Probable Paws (Mystic Notch Cozy Mystery Series Book 5)

by Leighann Dobbs

  “Not really. I knew Adelaide ages ago, like I told you before. And her husband, Louis, was quite a nice man. He died a long time ago. The kids were very young, and Adelaide never remarried.” A smile flitted on Elspeth’s lips. “True love, you know. Well, I don’t need to tell you about true love.”

  My brows tugged together. “Huh?” Was she talking about Striker and me? I didn’t think so—the way it was looking, we might not even get past “good friends,” never mind true love.

  Elspeth chuckled and took another sip of tea. “Anyway, I don’t really know her children or grandchildren.”

  I ignored her “true love” comment. I had more important things on my mind than love. “What about Marion? You must’ve known her?”

  “She was an odd duck. Never married or had children. Wasn’t as outgoing as Adelaide but stuck to her like glue. Well, you know how sisters are—they have a special bond … and since they were twins, it’s even more special. Maybe I should go visit Marion. She must be feeling very upset. She used to like these raisin buns I made…oh, if only I had the recipe.”

  Was Elspeth hinting about that recipe book again? Now I knew she knew more about this than she was letting on, but I had no idea how to broach the subject with her. “Twins do seem to have a special bond.”

  Elspeth nodded.

  “Like Hattie and Cordelia, and Adelaide has twin granddaughters, doesn’t she?”

  Elspeth frowned. “Different as night and day, I hear.”

  I wondered if Elspeth knew more about Evie than she was letting on. I remembered Max claiming his security footage caught Evie out in the moonlight. Was she a witch? Maybe Evie was after the spell book, too? Which reminded me—better get down to business fast.

  “You don’t have any idea where Adelaide would’ve put this recipe book, do you? I asked around for you when I was at the Hamilton mansion the other day, but no one seems to know anything about it,” I said.

  “I’m not sure, but sometimes people hide things right in plain sight.”

  My thoughts drifted to the library. I still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something important about that library, but my efforts to search it kept getting interrupted. But maybe the library was too obvious. “Did Adelaide have a favorite place on the property, or anyplace that was special to her?”

  “Oh, yes. When she was dating Louis, they used to sneak off to the gardener’s cottage and … well, you know.” Elspeth’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “Back at the turn of the last century, the family had a full-time live-in gardener, if you can imagine that. But no one has lived in the cottage in a long time. After Louis died, Adelaide still loved to go there. She had it set up as a little retreat. Probably needed to get away from her nasty family. I hear her grandson is doing something with it now. I sure hope he hasn’t changed that quaint little library.”

  “Library? There’s a library in the cottage?”

  “Oh, it’s just a tiny thing, more like a reading nook, but Adelaide used to love to curl up right in the window seat and spend the afternoon reading. She was a big reader. In fact, she was one of your grandmother’s better customers down at Last Chance Books.”

  “I didn’t realize that,” I said absently. My mind was still whirling about the fact that the cottage had a library. Maybe that was why she had mentioned the daisies. She hadn’t hidden it in the library in the main house—she’d hidden it in the cottage. But why wouldn’t she just say that?

  I drained the rest of my tea glass and put it on the tray.

  “How did you like the tea?” Elspeth asked.

  “It was delicious.”

  “Good. It’s one of Pepper’s special blends.”

  I choked, my eyes darting to the empty glass. “That was one of Pepper’s teas?”

  Elspeth laughed. “Yes. Is there something wrong with that, dear?”

  “No. It’s just that sometimes her tea can have a strange effect.” Maybe they weren’t as potent when the tea was iced, I hoped.

  Elspeth waved her hand in the air. “Oh, I know about Pepper’s teas. They’re just charming, aren’t they?” She tapped the edge of her glass, which was still half full. “This one is a togetherness tea. And it seems to work, because I drank some earlier, and it brought you here, and we had this lovely conversation.”

  “Right.” I doubted the tea had anything to do with my visit. I’d already planned to return her basket and plates from the night before. What worried me, though, was what effect the whole glass I drank might have on me. Would I suddenly be running into people I didn’t want to see?

