by Lyndsey Cole
“I don’t have a search warrant and I can’t very well barge in and look at his laptop because you think you saw something.” Tyler ran his fingers through his hair. “Maybe he’s got security set up somewhere. Just because you’re looking under every rock, suspecting everyone of being the potential murderer, doesn’t mean he’s a spy or a murderer.”
Annie forced herself to stay calm on the outside even though her blood boiled from Tyler’s comments. “I don’t suppose you care that several more of Alice’s cat figurines are now in Edwin’s house. I noticed that, too.”
“I’ll keep that tidbit in mind, but it’s not exactly at the top of my to-do list. Finding a murderer seems to be a tad bit more important than a cat figurine thief. Don’t you agree?” he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Annie slipped into her car and slammed the door, not even responding to Tyler’s baited question.
Her phone beeped with several new messages. Where are you?—lit up her screen from Leona, Mia, and Jason. On my way she responded to Jason since he had taken on the responsibility of getting her to the shower on time and in one piece.
Jason was outside waiting for Annie when she pulled in next to his car. “It’s about time. What were you and Tyler talking about for the last hour?” A slight irritation tinged his tone. Annie knew he would be more than annoyed when she told him why she was late.
“I’ll tell you on the way. Leona and Mia have been texting me too.” She rushed around to his car as she finger combed her hair. “Do I look all right or should I run inside and change?”
Jason tilted his head from side to side, examining her with squinty eyes. He reached out and tried to smooth her curls into some kind of order. “There. That’s better.”
Annie grinned. “I’m sure that didn’t make one speck of difference, but thanks for trying to help. Let’s get going. Are you staying with me at the shower?”
Jason backed out of the driveway. “Seriously? I didn’t know that was part of the bargain. I’ll come in and say hello and play it by ear. Is that agreeable with you?”
Annie reached across the seat and let her hand settle on his thigh. “You don’t have to stay. I was only teasing.”
“Good. Now, fill me in on this food poisoning problem.”
“In a nutshell, it sounds as if someone brought a different piece of cranberry coffee cake and cut it on a raw-chicken-contaminated cutting board. Tyler wanted to hear my version of events.”
“So I don’t have to worry about you trying to poison me with your cooking?” Jason teased.
Annie raised her eyebrows and glanced at Jason from the corner of her eyes. “You can never be too sure, now can you?”
They both laughed. Jason turned into the Cove’s Corner parking lot. “You were gone a long time, were you two chatting about old times?”
“No. I drove by Edwin Fleming’s house and saw Sheila Sherwood scuttling away, looking like the cat that ate the canary, or more likely, the cat that poisoned the canary.”
“You didn’t go inside did you?”
“I texted Tyler to come investigate. I thought Edwin was dead.” Annie reached for the door handle.
Jason held her arm. “So you didn’t go inside, right?”
Annie wouldn’t look at Jason. “The door was open. I only stepped in one or two steps before Edwin moved and snored.” She finally looked at Jason. “This was weird. There was a laptop open and I could see Marty. Do you think he could have a camera set up somewhere to do some spying? I have to try to figure this out. Every time I talk to Tyler he seems to only be looking in one direction.”
“Your mother.”
“That’s right. If the police aren’t looking down any other path, I have to do it. Don’t you understand?”
Jason sighed. “I do understand. I understand your concern, your loyalty, your fear, your stubborn streak.” He gently touched her cheek. “After I fulfill my duty inside at the shower, I’ll go home and see if I can figure out what Marty might be up to with his camera. But don’t underestimate what Tyler is doing. He just doesn’t tell you his every move about the investigation.”
Annie leaned across the seat and hugged Jason. “Thank you. I’m so lucky that I found someone who understands me.”
“Better than . . .” Jason started to reply but stopped.
Annie felt his warm breath on her cheek. “Better than what, Jason?”
“Better than Tyler. I understand you better than Tyler does. That makes me happy.”
