Kittens and Killers

by Diana Xarissa

  “I wonder why his name was never mentioned in the local paper.”

  “Because of his family’s wealth, of course. The local paper has to be very careful about what it prints. If they anger the wrong person, they could find themselves getting boycotted, being bought out, or even find a new competitor suddenly arriving on the island. They were always scrupulously polite about Mona, for instance, because of her relationship with Maxwell Martin.”

  Fenella nodded. That wasn’t something she wanted to discuss with the other woman. “Why would Stanley have killed Mabel?” she asked.

  “I always thought he was interested in her. Mabel used to laugh it off, but I could see the way he stared at her. Maybe he finally told her how he felt and she laughed at him.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “He moved out within days after Mabel’s murder. I think he was running away before he could be charged. He went on an extended holiday to Canada and he never came back.”

  “Did he choose to remain there, or did something happen to him while he was in Canada?”

  Donna frowned. “I’m not entirely sure, actually. There were all sorts of rumors and speculation, but I’m not sure I ever heard anything definite. All I know for sure is that he never returned to the island.”

  Fenella made a mental note to talk to Daniel about the man. Even if the local paper hadn’t wanted to mention him, the police should have questioned him.

  “Any other suspects, then?” she asked Donna.

  “If it was indeed someone who knew her that killed her, then no. Her parents were at a party that afternoon and evening. She had other friends, but she wasn’t particularly close to anyone else. I can’t imagine a motive for anyone other than the people we’ve discussed, although it’s always possible that the killer was simply a random stranger, isn’t it?”

  “Of course it is, which would make solving the case very difficult.”

  “I don’t expect them to solve the case, not after all this time. I’m glad they’re reopening it, though. As much as I don’t like talking about Mabel, there’s something almost cathartic about doing just that. She was one of my dearest friends and I miss her every day. As Jeanne and Marilyn and I have all drifted apart, I often wonder if Mabel and I would have done the same. I truly don’t think we would have, though. We had a special bond.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Fenella told her.

  Donna blinked back tears and then nodded. “Thank you. And with that, I’d better go. It’s getting late and I have an early appointment tomorrow morning. I’ll see you next Monday.”

  Fenella agreed and then insisted on paying for everything. Donna slipped out while Fenella was settling the bill. With her mind whirling from everything Donna had told her, Fenella headed for home. She was nearly at her apartment building when she remembered that she was staying at the house on Poppy Drive at the moment. Sighing deeply, she turned the car around at the next roundabout and drove back to her temporary home.

  “Fenella?” a voice said as she climbed out of the car. “That was a long class.”

  She turned and smiled at Daniel, who was crossing the street behind her. “Donna wanted a chat after class,” she explained. “We went to this wonderful little café that does fabulous cakes.”

  Daniel grinned and then named the café. “I love it there.”

  “And you’ve never mentioned it to me,” she sighed, shaking her head.

  “I’d like to hear what Donna said, if you aren’t too tired to talk tonight.”

  Fenella swallowed a sigh. She was tired, but it would better to talk to Daniel tonight, while everything was still fresh in her mind. She was eager to ask him about Stanley Middleburgh, too. “Come on in,” she said.

  8

  The first thing Fenella did was check on the kittens. They were all happily curled up with their mother, seemingly fast asleep. She sent Daniel into the kitchen while she took care of a few little jobs for the animals and then joined him.

  “How are you finding your house guests?” he asked as she got them each a cold drink.

  “They’re not too bad. I don’t want to keep them forever, though. I must ring Mr. Stone and see if he’s managed to find homes for any of them yet. I’m afraid finding a home for the mother cat will be the most difficult, although she’s been no trouble at all, really.”

  “You can’t keep her?”

  “Katie didn’t like her one bit.”

  Daniel nodded. “Tell me about your class tonight, then.”

  Fenella quickly ran through the class and then spent considerably longer telling him about her conversation with Donna at the café. Daniel took notes throughout.

  “I’m going to have to look into this Stanley Middleburgh,” he said when she’d finished. “I don’t remember seeing the name in the files, although it might have been mentioned. There were several pages of interviews with the neighbors, none of which were deemed relevant at the time.”

  “Is it possible his family’s money kept him out of the investigation?”

  “I’d like to think not, but I’m not sure. I’ve no idea what money or social position could or could not buy on the island fifty years ago. I would hope that no amount of influence or money could protect someone from a murder investigation, but I’ll have to dig a bit to make sure of that.”

  “I’m sure you can’t tell me, but is there anything in the files about the fight between Donna and Clyde at Mabel’s funeral?”

  “Again, nothing that I remember. I’m going to have to read back through everything tonight, though, before I talk to Donna.”

  “Donna said she was seeing you tomorrow.”

  “Yes, I’m interviewing all three of Mabel’s friends tomorrow. On Wednesday I’ll be talking to Clyde, and Howard and Patricia Quinn. If I can track down Stanley Middleburgh, I’m going to try to find time to speak with him as well.”

  “If he was forty when Mabel died, I suspect you aren’t going to be able to interview him.”

