The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon: A Cats in Trouble Mystery

by Leann Sweeney

  “How hard was it to do something like that?” I asked.

  “I never lost any sleep,” he said.

  “Okay, so what about your ex? Did she… participate in your… abduction?”

  “She was too smart to show her face once we arrived at their house. But she probably had a hand in this. Lucky for me, the second night I was there, Nolan drank too much and passed out. I’d been working on those zip tie restraints every chance I got and they finally gave. I took off. Would have been easier if I’d left in my own car, but Nolan had my keys, my phone and my wallet. I couldn’t risk waking him to get to them.”

  “Why didn’t you go straight to the police?” I said.

  “Are you forgetting I was a cop, too? I know from experience that going to the North Carolina police would put the focus on an ex-con’s assaulting me rather than on finding Finn. I’d be spending time doing paperwork and talking to one person after another. Nope. I need to find Finn. That’s my priority.”

  I was silent, trying to make sense of all he’d told me.

  “I know. I know,” Tom said. “I should have told you all this before, but I—I couldn’t. I kept it locked away, afraid to open that particular compartment in my brain. I left a kid with a woman I hated, left Finn in what I should have predicted would turn out to be a bad situation. How I wish I’d done things differently.”

  “You kept in touch with Finn. You cared. Now I’m wondering how I can help. Because this is awful,” I said. “Do you know if this Nolan Roth or Hilary went to the North Carolina police about Finn’s disappearance before Roth came after you?”

  “I doubt they’d do anything even remotely responsible. Plus, Finn’s of legal age. Thousands of people disappear every year, most often by choice. Cops always consider kids Finn’s age to be runaways rather than missing persons unless there’s absolute proof of foul play. I don’t like the attitude, but more often than not, it proves to be true.”

  Tom stroked Chablis gently. He seemed more like the Tom I knew now that he’d gotten some of this difficult story out—a man in control and ready to problem solve.

  These revelations were troubling, though, and I said, “This missing kid is not a priority to the police, and the people searching for him are… well, plain mean. Any chance Roth really cares about Finn and wants to find him?”

  “Not a chance in hell. I don’t know what my ex and Nolan are up to, but I intend to find out.”

  I gently touched his swollen cheek. “So Nolan came straight for you—and came hard,” I said.

  “Not because he cares about Finn, though. A lot of his actions were focused on revenge. But I’m wondering if Finn might have taken cash they’d stashed in the house. Missing money would have motivated them, for sure. Could have been serious money, too, since Nolan might still be working for his drug-dealing friends. See, he went to jail for stealing drugs from our busts and then selling them.”

  “Sounds like a terrible man.” My gaze traveled over his battered face. “He did all this to you?”

  “Yup. I’ll say this: The coward had to restrain me or he’d look worse than me right now.” He held out his hands to show me the angry red marks from the zip ties.

  “You’ve got to tell Mike Baca about this right away,” I said.

  Tom shook his head and was vehement when he said, “No. I’m handling this.”

  I could see he was getting upset again. I touched a bruise with the tip of my finger and said, “I know you want to deal with this on your own. I’ll help you. But first, there are a few things I have to tell you.”

  He pressed a hand against his right rib cage and grimaced. “Whoa. I’m feeling Nolan’s boot in my side all over again. Is something as wrong as your face is telegraphing?”

  I took a deep breath and offered a small smile. “It’s not all bad news. See, I was so worried when I couldn’t reach you that I went to your house.”

  “Uh-oh. Is Dashiell all right?” he said.

  “Good news there. See, Dashiell did have a little blood sugar trouble, but he’s with Doc Jensen now and he’ll be fine.” I rested a hand on his forearm. “There’s something else, though.”

  “My mother? Did Nolan come back here and—”

  “No. It doesn’t concern Karen—well, not directly. When I went to your house, I met your brother. Seems he’s made himself at home.”

  “Which brother?”

  Five

  Which brother? Yet another surprise. “Bob,” I said.

  Tom’s jaw muscles flexed. “Figures. I’m not sure I want to hear anything about Bob right now. Let me call Doc about Dashiell and then maybe you can give me a lift home. I’ll deal with my brother face-to-face.”

