Farewell to Felines

by Kathi Daley

  I decided to check in with Tara; if she didn’t need me perhaps I’d see if Siobhan wanted to have lunch. As the mayor of Madrona Island, she had access to a lot of information that wasn’t public knowledge. Maybe she’d have some insight into the workings of Caldwell and Benson that would be useful should I decide to interview the employees.

  “Drake Benson and Rupert Caldwell are snakes who’ve made a fortune taking on cases other attorneys didn’t want to handle,” Siobhan said as we walked down the street to a nearby diner to order salads.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “They have a reputation for representing corrupt businesses that are attempting to skirt the law, or defendants who are obviously guilty. In other words, they make a living making sure the bad guy wins.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever met either man, although I’ve seen advertisements for the local office.”

  “The main office is in Seattle, but they operate several satellites, including the one in Harthaven. While Caldwell works with large businesses, Benson specializes in criminal law. Neither spends a lot of time on the island, but they show up occasionally. If Thea had a temp job at the local office, she was probably working for Bruce Wong. He’s actually a decent guy who handles most of the cases on Madrona Island.”

  I took a sip of my ice tea before I spoke. “I heard Thea had been snooping around at one of her temp jobs, which resulted in her being fired. Also that she had uncovered something damaging she planned to use to blackmail someone. If Caldwell and Benson are known for taking on clients from the seedy side of humanity, maybe she really had something that got her killed.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Do you think someone from Caldwell and Benson could have silenced her to protect their client?” I asked.

  Siobhan shifted in her seat, pausing to rub her stomach. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that was the case. Of course, I doubt either Benson or Caldwell would have done it themselves; I’m sure they have plenty of clients who would have been happy to take care of things on their behalf. Having said that, all we have now is a theory, and a theory absent proof is pretty much useless. I think we should see if we can find any evidence that Thea actually had damaging information and tried to use it as part of a blackmail scheme.”

  “I wonder if Finn pulled Thea’s phone and banking records.”

  “I’m sure he has,” Siobhan answered. “We can ask him. If he has them and hasn’t mentioned anything, there’s probably nothing there.”

  After lunch I went to the Coffee Café in Harthaven. According to Thea’s desk calendar, she had been there at nine o’clock on the day she died. I hoped there would be an employee or two who remembered seeing her. If I was especially lucky I’d find someone who remembered who she was with.

  Coffee Café was a cozy place that served breakfast and lunch as well as the coffee drinks they were named for. The owner had recently had a baby and was taking some time off, so I planned to speak to her assistant, Ana. I didn’t know her well because she’d lived on the island for less than a year, but we’d chatted often enough that she recognized me when I came in.

  “So, what has you slumming in this part of town?” Ana teased.

  “I was in the area and wanted to chat with you for a minute. Can you take a quick break?”

  “Yeah, I can arrange that.” Ana poked her head into the kitchen and let whoever was on the other side of the door know she was going to step out for a few minutes. “What’s up?” Ana asked when we sat down on one of the benches provided for outdoor diners.

  “Do you know a woman named Thea Blane?”

  “No, I don’t think I do.”

  “She lived nearby and did temp jobs on the island. I’m afraid she passed away over the weekend, and I’m following up on a few details. According to her desk calendar, she planned to be here at nine o’clock on Saturday morning. I was hoping you or one of your staff had seen her and noticed who she was with.”

  Ana frowned. “I was here on Saturday. Can you describe her?”

  “She had dark hair that fell to just below her shoulders. She was around forty years old and most people would describe her as quite beautiful.” I tried to remember what she was wearing when I found her body. “She may have been wearing blue jeans and a yellow sweatshirt.”

  “I do remember her. She met a man I’d say was around thirty. Dark hair and good-looking. I heard her say she needed to stop by her house to pick up something she’d forgotten, so they took their coffee to go.”

  “Can you remember anything else?”

  “Not really. It was busy, and they weren’t here long.”

  “Do you remember seeing either of them in the café before?”

  “The woman no, but the man has been in on several occasions over the past month or so. He normally comes in earlier, though, like around six. He always gets a large coffee to go.”

  “Has he ever given you his name?”

  Ana shook her head. “Not that I recall. Sorry. I wish I could be of more help.”

  Chapter 7

  Most Wednesday nights you can find Cody and me at St. Patrick’s, holding practice for the children’s choir. This week was no different. I hadn’t been sure I wanted to take on the role of choir director when I first was approached about it, but I’d come to find I quite enjoyed working with the kids.

  “Cody’s going to pass around the lyrics to the song we want to introduce on Sunday,” I announced. “We’ll sing it first as a group and then we’ll select individuals to perform the solos,” I announced.

  Most of the kids wanted a chance to do a solo, so Cody and I tried to rotate them so everyone had an opportunity to shine. Naturally, some of the kids had more talent than others, and it seemed there were often arguments about the solos being given to those with the most to offer, not necessarily to the choir member who was next in line.

