The Catsgiving Feast

by Kathi Daley

  “Generally, selling flowers is a lot less stressful. I woke up one day and realized that while I was only thirty, I had high blood pressure and an ulcer. I knew I needed to make a change if I didn’t want to worry myself into an early grave, so I quit my job, moved to Madrona Island, and opened a flower shop. I haven’t regretted my decision once.”

  I picked up a pumpkin-scented candle and gave it a sniff. “I don’t suppose you know what type of drug the woman was on?”

  “I don’t know for certain, but if I had to guess, I’d say some sort of amphetamine, or possibly an antidepressant. It’s hard to know without a toxicology screen because people respond differently to drugs.”

  I wondered if Cody’s mom had been given a tox screen. No one had mentioned it to me, so probably not; she hadn’t actually been arrested. Still, if she’d been on something, it might explain quite a lot. “So, you’re saying someone could have a reaction to drugs that could make them act in a violent and irrational manner, even if what they were taking was legally prescribed?” I clarified.

  “Sure. If the drug was new to them and they weren’t used to it, or if they took too much of a prescribed drug for some reason, or if they mixed two different drugs that shouldn’t have been taken at the same time. Not everyone who came into the ER all strung out was high on illegal drugs. In fact, more often than not, the people we treated had been prescribed the drugs they took.”

  “Wouldn’t the doctor who prescribed the drug know which drugs might interact negatively?”

  “Sure, if the same doctor prescribed both drugs. A lot of people go to different doctors for different reasons. Not everyone takes the time to inform their doctors of all the drugs they’re already taking.”

  That made sense. I knew people who saw specialists for different problems. “Was anyone with the woman when she was here?”

  “No, she was alone. She seemed to be on foot, which was good, because she was in no condition to drive. She mentioned that she was meeting someone, but she didn’t say who or where.”

  Okay, so who was Mrs. West planning to meet and had she ever done so? I smiled at Henrietta. “Thank you so much for the information. You’ve definitely given me something to think about.”

  “I’m happy to help.”

  I started to leave, then turned around. “You don’t know someone named Beth Bennington, do you?”

  “Sure, I know Beth.”

  “I hoped to speak to her about something I heard earlier. Do you know where I can find her?”

  “She works in Harthaven, at that little pet shop near the park.”

  “Thanks. And let me know how much I owe you for the flowers.”

  “I will, and please let me know if you hear about the church reopening. You’d think the church secretary would call me, but I had to find out about the fire from a customer after I’d already done all the arrangements. I like Father Bartholomew, but things haven’t been as organized over there since Father Kilian left. I get that everyone wants to retire at some point, but I really miss him.”

  “I think he misses everyone too. I’ll call you if I hear about the reopening, and thanks again for everything.”

  Chapter 6

  I took out my umbrella and ventured back out into the storm. I still needed to speak to Connie Salisman and Beth Bennington, but first I wanted to see Cody. The idea that his mother might have been under the influence of either a legal or an illegal drug intrigued me. Henrietta had mentioned antidepressants. Could Mrs. West have been having a reaction to a prescription? It seemed worth our while to find out.

  I wasn’t sure why Cosmo had shown up on the doorstep of the Driftwood Café, but I was sure he probably didn’t want to run all over town with me, so I took him back to the cabin, made sure that both he and Max had plenty of food and water, then went back out into the storm. When I arrived at the newspaper office, the door was locked and the interior dark. I texted Cody, who informed me that he was meeting with one of his advertisers but would be back in an hour. I wanted to speak to him as soon as possible, so I told him I was going over to O’Malley’s, the bar my brothers owned, to have lunch while I waited. There were some who thought Aiden and Danny should have renamed the bar Hart’s because they’d completely remodeled the place, but they felt O’Malley’s was an institution on Madrona Island, and it was their intention to keep the O’Malley family and their contribution to the community alive.

