Purrder She Wrote

by Cate Conte

  But when I got downstairs, I stopped short. Both Adele and Gigi were there, and they looked like they were almost done with the heavy lifting. “Hey!” I exclaimed, going over to give Adele a hug after I recovered from my surprise. She froze, then reluctantly hugged me back. Guess she wasn’t used to people hugging her. “I’m glad you guys are here.”

  Adele shrugged. “Sitting home isn’t doing much good, and school’s not back in session yet so my first job isn’t paying right now,” she said. Which I guessed was her way of saying she was glad to be here too, and had obviously changed her mind about staying away. “And I convinced Gigi that she wanted to help out and then do some feedings with me after we leave here.”

  Gigi smiled at me and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She still fidgeted, but I was starting to learn that was her natural presence.

  “Well, that’s amazing. I really appreciate it. Both of you. Did you guys get coffee?” I asked. “I’m sure Ethan has some made.”

  “I’ll take some,” Adele said.

  Gigi shook her head. “I don’t drink coffee.”

  I blinked at her. “Wow. And you’re standing?”

  She looked at me blankly.

  Guess she didn’t get my humor. “If you want a juice or smoothie we can arrange that too.” She looked like she could use something green and healthy.

  “I’d love a juice,” she said. “Ethan makes the best juices.” It sounded like she had a bit of a crush on Ethan. I was waiting for her to say something like how dreamy he was. Thank goodness she didn’t.

  “Well, we did run a juice shop.” I headed to the kitchen, where he was already ensconced in his new “office” behind the counter. “Your reputation precedes you,” I said to him.

  He glanced over his shoulder at me from where he stirred blueberries into some mix. “Hmm?”

  “I think Gigi has a crush on you. Or at least your juice. She’d like one. Adele and I need coffee. Did you know they were here?”

  “No, actually. I’ve been focused in here. Your grandpa must’ve left the door unlocked when he left for his walk.”

  I’d told Grandpa a million times he couldn’t do that. He was still getting used to how to live with cats, but it would be really bad if one of them got out. “I need to get this house finished,” I muttered. “We need a café entrance so people aren’t just walking into the house. Is Val up yet?”

  Ethan grinned. “I’m not the warden. I haven’t been taking attendance. But no, haven’t seen her.” He handed me two mugs. “Coffee is ready. I’ll make some juices.”

  “You rock.” I filled both mugs and went back to the café. I handed Adele her mug just as someone rapped on the screen door. I didn’t recognize the man standing there. “Hi. Can I help you?”

  “Gabriel!” Adele rushed to the door, almost spilling her coffee in the process. “Come in, come in. Maddie, this is my nephew, Gabe. Remember, I told you I’d call him to give you a quote on the work you need done?”

  I couldn’t believe she’d remembered, with everything going on with her. “Hey. Of course, come on in,” I said. “I’m Maddie James. Nice to meet you.”

  Gabe held out his hand. “Gabe Quinn. Thanks for letting me look at the job.” He didn’t look anything like I would’ve pictured Adele’s nephew. Not that I was exactly sure what that meant. But he was good-looking, tall, fit, with an outdoorsy vibe to him. He had broad shoulders and big muscles and a perpetual tan. He looked exhausted, though, which did remind me of her. Like he took on way too much and it was catching up with him. There was a sadness in his eyes, too, that his halfhearted smile simply couldn’t hide. His voice was deep and scratchy, kind of like Keifer Sutherland’s.

  “No problem. I’m delighted. Trying to find a contractor during the summer season is like trying to find the answer to the meaning of life. Want some coffee?” I asked.

  “No, thanks.”

  I picked up my mug. “Let’s go in the kitchen. My business partner has a bunch of ideas too. And some sketches,” I said, remembering Ethan’s garage-turned-kitchen. “Then I’ll show you around.”

  “This is a great place,” Gabe said, craning his neck to try to take everything in. “It’s a single family?”

