Frozen in Cherry Hills

by Paige Sleuth

  “I didn’t know that until you told me. All I knew was as long as she was alive she would remain a threat. That look on her face when she left my office was a dead giveaway she wouldn’t keep quiet about that check for long.”

  “That’s what you meant when you said she was ethical to a fault.”

  Allen grimaced. “I didn’t mean to say that. It slipped.”

  “Was that Sadie’s stapler you used to kill her?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You know about that?”

  “I found it in the garbage outside.”

  “Yes, it was Sadie’s stapler. I took it from her reception desk. She always left her office unlocked during the workday, even when she went out. She was careless like that.”

  Kat thought about Maura knowing Sadie’s iPhone passcode. It stood to reason that a woman who didn’t think twice about giving out her passwords wouldn’t bother to lock up for a five-minute absence. Obviously Sadie had never considered that her trusting—or careless—nature might one day end up facilitating her death.

  Allen turned to look out the window, his eyes glazing over as if he were watching yesterday’s events unfold all over again. “She was off the phone by the time I caught up to her. You should have seen the look on her face when she saw me. She started backing away, but there was nowhere for her to go.”

  His words made Kat sick to her stomach. Sadie had to have been terrified when she saw the man she had just caught stealing from a client cornering her outside with a stapler gripped in his hand.

  “It was easier than I expected,” Allen said. “And I wore my winter gloves, of course. I didn’t want to leave my fingerprints anywhere.”

  Kat felt a flash of anger. “Didn’t it bother you, killing a woman like that?”

  Allen leaned back, looking startled by her accusation. “I did what I had to do.”

  “Is that how you justify stealing from your clients too?”

  “The people I take from can afford to loan me some money.”

  “These aren’t loans. You’re taking money that isn’t yours with no intention of paying it back.”

  “So what? You should see the fortunes some of these people have. It’s more money than any one person can spend in a lifetime.”

  Kat gripped the chair armrests and pulled herself closer to him. “But it’s not yours.”

  His eyes hardened. “You don’t know what it’s like working for yourself. Six months ago I was drowning in debt. I even had to let Rachel go.”

  “What about your car?” Kat challenged. “The one I saw you drive up in yesterday. It looked new.”

  “It is new. But before I started on this side endeavor I was driving a junker that didn’t start half the time. I was late to several meetings because of that old car. So, you see, I needed that money. I only took what I needed.”

  Kat could tell nothing she could say would suddenly make him develop a conscience. He had obviously already convinced himself he’d only done what he’d had to and was unwilling to listen to any reasoning to the contrary.

  “I don’t expect you to understand,” Allen said, setting his elbows on the desk and steepling his fingers in front of him. “You get a paycheck from DataRightly every week. You don’t need—”

  Allen stopped talking, his forehead furrowing. Kat heard it then too, the sound of sirens approaching.

  Seconds later, a police cruiser pulled into the parking lot, its lights flashing. Allen shot out of his seat and ran over to the window.

  Kat stood up as well, but she didn’t join Allen at the window. Instead, she bent over and picked up the object she had spied on the floor earlier.

  Allen whipped around. “Did you call them?”

  She held up her cell phone. “I must have accidentally connected the call to Detective Milhone when I was looking up his number.”

  “You mean he’s been listening this whole time? He heard everything?”

  Kat nodded.

  Allen’s hands balled into fists. “Why, you little sneak.”

  Kat’s stomach lurched as Allen strode toward her. Although Andrew should be barging through the door any minute now, Allen still might be angry enough to try something before he got here.

  Allen’s head swiveled from side to side. Kat figured he was looking for something he could use to kill her like he had Sadie. The thought made her shudder.

  Without waiting to see if he found anything, she pivoted around and lunged for the door. She yanked it open and raced through the reception area. On the other side of the glass door that exited into the corridor, she could see two uniformed officers and Andrew running in her direction.

  “Get back here!” Allen shouted.

