by Paige Sleuth
“Well, I’m glad you got your Ritter Veterinary bill resolved,” Kat said, not keen on hearing anything else Mr. Pedapudi had to say on the topic of credit card hazards. She was starting to feel paranoid about her own dependence on MasterCard.
“As am I.” His mouth puckered. “Truth be told though, after seeing how they operate I’m not surprised they’re having cash flow problems.”
Kat frowned. “Ritter Veterinary is having cash flow problems?”
“Why, yes. Haven’t you heard?”
“No, I haven’t. They always seem busy when I’m there.”
“Busy, yes. Profitable?” He lifted one shoulder. “I have my doubts. They’re awful at money management. In fact, I suspect that’s why the cost of their services have increased so much in the past month.”
Kat tried to remember the details of the last Furry Friends Foster Families bill she had seen. “I haven’t noticed any increase in cost.”
“Then you haven’t been paying attention. I, on the other hand, am very careful about my finances.”
Kat didn’t reply. She had already figured that out from the way he’d been fretting over a two-cent price difference between cat food options.
“In fact, I believe this latest billing fiasco is just the impetus I need to find Fritz another doctor,” Mr. Pedapudi continued, the pensive look on his face suggesting he had come to that decision on the spot. “I cannot be bothered to travel back and forth to Ritter Veterinary whenever they lose track of a payment.”
Kat studied the man in front of her. Although she had only just met him, she had a sneaking suspicion his mood typically hovered somewhere between irritated and infuriated. She could easily picture a person with his temperament taking something as innocent as a billing mishap personally. But would it have bothered him enough to seek revenge against those he had felt had done him wrong? In that case, she would have thought he’d target Winona rather than Xander. As the receptionist she would handle most of the payments.
Or, maybe in the heat of the moment Mr. Pedapudi had lashed out at whoever was handy. After all, it sounded as though his vexation was aimed more at Ritter Veterinary itself than at any particular person. And she couldn’t deny she’d found his philosophical comments about death to be rather ominous.
No, Kat thought, watching as Mr. Pedapudi started fussing over the different cat food options again. She would be wise to keep this man firmly in mind as a suspect.
CHAPTER FIVE
Tom greeted Kat with a series of enthusiastic meows when she stepped into her third-floor apartment fifteen minutes later. She wasn’t surprised to find the large, brown-and-black cat anxiously awaiting her return home. Even when he wasn’t expecting dinner he often met her at the door. His excitement whenever they were reunited made her love him all the more.
Kat kicked off her shoes and crouched down to pet him. “You’re probably wondering why I’m late, huh?”
Tom rubbed against her ankles as though to tell her he was just happy she was here now.
Matty lifted her head from her spot on the couch. Upon spotting the grocery bag, her pupils dilated and she dashed over to join them.
Kat reached out to pet the yellow-and-brown tortoiseshell, but Matty wasn’t interested. She dodged Kat’s hand and nosed the bag open so she could peer inside.
Kat snorted. “Well, hello to you, too. And yes, your dinner is in there.”
Tom meowed in approval, then rewarded her with a head bump.
Kat straightened back up and headed for the kitchen, knowing the animals weren’t above staging a revolt if they decided their human was wasting too much time when there were meals to be eaten.
She fished a can of whitefish out of the bag and tore off the lid. The sound sent the cats into a frenzy. They began twining between her legs, crying with an urgency that suggested they hadn’t eaten in days despite the two bowls full of kibble that Kat left out while she was at work.
“What’s so special about this whitefish anyway?” Kat asked them as she dished out the food. She set the bowls on the floor. “Is it laced with something?”
The cats scattered as they lunged for the food. Now that they’d gotten what they wanted, they were perfectly content to ignore their human.
Kat ambled into the living room, her thoughts veering back to Xander Holliwell. She wanted to call Andrew and ask if he’d made any progress on the case, but she didn’t figure he would tell her.
She pulled her cell phone out of her pants pocket and turned it on anyway. When she saw she had a new email from Ritter Veterinary she almost dropped the phone.