  “Yup. Been in my grandfather’s family for generations. Perfect place for the cat café, but we really need to split the business from the rest of the house.” I led him into the kitchen. “Ethan. This is Gabe, Adele’s nephew. He’s here to look at the work we want done.”

  Ethan smiled. “Excellent. Can we start with the garage?” He pointed to his stack of drawings, like he’d been waiting for the moment someone would come and start working on it.

  “No,” I said.

  Ethan sighed. “Fine.”

  “So what exactly are you looking to do?” Gabe asked.

  I outlined the thoughts I had about how we could remodel the first floor to better accommodate the café. “I want to not cut off so much of the main house. I want a separate entrance with a porch, as an added layer of protection against the cats running out. And the other problem right now is the kitchen. I’d like to reclaim it. If we can turn the garage into the kitchen where we make the café food like Ethan wants, that’ll solve that problem. But we need to get the house and café part done first,” I added, to make sure everyone was clear on that point.

  Gabe nodded, looking around. “I don’t blame you. Do you mind if we walk the floor so I can get a better idea? I’m guessing you have other entrances that we could work around?”

  I nodded. “We have a back door and a side door that leads out to the driveway. Where the garage is.”

  Gabe followed me around the first floor as I pointed out where I thought we could make better use of the rooms for the café. He listened mostly in silence until I was done, then said, “Can I make a couple of suggestions?”

  “Of course,” I said.

  “What if we took these few smaller rooms”—he indicated the den where my grandmother used to work on all her hobbies and my grandpa’s home office—“and made these into the café rooms? That way you’re not losing the biggest living area you have, and you’ve got a way better setup for a private entrance here. You can put the café tables in this open space. You also have great spaces for cubbies for the cats. You’d be on the same side of the house as the garage, so if you do end up going that way for a kitchen, you’re not having to walk around the entire house with all the food a million times a day. And if you have cats who don’t love being with all the other cats all the time, they’ll feel like they can sneak away and have another space to be in.”

  I’d never considered this side of the house before for the café. But the more I thought about it, the more I loved the idea. “That’s brilliant,” I said, breaking into a grin.

  “You’ll have a bathroom for the patrons right here too.” He motioned to the small bathroom by the side door. He was really getting into it now, rapping on the wall with his knuckles to test the wood, stepping back to gauge sizes for entryways.

  “You sound like you’re familiar with cats,” I said.

  He grinned. “My aunt wouldn’t have it any other way. I have three cats. They all came from her. I won’t say she twisted my arm, because I love them, but I wasn’t really in the market for cats when they arrived.”

  That sounded like Adele. “This is great,” I said. “So what’s next?”

  “Show me the garage. Then I can work up some quotes.”

  “Fabulous. Let’s go.” We headed outside and had just crossed the driveway past Gabe’s dark blue van with the name QUINN BUILDERS emblazoned on the side doors when another car pulled up to the curb. A police car. With Craig and Sergeant Ellory getting out of it.

  Chapter 25

  My heart immediately plummeted. Were they here for Val? Did they have bad news for her? They couldn’t be. No one knew she was here. Did they?

  “Maddie,” Craig said with a nod as they got closer. He was so formal when his superiors were around. I guess it was becau
se they all knew we used to date.

  I folded my arms across my chest. “How can I help you?”

  Ellory looked at Gabe, then back at me. “Is Ms. Barrows here?”

  How did they know to come here looking for her? On second thought, I guessed it wasn’t really that hard. She wasn’t home or driving a taxi, she was probably here. Warily, I nodded. It would’ve been senseless to lie about it since her car was parked in my driveway. “Why?”

  “We need to speak with her.” He didn’t wait for an answer, but headed up the steps. Craig averted his eyes as he passed.

  “Hey,” Gabe said, following them. “What do you want with my aunt?”

  Ellory paused and looked back at him. “Your aunt?”

  He nodded. “Adele is my aunt. I’m Gabe Quinn.”

  Ellory didn’t answer him. He went into the house.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Gabe muttered.

