Cat Burglar in Training

by Shelley Munro

  Ben was questioning an elderly woman. From the way he kept retreating she was either coming on to him or had a bad case of morning breath.

  Hannah was presiding over a cake stall designed to generate funds for the school. I’d duly placed my name on the duty roster and pushed my way through the throngs of excited children and anxious parents. I caught sight of Amber and a friend speaking with a tubby man in a suit. Alarm surfaced until I saw Amber’s teacher walk up to them and escort both girls to the line for the children running. Must’ve been a parent.

  “There you are,” Hannah said. “I thought you’d got lost.” She sliced a piece of Madeira cake and competently placed it on a paper plate for her customer.

  “No, I went to the library to do research.”

  “You should have asked me,” Hannah said. “Since the computer course at the pensioners’ hall, I can find anything. Besides, it’s pensioners’ day at the library. The place is mobbed on a Thursday.”

  I stepped behind the stall and accepted a lacy white apron from the woman I was replacing. “I wish I’d known before I wasted my time.”

  Her eyes lit up with enthusiasm. “I’ve been telling Charles and Ben I can help them. You’re more progressive. I know all about the internet and social media.”

  The two men were ignoring her, and she wanted me on her side. I didn’t laugh because her concept had merit. I poured a mug of tea for a frazzled-looking teacher while I considered the idea. I’d have to be crafty so I didn’t tip Hannah off on my true mission, but I wasn’t my father’s daughter for nothing.

  Once our stint at the cake stall ended, Hannah and I set off to the field where they were holding the children’s running races. Amber had been looking forward to this for the last two weeks, and I hoped she wasn’t disappointed. But I worried needlessly. Each child who finished a race received a shiny medal, although those who placed first, second or third received a special certificate in a ceremony afterward.

  “Just like the Olympic Games,” Amber said. “The fat man said I looked like a runner.” As she clutched her precious second-place certificate, she beamed brightly enough to light up Oakthorpe and save us money on the electric.

  The fat man. I don’t know why, but I felt a distinct warning prickling at the back of my neck. Experience, maybe, but there was nothing I could do to halt the escalating sensation of panic. I glanced around and my gaze lit on the man I’d seen talking to Amber. It was as if he were waiting for me to notice him. When he was sure of my attention, he pulled his right hand from his pocket and fired a pretend gun at me.

  Fuck, I was right to worry. Today was a warning. Tomorrow, we might not be so lucky.

  We arrived home to bedlam at Oakthorpe. The police car parked out front should have prepared me. It didn’t.

  “Oh, my stars.” Hannah’s hand fluttered to her chest.

  What did they want? I’d covered my tracks while I was at the Moning house. I was sure of it.

  I pushed the front door extra hard to compensate for the way it stuck in warm weather. Unbeknown to me, someone on the other side was tugging it at the same time I pushed. I flew inside like a champagne cork gone wild.

  “Whoa, there.” Strong masculine arms caught me before I fell.

  Startled, I glanced up into a pair of chocolate-brown eyes.

  “Hello, Eve.” Laughter lurked in his voice. “Told you I was a good detective.”

  I swear I forgot to breathe. I definitely suffered the lightheadedness that went with oxygen deprivation.

  “Let go of my mama.”

  He blinked, and I suspected this was a first. Not many things surprised the Kiwi cop.

  “Are you married?” He loosened his hold and stepped away. I wanted to grab a handful of his linen shirt and drag him close so I could overdose on the scent of his wicked, wicked aftershave.

  “Eve?” His disapproval finally pierced the spell he’d cast on me.

  “I’m not married,” I said, hurt he’d think that of me when he’d known I was going out with Seth. He’d even asked me about Seth. I guess in the heat of the moment, the appearance of a daughter shocked him.

  Amber squeezed against my side, sensing my turmoil. I gently nudged her away in order to walk without tripping.

  “This is my daughter, Amber.” I didn’t offer explanations. I never did since all he needed to know was I had responsibilities. If my wildest dreams ever came true, he’d have to factor Amber into the equation. My gaze arrowed to his face. He wore a somber expression. I couldn’t read it and didn’t have a clue what the man was thinking. Then he smiled, a slow-moving grin that crept across his face, highlighting his cute dimples. He crouched down beside my daughter.

