Poolside Catastrophe

by C T Mitchell

  Driving away, Taylor spent more time than she should have after that, trying to think about the names a cat detective agency might have. After that she decided to go and do some investigation of her own. The museum wasn’t too far away from where she worked. She thought maybe the curator might have some information on when the garter and other items were supposed to come into the museum.

  For a minute she thought about letting Tom know what she was doing, but then she decided against it. It might not amount to anything and there really wasn’t a reason to let him know if it were nothing.

  She walked into the museum and admired the display they had of the town’s history. It would be strange for the ‘Kennedy’ pieces to be featured in the museum because it mostly just had nature exhibits and artefacts from local archaeological digs.

  Something from the Kennedys while interesting, wouldn’t necessarily fit in the museum. She was still looking at the local history display when someone cleared their throat behind her. She turned to find the curator Miss Season. She didn’t know much about the woman. She knew she wasn’t married and was completely devoted to the museum. She thought Celia was actually the one who had told her that, but she’d said it in a much more condescending manner.

  “Hello Miss Season,” she said, “I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about Alex King and what she was going to give to the library?”

  “Oh yes, and you can call me Autumn,” the small lady smiled. She wore her curly mouse brown hair up in a big bun on her head, she had cat eye glasses, and a tight pencil skirt.

  “Autumn,” Taylor said with a smile. She didn’t think about what a silly name that was. Autumn Season, her parents had to be kidding. “I just was curious if you spoke to her about other items that she might have displayed in the museum.”

  “I was actually quite upset to hear we weren’t going to be getting the garter when Miss Celia called me,” she said, “come, let me show you what our plans for it were going to be.”

  Taylor followed Autumn down a hall, past a wall with a ton of pinned bugs in cases and into a back room. It was a little creepy considering they were the only two people in the museum. She had her cell phone if she needed to call for help so she took solace in that fact as she followed Autumn into the dark room.

  “This display has been my baby for the past year. I am not ashamed to say that I selfishly wanted that garter no matter the scandal it caused.”

  “Scandal?” Taylor asked interested in what she meant.

  “Oh yes, you know people in this town. A mistress and a gift, they’ll be clutching their pearls.”

  She turned the light on in the room for Taylor and revealed a huge red board with the words a Presidential Affair across the top. She had compiled a grouping of items said to have belonged to the mistresses of the different US presidents.

  “Oh my,” Taylor said, “is this really Marilyn Monroe’s handkerchief?” Taylor was impressed even though that was the only mistress name she recognized, the rest she didn’t.

  “The man who sold it to me had some really convincing paperwork and a good story for how he got it. I don’t really have a reason to believe it’s not real.”

  There were several questionable items on her board but she was smiling so widely, Taylor knew she was proud of it.

  “It’s very nice, Autumn. You’ve done such a great job,” Taylor said.

  “Yes, but not having that garter really cheapens all my hard work,” Autumn said, “I even called the police and asked if I could have it once it was out of evidence.”

  “You what?” This got Taylor’s attention. What a strange thing for her to do. To ask for evidence from the police.

  “I know it’s strange. If I had actually been thinking I probably wouldn’t have called, I just really wanted to finish my display so badly,” Autumn said.

  The only thing that kept Taylor from adding her to her mental suspect list was the fact that the garter had been left with Alex. She felt pretty sure if it had been Autumn, she would have taken it and it would go into her display wet or not!

  Also, the garter had been with Celia at the magazine so it didn’t really make a lot of sense. She was very glad she hadn’t told Tom she was going to go and speak with Autumn. She hadn’t found out anything that could be a bit useful.

  “So, Alex King never contacted you with a new item to be displayed in your museum?” Taylor asked.

  “No, sadly I never talked directly to her. I only spoke to Celia. I found it strange that she had left the garter in Celia’s care instead of bringing it here, but I didn’t really question it? It’s just a shame.

  “Well thank you, Autumn. I appreciate you answering my questions. I am thrilled with your display and hope you’ll put it out even without the Kennedy items. You have Marilyn Monroe’s hanky so that should count for something right?”

  “Yes,” Autumn perked up a bit, “it should. Thank you, Taylor. I will put the display out and I’ll dedicate it to you.”

  “That is not necessary,” Taylor said, “just do it for you.”

  “Thank you again so much,” she said.

  “My pleasure, I’ll see my way out.” Taylor left the museum feeling like she’d learned some things, but none of it was helpful.

  She wondered if Tom thought she was coming back to the house right after their meeting. She made the decision on the drive home to tell him she was trying to do some of her own detective work. It had been a complete failure however she felt proud of herself that she’d had the balls to ask the questions.

  CHAPTER 6

  “Tom, I did a little bit of detective work, but I felt like I really needed Miss Coco with me.”

  “Oh, you did, did you?” Tom said. He was sitting at her table sipping his coffee, “I wondered what took you so long.

  “I went by the museum and I talked to the curator to try and find out if Alex ever called about anything else. She did say something interesting. She said she was told to not expect the garter, so maybe Alex had already decided to sell it and was coming to try and get it?”