  Daniel nodded. “That’s one of the biggest problems with this case. Nearly all of the witnesses are in care homes. I’ve had to talk to doctors and medical staff to get permission to interview each of them, and I’ve had warnings about the mental state of more than one of them.”

  “At least you’re trying. Donna will be grateful for that, even if no one else is,” Fenella told him.

  “I hope everyone involved is grateful, aside from the killer, of course.”

  They chatted for a while longer before Fenella began yawning after every sentence.

  “I should go and let you get some sleep,” Daniel said, getting to his feet. “I assume you aren’t planning anything for tomorrow that might see you meeting any of the other witnesses in the case.”

  “I’m going to sleep late and then go home for a bit to see Katie. I have some shopping to do, but beyond that I’ll be busy looking after kittens,” she told him.

  Movement in the doorway made her frown. She’d stood up when Daniel had. Now she took two quick steps toward the door.

  “Merroww,” one of the kittens said, staring up at her with seemingly innocent eyes.

  “How did a kitten get out of the playpen?” Daniel asked.

  Fenella shrugged. “I’ve no idea. I just hope they didn’t all get out.” She scooped up the kitten and carried it back into the living room. The other four cats were all still safely in the playpen where they belonged. Fenella set the fourth kitten back inside the pen. “Now you stay there and get some sleep,” she said sternly. “I’ll let you back out in the morning.”

  The kitten nodded and then curled up against the mother cat, quickly closing its eyes.

  “That one is trouble,” Daniel said with a chuckle.

  “I’m going to have to start keeping track of which one is which. If the same one keeps escaping, that won’t be as bad as if they all manage it in turns.”

  “Ring me if you do happen to stumble over anyone else involved in the case. Otherwise, I’ll ring you in a day or
two. I hope to have some information about Stanley Middleburgh by then, anyway.”

  Fenella let Daniel out and then headed up the stairs, locking the gate behind her. Hopefully the little escape artist couldn’t get through the gate, even if he or she could get out of the playpen. She was asleep within minutes and didn’t wake until nearly nine o’clock.

  The kittens were chasing one another around the playpen under their mother’s watchful eye when Fenella reached the living room. She let the kittens out and then gave everyone fresh water and breakfast before she took her shower and then fed herself.

  “Now you all be good,” she told the animals as she headed for the door some time later. “I’ll be back before it’s time for lunch.”

  Shelly welcomed her with a hug and then left her alone with Katie and Smokey while she ran a few errands. Fenella fussed over Katie as much as Katie would allow and then settled into a chair with Smokey on her lap for a short while. Shelly returned before Fenella got tired of stroking the beautiful animal.

  “You’re spoiling her,” Shelly laughed when she saw Smokey on Fenella’s lap.

  “Katie didn’t want to snuggle, but Smokey was willing.”

  “Smokey is a great snuggler. Katie is too young to appreciate the joys of simply sitting still.”

  Fenella’s apartment felt empty when she let herself in after a short chat with Shelly. She didn’t really need anything from the apartment, but she’d wanted to ask Mona about the fight between Donna and Clyde at Mabel’s funeral.

  “Hello?” she called tentatively. Mona had sometimes complained that Fenella had disturbed her, which suggested that she could hear what was happening in the apartment, even when she wasn’t there. “Mona?” Fenella called, feeling slightly ridiculous.

  When she failed to get a reply, Fenella headed into the second bedroom to look over the bookshelf. Anticipating a quiet night in with the kittens, she chose a handful of books to try and then headed for the door.

  “I do want to talk to you,” Fenella said in the doorway. “It isn’t like you to miss a chance to discuss a murder investigation.”

  After counting slowly to a hundred, Fenella sighed and then let herself out. She’d have to talk to her aunt another day. A quick trip around the grocery store was the last thing on her list before she could return to the house on Poppy Drive. As she let herself in, she counted kittens. Three of them were racing back and forth between the living room and the kitchen as she carried in the shopping. Where was the fourth, she wondered.

  Rather than worry about hunting for the missing kitten, she simply filled up food bowls and waited. Within seconds four hungry kittens were gobbling up their lunch. Once Fenella had eaten her own lunch, she grabbed the phone and called Mr. Stone’s office.

  “Ah, yes, Ms. Woods,” the reception said. “Mr. Stone was going to ring you later today. He wanted to discuss something with you with regard to the kittens. He’s with a puppy right now, though. Would it be okay if he rang you back?”

  “Of course,” Fenella assured her. She put the phone down and then looked at the kittens. “I’m actually going to miss you, but you need proper homes where you’ll be loved.”

  Tensions were rising in the third chapter of the thriller that Fenella had brought back from the apartment when the phone rang. Fenella jumped, startling the two kittens who’d curled up on her lap when she’d sat down to read. They both shouted at her as they jumped down and ran off.

  “Sorry,” she called after them as she reached for the phone.

  “Ah, Fenella, I have a proposition for you,” Mr. Stone told her.

  “Really?”

  He chuckled. “Some of the island’s nursing homes are trialing a new program where they bring cats and dogs into the facilities to interact with the patients. Many of the older residents had pets when they lived on their own and they miss the unconditional love and affection that an animal provides.”