  “I didn’t expect to see you in here at all this week,” said Stacy Barnwell, a single mom with two-year-old twins who worked the lunch shift at the bar.

  I sat down at a small table for two in front of the crackling fire. “I’m waiting for Cody to get out of a meeting and thought I’d grab some lunch.”

  “The soup of the day is broccoli cheese, the sandwich is a hot Reuben or grilled cheese, and the burger is either the classic or the black and blue. We also have chicken wings and chili fries.”

  Due to limited assistance in the kitchen, Danny and Aiden had decided on a limited lunch menu, at least for the winter. They hoped to have full-time help in the kitchen by the time the summer tourist season rolled around. “I’ll have the soup with some garlic bread. Are my brothers around?”

  “Aiden’s working the late shift, but Danny is here somewhere. He was talking to Conway Hilderbrant about the annual football game between O’Malley’s and Shots, so they may have gone into the office.”

  I took off my wet jacket and hung it over a chair to dry. “I was wondering if they were going to do that this year.”

  “Danny wants to, if they can get enough players. Danny and Aiden are both in, but Libby is pregnant and I tweaked my back, so we’re both out. Danny said something about recruiting family. Haven’t Cody and Finn played in the past?”

  “They have, and I played two years ago and would love to jump into the fray. Are they doing it on Friday again?”

  “I’m not sure. I heard something about moving it to Thursday morning because both bars are closed then. Danny said something about a dinner he’d agreed to help out with, so I’m not sure what was decided.”

  “The dinner is the one Cody and I are giving at Mr. Parsons’s house, but that isn’t until the evening. His neighbor, Francine Rivers, has taken charge of the cooking, though I probably should be around to help out. Still, I don’t suppose she’d mind if Cody and I took a couple of hours off in the morning to help O’Malley’s decimate Shots.”

  “I’m sure the guys would welcome the help. Talk to Danny about it. I’m going to run to get your soup.”

  The flag football game consisted of eight players on the field at any one time. Each team tried for eleven or twelve players in all, so they had subs to give their starters a break. I suspected the Hart family alone could fill a lot of those spots. Danny, Aiden, Finn, and Cody would all want to play, and so would Cassie. I wasn’t sure about Siobhan. In the past, she’d served as a scorekeeper, which was a role I assumed she’d be willing to take on again. Tara wasn’t all that athletic, but I figured she would help out with the yardage chains with the bookstore closed on Thanksgiving, and she planned to spend the day with us anyway.

  “Hey, Cait. What are you doing here?” Danny asked when he entered the bar.

  “I came for soup. I hear you’re going to do the flag football game against Shot’s next week.”

  “If we can get enough players.”

  “I’m in. Cody too. Are you doing it on Thursday?”

  “That’s what we thought. But you have that huge dinner to get ready for, and I agreed to help.”

  “The dinner isn’t until six, and Francine is handling the food. If you have the game in the morning, say around ten, that should work. It never takes more than a couple of hours. I bet Finn would want to play. I’m not sure about Siobhan, but she might be willing to keep score.”

  “Actually, Siobhan told me she wanted to play if we had the game at a time that would work for her. Mom’s agreed to sit on the sidelines with Connor, and Maggie and Michael committed to
keeping score.”

  “Sounds like a family event. I’m sure Cassie will want to play. Let’s do it.”

  “Are you sure? It seems like your entire cooking squad will be at the park.”

  “I’ll check with Francine. All the volunteers who have agreed to cook a turkey plan to do it on Wednesday. The pies and rolls, as well as most of the sides, will be made ahead of time as well. We’ve tried to plan it so all we have to do on Thursday is reheat.”

  “Okay. If you think it will work, we’ll go for it. With the family we’d have twelve players, which should be plenty to ensure that O’Malley’s takes home the victory mug this year.”

  I called Francine right away, just to make sure everyone being gone Thursday morning wouldn’t send her into a panic. She assured me she had things well under control and that Wednesday was going to be the day she needed all her helpers. Cody and I would be around all day on Wednesday to set up tables and chairs, and to make sure the ballroom was cleaned and decorated for the dinner the following day.

