by Lynn Cahoon
She ignored the tray of food on the table and picked up the phone instead. The last number received showed as private. No help there. Who would play such a horrible prank on her? She dialed Uncle Pete’s private line.
“What’s up, buttercup?” He’d called her by that nickname for years, even before she was old enough to know a buttercup was a flower. She assumed he’d just changed the candy bar name.
Cat paused, wondering how to ask what she was going to ask. “When Michael died, who identified the body?”
The other side of the line was quiet. “Not sure why you want to know, but it was me. I found his body in the house. The college had called when he didn’t show up for his lectures and I did a wellness check.”
“Are you sure it was Michael?”
“Of course it was Michael. I hadn’t really talked to him much after the divorce, especially since the whole thing was his fault, but I knew your ex-husband.” Uncle Pete covered the phone and Cat could hear muffled voices in the background. “Honey, what’s going on? It’s kind of early for digging up old bones.”
“Nothing. I got a hang up and the guy, well, he just sounded like Michael. It must have been a coincidence.” Cat looked at the food tray and the uneaten banana and her stomach growled. Maybe hunger was making her lightheaded and she’d just heard wrong.
“Well, I’ve got Bob Jenkins cooling his jets in my waiting room. I guess I better go.” He paused. “Maybe I’ll stop by this morning for some coffee and we can talk.”
“No. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. One more thing, Mrs. Cook asked about her husband’s laptop. Do you have it over at the station?” She held her breath, hoping the answer would be yes.
“I’ve got the evidence list right here.” Her uncle paused while he went through the list. “Nope, sorry, no laptop. We have his cell, though. Could that be what she meant?”
A writer didn’t go to a retreat without a laptop. Cat mused about the last time she’d seen Tom: on the walk to the library. With his tote bag over his shoulder. Of course, that didn’t mean there was anything in the tote. But Rose talked to him that day; she would know what he was writing on.
“Cat, are you really all right? I’m beginning to worry about you.” Her uncle’s words broke through her wandering thoughts.
She forced a small laugh. “My blood sugar must be low. I’ve got things to get done this morning for the retreat group, so I better get cracking.”
“If you need me …” He let the statement go unfinished and disconnected the call.
Cat set the cell on the table and grabbed a piece of the sweet zucchini bread. She ate everything on the plate, except for the sliced kiwi Shauna had put on the tray. She was always trying to get Cat to try something new, but she’d already told her friend that she didn’t like kiwi. Shauna just didn’t believe her. She finished off her coffee and stared into the cup. Maybe too much caffeine had her jittery. Whatever it was, there was one thing that was certain. The call had not come from the dark beyond. She pressed her hands on the desk to try to stop the shaking. Whoever was messing with her, they were doing a pretty great job of scaring the crap out of her.
Chapter 9
When the question-and-answer session started, the four remaining retreat attendees were sitting in the living room. Sara was on her phone, texting. Rose and Daisy were busy scribbling in spiral notebooks. And Billy had his laptop on his lap, his fingers flying over the keyboard.
“Good morning.” Cat smiled at the group. “I hope you all slept well and enjoyed breakfast this morning.” She paused, looking at the four, and sighed. “This was where I planned on asking you how the experience had been so far, but I’m kind of afraid of your answers.”
Billy looked up from his laptop. “I assume you think we’ll say bad things since Tom Cook bit the big one here?” He looked around at the group. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting way more done on this manuscript than I had expected. It’s funny, I assumed retreats were just for the rich playing at writing. But it’s actually been helpful to be away from my normal life.”
Cat smiled, but didn’t add she wondered what the guy’s normal life was like if a dead body in the next room didn’t cause him any stress or writer’s block. She turned to the sisters, “What about you two? How has the week so far been?”
“You know I’m terribly disappointed in the way things turned out with Mr. Cook.” Rose shrugged. “But with his wife here, I realized my fantasies were mostly pipe dreams anyway.”
“Mostly? How about totally? You didn’t have a chance with the guy mostly because you’re so much older than he was.” Daisy patted her sister’s hand and looked up at Cat. “Sometimes reality therapy is the best idea. Anyway, I’ve written almost ten thousand words in the last three days. I’m so excited. It took me three months to get that much done at home.”
“I’m glad the separation from your normal life is working for you.” Cat looked toward Sara who must have felt everyone’s attention and shoved the phone into her bag.
“What?” Her question made it clear she hadn’t been paying attention.
Something about the girl felt off, but Cat couldn’t pinpoint it. After Tom’s death, Cat had gone back and run background checks on all the guests, not just Billy. Sara’s record had been squeaky clean, but she was a graduate student at the college. “I was asking people how the retreat was working for them. Have you been able to get any work done? I’m concerned you keep going back to campus and the real world. Maybe you should try to detach while you’re here for the week. You only have three days left.”
“I’m getting everything I need from the retreat. I don’t know why people think you have to have total silence to write. I do my best work in small diners and dive bars. At least before the drunks get too loud.” Sara’s phone buzzed and her attention dropped to the display. “Sorry, I’ve got to take this.”
Then she disappeared out of the living room, taking her tote bag with her.
