Magical Cool Cat Mysteries Boxed Set Volume 3 (Magical Cool Cats Mysteries)

by Mary Matthews

  “Tatania always gets called beautiful. She must be really vain,” Annie said.

  “She’s a really sweet cat.” Grace laughed.

  Tatania turned, knowing Grace was talking about her, and blinked once. Grace and Jack were the humans who belonged to her. Jack saved her from drowning when she was a kitten and a breeder thought her deafness would mar her Persian bloodline.

  Coronado Tent City carried delicious scents of cotton candy and caramel corn wafting through it. And always the sea, the scent of the sea lapping up against the beach. Grace thought she saw a designer looking annoyed at Tatania.

  “Do you have any fresh sea bass?” She asked the waiter.

  “Is it for Tatania?” He smiled.

  “How did you know?”

  “She visits the kitchen from time to time. I know how to prepare it for her. She’s a beautiful cat.”

  “Who is the designer for the fashion show?”

  “Marco Catalagno. The House of Cats fashion line.”

  “You know what they say, ‘A cat is always the most beautiful woman in the room?”

  “Who is they?”

  “People who are not models.”

  “I think Tatania should get off the runway. The models probably want attention.” Grace walked up to the side of the stage and held out the dried tuna she carried in her purse for Tatania and Zeus. The cat came over and gently took a treat from Grace’s hand. And then, she let Grace pick her up and carry her. Tatania always felt light and silky. A confection of a cat who appeared too elegant to be real.

  Grace carried her to a chair. And the waiter served sea bass on a white china plate to Tatania. The kitty gave the waiter an approving nod and moved over when Zeus, her black and white tuxedo cat companion, walked up to the plate. Tatania always shared her food with Zeus.

  A banner announcing the fashion show flew behind a biplane on the beach. Two flappers in matching dresses stood on each wing of the plane, practicing synchronized moves. They spread their arms and lifted their legs in unison. Their dresses blew in the wind, revealing curvy silhouettes beneath the chiffon silk hanging loose against their bodies. The Coronado Tent City Band played Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes.”

  Bathing suits with scalloped hemlines were popular at the beach. It was a slightly overcast day but that didn’t diminish enthusiasm for the fresh saltwater bathing pools outside the Hotel del Coronado with a perfect view of the beach. After swimming, Tent City residents and visitors were only steps away from shops, restaurants, and arcade games.

  The Coronado Tent City Band began playing, “Ain’t We Got Fun.”

  “In the mean time,

  In between time,

  Ain’t we got fun.”

  “I love our new clock radio. When the alarm goes off, when the clock hits six a.m., the needle on the phonograph moves to any record we want and starts playing. We can wake up to Cole Porter,” Grace said.

  “What difference does it make?” We get up whenever the cats want us to get up.” Jack smiled.

  “I get up when the cats want breakfast. Someone else snores through it.” Grace sipped her champagne.

  “When is your brother David coming to Coronado, Jack?” Annie asked.

  `”I think he’s coming with some of his fraternity brothers from U.S.C. for the weekend. Probably wearing raccoon coats. And swallowing goldfish.”

  “Swallowing goldfish?” Annie put her hand on her chest.

  “It’s a new fad.”

  “And how!”

  “What will they think of next?”

  “I’m sure Joe College will be the first to know.” Jack lit a Cuban cigar.

  Zeus and Tatania couldn’t imagine swallowing sea bass. They preferred to savor sea bass. Merely swallowing food seemed dog-like.

  “Your brother’s smart to study architecture. If I hadn’t met Martin, I’m certain I would have married an architect. I adore home designs. Martin, the dear, probably hasn’t built anything since he played with building blocks as a child.”

  “And what would you like me to build you now, Annie? Do you want anything you don’t have?” Martin appeared to light Annie’s cigarette in its red holder. Annie noticed that Marlboro was designing red filters to camouflage lipstick. She decided to use a red cigarette holder for the same purpose. She couldn’t bear to smoke without a proper holder. This one matched the red beads on her dress. She usually paired her cigarette holder color to her headband or cloche hat but today she’d chosen a black headband with rhinestones.

