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

by Leann Sweeney

  She briefly closed her eyes, as if recalling the blow to the head that put her in the hospital. “I do. I understand he might not remember. But how far back does his amnesia go?”

  Tom hovered near the toaster, but I could tell he was listening to every word.

  Candace went on, saying, “The kid was walking around with a loaded gun and a head injury. I have to completely understand what brought Finn here and how the gun ended up in his possession—hear the explanation from Finn himself.”

  “So Tom told you about the gun right away?” I said.

  Tom said, “I didn’t. My brother decided he wanted to help out. He told her when he called his new best friend Candace at the police station looking for me.”

  “Ah,” I said. “Bob. How nice of him.”

  “Time to interview Finn,” Candace said. “Unlike you and Tom, I don’t have the luxury of trusting Finn’s character and I can’t make decisions about guilt or innocence until I’ve gathered and evaluated all the evidence. Does that make sense?”

  I nodded. “I know. But let Tom and me help you with him. He sure trusts Tom and I think he’s starting to trust me.”

  “We do need your help,” Liam said. “But if the outcome isn’t what you want, if he did harm Roth, you should be prepared.”

  Tom set more toast on the table. The smell of it, combined with the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee, would have been comforting on any other day, but Liam’s words made my stomach tighten. I could hear a hint of desperation in my voice when I said, “You’re the one who should be prepared—prepared with an open mind, Liam. He could never kill anyone.”

  Just then, Merlot crept closer to us, his eyes on the dog, but I was sure he’d heard the worry in my voice. My cats were so protective, and I relaxed a tad just thinking about them.

  “Please wake the kid up, would you?” Candace said.

  Tom said, “Can we let him sleep a little longer? He’s injured and—”

  “I need to interview him before his mother arrives. We, of course, called her and expect her in town this morning. Even though the kid’s eighteen, has a North Carolina driver’s license and I don’t need her to be present, she might insist. I sure as heck don’t want to argue with a brand-new widow. Is he in the guest room?” Candace stood, probably ready to wake Finn up. Too bad she forgot she was supposed to be keeping Yoshi on his leash.

  He had his chance and took it.

  When he ran, it wasn’t toward the back door or down the hall to the guest room. No. He started racing around my living room, Merlot right behind him. I was about to intervene, but then realized those two were actually playing a game. Yoshi had the advantage. The little dog could turn on a dime. Finally he stopped dead, whirled and faced Merlot. He lowered onto his front legs, his butt in the air. From growing up with my grandparents’ various dogs, I knew this was a “play position” and smiled.

  Syrah, meanwhile, was staring with complete disdain as this commotion unfolded. He wasn’t about to make nice with a dog. Merlot must have caught a look from his feline friend because he turned and walked away from Yoshi. But there had been no hissing or swiping, just some much-needed fun.

  “What’s going on?” a sleepy-eyed Finn said from the foyer.

  Yoshi took off and leaped into Finn’s arms.

  Candace said, “I take it you’re Finn. I’m Deputy Candace Carson of the Mercy Police.”

  He looked at me. “You called the cops on me?”

  Ten

  Finn sounded and looked defensive when he said, “If you’re here to arrest me as a runaway, you can’t. I’m old enough to leave home.”

  “You’re right,” Candace said. “You’re an adult in the eyes of the law. A few things have happened I need to talk to you about, though. I came here as part of an investigation and need to ask you a few questions. As I said, I’m Deputy Candace Carson. I came here with Mr. Brennan from the county district attorney’s office.”

  “Hold on. What kind of investigation?” A touch of panic tinged Finn’s voice.

  Yoshi squirmed to get closer to Finn and licked his cheek.

  “Something bad has happened,” Tom said as he and Liam joined us in the living room.

  “Tom. You’re here.” Finn smiled and his pale cheeks took on some much-needed color. Then he focused on Liam and the flush drained away. “Is this guy a lawyer? Is he planning on turning me over to my mother? Because he can’t. I’m legal.”

  Candace nodded. “We all understand you were free to leave a bad home situation. But right now, we need to sit down and talk. Will you do that?”

