"You're always mental," Kelly murmured.
"Anyway…" I ignored the jibe. "Maybe it would be a good idea to talk to someone. Like a counselor."
Kelly burst with excitement, which I thought was an unusual reaction. "Yes! That's a great idea! You can see Susan! I'll text you her number!"
For some reason, I questioned her. "Is she any good?"
"What do you mean? Why would I recommend someone who isn't good?" There was a touch of annoyance in her voice.
"Maybe you're not Kelly, but someone impersonating her." It could happen.
"I'm hanging up now."
I didn't really think it was an unreasonable statement as I dialed the number Kelly (or the woman impersonating Kelly) texted me and was put through to this Susan immediately.
"Ms. Wrath! Mrs. Albers just told me you'd be calling," a woman with a pleasant and soothing voice said.
This Kelly impersonator works fast.
We made an appointment for forty-five minutes from then. Hopefully, the vet appointment wouldn't take long. Five minutes later, we arrived. Maple Wood Vet Clinic was in a small building on the outskirts of town. Rex had been taking the cats in for their appointments when needed. He'd said they had new staff and a new doctor. I was a little nervous about that.
Huh. I didn't seem to have a problem when Rex ran errands for me. I shouldn't have any problems thinking about our future. What was wrong with me?
Martini slept soundly in the carrier as I walked into the clinic. It took a lot to wake that kitten up. Philby usually growled and hissed. She didn't like going to the vet. We'd had some issues in the past with another clinic—now closed. Moving to a different place did nothing to change Philby's prejudice against doctors.
"Ms. Wrath?" A short, perky young woman in a lab coat stood in front of me.
"Yes," I said. "I'm here with Martini." Maybe it was the lack of sleep or the adrenaline from the break in, but I added, "She's a cat."
If the woman thought this was a strange answer, she didn't show it. "I'm Doctor Alvarez. This way, please."
We followed the doctor down the hallway, and for some reason I felt the need to explain why the vet hadn't met me before. "Mr. Ferguson couldn't make it," I said once inside the exam room. "I'm his fiancé."
Dr. Alvarez nodded. "He's told me about you. Philby is quite a character. It's nice to meet you at last." She took the cat from the carrier. Martini woke up and began to purr.
"She's gotten bigger!" the vet said as she poked the kitten's belly. "And appears to be very well fed."
"Pardon my ignorance," I said. "But what is she here for, exactly?"
I probably should've asked Rex, but figured (and hoped) the vet knew what was going on.
"Just her yearly shots. She's going to need a teeth-cleaning soon. We can make that appointment on your way out."
"Right." I nodded as if I knew what she was talking about.
Dr. Alvarez gave me a look, and I stopped talking. "How's Philby doing? Last time she was here I told Mr. Ferguson to put her on a diet."
I decided not to tell her about Philby's girth. "She's fine. Looks great," I lied.
"Well, Martini here is starting to follow in her mother's footsteps. You might want to put her on a diet soon too."
The vet poked and prodded some more, even pulling open the little cat's mouth and exposed her gums, which made it look like Martini was hate-smiling. She went to the door and called out for someone named Kate, then looked at me apologetically.
"Sorry about that. I forget that Kate isn't here. She's been missing for a few days."
That seemed like a strange thing to say. "Missing? Like milk carton missing?"
She frowned and bit her lip. "I hope not. She just hasn't come in for work or answered her phone."
People didn't usually go missing from small towns. Since everyone knew everyone else, if you were five seconds late for a meeting, the word went out.
"Have you told the police?"
She cocked her head to one side. "Not yet. Do you think we should?"
I shrugged. "Has she done this before?"
"I don't think so. But I've only been working here a few months. I moved here from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico."
"From Truth or Consequences to Who's There, eh? Have you heard about our little rivalry?" Albeit, it was a rivalry that T or C, NM didn't know about—but every Whovian did.
She laughed. "I heard that story on the first day I arrived. Funny, isn't it?"
