Frankencat (Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery Book 13)

by Kathi Daley

  I shrugged. “I guess it’s just a guy thing.”

  “I guess, but I worry about the fact that Aiden and Danny will end up old men with no families.”

  I chuckled. “You actually think about stuff like that?” As far as I could tell, Cassie’s thoughts usually didn’t run deeper than the hot new guy in her life and the newest color nail polish. I guess she really was growing up.

  “I’ll admit I didn’t used to think about the love life of my siblings or how it would affect their future, but things have been different since the fire. I feel like life is passing them by, especially Aiden. He’s almost as old as some of my friends’ parents. In fact, I have one friend whose parents are thirty-six. When Aiden lived at home with Mom and me I never thought about him being lonely, but now that he has his own place I do wonder if he’s happy or lonely.”

  “I’m sure if Aiden is lonely there are plenty of women on the island who would be happy to date him.”

  Cassie shrugged. “I guess. I hope he finds someone. Danny too. I want my kids to grow up in a big family with lots of cousins, and so far, the only one who’s really on the ball is Siobhan.”

  “I hope you won’t have kids for a while, and by then everything could have changed.”

  “I hope so. Should we order dessert?”

  “I’m stuffed, but you go ahead. Dinner’s my treat.”

  Cassie grinned and ordered a piece of Oreo cake and a glass of chocolate milk to wash it down. One minute she was a young woman worrying about her future and the futures of the rest of the family and the next she was a kid with a chocolate milk mustache, licking the frosting off her cake.

  Chapter 9

  Thursday, October 26

  Tara had set up interviews with Rachael Steinway and Sarah Frost for later that day. Both women had jobs, so we had to work the meetings around their schedules. Although Sarah could get away from the accounting firm she worked for in Harthaven for a half hour at around eleven, Rachael wouldn’t have free time from the bank until around two. Tara had paperwork she wanted to get done in the morning, so I headed over to the toy store to speak with Joy Holiday and then would meet Tara in time to see Sarah.

  While the toy store was packed during both the summer and weekends and between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it was pretty dead on weekdays in October. Joy had done a fantastic job of decorating the place to look like Dracula’s castle, with all sorts of Halloween accents to bring people in off the street. I couldn’t remember there being a toy store that went to so much trouble to ignite the imagination when I was growing up, and I found I enjoyed spending time in this magical place that changed its décor with the seasons.

  “I love your decorations,” I said as soon as I walked in the door.

  “Thank you.” Joy smiled. “I spent a lot of time putting everything up, but I think it was worth it. Halloween is my favorite holiday, although I make most of my profit at Christmas, so I guess I love that one as well.”

  I picked up a mechanical Frankenstein and watched as it moved its arms and legs in a stiff way. It was cute. In the world of today’s technology, it was a bit retro but cute. “I stopped by to ask you about Paula Wainwright. I understand you were friends.”

  “Sort of. I met her when she first came to the island. We got to talking and realized we had a lot in common in terms of literature and music. She was interested in the community theater and I was as well. I wouldn’t say we were best friends, but she seemed kind of lonely, so I made a point of spending time with her. We went to lunch a couple of times a month and occasionally went to dinner when we were both in a play and had rehearsals.”

  “I understand Barbara Jenkins also participates in community theater.”

  “Yes, she does. The three of us would all go to dinner sometimes. I can’t believe Paula’s dead. It seems so senseless.” Joy led me over to a small table with coloring books on it and motioned for me to sit down. “I want to help in any way I can. What can I tell you?”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure. I’ve been speaking to all the women who were at book club that night and so far, I can’t identify a single reason anyone would want to kill Paula. A couple of the women have said she’d seemed depressed and distracted lately. I don’t know if it’s relevant to her death, but I wondered what had been going on in her life.”

  Joy paused before answering. “Paula spent a lifetime dealing with depression. I don’t think it was an everyday occurrence, but since I’ve known her it seems her overall mood and mental health seemed to cycle between normal behavior and extreme depression. When she had her depression under control she was happy, focused, and generous. During those times she got along well with everyone. But when a depression cycle set in, she became secretive and paranoid. In the three years I knew her, I witnessed two depression cycles. It seemed to me that extreme and somewhat erratic behavior seemed to be a prelude to the depression, and based on what I witnessed in the past couple of weeks, I believe she may have been entering another depression phase.”

  “So her depression and paranoia were the result of a chemical imbalance?”

  “I believe so, although I’m not really qualified to make such a statement. I asked her once why she didn’t seek treatment. I understand a steady dose of the right drug can really help people like Paula, but she told me she’d tried medication and the meds made her feel strange, so she stopped taking them. She told me she didn’t mind the low times in her life. I know it seems odd, but she said she felt more herself during the depression cycles.”

  “That does seem odd.”

  “I think Paula had a tragic past. She didn’t tell me exactly what happened, but I got the impression she felt the need to offer penance. When she was down and miserable she felt she was doing that, but when she was happy and healthy she felt she didn’t deserve the good things she had.”

