The Cat, the Sneak and the Secret

by Leann Sweeney

  “Thanks for picking me up, Jillian. I forgot all about this rehearsal thing until Kara texted me.”

  “Why didn’t she text me? I nearly forgot myself.”

  As if she were telepathic, Kara phoned a few minutes later. “Are you on your way?”

  “I am, Wedding Planner. Finn and I will be at the church in a few minutes.”

  When I mentioned how I’d nearly forgotten, she told me she was sorry she didn’t remind me as she’d reminded everyone else. “I thought you’d remember—and yes, I got all caught up in the story for tomorrow’s paper.”

  “What story?”

  “Tom asked me to write a piece requesting help from the public. He gave me a couple pictures—one is of that old truck that was used to carry Rhett Marner’s body at some point. He’s hoping someone will recall seeing it being driven by people other than Bo or Wilbur Strickland.”

  “What’s the other picture?”

  “It’s this nasty old sofa. He said the body came in contact with that sofa at some point. Maybe someone remembers seeing it being dumped by the donation box. Not many folks travel that road unless they’re headed to Shawn’s shelter, though. He thinks it’s a long shot.”

  “No, it’s a great idea,” I said.

  Before she disconnected, she said she had to lock up the office and not to start the rehearsal without her.

  I’d like to rehearse the kiss, I thought. I could sure use a few kisses about now. Nearly forgetting my own wedding rehearsal seemed so unlike me. It made me nervous and by the time I walked into the church, my hands were trembling.

  Elizabeth and Pastor Mitch were waiting, but no one else had arrived except Finn and me. Elizabeth offered to show Finn where the restroom was so he could change. When they left the sanctuary, Pastor Mitch came to where I stood in the center aisle and put an arm around my shoulder.

  “I’ve never seen you look so panicky, Jillian. There’s nothing to this. It’s all quite simple.”

  His strong arm and kind voice were reassuring, but so many feelings swirled inside that tears threatened. A profound sadness that Mike wouldn’t be here combined with the swell of pleasure I felt at finally being so close to marrying Tom made for a confusing mix of emotions.

  But when I heard Tom’s voice from the vestibule say, “Let’s get this party started,” I laughed and felt the tension drain away.

  He’d picked up Ed and Karen and they all walked toward us down the aisle just as Elizabeth and a cleaned-up Finn came in from the side entrance.

  Karen enjoyed her vintage clothing and tonight she wore a green wool suit with a jacket that flared beneath the matching belt. Her skirt was long and straight and she hadn’t forgotten her gloves—black gloves with a spatter of rhinestones. I was surprised she wasn’t wearing a hat, since she loved hats.

  She hugged me tightly and I smelled her cherry-scented shampoo. Her hair had been dyed pitch-black—she’d told me she wanted a new look for autumn and it was definitely eye-catching. The color accented the blue eyes that matched her son’s so perfectly.

  Ed had even forgone his usual overalls for a pair of khakis and a white shirt buttoned up to his neck. He looked so uncomfortable I felt sorry for him.

  He stroked his beard. “Karen says I need to trim this way back for the big day. What do you think, Jillian?”

  I smiled. “You look wonderful, Ed. Whatever you want to do is fine.”

  Karen said, “Don’t encourage the man, sweetheart. He needs to look his best walking you down the aisle. Wait until you see the suit I found him.”

  Ed did not look happy. “I guess if Karen can make me wear this getup, a suit is just one step further to me being the dreamboat she wants.”

  Finn seemed amused. “You two crack me up.”

  Kara came running in, out of breath. “I am so sorry to be late. But I think we have a quorum, even without Candace.”

  Pastor Mitch had Kara’s notes and walked us through each step of the ceremony. He showed which scripture he planned to read, and the verse he chose brought new tears to my eyes. Tom put an arm around me and I hugged his waist.

  “You will remember to wear waterproof mascara,” Kara said. “That’s not on your list, but—”

  “Mascara? I never wear mascara.”

