Meow for Murder Mysteries Boxed Set

by Addison Moore

I snatch up a few more chocolate chip cookies before darting out of the tent in hopes to find Shep, but instead, I see a couple traipsing over to a row of trees and I follow suit.

  It’s Lucas and Kiera joined at the hand, as he hastily draws her close underneath the low-lying branches of a bushy maple.

  My feet hustle me in that direction just about as quick as I can muster without dropping a single cookie. Their voices escalate into the night, but it’s so secluded over here I doubt they need to keep it down. I come upon the two of them just as Lucas grabs her by the shoulders.

  “Nobody needs to know,” he riots as he gives her a slight rattle.

  “Nobody tells me what to do,” she snips back. “I should have done this the very first night and saved myself the trouble.”

  My vision! I do an odd little hop and accidently trip over a root and stumble right into their midst.

  “Oh!” I cry as Lucas helps straighten me. “Sorry.” I wince at the two of them. “Cookie, anyone?” I hold out a few crumbled and melted, less than desirable looking sweet treats but neither of them moves an inch.

  “I’m sorry, Bowie,” Kiera pants. “But I’ll have to ask you to leave. Lucas and I were having a private conversation.”

  “Don’t bother.” Lucas grunts as he shoots Kiera with what amounts to a death ray. “I’m done for tonight.” He takes off in a fury, and the two of us watch as he heads for the exit.

  I bow my head a notch in an effort to hook Kiera’s gaze. “Is everything okay?”

  “No, everything is not okay.” She sinks her forehead into her hand a moment. “Nothing is ever okay.”

  A thought comes to me. “This is about Goober, isn’t it? You were on the verge of financial collapse up until very recently, weren’t you?”

  Her eyes round out and her blonde ringlets glow under the supervision of the pale moon.

  “How did you know?”

  “I do know,” I say. “And I also know that you came into half a million dollars via the Hathaway Foundation. Did that plug the hole? Or are you still bleeding financially?”

  “What?” she squawks as if I just sprouted another head. “The Hathaway Foundation never gave me a dime. Let’s just say I found my own way to curb the financial bleeding.” Her eyes flit in the direction Lucas just took off in. “One I very much regret.”

  “You mean you don’t have the money? The half a million from Wallace?”

  “What are you talking about? How would I get the money?”

  “Where did you get the money?” I suck in a quick breath. “Did you steal the serum?” My fingers ride to my lips as I glance in the direction Lucas took off in. “You and Lucas stole the serum? How did you get the key?”

  Kiera clams up. Her lips invert a moment, an admittance of guilt if ever there was one.

  “Oh my God, I’m right. Did Madeline give you the key?”

  She takes a full step back. “Madeline didn’t have the key. She didn’t need the key. She was Parker’s pet project and that wasn’t about to change.”

  “Parker said he kept the spare at his place,” I say mostly to myself. “You must have gone to his place and found the spare. You or Lucas.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Why would we go to his place?”

  “Where did you get the key?”

  “Look, we didn’t steal the key.” Her shoulders sag a moment. “I found it. Sophia and I went to Biogen for one of our last treatments and it was sitting there on his desk. I didn’t even know what it was until Sophia pointed it out.”

  “So you took it? Right in front of Sophia?” A silent laugh bucks through me. “That took some serious cookies.”

  She shakes her head. “We left. I went back for it.” She takes a step my way, her eyes narrowed over mine, seething with hate. “And before you go tattling it to that boyfriend of yours, I’m telling Parker myself. I never should have gone through with it. And not only do I regret it, I plan on paying him back.”

  “With what? Your company is on the financial cusp of ruin.”

  “Says who?”

  “Says Sophia—and Parker.”

  Her chest bounces with a laugh. “Why would I share my financial statements with Sophia? It’s just like her to start rumors. If Sophia is good at anything, she’s good at stirring the pot. She couldn’t stand the fact Parker was cheating on her, so she set the world on fire.”

  “Why would she care if Parker was cheating on her? She said something about the two of them having an open relationship.”

