The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer

by Lisa Orchard

  “No.” Sarah glared at him.

  “Were you kids in the Fedewa home last night?”

  “No,” Sarah lied. She met his gaze with an unwavering stare, but her stomach twisted into an apprehensive knot.

  “Then what are you doing here?”

  “We’re leaving.”

  Klonsky leaned down and whispered in a dangerous voice. “I’m going to put you behind bars for the murder of that old lady.”

  A flash of anger erupted in Sarah’s belly, and she gave the crooked cop a withering look. Not if we get you first. Sarah bit her tongue to keep the words from escaping her mouth.

  “You know we didn’t do it,” Sarah said, instead.

  “I don’t know that. Now, get out of here.” Klonsky gave them a dismissive wave and proceeded down the hall.

  “No problem,” Jackie said, giving his back a mock salute.

  “You got that right.” Sarah glared at his back as he walked away, her hands clenched into angry fists.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Lacey whimpered.

  The Super Spies continued down the hall, but Sarah suddenly stopped and turned. “Hey Scott, is he going to see your dad?”

  He paused, and peered down the hall. “Yeah, I think he is.”

  “Let’s go listen.” Sarah took a step toward the chief’s office.

  Scott grabbed her arm. “I’ve got a better idea. Let’s go around to the front. We can listen through the windows.”

  “Were the windows open?” Lacey asked.

  “I didn’t notice, but I know my dad. He would choose fresh air over air conditioning any day of the week.”

  “Good idea, your dad’s back will be facing the windows. He won’t even see us,” Sarah said.

  The Super Spies hurried outside, turning the corner to the back of the building.

  “Hey, the windows are open,” Sarah said.

  “We can hide between the bushes and the wall of the building,” Jackie pointed out.

  The teens scrambled to their hiding place. Sarah made sure everyone ducked down, hiding from anyone on the street and the police officers inside. She breathed a sigh of relief; the shrubs were green, thorn free, and thick with leaves.

  The Super Spies listened as Klonsky and Chief Johnson talked about the annual police golf outing. Within minutes, the conversation turned toward the Cat Lady murder.

  “So Lon, any new developments on the Fedewa case?”

  “Not yet. The MO appears to be the same as the Messenger every way you look at it, though.”

  “Did you find any other clues?”

  “We found vomit at the crime scene, and we think it belongs to the perp. I’ve sent it to the lab for testing.”

  Sarah’s heart lurched in her chest and she put her arm around her sister. She felt Lacey tremble and squeezed her tight.

  “Any suspects?”

  “No, not yet, but I’m still suspicious of those kids we found at the crime scene.”

  “You think those girls were strong enough to stab Mrs. Fedewa?”

  “There were three of them.”

  “You think those three girls are the Death Messenger?” the chief asked.

  Sarah heard the shock in his voice.

  “They’re probably copycats.”

  “Yeah, but what was their motive?”

  Sarah’s blood boiled as she listened. Looking at Jackie, she saw her friend’s eyes widen until they were as big as saucers. She dared a peek through the window. The chief sat behind his desk and Klonsky lounged in a chair facing him.

  “I don’t know yet,” Klonsky frowned. “But they’re from the city… lots of violence in the city.”

  Chief Johnson rubbed his neck and paused as if he were considering what Klonsky was saying. “Yeah…but let’s stick to the evidence for now. Did you find the murder weapon yet?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Well, I came across a new development.”

  “You did?” Klonsky asked. Sarah heard the surprise in his voice. She ducked down, hoping she wouldn’t be discovered.

  “Yep. Some kids went through our crime scene and found this,” the chief said.

  Sarah heard the sound of a drawer opening and the rustling sound of plastic rubbing against plastic. She knew the chief was showing Klonsky the service pin. Standing on tiptoes, she peeked inside. The policemen were focused on each other and didn’t notice her peeping in the window.

  “No kidding.”

  “Yeah.”

  “What is it?”

  “A service pin.”

  “One of our service pins?” Klonsky sat back in his seat and crossed his legs.

  “Yep,” Chief Johnson said.