  Craig paused on the steps. “I’m sorry about this, Maddie. I wish we didn’t have to do this here, but we have no choice.”

  “Do what?” I asked, that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach rushing back.

  He didn’t answer. I made a move to go inside, but Craig reached out a hand and laid it on my arm. I debated tossing it off and going anyway, but in the end, I gave in. We stood there in uneasy silence for what seemed like an hour. Gabe clearly didn’t know what to do. He shifted from one foot to the other. At one point he started toward the door then turned around and went back to his shuffling.

  It probably wasn’t more than two minutes later, even though it felt like forever, when Ellory came out holding Adele’s arm. Her face was mottled red and I could see tears tracking down her cheeks, but she stared straight ahead, head high, as she passed us. I noticed with relief she wasn’t handcuffed or anything, but it didn’t look like she had a choice in whatever was happening.

  Gabe stepped in front of them, his face turning a dangerous red. “Wait just a second. Where do you think you’re going with my aunt?”

  “Gabe, sweetie. It’s okay,” Adele said, but she didn’t sound okay. She sounded small and afraid. Very un-Adele-like. “Maddie. I’m so sorry. This is what I was afraid of,” she said, her voice breaking on the last word.

  “Where are you taking her?” Gabe demanded, ignoring her.

  Ellory ignored him and led Adele to the police car, opening the back door for her.

  I looked at Craig. “Are you seriously arresting her?”

  Craig glanced over to see if Ellory was paying attention. He wasn’t. “I’d call a lawyer, if you know one,” he said to Gabe in a low voice, and then followed Ellory to the car. They got in and drove away.

  People on the street had stopped to watch. I wanted to crawl into a hole.

  Gabe stood there, looking absolutely shell-shocked. “Did they … just arrest my aunt?” he asked in disbelief.

  I didn’t answer. I had no idea what to say. Had they found more evidence against her? I barely noticed Gabe running down the driveway toward his van. He jumped in and pulled away from the curb, tires spinning, leaving skid marks on the street in front of our house. The crowd started to disperse. I didn’t want to hang around and hear what they were saying. I made a beeline back inside. Ethan was in the living room, his arm around a crying Gigi.

  “I can’t believe this happened,” I said. “Ethan, what did they say?”

  “They asked her to go with them to answer more questions. That’s all I heard,” Ethan said.

  Gigi swiped at her eyes with her hands. “I feel so awful!” She started crying again in earnest. “Like this is all my fault.”

  I frowned and looked at Ethan. He shrugged.

  “Your fault? Gigi, why would it be your fault?”

  Gigi shook her head, as if she couldn’t bring herself to answer me. Then she abruptly stood up. “I have to go,” she whispered, and bolted for the door.

  “Gigi, wait!” I followed her out, but she was already gone. I could see her hair flying out behind her as she pedaled her bike furiously down the street, dangerously close to the cars. I turned and looked back at Ethan. “Why would she think this was her fault?”

  “I have no idea,” he said, but his face was pale.

  “Craig told Gabe to find a lawyer. So it doesn’t sound good. I need to talk to Grandpa.”

  “About what?”

  We both turned to find Val in the doorway. I hadn’t even heard her come in the room. She looked from me to Ethan and back. “What happened? Is something else wrong?”

  “No. Well, yes.” I sighed. I couldn’t keep it from her. She’d find out eventually, especially if this meant her loser husband was off the hook. “The police just took Adele away.”

  “You’re kidding.” Her eyes got really big. “So does this mean…” I could hear the hope in her voice and it killed me. I know she wanted to believe her husband had nothing to do with this. And why wouldn’t she? Even if he was a cheater, I guessed that was better than a murderer.

  “I don’t know what it means,” I said.

  “Can’t Craig tell you? He’ll do anything for you. You know he’s still in love with you.”

  “Val,” I began, but turned when I heard someone at the door. Lucas. Crap. How long had he been standing there? Long enough, I supposed, given the look on his face.

  “Hey.” I hurried over to the door and let him in, trying to work a smile in place. “What are you doing here?”