  Cody passed out the music and then asked the woman who’d volunteered to play the piano to run through the number a couple of times so the kids could get a feel for the melody. I tried to follow along but, despite my effort, I found I was distracted this evening by Thea Blane’s murder. Danny had spoken to John Walkman, who’d admitted she had angered him to the point of wanting to cause her bodily harm but insisted he hadn’t been the one to kill her. I couldn’t quite decide if I believed him.

  Danny said John had a problem controlling his emotions and had been kicked out of O’Malley’s on a number of occasions for participating in bar fights when he’d had too much to drink. We discussed the likelihood that John had actually been the one to hit Thea over the head, and Danny and I both thought he should remain on the suspect list. Danny suggested we add another of Thea’s male friends, Walter Bodine. According to my brother, Walter and Thea dated from time to time, though they weren’t really considered an item. Danny thought Walter was a lot more serious about Thea than she appeared to be about him.

  I offered a few suggestions after the kids had gone through the song for the second time. Cody asked them to run through the parts he’d chosen to be sung as solos, while I allowed my attention to drift back to the murder case. While we’d identified several people who seemed to have motives, I didn’t feel I had a strong suspect. Lilly Kent and John Walkman had worked their way to the top of my list, yet the idea that Thea may have come across information she planned to use to blackmail someone intrigued me the most. The next thing to do would be to try to find out what that information was, and who was most likely to be injured if it became public knowledge. The combination of Thea having worked for and been fired by Caldwell and Benson and her asking Gigi about county legal information led me to believe she might very well have known something worth killing for.

  “Miss Cait,” Polly Pintner asked, drawing me from my musings.

  “Yes, Polly? How can I help you?”

  “Are we going to do a special performance for Easter Sunday like we did last year?”

  “We are,” I responded to the eight-year-old with long
red hair and bright blue eyes. “The song Cody is teaching you tonight will be part of our Easter lineup.”

  “My grandma is coming all the way from Boston to spend Easter with us. My mom said she would buy me a new dress, but only if I had a special part. I don’t like to sing alone ’cause it makes butterflies in my stomach, but maybe I can do something else. Last year we had those cards Bethany held up. If we’re going to have the cards again maybe I can do that job.”

  “Cody and I haven’t discussed whether we’re going to use the picture cards again, but I’ll talk to him tonight and let you know. If we don’t use them maybe we can find something else for you to do where you can stand out without having to do a solo.”

  Polly seemed happy with my answer and trotted over to rejoin the others. Cody was almost done with the song they’d been rehearsing, and I realized he’d probably need the sheet music for another song we planned to use for Easter Sunday. I’d meant to make copies before choir began but had been distracted and had never gotten around to it. I grabbed my original and held it up in the air, letting Cody know I was heading down the hall to make the copies.

  When I arrived in the small room that contained a printer, a computer terminal, and a copy machine, I found Father Bartholomew making copies, probably for his Bible study group.

  “I’m just about finished,” he said.

  “That’s fine. Take your time. Cody is with the kids. I really enjoyed your sermon last Sunday. I meant to stop by after Mass to tell you how much.”

  “Thank you. I thought it was well received. It’s been a difficult transition for the members of the community to accept me in the role Father Kilian filled for so many years, but I feel I’m finally being accepted.”

  “You totally are. I’ve heard nothing but positive things since you joined us.”

  “How is Michael doing in his own transition?” Father Bartholomew asked me. He was one of the few people who knew that Father Kilian had chosen to leave the priesthood altogether after retiring to marry my Aunt Maggie.

  “I think he’s doing fine. Michael and Aunt Maggie have been spending a lot of time together, and they’ll be heading toward the final step in their plan sooner rather than later. I know there’ll be members of the congregation who won’t understand or approve of their marrying, but they really deserve to have this time.”

  “I agree. And I wish them the best.” Father Bartholomew removed his original from the copier. “I wanted to ask about Thea Blane, Caitlin. I tried calling Deputy Finnegan, but we seem to keep missing each other. I haven’t been approached by anyone regarding a funeral. With Easter week just around the corner, I thought it would be best to plan it as soon as is possible.”

  “Thea was divorced and never had children. I don’t know who her next of kin might be. I’m sure Finn has looked in to it, though. I’ll ask him to call you when I see him later this evening. The fact that she was murdered might prevent a quick funeral even if next of kin is located.”

  “Do you have any news on that front?” Father Bartholomew asked.

  “No, but there is something I’d like to ask you. I know you won’t necessarily be able to answer, but I feel it could be important.”

  “I don’t suppose it would hurt for you to ask.”

  “It’s been suggested to me that Thea had been planning to blackmail someone. I don’t suppose she mentioned anything to you that would suggest that information is correct?”

  Father Bartholomew shook his head. “If you’re wondering if she might have mentioned a blackmail scheme in confession, you’re right, I wouldn’t be able to tell you as much. But she never confessed anything along those lines. I did see her deeply involved in a conversation with one of our new parishioners after choir practice on Tuesday of last week.”