  Kat hurled herself at the door. It didn’t budge. She looked wildly around, her eyes coming to land on the lock. She flipped it back and threw the door open just before the police officers flew into the room.

  “Police, don’t move!” one of them yelled.

  Allen froze, the color draining from his face. Kat didn’t know if he actually thought he would have ample time to kill her and flee, but he had clearly intended to try.

  Andrew jogged up to Kat and gripped her shoulders. “You okay?”

  She nodded, too emotional to speak.

  He guided her toward one of the waiting room chairs and pushed her into it. “Sit here.”

  She gulped down some air. “Did you hear everything?”

  “I heard enough. As soon as I realized what was going on, I radioed for help.” He grinned. “Smart thinking, feeding us clues about where you were without alerting Bolt that we were listening.”

  She collapsed against the chair. “You have no idea how much I wanted to give up pretenses and start screaming for you to get over here.”

  Andrew smoothed her hair back. “I’m here now.”

  And, Kat thought, for that she would be eternally grateful.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “So, another case closed by Katherine Harper,” Andrew said, flipping his notepad shut and tucking it back into his shirt pocket.

  They were sitting on one of the benches inside the DataRightly building’s first-floor lobby. Kat had just finished giving Andrew her statement. Allen Bolt had already been led away in handcuffs. She’d watched as the arresting officers drove off with him in the back seat, glad to see him in custody.

  Now only she and Andrew remained on the premises. At least, they were the only humans on the premises.

  She looked out the window. “I wonder if the white cat is still out there.”

  “I suppose we could go look for him,” Andrew said.

  “Now?” It was already dark outside, and Kat knew Andrew had to be as tired as she was.

  “Why not? With Sadie’s killer behind bars, there’s nothing urgent on my plate. I can take an hour or so off before finishing up my paperwork.”

  Kat hooked her arm through his, her heart swelling. She knew he was only volunteering to look for the white cat because it was important to her. The fact that he was willing to sacrifice his evening for her made her appreciate how lucky she was to have him in her life.

  “Okay,” she said, jumping off the bench and heading for the door. “Let’s go find us a cat.”

  Although it was colder now that the sun had gone down, being close to Andrew kept her body temperature elevated. If he would just agree to stick by her side whenever she ventured outdoors, she wouldn’t need a new coat after all.

  “I haven’t yet had a chance to ask you how the new job is going,” Andrew said, zipping up his jacket.

  “You mean other than finding a dead body on my first day?” Kat asked.

  He grimaced. “Yeah, other than that.”

  “I’m enjoying it, actually. I like my boss, Maura. She’s going to adopt one of 4F’s foster cats, you know.”

  “How’d you talk her into that?”

  “I didn’t have to. She volunteered.”

  “That’s great.”

  “And it feels good to be getting back into pro
gramming,” Kat went on. “I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it until Maura gave me this piece of code to work on.”

  Andrew smiled. “It’s nice to see you this excited.”

  “I’ll be even more excited if we can find that white cat.”

  “I’ve got a flashlight in my car,” Andrew said.

  Kat didn’t argue, although the reflection of the parking lot lights against the snow still piled up alongside the building almost convinced her they didn’t need a flashlight.

  She looked around while Andrew fished in his trunk. She didn’t see the white cat anywhere, but she did note that the kibble she had set out earlier was now completely gone. The feline must have returned sometime this afternoon and gobbled up the rest of it.

  Andrew held up the flashlight. “Got it.”

  “Let’s start over there,” Kat said, pointing. “That’s where he seems to hang out.”

  “Okay.”

  They walked over to the snowbank where she had first seen the cat. Being so close to where Sadie had died, she couldn’t help but reflect on how drastically things could change in such a short period of time. It was hard to believe that less than thirty-six hours ago Sadie had still been alive. Now she was dead, destined to be sixty years old forever.

  “Andrew, do you have a will?” Kat asked.

  “No, why?”

  “Just curious.”