  On the other hand, it might work to my benefit if it brought Adelaide’s ghost around more to give me some direction. Then again, Pepper’s teas often had the opposite effect of what she intended, so if the outcome was that Adelaide stayed away, then that would make my job much harder.

  I’d already downed the drink, so there was no sense in taking up brain space worrying about it. I had more important things to think about, like making a plan to get back onto the Hamilton property and check out that stone cottage.

  Inside Elspeth’s barn, a shaft of moonlight pierced the darkness and beamed on the floor like a spotlight. Pandora trotted in, sitting just beside the illuminated area. Rustling noises came from behind the bales of hay and inside the stalls as the other cats padded out to greet her.

  “We’ve heard that the evil one, Fluff, has an interest in this recipe book, and your human has yet to produce any satisfactory results.” Inkspot jumped down from the hayloft, his sleek jet-black coat gleaming an inky indigo as he walked through the moonbeam of light. His rebuke made the hairs on Pandora’s neck prickle, but she reined in her temper. Inkspot was the ruler, and she wouldn’t be disrespectful.

  “Fluff’s interest is disturbing,” Pandora purred. “But my human has made great strides. She thinks the book is in the Hamilton library.”

  “Well then, why doesn’t she simply go and get it?” Otis preened his long whiskers with his paw.

  “It’s not that easy,” Pandora said. “There are many Hamiltons in the house, and as you know, there is at least one in the home who wants to thwart our efforts.”

  “Is she sure it is there? If so, then you must work on her to figure out a way to get it.” The Maine Coon, Kelley, swished her giant fluffy tail.

  “Maybe we should get Elspeth involved,” Ivy, a tan-and-black-striped Maine Coon, suggested.

  “No!” Snowball’s pure-white fur ruffled as she hissed the words. “Elspeth must never get involved in these things. She must be protected at all costs.”

  The other cats murmured their agreement, and Ivy’s white-ringed green eyes registered a flicker of contrition before she blinked them shut and shrank back into the corner. Pandora felt a pang of sympathy for her. She was one of the newer cats and still had a lot to learn.

  Pandora had another morsel of information, and she sensed that now was the time to reveal it. “My human may not be retrieving the book as fast as you want, but she did come by some vital information.”

  Sasha raised a minky-brown brow, her ice-blue eyes showing interest. “And what might that be?”

  A smug smile crept over Pandora’s face. She relished being the center of attention with all eyes on her as she imparted important information that only she possessed. “The recipe book is not recipes for food, but rather recipes for charms and spells.”

  Otis snorted. “I figured that one out a long time ago. Of course it had to be a spell book. There wouldn’t be such a big commotion over a simple recipe book.” Leave it to Otis to rain on her parade.

  Inkspot glared at him, and Pandora felt vindicated that their leader did not take kindly to the calico’s sarcastic remark. “All the more serious, and all the more reason for us to work together.” Inkspot turned back to Pandora. “What is your human’s plan now?”

  “She’ll go back to the property to try to find it. She’s made several attempts at searching the library, but I fear the book could be hidden anywhere on the
property. It is large and could take a long time to search. Adelaide’s ghost is very vague about where she has hidden it,” Pandora said.

  “Memory loss. The older humans all seem to have it. It takes a while for their ghosts to become clear.” The tiger cat with a splash of a white chest and matching white on her paw tips, who was cursed with the unimaginative name of “Kitty”, suggested.

  “Not Elspeth,” Tigger defended his mistress.

  “No, she is special,” Otis said. The rest of the cats nodded in agreement.

  Inkspot moved into the center of the shaft of light and sat on his haunches to address the crowd. “It is time for us to help the humans now. We must help Willa locate the book. I need volunteers to travel to the Hamilton mansion by the light of the moon tomorrow night. We will use our seventh sense to home in on the location of the magical book. If it is truly a spell book, the vibration should be high, and our combined concentrations will allow us to pinpoint the location. But keep in mind, it may be dangerous. Fluff could be there. There could be others who wish harm on us.”