She held her breath and tapped the screen, half expecting to find something on Xander. But it was only an invoice.
Kat sat down on the couch and scanned over the bill. Her heart stuttered when her gaze snagged on the amount due: $450. Maybe Mr. Pedapudi was right about the practice’s escalating cost of services. But when she perused the details for an explanation of the charges, she realized this wasn’t an invoice for Furry Friends Foster Families. It was for Stumpy’s dental cleaning.
Kat found Maura’s cell phone number in her contacts and dialed.
Maura answered on the second ring. “Any word on Xander Holliwell?” she asked.
Apparently Maura was just as anxious for an update as Kat. “Not yet,” Kat told her.
“That’s too bad. I was hoping his killer had been caught by now. I can’t stop thinking about what happened to him. That poor man.”
“I know what you mean. But the reason I called is because I got your bill for Stumpy’s dental cleaning. I thought you might be looking for it.”
“Oh, yes. Dr. Mark’s staff must have gotten us confused after we showed up together this afternoon.”
Kat didn’t comment. Although the mistake was understandable in light of the clinic’s recent crisis, she would have been more inclined to dismiss it if she hadn’t just listened to Mr. Pedapudi’s tale about his own invoicing issue. Maybe Mr. Pedapudi had a point about Dr. Mark’s sloppy business practices.
Matty emerged from the kitchen. She sat down on the carpet and stared at Kat, her long, pink tongue swiping at the edges of her lips in search of stray whitefish morsels. Kat patted the couch cushion beside her, but Matty didn’t move right away. Only after she had completed three full revolutions around her mouth did she accept Kat’s invite.
“Could you forward that bill to me?” Maura asked.
“Sure thing.” Kat watched as Matty settled down to begin her typical postprandial bath. “Maura, were there any complications with Stumpy’s cleaning?”
“Not that I know of. Why?”
“There’s a charge on his bill for pain medication.”
“Is that unusual?”
“I don’t think it’s standard, although it might be necessary if he had a tooth extraction or something. But someone at the clinic should have told you if Stumpy needed anything outside of the routine cleaning.”
“No one said anything about a tooth extraction. Do you think they forgot to mention it after what happened to Xander?”
“Maybe.” But Kat doubted it. She knew Dr. Mark had a policy about asking the owner for permission prior to doing anything outside of the routine cleaning. And given that he hadn’t phoned Maura at any point during Stumpy’s procedure, it seemed unlikely the cat had needed to lose any teeth.
But that still didn’t explain Stumpy’s need for pain medication.
“How is Stumpy acting?” Kat asked. “Does he seem like he’s in any pain?”
“No. As soon as I got him home and fed he was his usual self.”
“That’s good.”
Matty paused from cleaning herself to eye Kat. She must have decided her human was more filthy than she was because she climbed onto the back of the couch and proceeded to groom Kat’s hair.
“Stumpy has been sleeping for almost a half hour now though,” Maura said, a note of concern creeping into her voice. “Do you think I should be worried?”
Kat shi
fted out of Matty’s reach. “Is he sleeping in one of his typical spots?”
“Yes, on my bed.”
“Then I wouldn’t worry unless something changes. Cats in pain often prefer to hide, but it doesn’t sound like Stumpy is doing that.”
“Oh, no, he’s definitely not hiding. He’s lying right in the center of the mattress like he always does. He loves to sprawl out so I have to climb around him when it’s time for bed. Little pest.”
The fondness in Maura’s voice made Kat smile. “Sounds like he feels right at home there.”
“He sure does. It took him a couple weeks to trust me when he first moved in, but now he acts like he owns the place.”
Kat reached behind her and ruffled Matty’s fur. “They take over fast, don’t they?”
“You can say that again. Have a good night, okay, Kat?”
“You too, Maura.”
Kat hung up, still pondering over Stumpy’s need for pain meds. Of course, it was also possible Ritter Veterinary had made a clerical error and that charge had been included by mistake. If that were the case, after Mr. Pedapudi’s duplicate invoice and her receipt of Maura’s bill, it would be the third billing mistake she had heard about today. That almost struck her as too many to be mere coincidence. At any rate, she vowed to scrutinize Clementine’s bill more carefully than normal after the Himalayan was released tomorrow morning.