  “From what I understand, Paula had kicked her husband out of the house on several occasions. Do you think she felt she didn’t deserve him, so she was sabotaging their relationship?”

  “Perhaps. I don’t know this for certain, but it did seem her paranoia about Henry cheating began around the same time I noticed her overall mood change. Of course, if Henry really was cheating, that alone could account for a melancholy mood. I’m not a mental health professional and certainly don’t claim to know how depression works; I can only report what I saw during the three years I knew her.”

  “I know Paula had been working for a temp agency. Did she need the job or was she just trying to fill her time?”

  Joy shrugged. “I’m not sure. It seemed Henry made good money, but I’m inclined to believe he may have limited his financial support after she kicked him out. Paula seemed to enjoy the temp work at first. It allowed her to change jobs every couple of weeks, which I think suited her.”

  “You said at first. Did something change?”

  “It seemed like it. I guess it was about a month ago that her dark mood began to show through. She was working for a law firm at the time and I have a feeling she learned something that bothered her. She never did say what it was, but she began acting secretive and paranoid. It could simply have been the depression setting in. I’m really not sure.”

  “Do you know where she worked after the law firm?”

  “The bank, but I don’t think that worked out. By the time the bank job came to an end she was in a pretty low place and didn’t take another assignment.”

  “Did Paula kick Henry out before or after the job at the law firm?”

  “Before. I’m pretty sure it was the problem between them that caused her to take the temp job in the first place. Although…”

  “Although what?” I asked.

  Joy frowned. “I’m not sure exactly. It sort of seemed like the job with the temp agency was a bit more intentional than her simply needing a job and taking the first thing that came along. I can’t know what her thought process was, but it did seem to start with Henry.”

  “Did Paula ever tell you who she thought Henry
was having an affair with?”

  “No, not specifically. But she did mention in passing that she needed to find Amber and was thinking of hiring a private investigator to do it. I asked her who Amber was and she looked startled, like she hadn’t been aware she’d even said the name aloud. She told me Amber was no one, that she was just talking to herself. A week after that she told me she’d kicked out Henry because she’d found proof he was cheating, and it made me wonder.”

  “So you think Paula hired a PI to track down Amber to prove she was cheating with Henry?”

  “That was my take on things, but as I said before, I really don’t know for certain.”

  I decided not to mention the note with the name Amber on it, but I was curious about the dates. “Do April 12, 1999, or November 6, 2014, mean anything to you?”

  “No, although November 6, 2014, would be about the time I first met Paula. I wouldn’t say it was that exact date, but it was just before Thanksgiving three years ago and she’d just come here, so I suppose it could be the day she moved to Madrona.”

  If that were true—and I had no way to know if it was—maybe the date in 1999 was the one when something began and the date she moved here was the one when it ended. Seemed like a long shot, but at this point I didn’t have much to go on.

  I left the toy store and headed home. It was a little early to pick up Tara and I knew she had something she wanted to finish before we started off for the day, so I figured I’d take Max for a quick run on the beach just in case I ended up getting home late again. When I opened the cabin door Frank ran out before I could catch him.

  “Geez. If you want to go for a walk with Max and me you just need to ask. I almost tripped over you.”

  “Meow.” Frank trotted over to the car and started scratching at the door.

  “You want to go somewhere?”

  “Meow.”

  I looked back toward the cabin. “Okay, but let’s take Max. The poor guy has been getting left alone a lot lately.” I went into the cabin and Frank followed me. “Any idea where it is we’re going?” I asked.

  Frank jumped onto the counter where I had left a variety of items I needed to sort through. Most of it was junk, but I didn’t want to start throwing stuff away without making sure I wasn’t getting rid of something I might need. One of the items on the counter was a flyer Tara had printed a couple of weeks earlier inviting people to the book club meeting the previous Tuesday. Frank selected it and pushed it onto the floor.

  “Book club?” I asked.

  “Meow.”

  “You want to go somewhere related to Paula’s death? The bookstore?”

  Frank just looked at me.

  “No, I guess it isn’t that. Paula’s house?”

  “Meow.” Frank ran to the door and waited for me to open it.

  I turned and looked at Max. “Apparently, we’re going for a ride. Want to come?”

  Max went to the door as well, so I loaded both animals into the car and headed back to Paula’s house, where I’d made book deliveries a time or two. Of course, I had no idea how I’d get inside if the door was locked, which I imagine it was, but I figured if Frank was running the show he could figure out what to do when we got there.

  I parked down the street just a bit so as not to call attention to the fact that I was checking out the house. Then I followed Frank and Max followed me as we headed down the sidewalk and around to the back of the house. I didn’t see anyone in the area, so I hoped no one would call the cops to report a break-in. I probably should have told Finn what I was doing, though he’d only tell me not to enter Paula’s house, and I knew it was important to follow Frank wherever he took me.

  Frank led Max and me to the cement steps that led down to a cellar. When he got to the door he paused, so I opened it and he went inside, with us behind him. On the far side of the unfinished room were wooden stairs leading up. They led to another door, also not locked, which opened into a long, narrow hallway. Frank trotted to a door at the end of the hall. It seemed as if he knew exactly where he was going. I opened the door, which led into a master suite. The bed was unmade, the dresser littered with various items that, based on the layer of dust, must have been there for quite some time.