  “She wishes. Sophia would say and do anything to save face. The only one without money around here was Sophia. The rest of us are getting on our feet. She’s the one drowning in debt. And it’s just like her to try to pull the rest of us down with her.”

  She takes off in the same direction Lucas took off in.

  Kiera and Lucas stole the serum.

  The key was right there on Parker’s desk waiting for her—tempting her.

  Oh my God, it was a setup.

  I look back at the crowd fluttering around the grounds.

  And I think I know who set Kiera and Lucas up.

  And I just might know who killed Madeline Swanson, too.

  Chapter 16

  There is something satisfying when a picture you’ve been trying to make out slowly comes into focus, the puzzle you’ve been trying to finish is just about complete. But I’m still missing the final piece, and I have a feeling I know exactly who can sharpen that picture—who might just hold the final piece to this puzzle.

  The crescent moon hangs so low it almost looks as if you can sling a rope over the crook and swing on it.

  The rose garden at the Hathaway estate is a bit farther from the pond, isolated from the throngs of people here for Madeline Swanson’s farewell party, but you could still hear their revelry, their laughter echoing from a distance. And this is exactly where I find Sophia Hathaway sitting on the back of a stone lion with her red hair glowing like a flame.

  “Sophia?” I call out as she stands and turns my way.

  Her pale dress looks illuminated from the inside as the thin gold strap of her purse sits across her chest.

  “Bowie.” She takes a breath. “I wondered how long it would be before you came around once again.” She frowns my way as she takes a step forward. “Why is it that you’re so inquisitive, anyway?” Her expression hardens and there’s a dead look in her eyes that I don’t recognize from before.

  “I guess you know what I’m after.”

  Her brows hike a moment. “Money, I suppose? Why should you be different from anyone else? How much is it going to take? Five? Ten thousand?”

  “As tempting as that sounds, I’m not interested in money. I’m interested in the truth. Why did you lie?”

  Her head tips to the side just enough.

  “That’s right,” I say. “You lied so much you don’t know which half-truth I’m referring to.”

  Her ruby red lips part with amusement. “Why don’t you fill me in?”

  “You set that key out for Kiera to see.” I shake my head. “Of course. You were intent on setting her up. This was just a smaller part of the big picture. You didn’t have an open relationship with Parker. Everything you told me was a hand-fed lie.” I take a step toward her, and she grips the gold purse sitting at her waist as if I were about to mug her.

  “Yes, well”—her lips curl at the thought—“you were so easy to feed.”

  And there it is, an admission of guilt. At least as far as the lies are concerned. Now let’s see what else I can manage to wrangle out of her.

  “You killed Madeline, didn’t you?” I pant out the words and watch as the look of smug superiority vanishes from her face. “You did it and your motive was greed followed by revenge. Sharing Parker wasn’t something you wanted to do. Just like making your own way in this world isn’t something you wanted to do. Your father cut you off and left you desperate for money. I bet you found out that Madeline was siphoning funds for herself and you didn’t get a cut. Is t
hat right?”

  Her chest pulsates in and out as if she just ran a lap around all of Vermont.

  “So you decided to remove her,” I continue. “But why set it up to look as if Madeline gave Keira a half a million dollars? You can’t deny it. The time stamp was fudged. The software had a system to let everyone know that the transaction was backdated. You moved that money once you took over Madeline’s position. It was Kiera you wanted to pin all this on.” I don’t pose it as a question. I already know the answer.

  “Yes.” Her eyes close a moment. “I wanted Kiera to sink as much as I did Madeline. And I’ll make sure Kiera and her little cheesy empire crumble under the weight of my father’s attorneys. Stealing that much money is a felony offense.” An amused smile dances on her lips. “But don’t worry, Bowie. I’ll make sure I’m there for poor, darling Kiera. I plan on visiting her in prison and documenting it for all of her ardent followers.”

