Kittens and Killers

by Diana Xarissa

  “She was murdered. If her killer is still out there, he or she deserved to be discovered,” Fenella said firmly.

  “I think it’s time to go,” Howard interrupted. “I need my medication.”

  “Didn’t you bring it with you?” Patricia asked.

  “No,” he replied sharply. “Let’s go.”

  “But I’m enjoying…” Patricia trailed off as Howard got to his feet. She glanced at Fenella and then shrugged. “Can you take…” she began, gesturing toward the sleeping cat.

  “Of course,” Fenella said quickly. She moved the cat over to her own lap. Patricia was on her feet, walking after her husband, before Fenella could say anything further.

  “Well, darn,” she muttered to the animal. The cat stared at her for a minute and then jumped off her lap and began to prowl around the room. Fenella had been so caught up in her conversation with Patricia and Howard that she hadn’t taken the time to see who else was present. She was disappointed to find that Jeanne Reese wasn’t among the men and women scattered around the room.

  “I think everything is going well,” Crystal said as Fenella joined her near the room’s entrance. “The kittens seem to be enjoying themselves and the residents obviously love them.”

  “Mr. Stone said you were thinking about adopting a few of them,” Fenella said.

  “There’s going to be a meeting later today about that very topic,” Crystal replied. “I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to take two of the kittens here and two at the other facility. That solves your kitten problem, anyway.”

  “Then I just have to find a home for the mother cat,” Fenella sighed.

  “Maybe I can help,” a voice suggested from the doorway.

  Fenella looked up and smiled at Jeanne, who was just walking through the door. “Are you interested in taking the mother cat?” she asked.

  “Aaron and I talked about it for hours and he’s finally come around,” she said. Then she laughed loudly. “Actually, I asked him if it was okay and he didn’t hear the question. I assume, since he didn’t say no, that it must be okay.”

  Crystal laughed. “I hope this isn’t going to be a problem.”

  “It won’t be. He’ll love her as much as I do. With my luck, within a day or two she’ll decide she wants to be his cat and I’ll never get more than an odd glance from her again. I’d better snuggle with her now, before she changes her alliances.”

  Jeanne walked over to a nearby couch and sat down. The mother cat was curled up in her lap before Fenella had time to excuse herself from Crystal.

  “How are you?” she asked Jeanne as she settled into the chair opposite her.

  “I’m fine. I’m oddly excited about having another pet, even though Aaron was right. We did agree that we’d stop once the children were out of the house. I find I miss having someone or something to fuss over, though. The children are all on their own, with their own families. We have grandchildren, of course, but everyone is so busy with everything. I don’t get nearly enough opportunities to fuss over the grandchildren, that’s for sure. This little cat is exactly what I need.”

  “Patricia Quinn wants to adopt her, too,” Fenella said.

  Jeanne made a face. “I don’t want to fight over her. If Patricia really wants her, and she asked first, she can have her. I can always adopt from one of the local shelters. I know there are always cats and kittens in need of good homes.”

  “Howard doesn’t want the cat.”

  “And even though Patricia is used to always getting her own way, sometimes Howard puts his foot down,” Jeanne grinned. “He can be quite scary when he gets serious.”

  “Scary?”

  “Oh, not really scary. That was a poor choice of words, but he’s usually so quiet and almost invisible, really, until he’s pushed too far.”

  Fenella wondered at the woman’s words. “Could he be pushed far enough to kill someone?” she asked.

  Jeanne frowned. “I would think if he were going to kill someone, that he would have killed Patricia long ago.”

  “I thought they were devoted to one another,” Fenella said dryly.

  Jeanne laughed. “He spent a lot of time at Mabel’s, ostensibly repairing things around the house. I always thought he was just there because he hated going home. He used to complain about Patricia almost constantly.”

  “Donna said something similar, actually.”

  “Did she? I miss her.”