"Well, I'll call the police station and report it, if you think that's best."
I nodded to indicate that I did. "You should call Rex…Detective Ferguson…directly. He'd want to know."
A young woman came in with a vial and a hypodermic, and I braced for the flurry of fits that Philby had the first time I'd taken her to get shots. Martini gave the vet a disinterested look and fell asleep as the needle went in. What was with this cat?
"She seems healthy and happy," Dr. Alvarez said. "See you in a month."
I gathered up the leash and walked out the door. "Absolutely."
On my way out, I paid for the exam and scheduled the appointment. I felt like such an adult that I skipped out to the car. Until I checked my watch. I only had five minutes before my appointment with Susan! What was I going to do with Martini?
"Ms. Wrath!" A tall brunette with a fauxhawk walked around the desk to shake my hand. She stopped to stare into the cat carrier. "I didn't realize your anxiety was so bad that you adopted a therapy cat."
I looked guiltily at Martini. "Yes, that's right. She's my therapy cat."
I couldn't very well tell her I'd brought a kitten into the hospital so I wouldn't have to drop her off at home.
"She's adorable. Looks a little like Elvis." She went back to her desk and slid a photo across the desk of what looked to be four to six basset hounds passed out on top of each other. "I'm a basset person, myself. Sit down. Please." She motioned to the open chair, and I sat.
"So, tell me how I can help." She sat back and smiled. I liked her immediately.
"Well, I guess…I mean…people tell me I'm freaking out over my upcoming wedding. I've had insomnia for months now."
The therapist nodded like this was the most normal thing ever. "When's the wedding?"
"December 15th. Right around the corner."
Susan smiled. "It must seem like that. But try to take it month by month. You've still got nine months to go."
I hadn't thought of it like that. I felt a little lighter.
"Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?" she asked, steepling her fingers. She looked very therapisty doing that.
"Oh. Um…" I hesitated.
Should I tell her about my work at the CIA? Were there patient/doctor privacy rules? How did that work, exactly? The psychologist at the Agency just sent Dan the Ferret Man home and no one ever heard from him again. But my home was here.
"Everything you say here is completely confidential. Bearing that in mind, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."
Since I didn't know the woman, and I was a former spy, I decided to err on the side of paranoia.
"I had a wonderful job that I loved. One that took me overseas a lot. But something happened, and I had to leave that job and move back here."
Susan smiled, and I felt myself relax. "What do you do now?"
I shrugged. "I'm a Girl Scout leader."
She leaned forward. "Full-time?"
"No. It's just a volunteer thing. I don't work other than that."
Susan wrote some things down on a notepad. "How long have you known your fiancé?"
"He moved in across the street. We kind of met when dead bodies started popping up around me."
If that concerned her, she didn't show it. I really, really liked her.
One eyebrow went up, but she left my statement alone. "How long did you date before you got engaged?"
"A year, I think. Maybe two. Wait, is that bad that I don't know exactly?" This was s
tarting to feel like a test, and I wanted to pass.
"Not at all." She wrote some more. "I can understand your concerns. Your whole career was stripped from you unexpectedly. You lost something you loved and had to come back to the town you left, probably to find that very adventure."
It was like I was a giant balloon and someone popped me.
"Yes! Yes! That's exactly what happened!"
"Are you thinking someday you'd like to go back to your old job? Leave all of this behind you?"
That stopped me in my tracks. "I guess so. I really miss it. But it will never happen."
There were alternatives. I'd heard about other spies changing to work for the Israeli Mossad among others. Some went to work for the Department of Homeland Security or, in extreme cases, PBS.
"And would your fiancé go with you, or would he stay here?"
"I don't think he'd go with me. He's pretty happy here. But I'd jump at another chance…" Wait! What? Is that what I wanted?
"It's possible that you think, deep down, that the wedding might be a mistake because if given the chance, you'd go back into the field and your fiancé would want to stay here." Susan held up her hands. "Don't take that as gospel. We are just getting started."