  “Always want something I don’t have. Especially if someone else has it.” Annie threw back her head and laughed. Even Martin smiled. Annie had a delicious laugh that made people smile when they heard it. Or laugh along with her.

  Zeus jumped up in her lap. “Mewow.” She pet Zeus. “I like the sound of anything with me in it. I think cats do too. I now understand the meaning of meow for the first time.” Annie drank some more champagne.

  Grace had never felt as happy as she did in this time of her life with Jack and the cats. It sometimes carried a gnawing sense of unease. Maybe it wasn’t possible to be this happy. Sometimes, she thought it would disappear. She always tried to swallow the uncertainty. Live in the moment. Because the moment was glorious. She’d had enough hard times to recognize the good with a resonance that people who live their lives all the way up never know. To the ones who have experienced the greatest hardship comes the greatest sweetness.

  Chapter Two

  “I never get drunk on champagne. It just makes me happy.” Annie insisted, holding her glass out again for the waiter to refill. Although Coronado Tent City began as a summer resort, it became year round, spurred on by visitors who never wanted to leave. The cottages sported their own names on plaques that revealed the whimsical character of their inhabitants: Stagger Inn, Dew Drop Inn, Barely Inn, Rarely Inn, and Never Inn.

  Outside the Dance Pavilion, an elderly couple danced with the vigor of twenty-one year olds. Breathing Coronado air could be as intoxicating as champagne.

  “They have such happy energy. They’re nice to be around.”

  “That’s why they’re still around. If you live to be in your eighties, it’s because you’re enjoying life and grateful for it. If you wake up everyday, thinking the world is terrible, you’ll get eliminated before you get to your eighties. They got married when their first spouses died.”

  Tatania and Zeus left to explore a nearby garden, delicately sniffing the flowers. Zeus stopped for awhile at a favorite rose, lingering to better appreciate its sweet scent.

  “Keep pouring the champagne,” Marco commanded. “We’re bringing out the most expensive items now.”

  “How are you, Marco?” Annie asked.

  “Overworked and underlaid,” he said, picking up after the models.

  “What is taking so long?” Marco was staring at a partition on the pier, set up for the models to change behind. The models kept strolling down the pier, like it was a stage, and then going to mingle around the guests sitting at the tables.

  The rate of sales increased exponentially with the amount of champagne imbibed. All the guests were ossified. Just like when you think someone else is more attractive when you’re drinking, you can think what someone else is wearing is more attractive when you are drinking.

  The fishermen looked up from their poles for a moment, checking out the models. One went flying in the water, holding his rod, and unexpectedly yanked by something large. Even when wet, he could still hold on to the side of his boat, and his well-developed muscles made it easy to reel the fish to him

  A woman who sounded like Lauren kept yelling. Marco threw down his cigarette and sprinted up the pier to the partition. Behind the partition, Lauren stood with her arms crossed.

  “Lauren, I promised this dress to another model,” Marco pleaded.

  Lauren had just slipped on a red silk dress accented with black embossed cats that draped her curves. The dress looked like it would entitle the wearer to the seduction of her d
reams.

  “It would look better on Joan. That’s why I gave it to her,” Marco said.

  Lauren furiously ripped off the dress and bumped the dressing partition. It fell down and Lauren stood, like a goddess before the crowd, ocean mist spraying on her body. The crowd, well mainly the men, applauded.

  Lauren threw the dress over the pier, while Joan, in an amazing move, managed to catch it but lost her balance, fell, and sprawled across the flimsy partition. Lauren took off running with Marco close behind.

  Chapter Three

  The crowd, used to vaudeville acts, laughed and clapped, sure it was all part of the show. A fisherman reached for Joan’s hand, pulling her up, and offering her his windbreaker.

  “I heard Marco was having a big sale in Coronado because he’s going to close everything down here. He has a gig as a costume designer with a movie studio. He could run his own fashion label from Hollywood.”