They walked into the Black Cat Café, arm in arm, but their warm and fuzzy feeling vanished when Leona spotted Annie and frowned.
“You’re late,” hissed Leona.
“I was worried about you,” Mia tearfully said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter.
Jason diplomatically put his arm around Leona. “Isn’t this supposed to be a bridal shower? For Annie? Give her a break for a minute and get back to what this is all about.” He waved his free hand around the room taking in all the shower decorations and the table laden with Leona’s hard work in the kitchen.
Martha joined the group. “Phyllis is livid about your chat and chew book club,” she informed Annie. “She’s spreading terrible rumors about you and your mother. Did you really poison Edwin Fleming?”
Annie’s head spun from one face to the next as the voices grilling her began to fade. She felt like she was in a tunnel and heard Jason’s voice almost drowned by loud buzzing, asking her, “Are you all right?”
That was all she heard until her eyes opened and faces stared down at her.
She felt Jason’s strong arms holding her in his lap. “What happened?” she asked.
Jason tenderly brushed hair from Annie’s face and kissed her forehead. “You fainted.”
“Where are we? I hear a buzzing noise.”
“At the Black Cat Café.”
Annie tried to push herself up.
“Take it easy,” Jason said.
“I have to figure it out.”
“What’s she talking about?” Mia asked. “You should take her to the doctor, Jason.”
Annie shook her head. “There’s no time.”
“How about I take you home and you can rest a bit there?” Jason whispered in her ear.
Annie nodded and relaxed against him.
Leona harrumphed. “What do we do about all this?” Her hand indicated the food, gifts, and friends waiting for Annie.
“Everyone will understand. Annie’s sick. She is in no condition to participate now. Can’t you see that?” Jason snapped at Leona as he scooped Annie up and together they left the café.
“Everyone is mad at me, aren’t they?”
“Don’t worry. They’ll get over it.” Jason helped Annie into his car. As they drove off, he asked, “How are you feeling now?”
“Better. I think the cold air cleared out most of the cobwebs.”
“Good. Now tell me what’s going on? What did you figure out?”
“Marty’s camera was set up to spy on Alice. He could watch her house from anywhere and he knew that Mia visited and held the black cat statue. He knew when Alice was alone and he snuck in using Edwin’s key and smashed Alice with the statue. I bet the camera is gone now. When I saw him, he was probably removing the evidence.”
“Interesting theory. Before we look into it any further, I’m taking you to the clinic for a quick check to be sure your fainting spell wasn’t anything serious.”
“That’s ridiculous, Jason. I fainted. Stress probably. Everyone was in my face about being late and they sucked all the oxygen from my bubble.”
“Ridiculous or not, I’m driving and that’s where I’m taking you. With any luck, there won’t be much of a wait.”
Annie folded her arms and slumped in the seat. She knew Jason was not going to back down on this discussion.
Jason turned into the clinic parking lot.
Annie sat up straight and pointed. “There goes Marty. I’ll go in to see the doctor. You need to follow
him.” She hopped out of the car. “Hurry up. Don’t lose him.”
Chapter 19
Annie was surprised that Jason didn’t argue with her about following Marty. She wished she wasn’t stranded at the stupid clinic but at least Jason understood her need to follow this new lead. Unlike Tyler who only seemed to consider Mia as the prime suspect.
A wave of dizziness made Annie stop and lean against the car she walked by. She willed herself to stay upright and get through the door into the clinic. After she checked in, she happily found a chair and plopped down. The waiting room was mostly empty. Except for Edwin Fleming sitting at the far side. That made sense. Marty must have dropped his father off. Why didn’t he wait with him?
Annie moved to the magazine table next to Edwin. He eyed her. “What are you doing here? Spying on me again?”
“Mind if I sit here?” Annie asked, pointing to the chair next to Edwin.
“Why? There’s a whole roomful of empty chairs.”
Annie sat. “We need to talk.”