  “You really know how to frame someone.” A dull laugh pumps through me. “You had it all planned from every angle. There was not one friend you left out of the realm of suspicion. In fact, you pointed the finger at Madeline herself for stealing the serum. You said there was a breach of security at the Biogen lab, but Parker said that wasn’t true. He said it was an inside job. He mentioned he was the only one with the keys to the safe that housed the formula. He had no idea how Madeline could have gotten them. But you had access to anything of Parker’s. Including the keys to the youthful kingdom. Isn’t that right?”

  Sophia washes her gaze over me, and you can practically see the questions spinning in her mind.

  I take a breath. “You set it up to look as if Parker was so angry that he slipped the poison into Madeline’s drink that night. But Madeline didn’t steal the serum. Kiera found the key and took it. She and Lucas broke in and stole it. Kiera wanted the money, but Lucas wanted revenge on Parker for stealing Madeline.”

  “It still worked beautifully for me.” She pulls something from her purse, and not until it’s pointing in my direction do I see it for what it is, the barrel of a gun. “What better way to drag Lucas into this?” She motions to my hands and I slowly raise them. “If he hadn’t tripped on his own stupidity, there wouldn’t be such a cloud of suspicion over him. I have a heart for Lucas. I’m hoping to resume things with him once the air clears.”

  “You don’t have a heart for anyone,” I sputter out the words with a laugh. “You stole cyanide from Parker’s lab, didn’t you? And you sprinkled it into Madeline Swanson’s drink the night of the masquerade. You planted a peacock feather in her dress, and you watched as she writhed to her death.”

  A smile hitches on her crimson lips. “I watched as she danced to her death. Madeline always wanted to be a ballerina when she was a little girl. I made sure she got her wish.” The gun lifts just enough until it’s pointed directly over my chest. “Would you like to dance before you meet your demise, Bowie? I can aim low before I aim high.” She fires off a shot near my feet, and I do my best to tap dance my way right out of my skin.

  Sophia is nearly thrown to the ground with the recoil, and judging by that stunned look on her face she didn’t expect that sonic boom she just emitted.

  “The gun,” I pant, trying to process what just happened. “You’ve got a silencer on it?” A dull laugh evicts from me as a series of screams comes from afar. “They still heard it. You’ll be discovered in no time. Don’t take it too hard. It’s a rookie mistake. People think a silencer means you’ll be able to fire it off without a single sound. But it’s only true in the movies.”

  “Bowie?” My name echoes from somewhere in the distance, and I can tell it’s Shep shouting for me.

  “Put the gun down, Sophia,” I say, just about out of breath with fear. “Your father is very wealthy. He’ll hire the best legal team for you.” I take a careful step forward. “If you’re lucky, you won’t have to do any time at all.”

  Her gaze drifts a moment and the gun lowers a notch, so I take my chances and lunge at her.

  Both Sophia and I sail to the ground, but the gun remains staunchly in her possession.

  “You won’t get away with it,” I stammer as I struggle to reach for the weapon.

  “You won’t live to see it either way.”

  Sophia kicks her knee into my chest and I fall back onto the ground, my head thumping over the paver stones like a melon.

  She staggers to her feet and points the gun directly over me, a perfect kill shot if ever there was one.

  “Freeze,” Shep howls, but Sophia is relentless as her finger bends to squeeze the trigger.

  A loud clap of thunder goes off and my entire body coils in on itself. My mind races to identify the epicenter, but I don’t feel an ounce of pain.

  “Oh my God, I’m dead,” I bleat as I open my eyes to see Shep’s hand as he helps me to my feet.

  “Bowie.” He pulls me in and holds me tight.

  “Did she shoot me?” I pull back in time to see Nora handcuffing Sophia. “She confessed,” I call out. “She killed Madeline Swanson. She stole the money and the key to the formula,” I say as I look back at Shep. “She worked hard to pin it on everyone. She was determined to get away with it.”

  “But you weren’t about to let her do that.” A dull laugh rattles in his chest. “She had no idea who she was dealing with when she met you.” His lips twitch. “And neither did I.”

  Shep’s arms remain locked around my body a moment too long before he steps back and gives me an amicable nod. “Congratulations, Detective Binx, on another case solved.” His expression hardens to stone. “Don’t let it happen again.”

