Claws of Action

by Linda Reilly

  “I know. You’re right.” He let out a sigh. “Jenny’ll be okay eventually. She’s going back to work on Monday. Mom left a decent-sized estate, so I want to take her to Paris once this nightmare is over. Jenny’s always dreamed of traveling there.”

  “That sounds…lovely.” Lara felt her throat tightening again. “Where does Jenny work?”

  Tim picked at a scab on his knuckle. “At the fitness center on the Moultonborough line. She’s kind of a Jill-of-all-trades, I guess you’d say. Mostly she manages the check-in desk.”

  Does she also work out? Lara wished she could ask. Could she have strangled a grown woman?

  No way could she pose those questions, though. Instead, she switched gears. “Tim, why did your mom love crows so much?”

  He laughed. “Ah, I love this question. Crows are such clever birds. They have incredible memories. Did you know they can find food they hid six months earlier? That they can remember the exact location?”

  “No, I didn’t,” Lara said.

  “They’ll even wait until they’re sure no other crows are watching before they’ll remove the food. They’re also adept at using tools to get food. Crows will actually fashion a twig into a hook to extract insect larvae from trees.”

  Lara shuddered slightly in the frigid room. Tim must have set the AC on North Pole. “Amazing.”

  “Mom studied crows from the time she was young. Something about them gave her comfort during those lonely years growing up.” Tim looked animated now. “Did you know she and her bird-loving buds called themselves the ‘old crows’?”

  A murder of crows…

  “Actually, yes,” Lara said with a grin. “I met them at the memorial service.”

  “They’re quite the characters,” Tim said. “Before my dad died, one of them, Letitia, used to flirt shamelessly with him. He was having none of it, though. He only had eyes for Mom.”

  “Did your mom know about it?”

  “Oh, yeah. It was a big joke between them. No hard feelings on either side.”

  That surprised Lara. She’d have expected Evonda to be furious at her friend for making overtures toward her husband.

  She pulled her phone from her pocket and checked the time. “Gosh, Tim, I’ve been bending your ear half the morning,” she exaggerated. “I’d better get going.”

  Tim rose and walked her to the door. “Hey, Lara, before you go, would you mind if we exchanged cell numbers? That way, if I hear anything about an arrest, I can text you right away. And you…well, you can let me know if you hear anything, too.”

  “Um, sure,” Lara said after a slight hesitation. No harm could come from him having her number, right?

  They exchanged numbers, and then Tim’s face reddened. “Lara, I have to confess something. After all this stuff happened with Mom, I’m afraid I couldn’t resist Googling you. I read about how you helped the police in the past.”

  Oh, no. Not again.

  “I didn’t really help, Tim. You know that old saying, wrong place, wrong time? That’s kind of how all that stuff happened.” Plus, I had a guardian cat dropping clues along the way. A cat who saved my skin more than once.

  “Well, anyway,” he said, sticking out his hand, “I’m glad you came inside. I shared these things because I didn’t want you thinking my mom was a monster.”

  Lara pumped his hand, which felt like a block of ice. “I understand,” she said. And I feel horrible for the things I said about her.

  She bade Tim goodbye and nearly ran to her car. The sudden blast of heat outside felt like blessed relief.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Lara was almost at the turnoff to High Cliff Road when she spotted a dark-colored sedan in her rearview mirror. Although her mind had been flitting in all directions, she sensed the car had been following her, a bit too closely, for at least the last few miles.

  A coincidence, that was all, she told herself. This was a major road, heavily traveled, especially on a Saturday in the summer. She adjusted her sunglasses, then sent a furtive glance at her mirror. Between the angle of the sun and the tinted windows of the sedan, she couldn’t tell if the driver was a man or a woman.

  Lara kept driving, careful to stay just below the speed limit. She was almost home when the sedan escalated. It moved up swiftly until it was only inches from her rear bumper. Lara’s pulse spiked. She no longer had any doubt—someone was trying to annoy her. Or scare her.