  “Of course,” I said. “There isn’t much to tell except he seems to have made himself comfortable over at your place.”

  “Sounds like the same old Bob. Can I use your phone?” Tom called Doc Jensen at home—it was after six now—and learned Dashiell was doing well and could be released tomorrow.

  I set out treats for the cats before Tom and I left, feeling guilty about dragging them around in the van all last week. We still had one more trip coming up in a few days and I was already considering leaving them at home. Maybe Kara would care for them.

  Though I asked Tom about any other brothers as we headed toward his house, he said he just couldn’t talk about his family right now. I respected this. Though I had no ex-husbands in my past, I’d never mentioned my parents’ divorce or me moving in with my grandparents when I was a child. But I vowed to do so once the current problems were solved—and I was sure Tom would find Finn. He wouldn’t quit until he did. We’d only gotten halfway to his house when Candace and Morris’s patrol car flew by us heading in the opposite direction, lights flashing and siren squealing.

  “I wonder what’s happening,” I said.

  “If I’m lucky, they’re taking Bob to jail for breaking into my house,” Tom said. “Though I doubt they’d fire up all their lights for something so mundane. Nope, whatever it is, it’s more important than Bob Cochran—which will probably be a shock to him.”

  “You’re confirming what I’d already decided about him,” I said. Okay, but I was still curious about the family members he’d never mentioned.

  “My brother Bob is— What the hey?” Tom said. He pointed up ahead. “Look. On the side of the road.”

  My headlights revealed a figure walking on the shoulder. He wore a dark hoodie and seemed to be burdened by a heavy backpack. Trotting beside this person was a dog.

  “I sure hope that’s who I think it is,” Tom said. “Pull onto the shoulder ahead of him, okay?”

  “You recognize this person?” I asked.

  “Nolan mentioned Finn’s dog was missing, too. He even looked for dog poop in my backyard when he was sure Finn and the dog were at my house. Finn once texted me a picture and the dog was white with spots—just like this one.”

  We closed in and indeed it was a small, spotted dog. I slowed and carefully steered off the road in front of them.

  Once I’d come to a halt, Tom said, “Let me check on these two. Can you stay in the van?”

  “No problem.” I watched in the mirror as he approached the small-framed young man. Within seconds, he wrapped the boy in an embrace. The little dog rose on its hind legs and jumped like a jack-in-the-box beside them. The sight melted my heart.

  Soon Finn and his dog climbed into my backseat. He pulled down the hood of his sweatshirt and I saw he had big brown eyes and sandy hair, which was longish and messed up from being trapped under a hood. I greeted them with a smile and a Carolina, “Hey there.” I wanted to reach out to the dog so he could smell me, but he was panting and focused so intently on Finn, I figured a greeting could wait.

  Tom reclaimed the front passenger seat. He sounded almost giddy with elation when he said, “This is my good friend I always talk about, Finn. Jillian Hart. Jillian, this is Finn and his best friend, Yoshi.”

  Tom had gone from angry to anxious to e
xuberant in the span of a couple hours. He may have hidden his emotions from me in the past, but they were out in force now. He cared about this kid. A lot. His excitement was contagious and I found myself grinning.

  I turned on the back overhead light so Finn could get his dog and his belongings settled. “Rough journey?” I asked. His young face looked road weary, that was for sure.

  “Not too tough,” he answered in a low, soft voice. His gaze wandered from the floor to the dog and then to Tom.

  After all he’d probably been through lately, he had to be tired. But I saw what looked like a bump topped by a small cut on the right side of his forehead. The injury might be another reason he seemed foggy.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  Tom laughed, but it was a nervous laugh. “Sure he’s okay. He’s with me now. Isn’t that right, Finn?”

  “Sure,” he said. But his sure came out slurred and slow.

  “Tom,” I said quietly. “Look at his head.” Yoshi yipped several times as if he agreed with my suggestion.

  Then I noticed something else and my heart skipped. “And his hands.”