  “I was thinking that it would be nice for you all to have something of a reunion,” Fenella said tentatively. “There’s a nice café not far from Donna’s house. They do wonderful cakes.”

  “I know which one you mean. I haven’t been there in years. It’s a bit too close to the old neighborhood, really. I told you that I deliberately cut my ties. I try to avoid driving through that part of Douglas, as well.”

  “Would you be interested in seeing everyone, if I arranged it?”

  Jeanne sat back and stared straight ahead for a short while. Fenella watched as a dozen different emotions came and went from her face. Eventually, she sighed and then looked at Fenella.

  “Yes, I would be interested,” she said, “if only because I’m too old to waste time worrying about how awkward it might be seeing them all again. I hope I have a few good years left, but you never know. I’d like to see Marilyn and Donna at least one more time before it’s too late.”

  “What about Clyde?”

  Jeanne shrugged. “You’re welcome to include him, if he’s interested in coming along. He can stand in for Mabel, as she can’t attend. It will be very much like old times, really.”

  “I’ll see what I can arrange. When would be convenient for you?”

  “I’m pretty much always available, unless Aaron or I have appointments. Now that I’ve agreed to it, I’d like to do it as soon as possible, really. How about Friday?”

  Fenella pulled out her phone and checked her calendar. It was, as she’d expected, empty for Friday. “I hope you don’t mind if I come along,” she told Jeanne.

  “Not at all. We might need a neutral party,” Jeanne replied. “After all these years, I’m sure we’ll have lots about which to argue.”

  “I hope not.”

  “Mornings are better for me. Aaron naps in the afternoon and he can sometimes be a bit disoriented when he wakes up. I like to be with him at home in the afternoons.”

  They agreed on ten o’clock at the café near Donna’s house. “I’ll call you if I can’t get anyone else to agree to meet,” Fenella promised.

  “Oh, don’t bother. If no one else comes, you and I can have some cake and chat about other things,” the woman said easily. “Now that you’ve mentioned the place, I can’t stop thinking about their Victoria sponge. I’ve never had better, you know.”

  “So I’ll see you on Friday,” Fenella confirmed as Jeanne handed her the cat and got to her feet.

  “When will you know about the cat?” Jeanne asked.

  “Mr. Stone is going to be checking them all over on Thursday. If the kittens are ready to leave their mother, then I may be able to hand the mother over to you on Friday as well.”

  “I’d like that,” Jeanne smiled.

  Fenella stood up, putting the mother cat on the floor. She wandered once around the room and then headed for the table by the door.

  “I think she’s ready to go home,” Crystal laughed as the cat jumped onto the table and climbed into her carrier.

  “Yes, I think you’re right.”

  The two of them rounded up the kittens and tucked them into their carrier.

  “You’ll be bringing them back again, won’t you?” one of the women asked as Fenella took a kitten from her.

  “We might be adopting a few of them,” Crystal told her. “They could live in the lounge here and you could all take turns looking after them.”

  “I’m not interested in looking after them,” the woman said sharply. “I just want to play with them from time to time.”

  Crystal nodded. “If we do
adopt a few of them, their actual care will fall to one of the staff. We would just hope that our residents would play with them and give them love.”

  “Sign me up for that part,” another woman said. “We had cats and dogs and hamsters when the children were small. I don’t want to clean up after anything ever again, but I love having a cuddle now and again.”

  Crystal grinned and then walked Fenella back out to the parking lot. “I think this is going to work out,” she said. “Three different members of staff have already volunteered to take care of the hard work associated with kitten care, and I snuck cat food and litter into the entertainment budget, so that’s sorted. I’ve become rather fond of the little guys myself, so I really hope we can keep them.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow at the other location,” Fenella told her as she slid the carriers into her car. “I hope they’re as excited about keeping a few kittens as the residents here are.”

  “They may be even more excited,” Crystal replied. “It’s the staff there that I’m struggling with, if I’m honest. I can’t seem to find anyone who’s willing to volunteer to handle their care.”

