by Lynn Cahoon
“I’m fine. Just thinking about siblings and secrets. Did you know Shauna had a brother?” Cat stroked the kitten, who started to purr, curled up in her lap. “I thought I knew everything about her.”
“She mentioned him to me once, I think. Some business guy?” He laughed at Cat’s shocked expression. “What? Can’t I know something about her that you don’t?”
“It’s just weird that it never came up.” She rubbed the kitten’s soft ear.
Seth leaned over and swiped up an orange kitten to his lap. “I was complaining about Todd.” When Cat’s eyes narrowed at the name, he laughed. “You have to remember my cousin. The kid came to stay with us every summer until I went away to the army.”
“I remember Todd. We couldn’t ditch him.” Cat smiled at the memories. “And he hated it when we went to the swimming hole. He said only rednecks swam outside manmade pools.”
“He was scared of the wildlife.” Seth shook his head. “Now, he’s a teacher in Illinois with three kids. He called the other day and wanted to know where he should take them for a ‘safe’ Colorado holiday. I guess they’re coming out west for a ski vacation in December.”
“Did you mention Little Ski Hill? It’s less than thirty minutes away. That resort would be awesome for kids, especially if they haven’t skied before.”
“I’m not sure I want them that close to town. I was thinking of suggesting Vail or Breckenridge. That way he can overspend for the week and be with people he considers his equals.” Seth got the kitten swatting at his hand. “Sometimes family can be a headache.”
Cat watched the now sleeping kitten on her lap. “I went over to Tyler and Jessica’s with a pie. He’s really broken up.”
“How’s your friend?” Now the kitten Seth held was attacking any slight movement he made.
“She wasn’t home. But she had to have known about Finn when we talked earlier this morning, didn’t she?” Cat lightly stroked the kitten’s soft fur. If she didn’t watch out, they wouldn’t be getting rid of any of the litter as she would be too attached to all of them.
“Probably. Maybe seeing you helped her keep it together while she taught her class. It can’t be easy to get a substitute without some lead time.” Seth set the kitten down and picked up the full black one. The orange kitten wasn’t having any of it and climbed Seth’s jeans to get back up on his lap. Then he started slapping around the other kitten. Seth picked up the orange kitten and held him in the air in front of his face. “Okay, Ali, you’re the king of the hill.”
“He’s a fighter. He doesn’t want anyone to get the best of him. Shauna said she found him in with Snow a few days ago. The guy’s fearless.” Cat felt the buzz of a text message from her phone. She pulled it out of her jacket pocket. “Dinner’s ready. And we have a guest.”
“Let me guess, your uncle?” Seth sat both kittens down and stood, brushing the straw off his jeans.
“Give the man a stuffed animal.” The memory of their recent trip to the state fair burned her cheeks. The weekend had been good. Neither she nor Seth had talked about the business or Aspen Hills, or really, anything that could have started a fight. They’d been happy. She loved making good memories with him. “Come on, let’s go eat. Uncle Pete hasn’t been over since he got back from Alaska a few weeks ago. I’m getting a little nervous about the frequency of his visits with Shirley.”
“He’s a grown man. You can’t ground him to his room.” Seth held his hands out to pull her to her feet.
Cat sat the sleeping kitten on the ground where Ali the Great promptly attacked his sleeping sister and got a swat to the side of his face for waking her up. “That’s a good girl; make sure you always stand up for yourself.”
Seth chuckled. “You never had that problem. You were always sticking up for the others.”
Cat put her arm around him as they walked back to the house. “Sometimes we all need a little help.”
When they got to the house, a Charger with “Aspen Hills Police Department” painted on the side was sitting on the street in front of the house. “It’s a good thing people around here know Pete’s your uncle or they would have concerns about how often the police are here.”
“I’m sure Mrs. Rice keeps everyone informed of his visits even if he’s just coming for dinner, like tonight.” Mrs. Rice was Cat’s neighbor and the head of the unofficial community gossip chain. She was also vying to take over for Shauna as the cook for the retreat in case Cat needed a replacement. Cat prayed that day would never come. Especially since Mrs. Rice had called dibs on any job opening.