  “That sounds like a wonderful program.”

  “It’s proving very popular and successful, especially with cats. Dogs are, as I know you know, quite a bit more work. Cats are proving quite adaptable to nursing home environments.”

  “I can see where dogs might be more trouble for the staff, certainly.”

  Mr. Stone chuckled. “Yes, exactly. Anyway, I was talking to one of the program coordinators about your kittens, and she wondered if you’d like to take them all for a visit to one of the nursing homes. She believes that the residents would love a chance to play with kittens, just for a short while, you understand.”

  “I could do that,” Fenella agreed.

  “I’m rather hoping that the home might actually be willing to adopt one or two of the kittens from you, as well,” Mr. Stone told her.

  “That would be good, too. Do you have an idea as to when she’d like me to visit?”

  “How’s tomorrow?”

  Fenella thought about telling him she needed to check her calendar, but she knew there wasn’t anything on it aside from her Monday evening class. “Tomorrow would be fine,” she agreed.

  “The company in question runs several of the island’s homes. I’ll have Crystal ring you later today to let you know which one she’d like you to visit.”

  “Crystal?”

  “Yes, Crystal Hall is the woman who coordinates the program. She’s really enthusiastic about it and about cats in general.”

  “I’ll look forward to talking to her, then.”

  Fenella put the phone down. It seemed as if she and the kittens were going to have an adventure.

  “I’m so excited to meet the kittens,” Crystal said when she called a few hours later. “My boyfriend is allergic to animals, so I can’t have anything at home. This program is as good for me as it is for the men and women in our care.”

  They settled on one of the Douglas area homes, agreeing to meet in the foyer the next morning at nine. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll bring the mother cat, too,” Fenella tried to sound casual as she dropped that into the conversation.

  “Of course, that’s fine. I’m sure there will be several residents who will fuss over her as much as the kittens.”

  And maybe someone will adopt her, Fenella thought. The kittens were adorable and sweet. Finding homes for them would be a good deal easier than finding one for the mother cat, especially while she was still recovering from her injuries.

  After dinner, Fenella drove back over to her apartment, hoping to find Mona at home.

  “I wasn’t expecting you,” Mona said as Fenella let herself in.

  Fenella looked around the room, wondering if Mona had guests visiting. She’d had a party at the apartment the other day, after all.

  “Are we alone?” she asked after a moment.

  Mona shrugged. “You can’t see anyone else, can you?”

  “That doesn’t mean there isn’t anyone else here.”

  “Let’s not worry about that. What brings you here?”

  “I live here.”

  “Yes, but you’re staying at the house on Poppy Drive for the moment, aren’t you? Or have you found a home for the kittens already?”

  “No, I haven’t found a home for the kittens yet, although I’m going to be working on that tomorrow. I’m taking them to a nursing home to meet the residents.”

  “Are the residents actually able to adopt animals?”

  “I believe Mr. Stone is hoping that the home itself might adopt a few of the kittens. We’ll see how tomorrow goes, though.”

  “Did you just drop in to admire the view, then?”

  Fenella smiled. “I wanted to talk to you about some of the things that Donna told me last night.”

  “Oh, I nearly forgot about your murder investigation,” Mona told her. “Things have been, well, let’s just say busy, shall we? I do want to hear everything that Donna said, though. Just give me a minute.”

  Mona faded away, leaving Fenella to wonder what she needed to do and what she’d meant when she’d said things had been busy. Sometimes she really w
ished that the woman would stop being so mysterious all the time.

  “Okay, tell me everything,” Mona said a moment later as she reappeared on one of the couches.

  Fenella sat down in the chair next to her and repeated as much as she could of the conversation she’d had with Donna the previous evening. When she was done, Mona sat back and stared out at the sea.

  “I remember Stanley Middleburgh,” she said thoughtfully. “I knew his father, of course. The family was very wealthy, especially by island standards. Stanley was around my age, actually, but he kept to himself mostly. While he would have been invited to just about every social event on the island due to who his parents were, he rarely attended any of them.”

  “Was he shy? Or was he creepy like Donna thought?”

  “I never found him creepy, but he could be intense. I’m not sure that’s the right word for it, but the few times I do remember him coming to events, I remember him sitting and staring at people all evening, rather than talking to anyone. As I was always busy with Max, I never tried to engage with him myself.”

  “Do you know what happened to him?”

  “I remember him leaving, but I wouldn’t necessarily have associated it with Mabel’s murder. I suppose it was around the same time, though. I believe his father told me that he was going to the US to visit some distant relative who’d moved there years earlier.”

  “The US? Not Canada?”

  Mona shrugged. “It might have been Canada, but I remember it as the US. To the best of my recollection, Stanley’s father never mentioned him again.”

  “And you never asked?”

  “I spoke to the man maybe once or twice a year. His wife was another of the women who didn’t approve of me, you see. I only spoke to Stanley’s father, whose name has gone from my memory, when she wasn’t around, which wasn’t often. When we did speak, it was to exchange pleasantries, mostly. I only recall him mentioning Stanley leaving because he and Max had a long conversation about the difficulty and expense of transatlantic travel.”