  “Didn’t you say those residents need more looking after? Maybe the staff there feels more overworked.”

  “You’re probably right. Maybe we could add a part-time kitten caretaker to the staff. I don’t suppose you need a part-time job?”

  Fenella quickly shook her head. “Sorry, but I really don’t.”

  Crystal shrugged. “I’m determined to make it work. I really feel as if the residents there need the kittens. The men and women here are allowed to have pets in their own apartments if they really want them, after all. Never mind, I’m sure you have enough problems of your own, without worrying about mine.”

  “You should ask Mr. Stone,” Fenella suggested. “Maybe he knows a teenager who loves animals and wants to be a vet. He or she might welcome the chance to look after the kittens for an hour or two each day, or whatever it would take.”

  “That’s an idea,” Crystal mused. “I’ll ring him.”

  Fenella drove home with kittens and care on her mind. When she pulled up in front of her house, Daniel was just driving up from the other direction.

  “Need a hand?” he asked after they’d both parked.

  Fenella was pulling carriers out of the car. She nodded. “You can grab the other one, if you want.”

  Together, they took the carriers into the house and then released the animals.

  “How was your morning?” Daniel asked.

  “Good. I talked to Patricia and Howard. They don’t want to have anything to do with a reunion. Jeanne, on the other hand, is willing, maybe even eager, to see everyone again.”

  “What did Donna say last night?”

  “She said no, but then said she’d reconsider if any of the others were going.”

  “What next?”

  “I’ve arranged with Jeanne to meet on Friday at ten, at the café near Donna’s house,” she told him. “If no one else wants to come, Jeanne and I will have cake and chat.”

  “When will you see the others?”

  “I’m taking the kittens to the other nursing home tomorrow morning. I’m hoping to find time to chat with both Marilyn and Clyde while I’m there.”

  “I’m going to be at the café on Friday morning,” he told her. “I have a feeling you’re going to find out things that are important, once you get everyone together again.”

  “They might not all come.”

  “They will. I believe everyone in that group is hiding things. They aren’t going to want to risk anyone sharing their secrets when they aren’t there.”

  “I hope you’re right. The more I learn about the case, the more I want to know what happened to Mabel.”

  “Any thoughts on the subject?”

  Fenella frowned. “I don’t like Patricia or Howard Quinn, but I’m not sure I see either of them as the murderer, either.”

  “Maybe you’d better run through your conversations with everyone from today,” Daniel suggested.

  “Let’s go in the kitchen. We can have sandwiches while we talk.”

  By the time Fenella was done recounting her morning conversations, she and Daniel had eaten several sandwiches each.

  “I can see why you don’t care for the Quinns,” Daniel remarked as he washed down his last bite with a soda. “Any idea as to a motive for either of them?”

  “Patricia hated renting her house to Mabel. Is that enough of a motive?”

  “It’s impossible to say what’s enough of a motive for any one individual. I wouldn’t kill anyone over something as simple as that, but then I wouldn’t rent my house to someone under those circumstances, either.”

  “I keep wondering about Mabel and Howard,” Fenella admitted. “By all accounts, they were alone together frequently. Could they have been having an affair?”

  “He wasn’t that much older than Mabel. It’s possible, I suppose.”

  “I suggested as much to Jeanne and she dismissed it almost immediately.”

  Daniel shrugged. “If Mabel did have an affair with the man, that seems to give both Howard and Patricia motives.”

  Fenella nodded. “I can’t think of any motive for Jeanne or Marilyn or Donna, really.”

  “Didn’t someone tell you that Donna fancied Clyde? Maybe Mabel was getting in the way of that, giving Donna a reason for wanting her dead.”

  “If she did kill Mabel so that she could have a chance with Clyde, the whole thing backfired quite badly.”

  “Yes, but she couldn’t have known how things were going to turn out.”

  “We could imagine a motive for Marilyn if Mabel was having an affair with Ewan,” Fenella suggested.