  “And who was that?”

  “Paul Gibson.”

  I frowned. “Paul Gibson is an attorney.”

  “I believe he’s retired now, but I do remember someone mentioning to me that he used to practice law.”

  “Do you have his phone number?”

  “I don’t, but I know he’s friendly with your brother Aiden. Why don’t you talk to him about contacting Paul?”

  “I’ll do that. Thanks.”

  I made my copies and went back to Cody and the kids. I gave everyone a copy of the sheet music and then Cody asked the pianist to run through the song several times. Cody seemed to have things under control, so I stepped out into the hallway and called my oldest brother.

  “Hey, Cait,” Aiden answered in his deep voice. “What’s up?”

  “Do you know someone named Paul Gibson?”

  “He’s in the group I play poker with on Fridays. Why do you ask?”

  “I think he might have some information that will help me with the murder investigation I’m working on. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to give me his phone number?”

  “I’ll call him and have him call you. Are you talking about the Thea Blane case?”

  “I am. It seems Thea may have come across some sort of information when she was working at Caldwell and Benson that she intended to use to blackmail someone. I don’t know the specifics, but I also know she had some legal questions, and Gigi from the library suggested she speak to Paul.”

  “You think Thea was killed because of a blackmail scheme?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but it seems like a possibility. Have you heard anything?”

  Aiden hesitated before answering. “I might know something. I don’t want you getting hurt, though, so I’m not sure I should tell you about it.”

  “I’m not a child and I won’t get hurt. If you know something, you need to tell me. Tansy isn’t feeling well. I need to get this murder case wrapped up so I can fix the problem in the hollow.”

  “What problem in the hollow and what’s wrong with Tansy?”

  I briefly explained about the tainted water and the disappearance of the cats. Aiden asked what any of that had to do with Tansy, and I admitted I didn’t know, but it seemed her health was in some way connected to the health of the hollow.

  “Okay,” Aiden said. “I’ll tell you what I know, but not over the phone. Are you at home?”

  “Choir practice.”

  “If you and Cody want to stop by my place on your way home I’ll show you what I have.”

  “We’ll be there. Thanks, Aiden.”

  ******

  Aiden was a fisherman by trade, so he was away from home more often than not. He used to live with Mom and Cassie in our childhood home, but after it burned to the ground he decided to get his own space. Now he lived in a small house in Harthaven. As far as bachelor pads went, it wasn’t bad, just a block from the marina where he kept his boat and within walking distance from a bar and a couple of restaurants.

  He invited us in and offered us a beer, which we declined. There was a box sitting on the table that looked as if it contained files of some sort. I wasn’t sure if these were the items he wanted to show us, or if he’d been doing his taxes when I called.

  “Before I tell you what I know I need you both to promise you’ll be cautious in deciding what to do with this information,” he started off.

  “Of course. What is it?” I asked, impatient to get on with it.

  “A buddy of mine who runs a fishing charter told me that he’d been looking to buy a house with a deep-water dock so he could move out of the marina. There aren’t a lot of places like that on the south shore, but there are several on the north shore, so that’s where he’s been looking. Anyway, he said he met with a guy who told him that someone had put in an offer to buy the old Smith Packing building.”

  Smith Packing had been closed for over five years, but before it had gone under it was a large plant that employed a lot of people. The building was old and rundown, but it was on a large piece of land right on the water and could be valuable to the right person.

  “What does that have to do with anything?” I asked.

  “The building is tied up in a
contingency, based on their ability to get a permit to thin trees in the forested areas of the island, by a group that wants to use the property for a sawmill. If the permit is granted the sale will be finalized; if it isn’t the deal falls through.”

  “Thin trees? You mean cut them down? Aren’t there regulations against that?”

  “There are, but thinning is an accepted fire prevention practice, and this group has taken on similar projects in other areas. If you ask me, it seems likely they’ll be successful in getting a permit to thin the forest along the old logging road on the north shore. The problem they’re likely to run in to is with the trees in the hollow.”

  I frowned. “The hollow is a protected area.”

  “Traditionally it has been, but it’s private land.”

  Nora Bradley owned that land. Her husband, our ex-mayor, had tried something similar to harvest the Madrona trees but had been killed before it could be executed. I couldn’t believe the problem had resurfaced.

  “Do you think Nora will allow the trees to be cut?”

  “I don’t know. But the trees in the hollow have been left to grow and multiply, making the density of the vegetation impassable. While it presents a very real risk in terms of fire, especially if the island were to suffer a long drought, it hasn’t been logged mainly due to the cost of building a road and the cats that live there. The group that wants to log the area is willing to cover the cost of the road, which means the only real obstacle they’re facing is—”

  “The cats,” I finished for him. “Do you think they would taint the water to drive the cats away?”

  Aiden shrugged. “I have no idea what they’d be willing to do, but I found the timing of the tainted water interesting.”

  “What does this have to do with Thea?” Cody asked.