Kat sat up a little straighter. Maybe she could use Clementine as an excuse to show up at Ritter Veterinary again. With Ivy and Winona busy chasing down escaped animals, she hadn’t gotten to talk to Dr. Mark’s staff as much as she had wanted. Things had to be calmer tomorrow. Maybe she could even take a quick look around the building to get a better sense of exactly how Xander’s killer had broken in.
Before Kat could change her mind, she texted Imogene a quick note to let her know she’d pick up Clementine in the morning. She couldn’t wait to do some more snooping.
CHAPTER SIX
That night, thoughts of Xander Holliwell kept Kat from falling asleep right away. Matty and Tom stuck close to her side, seeming to sense her need for comfort. Tom kept his warm body wrapped around her head like a protective shield, and Matty, who normally preferred to sleep alone, spent the night curled up at the foot of the bed. Kat had appreciated their silent support, but their presence still hadn’t prevented images of syringes and death from pervading her dreams when she did finally drift off. It was a relief when Matty woke her up for breakfast.
After the animals were fed Kat drove to Ritter Veterinary. Pulling into the parking lot, she was a bit unnerved to see how calm everything looked. If she hadn’t witnessed the police activity herself she never would have guessed the tragedy that had struck here yesterday. Her heart grew ten times heavier when it occurred to her that Xander would never again be waiting inside to greet her with a warm smile or a friendly wave.
Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the empty cat carrier she’d brought with her, climbed out of her car, and headed for the building. She couldn’t let grief distract her from her mission this morning. If she wanted to help Xander she had to stay focused.
The bell on the front door jangled as she stepped inside, but that was the only sound in what was typically a noisy establishment. She stopped and looked around. The lobby was startlingly empty.
Ivy’s head popped around the wall separating the reception area from the rest of the lobby. “Kat! What are you doing here?”
“I’ve come to pick up Clementine.” Kat lifted up the carrier as though to prove she had no ulterior motive for dropping in.
“You didn’t get my message?”
Kat set the carrier on the reception counter and pulled her cell phone from her jeans pocket. “I must have missed it.”
“I left a voicemail with Imogene about thirty minutes ago, but I guess she didn’t pass it on.”
“Oh.” Kat shoved her phone back into her pocket. “Maybe she hasn’t listened to it yet. What did you tell her?”
“Just that Dr. Mark wants to keep Clem for another day.”
Kat felt a pinch in her chest. “Is she not responding well to the IV?”
“She’s doing okay, but Dr. Mark wants to monitor her for a little longer to be sure. After all that business with the police he didn’t get to spend as much time with her as he wanted.”
“Where is Dr. Mark now?” Kat couldn’t deny she’d like to talk to the veterinarian. Assuming he wasn’t the guilty party, he had to be as eager as she was to see Xander’s murder solved.
“He went to check on the Navarros. He should be back later today.”
“Did he get a chance to attend to their horse?”
“He took care of that as soon as the cops released him.” There was an edge to Ivy’s tone. Clearly she still hadn’t forgiven Cherry Hills’ finest for taking Dr. Mark down to the station yesterday.
Kat swept her arm across the lobby. “Where is everyone?”
“Winona will be here any minute now. As for our clients, after the police let me back in the building yesterday I called and canceled all but the most urgent appointments. At the time I didn’t know how long they planned to keep Dr. Mark in custody.”
“That makes sense.”
Ivy tucked a stray lock of her blond hair behind her ear. “Since you’re here, would you like to see Clem?”
“Sure.”
“Well, come on back.”
Kat walked around to the other side of the reception counter and followed Ivy through a door marked ‘Staff Only.’ She was curious what she would find back here. Her previous visits to Ritter Veterinary had always been confined to the client areas.
