Magical Cool Cats Mysteries Boxed Set Vol 1 (Books 1, 2 & 3 & A Christmas Feral)

by Mary Matthews

  “Who is this?” A deep voice snarled.

  “Jack Brewster. San Diego Detective. Your father died. Day after Christmas. You need to get down here. Confirm identification of the body. You’ll need to make arrangements for burial. Did he have a plot?” Jack remembered Julia describing Luke as a widower. Might have picked a plot out for himself when he buried his wife.

  “He had one picked out next to my Mom when he buried her. At Mount Hope Cemetery. I’ll have to ask my wife if I can come down there.” Jack heard the phone drop again and the nauseating sound of Helga’s voice.

  “My wife said no. There isn’t any money in it for us.”

  “No, your Dad lived on a small pension that died with him. I think he spent most of this month’s pension money on Christmas presents for you.”

  “My wife wants to know if there’s anything in the cottage Dad rented.”

  “Could you be more specific than ‘anything’?”

  “Did my Dad have any valuables in the cottage?”

  “Why don’t you come look for yourself?”

  “My wife said no. Can you just describe what was in the cottage to me? Could you ship it to me?”

  “No. Are you going to take care of your father’s burial or not?”

  Jack heard the sound of scuffling and then, Helga the Horrible was on the phone again.

  “Put him in a pauper’s grave. I don’t care,” she said.

  Jack hung up the phone.

  “They’re not going to bury him. They’re not even going to come down here.” Jack crumpled the paper with Tom’s phone number and threw it across the room.

  “We’ll take care of him, Jack.” Grace rubbed his shoulder.

  “You don’t mind? Spending our house money on that? A good tombstone isn’t cheap. You know that. I’m sorry.”

  Grace shook her head. “When I lost my trust money, I thought I’d feel better when I had money again. And I do. Most of the time. Sometimes I’m overwhelmed by sadness.”

  “You still feel sad that your uncle was murdered. And your parents died in the flu pandemic. You thought if you accomplished enough, you’d leave the sadness behind. You don’t. I know. I never completely forget my buddies that didn’t come back from missions. I’d say goodbye to the guy in the barrack’s bed next to me, load my plane, and take off. Sometimes, the bed next to me would be empty the next morning. Guys didn’t make it back. Hell, I never knew if I was coming back Grace. I still feel sad. You never really leave the dead behind. You carry them in your heart.”

  “And when you’re sad—”

  “—you know you’re still alive. The people that can leave it all behind are dead. They’re walking around Beverly Hills like Helga the Horrible. Without souls. They’re dead and they don’t even know they’re dead. Their greatest aspiration is to sit in a country club with other dead people.”

  “Does he know his Dad kept feeding pigeons? In honor of Cher Ami saving his life?”

  “I’m not calling him again to find out,” Jack said.

  “Julia was right. Helga the Horrible makes my former Aunt Alice look nice.”

  “Why do you never hold your Uncle Charles accountable? Why do you not blame Thomas for not standing up to Helga the Horrible? His wife’s not holding a gun to his head.”

  “That we know about.”

  “Get over it. Get over your innocence. They should have insisted on doing the right thing. If you told me to never see my brother David again, I’d say forget you.”

  “You’d defy me? Not that I’d say that.”

  “Not that defy is the right word.”

  “But you know I never would.”

  “That’s why I’m here. One of the reasons I’m here.” He pulled Grace towards him. The phone rang.

  “Maybe Thomas changed his mind.” Jack picked up the phone.

  “Thanks for letting us know right away.” Jack put the earpiece back in its handle.

  “Thomas is coming?”

  “No. It was the Coroner. There were traces of morphine in the bodies. And the Health Department confirmed the food it confiscated from the cafeteria is clean.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Don’t I give good nap?” Jack asked, pulling a sheet over her. The ocean wind felt chilly. The white satin curtains flew up at the window of their Coronado Love Nest.

  “Bees Knees.” Grace smiled.

  “When we’re at dinner—”

  “No. Jack we’re not going to dinner at Mabel’s. What if she injected them with morphine?”