  Ed piped in with a grin, “If I have to wear a suit, well . . . you can finish that sentence.”

  We all laughed and everyone seemed to know their role. Finn was best man and I’d decided that both Karen and Ed would walk me down the aisle and then Karen would take a seat in the front pew. With Mike no longer with us, Ed would not only play father of the bride; he would stand up for Tom beside Finn.

  “Candace and I will need escorts down the aisle at the end of the ceremony, after all,” Kara told us.

  I hugged Tom tighter. “And I will have the best escort of all. Forever.”

  “Is this where we rehearse the kiss?” Tom didn’t wait for an answer—he just pressed his lips to mine. But we were interrupted when we heard Candace’s voice echo through the near-empty sanctuary.

  “Am I too late?”

  I smiled, so happy she could make it despite probably being exhausted. “You are never too late.”

  Pastor Mitch and Kara went over the whole thing again while the rest of us sat in the first pew with Elizabeth. She told us how much she looked forward to Saturday.

  She gestured at the cross centered on the wall behind the altar. “I am so sorry for the loss of your good friend Chief Baca. Just know he’ll be standing next to God and offering his blessing.”

  We all nodded, each of us silent, thinking of the Mike we knew and loved. The pastor and Elizabeth left, saying they had a couple arriving for premarital counseling any minute but that we were welcome to stay as long as we wanted.

  Though I was certain Candace would be too tired to even drag herself here, her eyes were bright and alert.

  She was onto something.

  “Can we get something to eat? I’m starving.” She was looking at Tom. “Everyone? Anyone? What’s a rehearsal without a dinner?”

  But Ed and Karen said they were tired and Kara still had to put the paper to bed. She offered to drop Ed and Karen at their house. When the rehearsal day had been changed, we’d decided to skip the dinner part, but now it had been resurrected.

  Finn, Tom, Candace and I decided the Main Street Diner was the perfect place to celebrate. But I knew this was about something else. What had she learned? Could she have a solid lead on the killer or killers even without those pictures running in the paper tomorrow?

  Finn rode with Candace in the squad car, saying, “I have a need for speed.”

  He’d sure get it riding with her. I would follow Tom’s Prius, but I told him I had to check the cat cam first, so he got in his car and waited for me to have a look. It could also be called a nanny cam tonight.

  Sure enough, Lindsey, Amelia and Seth were sitting on my sofa with a bowl of popcorn. Well, Seth had the popcorn. Amelia was holding Chablis, and Lindsey was petting Magpie. I heard Disney-esque music from the TV playing in the background.

  Merlot and Syrah weren’t anywhere in sight, so I checked another camera and saw them in the foyer. Perhaps bugs had flown inside when the crew arrived; the cats liked to hunt them near the front door. I switched back to see Lindsey staring at Amelia fondly and then she took out her phone. I heard her say, “How about a selfie?”

  Amelia’s sweet face seemed awfully familiar as she posed with Lindsey. Of course I’d seen her before, but she’d been screaming her head off in a tantrum and the next minute she’d been sound asleep. I hadn’t gotten a good look. Those eyes. What was it about those big brown eyes?

  Tom gave a small honk to hurry me up. I closed the app and we took off, but I couldn’t stop thinking about that child.

  By the time we reached the diner, Finn and Candace were alrea
dy seated in a back booth.

  “Took you long enough,” Candace said.

  Tom nodded at me as I slid across from the two of them, saying, “Someone needed to check on her fur friends—and that takes priority.”

  “Not just on them. Lindsey and Seth are over at my place babysitting.”

  Candace appeared confused. “Babysitting your cats? Since when—”

  “No, an actual real miniature human being,” Finn explained.

  “Pretty soon you’ll need zoning reassignment as a group home, Jillian,” Candace said with a laugh. “Is Seth staying with you, too?”

  “No, but he’s helping out with the little girl—a four-year-old. He’ll be doing some of the babysitting until this lady gets on her feet. Maybe you’ve met her. She’s working at Belle’s.”