Seth opened the back door for her, and as she walked into the kitchen she saw Shauna and Uncle Pete already at the table. “Hey, sorry we’re late. The kittens didn’t want us to leave.”
“I haven’t fallen for a line that lame out of you since the two of you dated in high school.” Uncle Pete sipped on his coffee. “You need to develop a new set of excuses.”
“You caught us.” Seth crossed the room and shook Uncle Pete’s hand. “We missed you at the men’s group last week. Don wants to pull together a friendly poker game. You on board?”
“You’re asking a police officer to an illegal gambling party?” Cat went over to the sink and washed her hands. “I guess I’m not dating the smartest tool in the shed.”
Seth pressed his hands to his chest and stepped backward. “You’re killing me. Besides, didn’t you know that technically, gambling is legal in Aspen Hills?”
“You’re kidding, right?” Cat sat at the table and watched as Seth went to the sink. “That can’t be true.”
Uncle Pete nodded. “Actually, there’s an exception in the Colorado Constitution that allows social gambling. So I would not actually be arresting anyone at the poker game. At least, not if they let me win.”
“You’re always trying to play that old card, but you know it doesn’t work like that. It’s a game of chance and skill. Who you are in your normal life has no bearing on chance.” Seth sat at the table. “So can I tell Don you’re in for next Wednesday?”
Uncle Pete leaned back in his chair and pulled out his phone. “My calendar says I’m free, so unless this investigation heats up, I’ll be there. Too bad we lost one of our best members this week.”
Cat narrowed her eyes. “Wait, are you saying that Greyson Finn was part of your poker group?”
“When he could make it. He came probably every other month.” Seth shook his head. “Cat, I know that look. There is no way our friendly monthly game had anything to do with his death.”
Uncle Pete held up a hand. “Hold on, Seth. Cat might have a point.”
“The poker game isn’t even that serious—” Seth started, but Cat shook her head.
“All I’m saying is maybe it wasn’t just a friendly game to him. Why would he come all the way from Denver just for a card game?” Cat looked between Seth and Uncle Pete. Neither one of them had an answer; she could see it on their faces.
“Maybe your friendly game wasn’t his only outlet for gambling.” Shauna sat a pan of lasagna on the table next to the large salad and bowl of green beans. “Make sure you save room for pie.”
Chapter Eight
“Great,” Uncle Pete murmured as Shauna dished up lasagna on his plate. He took some green beans and passed the bowl. “I already have the governor calling me directly asking when I’m going to get off my butt and solve the murder of his favorite chef. Now I have to investigate the fair-haired boy’s gambling habits? Shirley’s offer is looking better and better.”
Cat studied her uncle as Seth pushed a bowl of salad in her hands. “I’m not sure which of those bombshells to attack first.”
“So, how is Shirley?” Shauna handed Cat a plate of lasagna. “Getting ready for the winter? It must get really cold up there in Alaska.”
“Shirley’s fine.” Uncle Pete shoveled salad onto his fork. “And I didn’t mean to spill the beans quite like that. You know we’ve been doing this long distance thing for a few months. Well, she and I talked abo
ut making it a little closer.”
“Like moving to Alaska?” Cat couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Uncle Pete was her only relative left in Aspen Hills since her parents had decided to make the snowbird thing permanent. “Are you crazy?”
“Now, Cat, ‘crazy’ is kind of a loaded word.” Seth handed her the ranch dressing.
She took the bottle and, distracted, poured way too much dressing onto her salad. “I think it’s crazy to give up a position like police chief and move out west like some pioneer in a covered wagon. Do they even have roads up there?”
Uncle Pete grinned. “Yes, they have roads. They even have a grocery store where we can get food so I won’t have to be hunting and fishing to survive.”
Cat grunted and decided that maybe eating would be more prudent than talking. She took a big bite of the pasta. This was one of her favorite dishes that Shauna made, and yet, today, it tasted like sawdust. She kept her head down and willed away the tears.