  Stacy had just delivered my soup and bread, along with a cup of coffee, when Chappy Longwood walked in. Chappy was an old, weathered fishing captain who’d worked the waters surrounding Madrona Island since before my brothers were born. He’d been a regular at O’Malley’s since there’d been an O’Malley’s, and my brothers gave him lunch every day on the house.

  “Afternoon, Chappy,” I said as he saddled up to the bar.

  “Afternoon, Cait. Seems like a stormy day to be out and about.”

  “Last-minute wedding errands,” I settled on, even though that wasn’t really what I’d been doing at all.

  “Do you want the regular?” Stacy asked, after setting a large mug of coffee in front of Chappy.

  “As always.”

  Chappy had a classic burger with a side of French fries every day he had lunch with them. It seemed to me that eating the exact same thing every day would get boring, but I supposed for those who sought stability in their lives, eating the same thing day in and day out would provide just that.

  “Don’t forget, we’ll be closed on Thursday as well as Sunday next week,” Stacy reminded him.

  “I remember,” Chappy grumbled.

  “If you don’t have plans on Thanksgiving, Cody and I are throwing a feast at Mr. Parsons’s place,” I said to the white-haired man as he sipped his coffee.

  “You gonna have yams?”

  “We are,” I confirmed.

  “With little marshmallows?”

  I lifted a shoulder. “Sure, if that’s what you like.”

  “My mama used to make yams with little marshmallows when I was a kid. Sure would love to have some again before I die. What time?”

  “Dinner is at six, but I imagine folks will start showing up at around five. Dress is casual and you don’t have to bring anything.”

  “Sounds right nice. Thank you. I’d like to come.”

  “The kids and I will be there as well,” Stacy said. “I can give you a ride if you want.”

  Chappy smiled, showing off the wide space where his two top front teeth had once been. “That would be very convenient. I still have my old Chevy, but I don’t like to drive after dark.”

  “Okay, then, it’s a date,” Stacy said. “The kids and I will be by your place at around five.”

  One of the things I loved most about living on Madrona Island was that the locals, at least the longtime ones, were like a big family. We cared about and looked out for one another. Being part of the Madrona Island family meant that no matter where life took you, you never had to be alone.

  After I finished lunch, I headed back to the newspaper. Cody had texted to let me know he was back. I hated how tired and defeated he looked.

  “Rough morning?” I asked.

  Cody pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight. “I guess you could say that.”

  “Were you able to talk to your mother?”

  He nodded. “She admitted to going to the bakery, but she said she didn’t stay long. I asked her where she went after that, because I figured if we could place her somewhere other than Sally’s before the last charge at three fifty-five, that would provide an alibi of sorts. She didn’t remember. She said she was worked up, so she just walked around a bit. I tried to get her to narrow things down a bit by asking if she’d gone into other shops or which direction she took, but she became more and more agitated the harder I pushed, and eventually, she kicked me out of her room.”

  “I spoke to Henrietta from the flower shop, who told me your mother was in there just before the bakery. It seems she was asking about pink flowers. Henrietta didn’t have any, but she told her she’d order some, just to get her out the door. She used to be a nurse, and she realized your mother was totally strung out.”

  Cody frowned. “Strung out?”

  “Henrietta said she was on drugs. Her pupils were dilated and her cheeks were flushed. She didn’t know what sort of drugs she’d taken, but she suspected amphetamines or antidepressants. Do you know if your mom is taking prescribed drugs that might lead to agitation and violent tendencies?”

  “I’m really not sure,” Cody said. “I know she takes blood pressure medication, and she’s taken sleeping pills from time to time. To be honest, I haven’t been around her enough recently to know if she’s taking any new medication. I’ll find out.”