  The chief seemed to study Klonsky as if he were trying to gauge his reaction. “These kids claim they found it at the crime scene. They said they were there at night and ran into you.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Klonsky sat up straight and shifted in his seat. He uncrossed his legs and bounced them as if he were suddenly full of nervous energy.

  “No, I’m not kidding.” Chief Johnson rubbed the back of his neck. He seemed to be waiting for Klonsky to tell his side of the story. When he didn’t take the bait, the chief continued. “Yep, they said you were there with someone who wasn’t a cop.”

  “Who was I supposedly with?” He rolled his eyes as if the mere mention of this incident was preposterous.

  “Someone named D.W.”

  Sarah saw Klonsky turn white at the sound of the name. He shifted uneasily in his chair and cleared his throat. “I was not near the Fedewa home last night with someone named D.W.”

  “These kids say you were and they found this.” The chief tossed the plastic bag containing the service pin toward Klonsky. “Does that look familiar to you?”

  Klonsky caught the bag and studied the pin.

  “It’s your service pin,” the chief said.

  Klonsky squinted at the pin. “You’re right, it is my pin. I probably dropped it when I walked the scene.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I told those kids.” Chief Johnson glanced down and rifled through some files on his desk. Faking a laugh, he opened a file as if he were studying it. He kept his face hidden from Klonsky, but Sarah witnessed the red stain of anger creeping up his neck and ears.

  “I’m going to need that pin back,” Chief Johnson said.

  “Why?”

  “Well, these kids trespassed on a crime scene, and I need it as evidence against them.”

  “Oh, yeah. Sure thing, boss.” Klonsky stood and put the plastic bag down on the chief’s desk.

  Sarah quickly ducked down so she wouldn’t be seen. After a few seconds, she raised her head and watched the scene before her. Klonsky was slouching in his chair again.

  “By the way, who were the kids in the house last night?”

  “Didn’t get a good look at them, huh?” Chief Johnson tossed the question out into the air so casually he could have been asking Klonsky about the weather.

  Klonsky caught himself. “Wh-What?” He sat up straight in his chair.

  “Just checking,” Chief Johnson joked. “I need you to make sure the Fedewa home is locked up tight.”

  “Sure, boss.” Klonsky cleared his throat. “Who were the kids that got in?”

  “I’m handling that. Don’t worry about it.” The chief gave Klonsky a dismissive wave of his hand.

  “I just thought I could help you out with that. You know, bring them in for you.” Klonsky gave the chief a winning smile.

  Sarah gasped and then held her breath. Klonsky didn’t get a good look at them last night! She prayed the chief wouldn’t spill their names. Her heart hammered against her chest. Grabbing Jackie’s hand, she squeezed tight. Jackie squeezed back.

  Lacey let out a low whimper.

  “Shhh,” Sarah warned.

  “I said I’m handling the situation.” He began writing in a file on his desk. “You just worry about solving the Fedewa murder.”

  “Yes sir.” Klonsky cleared
his throat. “It wasn’t those kids that just left, was it?”

  “I said, don’t worry about it. Just focus on the Fedewa murder.”

  “Sure, boss.”

  “Make sure the Fedewa house is locked up tight, Take Wilson with you.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “I think we need to bring the State Police in on this one. I’m going to set up a task force, and I want you involved.”

  “You think we need the Staties?” Klonsky leaned forward in his chair and put his hands on his knees.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “With all due respect, boss, I think we can handle this on our own.”

  “I don’t agree, and I’m running the show. You’re dismissed, Detective.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Klonsky stood and walked out the office door.

  The Super Spies gaped at each other. Sarah put a warning finger to her lips.

  “Shhhh.”

  She heard the chief pick up the phone.

  “Watson, how are ya? It’s Chief Johnson, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?”

  There was a pause as if the chief were listening to Watson’s response.

  “I was wondering if you could get me the logs and the inventory on the Fedewa murder? Yeah, that’s right. I need to take a look at it.”

  “Follow me,” Scott whispered, gesturing with his hand.