  “Maybe, but it doesn’t make sense for her to have the garter and hide the necklace in your house. If she called to tell the museum they weren’t going to get the garter then she knew this meeting was going to happen,” Tom said.

  “I feel like we need to think about this in a different way,” Taylor said.

  "Okay," Tom said, "we need to find out who Alex was meeting at your house. You don't have a security system by any chance?"

  "You know that I don't," Taylor laughed and sat down at her table. The agents had taken the diamante studs with them and planned to end their investigation of the property for the time being.

  She was excited to have her home back without strangers milling about. She was sure Miss Coco would also be glad to have the house back to herself.

  "Maybe they left something else that will identify them around here," he said.

  "It would have to be someone that knew I was gone. Right? It would have to be if they were going to meet to do something shady." Taylor tapped her chin.

  “Who knew you would be gone?” Tom asked.

  She lifted a shoulder. “Most people at the office. I took vacation days. So, Carter, Celia, the secretaries, and a few other people.

  “So, someone knew you would be gone, saw it as a perfect place to set up a rendezvous and no one would be the wiser,” he said.

  “But something went wrong,” Taylor said stating the obvious.

  "Something shady would be trading a garter that had already been promised to the museum. Alex could have wanted it back to sell it, that's the only reason you'd do something like that, right?"

  "I guess so, this whole thing seems really trivial to end in murder. It’s just too calculated," he said.

  "I think so too, but who knows how much money they were potentially dealing with," Taylor shrugged.

  "I guess I should talk to Alex's family. They're letting them know today as soon as the autopsy is done," Tom
said. “I am glad I don’t have to be the one to break the news this time.”

  "Tom," Taylor said, "How was she killed? She didn't drown, did she?"

  "Well, yes and no. She was knocked out, the coroner thought she hit her head on the side of the pool. Once she was unconscious, she fell into the pool and then sank to the bottom where she drowned."

  “But how did she get in the pool?” Taylor asked, “The cover would have stopped her falling in the water.”

  “Whoever killed her covered the pool back up. The cover would have snapped under her weight. Once she sank below it they moved it back over the pool to hide the body.”

  "That's terrible," Taylor said. It truly was a horrific way to die. Sadness tugged at her heart.

  There wasn’t anyone there to help her, and Alex had died completely alone.

  "I know, I'm going to go make a few phone calls and see what I can track down about Alex's plans when she came into town,” Tom said, jerking her from her thoughts.

  She nodded. “Okay. Let me know if you need anything else from me.”

  Miss Coco wound herself around Tom’s feet before sitting on her haunches and looking up at him. She gave him a lazy blink.

  “She likes you,” Taylor mused.

  Tom snickered and bent down to scratch behind Coco’s ears. “I suppose she’s a pretty good investigator.”

  He climbed to his feet once more and nodded. “Talk to you later.”

  After Tom left, Taylor had a lot of extra energy mostly from the buzz she got from being involved in the case, but it did leave her feeling a little anxious and edgy. There was only one thing that could channel all her energy and she knew it.

  A quick look in her cabinet told her she had the ingredients to make three different types of cookies. She decided she would make all three and then cook a stir fry for dinner. Getting busy, mixing and covering things in flour she spent the next two hours in a whirlwind of chocolate chips and cookie dough. She finally felt better after she pulled the second batch out of the oven. The sweet aroma of baked goods soothed her frayed nerves.

  It was just after eight o'clock when Taylor finally sat down to dinner. She looked under the table. Miss Coco would usually be waiting for scraps beneath her, but she wasn't there. “Miss Coco? Here kitty, kitty?”

  Taylor listened, but the only thing she could hear was the ticking of the clock in the hall. “Coco? Come now, little puss. It’s dinner time.”

  Again, there was silence. With a shrug, Taylor picked up her fork, stabbing it into the steaming pile of veggies on her plate. The cat was probably outside prowling about.

  She didn’t like for her to be outside.

  Just as she was about to take a bite, a horrific sounding yowling came from outside. Taylor jumped up from the table and rushed outside find her cat. The noises she was making were the same as when she'd found the body. Something was definitely wrong.

  Feeling frantic, she began looking under the patio furniture. Her eyes scanned the dark yard, but there were no signs of her cat.

  “Miss Coco, it’s not the time for playing,” she admonished. “Here kitty!”

  Taylor stood still for a few moments, trying to listen for a sound that could point her in the right direction.

  Finally, she heard the awful sound again. Taylor hurried around to the other side of the pool and let out a sigh of relief when she finally found her. The cat she was pawing in the corner of the tiled wall next to the pool. She got down on her hands and knees to see what the cat was trying to get. She found she couldn’t see hardly anything and when she went to reach her hand blocked any light she would have had.

  Taylor pulled her phone from her pocket and clicked on the flashlight app. The light bounced off something silver and she gasped.

  “It can’t be,” she whispered.

  “What the heck is that doing here?” Taylor asked herself as she stood up. She wasn’t about to touch the new evidence. If she did, it could ruin everything. A thrill shot through her as she realized Miss Coco had once again helped her solve a murder.

  She rushed inside to call Tom. With shaking fingers, she had to try three different times before getting his number correct. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was scared or excited.