  “I’ll go!”

  “Me too!”

  “Count me in!”

  Meows came from every corner of the barn. All the cats volunteered. No one wanted to be left out of the special mission, no matter how dangerous.

  Inkspot nodded his approval. “Very well, then.” He turned to Pandora. “I’m afraid that may be the easy part. Once we know the location, the future of Mystic Notch will rest on your ability to steer Willa toward it.”

  17

  The next day, I saw Striker everywhere. I passed him in the morning on the way to the bookstore, I ran into him in The Mystic Café, where he was exiting as I was entering, and he was in front of me when I ran an errand to drop off books at the senior center. Not to mention that I thought I saw him drive past the bookstore more than once.

  I hoped he wasn’t following me, because I had big plans to scout out the cottage on the Hamilton estate, and I didn’t want Striker around to spoil them.

  After work, I went home and made a light supper of saltines, cottage cheese, and grape tomatoes with some hot sauce on top for added zip. It was all I had in the house. Then I changed into black pants, a black shirt, and a black hoodie. The perfect outfit for skulking around at night. Oddly enough, Pandora made no attempt to come with me when I finally left the house well after dark. Maybe she’d had enough adventuring for one week.

  I drove my Jeep to the Hamilton mansion, killing the headlights when I got to the dirt road and then driving past the cottage and parking my Jeep farther down the road so that there was no way anyone would see it from driving by on the main road. If I got caught and someone called Gus, I was going to be in deep trouble with her. Not to mention Striker.

  I hopped over the stone wall and skirted the tree line all the way up the road to the cottage. The moon was full, which helped to light my way but also made me easier to spot. I pulled the hood up to cover my face and hair. Should I have worn gloves? My pale hands glowed like luminescent beacons in the moonlight, and I shoved them into my pockets.

  The night was too warm for the hoodie, but I needed it for cover. It was quiet out here in the middle of nowhere, the only sounds the chirping of crickets and the rustling of a few nocturnal animals. And an occasional meow. Wait? Meow? Were some of the feral cats out here? I hoped not. It was far from the shelter that we’d fashioned for them at the church, and I worried about mountain lions and bobcats.

  I stopped across the street from the cottage. I could see a green glow in one of the windows. Otherwise, it was dark. Was Max in there?

  My eyes drifted out over the field, where the occasional glow of a firefly sparked. The full moon hung high in the sky, splashing blue on the white petals of the daisies. Would Evie be out there tonight, practicing her spells or worshipping the moon or doing whatever it was she did in the middle of the night?

  The amber glow of lights flickered in the Hamilton mansion. I wondered who was in there and what they were doing. Was Lisa skulking around, looking for items to sell to Felicity? Something outside the mansion caught my eye. Small, dark triangular shadows sticking up here and there. They looked almost like cat ears. Dozens of them. Moving through the field and surrounding the house. I blinked, and they were gone. Must have been my imagination. There was no way that many cats would be out in the field.

  My eyes drifted back to the cottage. If the library was still in there and contained the spell book, maybe I could get Max to sell it to me. But first, I had to find out if the book was even in there.

  A cloud drifted in front of the moon, and the night grew darker. It was now or never. I dashed across the street, wading through the tall grass and then dropping and rolling when I got to the daisy field.

  When I was safe in the shadows of the cottage, I stood and brushed myself off, plastering my back against the cold stone wall and inching my way toward the corner of the house. Elspeth had said Adelaide like to curl up in the window seat in the cottage, and I had spotted a long, low window in the back that would be perfect for just that. If that was where the library was, I could peek inside and see if the book was there.

  I slithered around the corner.

  A strong arm grabbed me. Panic seized my heart as I was crushed against a muscular chest, a hand clamped over my mouth!

  I struggled, kicking back with my feet until a familiar voice whispered in my ear, “Stop it. It’s me.”

  Striker?

  I stopped kicking, and he let go. I whirled to face him. “What are you doing here?”