  The girls crept from their hiding place and followed Scott to the parking lot. Detective Swift had parked against a fence with the motor running. Piling in his car, the Super Spies all spoke at once.

  “Hold on!” Detective Swift yelled above the din. “One person at a time.”

  Everyone was silent.

  “Well, how did it go?” he asked.

  Jackie made a face, pretending to vomit. “It was horrible.”

  “You can say that again,” Sarah said.

  “It was horrible.”

  Sarah giggled in spite of the dire circumstances.

  “Well, what happened?”

  “My dad didn’t believe us.” Scott scowled.

  “Yeah, he gave Klonsky back his service pin,” Jackie complained.

  “Yeah, but he took it back, and he didn’t tell Klonsky our names,” Sarah beamed.

  “So what?” Jackie said.

  “Soooo, Klonsky still doesn’t have proof it was us last night.”

  Jackie gave Sarah a satisfied smile. “Cool beans.”

  Sarah beamed at her friend. “And…. He didn’t tell Klonsky he found the murder weapon.”

  Lacey leaned forward and draped her arm over the front seat. She listened to Scott tell Detective Swift about the conversation between Klonsky and his father.

  In the back seat, Jackie leaned closer to Sarah and asked, “What do we do now?”

  “Well,” Sarah said, leaning close to Jackie and whispering, “I’ve got an idea.”

  “Oh,” Jackie winked at Sarah, and then mouthed the words. “What is it?”

  “Later,” Sarah whispered. She turned her attention to the front seat. “Detective Swift?”

  “Yeah?”

  “When the police don’t have any evidence, but they know who the criminal is, what do they do?”

  “Do you still think Klonsky murdered Mrs. Fedewa?”

  Sarah ignored his question. “So, what do they do?”

  “You still believe he killed Mrs. Fedewa?” Detective Swift glanced at Sarah in the rear view mirror as he spoke.

  “Yeah.”

  “You mean if there’s no evidence to link him to the murder?” His eyes darted to the road in front of him and then back at Sarah.

  “Yeah.”

  “The only other way is to get him to confess.”

  Jackie stared at Sarah. “Uh-oh.”

  Sarah gave her a cocky smile.

  Detective Swift drove the car into his driveway and turned off the engine. The old Chevy sputtered and knocked before it died. Everyone poured out of the vehicle and stretched.

  “You kids should let the police handle the investigation from here,” Detective Swift warned. He gave Sarah a long look. “This is a dangerous situation.”

  “You’re right,” Sarah agreed.

  The retired detective studied Sarah; she gave him a disarming smile, and he turned his attention to Scott.

  Sarah sighed. The detective seemed satisfied his warning was enough to keep her from investigating any further. She suppressed a smile. Good thing he doesn’t know me very well. A giggle escaped her mouth, and she covered it with her hand. Suppressing another giggle, she took a jaunty step toward her bike. Jackie and Lacey followed her. They clustered together in the driveway, while Scott and the detective talked.

  “You guys, we need to read the Cat Lady’s diary,” Sarah said. She sat astride her bike, ready to pedal away.

  “Why?” Lacey asked.

  “Because we have to find the link between her and Klonsky.”

  “I thought the link was her son David,” Jackie said.

  “It is, but there’s more to it than that.”

  “What do you mean?” Lacey asked.

  “Just because Klonsky and David were friends, doesn’t explain why he murdered the Cat Lady,” Sarah reasoned. “That’s why we need to read her diary, to find out about their friendship.”

  “Why don’t we do that right now?” Jackie asked.

  Lacey glanced at her watch. “It’s dinnertime. Why don’t we do that tomorrow?”

  “How about tonight?” Sarah asked.

  “I need to sleep,” Jackie said, dropping her shoulders. “Two nights of sneaking out has me whipped.”

  Sarah sighed. “Okay, first thing tomorrow morning then.”

  “Cool beans.”

  After waving goodbye to Scott and Detective Swift, the Super Spies jumped on their bikes and rode off. At Walnut Street, Jackie split from the Cole girls and waved goodbye. Sarah watched her pedal away. The wind blew Jackie’s hair back, revealing her stem-like neck and her muscles flexing as she gripped the handlebars and pushed down on her pedals.