  “Henrietta used to be an ER nurse, and she mentioned that a lot of folks who came in where she worked strung out on drugs, were taking prescribed drugs they’d had a bad reaction to. She also said drug interactions could play a role if a person was prescribed drugs that didn’t work well together.”

  “Wouldn’t a doctor know that?” Cody asked.

  “Yes, if the same doctor prescribed both drugs.”

  “Okay. I’ll go back to the inn to ask her about drugs. If she doesn’t agree to talk about it, I’ll see if I can find her purse and take a look for myself. Did you find out anything else?”

  “That Sally might have been having an affair. I don’t have all the details, or even proof of the affair, other than someone who claimed to have seen Sally and a man having dinner together and appearing to be intimate. Sally’s husband has been away from home a lot between work and caring for his sick mother. An affair is as good a motive for murder as any.”

  “Is the husband back in town?” Cody asked.

  “I don’t know. He was in Virginia when Finn called him about Sally’s death. It’s possible the mystery man is the killer, though the affair might not turn out to mean anything. I think it’s worth looking in to.”

  “Agreed. Anything else?”

  “No. I’m going to try to speak to Connie Salisman after I leave here. At this point, I figure the more people I talk to, the greater the odds we’ll stumble onto the clue we need.”

  “I asked my mom about the blood on her clothes,” Cody said. “She looked confused, then made a comment about perhaps dripping ketchup on her clothes, but she couldn’t remember when that could have been. When I asked her if she wanted me to have her clothes cleaned, she said Eric had taken care of it.”

  “So she knew Eric had taken away her clothing.”

  Cody pursed his lips. “Apparently.” He looked into my eyes. “I’m really afraid she might be guilty, and I have no idea what I’m going to do if she is.”

  I put my arms around Cody’s waist. “Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it together.”

  ******

  I left the newspaper to try to track down Connie Salisman. I wasn’t holding out a lot of hope she could help me, but she was the last name on my list of people to talk to today, and I wanted to go into tonight’s meeting able to discuss everything I’d been assigned to do.

  Connie worked as a sorter for the island’s only post office. She was usually in the back, processing the mail as it came in, but today I found her at the front counter.

  “I don’t usually see you up here,” I greeted her.

  “George wasn’t able to make it over from Orcas
Island today because of the storm, so I’m the only one here. Today’s mail never did make it over from the main sorting center in Seattle, so I’ve been covering the desk.”

  “I wasn’t aware the ferries weren’t running today.”

  “I guess with the storm it probably wasn’t safe to run them.”

  “There’s a lot of wind with this one,” I agreed.

  “We had a gust off the marina a while ago that I thought was going to shake this building clear off its foundation.” Connie glanced out the window. The wind had picked up quite a bit. “Did you come for your mail?”

  “Actually, I came to talk to you. I guess you heard about Sally.”

  “I did, and I still can’t believe it. Sally had her moments and could certainly be opinionated and even pushy at times, but she had a good heart. This should never have happened to her.”

  “I’m asking people who knew her if they have any idea who might have wanted her dead.”

  “I figured you were working with Finn when you said you wanted to talk about Sally. The truth is, I don’t know who would go so far as to kill her. She’d been in a conflict of sorts with Eli Alderman, who mentioned it when he dropped by to mail out the flyers for the chamber mixer. But he’s a good guy. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

  “I understand Sally was leading a drive to create a second chamber of commerce that would most likely have resulted in Eli losing his job.”

  Connie nodded. “That’s right. And Eli was angry about it. He admitted as much to me. But he said Sally was unlikely to be successful. He was certain most of the business owners on the island were happy with the way things were and wouldn’t want to rock the boat.”

  I jumped as a tree limb hit the side of the building. If the rain kept up throughout the afternoon, the road leading out to the peninsula was bound to flood during high tide. It was time for me to get home. “I understand you and some of the others from exercise class had plans to have dinner with Sally the night she died.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Did Sally call or text or notify you in any manner that she needed to cancel?”