Whoa. "Could it really be that simple?"
Susan shook her head. "I don't know. There might be other factors involved. Your insomnia could come from a variety of fears, and that's just one of them."
"What else could it be?"
The counselor smiled, making me relax. "Unresolved issues from your past…problems in past relationships…enjoying the single life…or committing to one man for the rest of your life…"
I went so still I could barely breathe. If she was right, my life was a complete mess. And now that I knew that, it seemed worse. Was I running away from all of that?
"Anyway," Susan said as she stood up, "we can discuss this more next time. I only had thirty minutes free when Mrs. Albers called."
I jumped to my feet. Martini slept on. "You want to see me again? Really?"
She nodded. "If you want to continue on with me, I'm happy to keep working with you. I just have to pencil you in."
"How about tomorrow?" I asked eagerly.
Susan consulted her planner. "The earliest I can get you in is two days from now. I have a client who has decided not to continue working with me. You can have her slot."
"You had a client who dumped you?" What idiot would do that? This was the best thing ever, and in a matter of minutes, she'd figured me out.
"I can't discuss it, but yes. I did. It happens."
Susan escorted Martini and me to the door, shook my hand, and waved me out. I wasn't too surprised to see Kelly in the hallway, waiting for me.
"She's great! How come I didn't know about her sooner? She nailed it!" I gushed.
Kelly grinned. "Susan is one of the best out there."
"Did you know she had a client dump her? What kind of nitwit does that?"
My best friend cocked her head to one side. "I did hear something about that. Not from Susan. But whoever it was disappeared into thin air. Didn't even call to cancel her appointments. Strange, right?"
"That is bizarre." But I didn't really care because that woman's loss was my gain.
That's when Kelly noticed the cat. "Why is she here? You do know you can't have a cat inside a hospital, don't you?" she whispered.
"Oh." I looked down at the kitten, who opened one eye and decided it wasn't worth waking up for. "I told her she's my anxiety cat. I think she bought it."
"Merry…" Kelly warned.
"We had a vet appointment that ran a little long. I couldn't leave her in the car. That would be abuse."
Kelly rolled her eyes and pointed at the doors. With a sigh I made sure my best friend heard, I made my way slowly toward the doors and out into the parking lot.
We made it home within minutes. To my complete surprise, Rex was waiting for me inside my house.
"How did it go?" He took the carrier from me and pulled the little cat out.
Martini licked Rex's hand before he set her down. She bounced off to find Philby.
Should I tell Rex what was going on? Would he think it weird of me to see a counselor?
"Merry?"
"Kelly set me up with a therapist at the hospital."
"You took Martini?"
"I couldn't just leave her in the car…"
He looked at me for a moment. "I'm glad you went."
Did he mean to the vet or…wait! Did Rex think I was crazy?
"You've been dealing with a lot over the past couple of years—losing your job, your partner—Riley and your friend, Maria." He smiled. "This is a good thing."
"I'm glad you think so." I hugged him. "Because I have another appointment soon. I guess one of her clients just dropped off the face of the earth." My mouth was on full autopilot. "Which is weird, because at the vet's office, they told me one of their employees…named Kate, has disappeared also."
Rex clenched his jaw. "Dr. Alvarez called me after you left. It's good you told her to call me."
I knew that look. That was the I'm not telling you anything and stay out of it look.
"You don't think this Kate is the same client who ditched Susan, do you?"
He arched one eyebrow. "I'll look into it. Of course, it would be you who finds this out and puts it together."
I couldn't help it. Snooping around crimes was becoming a full-time job for me. But I wasn't going to tell him that.
I decided to change the subject before he ordered me to stay out of it. "What happened with your fire?"
Rex sighed. "We think it was an electrical short. The fire inspector is there right now. I'm going to run home, grab a bite, and head back to the station."