“Kids,” Billy muttered. “They don’t know what they have until they lose it. Just wait a few years, she’ll be dying for a retreat away from her loser husband and the six brats.”
Rose pointed a finger at him. “You stop talking bad about the girl. She’s just a child. I’ve watched her this week. I’m sure she’s missing home, especially her father. She just lights up when she talks to that dean fellow.”
“Dean Vargas?” Cat focused on Rose.
“The man who knew Tom? I believe that was his name. When I left the study cube where Tom was working on his book, Sara was talking to Dean Vargas down the hallway. She must have gotten some bad news, because she looked really sad.” Rose shook her head. “I walked right by and she didn’t even recognize me. She almost knocked me down the stairs when she ran to the restroom.”
Cat thought she knew why Sara was upset. Dean Vargas didn’t keep his favorites long. He believed in a catch-and-release type of relationship. It must have been Sara’s time to be released. Poor girl. No wonder she was distracted during the retreat.
“You all can play nursemaid to the kid. I’m going to my room and writing. That’s what we’re here for, right?” Billy stood and tucked his laptop under his arm. “I won’t be attending library time today. Or maybe even tomorrow. If things go well, I might have my first draft done before I check out Sunday afternoon.”
The women watched as he walked out of the room. “At least he’s in a better mood now,” Daisy remarked. “The man was a horror the first day we were here. All he did was throw dagger eyes at Mr. Cook.”
“I’m still not convinced he didn’t kill poor Tom.” Rose turned her attention on Cat. “You’re related to the police chief, right? What has he said about the murder?”
“Nothing to me.” Cat shrugged. “Real police officers don’t go blabbing their information all over before they catch a murderer. That only happens in the movies or in books.”
“Not sure that’s entirely accurate, my dear.” Daisy set her pen down on her note
book. “I dated a cop for several years. I would have broken up with him sooner, but he would tell me the craziest stories about his job. I loved listening to him at dinner.”
“Harry made up half of what he told you and the other half happened to some other cop.” Rose turned a page in her notebook and started scribbling away.
Daisy narrowed her eyes at her sister, then turned back to Cat. “Okay, maybe some of that’s true. But they were good stories.”
Cat looked at her watch. They were due at the library in thirty minutes. The head librarian had offered to talk to the group about the research tools the school had acquired. “We better get going if we want to meet Miss Applebome on time.”
Daisy tucked her notebook away in her tote. She stared at her sister. Finally Rose groaned and put her own notebook away.
“The next time we go on a retreat, I’m going to book something in a different city than you.” Rose turned toward Cat. “Let’s boogie.”
Daisy followed her sister out of the room. “She’s just in a snit because of what I said about her and Mr. Cook.”
“I can still hear you. I’m not deaf,” Rose called out from the lobby area.
Daisy smiled at Cat. “Actually she is, in her right ear.”
They walked out of the room to find Linda Cook standing by the front desk. Cat hurried to the area. “Mrs. Cook, I mean, Linda, can I help you with anything?”
“Looks like you’re on an adventure. Where are you going?” Linda looked at the other women with interest.
“The library.” Rose cocked her head. “Do you want to come with us? They’re teaching us how to use their fancy machines to look at that microfilm stuff.”
Linda looked at me. “Do you mind if I tag along? I’m going crazy just hanging out in my room waiting for the police chief to call me.”
“No problem. You might find it a little basic since you have an advanced degree and all.” Cat walked around the desk and opened the front door.
Linda strolled out first. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy the lecture.”
“Can’t say I didn’t warn you,” Cat muttered as Rose and Daisy followed her out to the porch. Miss Applebome was very nice, but she could put a crackhead on a bender to sleep with her detailed descriptions of each and every step needed to properly utilize library assets. And those were her words, not Cat’s.
Linda took off toward the campus and Cat had to hurry to catch up. Rose and Daisy were right behind her, bickering about whether or not they should have worn a jacket. Cat turned back. “It will stay warm until about seven, so if you want to stop to get some dinner before coming back to the inn, you should be fine.”
“You should stop at The Post. It has the best pulled pork sandwiches.” Linda stopped and waited for the trio to catch up with her. “The Post is still here, right?”
The place was still around, but they hadn’t served food for years. It had transitioned into a bar before Cat had even been old enough to drink. She explained the current status of Linda’s favorite hangout.
“Life never slows down, you know?” Linda choked on the words, but then pressed her lips together. “The diner should be open, right?”
“The diner is not only open, it’s a great place to eat. They have a great new chef and the menu is fantastic.”
“Well, at least something has stayed the same around here.” Linda let her lips curl into a smile that seemed more sad than happy.
They walked in silence the rest of the way to the library. Cat led them in, turned them over to the librarian, and headed upstairs to see if Tom had rented a laptop storage shed when he’d been here earlier. Maybe she’d find the missing laptop there, all tucked away.
The student in charge for the afternoon, another work-study position, shrugged. “I don’t have a list of who rented the slots, dude. All I do is take their money and give them a key when they pay. It’s not like it’s a long-term commitment.” He grinned at me. “No credit check needed, just like those rent-to-own furniture ads.”