  Finn shrank back, clutching his dog to his chest.

  Liam walked over to Finn and offered his hand. “I’m Liam Brennan, and yes, I am a lawyer. We just want to talk to you.”

  Finn simply stared at Liam’s hand.

  Thank goodness Tom took over then. He walked to Finn’s side and put an arm around his shoulder. “Liam’s a good guy. A friend. So is Deputy Carson. These people want to help and you must know Jillian and I do, too.”

  “I—I do know. But this is kinda freakin’ me out,” Finn said.

  Merlot sat in the middle of the living room, a silent observer of this tense human interaction. Syrah went to his scratching post near the entertainment center to sharpen his nails and, I decided, to convey his lack of interest in this gathering. That didn’t mean he was disinterested, just that he wanted us—or should I say Yoshi—to think so.

  The little dog was trembling. Too many strangers for him, it would seem.

  “How’s the head?” Tom brushed aside a lock of Finn’s sandy hair to examine the cut and bruise on his forehead.

  “Ouch,” Candace said. “How did that happen?”

  “I told you last night—or was it this morning?—he doesn’t remember,” Tom said through gritted teeth.

  Uh-oh, I thought. The last thing we needed was for Tom to get tense and overprotective right now. I looked at Candace when I said, “Finn’s probably hungry, and though I know you have lots of questions, maybe we can get some food in this guy first?”

  “Sorry,” Candace said. “You’re right. Guess I was hoping Finn recalled more details now that he’s had some rest.”

  “I don’t get it. Details about me coming here?” Finn looked at Tom. “Tell me what’s going on. I left home, sure. And I didn’t tell my mother. It’s not a crime.”

  He thought this was about him leaving home. I wanted the poor kid sitting down when he heard the news this wasn’t about running away. I said, “You’re right, Finn. It’s not a crime. Before we talk about why these people are here, you need to sit down, maybe eat something.” I glanced around the room. “Is that okay with the rest of you?”

  Liam nodded and Candace said, “Sure.”

  Tom led Finn, who still clutched his dog tightly, to the sofa.

  “Tom makes some mean peanut butter toast,” I said. “What about something to drink? There’s fresh coffee, but—”

  “No Dr Pepper, I guess?” Finn said as he and the dog settled back on the couch.

  “Sorry,” I said, watching from the corner of my eye as Liam and Candace took the chairs opposite the sofa. “After we’re done talking, I intend to fix that problem.”

  Finn gave a small smile. “Milk is cool.”

  Liam said, “Your dog’s name is unusual, but it sounds familiar.”

  Finn told him about the little dragon in the Mario Brothers game and Liam smiled.

  “I used to love playing Mario Brothers,” Liam said.

  While they talked about video games, I could tell by Candace’s tapping foot and her grip on the chair’s arms that she was getting impatient. But to her credit, she allowed the guys to bond a little.

  After Finn had his toast and milk and we were all on our third round of coffee, Tom took a deep breath and said, “These folks coming here? It’s about Nolan, not about you leaving home.”

  “Oh, yeah? What’s with him?” He bit into the toast.

  “He died yesterday,”
Tom said quietly.

  Finn’s eyes widened in surprise and he quickly swallowed his food. “But he’s, like, younger than you, Tom. Did he get sick or something?”

  “Someone killed him,” Tom said.

  “Wow.” Finn blinked several times and repeated, “Wow.”

  Yoshi, who’d been curled up next to Finn, sat up and nuzzled Finn’s neck and began licking his face again. This was certainly a perceptive dog. Almost as perceptive as a cat.

  “We know you were injured yesterday,” Candace said. “We understand you can’t remember part of the day. Do you recollect seeing Nolan at all?”

  “Easy question. Since Nolan’s in North Carolina and—”

  “He came here,” Tom said. “Probably looking for you.”

  “Nolan died in this town?” If Finn had been surprised before, he now seemed stunned.

  Candace leaned toward Finn, her hands between her knees. She spoke reassuringly when she said, “Finn, do you remember being in Tom’s car yesterday?”

