intriguing . . . Doubly fun for those familiar with this beautiful city . . . This is a PURR-fect treat for feline and mystery fans alike! Warning: Like cat treats, this series may prove to be addictive!”
—Fresh Fiction
“[A] neatly constructed mystery . . . Cat fanciers will find plenty to love in these personified felines . . . The setting is very well drawn, old town San Francisco is well detailed, neatly blending into the more modern city.”
—The Mystery Reader
“The female ‘Grisham of the cozies’ weaves an intricate mystery that will delight the most critical of fans, and cat lovers will not be disappointed . . . Four Paws UP!”
—Night Owl Reviews
Praise for New York Times bestselling author Rebecca M. Hale’s Mystery in the Islands Mysteries
AFOOT ON ST. CROIX
“Hale’s novels are elaborate puzzle pieces where plots at first seem scattered and unrelated, but ultimately weave together into one surprisingly unified storyline. Complex, funny, and with darker tones that share more elements with the black-comedy mysteries written by Tim Dorsey than any cozy, Afoot on St. Croix entertains with its many self-centered characters that are flawed, but . . . all too human.”
—Kings River Life Magazine
“Readers will be enchanted by the setting, intrigued by the characters, and amazed by the writing in this island cozy . . . A wonderful blend of the Caribbean in every chapter.”
—Debbie’s Book Bag
ADRIFT ON ST. JOHN
“Intriguing . . . Fans who want something different will enjoy being Adrift on St. John.”
—Genre Go Round Reviews
“[A] perfect story to escape into . . . Just when you think you have everything figured out, you don’t! Enjoy!!”
—Escape with Dollycas into a Good Book
“This was an easy-flowing, narrative tale that took a different path in its storytelling . . . An intriguing and adventurous jaunt on a tropical island.”
—The Cozy Chicks
Titles by Rebecca M. Hale
Cats and Curios Mysteries
HOW TO WASH A CAT
NINE LIVES LAST FOREVER
HOW TO MOON A CAT
HOW TO TAIL A CAT
HOW TO PAINT A CAT
HOW TO CATCH A CAT
Mysteries in the Islands
ADRIFT ON ST. JOHN
AFOOT ON ST. CROIX
AGROUND ON ST. THOMAS
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
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HOW TO CATCH A CAT
A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author
Copyright © 2015 by Rebecca M. Hale.
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eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-60096-2
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / March 2015
Cover illustration by Mary Ann Lasher.
Cover design by Diana Kolsky.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Version_1
This book is dedicated to our readers:
It’s been a pleasure to share our adventures with you.
—Rupert, Isabella, and Rebecca
Contents
Praise for Titles by Rebecca M. Hale
Titles by Rebecca M. Hale
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
On Board the San Carlos
Introduction
The Embarcadero
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
On Board the San Carlos
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Modern-Day San Francisco
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
On Board the San Carlos
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Modern-Day San Francisco
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Angel Island, near the Anchored San Carlos
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Modern-Day San Francisco
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
On Board the San Carlos
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Modern-Day San Francisco
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
On Board the San Carlos
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Cha
pter 58
Two Days Before the America’s Cup Regatta
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
On Board the San Carlos
Chapter 62
First Day of the America’s Cup Regatta
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Day Five of the America’s Cup
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
On Board the San Carlos
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Last Day of the America’s Cup
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
On Board the San Carlos
Chapter 79
On Board the San Carlos
Off the California Coast
August 1775
Introduction
The San Carlos had recently departed the Mexican port of San Blas on a mission to find the ocean entrance to a protected bay that a Spanish land exploration had stumbled upon a few years earlier.
The reported dimensions of the enormous cove didn’t match any of the geographic formations depicted on available maps. The San Carlos was searching for an opening that had been missed by several experienced explorers—a passage to a fabled bay many still doubted existed.
It was a journey into uncharted and frequently mischarted territory, undertaken at a time when the full breadth of the Pacific had yet to be appreciated. Most navigators thought East Asia lay almost adjacent to the North American continent and that only a narrow straight separated the two landmasses.
The path ahead lay fraught with danger and uncertainty—for both the boat’s human and feline passengers—but the San Carlos was destined to change the course of history.
The discovery of the Golden Gate entrance to the San Francisco Bay would forever alter the settlement and colonization of America’s West Coast.
—
FAR BELOW THE ship’s whipping sails, a pudgy white cat with orange-tipped ears and tail skidded across the wooden deck. Claws scrambling on the wet floorboards, Rupert chased after his prey, a green parrot with a bright red head and a yellow beak.
The boat dipped behind a swell, causing it to rock into a steep tilt, but Rupert continued his pursuit, smashing into buckets and crates as he barreled down the length of the deck.
He reached the bow and spun around, his fluffy tail swishing through the air. The bird pulled up into a holding pattern, and Rupert sensed he was about to be mocked with a flyby.
Not this time, Rupert thought with determination. Tensing his muscles, he crouched for an epic leap.
Sure enough, the bird dipped his wings and feinted toward the deck. Rupert launched into the air, his front feet wildly swatting, to no avail.
The parrot swooped upward, easily evading the cat’s swiping paws.