  “Hello, Amber. I hear you’ve had a sports day today.” He glanced at the second-place certificate my daughter still clutched in her left hand. At least two fingers of her right hand were tucked inside her mouth, a sign of hesitation. “You must have done well.”

  The beam I’d spoken of earlier reappeared and, just like that, he was her friend. She started chattering, and Kahu didn’t blink an eye. He chattered back to her.

  “What’s this? A meeting of the unemployed?” my father groused. A tic worked at the corner of his left eye, a dead giveaway that the appearance of a police car had rattled him. “I thought we’d answered your questions?”

  Kahu straightened and displayed his earlier gentle expression. “I wanted to speak with Eve.”

  “She won’t know anything. She didn’t know that Moning woman.”

  Kahu’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Yes,” he said. “She did.”

  “Why don’t we go out to the garden and have a cold drink,” Hannah inserted into the strained silence. “I know I could do with one. How about you, Amber?”

  “Lemonade,” she said.

  “Please.” Hannah and I both spoke at once.

  Amber nodded, her pigtails bobbing up and down. “Please.”

  “Eve, why don’t you show the policeman out to the garden, and I’ll bring the drinks.”

  “Sure. You coming, Amber? You can show Kahu your rabbits.”

  Another test. I admit it, but I’d learned wariness since I’d given birth to Amber. If Kahu wanted recreational sex he was out of luck. The men I’d met since the night had done nothing to shift my opinion. Of course Seth didn’t count since he existed in the category labeled friends.

  I followed my daughter as she skipped down the passage and through the door leading to the gardens out the back. Kahu walked behind me and I was acutely aware of his presence. My hips developed an extra sway, and the friction of fabric sliding against my skin with each step pushed my awareness to heady heights. I sucked in a deep breath. Mistake. Eau de Kahu assaulted my senses, twirling around inside my head until I felt giddy. I burst out of the dim passage into the sunshine.

  Amber stopped and turned to Kahu. “Do you want to see my rabbits?”

  I held my breath, waiting for Kahu’s reply. Would he pass the test?

  “My brother and I used to have rabbits.”

  Amber cocked her head, her interest caught. “What color?”

  “Mine was white and my brother had a black rabbit. We called them Salt and Pepper.”

  Father pushed past to plunk down on a white garden chair. Ben took possession of the seat beside Father. They looked like twins with identical lines of disapproval bracketing their mouths. The lines became even more defined when Amber took Kahu’s hand and tugged him down the cobblestone footpath to her rabbit hutch.

  “You’re consorting with the enemy.” Father fired the first shot.

  “But such an eye-catching package,” I countered.

  “Buy another package. Shop around,” Ben growled.

  Hannah thumped a glass jug of lemonade on the table in front of Father. “Give the girl a chance to explain. I’m sure she has a reasonable explanation for putting the family in jeopardy.”

  “Mmm.” I paused for a beat. “Good old-fashioned lust.”

  “What about S
eth?” Father demanded.

  “Yeah, he has a good package,” Ben said.

  We all turned to stare at Ben.

  Ben’s cheeks turned a dull red. “Well, he’s male, isn’t he?”

  “Enough. There’s nothing going on between Kahu and me.” Liar, liar, pants on fire.

  Hannah smirked. “Kahu, is it?”

  Oops. Busted. There was nothing left but to brazen it out. “I have my reasons for associating with the law. All will become clear in time.” Oh! Good countermove, Eve. “I need some privacy to put my plan into motion.” Yep, a stroke of genius.

  The terrible trio stared at me with identical expressions of horror and confusion.

  Hannah smiled without warning. “I understand. You’re going to use him to help. Inside knowledge.”

  Father glared. “Huh! Pillow talk, more like.”

  “Since I’m it now, we’re doing things my way.” I reached for the lemonade jug and carefully avoided inquisitive gazes. The idea of sleeping with Kahu or any man simply for the purpose of extracting information sickened me. I wouldn’t do it. Not even for the Shadow.