  He pushed the hood off my head and then looked me up and down, frowning at my all-black outfit. “I could ask you the same question.”

  There was barely an inch of space in between us. He must’ve just showered, because he smelled clean and musky. If it wasn’t for the stern look on his face, I would’ve been tempted to kiss him. I debated what to tell him. Now that Gus’s phone call had confirmed that Adelaide had been murdered, I could use that as an excuse for my snooping. I wouldn’t have to tell him about Adelaide’s ghost or the recipe book. He wouldn’t like that I was messing around in his murder investigation, but it was better than the alternative.

  “There’s no use pretending,” I said. “I know Adelaide was murdered. Gus was in my store when she got the phone call. So I got to thinking about who would’ve murdered her. Obviously a family member. And then I was wondering, why was Max out here that night? He lives in the converted stable with his parents. I want to check out the cottage, see what he’s up to.”

  “That’s trespassing.”

  “Are you going to arrest me? You obviously must suspect him, too, or you wouldn’t be here investigating.”

  Striker’s gaze dropped to my lips, and my heart flipped. Then he sighed and stepped away from me. “Fine. Let’s go see what there is to see.”

  I didn’t waste time being disappointed about the non-kiss or wondering why he had given in so easily. Normally he would have sent me packing, not teamed up with me. We crouched down and scuttled over to the low window. I poked my head up, my nose resting on the windowsill as I gazed around the eyelet-lace curtain into the room.

  Shoot! It wasn’t a library. It was a small country kitchen. The black-and-white-checked floor had seen better days, as had the scallop-trimmed, white-painted cupboards. The butcher-block counter held a variety of items. Green stoneware bowls, a clear glass pitcher, paper plates, take-out food boxes. But no recipe book.

  “What are you doing here?” We spun around to see Max standing behind us. Where had he come from? I hadn’t heard him come up. Clearly I needed to work on my snooping skills, because I hadn’t noticed Striker lurking in the shadows either.

  “We’re jus—”

  “Why did you tell him?” Max interrupted me, jerking his chin at Striker. “I told you not to bring the police in.”

  Striker slid his narrowed eyes over to me. “Tell me what, exactly?”

  “I didn’t tell him. He just showed up here,”
I said. “Anyway, you said I could come to you for help.” Okay, a little bit of a lie—I wasn’t technically coming to Max for help, but now that he was out here, maybe he would be helpful.

  Max crossed his arms over his chest. “I said you could call my cell phone.”

  “Are you going to invite us in?” Striker asked.

  “No.”

  “Why? Are you hiding something in there? I can come back with a warrant,” Striker said.

  Max sighed and unfolded his arms. “Fine. Come on in.”

  We followed him through the oak door with its rounded top, and I stopped short, staring at what was inside. I don’t know what I expected. Probably a cozy furnished cottage. But it looked more like the computer lab of a high-tech company. The main area was one big room, with a big stone fireplace at one end and a doorway to the kitchen on the other. It was dark, save for the moon-and-stars screen savers on the three gigantic computer screens and a variety of red and green LED lights that blinked from the fronts of various pieces of computer equipment.

  Striker rammed into me then caught me from falling on my face. He let out a low whistle as he looked around. “Wow, this place looks like NASA. What the heck do you do in here?”

  Max shrugged. “The usual. Gaming. Programming.”

  Even someone not experienced in reading lies on people’s faces could tell he was lying.

  “So, hacking...” Striker said.

  Max’s face turned peevish. “Not maliciously…”

  No wonder Max acted so strangely and didn’t want the cops involved.

  “Did your grandmother know about this?” I asked. “Did you fight about it?” Maybe Adelaide wasn’t too happy about having illegal activities played out on her property. Maybe she confronted Max about it. Would he have killed her if she did? Maybe his visit to my bookstore, incriminating his relatives, was really just a way to deflect suspicion. Was it possible Adelaide’s death had nothing to do with the spell book?

  Max shook his head, his eyes welling. “No. Gram was supportive. Well, maybe she didn’t like the hacking, but I never did anything bad.”