by Kathi Daley
“I agree.”
“So what are you going to do with the quarters and the journals and letters?”
“I’m turning everything over to the sheriff, who will be sure they end up in the right hands.”
I guessed that was the right thing to do. If the quarters were most likely not related to Tom’s death, Finn certainly wouldn’t want to waste precious time on a treasure hunt. “What about the bullet casing in Tom’s pocket?”
“It fits the sort of gun someone might use as a hunting rifle. Hunting is not allowed anywhere on the island, but there are folks who live here and take their guns with them to hunt elsewhere. There is nothing about the shell that gives us any information that would lead back to the gun from which it was fired. Without additional information, the shell is worthless as a clue.”
“So it seems we are back to square one. Did you talk to Phil Colton about the key to Coffee Cat Books?”
“I did. He has keys and alarm codes from a lot of the merchants on the island, who prefer the convenience of having him drop off their deliveries at his convenience. He keeps the keys and codes in a locked cabinet in the ferry office and swears he has never had a problem in the almost ten years he has been making deliveries from the ferry, though he did admit that it was conceivable that someone else who worked for the ferry system might have both knowledge of the cabinet and a means of accessing it.”
“I don’t suppose there is any way to narrow that down.”
“Unless someone saw something or knows something, not really.”
“At this point, it seems that Wiley and Jingles have the best chance of leading us down the path we need to follow. I plan to check in with Jane later. When I was there this morning it was pretty quiet, so my gut tells me that if there is going to be a big reveal, we haven’t yet reached the time for it. I’m going to go check in with Cody. I have my cell with me if something comes up or you need me for any reason.”
“I’ll call you. And let me know if either Wiley or Jingles come up with anything you feel is relevant.”
I paused. “Maybe you should have Jane’s cell number just in case something happens and I don’t answer.” I jotted down her number and passed it to Finn.
He picked it up. His eyes grew wide. “This is the cell number for Wiley’s mother?”
“Yes. She has an out-of-state cell number.”
Finn opened his desk drawer and pulled out a slip of paper with the same number, minus the area code. “This is the phone number we found in Tom’s pocket.”
Chapter 19
“No. I never met the man in my life,” Jane assured us when Finn and I went to her house to ask her about the fact that it appeared that Tom had her cell number in his pocket “I have no idea why he would have my phone number, assuming it is my number. Keep in mind that without the area code, you can’t know for certain.”
“Maybe not,” Finn admitted. “But the fact that Jingles led Cait to Tom’s house, which caused her to call me to let her in, and together we found several items in the pocket of a pair of pants in Tom’s laundry, I’m going to go out on a limb and say it was the phone number the cat wanted us to find. Especially because the other items in his pocket aren’t panning out as having anything to do with his murder.”
Jane just stood there, shaking her head.
“Maybe Tom was planning to approach Jane about something, but he never had the chance to do it,” I suggested. “Maybe someone known to both Tom and Jane provided him with the number.”
“What would the guy want with me?” Jane asked.
“Maybe he’d somehow heard about Wiley’s unique talent. Perhaps after he drew the image of the people drowning in the car, and then they did,” I suggested. “Did you tell anyone about the drawing?”
Jane nodded slowly. “Actually, I did. I was with my friend, Veronica, when the news came on, and I learned about the family that had drowned. I mentioned that Wiley had drawn that exact image during the overnight hours, which must have been shortly after the accident occurred. Normally, I protect Wiley from gawkers, so I keep his situation to myself, but Veronica is a close friend. She has supported me over the years when things have been tough, and I really needed a friend, so I guess I let my guard down and blurted out the first thing that popped into my head. After I’d revealed that fact, Veronica was, of course, interested in other things that Wiley had drawn that turned out to happen in real life. I shared a few instances with her. I guess I shouldn’t have.”
“Do you know if Veronica knew Tom Miller?” I asked.