  “He was interviewed during the investigation and he insisted that he barely knew Mabel. I got the impression, from reading his statement, that he didn’t really approve of Marilyn’s friends. It sounded very much like he didn’t expect them to be still be part of Marilyn’s life once they were married.”

  “That certainly matches up to what actually happened.”

  “While we’re imagining motives, what about Jeanne?”

  Fenella frowned. “I can’t think of a single reason for Jeanne to want Mabel dead.”

  “Maybe it had something to do with their jobs,” Daniel suggested.

  “Maybe they were both having affairs with the boss and Jeanne was trying to narrow the field,” Fenella said, laughing.

  “It isn’t completely outside the realm of possibility, I suppose,” Daniel told her, “but it seems unlikely.”

  “Then there’s Clyde. I can’t see him killing his sister, I really can’t.”

  “If he had feelings for Donna, then he had as much motive as she did.”

  “But surely, if he wanted Donna, he could have told his sister as much. Why wouldn’t Mabel have supported the idea if they were both keen?”

  “I don’t know. We’re just bouncing ideas around. It probably won’t help, but you never know.”

  Fenella nodded. “I wish we knew whether Marilyn was right or not. If Mabel was seeing someone secretly, then there’s a big piece of the puzzle missing.”

  “I can’t believe no one knew,” Daniel told her. “Women confide in their friends. All four women claim they were as close as sisters. Mabel would have told one of them about the man in her life, even if she’d then swore her friend to secrecy.”

  “Surely murder voids such things. If one of my friends was murdered, I’d want to tell the police absolutely everything I knew that might help solve the murder.”

  “Perhaps the friend doesn’t think that what she knows will help solve the case. Maybe the mystery man couldn’t have been the killer for some reason or other.”

  “It’s still useful information for the police.”

  “I hope you’ll communicate that to everyone at your gathering on Friday,” Daniel told her.

  14

  It was pouring rain when Fenella woke up on Wednesday morning. She
frowned and then rolled over and covered her head with a pillow. A moment later a kitten jumped squarely onto her back.

  “How did you get up here?” Fenella demanded as she sat up in bed.

  The kitten gave her an impish grin and then dashed away. By the time Fenella slid on her slippers and bathrobe and followed, the kitten had disappeared. When she reached the living room, all four kittens were shouting loudly from the playpen with their mother.

  “I know it was one of you,” she told them all. “You’re just lucky I didn’t have my glasses on so I don’t know which one.”

  After she’d filled their food and water bowls, she turned the coffee maker on and then took a shower. After both cereal and toast, she felt more like facing the day, rain or not.

  “I didn’t even have a late night,” she told the kittens as she bundled them into their carrier. “I had frozen pizza in front of the television, all alone.”

  One of the kittens meowed sympathetically at her as she shut the carrier’s door.

  “Come on,” she told the mother cat. “We’ve people to visit again.”

  A short while later she was on her way, windshield wipers going as quickly as they could as she drove.

  “What a terrible day,” Crystal said as Fenella dashed into the foyer of the nursing home with one of the carriers. “Do you need help?”

  Fenella looked at the woman’s immaculate cream-colored business suit and shook her head. “It’s a mess out there. I’ll get everything myself.”

  “Oh, I wasn’t going to go myself,” Crystal laughed. “I was going to send one of the maintenance staff with you.”

  “Never mind. By the time someone gets here, I’ll be back with everything else.”

  Fenella was soaked through by the time she’d made it back through the door with the second carrier and the various supplies the animals needed. Crystal had someone hold the door for her, at least.

  “Right, let’s see how everyone feels about the kittens today,” Crystal said brightly as she led Fenella into the main lounge area. A dozen men and women smiled eagerly at Fenella as she put the carriers on the table. As soon as the kittens were released, voices began calling to the animals. Fenella smiled as the kittens began to race around the room, reveling in the attention.