  He stopped walking. “You’re thinking about what happened back in Bolt’s office, aren’t you?”

  Kat halted beside him. “You know, if I died—”

  “Don’t talk like that,” Andrew cut in.

  “You’re a cop. Don’t you ever think about your own mortality?”

  His silence was as good as an answer in the affirmative.

  Kat shoved her hands in her coat pockets. “Anyway, it’s not like I own much. But Matty and Tom—”

  “If, for some reason, you can no longer take care of them, I’ll do it,” Andrew said.

  She met his gaze. “You will?”

  “Sure. I love those cats.”

  A tingle raced up Kat’s spine. Andrew still had yet to say he loved her, but somehow she couldn’t imagine feeling any happier if she had been the subject of his declaration instead of her cats.

  Andrew broke eye contact and shone the flashlight around, Kat’s cue that he wanted to drop the subject of her death.

  That was fine with her.

  They didn’t say anything as they scrutinized the landscape. It took a few minutes, but Kat finally spotted a tiny white face near the edge of the parking lot. “There he is,” she told Andrew, excitement bubbling in her chest.

  Andrew pointed the flashlight where Kat indicated, careful not to aim it directly at the feline. “Think he’ll let you get near him?”

  Kat thought about Stumpy working up the courage to trust Maura. “I hope so.”

  “I’ll hang back here so I don’t spook him,” Andrew said, wandering off to the side. He only made it two steps before he stopped and redirected the flashlight beam at something wedged in a nearby snowbank.

  “What is it?” Kat said.

  “It looks like a piece of paper.”

  Kat squatted next to Andrew and started digging the paper out. It was damp after having been submerged in snow, and she had to be careful not to tear it.

  Once she’d brushed enough snow aside to free the page, she brought it up to her face using both hands. Her heart lurched when she realized she was staring at a flier for a lost cat—a lost cat named Snowball who looked suspiciously similar to the one Kat had in her sights.

  “Looks like he escaped over Thanksgiving weekend,” Andrew said, leaning over her arm to read the flier himself.

  “So he does have a home.” The thought made Kat smile.

  “Now we just have to get him there.”

  Kat handed the flier to Andrew. “You take this, and I’ll see if I can grab Snowball.”

  Snowball hadn’t moved from his spot across the parking lot. Kat started off in his direction, careful not to move too quickly. When she was close enough to touch him but not so close that he was likely to feel threatened, she crouched down and looked him in the eye.

  “So now I know what to call you,” she said. “Snowball.”

  Snowball’s ears pricked as if he recognized his name. Maybe if she said it enough times he would start to understand she was on his side.

  “Snowball fits you.” She extended a hand toward him. “Are you going to let me pick you up, Snowball? I know you have a home, so you must be used to humans.”

  Snowball slowly closed his eyes before opening them equally slowly. Kat found the gesture encouraging. Maybe he would let her touch him.

  She stretched her hand out a little farther and gave his cheek a light stroke. Snowball stood up and rubbed against her fingers. Kat petted him for a while before she dared to hook her hands around his chest. When he didn’t offer any resistance, she lifted him up.

  Andrew joined them, although he stayed a few feet back. “You got him.”

  “Yes.” Kat could feel the steady thrum of the feline’s body against her rib cage. “And he’s purring.”

  “He only lives a couple blocks from here,” Andrew said, reading off of the flier. He pointed. “That way.”

  Kat strode forward. “Then let’s go.”

  Andrew fell into step beside her. “He’s acting pretty docile. I’m surprised he’s not fighting you more.”

  “He’s probably had his adventure and is ready to go home.”

  And, Kat thought, hugging the cat close, she knew exactly how he felt.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Thank you for visiting Cherry Hills, home of Kat, Matty, and Tom! If you enjoyed their story, please consider leaving a book review on your favorite online retailer and/or review site. Also join my readers’ group so you’ll be one of the first to know when their next adventure is published.