  At that moment, a wave of gratitude washed over Sarah. She was glad she had met Jackie. A truer friend couldn’t be found, and she was thankful Jackie was the one helping her investigate the Cat Lady murder. The thought of the Cat Lady yanked Sarah back to reality. With her mind back on target, she increased her speed.

  Lacey kept pace with Sarah as she flew toward home. Anxiety made Sarah pedal even faster. She had the sinking feeling time was running out for the Super Spies. A chilling question suddenly burst through to the surface of her mind, twisting her gut into a painful knot. Now that Klonsky knew the chief was suspicious, what was his next move going to be?

  Chapter Nine

  Sarah woke to the sound of Lily snoring. She nudged the dog with her leg, and Lily shifted in her sleep, and then grew quiet. Snuggling deeper under her covers, Sarah tried to fall back to sleep. Instead, thoughts of the previous night danced through her brain.

  Since the Super Spies agreed to take a night off from the Cat Lady mystery, Sarah decided to spend her downtime watching her all-time favorite movie, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Curling up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, she snuggled with Lily and pressed play on the remote. She loved the characters and never tired of watching them. Her favorite was Atticus Finch. She admired him because he wasn’t afraid to stand up for what he believed, even when it made him a target.

  Soon after the movie started, Lacey joined her on the couch. She too became engrossed in the movie, and the two sisters enjoyed the evening together. It surprised Sarah that Lacey liked the same movie. Sarah was even more surprised when they were able to get through an evening without arguing once. In her mind, Lacey was her polar opposite. Feeling a pang of guilt, Sarah realized she’d been so busy with her own life she hadn’t spent much time with her sister. Maybe we’re not so different after all.

  After the movie, the two sisters talked about it. Sarah had read the book for a school assignment, and she told her sister �
�To Kill a Mockingbird” was the only book Harper Lee had published. Intrigued, Lacey wanted to borrow it. A new bond was forming between them, and Sarah liked it. We don’t go together like peanut butter and jelly, but maybe that was okay. Maybe relationships are as unique as people are, and maybe I shouldn’t expect to have the same relationship with my sister as I do with Jackie. Satisfied that she had just uncovered a universal truth about life, Sarah fell fast asleep.

  She opened her eyes when she heard the bedroom door opening. She beamed, expecting to see her sister.

  “Rise and shine, sleepyhead,” Jackie crowed from the door. With a running start, she pounced on Sarah’s bed. Lily dove to the floor with a yelp and rushed out the door.

  Sarah protested the intrusion with a loud groan. “What are you doing here already?”

  “You said to be here first thing in the morning. So here I am. You know me, I always do what I’m told,” Jackie snickered.

  Sarah snorted. “You picked a fine time to follow directions.”

  “Rise and shine.” Jackie pulled on Sarah’s quilt.

  “Who let you in?”

  “Lacey did.”

  “Where is she?”

  “In the shower.”

  Sarah heard the whine of the blow dryer and tried to pull the quilt closer around her. “It’s not even light out, yet.”

  “Come on. We’ve got to read the Cat Lady’s diary.”

  Those words got Sarah moving. She gave Jackie a bleary-eyed scowl before she jumped out of bed. “Just let me take a quick shower, first.”

  “Sounds like a plan. I’ll start breakfast.” Jackie headed toward the door.

  “You haven’t eaten breakfast yet?”

  Jackie stopped and pivoted toward Sarah. “No, I wanted to eat with you guys.”

  “Jack, you are definitely a freak.” Sarah shook her head with a smile.

  “My freakiness is what you like about me.”

  Sarah raised her right eyebrow and smirked at her friend. “Says who?”

  “Says me.” She gave herself an emphatic thump on the chest.

  “You’ve had way too much sleep.”

  “So true. Now get in the shower, time’s a’wastin’.”

  Sarah stumbled toward the bathroom while Jackie dashed off to make breakfast. She met Lacey in the hallway.