“I don’t need anything to do with the likes of you. First you brought that BIG white cat into my house, then you tried to poison me with those cranberries. I hate cranberries, and you almost gave me a heart attack when you called the police.” He pushed himself up to move away from Annie.
“Wait, Mr. Fleming. What’s your son up to with that camera of his?”
Edwin scrunched up his face. “The one in Alice’s house?”
“Yes. Was he spying on Alice?”
“I guess you could say that. Someone needed to keep an eye on her with that man coming around again. Just when Marty was free to get back together with Alice again.”
“What man?” Annie’s skinned crawled with the expectation that he was referring to her father.
“She said he was only a friend, but I knew better. Who is just friends with a woman?” He spit the word out as if it tasted bitter in his mouth.
“Do you know where the camera is?” she asked cautiously.
Edwin squinted his eyes and stared at Annie. “Why? What’s it to you?”
“I think your son may have hurt Alice. You wouldn’t like that would you? You wanted your son and Alice to get back together. Shouldn’t we find out the truth about what happened?” Annie took a deep breath and held it in. Did she say too much?
“Is that what you think?”
She nodded.
“Let’s go have a look, missy.” Edwin got up and shuffled toward the exit.
“What about your appointment?”
“I told my daughter I would go to the clinic. I came and now I want to leave.” He chuckled. “I didn’t promise I would wait until the doctor made time for me.”
Annie hurried to catch up. “I don’t have a car. Are you planning to walk? Didn’t Marty drop you off here?”
Edwin paused and looked at Annie like she had two heads. “Walk to my house?” He shook his head and mumbled something to himself about crazy women. “I’ve got my car. I don’t let Marty take me anywhere. He’s a terrible driver. You can walk if you want to.”
Annie hesitated. She glanced around the empty waiting room. She certainly didn’t feel dizzy anymore as she caught up to Edwin and climbed into the passenger seat of his car; a model that appeared to be almost as old as Annie. It started right up and Edwin put it in drive. He slammed his foot on the accelerator and the tires burned on the tar. The whole ride consisted of an erratic surge when he pushed the gas pedal to the floor, then a slow down to a crawl when he released the gas. His fingers clutched the steering wheel and his nose was mere inches away from his fingers.
“You might want to follow the speed limit so you don’t get pulled over and lose your license,” Annie suggested, hoping he would be more careful with the gas pedal.
He turned his head to look at Annie when he answered. “I don’t bother about that kind of stuff. I lost my license ages ago. Who needs one anyway?”
“Watch out!”
Edwin swerved back to his side of the road, narrowly missing a telephone pole.
Jason was not going to be happy about this decision, Annie thought. Except for the minor detail of getting back to the clinic, maybe with a tiny bit of luck, he wouldn’t find out.
Edwin cut the steering wheel sharply to the left, bumped over the curb and stopped inches away from his picket fence. “Here we are. Safe and sound.”
That was a matter of perspective, Annie realized. “Where’s Marty? He won’t like you showing me his camera.”
“He’s off doing some errands. Said he had some business with a woman interested in Alice’s bookstore.”
“Phyllis?”
Edwin paused his snail pace to the front door. “Sounds familiar.” Tap. Tap. Tap. He made it to the door and went inside.
Snowball scooted outside before Annie pulled the door closed. The kitchen was still a mess. Edwin made himself comfortable in his chair. Annie’s gaze around Edwin’s living room backtracked to the corner shelf. Empty.
“What happened to all the cat figurines?” Annie asked.
“Huh? What are you doing here? I thought you came to get your cat. I don’t want that cat hanging around here anymore.” He settled his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes.
“What about Marty’s camera? You said you’d show me his camera.”
“He took it down. It’s gone.”
Annie fumed inside. Was he demented or did he love tormenting her? Marty’s laptop was still in the same spot. She opened it, hoping there wasn’t a password to get past. Bingo. Her lucky day. The same room popped up on the screen that she saw earlier. He hadn’t taken it down. Edwin didn’t know what he was talking about.
