Kitty And The Tiger Treasure

Chapter

3

The gray cat flicked her tail crossly. “I’m the museum cat, and I won’t let anyone get away with stealing.” She glanced at Figaro and Pumpkin. “And you two should be ashamed of yourselves for helping her. No honest cat would do such a thing!”

Figaro’s sleek black-and-white fur bristled. “How dare you accuse us of being common thieves?”

“Hush, Figaro! It’s all right.” Kitty turned to the gray cat. “You don’t need to worry. We’re not here to steal anything. We only came to look at the Golden Tiger statue because we were so excited to see it. My name’s Kitty, and I have superpowers. These are my friends Pumpkin and Figaro.”

“Oh, yes, I’ve heard about you.” The gray cat studied Kitty’s cape and cat ears. Then she bowed her head. “My name’s Cleo. I’m sorry I jumped on you.”

“You should be very sorry!” Figaro scowled deeply. “Imagine landing on someone like that! It’s hardly civilized.”

“I got the wrong idea when I saw you sneaking along the window ledge,” said Cleo. “I hope I didn’t frighten you all.”

“Don’t worry—we’re fine!” Kitty told the cat. “I suppose we must have looked a bit suspicious.”

Figaro made a humph sound and turned away to clean his paws.

Pumpkin crept along the ledge to look at Cleo with curious eyes. “Do you really live here in the museum?”

“I sleep in an office at the back of the building,” explained Cleo. “It belongs to Stan, the night guard, but he’s fallen asleep in his chair again. So it’s up to me to keep the museum safe. There are a lot more precious things here now that the new exhibit has arrived.”

“It sounds like you should be the museum’s official guard,” Kitty told her.

Cleo rubbed her ear with her paw. “I’d love to be a real guard, but the humans don’t seem to notice how hard I work. I adore living here—it’s amazing! Would you like me to show you around?”

“Yes, please!” Kitty’s eyes shined. “And we’d love to look at the Golden Tiger.”

“It’s a very special statue,” said Cleo proudly. “It looks even better up close. I’ll take you inside—just make sure you don’t touch anything.”

“What’s that funny shadow over the Golden Tiger?” Pumpkin asked suddenly. “I can hardly see the statue anymore.”

Kitty peered through the window. Pumpkin was right. There was a shadow there . . . and it was moving!

“It looks so spooky!” squeaked Pumpkin. “It’s not the curse, is it?”

Kitty pressed her face close to the window. The shadow slipped around the side of the display cabinets and disappeared. Then something, or someone, cut the power to the lights. Suddenly the whole room plunged into darkness.

A tingle ran down Kitty’s back. “What’s going on? Cleo, something’s happening!”

Cleo darted over at once. Figaro stopped cleaning his paws and joined them.

The moon broke from behind a cloud, sending a shaft of light through the dome window. The shadow became clearer. It had a furry brown-and-white coat and long, floppy ears.

“That looks like a springer spaniel. What’s a dog doing in the museum?” gasped Kitty.

“An intruder!” Cleo’s fur stood on end. “And I was so busy talking that I didn’t even notice.”

The dog moved stealthily around the gallery until it stood right beside the Golden Tiger.

“Paws and whiskers!” exclaimed Figaro. “It’s heading straight for the statue.”

They watched in alarm as the dog leaned closer and reached out his paw. . . .

“STOP THIEF!” cried Cleo. “That doesn’t belong to you!”

The dog knocked the statue from its pedestal. The Golden Tiger rolled across the museum floor, its diamonds sparkling in the moonlight. The statue’s emerald eyes glowed like the eyes of a real tiger. Then the dog picked up the statue in his jaws and ran off into the shadows.

“He’s getting away!” squeaked Pumpkin. Kitty saw the desperate look on Cleo’s face. “Don’t worry! We’ll help you catch him.” She shimmied down the drainpipe to the ledge.

The she threw up the window and leaped inside. The museum was silent and still.

Cleo shook her head. “Stan must have forgotten to set the burglar alarm again!”

Kitty looked around and shivered. The last time she’d visited the museum, the whole place had been bright and noisy and full of people.

Now there was a shadowy shape in the corner, and moonlight glinted on something shiny. Kitty caught her breath. Then her eyes sharpened, and she saw a wax model of a soldier carrying a spear. She breathed slowly to calm her racing heart. The thief was somewhere in the building, and she was determined to catch him.

Cleo and Pumpkin tumbled into the room behind her. Figaro climbed in last, with a flick of his tail.

“Cleo, can you take us to the exhibit room?” said Kitty.

“This way!” Cleo led them up a grand marble staircase into a splendid gallery beneath the domed ceiling. Moonlight shined through the window above. All around them, the treasures of the exhibit were arranged in beautiful cases.

There were fans painted in delicate colors, ancient coins, and silver plates studded with rubies.

A spotlight shined down on the space where the Golden Tiger had been. Cleo paced around the empty pedestal, her tail swishing. “I should have noticed!” she muttered. “I should have been watching more carefully.”

Kitty’s heart sank. The best treasure of all was missing, and everyone in Hallam City would be disappointed. Worst of all, what if the statue really did grant wishes? If bad guys got hold of the Golden Tiger, they might wish for something terrible!

“Look—paw prints!” Pumpkin pointed at the prints leading away into the dark.

They followed the paw prints, but the trail ended at the stairway.

“I fear the trail has gone cold,” said Figaro. “This building is enormous. We have little hope of finding the scoundrel now.”

“Wait, listen!” Kitty focused with her super hearing. She picked up the sound of paws padding on the floor above. “He’s upstairs! We can still catch him.”

Her heart thumped as she rushed toward the staircase. The race to stop the thief was just beginning!