  Candace sat back and I recognized her wary cop look immediately. “Are you talking about Lucy Rucker?”

  “Yes. She has a little girl named Amelia. But don’t tell me she’s some kind of con woman or—”

  “No. Not that.” Candace looked at Tom. “This ties in with what I wanted to tell you and why I decided to come to the church. It’s a big deal.” She glanced between Finn and me and whispered, “And not for public consumption.”

  “Go on,” Tom said. “You know these two can be trusted with anything and everything.”

  Just then the waitress arrived to take our order. Once we finished and she left to get our drinks, Candace went on.

  “I got the financials for almost everyone, and turns out Rhett has been withdrawing fifteen hundred in cash every month for the last eight months.”

  “Extortion?” Tom asked.

  “My first thought, too,” she said. “I checked the post office to see if maybe he’d rented a PO box for a dead drop. You get the feds involved in extortion and it’s serious business. But Sally—you know her, worked behind that counter at the post office for years?”

  Tom and I both nodded.

  “Anyway, she told me Rhett’s been sending something certified mail to Charleston every month like clockwork. She said she’d need a subpoena to tell us who but thought I should know.”

  “How quick can we get one?” Tom said. “Tomorrow, I hope, because the weekend is coming up and I have certain plans that—”

  “Hang on. I’m not finished, Chief.”

  All of us were completely focused on what she had to say and hardly noticed when our drinks arrived, but all of a sudden I was sipping sweet tea through a straw as I stared at her.

  “Remember I told you Rhett bought a house? And we thought it was some kind of investment?”

  My mind began to race, my concentration on Candace diverted. Money going to Charleston and a house that someone gave to Lucy . . . her hesitancy when I asked Lucy if she had relatives in town. No wonder Candace was interested in the woman.

  And then it dawned on me.

  Candace was talking, but I interrupted her. “The eyes. I know where I’ve seen those eyes.”

  “Huh?” Candace said.

  “What is it, Jilly?” Tom said.

  Of course that was when the waitress arrived with our order. Soon plates of burgers, fries and chili dogs sat in front of us, but no one started eating.

  As soon as the waitress left, Tom said, “What did you mean when you mentioned seeing those eyes? Whose eyes?”

  “Amelia’s. I think she’s Lindsey’s child. She has Seth’s eyes and she resembles the baby picture in that locket and the wallet, the picture Lindsey kept with her. Those three are definitely related. Seth is an uncle and he doesn’t even know it.”

  We all sat in stunned silence for a second.

  Finally Candace spoke. “Rhett Marner brought his grandchild here to Mercy, to be close to him.”

  “Exactly.” I explained how Lucy’s husband had died suddenly, that she had no money. “She and her husband must have been the adoptive parents and Rhett knew who they were. Or maybe the woman reached out to him for help.”

  “Doesn’t matter how she ended up here,” Tom said. “What does matter is, who else knew about the little girl and the woman Rhett had set up here in town?”

  I started thinking out loud. “Rebecca Marner was with her daughter when the baby was born. Maybe she even arranged the adoption, met with the prospective parents or picked them out herself. She is that controlling. She could know Lucy.”

  Finn was still listening carefully but decided not to let his food get cold. Candace followed suit, dipping about six fries at once into the cup of ketchup on her plate. Even as she took a huge bite, she never took her eyes off me.

  She chewed in silence, then said, “I didn’t even know you’d met this woman.”

  “She was a stranger who needed help. I had no idea . . .” I let my words trail off.

  Tom picked up his burger. “If Rhett brought his grandchild to town, he was probably about to let the cat out of the bag. Did Rebecca or Lindsey know? Did it set one of them off?”

  My heart felt heavy as I considered what this all meant. How could Rhett do that to his daughter? I didn’t care about Rebecca, but Lindsey? She’d feel so betrayed if Rhett intended to reveal she’d given birth when she was so young. I said, “How can you be sure he planned on telling anyone? Maybe he just needed to help this woman out and get his grandchild close so he could get to know her.”