  They watched a group tasting wedding cake outside Coronado Tent City’s Bakery. “The groom is better looking than the bride. That’s never a good sign,” Annie said.

  “Why?”

  “He’ll feel gypped eventually. Unless he’s marrying her for the money. And sometimes, even then, he’ll be rattling the bars of his gold cage like a trapped animal.” She puffed on her cigarette.

  “More strawberries on the side will be more money. Will that be a problem?”

  “Of course not,” the bride said with the confidence of someone who never paid for anything herself. The silver haired man next to her pulled a stuffed billfold out of his pocket.

  “I thought he smelled like money,” Annie said, watching him finger his cash. Annie could smell money like a cat smelled tuna. She had a pleasurable look of anticipation on her face.

  “The bride’s parents are better looking than her too. Sometimes, you see two good looking people have an unfortunately unattractive child. That’s when you know the parents have had cosmetic surgery.” Annie puffed thoughtfully on her cigarette some more.

  “Annie, you’re full of knowledge. Or something.” A well-dressed gentleman stopped at their table.

  “Cornelius, you’re looking prosperous.” Jack admired the gold pocket dangling from the suit of Grace’s late uncle’s former law partner.

  “Can’t complain.”

  “Are you still in the U.S. Grant Building?”

  “Yes. You and Grace must visit again. We don’t get the excitement of women who walk through the Men’s Entrance everyday.”

  “Grace is like a cat. Coming and going however she pleases.”

  “Thank you. I can’t imagine a more beautiful comparison.”

  Tatania wrapped her fluffy tail around her.

  “Sometimes, I look at your cats and I think I need a cat,” Cornelius said.

  “All I can say is there’s no substitute for a cat. I love all animals, But cats can be sublime creatures.”

  Cornelius smiled at Tatania.

  “I wasn’t expecting to see you at a fashion show,” Grace said. Too late, she recognized a model she had seen with Cornelius at the yacht club once. He’d come to watch his girl.

  “Is that an insult about the way I dress?” He joked.

  “No. Grace playfully punched him in the arm.

  “You’re looking good. Being a private investigator must agree with you. I’m not surprised. Women love to ask questions. Pinkerton should hire women.”

  “Oh, but if Pinkerton hired women, Jack would never have quit to start his own investigation agency with me. It worked out rather well, I dare say.”

  “Your uncle would be very, very proud of you. And so would your parents.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered. She wished they were all still here. They had died too young. The flu epidemic took her parents. And her uncle was murdered. She knew they’d want her to love every moment of life. Savor life for them.

  Chapter Four

  Tatania and Zeus scampered along the pier, looking for the most successful fishermen of the day. The fishermen were becoming superstitious and beginning to believe that Tatania and Zeus’s choice of them meant a good day was coming. It had become a chicken and egg thing. Uncertain which came first. They’d become competitive about attention from the beautiful white cat and her tuxedo companion.

  “Cats are lucky.” Zeus heard one fisherman say. Astute gentleman, Zeus thought to himself. They lept on top of a Coronado Tent City cottage in an effortlessly synchronized bound. They liked being on top of a cottage. It was amusing to watch humans. And they could see their favorite fishermen out at sea in the distance.

  “I’m going for a swim.” Jack walked over to the beach, stripped off his jeans and revealed his taut muscular tanned legs. He threw off his white t-shirt and swam into the ocean. It was like he was becoming one with the waves and undulating with the water. God. She’d never met anyone like Jack. He could fly a plane effortlessly, swim like a champion, and become one with the water or with the sky, like he was part Greek god.

  Grace relaxed with a cup of joe, reading the San Diego Union newspaper, while Jack swam a few laps for exercise.

  She shook her head at the gangland violence in Chicago. With all the violence Prohibition wreaked among bootleggers, it seemed like it would be a good idea to repeal it. Let people manufacture and sell alcohol legally.

