by Paige Sleuth
“Something is wrong,” Imogene Little said, twining her fingers together. “Willow is never late.”
Katherine Harper looked at the clock in Imogene’s home office. “It’s only twelve-fifteen. Maybe she got snagged in traffic.”
Imogene shook her head, her auburn locks flying around her shoulders. “She would have called in that case. She would at least have picked up her phone when I called.”
“Even if she were driving?”
Imogene nodded. “She has one of those fancy hands-free sets. Something must be wrong. It’s the only possibility.”
Kat wanted to say something to ease Imogene’s concerns until they knew for sure what was going on, but, having never met Willow Wu, she found herself at a loss for words. This Saturday afternoon in July marked the first time she had planned to meet the third member of the Furry Friends Foster Families—or 4F, for short—non-profit organization.
Kat looked uneasily out the window as the steady sound of rain beating against the house filled the room. A storm had been brewing ever since the night before, and this morning’s rain hadn’t let up yet. It was the type of weather conducive to traffic accidents, which made Willow’s absence all the more worrisome. Still, Kat figured the possibility of a car wreck had already crossed Imogene’s mind, and she could see no sense in bringing it up.
Imogene snatched up the cell phone on her desk and punched a few buttons before pressing it to her ear. After a moment she dropped the phone, shaking her head as she slumped into her seat. She didn’t have to say anything for Kat to know that Willow had failed to answer Imogene’s call once again.
A big, white cat sauntered into the room. He paused three feet past the doorway and studied Kat with his sky-blue eyes. He must have decided that she was good for a few strokes because he ambled over and sat down within petting reach.
Kat leaned over and ran one hand down the animal’s back. He felt so soft that she formed the impression she was stroking a cloud.
“That’s Clover,” Imogene said.
“Is he yours?” Kat didn’t remember seeing Clover during a previous visit to Imogene’s house, but she’d only been over once before. She had moved back to her hometown of Cherry Hills, Washington just a few weeks ago, and, although Imogene had lived here when Kat had been growing up, she’d only struck up a friendship with the fifty-something woman recently.
“He’s a foster,” Imogene said. “He doesn’t get along well with other cats. Since I was between animals, I was the only foster parent in a position to take him in.”
“He’s beautiful,” Kat said as Clover pushed his nose into her palm.
Imogene beamed. “Isn’t he, though? I’m tempted to adopt him myself, except that would mandate that I stop fostering other animals.”
“Couldn’t you keep him separated from any fosters you took in?”
Imogene laughed, looking at the white cat fondly. “I don’t think Clover would go for that. He seems to believe he owns the entire house.”
Imogene’s cell phone rang, causing them both to straighten.
“That must be Willow.” Imogene scrambled for the phone. “Hello?”
Having apparently had his fill of attention, Clover wandered over to an armchair on the other side of the room, jumped into the seat, and circled around once before settling down.
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry about that, Paul.”
The worry in Imogene’s voice sent a prickle of fear through Kat’s body. She stilled as she listened to Imogene’s half of the phone conversation.
“I don’t know.” Imogene fingered the edge of her desk with her free hand. “She was due here at noon, but she hasn’t shown up yet. I didn’t realize she’d already missed another appointment.” She fell silent for a moment, then bobbed her head. “Yes, of course. I’ll do that. Thank you, and I’ll see you soon.”
Kat leaned forward, trying to keep her dread at bay as Imogene pulled her phone away from her ear. “Who was that?”
“Paul McGinty.” The cell phone slipped out of Imogene’s hand, landing with a thunk on the desk. “Evidently Willow was supposed to stop by his house half an hour ago so he could talk to her about Tom.”
“Who’s Tom?”
“One of our foster cats. The McGintys are currently caring for him until he finds a permanent home.”
“Ah.”
Imogene chewed the edge of her lip. “Wherever Willow is, something dreadful must have happened. She never misses appointments without at least calling.”
Kat glanced out the window, shivering as she watched the rain pelting the glass panes. Although it was still early afternoon, the darkening skies gave the impression that the hour was closer to nighttime.
Imogene jumped out of her chair, seeming to have gotten a fresh burst of energy. “Anyway, I’ve got to head over to Paul’s. He sounded pretty upset that Willow didn’t show when she said she would.”
Kat stood up. “Should I come with you?”
Imogene’s face brightened. “Yes, that would be wonderful. This way you’ll get to experience firsthand some of what we do here at 4F.”
“Sounds good.” Kat grabbed her purse off the floor and followed Imogene out the door.
* * *
The complete book is available on Amazon.
Books in the Cozy Cat Caper Mystery series:
Book 1: Murder in Cherry Hills
Book 2: Framed in Cherry Hills
Book 3: Poisoned in Cherry Hills
Book 4: Vanished in Cherry Hills
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paige Sleuth is a pseudonym for mystery author Marla Bradeen. She plots murder during the day and fights for mattress space with her two rescue cats at night. When not attending to her cats’ demands, she writes. She loves to hear from readers, and welcomes emails at [email protected].