  “The Coroner would have caught injection marks. Or Tatania would have seen it.”

  Tatania raised her head from a newspaper to look at Jack. Giving clues to humans could feel like an endless game of charades.

  “I keep thinking about Luke. They say a pigeon would sit on his arm and eat right out of his hand. Why would Luke even care about Tom when he became so awful after his marriage?”

  “Sometimes, a bond doesn’t break even when you’re apart. What’s in the heart can be invisible to the eye.”

  “Luke was a veteran too. He deserved so much better. How could he have been walking around so isolated? So unhappy? And no one noticed? You’re all heroes.” She hugged Jack.

  “Grace, I thought about deserting. I dreamed about slipping away in France, going underground.”

  “What kept you flying?”

  “I stopped thinking about it. I just flew. If the little pigeon could fly back with his message on one tendon, how could I not go up? I’m either brave or a bird brain.” He shrugged.

  “You’re brave. With the heart of Cher Ami. I could barely make it to nine a.m. French class on time. You fought a war.”

  Tatania nudged Jack’s arm and slipped between his arm and chest, purring loudly.

  “She hasn’t done that in a long time.”

  “I think she’s reminding you. It’s important that you came home. And saved her. Jack, I don’t know if I could have kept flying. If I could have made it through the war.”

  “Sure you could have, Doll.” Jack reached for her.

  “I’m really not even brave enough for this dinner.”

  “You’re brave enough for this dinner. While we’re there, go ahead and check the bathroom for syringes. Think of all the dinners you went to with your former Aunt Alice. This couldn’t be any worse. “

  “When you put it that way, Jack, you could talk me into just about anything.” Grace pulled a red dress with gold thread sparkling through it from her closet. It was a custom made treat to herself when they solved their last case.

  “It is a shame to see you up and dressed,” Jack said.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Will you be joining us in the Crown Room tonight, Mr. Brewster?” The Maitre D asked.

  “Not yet.” Jack smiled.

  “I wish,” Grace whispered.

  They held hands and walked to Mabel’s house. Grace’s breath caught at Jack’s reflection in the Spreckels’ office building mirrors. Dark pants, white shirt, leather jacket, and smoldering eyes.

  Mabel greeted them like an over excited poodle. Her furniture was covered by blankets as if the homeowner was absent for the season. Grace decided that Mabel liked to wash the covers after her guests sat on the chairs. She could smell the laundry detergent.

  “We’re having lamb,” Mabel said brightly.

  “Grace loves lamb.” Jack pulled out Grace’s chair. She refrained from kicking him.

  “Have they buried Luke yet?” Mabel asked.

  “Did you know Luke?” Grace stared at Mabel.

  “He used to eat here sometimes,” Mabel replied.

  “Excuse me, where is the powder room?” Grace asked.

  “Down the hall to your right. Are you okay?” Mabel pointed to the hall.

  “Yes. Thanks for asking.” Grace felt jumpy. She wanted to be Tatania and leap out a window to get away.

  Tatania and Zeus hadn’t followed them. They were probably napping. Grace missed the cats.

&
nbsp; She opened the bathroom door. There was a simple white sink in the corner. A mirrored medicine cabinet hung over it. Grace opened the medicine cabinet. Two Gillette disposable razors. Band Aids. Rubbing Alcohol. Rat poison.

  She ran back to the table with her heart pounding. Jack put his hand over hers. The other chairs were empty. Mabel carried in a tray of mystery meat.

  “Here’s the lamb,” she said.

  “Should we wait for the other diners?” Grace asked.

  “There aren’t any,” Mabel said, putting meat on Grace’s plate and then, Jack’s.

  Apparently, when Mabel said she was serving lamb for dinner, you shouldn’t presume she might also serve a salad or vegetables or bread with it.

  “It’s refreshing to see someone take things so literally,” Jack said when Mabel left the room. They stuffed the meat into Grace’s purse and Jack’s pockets.

  “Care for seconds?” Mabel returned.