“I have no idea. It never came up. But even if she did know him, why would she tell him about Wiley?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps we should ask her.”
Jane called Veronica, who admitted that she had spoken to Tom, who happened to be her next-door neighbor. She wasn’t trying to betray Jane’s trust, but Tom had lost his wife a while back and was having a hard time dealing with it. In a moment of despair, he’d shared his anguish with Veronica, and on a whim, she’d given him Jane’s number. She admitted that she didn’t understand what Wiley did or how he did it, but it appeared he had some sort of psychic ability, so she thought that maybe Wiley could help Tom connect with the woman his heart bled for. Jane explained that Wiley was not a medium and couldn’t have helped Tom even if he’d lived. I could see that Jane was irritated with what Veronica had done, but it was clear she didn’t want to damage their friendship by making a big deal out of what she had done, so she’d decided to let it go.
“Well, I guess that answers that question,” I said.
Finn nodded and looked at Jane. “I’m sorry to have bothered you.”
“No problem. I know how important it is to figure this out. And to be honest, I’m glad to have had a reminder to keep Wiley’s talents to myself. The last thing I want is for him to become a spectacle.”
“Cait and I and our friends will keep Wiley’s talent to ourselves,” Finn assured her.
I said goodbye to Jane once again, promising to check in at the end of the day. Learning what we had hadn’t brought us any closer to Tom’s killer, but perhaps it had led us a step closer to deciding that the killer had been after Santa and not necessarily after Tom.
Finn returned to his office, and I went next door to chat with Cody. His car was parked in front of the newspaper office, so I knew he’d be there.
“Okay. I’ll see you on Sunday,” Cody was just saying into the phone as I walked in.
“See who on Sunday?” I asked.
“That was Sammy’s father. He is being sent home early. He will be flying into Seattle on Sunday and wondered if I could meet him there to hand Sammy off. He is continuing on to Florida later that evening.”
I knew I should be thrilled that Cody and I were getting an early reprieve, but suddenly I found I felt sad.
“I’m happy that Sammy will be able to spend Christmas with his father, but I am a little sad I won’t get to see him in the baby’s first Christmas jammies I bought him.”
“We can put them on him early and take a photo,” Cody suggested.
“I guess. I will miss the little guy, but I suppose with the move and Mr. Parsons’s party and the murder investigation, it is for the best. I’m sure Sammy’s dad is thrilled that he will be with his son for his first Christmas.”
“He is thrilled,” Cody confirmed. “If you aren’t tied up tonight, I thought we could bundle Sammy up and take him into town. We can start our Christmas shopping, and I’m sure he’ll like the lights and the music.”
“That would be fun. What time do you want to go?”
“I should be done here by four. I can stop and get him from day care, and we can meet back at the cabin.”
I leaned forward and kissed Cody on the lips. “Okay. I’ll see you there.”
It looked like I had a few hours of free time this afternoon, so I decided to head back to the cabin to finish my packing. I knew I was stalling, and that wasn’t fair to either Cody or Cassie. Both had been so
patient in giving me the time I needed. I’d hoped that if I waited a bit, I’d feel more ready to make the final move, but deep down inside, I supposed I knew I’d never be ready.
When I returned to the estate, I let Max, who’d come home with me, into the cabin, and then headed toward the cat sanctuary. Siobhan, Cassie, and I all pitched in to make sure the cats were cared for, and the facility kept clean. Cassie had taken on the brunt of the work as of late, and I supposed that now that I was moving next door, it made sense to allow her to continue to take the lead, with Siobhan and me helping out when we could.
“Hey, everyone,” I greeted the cats, who came to greet me after I’d let myself inside. The place had been pretty empty before I picked up the cats from the kill shelter in Seattle, but now we were close to capacity once again. Of course, when I picked up the cats, I’d assumed that as soon as they were acclimated, we’d try them out in the cat lounge. I guessed now that wasn’t going to be an option for quite some time. I’d do what I could to get them adopted in a timely manner, but at least they were safe and comfortable with us while they waited.