The staff door opened into a tiled corridor that stretched off to the right. Based on her knowledge of the floor plan, Kat knew the examination rooms were located on that side of the building. She wasn’t sure what else might be down the hallway but there had to be a kennel somewhere. She could hear muffled barking coming from that direction.
There wasn’t much on the left, just a single closed door. And straight ahead was the exit the police had cordoned off from the other side yesterday.
“Clem’s in here,” Ivy said, opening the door on the left.
Kat followed Ivy into the room. About a dozen cages lined one wall. Most were empty, but she spotted Spock inside the closest one and clucked her tongue at him. He scrambled to his feet, then reached one paw toward her. Kat touched his paw pad with her fingertip before stroking his white bib, the only part of him she could easily reach through the cage slats.
“Here’s Clem,” Ivy said, stopping two cages away.
Kat would have recognized Clementine even if Ivy hadn’t said anything. With her striking blue eyes and beautiful chocolate markings, the Himalayan was hard to miss. She had a tube snaking from underneath a bandage wrapped around one paw. It connected to the IV hanging outside her cage.
Kat’s spirits lifted as she took note of Clementine’s bright eyes and brushed coat. “She looks ten times better than she did in that photo Imogene sent me.”
“Doesn’t she though?” Ivy poked her fingers through the cage slats to scratch Clementine’s chin. “Dr. Mark is pleased with her progress.”
Clementine closed her eyes and leaned into Ivy’s touch. The sight of the Himalayan looking so content made Kat smile. “She’s going to make somebody a wonderful pet. I just hope her next owner treats her better than the previous one did.”
“Yeah, well, people can be cruel,” Ivy said. “Look at what happened to Xander.”
“Speaking of Xander,” Kat said, grateful for the segue, “I ran into Mr. Pedapudi yesterday. He certainly had some interesting things to say about death, from a philosophical standpoint.”
“He has interesting opinions about a lot of things. I bet it was quite a culture shock for him when he moved here from India.”
“Do you think he could have been the person who attacked Xander?”
Ivy paused from petting Clementine. “That’s a good question. Xander was th
e one who sent him that invoice he was so upset about.”
“I thought Winona handled the billing. The last receptionist did, anyway.”
“Oh, Winona does too. But Dr. Mark recently enlisted Xander’s help to determine why this place isn’t as profitable as it should be.” Ivy sighed. “You might not know it from how busy we normally are, but Dr. Mark’s practice is barely staying afloat.”
Having evidently received his fill of attention, Spock wandered toward the back of his cage and hunched over his food dish. Delicate crunching sounds filled the room.
Kat shifted sideways to face Ivy better. “I had heard you were having financial difficulties.”
“Dr. Mark has even been talking about letting one of us go. As a last resort, of course.”
“Sounds dire. No wonder Dr. Mark asked Xander to look into things.”
“Yeah.” Ivy extracted her fingers from Clementine’s cage and folded her arms across her chest. “He thought Xander was pretty good with the database.”
Kat didn’t miss Ivy’s closed-off posture. “You didn’t agree?”
Ivy pursed her lips. “Xander knew just enough to get into trouble. And this latest invoicing disaster proves my point.”
“Did more clients than just Mr. Pedapudi receive a bill they’d already paid?” Kat asked.
Ivy nodded. “He was the third person to complain. And Xander only mailed out those invoices on Thursday, so some might still be in transit. I guess we’ll find out soon enough exactly how badly he screwed up.”
Kat detected a trace of what sounded like smugness in Ivy’s tone. Could the vet tech actually be pleased that Xander had sent out the wrong invoices?
She recalled what Winona had revealed about Ivy being jealous of Xander. Kat had rarely seen the veterinary technicians interacting with each other and had never given much thought to how they got along, but jealousy could be a powerful motive for murder.
“Now that Xander is gone maybe Dr. Mark will bring you into the business side of the practice more,” Kat said, studying Ivy’s face.
Ivy wrinkled her nose. “I hope not. Balancing books is not my forte. If Dr. Mark expects someone to take over all the extras Xander handled, he’s going to have to get Winona to do it. I prefer the hands-on work.”