  “Shush! He’s coming back.” Hannah poured two more glasses of lemonade and whisked the jug away. “Charles. Ben. I need help in the kitchen.”

  A heavy-handed way of leaving us alone. Luckily for me, I still had Amber as a chaperone.

  “How were the rabbits?” I smiled at Kahu, my eyes becoming trapped in his gaze. Warmth and something else, admiration maybe, blazed from him. I found myself fidgeting, my fingers clasping and unclasping.

  “Full of beans,” Kahu said.

  “Amber!” Hannah hollered out the kitchen window. “I’ve got some lettuce leaves for the rabbits. Would you like to feed them now?”

  My chaperone flew off into the kitchen. Isolated with Kahu, my heart skipped a beat.

  “Alone at last.” Kahu sat and scooted his plastic chair nearer to me, close enough that warmth from his hard thigh burned through my black trousers.

  Breathing. I’d noticed it become a problem whenever I was in his vicinity. Something about him zapped the oxygen from the air, leaving me panting. Yep, that was the problem. I refused to entertain an alternative.

  “Did you want to question me about Perdita Moning?” Focus. Ask relevant questions. Worm information from the man. “Are you close to solving the crime?”

  His teasing smile faded. “We have a few leads. I came to ask you out to dinner.”

  Guilt made me glance toward the kitchen. Three shadowed silhouettes stood at the window, peering out at us. No surprise there. “Dinner?” I repeated, stalling.

  “Yeah, you know. Man. Woman. Table. Food.”

  Longing to experience a slice of normal nipped at me. The man knew I had a child, and he was still asking me out. The cynical devil who’d taken up residence in my soul shrieked loud warnings. He thinks you’re desperate. A surefire bet for some fun in the sack.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t tonight. I have…a meeting.” I managed to meet his gaze without hesitation. Part of me knew gentle discouragement was the right way to respond. He presented too many problems.

  “I know it’s short notice. Another night?”

  “Are you still going to the Harlequin Ball?”

  “Yeah, I’m going.”

  My gaze drifted to his sensuous lips. I found myself leaning toward him, attracted like a magnet to metal. Mortified, I froze in place. “I’ll see you there.”

  “That’s a promise.” His words whispered across my mouth, and he moved in, closing the slight gap between us. Warm lips covered mine, and all logical brain function ceased.

  Chapter Eight

  “You were kissing him!”

  “Give the man a prize,” I snapped. Father took a deep breath, no doubt ready to lay down the law about what good cat burglars did and didn’t do. I was in no mood for lectures. “Sit. Please.” I gestured for Ben and Hannah to take seats in front of the desk beside Father.

  After deliberation, I’d decided to have the meeting in the office, and I wasn’t above using subtle power plays. I sat at the other side of the huge oak desk, a blank paper pad in front of me and a pen in my right hand ready to take notes.

  “Right,” I said. “A list of bills. Hannah?” She handed me a wad of invoices. I flicked through them, trying not to wince at the totals. The mobile phone bill was particularly high. “Ben?” He handed over four invoices. “Father?”

  Sullenly, he handed over a pile of invoices. One or two looked as if he’d rescued them from the rubbish. I studied them, partially anesthetized to the amounts now. “Is this all?”

  “Yes,” Father said.

  “I can’t see an invoice from Beauchamp.”

  Father muttered under his breath and climbed to his feet. He stomped from the room.

  Theatrics.

  Just what I needed. I ignored the distant slamming of doors and pulled out a calculator. The office remained silent apart from the rustle of papers and the tap of calculator keys. The final total seared my eyeballs. I blinked to clear my vision. Same total. I thumped the cancel button and started again. Meantime, Father clomped back into the office.

  “Here.” He shoved a flimsy sheet of paper at me.

  A statement.

  The zeros wavered in front of my eyes. Aghast, I sent an accusing glare at my father. “This is more than half a million.”

  “Interest.”

  “Tell me you’ve made progress investigating the garden thefts. We need the reward money.”