  In the dim overhead light, Finn’s knuckles appeared to be rusted by what looked like dried blood. Or maybe it was just mud. Finn could have fallen in the dirt and hit his head.

  Yoshi barked a few more times and bounced up and down on the seat. Indeed, it seemed as if he’d been waiting for someone to notice the kid had a problem. He was a darling little dog, white with brown patches and darker brown spots circling both eyes. His ears were erect and I guessed he was some kind of terrier.

  “Uh-oh,” Tom said under his breath as he took in Finn more carefully. “What happened, son? How did you get hurt?”

  “I’m not hurt,” he said. “Just looking for a ride to Tom’s house. I think it’s up ahead.”

  On closer inspection, the bump seemed even bigger than I’d first thought.

  “To my house, right?” Tom’s concern came through in his tone.

  “Yeah, that’s right,” Finn said with a laugh. “To your house.”

  “Let’s give the kid his wish, Jilly.” Tom then mouthed the word Hurry to me.

  Five minutes later, I pulled in behind brother Bob’s Ford. I pushed the button for the van’s automatic side door to open and Tom scrambled out his side of the vehicle to help Finn. I came around and took Yoshi’s leash from Finn’s grip. I’d had my fill of escaping pets for one day. Now I had something else to worry about—this young man.

  Tom said, “Glad you knew how to find me, kid.”

  Finn’s brown eyes searched Tom’s face. “Yeah, this is where I was headed.” He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his jeans pocket. “Got these directions from… somewhere. Maybe at the last truck stop.” He began smoothing out the paper.

  “Did a trucker give you a ride?” I asked.

  “I can’t quite… remember. Probably ’cause I got this headache that won’t quit.” Finn squinted even though the sun had gone down thirty minutes ago. “Kinda clouding my brain.”

  “We need to get you inside. Then we’ll figure out the next step.” Tom hoisted the backpack over one shoulder and said, “What you got in here? Rocks?”

  “I was thinkin’ it’s kinda heavy. Not sure what all I brought with me,” Finn said.

  The front porch light came on and Bob opened the door. “About time you showed up, bro.”

  “Don’t use bro with me,” Tom called. He draped an arm around Finn’s shoulders and they walked into the house.

  Bob raised his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, almost half of the word brother is bro. Seems about right.” He laughed.

  As I followed behind Tom and Finn, hanging tight to a surprisingly strong Yoshi, I again wondered how Tom could be related to this insensitive man.

  Yoshi seemed determined not to let Finn out of his sight. Hostility had filled the space between Tom and his brother and probably brought out the protective instincts of this little dog.

  When he passed Bob, Tom said, “Gather whatever crap you brought with you and get out of my house. And don’t you dare land at Mom’s place.”

  Bob, still smiling, said, “Look at your face, Tom. Seems like you had a can of whoop ass explode all over you and it’s got you pissed off.”

  To his credit, Tom ignored Bob. He knew we had more pressing issues than an uninvited guest.

  Tom dropped the backpack inside the door, put both hands on Finn’s shoulders and guided him to the black leather sofa. “Take a load off, kid. You look tired.”

  “I got this headache, man.” He sat and pressed his hands against his temples. Yoshi jumped on the couch next to him and began licking at what sure did seem like blood on Finn’s hands.

  I knelt in front of Finn, hoping he’d make eye contact. That would sure be a good sign. “Can I check if you’re bleeding somewhere?”

  He looked straight at me for the first time, but he was still squinting. “Huh?”

  Yoshi’s full attention remained on Finn. Tom sat on the edge of the sofa on Finn’s other side, leaving the dog where he was. “We want to see your hands, okay? You could have a cut somewhere.”

  The side of Finn’s right hand was smeared with blood, too, but I couldn’t see a cut or a scrape anywhere.

  I looked up at Tom. “We need to get Finn checked out by a doctor. His headache could be—”

  “She’s right. The kid doesn’t look so hot,” Bob said. “Hope it doesn’t have anything to do with this.” Bob had opened Finn’s backpack and was pointing at something inside.

  Uh-oh, I thought. Drugs? Drugs would explain Finn’s dazed behavior.