  Zeus and Tatania jumped down from the cottage and inspected a box left outside Tent City’s General Store. Tatania climbed inside while Zeus sniffed around the perimeter. They were a team and they took box inspection quality seriously. Zeus kept sniffing one outer corner of the box. Tatania jumped out of the box to sniff the same corner as Zeus. Then, she turned and sniffed Zeus’s rear end. When Zeus turned and sniffed Tatania’s rear end, she slapped him. What was sauce for the goose wasn’t sauce for the gander in Tatania’s world.

  There was a radio on the porch. Zeus turned the volume on the radio up. He turned it down. He turned it all around. Zeus changed the channel from Rudy Vallee to a soap opera from New York City. It was about a glamorous couples dancing and drinking cocktails in their penthouse. Zeus turned that radio dial down further. He didn’t like loud noises. But he liked to amuse himself sometimes by seeing what would make humans jump.

  Grace smiled at the cats and paused, enjoying the sea scent from the ocean, the white sand of Coronado, breathing in this moment of happiness, in case she needed to retrieve the memory later when she was down.

  Jack walked towards her, toweling off, and smelling of ocean and sex.

  “I’m so glad we live here.”

  “Reading about gang wars in Chicago again?” He leaned over her when he spoke and she felt like reaching up for him.

  “It’s terrible. The violence.”

  “Some things can only be settled by violence, Grace. Sad. But sometimes, it’s necessary.”

  Zeus stuck his rear end up in the air for a greeting when the humans came back to the table. They reached down and patted his rear end. He turned and pushed his face against Grace’s hand.

  “Beautiful dress.” Grace watched the beads sparkle when the sunlight caught it on a model at the next table. Zeus batted the dress with his paw. Tatania gave him a disapproving look.

  “Don’t worry, these cats never snag anything with their claws.” Grace assured the model wearing it.

  “What are they? Magical cats?”

  “Yes.” Grace smiled.

  Tatania felt suspicious something was up. She didn’t think the ripped dress and Marco chasing after Lauren was part of the show. It could be because she was a cat with highly tuned instincts and psychic ability. It could also be because the humans were too busy imbibing champagne to notice. With senses keener than a bloodhound’s, and lighter paws, she followed the scent of Lauren and Marco. Zeus walked alongside her.

  When Tatania and Zeus walked in Marco’s office and showroom, they found his body oozing blood. Scissors stuck out of his chest. The cats meowed with a fierceness unmatched by a thunderstorm.

  Chapter Fiver />
  Grace and Jack made it to Marco’s office and showroom before the cops or Pinkerton Detectives. Their cats’ meows were like a magnetic force that immediately drew them.

  Jack picked up the ear piece for Marco’s candle stick phone and dialed the sheriff’s phone number. He’d memorized it. The sheriff was an old drinking buddy.

  “I don’t think he’s breathing.” Grace leaned over the body, long pearls swinging but not touching it, and didn’t see any discernible movement. She took off one black opera glove and put a finger under his nose. She stopped and crossed herself, saying a prayer for the soul of a man she’d barely met.

  Jack checked for a pulse. He shook his head.

  “He’s gone, Grace.”

  A dour looking woman appeared in the doorway.

  “I just came in when I heard cats meowing. I was going to feed them.”

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m Marco’s Girl Friday. Nelly.”

  “Why weren’t you at the fashion show?”

  “I can’t handle everything. What is going on with Marco?” She stared at the body.

  “He appears deceased.”

  “What’s going to happen to me next?”

  “Nelly, why don’t you have a seat?” Grace tried leading Nelly over to a chair in front of a magnifying mirror.

  “The makeup artist said you wouldn’t even recognize the models without their makeup. So they’re not perfect. Obviously. I do all the work around here.” Nelly’s lips seemed to curl in a snarl.

  “I hate this place sometimes. I have to keep rat poison around for all the rats.”

  Tatania meowed.

  Zeus put his paws up on Grace’s leg. She picked him up and sunk her head into his silky fur. He butted his head against her and purred. Grace loved Tatania and never understood why Zeus could make her heart sing in a way Tatania would not. He was an adorable little boy cat, with white toes and a pink nose, and he loved to climb trees and chase rabbits.