I headed into the nursery, where we had two mama cats, one who had delivered two days before and another who was ready to deliver at any moment. Most of the time, the cats did fine doing it on their own, but I liked to keep an extra-close eye on things when I knew their time was near.
It looked like Cassie had already cleaned up and fed everyone. She really had turned out to be a responsible young woman. There was a time during her teenage years when I’d worried about her lack of drive and commitment, but I supposed most teens went through a similar phase.
After I made sure to check on all our current residents, I went back to my cabin. Cassie’s cabin. Just the thought of it not being mine made me want to cry. I wasn’t sure why I was having such a hard time with the move. I guess I wasn’t the sort to embrace change. I paused when I entered the main floor of the cabin. Cody had packed up and moved everything I’d earmarked. All I still needed to do was grab Sammy’s portable crib, formula, diaper bag, and a few other items we had left for the last minute, as well as a handful of clothes still left for me to take when I was ready. Two carloads and I’d be done.
I glanced at Max. “Are you ready?”
He wagged his tail.
I knew Max would enjoy living in the same house as his best buddy, Rambler. I also knew that now that Mr. Parsons was back from staying with Balthazar Pottage during the remodel, Cody was anxious to get back so the elderly man wouldn’t be alone. I picked up a box Cody had left for me and started tossing clothes inside. Realizing this was never going to get any easier, I finally decided to just get it over with.
As predicted, it took me just two loads, and I was finally totally done. All that was left to do was to hand the keys over to Cassie and wish her happiness in her new home. I wasn’t sure where she was today, so I called her cell.
“Hey, Cassie. I’m finally all moved and ready to give you the keys.”
There was a pause. “Really? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
It was clear she was trying to rein in her happiness because she knew how hard this had been for me, but I didn’t miss the little screech of happiness over the phone line.
“I’m helping Danny and Tara board up the bookstore,” she informed me. “We were going to head over to the bar after. I can come home if you want.”
“No. That’s okay. I’ll come to you. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
I called Cody to let him know what I was doing. He seemed surprised as well. I told him I’d just bring the stroller and warm clothes for Sammy if he wanted to pick him up and meet me at the bar. We’d change Sammy and go into town from there.
Chapter 20
When I arrived at the bookstore, the destruction hit me like a ton of bricks. I hadn’t stopped to take a second look after leaving the previous day. In fact, when I’d come into town, I’d taken an alternate route to avoid the bookstore completely.
“Wow,” I said as I stood in front of the building.
Cassie hugged me tightly. “That was exactly what I said when I arrived earlier. Are you okay?”
I nodded.
“If you need to wait a few days on the cabin, I’m fine with that.”
I smiled. “No. I’m ready.” I reached into my pocket, pulled out the keys, and handed them to her. “May you be as happy in the cabin as I’ve been.”
Cassie couldn’t help but grin. She hugged me again. “I’m sure I will be.”
I looked back toward the bookstore. It felt easier than dwelling on the whole moving thing. “It looks like you guys have made a lot of progress.”
“Tara is a woman on a mission. Danny and I just did what she told us to do, and everything came together rather quickly. We are almost done, and then we are leaving for the bar. Do you want to come?”
“I do. Cody and I are taking Sammy into town to see the lights later, but he is going to meet me at the bar.”
“I think after today, we’ll all enjoy a drink,” Cassie said.
At the bar, Danny went to work and Tara, Cassie, and I found a booth in the back. Shortly after we arrived, Willow showed up. It was good that the four of us had a chance to sit and process everything together.
“I still can’t believe what happened really happened,” Tara said. “It feels like a bad dream.”
“I know what you mean,” Willow said. “I had nightmares all night. I’m just so grateful that everyone got out safely. Alex was sitting right next to the package, and I wasn’t all that far away from it. I can’t bear to think about what could have happened.”