  She tried once more to get a glimpse of the driver, but at that moment the sedan’s high beams flashed on. Lara made a sharp turn onto High Cliff Road, leaving the sedan to peel away with a squeal of tires.

  Her heart pounded all the way up the driveway. She’d just opened her car door when her cell pinged with a text. She dug it out of her pocket and opened it.

  Lara, thank you for putting up with my sad tales today. It was good to have someone to talk to. Hope I didn’t sound too gloomy. Tim.

  Wow. That was a surprise. It made her feel even sorrier for Tim.

  He’d hadn’t sounded gloomy, not really. He was in mourning. Lara understood that. After her dad died, Lara had been devastated for months afterward. She didn’t think she’d ever get past it.

  Tim’s story about his mom and the white kitten had been heart-wrenching for sure. She understood, though, why he needed to tell it. Why he needed her to understand.

  She debated whether or not to text him back but decided against it. Later, if she remembered, she’d flick him a quick response.

  Munster greeted her at the door, meowing as if to chide her for being gone too long and jeopardizing his midday snack. She lifted him into her arms and hugged him to her chest.

  Aunt Fran came out of the large parlor. “Lara, you look flushed. Is something wrong?”

  Lara shook her head. “No, nothing. I’m fine. It’s just really hot out.” She grabbed a napkin from the holder on the counter and blotted the perspiration from her face.

  “Are you sure that’s all?”

  Lara dropped onto a chair at the table. Once again, she didn’t want to worry her aunt, but she didn’t want to lie. She attempted to calm her nerves by taking several deep breaths.

  “I went to the farm stand to get the veggies for tonight,” she said, setting Munster in her lap, “and I ended up driving down the street where Evonda lived.”

  Aunt Fran sat down opposite her. “Go on,” she said, as if she were back in her school-teaching days, urging a student to confess.

  Lara related all the details of her visit with Tim, including the strangeness of Evonda’s avian-themed décor.

  “That story about the kitten breaks my heart,” Aunt Fran said. “But it explains a lot, doesn’t it?”

  Lara nodded, a lump blossoming in her throat. “I said terrible things about her, Aunt Fran. I feel like such an awful person. What gave me the right? I didn’t even know her!”

  “You were reacting to her treatment of us, Lara,” her aunt said sagely. “Perfectly understandable. We’re all human. We get angry sometimes. That’s the way it is.”

  Like the way you’re mad at the chief?

  Lara decided to skip the part about the sedan that had followed her home. For starters, she might have imagined it. Second, it might have been just an impatient driver who thought she’d been driving too slowly.

  Aunt Fran leaned back to allow Dolce to leap into her lap. “Lara, I’m getting concerned,” she said, her tone soft. “You’re not out there, how shall I say this, asking too many questions, are you?”

  Oh God, was she? Was she doing all the things that had gotten her into trouble in the past?

  “I don’t think so. It was a total coincidence that I spotted Loudon Street. I remembered the chief saying that was where Evonda lived. When I saw that crow on the door, I knew it had to be her house. I pulled over just to have a peek. I didn’t expect Tim to come trotting out and
lasso me in the way he did.” She tried giving up a casual laugh, but it fell flat. Aunt Fran remained stone-faced.

  “But why did you choose that particular farm stand?” her aunt said. “There’s a closer one near the school.”

  “Honestly, I don’t know.” Lara groaned. “Oh, God, do you think my subconscious led me there?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m getting very worried.” Aunt Fran rested a hand on Dolce’s soft fur. “Lara, has…she visited you lately?”

  Lara stared at her aunt. “She? You mean Blue? I…no, not since the day we were sitting here with Kayla. That was the last time I saw her.”

  Her aunt looked perplexed. “I was so hoping…”

  Lara smiled. “It’s not a magic trick, Aunt Fran. It’s still a mystery that I can see her at all. We have to remember that. And believe me, there’ve been many times when I’ve doubted my sanity.”

  “All right. No more questions. You said you bought veggies. Where are they?”

  “Ach. I left them in the car. They’ll broil out there!”