  “No thanks. It would be hard to top that.” Jack pulled four dollars out of his wallet and handed the money to Mabel.

  “We hate to eat and run. We need to check on our cats.”

  “I’ve heard about crazy cat ladies.” Mabel stared at Grace.

  “That would be me,” Jack said, leading Grace to the front door.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Jack, it gives me the heebie jeebies. That woman just smells like death.”

  “It’s amazing her own cooking hasn’t killed her. Just the smell alone was so unappetizing.” He pulled a strand of bobbed hair back from her face.

  “Thank God you know how to find a good restaurant, Grace.”

  “And I know how to make reservations.”

  “You’re a multi-talented young lady.” Jack nodded.

  “Where are we going to take these food samples to be tested?”

  “We’ll go through some of my friends in low places.”

  “Oh, Thank God. Bees Knees. I always love meeting your friends in low places.”

  “You’ve met him before. At my favorite speakeasy. He does quality control of his hooch. He wouldn’t take a chance on any of his clients getting poisoned. He’ll send it to his guys at Caltech for testing.”

  “Your favorite speakeasy? Jack, could you be more specific? I don’t know how I’d figure it out.”

  “The one next to the pawn shop on Broadway Street downtown. Where we took your friend from Finishing School when she was visiting.”

  “That’s right. We sure did take Emily to some classy places. Do you think we can safely predict that she’ll never return?”

  “She loved it. She’s probably stuck in some stiff collared club right now with a blue blood stockbroker. And her Mumsy wants to put Emily’s initials next to his on the monogrammed tea towels, and Emily’s wishing for just one more moment in Coronado.”

  “That I could believe. Why Caltech?”

  “They’re brilliant scientists and chemists. And they know how to drink. For a taste of the hooch, well actually for enough of the hooch to see them through the school year, they test it for him. For everything. You know how scary bad hooch can be.” Jack rubbed her back..

  She did know. They had caught a thief with Jake Leg, an oddly high stepping walk caused by drinking poisoned hooch. There were even rumors that the government was poisoning hooch. Grace didn’t believe it. The government wouldn’t knowingly hurt Americans.

  “Quality control is everything. A speakeasy with certifiably safe hooch is worth its weight in gold.”

  “And college students are enthusiastic tasters.”

  “What about Finishing School students?”

  “A little good French Champagne —”

  “— there’s no bad French Champagne---”

  “—true, Jack. But usually no over imbibing. That could be low brow.”

  “Would you like a little French Champagne now?”

  “Are you serving?”

  “We’ll pick up enough for our own cellar when we drop the food off for testing. If nothing else gets built on our lot, at least we’ll have a cellar. Libations.”

  Jack lifted Grace up on to the double decker streetcar that would take them to the Ferry Landing. She sprinted up to the top deck. Zeus and Tatania were relaxing on the comfy seat in back. Neither one moved for Jack and Grace.

  “Excuse me, Zeus, could I sit with you?”

  Zeus rolled over once and let Grace pick him up and put him on her lap. Tatania looked inclined to let Jack sit on the hard chair next to her. Then, she relented and jumped on his shoulder again.

  “I didn’t know they were riding the street car,” Jack said.

  “I think they like the view.” Grace stroked Zeus. If she lived to be one hundred twenty, she couldn’t imagine ever seeing a face as cute as his again. Black and white, with a pink nose, and winsome eyes that shone with the heart of a child on Christmas morning.

  They saw couples out casually strolling along Orange Street. They could hear Tent City’s Band through the clear, still air of the island. You could dance wherever you were on the magical island at night and no one would blink twice.

  “I like this view.” Jack’s eyes went from her Mary Jane pumps, up her scalloped hemline, to the porcelain neck he loved. He winked at her. The wind revealed the curvy silhouette the loose dress couldn’t hide.

  At the Ferry Landing, Zeus and Tatania got off and went towards a seafood restaurant at the dock. One good cat deserves another.

  “She’s teaching Zeus her tricks.. They’re probably on their way to a sea bass dinner.”

  “I think cats are born with charm. It’s mandatory for feline creation.”