“It was a miracle that Cait happened to see the drawing and connected the dots in time,” Cassie agreed.
“We all owe our lives to Wiley,” I said. “If he hadn’t given me that drawing, I would never have realized there was a problem.”
“Any news on the Tom Miller front?” Willow asked.
I took a few minutes to catch everyone up. I shared what Finn had told me, my conversations with Jane, and the fact that it looked as if someone with a grudge against Santa and not one against Tom might actually have carried out the attack on the Santa House, as we’d been thinking. We all shared our concerns for any additional Christmas events that might still be scheduled on the island. I shared with Willow, who hadn’t been at last night’s meeting, Siobhan’s intention to try to get everyone who planned to have a Santa to change their plans.
“Any idea when we will be back up and running?” Willow asked once we’d exhausted the subject of Santas and suspects.
“I have no idea,” Tara answered. “I don’t think anything is going to be done about our insurance claim until after the first of the year. Someone did come by to take photos, but even they mentioned that they were off after tomorrow for two full weeks. As badly as I want to dig in and start doing everything we need to do to get the store open again, I think it is going to be a while.”
“I guess that will give me more time with Alex and Barrington,” Willow said, referring to her son, who’d been named after his biological father. “Maybe Barry and Sammy can have a play date.”
“Actually, Sammy is going home on Sunday,” I informed the others. I explained that his father was being sent home and that Cody was meeting him at the airport to hand the baby off.
“You must be relieved,” Cassie said.
“You know, after all the complaining I’ve done, you would think that would be true, but I think I’m actually going to miss the little guy. Having a baby to take care of is hard work, but there is something rewarding about it as well. I’d already bought him some Christmas gifts. I’m happy he will be with his daddy for Christmas, but I am feeling a little sad as well.”
“You could always have your own little bundle of joy,” Cassie said.
“I’m not feeling that sad.” I smiled at Cassie. “Besides, I’m going to be too busy for a baby. I have a new home to settle in to, and as soon as we are able, Tara is g
oing to get the bookstore up and running.”
“I am,” Tara confirmed.
“Alex and I want to help,” Willow said. “In any way we can. You are like family, and Coffee Cat Books is the whole reason we met. We want to be part of whatever needs to be done to get things back to normal.”
“The four of us should continue to meet,” Cassie suggested. “Maybe once a week for lunch. Just so we can all be in the loop about what is going on.”
“I love that idea,” Tara said.
“Me too,” Willow said. “I’m going to miss seeing everyone at work.”
“We’ll still see one another all the time even if the store isn’t open for a while,” I said, directing my comment more toward Willow than the others because Cassie was my sister and Tara was my best friend, and we saw one another all the time outside of work. “We have Mr. Parsons’s party coming up next week, and it seems like we all end up here at the bar pretty often.”
“I’m looking forward to the party,” Willow said. “I know Balthazar is as well. He really enjoyed having Mr. Parsons stay with him during the remodel. Alex and I visit him all the time, but I think he gets lonely with only Ebenezer to keep him company,” she added, referring to his cat.
The four of us continued to chat and support one another in our time of grief. It was nice to feel that others shared your shock and pain. While Tara and I owned Coffee Cat Books, Cassie and Willow were connected to the store and had a commitment to the Coffee Cat Books family.
Eventually, Cody showed up with Sammy, and Willow left to get home to Alex and Barrington. Cassie wanted to start settling into her new home, and Tara planned to stay at the bar to hang out with Aiden and Danny. I felt bad for Tara. I knew the hole created by the loss of Coffee Cat Books was going to affect her most of all. I had a new home to settle in to, as did Cassie, and Willow had Alex, while I had Cody. But Tara seemed stagnant in her personal life and unsettled in more ways than one. I wasn’t sure that a relationship with Danny was right for either one of them, but I did hope that he continued to be there for her during the next few difficult weeks.