  Tom set his burger down and rested a hand on my thigh. “I understand you want to see the best in everyone and I know you’ve become close to Lindsey—and maybe even begun to understand that . . . snob Rebecca Marner. But if Lindsey’s mom was present when the baby was born, and even had a hand in finding good adoptive parents, she was bound to run into this woman in town at some point. Rhett knew Rebecca had no interest in protecting her daughter from the pain it would cause if he let the world know about his daughter having a child out of wedlock. Maybe he even told his ex and his daughter he was going to reveal this secret.”

  “Maybe I’m wrong, but Lindsey would surely have told us if she knew. I mean, she agreed to care for Amelia tonight without hesitation.” I looked at Finn. “She would have at least told you, Finn. Right?”

  He’d devoured his first chili dog and was about to start on a second one. “She didn’t say a thing. I suggest we go home and simply ask her. Or is that a way-too-crazy idea?”

  Okay, he was annoyed, probably because both Tom and Candace had insinuated that Lindsey might be involved in murder.

  “Actually that’s a good idea,” Tom said evenly. “But I’d rather do it in a formal interview at the station. Offer her a Miranda warning and tape what she says.”

  “Really? You’d do that?” Finn set down his chili dog and glared at Tom. “She didn’t do anything, Dad. You don’t know her like I do.”

  “The girl’s your friend. I get that. But two men are dead and one of them was my closest friend.” Tom’s voice cracked and he had to pause for a second. “She may not be guilty of murder, but my gut has been telling me since the minute I met her that Lindsey was holding back. My guess is, she’s protecting her mother.”

  Tom’s hand was still on my leg and I put mine over his and squeezed. I said, “Children like Lindsey and Seth, who were put in the middle of family troubles when they were young, can be more protective of their parents than the parents are of them—even when there’s bitterness and anger in the mix.”

  “True. I was like that myself.” Finn took a deep breath and looked at Tom. “I’m sorry, Dad. You’re probably right. I was out of line.”

  “Why don’t we forget about this for now and enjoy our rehearsal dinner?” He removed his hand and started in on his burger. But Tom wasn’t fooling me. I wasn’t the only emotional one tonight.

  Twenty-seven

  Finn and I headed for home while Candace and Tom went back to the station. From what I overheard Candace whisper to Tom on the way out of the d
iner, the autopsy report on Rhett had finally offered an approximate time of death and it was days before he’d been reported missing. Tom didn’t bother keeping it a secret that he wanted to look over the information Candace had just gathered. They needed to firm up the timeline of both crimes.

  When Finn and I arrived home, Seth met us at the back door, finger to his lips for us to be quiet. Amelia was probably sleeping. We tiptoed into the kitchen where cats were certainly not sleeping. Syrah, Merlot and Magpie were ready for their evening food, and Merlot didn’t care about human hand signals to be silent. He followed Finn into the pantry, chirping and trilling like a hungry bird all the way.

  I stepped into the living room and what I saw nearly melted my heart. Amelia’s head was in Lindsey’s lap and Chablis was sleeping with Amelia’s arm around her. I took out my phone and snapped a picture.

  “I hate to wake her,” Lindsey said softly. “Since her mom’s shift isn’t over until ten, we still have a little time to let her sleep.”

  The TV, though muted, was still playing Frozen and I wondered if this was the second or third time they’d watched it.

  I smiled down at the sleeping child. “Looks like the two of you hit it off.”

  Lindsey nodded knowingly. “This is a special little girl.”

  The look she gave Amelia said everything. I was guessing she knew the truth.

  Finn touched me on the arm and gestured me into the kitchen. In a low voice he said, “Seth needs to get home. I could take him.”

  “Sure. You know where my keys are.”

  They left, Yoshi happy to be included in the car ride. I went back into the living room and sat opposite Lindsey and Amelia. Finn was right. The truth needed to come out, and even though Tom might not like it, I had to say something.

  “You know this little girl, don’t you, Lindsey? You met her once before.”