  “Not as much progress as you’ve made with the cop. I thought you’d marry Seth. He’s a wealthy solicitor. He could help us with our debts.” Father’s tone bordered on snide—a sulky child having a temper tantrum.

  “There’s nothing to stop you finding a rich bride,” I countered sweetly.

  Father’s provoking tone signaled opinions from others in the room. They seemed to think the winner in this competition would be the one who shouted the loudest.

  I ignored the verbal knives to concentrate on forming a plan to keep Oakthorpe and my family out of trouble. My family was important to me. Very important. Even if they argued, told me I was stupid, and stomped about muttering and cursing, I knew when things were bad they’d be there for me in a heartbeat.

  I coughed loudly to restore the peace. When this failed, I held my fingers to my lips and let out a piercing whistle. Each of the terrible trio turned to gawk at me, their mouths hanging open in imitation of gaping clowns like the ones in the carnival sideshows.

  “I’ve done the sums.”

  “And?” Hannah said.

  No point hiding the truth. “The change out of a million won’t keep Amber in sweets for a week.”

  Father’s shoulders slumped and the way he rubbed his knee and right hand when he thought no one would notice told me his arthritis was giving him jip. Ben seemed just as defeated.

  “Here’s the plan,” I said. “We need to cut back on household expenditure, especially phone. Text and use the land line where possible. No more expensive whisky either. We’ll sell our surplus produce at the farmers’ market, and I want you and Ben to keep up your investigation.” While I didn’t hold out much hope they’d have success, at least it would keep them out of mischief. “Meanwhile I’ll see if Seth’s mother can give me a couple more days’ or nights’ work.”

  “What about me?” Hannah asked.

  “Internet research and watching out for Amber. Maybe you could make some jams or chutneys to sell at the market, too, if you have time.” I was pleased to note all three had cheered after having a task assigned.

  “I’ll also carry on with Shadow duties,” I said grudgingly.

  My father perked up even more. “Ben and I have a lead for a possible job.”

  “Yes?” A note of caution crept into my voice.

  “The people who moved into the old Ledbetter estate.”

  “The pop stars?” Hannah asked.

  Father nodded. “Exactly so. More money than sense. Alth
ough why they get paid for their god-awful wailing, I’ve no idea.”

  Ben snorted. “They’ve made a right mess of renovating the Ledbetter mansion. They call it modernizing. Butchery, more like.”

  “Details,” I said, cutting in before the conversation diverged even further. “What sort of jewels? Do we have any orders, or can I steal on spec?” Although I’d hesitated over the word steal, there was no point dressing it up.

  “Rubies are still in demand. Grab those if you see them, but if something else snares your attention, pick that up too. The lead singer’s girlfriend likes to collect baubles. Word is she prefers diamonds but accepts colored stones too,” Father said.

  I checked my watch. “I have time to do a recon tonight.” From the corner of my eye, I noticed both Father and Ben brighten with hope. I decided to throw them a bone. “Would you like to come with me? It would speed things up if the three of us divide up the property.”

  Hannah gave an approving nod while the two men beamed like schoolboys anticipating a treat. A sense of rightness enveloped me. Letting them come along was the right thing to do.

  We parked the Mini about half a mile from the Ledbetter estate and made the rest of our way on foot, dressed in dark clothes to blend with the night.

  The estate was originally Georgian with grounds designed by Capability Brown. We made our way past an ornamental pond and a faux temple, through a stand of oak before coming to a halt. The trees gave way to sweeping vistas in front of the house. In the faint moonlight, the scaffolding glinted like an exposed ribcage. Father was right. The modern additions offended my eye. I couldn’t wait to see the interior. Visions of velvet wallpaper, mirrored ceilings and large heart-shaped beds popped into my mind.

  “Split up and meet back here in half an hour. I’ll go to the right. Father, you take the left. Ben, you can check out the security on the driveway.”

  Father and Ben both nodded. I adjusted my ski mask to screen my face and scanned the lawn in front of us. In a tree behind me, an owl hooted, the sound low and mournful. A premonition? Uneasily, I scanned the open ground again. Would I ever be at ease with the family occupation? I liked to hope so since, with the huge debt hanging over us, there were no other options.