  Lara set Munster on her chair and dashed out to the car. She returned with the bags and set them on the counter. “I’ll clean the corn before we head over to Gideon’s. In the meantime, I’m going to make strawberry shortcake fixings.”

  “Ooh, that’ll be a treat.” Her aunt came over and inspected the veggies. “Can I make the biscuits for you?”

  “That would be great. You wouldn’t mind?”

  “Not at all. Happy to do it.” Aunt Fran sidled over to Lara. “You’re sure it’ll be only the three of us tonight, right?” she asked, sounding a tad suspicious.

  “I’m sure,” Lara said, but then realized she wasn’t. Gideon hadn’t really made that clear. “I’ll call Gideon to make absolutely sure, okay?”

  Aunt Fran kissed her on the cheek. “I’d appreciate that. Oh, I almost forgot. Kayla came by while you were gone. She brought over another box of books, courtesy of her gram’s neighbor. It’s on the floor in the reading room.”

  “I’m happy about the books, but I’m sorry I missed her. She’s coming back later, right?”

  “I’m afraid not,” her aunt said with a look of concern. “One of her cousins is coming over with her new baby, and her grandmother insisted she hang around.”

  “Oh, well…that’s okay, I guess.”

  In truth, Lara was disappointed. Over the past year, she’d gotten quite accustomed to having Kayla around the shelter. She wasn’t only a part-time employee, she was also a good friend.

  Lara hated seeing the mental gymnastics her grandmother sometimes put her through. She knew Kayla’s gram loved her dearly and wanted only the best for her. But sometimes, in her zeal to maintain a close family unit, the woman failed to see her granddaughter’s feelings getting lost in the shuffle.

  Lara and her aunt threw together a quick lunch of watermelon slices and string cheese, washed down with minty iced tea. It was nearly one, the start of adoption hours.

  Lara went into the meet-and-greet room and closed the door behind her. She wanted to spruce up the room without help from any feline volunteers, well-intended though they might be.

  She began by wiping down the table, after which she set out a clean, cat-themed runner. She made sure the floor was spotless, and that the room smelled fresh. She finished by giving the windows a once-over with a few squirts of glass cleaner.

  Next, she outfitted Twinkles, Dolce, and Munster with their “adoption day” collars. As Aunt Fran’s original three cats, they wore the blue collars during adoption hours to signify that they weren’t available for placement.

  Glancing around the meet-and-greet room, Lara felt a swell of pride. This was their shelter—hers and Aunt Fran’s. They’d created it from a spark of an idea—a flash of ingenuity that grew into something bright and special and wonderful. With help from Gideon on the legal end, they’d transformed Aunt Fran’s Folk Victorian into a true feline refuge. A small one, yes, but still a shelter.

  In the beginning, Lara and her aunt had both wondered if the shelter would be taken seriously. Would anyone actually adopt a cat from them? Or would people think they were just two crazy cat ladies, collecting strays and hoping someone might take a few off their hands?

  Their concerns were short-lived. Over the past year and a half, and with Kayla’s help, they’d rescued and adopted out more than twenty cats and kittens. And while they couldn’t accommodate the number of cats a normal shelter could, the ones they’d taken in had each been given a fresh start in a loving home.

  The door that connected the back porch with the new reading room hung slightly open. A sudden pang ripped through Lara, so painful it almost stopped her breath. Pushing herself forward, she stepped over the threshold.

  The midday sun slanted through the windows, making the room even brighter and cozier than it already was. If it hadn’t been for Evonda’s murder, their closest friends would be there right now, celebrating the unveiling of the reading room. Despite the delays, and Charlie Backstrom’s quirks, the project had been a huge success.

  It killed Lara—metaphorically, of course—that they had been forced to cancel the weekend of events. Tomorrow, Sunday, would have been the first “read to a cat” day in the new addition. She’d had to call several people who’d already made appointments to give them the disappointing news.

  The box Kayla had delivered sat in the center of the room. Lara dropped to her haunches and opened the flap. Colorful children’s books were stacked neatly inside. They looked brand-new, as if the spines had never been cracked.