  Frank went directly to a small desk that held a phone, a laptop computer, and a notebook. He jumped up onto the desktop and pushed the notebook to the floor. I opened it and found handwritten notes I assumed were made by Paula. There were dates, phone numbers, addresses, and even a shopping list. I assumed she used the notebook as some sort of calendar. I slipped the notebook into my backpack and looked at the cat. “Anything else?”

  His answer was to trot down the hall to the wooden stairway.

  “Okay, it seems I have what we came for, but give me a minute to look around.” I walked down the hallway, opening and closing doors. It looked as if most of the rooms hadn’t been touched in some time. They were probably guest rooms I suspected Paula only went into when she had guests to fill them. I did notice, though, that there were men’s clothing in the closet of one and wondered if Henry hadn’t had his own room before he moved out. Of course, if he’d had his own room he wouldn’t have known about Paula’s late-night calls—which reminded me that I needed to follow up with Finn about that.

  The living area was dusty and cluttered with unopened mail, alcohol bottles, and empty glasses. I guess if Paula had been feeling depressed she hadn’t bothered with cleaning. The kitchen revealed a few dirty plates but mostly empty glasses and an ashtray full of cigarette butts. Odd; I’d never seen Paula smoke. I had to wonder if someone else had been spending time in the house. I opened the refrigerator and found the only food inside was well past its use-by date.

  I thought back to the last couple of book club meetings. Now that I thought about it, I guess it had looked as if Paula had lost weight, but she hadn’t appeared to be drinking. At least not on the nights she joined the group. She had, however, missed the meeting before last, so I hadn’t seen her for two months before this week.

  Once I’d assuaged my curiosity I indicated to Frank that I was ready to go, and Max and I followed him back down the stairs into the cellar, then back out into the yard and to the car. I didn’t have time to study the notebook before meeting Tara, so I dropped the animals back at the cabin and drove to Tara’s condo.

  ******

  “Oh good, you’re here,” Tara greeted me. “Sarah called to say her schedule has changed a bit and she wants us to come earlier.”

  “I’m ready when you are.”

  “We’ll take my car,” Tara offered. “Less cat hair.”

  Tara was right. She had one cat, Bandit, who occasionally went places with her but not on a regular basis, whereas I had Max as well as multiple cats in my car almost every day. I tried to keep it vacuumed, but in the end, it was a losing proposition.

  Sarah had arranged for us to meet in the conference room of the accounting firm for which she worked. She was waiting there for us when the receptionist showed us in.

  “I’m sorry I had to move this up, but I have a client coming in at eleven-thirty.”

  “No problem. We can be quick,” I said. “I guess Tara told you that we’re speaking to everyone who was at the bookstore on the night Paula died.”

  “Yes. And I want to help in any way I can.”

  “We’re attempting to map everyone’s movements that night,” I added.

  Sarah was silent for a moment. “You think one of us killed her?”

  “I don’t want to believe that, but we were in a locked building, so it seems likely that one of the club members is the killer. I really hope a new theory will come to light.”

  “Have you considered that there was already someone inside the store before the book club members arrived?”

  I glanced at Tara, who had a contemplative look on her face.

  “So, you’re suggesting someone came in during the store’s regular operating hours and hid out inside until the evening?”

  “I gues
s I’m just saying that could be a possibility. All I’m trying to do is offer another explanation that would explain how Paula could have been murdered without the killer being one of us.”

  “You’ve made a good point and we’ll definitely look at that option. In the meantime, can you tell us what you did and who you spoke to after we decided to take a break?”

  Sarah nodded. “I can try. Let’s see. I chatted with Gwen for a few minutes and then I saw Paula heading to the office. I needed to speak to her about a customer who was transferring from the accounting firm she’d been subbing for to this one. I wrapped up my conversation with Gwen and followed Paula. When I got there I could hear Paula on the phone, so I decided to use the ladies’ room. When I came out the storm seemed to be intensifying, so I went back to the main room of the bookstore.”

  I took a minute to process what she’d said. We already knew Jane, Barbara, Alice, and Stephanie had also gone to the ladies’ room. Alice had reported that she’d seen Paula going into the office as she was coming out of the restroom. If Stephanie had been quick and Sarah hadn’t immediately followed Paula, as she’d indicated she hadn’t, the ladies’ room could have been empty by the time Sarah walked down the hall.

  “Do you remember seeing Giselle during the break?” I asked.

  “No, I don’t, though in all fairness, I wasn’t taking a head count, so I don’t specifically remember seeing a lot of us.”

  “Had you ever heard Paula mention someone named Amber?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Her name just came up. We aren’t sure it means anything. Was there anyone you definitely saw and can vouch for?”

  “Gwen, of course, and I saw Jane talking to Gwen as well. I remember seeing Stephanie and Martha. Oh, and Barbara. I wish I could be more helpful, but with the storm and all, it seemed like things happened really quickly.”