  Tom said, “What makes you think you can mess with Finn’s stuff?”

  “I don’t expect you to tell me what’s going on,” Bob said. “Figured I might find answers by myself. Is your former kid the reason you’re all beat up? The gun tells me maybe so.”

  “Gun?” Worry filled Tom’s eyes as he looked at Finn. “You brought a gun with you?”

  Finn started to shake his head but grimaced and stopped. “I don’t have a gun, Tom. All I’ve got is a headache.”

  I stood. Finn was traveling alone, probably hitchhiking. Maybe he’d thought he needed a weapon. But now he couldn’t even recall bringing one with him.

  I said, “Finn needs help. Maybe Marcy is off duty.” Marcy was a paramedic friend of ours. “She could check him out if you’re worried about taking him somewhere too… public.”

  “Bet every paramedic in town is at the car wreck that just sent the cops racing out of here,” Bob said. “By the way, do I have you to thank for a visit from Mercy’s finest, Jillian?”

  “Shut the hell up, Bob,” Tom said evenly. He seemed to be trying hard to be patient, but wasn’t succeeding. “This is none of your business.” He looked down at Finn. “You might need more than a paramedic.”

  Tom walked over to where Bob was and, with his index finger looped through the trigger guard, he lifted a small gun from the backpack.

  “Before we do anything else, I’ll lock this up.” He hurried past us through the small living room. I knew he kept a gun safe in his office.

  Meanwhile, Finn was examining his hands, turning them over and back as if fascinated.

  His behavior sure bothered me.

  When Tom came back, I said, “He definitely needs to see a doctor.”

  Tom nodded. “I’ll take him to the emergency room, say he’s a runaway. Maybe then I won’t have to give anyone his name.” He craned his neck so he could look at Finn’s face. “Can you forget your name for a while, son?”

  Finn didn’t respond for several seconds. “There seems to be a few things I can’t remember. Guess I could lose my name, too.”

  “Okay, good. We’re gonna get your headache fixed up.” He cupped Finn’s elbow to help him up, but Yoshi, who had been sitting quietly, growled.

  Finn patted the dog’s head. “It’s okay, boy. He’s good.”

  Yoshi seemed to settle with Finn’s touch and I held m
y hand out to the dog palm down. He sniffed at it briefly and I could see his small, muscular body relax even more. In a gentle tone, I said, “It’ll be fine, Yoshi. You can come, too.”

  He stared at me and cocked his head. If dogs could smile, I’d just seen it happen.

  I picked up the leash, deciding to handle Yoshi so Tom could help Finn. Just as I did, the sound of a cell phone playing the William Tell Overture blared from its spot on the end table beside the sofa.

  Bob answered, remained quiet for a few seconds and then said, “Our missing man is right here. Talk to him yourself.” He held the phone out to Tom. “Deputy Candace Carson wants to speak to you in the worst way. Seems you’ve got every hot woman in town on your roster and I must say, your deputy friend is smokin’.”

  Tom walked over and snatched the phone from Bob, his patience close to completely evaporated. “Tom here,” he said abruptly.

  He listened intently and his expression grew troubled. I saw him glance at the backpack before he said, “Yes, I know him. You want me to come to the scene and confirm?” A few more seconds passed and he said, “I’m on my way.” He clicked off the phone and handed it back to Bob.

  “What’s happening?” I asked.

  Tom glanced down at Finn, who was now leaning back against the cushions looking groggier than ever. Yoshi’s head rested in his lap. Tom took my arm and turned us away from Finn. “Can I ask a huge favor?” he whispered.

  “Whatever you need,” I said.

  “Get Finn medical help. I don’t care how; just get him checked out. If you can avoid giving his name, that’s good, but I know you have to do this your way.”

  “Sure. But what did Candace want?”

  Tom stared at the floor. “She found my phone. Nolan had it.”

  “Okay,” I said slowly. “But you said something about identifying someone?”

  “Nolan wrecked my car,” Tom said.

  “Oh boy. Not good about your car, but it could be good in another way. They can arrest him for kidnapping and assaulting you. They can—”

  “Damn hard to arrest a dead man.”