He pulled me against him, and I kissed him and said goodbye. When the door closed behind him, I slumped onto the couch.
Several days of uneven sleep, sneaking around the neighbors' house, and having my head shrunk had taken its toll. Even though it was still early, I climbed into bed with the two cats and wondered why I hadn't come up with the reasons the therapist had.
Was it really about losing my job? I'd thought up until now that this was about getting married. What if it wasn't? And what if I could go back? Would I? Would Rex go with me, or would we have to break up?
My stomach churned at the thought of losing Rex. And the room did this spinning thing I didn't like. Calm down! There was no way I could go back into the field. I'd been exposed. To the world. No matter how I disguised myself, there would always be a risk.
Now I really was sad. Susan was right. I hadn't even recognized that this was an issue. Maybe all these investigations I'd been tangled up in since I'd moved back was one way of coping. Rex would love it if I stopped chasing down clues, but it was my nature to do so.
Another thought popped into my mind. Once we were married, would Rex make it his mission to keep me out of his cases?
A little dark storm cloud settled over my thoughts as I tossed and turned the rest of the night, wondering if I was doing the right thing.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I had the strangest dream. I was at a huge community picnic, and there was this epic tug-o-war contest. On one side was Rex, Kelly, her baby Finn (who was surprisingly strong), and my troop. On the other was Riley, the CIA, and a large hairy man dressed as a woman from the 1950s.
I was the rope.
Something was buzzing…my eyes flew open and spotted my cell. The call was from Ferguson Taxidermy.
"Merry! Great!" Randi chirped. "I've got something for you. Come over as soon as you're ready!" She hung up before I could answer.
It was 7 a.m. I'd barely slept. I'd probably snap like Dan the Ferret Man. Kelly had said something about a sleep study, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. As I moved through my routine of shower, breakfast, and teeth brushing, it felt like I was forgetting something.
The cats were not pleased that I was leaving. I don't know why, because
I fed them. Ungrateful beasts.
I made it to the shop within half an hour of Randi's call. What kind of dead animal thing did she have in store for me today? The shotgun sound went off as I walked through the door, but I managed to look like it didn't surprise me this time. Randi was standing there, waiting for me, as she held something behind her back.
"I think you'll love this!" She practically levitated with glee as she handed me a dead bird.
"It's a brooch! You need something blue for the wedding, so I stuffed a blue jay!"
I stared at the thing. As a brooch, it would take up a quarter of the body of my wedding gown. The blue jay's wings were fully extended, flattening him somewhat. It kind of looked like someone had stepped on him in mid-flight.
Randi took my silence for appreciation. "Isn't it fabulous? I'm going to make one attached to a top hat for Rex."
I laughed out loud. "I'd like to see Rex in a top hat. I doubt he'll wear it."
For the first time since I'd met her, Randi frowned. "It's a tradition in the Ferguson family that the man must wear a top hat and tails for his wedding. I hope he remembers that when he orders his tuxedo. Maybe I should order the hat for him."
"You have wedding traditions?" My family didn't have wedding traditions. In fact, I couldn't think of any family traditions. It would be nice to be part of a family that did things a certain way.
She nodded as she stepped forward and proceeded to pin the monstrosity onto my sweatshirt.
"Several. Our ancestors were very big on tradition."
"Oh. Well, we don't have any that I can think of."
Randi continued as if she hadn't heard me. "And we are Scottish on our father's side. So we have a lot of ideas on how weddings should be organized."
I wracked my brain to think if I'd ever heard of the Scots having a culture that embraced using dead animals as accessories.
"Some of the traditions"—Randi kept talking—"are optional, such as the sword fight between the bride and groom and the caber toss. Others are mandatory, including the top hat and the bride feeding baklava to the minister before the vows."
"Why do I have to feed baklava to the minister?" I asked, but was really wondering if I got to eat it too. I loved baklava.
Motto for Murder (Merry Wrath Mysteries Book 6) Page 9