  Please keep reading for an excerpt from Book One of the Cozy Cat Caper Mystery series, Murder in Cherry Hills. Thank you!

  MURDER IN CHERRY HILLS

  Katherine Harper knew something was wrong when she opened her front door late Tuesday morning and saw Matilda sitting outside her apartment.

  Kat scrunched up her nose as she looked down at the cat. “Matty, what are you doing here? You live next door.”

  Matilda stared back at her, her tail sweeping across the welcome mat.

  Kat had to admit that Matty was a very striking cat. With her yellow-and-brown markings, white chin, and oversized green eyes, Kat thought the tortoiseshell was adorable.

  But, contrary to what Matty liked to believe, she was a house cat.

  Sighing, Kat brushed a brunette lock of hair away from her face before she scooped up the animal and started down the hallway to her neighbor’s unit. “You know Mrs. Tinsdale doesn’t like you out here. She fears somebody will steal you. And the landlord had a fit the last time he saw you in the common hallway. Now you’re going to be in big trouble.”

  Kat shook her head, wondering why she was trying to reason with a feline. If anyone was watching, they’d assume she was desperate for companionship.

  I need a boyfriend, Kat thought. Unfortunately, securing a boyfriend was a touch more difficult than stopping by the local grocery store and adding one to her shopping cart.

  Kat made it to Mrs. Tinsdale’s front door and adjusted Matilda in her arms to free one of her hands. But as she reached out to ring the doorbell, she noticed the door was already slightly ajar.

  Kat froze, her pulse starting to pound. Mrs. Tinsdale never left her door open. Although Cherry Hills, Washington didn’t experience as much crime as Wenatchee, the nearest big city, leaving your front door open was still inviting trouble, even in a secured-entry building such as theirs. At the very least, nobody wanted to spend their hard-earned money running air conditioning for an entire twelve-unit apartment building in the middle of a July heat wave.

  Kat looked at Matty, tempted to ask if she knew
what was going on. Fortunately, she realized the ridiculousness of such a question before she voiced it aloud.

  Her eyes locked back on to Mrs. Tinsdale’s door as she set the cat on the floor. Something wasn’t right about this situation, and every one of Kat’s instincts was urging her to turn around and flee. But, given that Mrs. Tinsdale could be injured and waiting for help to arrive, Kat felt she had an obligation to investigate.

  Kat poked her head around the doorframe. “Mrs. Tinsdale?”

  Nobody responded. For that matter, Kat didn’t hear anything at all except the hum of the air conditioner. She didn’t know if the AC would drown out the sound of a burglar climbing through a back window and down the fire escape, but, if a burglar was in the apartment, she would prefer that he duck out now. Kat didn’t care to run into anyone in the middle of committing a crime.

  Stealing another peek at Matty—who watched her with that disdainful look that cats had mastered over the years—Kat pushed the door open wider.

  “Mrs. Tinsdale?” Kat called out again.

  She stepped over the threshold when only silence returned. Looking around, nothing struck Kat as out of place in the living room. Neither did she see Mrs. Tinsdale anywhere.

  Kat moved farther into the apartment, scanning the dining area and kitchen as she circled around the coffee table. Everything looked normal in those rooms too.

  Taking a deep breath, she rotated toward the hallway.

  A shadow flashed on the wall, causing Kat’s stomach to leap into her throat. She whipped around, noting that Matty had followed her into the apartment unit. Her shoulders dropped three inches.

  “You scared me,” she scolded. Then, remembering how silly Mrs. Tinsdale always sounded when she talked to the cat, Kat spun around and refocused on her mission.

  Kat moved down the short hallway and glanced into the first room. The unoccupied bedroom appeared to be ready and waiting for Mrs. Tinsdale’s next guest. The duvet looked freshly laundered and put Kat’s own rumpled sheets and unmade bed to shame. The only off-putting touch was the patch of fur smeared across the decorative pillows piled near the top of the mattress. Matty clearly thought the guest bed looked as inviting as Kat did.