  Finn looked up at me. “Tom’s car? No way. I was in Mrs. Hart’s van. She can tell you. She and Tom picked me up. I saw a white car in Tom’s driveway when we got to his house. Is that the car you’re talking about?”

  Tom went into protective mode again, saying, “Like I tried to tell you back at the station, he’s never even seen my car before.”

  Candace ignored Tom, her focus remaining on Finn. “Sounds like you remember part of yesterday, which is good. But there’s a big problem and it’s bothering me. I was told there was a gun in your backpack.”

  “Oh yeah. That was, like, so weird. I have no clue where the gun came from.” Finn went silent then, his expression changing. A realization was taking hold. He slowly put his unfinished toast on the coffee table, wrapped his arms around Yoshi and drew him close. “Nolan was shot, wasn’t he? And you think I did it.”

  Candace said, “We aren’t sure what happened. We’re just gathering information.”

  Liam added, “The police have a job to do, Finn. They need to find out what happened to Nolan. Anything you can remember might just help us straighten out this mess.”

  “I didn’t see Nolan. At least I don’t think I did.” He stopped and I saw uncertainty on his face. He couldn’t remember.

  Finn went on, saying, “I came to this place to be with someone who gives a rat’s ass about me. Tom said I could come anytime I wanted.” Finn stared straight at Liam. “You want to know what I remember? I remember how Nolan treated me. And I’m not sorry he’s dead.”

  Oh boy. Not the best choice of words when the police had reason to suspect him of a crime. I was sitting on the floor with Merlot, whose keen interest in Yoshi had not waned, and my body tensed after Finn said this. My cat’s claws dug into my knees and then retracted in response to my body language. Merlot looked up at me with concern.

  Tom’s uneasiness was evident, as well, and he said, “You didn’t kill him, though. No matter what you can or cannot remember, I know you didn’t.”

  Candace said, “Maybe we should let Finn talk.”

  Finn raised his chin. “Tom’s right. I may have hated Nolan, but I wouldn’t kill him. I wouldn’t kill anyone.”

  I believed him and I hoped Candace felt the sincerity that seemed so evident to me. I said, “The doctor said you will never remember parts of yesterday.” I glanced around at the people in the room. “You can check with the doctor if you want, but those were his words. It doesn’t mean Finn hurt anyone during that period of time. Concussions don’t change who he is.”

  “You can take that to the bank, Candace,” Tom said. “This is a good kid who had the courage to leave a bad situation.”

  Candace said, “I understand. Doesn’t change the fact we need answers. A man has still been murdered, and I need to find his killer. If Finn can’t remember anything, I need to do more investigating, find out if anyone saw Finn during the hours he seems to have lost. I sure as heck want to find out how he got the head injury.”

  Liam stood, and Candace followed his lead. He said, “I think we’re done here. You’ve had a long trip, Finn. So far, we don’t have any evidence indicating you harmed your stepfather, so don’t—”

  “Stepfather? I never called him anything that included the word father. He was just Nolan.” Finn paused before saying, “Does my mother know what happened to him?”

  Candace nodded. “She’s on her way from North Carolina.”

  Finn hung his head. “Great. Just great.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “Maybe you won’t have to see her.”

  Liam said, “Tom, we need the gun. Should Candace get a warrant, or will you hand it over?”

  Tom’s jaw tightened. “I said I’d cooperate as long as you give this kid a chance. He’s not your bad guy.” Tom’s gaze hadn’t wavered from Finn. He sounded more than a little testy, and I noted that his eyes were still bloodshot. He hadn’t gotten any rest last night aside from the nap he mentioned—or in the nights before when he was trapped in North Carolina, for that matter.

  “There’s something else.” Finn looked at me. “Did you tell them about the blood on my shirt?”

  I shook my head. “To be honest, I forgot.” Too many things happening too fast had my brain muddled. But the blood on Finn’s shirt could be important.

  Tom said, “Maybe you got a nosebleed or something when you hit your head.”

  “Maybe,” he said. “I’m not sure where it came from, and I was thinking the police could figure it out. Help me remember, ’cause not knowing is kind of freaking me out.”

