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again. Even in her darker fantasies Maybelle would merely tell Kat to get lost and hang up the phone, leaving both of them free to go on with their separate lives.
    Now, she had to account for the possibility that if she did find her mother, Chief Kenny might be waiting on the sidelines with a pair of handcuffs.
    “There are lots of reasons why somebody might find themselves in the type of situation where they needed to take money that wasn’t theirs,” Mrs. Polanski continued. “Some aren’t as terrible as they might seem.”
    Kat glanced at her. “What are you saying? You think my mother robbed that bank for honorable reasons?”
    Mrs. Polanski frowned. “I’m saying, don’t jump to conclusions. Nobody ever got anywhere good from making hasty assumptions.”
    A weight settled in Kat’s chest as she busied herself with strapping Shadow’s carrier in the back seat. As futile as she knew it was to speculate, she couldn’t shut off her brain so easily.
    When Kat emerged from the car, Mrs. Polanski pulled her in for another hug. “It was good seeing you. I do miss you, you know.”
    Kat returned the hug briefly before taking a step back. “I’ve missed you too.”
    Mrs. Polanski handed Kat the folder. “Next time, don’t wait so long between visits.”
    “Okay,” Kat replied, even though she knew Mrs. Polanski was just being polite.
    Still, the thought of never seeing another adult from her childhood was too sad to consider at the moment, even if that adult didn’t hold her mother in the best light.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    During the drive to the vet’s office, Kat couldn’t stop thinking about her visit with Helen and Mrs. Polanski. She kept turning back to the point in their conversation when Mrs. Polanski had talked about the stock market crash, unable to shake the notion that someone else had robbed that bank in the hopes of getting rich quick, first by taking money that wasn’t theirs, then by investing in an attempt to build an even bigger fortune.
    Kat sighed, silently acknowledging that her scenario might be a little far-fetched. After all, would someone commit a felony only to buy stocks? A bank robbery was more likely to be executed by someone who needed money, not someone who merely wanted more. Was she only brainstorming wild motives to better convince herself of her mother’s innocence?
    Shadow’s carrier shifted in the back seat, wrenching Kat’s thoughts back to the present. She stopped for a red light and twisted around, spying the cat’s dull, yellow eyes focused on her through the slats of his cage.
    “Hang in there,” Kat told him. “We’re going to get you all better, and then return you to Helen.”
    Shadow didn’t say anything. Kat hoped that meant he was content with this plan.
    The light turned green, and Kat continued up the street until she reached Cherry Hills Veterinary. She parked, extricated Shadow’s carrier with as little jostling as possible, and entered the office.
    Imogene Little was standing at the reception counter when Kat walked in. “Kat!” she greeted, waving so vigorously that her auburn ponytail danced.
    Kat smiled at her fellow Furry Friends Foster Families volunteer. “Hi, Imogene.”
    “What are you doing here?”
    “I was visiting with Helen Trotter, Jessie Polanski’s aunt, and she mentioned one of her cats hasn’t been feeling well.” Kat lifted up Shadow’s carrier. “She said she didn’t have any money for vet care so I offered 4F’s assistance.”
    “Oh, good. I hate to see an animal suffer because of financial reasons.”
    Kat set the carrier on one of the plastic lobby chairs. “What about you? What brings you here today?”
    Imogene poked her finger between the carrier slats to scratch the bridge of Shadow’s nose, prompting the feline to close his eyes and begin purring. “One of our foster cats is getting some stitches removed.”
    “Anything serious?”
    “No, just a few injuries from a fight he got into before we rescued him.