  “Hey, Miss, what can I do for you? You found the murderer yet?” Tom asked in a joking manner.

  Taylor erupted in laughter that sounded borderline maniacal. “As a matter of fact, Miss Coco did, just now. I think you should get over with an evidence bag and a forensic guy to make sure the killer doesn’t get off on a technicality later.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Tom showed up in his cruiser with a lab tech in tow. He walked through the house and found Taylor standing beside the pool.

  “This is Ben, Taylor,” Tom said as soon as they walked up. “He’s here to help me with whatever you’ve found.

  “Excellent, I have something of mine to show you that will help you understand what I’m trying to say. Follow me to the pool area”.

  With haste, they all walked out the back to the pool area, Taylor stroking Miss Coco to steady her excitement.

  "What am I looking at here?" Tom asked.

  Taylor pointed to a charm of an Egyptian Cat, peeking out from under the edge of a pool coping.

  “Okay. It’s a charm. What am I missing?”

  Using a pair of tweezers, the forensic analyst picked the tiny object from the ground and dropped it into an evidence bag. It was only after the bag was sealed that Tom took it.

  Extending her arm, Taylor explained. "This is my charm bracelet, that I have had for over 10 years. My family and friends add to it on special occasions. There is one other person I know who has a silver charm bracelet, who has an Egyptian cat charm on their bracelet. I remember because she made a big song and dance at work for her birthday earlier in the year that she had been given the charm by her boyfriend at the time. That person is Celia!" she said pointing to the bag.

  "Are you kidding me?" Tom asked. He looked at Taylor’s bracelet and then to the tiny charm in the bag.

  Taylor nodded. "I bet if you test it, you'll find her prints and inspect her bracelet and you'll see her charm is missing." Taylor picked up Miss Coco and cuddled close. “You’re such a good little detective,” she cooed as she petted her proudly.

  Tom nodded and smiled as he held the evidence bag up to the light. "This is really good work, she can't lie her way out of this one. I'll get the truth out of her now," Tom said. He called his superior and told him the plan so he could get an arrest warrant.

  “Thanks, Taylor. I’ll get a hold of you later.”

  Taylor nodded and followed Tom to the front door. As his headlights disappeared around the bend in the road, she looked at her cat, who lazily dozed in her arms.

  "I'm going to give you some tuna," Taylor said and carried the meowing cat back in the house.

  She only let her have the smelly fish on special occasions. She thought this should be considered as a special occasion.

  Later that night Tom called to let her know what had gone down. Celia hadn't wanted to talk at first but after she was presented with the evidence, she came out with it.

  "Alex was given a proposal from a very rich man who wanted to buy the ‘something’ she already promised to the museum. It wasn't the garter, there was another piece Celia was planning on writing about, an additional item of clothing Alex had found”.

  "Wow," Taylor said, "I didn't know there was another piece coming out."

  "I feel like Celia did that on purpose, perhaps she was looking for her own buyer. It was a bustier that matched the garter, but it had real diamonds in it. The man wanted to pay money for the bustier as a wedding present to his wife. She loved the Kennedys."

  "Strange she would want something one of them bought for their mistress," Taylor mused. Miss Coco twined herself around her legs as if she knew they were discussing her good work.

  "I know, people are weird. It must have been enough money for Alex to try and get the bu
stier back from Celia however Celia has already sold it. She had shelved the feature and kept the money."

  "I didn't know Celia had that kind of drive to do something so terrible to someone else," Taylor said.

  "Well, it gets worse," Tom said. "Alex wanted the bustier, not the garter. Celia only had the garter to offer and they fought. Celia could have saved Alex after her head hit the pool edge, but she chose to let her drown."

  "The plan was to trade the necklace for the bustier, so why did Alex hide it in my house?" Taylor queried.

  "She must not have trusted Celia. I think the reason we found the garter on her was that Celia handed it to her first. I don't know if she thought she was giving her that and the bustier. Once she knocked her out she just fled. She didn't have time to grab the garter back."

  "Well, that's truly crazy. I don't understand why they came to my house," Taylor said.

  "I think it's because Celia thought it might go south. She may not have meant to kill her when she initially showed up, but you can imagine if the garter had studs that were worth more than fifty thousand then a garter with diamonds and the history was worth a whole lot more."

  "I'm so glad we can put this behind us," Taylor said. "Now we'll have to hire someone at the magazine to replace Celia. Who knew there was so much drama that came along with journalism?”

  A knock at the door let Taylor know someone had arrived at the house.

  “Tom, I have to go, Mrs. Sullivan is here to clean up after the police, time to get back to normal life.”

  “Let me know if Miss Coco decides she needs an internship with a detective,” Tom said.

  ***

  When it was all said and done, Mrs. Sullivan was quite upset. She had to polish the sideboard for the third time and clean up the leaves around the pool for the fourth time. She found herself scrubbing the tiles from the boots of the people who had rushed through the scene for the past few days.

  “Truly, Miss Mitchell, I don’t know why these police people have to be so thoughtless. Their mothers taught them nothing about manners, I’d say!”

  Miss Coco meowed her agreement.