  As Lara riffled through them, the selection amazed her. One title in particular made her smile—Cary the Crow and the Hidden Spoon. Was this a sign from Evonda that it was all going to work out? That her killer would soon be behind bars?

  If only, Lara thought wryly. Evonda had wanted to shut down the shelter, not help them out.

  Lara pulled the crow book out of the box so she could read it later.

  It was exactly ten minutes past one when two smiling faces—a boy and a girl—peered through the glass-door pane. Behind them was a woman wearing cutoff jeans and an oversize gray T-shirt with a cat imprinted on the front. She waved and grinned at Lara.

  “Hey there. Welcome to the High Cliff Shelter!” Lara greeted, ushering them all inside.

  “I hope we’re not too early,” the woman said. She had a head full of unruly black curls and large, inquisitive eyes that made her look like a schoolgirl instead of a thirtysomething mom. “The twins, they’ve been bugging me all morning!” She placed a hand on each of their shoulders. “I’m Angie Duncan, by the way. These little monkeys are Archer and Anna.”

  The twins, who looked about five, had rust-colored hair, freckled faces, and mile-wide smiles. “Can we see your kittens?” Archer said eagerly. Lara assumed the boy was Archer.

  “Have a seat and I’ll tell you about the kittens. Can I get you some lemonade first?”

  Three heads nodded vigorously, and Lara returned with four glasses of pink lemonade. She decided to wait before offering any cookies.

  “We rescued a litter of four kittens a few days ago,” Lara explained, setting down their drinks. “Right now, though, they’re at the veterinarian’s clinic. They’re so young and tiny that they’re going to need extra care for a few more days. Then we’ll bring them back here, but it’s going to be at least a few more weeks before they can be adopted. Maybe even a little longer.”

  Two freckled faces fell simultaneously. “Do you have any other kittens?” Anna asked.

  “Not now, no. But we have a brother-sister pair of cats with great big paws who would love a great home.”

  “Do they have to go together?” Angie asked, looking dejected.

  “We’d like them to, yes,” Lara said. “They’ve never been apart, and they’re quite attached to each other.”

  Angie too
k a long sip from her glass. “Man, that’s delish,” she said, setting down her glass. “The kids really want a kitten anyway, so I guess it doesn’t matter.”

  Lara studied the woman. She needed to know much more about this family before offering any more suggestions. “Have you had cats in the past?” she asked.

  “Yup,” Archer piped in. “My grandma died last year, and we took in her old cat, Baby. Baby was nice, but she didn’t play much. She wanted to sleep all the time.”

  “Baby, um, passed,” Angie said quietly, making the sign of the cross. “The kids took it pretty hard.”

  “I’m sorry,” Lara said.

  A fluffy, cream-colored feline with stunning turquoise eyes suddenly leaped onto the table. Blue tucked herself between Archer and Anna, then gave Lara one of her trademark blinks.

  Are you telling me they’re okay?

  Blue blinked again, then rested her head on her paws.

  “How about this?” Lara said. “I can show you some pictures of the kittens. Next week, once we have them in the shelter, we’ll call you and you can come over to see them. We’ll have to keep them here until we know they’re ready for a new family, though.”

  The kids looked at their mom, glee dancing in their eyes.

  Angie bit her lip. “Okay, sure. That sounds good. The thing is, we’d like to get the new kitten settled into our household before school starts.”

  Lara did a quick calculation in her head. School wouldn’t start for over a month. “I think the timing will work for you,” she said. “Meanwhile, I’ll give you an application and one of our adoption packets. There’s even a printout full of tips on bringing a kitten into a home with younger children.”

  “Thanks, that’d be great,” Angie said, winking at the twins. “We can be patient for a few more weeks, right?”

  Archer and Anna nodded vigorously. “Yup!” they chirped in unison. “We wanna see the pictures!” Archer added.

  Blue had already vanished. For the next ten minutes, the kids squealed over photos of the kittens while they finished slurping down their lemonade. They bickered over which kitten to adopt, but in the end agreed on the black-and-white fluffball Kayla had named Aden. That might change, of course, once the twins saw the actual kittens.