“Look, I haven’t made a decision. And you’re right. I have a career here that I typically enjoy. It’s just when I have everyone including the dog catcher second-guessing my investigations, it makes me a little wistful to chuck everything and live a simpler life. One where the mayor, Covington’s president, and the governor don’t have my number on speed dial.” He softened his voice. “I really didn’t mean to spring that on you this way. I’ve ruined dinner.”
“You haven’t ruined dinner. You’ve just proven we’re family as you feel comfortable sharing your thoughts with all of us.” Shauna patted his hand. “Now, let’s eat before this gets cold.”
Cat swallowed hard, trying to make sure her voice was steady. “I’m sorry I reacted badly. I would miss you horribly if you left me—I mean us.”
“Well, nothing’s set in stone. It’s just a pipe dream right now.” He smiled at her. “You wouldn’t get rid of me that easily. You know there are planes that fly between Colorado and Alaska too, right?”
Cat let her lips curve into a smile, but it felt like the knife was still in her heart. A buzzing rang in her ears through the rest of dinner. As soon as she finished eating, she stood and put her plate in the sink. “Sorry, I need to check on something.”
As she disappeared through the kitchen door she heard her uncle call out her name, but she pretended she hadn’t heard it. She needed to get away from people before she burst into tears. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t her life, and she had no right putting any guilt on Uncle Pete. But all that reasoning she’d tried to use during dinner hadn’t eased the pain she’d felt at the thought of losing her uncle to the wilds of Alaska.
On autopilot, she almost ran straight into Bren, who was on her way upstairs. “Oh, I’m sorry.” Cat looked around the empty foyer. “Are you all back from dinner already?”
Bren glanced down at the phone in her hand. “No, they’re still at the restaurant. I had to leave early. Something came up. An emergency at home.”
Cat grabbed her arm before Bren could dash upstairs. “Is everything all right?”
“I just told you I have a family emergency. I think that’s all I need to say.” Bren’s eyes went dark with anger.
Cat let go of Bren’s arm, feeling the heat of the glare. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, I’m sorry. I’m a little flustered. I need to go and make a call. Sorry I can’t stay and chat.” Bren started up the stairs and didn’t look back.
“If you’re sure you’re all right . . .” Cat called after her.
“Sorry. Got to go.” Bren sprinted up the stairs.
Cat had been going up to her office to hide but decided to make a left and head into Michael’s study. It didn’t matter how long he’d been dead, it would always be her ex-husband’s study. One of the drawbacks of living in a house where you’d spent time together. Except now, it didn’t make her feel sad for the lost years. Now, she felt grateful for the time they had spent together. She’d loved her life then. She loved her life now.
Maybe there was a lesson there she could apply to Uncle Pete and his sudden need to uproot his life. If she was honest with herself, it probably wasn’t his uprooting that bothered her. It was his unteth-ering to her. Which was a completely childish and selfish way to think.
She sank into the large leather desk chair and opened the laptop that she left in the study. Scanning her e-mails, she deleted most of them. She didn’t need to know about a sale at the Bed and Bath store. And she didn’t want to order a book or movie. Right now, she just wanted to do something totally mindless and let her subconscious work this out.
When Shauna came into the room, Cat was on level fifty of the game she’d found. She looked up from the laptop as Shauna closed the door. “Save the lecture. I know I was out of line tonight. I just can’t bear the thought of him moving so far away.”
“Pete’s worried about you. He had to leave because he had a call, but he made me promise to go find you.” Shauna sank into the lounging chair across from the desk. “I have to admit, I’m a little concerned too. I’ve never seen you that upset.”
“Uncle Pete has been my rock for, well, ever.” Cat closed the laptop. “He’s always been the North Star I knew I could find my way home by. If he’s not here, then what happens if I get lost?”
“You’re a strong, brave woman. You can light a flashlight.”
Cat shook her head. “I’m speaking metaphorically.”
“And you think I’m not?” Shauna picked up a book that was sitting on the end table and glanced at the title. “You have to know that your uncle isn’t what anchors you to Aspen Hills.”
