Mama cat blinked against the bright outdoor light as her pupils contracted. The pretty gray cat had fur as soft as crushed velvet and green eyes that seemed above average in intelligence.
“You may want to pick better places to have your litter next time,” Lindsey said. The cat blinked and began to lick her shoulder.
The woman tried to haul herself out of the shed, but the muck held her fast with its suction-like grip. Lindsey put the cat down and reached into the doorway to give the woman a hand. Lindsey leaned back as she pulled, bracing herself with her feet. It was harder than she’d anticipated to fight the muck, which seemed intent on keeping its prize.
The woman’s white blouse was soaked and adhered to her skin, making it almost transparent. Lindsey could see a colorful sleeve of tattoos decorating her arm; they were renderings of books in flight against a starry background.
“Tell me if I’m crazy,” Lindsey said as the woman burst through the door with one big heave, “but your name wouldn’t be Paula Turner by any chance, would it?”
The woman rose to her feet. She was covered in mud from her armpits to her boots. She turned her head and gave Lindsey a sidelong look and raised one eyebrow.
“Who wants to know?” she asked.
“Lindsey Norris, library director,” Lindsey said and held out her hand.
Paula nodded as she shook her hand. “I think I missed my interview.”
“Yes, you did,” Lindsey said. She led the way off the dock, carrying mama cat. Once on shore, she pulled the kittens out of her pockets and returned them to their mother. She and Paula watched as the family nestled deeper into Paula’s coat.
Lindsey glanced at Paula and noted that she looked defeated but not surprised.
“That’s too bad,” Paula said. She hunkered down to inspect the cats. “Library clerk sounded like the perfect job for me.”
“Oh, you got the job,” Lindsey said as she crouched beside her.
“What?” Paula gasped. She looked genuinely stunned. “But you don’t know anything about me or my past, which is—”
“I know what’s important,” Lindsey interrupted. She met the woman’s gaze. She liked what she saw there. She was operating on instinct now, but then this whole day had been a lesson in following her gut. “I know enough. Welcome to Briar Creek, Paula Turner.”
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A Likely Story: A Library Lover's Mystery Page 27