  He held up a tray full of coffees, his eyes searching mine. “I wanted to make sure you guys were okay.”

  God, he was sweet. “Thank you. So much. Come in,” I said. “I’m sorry, it’s a little chaotic in here this morning.”

  “I’ll say,” Val muttered.

  “I gathered.” Lucas followed me in and set the coffees on the coffee table, stooping to pet one of the cats rubbing on his legs. “What’s going on?” He handed a coffee to Val and Ethan.

  “Thanks, man.” Ethan raised the cup in a salute, although he had plenty of his own in the kitchen. “I’m going back to work. Val, want something to eat?”

  I sent up a silent prayer of thanks when she followed him into the kitchen, then turned my attention back to Lucas and filled him in on what had happened. “I can’t believe they took her. God, this is awful.” I paced the room, rubbing my forehead. I suddenly had a violent headache. “I wish Grandpa would get back.”

  “But doesn’t that mean that your sister’s husband is off the hook?”

  I dropped my hand and turned to him. “Honestly, I don’t know what this means. I know this is hard on my sister, but I don’t really believe Adele would kill this woman.”

  “How well do you know her?” Lucas asked.

  I hesitated. “Not very, but I just don’t get the feeling…” I trailed off, knowing how that sounded.

  “So you’d rather it be him? Wow. Is he that bad?”

  “No. God.” I shook my head. I was a terrible person. I wished it was neither of them, that the police would discover it had been some twisted vagrant who had stumbled across Holly on her private beach and choked her with a random cat toy when she tried to order him off her property. But I think we all knew that wasn’t going to happen. “I just think my sister is too good for him. And I know he was up to something over there, even if he didn’t kill Holly.” I took a breath. “I saw him last night. When we were getting ice cream. He was with the other twin.”

  Lucas’s eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?”

  I nodded.

  “But you didn’t say anything because you didn’t want Val to know.”

  “Right again.”

  “Wow.” He thought about this, pacing slowly around the room. “Should you tell her?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Does Val love him?” he asked.

  I looked away, out toward the street. A couple was walking their dog, a baby husky. I loved his little face, with the eyes that looked like a mask. “I don’t know,” I said, still watching the dog prance along the side
walk. “Or maybe I just don’t want to.”

  Lucas was silent for a bit. “Hey, Maddie?” he said finally.

  I looked at him.

  He hesitated. “I know this isn’t the best time, but I have to ask you. This thing with us. Are you … do you…”

  I waited.

  “I like you,” he said finally. “A lot. And I’m wondering where you’re at. Like, is there someone else for you?”

  Like Craig. “I like you a lot too,” I said. “And no, there isn’t someone else.”

  He looked relieved. “No? Not even…”

  “If you’re asking about Craig, no,” I said firmly. “Look. Craig and I dated in high school. He asked me out when I first came back. We’ll always be close, but just because we dated when we were kids doesn’t mean anything.”

  “Okay. Well. Good,” Lucas said, rubbing his hands together nervously. “So does that mean—”

  “Maddie!”

  We turned to see Grandpa hurrying up the walk. “I just heard what happened to Adele.”

  I stood up and went to greet him, wondering about the relief I felt at not having to continue this conversation with Lucas right now. “I’m glad you’re back. Can you find out what this means?”

  “I don’t know that they’ll tell me, but I’ll do my best. I’m going to make some calls. Good morning, young man. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Grandpa said to Lucas.

  “No problem, sir. Good morning,” Lucas said. “Maddie, call you later?”

  “That sounds perfect. Thanks.” I gave him a quick kiss, then followed Grandpa into the house.

  Chapter 26

  Grandpa hurried down to his office to make some calls. Val was still in the kitchen with Ethan. He was probably force-feeding her. I wandered the café checking on the cats, straightening blankets and moving the furniture a few inches back and forth, fluffing my floor pillows. Obsessive-compulsive always worked for me in the face of unnerving and traumatic situations.