“Then what is? My folks are living in Florida. Uncle Pete was the last relative I had living here.”
Shauna’s eyes twinkled. “Are you sure about that? I think the three of us make a great team. And once a month, we get reinforcements from the writers’ retreat. More people to get to know and care about. I’m surprised you can even lift your arms, we’re so tethered to this community.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way. I’ve always thought of Aspen Hills as home, but mostly because my family lived here. I guess home is more than just where you were born.” She watched her friend put down the book and stand to leave. “Where are you going?”
“My work here is done.” Shauna grinned as she paused at the door. “I’ve got a retreat to deal with and so do you, once you’re done with your pity party. The guests are back from dinner and in the living room.”
“Except Bren.”
Shauna frowned. “How did you . . .”
“She came in during my tantrum and basically flew up the stairs after telling me to stay out of her business. In a mostly nice way.” Cat put the laptop away in the desk and stood to follow Shauna out to the hallway. “Something’s going on with her. I’ve been sitting here trying not to think about her, but I have to say, I’m worried.”
“We can’t fix everything in someone’s life in a week.”
Cat nodded. “I know. But it’s hard to see someone who it appears is being bullied and not say something. Her friends are worried too. Maybe it would be easier coming from an outsider.”
“Walk that line carefully,” Shauna warned. “If she doesn’t want her fantasy shattered, she may not take kindly to you holding up a mirror.”
“That’s why I’m thinking about it and not up there in full-blown intervention mode.” Cat shook her head. “It was supposed to be easy. People come for a week. They write. We feed them breakfast and give them a room. And it’s done. No one said I’d become this involved with each and every person.”
“You can’t help it. You like people.” Shauna gave Cat a hug. “The flowers Linda sent this month are beautiful. There are good parts to the retreat too.”
“I love what we’re doing. It’s just . . .” Cat paused, not knowing exactly how to phrase what she felt.
“You didn’t realize you’d like the people so much,” Shauna provided.
Cat lingered before entering the foyer. “I was t
he same way with my students. I brought several home for dinner before Michael informed me that all of the students got room and board as part of their tuition. I thought if they were there on scholarship, they might need the meal.”
“You’ve got a kind heart.” Shauna nodded to the living room. “Now go play with your writer friends. I’m going to spend some time working on the cookbook now that the house is settled.”
“Thanks.” She turned back and faced Shauna. “I’ll call Uncle Pete in the morning and see if we can meet for coffee so I can apologize.”
Shauna smiled, a hand on the kitchen door. “He’ll appreciate that.”
Cat stopped at the sign-in desk in the foyer where the bouquet of roses from Linda sat. She leaned over and breathed in the sweet smell. Running the writing retreat was like teaching. Maybe she hadn’t left the job she loved. Maybe she had just changed the setting? She went to the dining room to grab water and a cookie, then headed into the living room.
“I still think drowning your victim takes too long. And they might escape and go to the police.” Colleen set her soda down on the coffee table. “Besides, it’s overdone.”
“If the killer stayed there to make sure the victim went under, then the deed is done,” Rick countered.
“Unless the victim is a long distance swimmer and is able to hold his or her breath longer than the average person. Then the killer gets caught before there’s even a death.” Anne sipped her coffee, then looked up at Cat’s shocked face. “Sorry, we didn’t hear you come in. We’re playing a round of Kill That Victim.”
“Oh . . .” Cat sat on the edge of the couch, not sure how to respond.
“We do this all the time at restaurants after critique group. One day an off-duty police officer stopped by our table and asked what we were talking about.” Colleen grinned as she relayed the memory. “He seemed relieved when we told him we were plotting our books.”
Anne giggled. “Then he asked us to keep it down.”
“No one asks my plotting group what we’re doing. Of course, our conversations probably sound more like gossip instead of plotting since I write YA.” Molly reached for a brownie off the plate in front of her. She looked at Cat, her eyes filled with expectant hope. “Do you have a plotting group?”