  Candace cocked her head when she looked at Finn. “Thanks for telling me about the shirt. It could help us understand what happened to both you and to Nolan. Do you get my meaning?”

  “I’m not stupid,” Finn said, a hint of defiance returning. “You’re a cop and you want evidence. You don’t know me; you don’t trust me when I tell you I wouldn’t hurt anyone. So take the shirt, okay? I know you’re not going to leave me alone until you find the real killer.”

  “I don’t think you’re stupid,” Candace said quietly. “Not for a minute. You willing to give me DNA, too, then? I can’t do anything with the blood unless I can compare it to your DNA.”

  “Sure. Whatever,” Finn said. “Make sure and compare it to Nolan’s DNA, too. But you were gonna do that anyway, right?”

  Candace nodded. “Yup. You seem to know that’s how it works.”

  Liam turned to Tom. “A more complete statement about Nolan Roth’s assault on you before your ex-wife arrives in Mercy might help. She’ll probably have an alternate version of the events, if what you said about her is true. We need every bit of information you can give us.”

  Finn said, “What’s he talking about, Tom? Did Nolan mess up your face?” He had no idea Tom had been held by Nolan. Now he was surprised again.

  Tom avoided Finn’s gaze, looking uncomfortable. “I’ll explain later.” He turned to Candace. “Let’s get this gun business over with.”

  “Sure. I’ll collect the shirt and the DNA and we’re on it. I’ll need my evidence kit from the patrol car.” Candace hurried out through the kitchen.

  “What if it is Nolan’s blood on my clothes?” Finn said to Tom. “Does it mean I did something I can’t remember?”

  Tom said, “Finn, don’t worry. We both know you didn’t hurt Nolan. Like you said, let’s just help them figure out who did. I’m turning over the gun, you’re giving Deputy Carson the clothes and we’ll see what happens from there.”

  “Okay. I’ll get the shirt.” Finn started toward the foyer.

  Liam said, “Wait. Deputy Carson will want to handle the shirt while wearing gloves and put it in the evidence bag herself. Blood is—”

  “Dirty. Yeah.” Finn came back toward us. “I know about blood. Blood is supposed to be thicker than water. I’ve learned that’s not true, thanks to my mother.”

  “Did you leave home because of a recent argument?” Liam said.

  “You wouldn’t
get it even if I explained,” Finn said.

  “Try me,” Liam said.

  “I don’t want to talk about it right now,” Finn said.

  Tom said, “He’s being cooperative, but he’s been through a lot. Give him time on this one, will you, Liam?”

  “Sure,” Liam replied.

  Tom looked at Finn. “It’s all good, man. We’ll work this out.”

  Candace returned with the brown paper sack and Finn, with Yoshi by his side, led the way to the guest room to show Candace where his clothes were. They returned less than a minute later. First she marked the bag containing Finn’s shirt and hoodie as evidence. Then she swabbed his mouth for DNA. Everyone stared at this procedure in silence.

  The air seemed to have been sucked from my home. My chest tightened and I felt the need to wrap Finn in my arms when she was done. Though both Tom and I couldn’t hide our concern, Finn’s attitude and posture spoke volumes about his character. He believed he had nothing to hide.

  “Finished and ready to go,” Candace said, after what seemed an eternity. “Let’s get over to your place, Tom, and open your safe.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Finn said eagerly.

  “Not sure it’s a good idea for you to come along,” Candace said. “I got a concussion last summer and the doctors told me to take it easy for a couple days afterward.”

  Something you did not do, as I recall, I thought. “He won’t be gone long,” I said to Finn, and then turned to Candace. “Tom can come back after he gives you the—the… gun, right?” I didn’t want to call it evidence.

  Candace looked at Liam. From the glance passing between them I thought I understood why Liam was here. This wasn’t about Morris’s day off. She was probably worried about legalities. When you have to deal with a crime connected to close friends, the boundaries might get blurred. Candace would never want to do anything to compromise an investigation. Gosh, I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes.

  She said, “Tom still needs to tell us more about—” But she stopped when she saw Tom glance at Finn. “Sorry, I forgot. We can discuss all this later,” she finished.