  “I feel like we’re leaving our errant teenagers.”

  “Except errant teenagers would be easier to control.” Jack laughed.

  Grace felt the saltwater spray her dress when she climbed on the ferry. She looked at Jack, smiling back at her, and for the first time in her life she felt she was exactly where she wanted to be and doing exactly what she wanted to be doing.

  Jack stood next to her on deck; they watched the sea lions frolicking in the bay — looking oblivious to the world around them. There was only this moment in Coronado. Nothing else mattered. Jack leaned down to kiss her.

  “If it wasn’t for the case, I wouldn’t go to the speakeasy. You’re intoxicating enough for me, Grace.”

  The ferry ride ended too quickly. They walked a block to the speakeasy to deliver the dinner scraps for testing. Cars maneuvered Broadway street without traffic signals. It made driving more challenging than walking. As a pedestrian, you merely had to stay out of the cars’ way on a sidewalk. In a car, it was metal to metal, and you could see drivers flinching when a car in the opposite direction had the same idea at the same time.

  At the speakeasy door’s metal grate, Jack said, “Bottoms up,” and the door opened.

  “Your cat’s here.”

  Tatania sat on a bar stool.

  “When did she get here?”

  “Just a minute ago.”

  Grace stroked Tatania’s chin.

  “She could have climbed on the ferry without us noticing.”

  “Without Zeus?”

  “Maybe they broke up.” Grace sat down on the bar stool next to Tatania.

  “You’re a classy Doll. And you’re still consorting with this character?” The bartender leaned forward.

  “She’s a thoroughbred,” Jack said.

  “Should I throw back my head and neigh now?”

  Tatania meowed.

  “Excuse me, I have a request for cream.” The bartender reached in his square icebox and pulled out a glass for Tatania. She put her paws up on the counter and lapped delicately. Then she batted bread rolls across the bar.

  “I keep a glass for Tatania.” He stroked her silky fur.

  “We have something for the Caltech boys to test.” Jack handed the dinner remnants wrapped in newspaper across the counter.

  “Tell them to test for every poison imaginable. And the next brew is
on me.”

  “And French Champagne for you and Grace. On the house. In honor of your new house.” He pulled out a bottle of Dom Perignon just for the two of them.

  “Thank you. I think the most vitally important room will be the wine cellar.” Grace smiled.

  “Prohibition won’t last forever,” Jack said.

  “Don’t say that. Business is better than ever. Declaring it illegal made alcohol even more alluring.” He shared a toast with Grace and Jack.

  “To your beautiful home. Built on your agency fees.”

  “Guess who else is paying agency fees?” Grace whispered to the bartender.

  “Pinkerton?” He asked.

  “How did you know?”

  “It’s all over town, Doll. Pinkerton wouldn’t hire you as an employee. And now they’re paying your agency fees.”

  “I’m feeling well satisfied with life.” Grace smiled.

  “You’re with me,” Jack said.

  “I’ll miss this place when they repeal Prohibition.” Jack shut the door behind them.

  “You’re sure they’re going to repeal Prohibition?” Grace asked.

  “I’d bet our first born on it. The government will figure out that alcohol distribution can’t be stopped. Whatever is happening in the world, someone will want to toast to it, and someone else will want to get drunk over it.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Grace didn’t believe that happiness was elusive. Only that it was temporal. And that’s why she was forever taking snapshots of Jack in her mind, to retrieve later, if he wasn’t present.

  She gazed at him on the ferry. Whatever happened next, she could always remember being in Coronado with the one she loved best in the world.

  The sound of Tent City’s orchestra carried through the night air to the Ferry Landing. When they reached the Hotel del Coronado, on the street car, they walked past the entrance to Jack’s cottage. Grace heard Tatania and Zeus meowing inside.

  She opened the cottage door. Tatania paused in the doorway. It was a good opportunity to stop and think about things. Tatania did some of her best mystery solving in doorways.

  When Grace looked away, Tatania and Zeus stepped out. Jack pushed the door shut without stepping inside.