Rupert landed with a wheezing thump on the deck.
Cackling with delight, the parrot soared into the sky, his red head bobbing in and out of the sails. He landed on the rim of the crow’s nest and looked down toward the deck, smirking in triumph at another successful ruse.
Rupert regrouped for a second attempt. He hoisted himself onto the rigging of the ship’s forward sail and quickly climbed twenty feet up the main mast.
Intrigued, the bird fluttered off his perch. He flew a tight circle around the pole, taunting his adversary.
Wretched creature, Rupert thought as he wrapped one paw around the mast and clawed the air with the other.
After a few more dizzying circles, the parrot landed just out of reach, on a webbed netting that stretched beneath the nearest sail.
His frustration mounting, Rupert released the pole and wobbled onto the net.
This was exactly the response the parrot had hoped to elicit. He gripped his toes into the webbing and swung beneath it. For a few short seconds, he eyed the cat’s pudgy belly through the holes in the knotted ropes.
The target was too tempting to resist.
With a loud squawk, he bumped his head up through the netting and into the pillow of white fur.
Rupert jumped, startled and offended. He tumbled across the net, swatting at the feathered fiend who had so rudely poked him in the stomach. But in his zeal to catch the bird, he lost his footing and rolled off the webbing.
Luckily, the next lower sail broke his fall.
He bounced onto the top end of the canvas sheet and slid down its length. Flailing wildly, his chunky feet caught the sail’s hem as he slipped off the edge.
He dangled in this undignified position, swinging back and forth, until his person climbed a rope ladder and brought him down to safety.
“Oh, Rupert,” she said with a sigh, cuddling him in her arms. “What am I going to do with you?”
Twittering triumphantly, the parrot landed on the captain’s shoulder.
Chalk up another win for the bird.
—
A SECOND CAT with similar coloring but far sleeker physique sat on the deck near the captain’s feet. She watched Rupert’s antics with minimal interest. The game had played out countless times before.
Her brother never caught the bird. He wouldn’t know what to do with it if he did.
Cheeky parrot, Isabella thought.
But she resisted the urge to assist in her brother’s hunt.
Occasionally a stray pigeon or a passing gull made the mistake of roosting on her boat. Those feathered intruders met a quick end. Petey the Parrot, however, wasn’t meant for meals. The captain had made that quite clear.
Isabella sniffed derisively. The bird didn’t have enough meat on his bones to make him worth her effort—even if he hadn’t been declared off-limits.
She returned her attention to the boat’s helm and the watery path ahead. She couldn’t be distracted by such nonsense; there were far more important tasks on her agenda that afternoon.
It was her job to guide the San Carlos safely through the camouflaged entrance to the largest—and still unknown—bay on the Pacific’s West Coast.
The Embarcadero
Modern-Day San Francisco
Chapter 1
THE KNITTING NEEDLE NINJA
AN ELDERLY MAN with short rounded shoulders hobbled along San Francisco’s waterfront Embarcadero. His pace was stilted and slow, every other step paired with the thump of a wooden cane.
Red and white banners lined the route, part of an advertising campaign plastered across the city that promoted the America’s Cup sailboat regatta. The prestigious competition had reached its final day. After months of hoopla and weeks of racing, the two teams representing the United States and New Zealand were tied eight to eight. Whoever took the next race would secure enough points in the “best of seventeen” format to be crowned the champion.
San Franciscans filled the Embarcadero’s wide sidewalk, a stream of newly minted racing enthusiasts anticipating the day’s matchup. Even those who had been blasé about sailing at the start of the event now eagerly joined in the fun.
It was a typical summer morning on the bay—which meant the weather could be anything from sunny and bright to soupy and overcast. Often, a single day would showcase both extremes.
For the moment, the city’s shoreline enjoyed a clear sky, but the wind blowing in from the Pacific carried the sharp edge of a cooling front. The red peaks of the Golden Gate Bridge had begun to feather with fog.
Oscar looked out across the water and cracked a weary smile.
These were perfect conditions for the regatta’s finale—and, he thought as the smile disappeared—for tracking down a serial killer.
Unlike the rest of th
e pedestrians flocking to the America’s Cup pavilion, Oscar had little interest in the outcome of the pivotal last race.
He was on the trail of a cunning criminal, a woman known throughout the Bay Area as the Knitting Needle Ninja.
—
THE COLORFUL CROWDS on the Embarcadero walked at a much faster clip than the determined old man. Oscar’s weary eyes scanned each individual and group that strolled by, all the while knowing that the Ninja might pass within inches without his detection.
He gummed his dentures back and forth, reflecting on the Ninja’s bloody history—and her proficiency with disguise.
The Ninja’s crimes had first come to light earlier that year. Revelations that a mayoral intern had been murdered by the former mayor’s long-serving administrative assistant had rocked San Francisco’s City Hall.
The story had quickly captured the morbid fascination of the local news media, and it wasn’t long before an enterprising reporter came up with the alliterative nickname, the Knitting Needle Ninja. The moniker was a reference to the Ninja’s unique method of attack: a pair of knitting needles that had once been used as a weapon of self-defense on the rowdy streets of San Francisco’s Barbary Coast.