“Okay, is there someone that didn’t return a key in the last week?” Cat looked at the laptop storage lockers. Half appeared empty.
“You’ll have to ask Miss Applebome. She does the accounting on Friday afternoon. If someone leaves their stuff longer than that, she boots them and takes their computers for ransom. I warn everyone about the Friday eviction policy.” The guy leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. “So are you here to rent a slot? I’ve got a game to get back to playing.”
“I’m good. Thanks for your help.” Cat walked back downstairs to tell the group she was heading back to the house. When she reached the conference room, a new member had joined their group.
Dean Vargas stood just inside the doorway, talking to Linda Cook. “You really must let me take you to dinner. I’m sure you’d feel much better if you just got away from all of this mess.”
“That’s very kind of you, but I’ve already made plans with my friends here. Thank you for your concern.” Linda turned away from him and waved toward the librarian who was standing with folded arms, glaring at the two. “Sorry for the distraction. Please go ahead.”
“But Linda,” Dean Vargas started, but the look that she gave him stopped whatever else he had planned to say. He spun around and almost ran into Cat. “Excuse me,” he hissed.
Cat wasn’t sure the words were meant for her, or for Linda’s benefit. But she nodded. “No problem.” As she walked into the room, she saw Sara standing near the library stacks. She motioned her toward the group, but the girl pretended like she hadn’t seen her and turned to go the other way.
Miss Applebome was setting up her PowerPoint presentation when Cat entered the room. “Sorry for one more distraction, but I wanted to let the group know that I was heading back to the house. Call if you have problems or need a ride back.”
“Have a nice afternoon,” Daisy said.
Rose raised her eyebrows. “Is that carpenter in the house? You need to seal that deal before he goes somewhere else.”
Her sister poked her with an elbow.
“What?” Rose grinned at her sister, then turned back to Cat. “You’re not getting any younger, you know.”
Cat felt the heat run to her face and stepped back toward the door. “Anyway, I’ll see you all later.”
She heard the laughter as she bolted from the room, but she didn’t care. This hostess thing was hard. People got to see you in your home and, because of that, people like Rose thought they knew what was best for her. She really needed to build stronger walls between her and her guests. She powerwalked home, hoping some of her energy would dissipate before she arrived.
“You look ticked.” Shauna sat on the porch, a book in her hand and a glass of lemonade next to her.
Cat sank down to the porch floor and leaned against the railing, closing her eyes. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Do what?” Shauna kicked Cat’s foot. “Come on, tell me. What’s wrong?”
She opened her eyes and looked at her friend. “Everyone being in my business. It’s bad enough I came crawling back home. Now my guests are trying to set me up for a quickie with Seth. And Rose doesn’t even know we used to date.”
“Rose has sex on the brain. She told you that. I think that’s why she likes writing; she can daydream about things and people.” Shauna’s lips curved into a smile. “I think it’s kind of cute. I hope I’m still in the game when I’m her age.”
“She’s not over, what, sixty?” Cat’s heartbeat was beginning to calm. Maybe she had overreacted to the comment and the women’s laughter. Seth was a sexy, good-looking man. Women noticed him.
“She told me she just turned sixty-five. Daisy’s older by a few years.” She set the book on the swing next to her. “I’m loving getting to know these people. Rose and Daisy would never have come into the tavern where I used to work. Well, they might have come in, but they wouldn’t have stayed.”
“I don’t know. I like my privacy.” Cat looked out on th
e front yard where Seth still had sawhorses set up. “I didn’t see his truck. Is he here?”
“He had to run into town and unclog a kitchen sink for the Maguires. Since you left with the rest of the group, I decided to come out here until he came back.”
Cat looked at the house. “Billy’s actually still here. He should be in his room.”
“Another good reason for me to be out here. That guy gives me the willies.” She took a sip of her drink before she went on. “He’s always watching me. I’d say something, but I think that’s what he does with everyone. He’s a creeper.”
“Well, he’s a paying guest this week. But I promise I’ll run background checks on the people in the next session before I cash their checks.” Cat grinned and held out her hands. “Pull me up and we’ll go into the kitchen and I’ll make lunch.”
Shauna stood and held out her hands. “I’ll pull you to your feet, but you are not cooking. I don’t want to lose another pan.”
“Hey, I forgot I had turned the heat on high. I really wasn’t gone that long.” She grabbed her friend’s hands and pulled herself to standing. “I’m a good cook.”
“Keep telling yourself that, someday someone might believe you.”
Cat held the door open and then followed Shauna into the cool lobby. The grandfather clock near the stairs chimed one o’clock. “I didn’t realize it was so late.” She paused at the clock and opened the door, pulling the weights to reset the mechanism. Her parents had left her the clock when they moved and she had carefully moved it from Colorado to California and now back again. She closed the door and ran a hand down the smooth wood surface.
That chore done, she followed Shauna into the kitchen. “Can I at least help?”
“I’m making us chopped salad and cooking a piece of tuna to go over the top. You could get out the produce and get it washed.” Shauna listed off the items as Cat pulled them from the fridge.
As she walked to the counter, she noticed a package on the table. “What’s that?”