The tip of a key peeked out from under the computer. What harm could there be to try the key in Alice’s door and look for the camera herself? No one would know. A snore from Edwin made Annie look away from the laptop.
Annie quietly slid the key out and opened Edwin’s front door. It creaked. She froze. Edwin continued to snore. She stayed near the side of the house, creeping around the opposite side of his big picture window. No sense in tempting fate if Edwin opened his eyes. She followed a well-worn path to a side door of Alice’s house.
After some jiggling, the key slid into place. Annie quickly glanced around before she turned the knob, opened the door silently, and stashed the key in her jeans pocket. She cautiously entered Alice’s kitchen. Snowball scooted through the door, almost tripping Annie, as she made a beeline to an empty plate on the floor. Snowball looked up hopefully at Annie. “Sorry, I don’t have any food for you but it’s high time you move out of this place to a home where you’ll be loved. Be patient, I’ll find a new home for you.”
Annie peeked through the door from the kitchen into a combination living-dining area. Silence filled her ears. Cold chilled her bones. Any warmth that may have existed in Alice’s home at one time was long gone. The surroundings were too sterile for Annie’s taste. She tiptoed around, being careful not to disturb anything as she searched for a camera. It could be hidden anywhere—behind a plant, in a bookcase? Or disguised as something else?
Nothing appeared suspicious but Annie certainly had a feeling that she was being watched.
A thud broke the eerie silence. Annie held her breath and hoped the loud beating of her heart could only be heard by her ears as she slid next to the wall and tried to disappear. Snowball sauntered into the living room. “It was only you.” Annie let out a nervous laugh. “Time for us to leave, don’t you think, Snowball?”
With one last look around she noticed something that wasn’t there—cat figurines. Where had Alice kept them, or did someone steal them? She made a mental note to ask her mother what she remembered from her visit with Alice the day before Alice was murdered.
Annie opened the kitchen door, nudged Snowball outside, and pulled the door shut behind them.
“Fancy meeting you here,” a harsh voice sounded behind Annie. “How did you get inside Alice’s house?”
Annie’s blood turned to ice. She quickly turned around. “Marty. You startled me.” She slid her thumb over her pocket where the key was hidden. “The door was open.”
Marty reached around Annie and turned the knob, obviously not believing a word she uttered. The door opened. He scowled. “Who has been in here?” he asked, more to himself than to Annie. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into Alice’s kitchen.
Annie searched for something, anything, she could use for a weapon. Marty held her close.
“Let’s have a look around. See if you stole anything.”
“Are you crazy?” She held both hands out, palms up. “And where do you think I’d be hiding it?” She surprised herself when she heard her voice come out holding steady instead of trembling.
Marty pulled Annie into the living room. “Sit down.” He roughly pushed her onto a chair. “Don’t move.”
Annie had her phone out as soon as Marty turned his back. She hit Jason’s speed dial number and waited. An eternity. Marty continued to mumble to himself as he carefully examined the rooms and kept an eye on her. Her leg jiggled nervously. Hurry up. She counted the rings.
“Annie? Where are you?”
“He’s got me in Alice’s house. Hurry,” Annie blurted out, causing Marty to turn around and stare at her.
“Who are you talking to you?” he yelled.
The side door burst open as Jason entered.
Marty looked from Annie to Jason. “You two are working together to spy on me?”
Annie ran to Jason and pushed him toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Not so fast, Annie Fisher.” Sheila blocked the kitchen door. “How about you both just cool your heels for a bit.” She entered, closed the door, and turned the lock.
Chapter 20
Jason pushed Annie behind his back.
She struggled to see what was going on. “You don’t need to shield me. How did you get here so fast anyway?”
Marty and Sheila stood in front of the kitchen door. Marty’s back was toward Jason and Annie which effectively blocked his voice from traveling in their direction. Sheila kept her beady eyes on Annie’s face.