  “I’ll try not to.” I swallow hard as I take in this handsome man under a pale wash of moonlight. “Shep? I know you’ll be busy tonight at the station while you close this case out, but when you have a chance, could you stop by my place? I solved another mystery tonight as well. I know exactly who has been sending those notes and gifting me with jewelry. Swing by, and I’ll fill you in on the details.” I take a step back as Nora calls for him.

  Shep’s eyes remain trained on mine. “I’ll do that. Be safe, Bowie.”

  I take off to find Opal and Tilly, and all the while I wonder if I’ll ever truly feel safe again.

  Chapter 17

  True to my word, I have Tilly stop off at just about every grocery store between Sterling Lake and Starry Falls as we scoop up all the banana pies, bread, muffins, and cookies we can find.

  Opal noshes on a banana nut muffin as we pull in front of the manor and she steps out.

  “You know, I think we should consider adding muffins to the menu,” she says as Tilly and I flank her on either side.

  “We have muffins on the menu,” I’m quick to fill her in. “But I’m glad you approve.”

  Since the café is still open, I thought I’d run in to see how things are going. And seeing it’s so late, I might as well help close up shop.

  A throng of cats swarms us as we head up the steps and Opal does her best to scoop up as many as she can, as do Tilly and I.

  The café is brightly lit with nary a customer in the place, save for Mud sitting at the counter, getting chummy with some blonde.

  Regina is already back, and is the first to shoot a snide smile our way as we walk through the door.

  “Well, look who’s here.” She sheds a greedy grin, and all sorts of alarms go off inside me.

  The blonde turns around, and I nearly pass out.

  “Ste—”

  She cuts me off at the chase.

  “Lola.” My sister winks over at me. “And I was just on my way back to your place when I realized I must have left my purse behind at the café. Mud here was nice enough to help find it.” She pats his shoulder with that flirtatious look in her eye she gets right before her mouth morphs into a bear trap.

  A goofy grin breaks out on his face. “Geez, Bowie, you didn’t tell us you were hiding a hot sister out in New York.”

  Regina squints my way. “I thought you said you w
ere from Connecticut?”

  Steph stiffens. “New York, Connecticut.”

  I close my eyes a moment. It’s moments like these I’m positive we’re related.

  “Chicago, Connecticut,” Opal corrects as she extends a hand to my liar of a sister. “Opal Mortimer. Charmed to meet you. Bowie has been a treasure as are you, I’m sure.”

  “She’s something, all right.” I offer a tight smile. “Lola, meet Tilly Teasdale. It seems you’ve met just about everyone else.”

  Stephanie shakes Tilly’s hand. “I’m the outgoing fun sister. My apologies to all of you for Bowie the bummer.”

  “I’ll give you a bummer,” I say as I pull my sister close. “I’d better get my sweet little sis settled. We have a family reunion to tend to, and a lot of banana pie to nosh on in the process.”

  * * *

  We say goodnight as Tilly offers us a ride back to my cabin.

  No sooner do Stephanie and I lay out the banana flavored haul onto the kitchen counter than a knock erupts at the door.

  “Ooh.” Steph hops over, holding Pixie hostage in her arms. She always did have a soft spot for both the color pink and kittens—Pixie is sort of a two-for-one in that department. “I bet that’s Stud Muffin.”

  I glance out the side window and, sure enough, there he is.

  “You’re right,” I whisper. “It’s Sexy Wexy. Play it cool, would you?”

  I swing the door open and Shep’s eyes widen in horror as he spots my blonde look-alike.

  “Lola Buchanan.” My sister extends a hand his way and he stares at it blankly before shaking it.

  “Lola Buchanan?” I scoff. “The least you could do is share my last name.”

  My sister’s mouth falls open as if she takes umbrage to the fact.

  “I could have been married,” she squawks.

  “You could have been buried—and believe me, there’s still time,” I shoot back. “Shep, this is my sister, Stephanie Santini, who will from here on out be known as Lola Binx.”

  Stephanie gasps and smacks me silly all at the very same time.