How Perfect You Are (Carlson College Mysteries Book 1)

by Isabel Fox

  Amber must have sensed our sudden tenseness, because she leaned forward to see what we were looking at.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” she said, quickly catching on. “It’s Lucy that I work with. She’s probably just checking on Willow.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief but it was short lived. No sooner had we pulled into the driveway than Lucy came running outside, her face panicked.

  “Oh, my god, Amber. Cassie. I am so sorry. I have no idea what happened,” she wailed as Amber opened the door and climbed out.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, also getting out of the car. James came around to stand beside us.

  “Willow! I came to feed her today and she isn’t here! I don’t know what could have happened, but I can’t find her anywhere,” Lucy said tearfully.

  “Okay, don’t panic. Willow’s weird. She hides sometimes,” Amber said reassuringly. “I’m sure she’s just in a closet or something. She’ll probably come out now that Cassie and I are here.”

  “She’s been sleeping in the linen closet a lot lately,” I recalled. “Let’s go check.”

  We left James to grab the bags while we went inside. I wasn’t particularly worried. Willow, like many cats, liked to curl up in small places. She could also be aloof around new people. It made sense that she might hide from Lucy and come out to eat once she’d left.

  “Willow!” Amber called as we stepped inside. “Wills! Where are you?”

  “Here, kitty kitty,” I added. When no cat was immediately forthcoming, I gave the still distraught Lucy a friendly smile.

  “It’s okay, really,” I told her. “I’ll just go shake her food bag. That usually gets her going.” I walked into the kitchen and opened the pantry door, grabbing Willow’s bag of cat food. I went back into the living room and shook it vigorously.

  “Willow!” Amber tried again. We all listened carefully, but the house was quiet. No pitter patter of little paws, mewing, or friendly chirps to be heard.

  “Check the linen closet,” I suggested to Amber. Amber headed up the stairs while I returned the bag to the kitchen. Just as I walked past the table I stopped, something seeming off. I looked around for a moment, not entirely sure what it was that was making me uneasy.

  The table had a stack of magazines, all Amber’s, on it. There was the power bill, a textbook, some assorted jewelry, and a cereal bowl. The same cereal bowl I had broken before we left for break and had thrown in the trash. It had been painstakingly glued back together, with only a small broken section missing from the top edge. I walked over to the table and picked it up, bewildered.

  “Hey, she’s not in the closet. Do you think we should check outside?” I heard Amber’s voice as she came back down the stairs.

  “I don’t think she’s outside,” I said quietly. My heart was beating double time.

  “What do you mean, you don’t think she’s outside? What are you doing with that bowl?” Amber asked, coming up behind me. I turned to her and held it out.

  “Jesus. Why do we have that? Throw it away,” Amber scrunched up her nose.

  “Lucy!” I called, not answering Amber. Seconds later Lucy appeared, looking upset. She twirled her ponytail nervously.

  “Yeah?” she asked, dropping her hair to dab at her nose with her sleeve.

  “Did you do this?” I asked, holding the bowl up.

  “Do what?” Lucy asked, confused.

  “I broke this bowl just before we left last Wednesday. I threw the pieces in the trash. Did you put them back together?” I explained. Lucy shook her head, bewildered.

  Turning to Amber, I said, “I don’t think Willow is hiding, or got out. I think she was taken.”

  “Oh shit,” Amber breathed, color draining from her face as she finally realized what I was saying. “I’ll kill him. If he hurt my cat, I will KILL him!”

  “Lucy, when did you last see Willow?” I asked, turning to her. She still looked extremely confused. I didn’t blame her. Taken out of context, our conversation probably sounded completely insane. Broken bowls, kidnapped cats, how was the poor girl supposed to keep up?

  “Last night, around seven,” she said. “I fed her, and then I just hung out for a while to keep her company. I left around eight, maybe a little before.”

  “Did anyone come to the door while you were here? See anyone hanging around?” I questioned. Lucy shook her head, biting her lip nervously.

  “So Willow went missing sometime between last night and now,” I reasoned. “But...how could he have gotten in?”

  “Lucy, did you forget to lock the door?” Amber asked sharply. Lucy looked even closer to tears, and her lower lip quivered.

  “M-maybe? I guess I could have. Except it was locked when I got here this afternoon,” she said in a rush. “But I don’t remember if just the knob was locked, or the deadbolt too. Oh, god, why can’t I remember?” Tears now rolling freely down her cheeks, Lucy sank down into one of the chairs at the table.

  “I’m so, so, so sorry!” she went on, looking from me to Amber. “I was so tired after work last night. I must have left the door unlocked. And now someone’s taken Willow? Oh my god. I’m sorry!” she hiccupped loudly.

  “Lucy, it’s okay,” I said, crouching down to slide an arm around her since Amber looked more like murdering than comforting at the moment. “It was an accident. Any other time it wouldn’t have been a problem. Nothing would have happened. It’s just that right now...well, there’s some really weird stuff going on. But it’s not your fault, okay?”

  Through her tears, Lucy nodded and hiccupped.

  “Listen. Why don’t you go on home? We’ll let you know if Willow turns up.” With that, I put my hand gently but firmly on Lucy’s shoulders and steered her to the door just as James was walking in, bags in both hands.

  “Brr!” he exclaimed, unaware of the tragedy of the moment. “It’s really freezing out there. Think it’s going to snow like they’re saying?” he asked Lucy conversationally. Lucy’s only response was to burst into fresh tears and run to her car. James shot me a confused look.

  “Uh, was it something I said?”

  “No. Willow’s missing. We...we think he took her. Or maybe just let her out. I’m not really sure,” I explained, massaging my temples. I could feel the beginnings of a wicked headache coming on.

  “Wait, what? Are you sure she’s not just hiding somewhere?” James asked. He immediately went to the coat closet and pulled open the door, as if expecting Willow to just be sitting there, tail swishing, wondering why he was disturbing her. The only thing waiting in the closet, though, were dust bunnies, half of Amber’s shoe collection, and the vacuum cleaner.

  Amber appeared just then, her gray eyes watery. I froze for a moment, shocked. I had seen Amber cry only once before, when a professor had told her a painting she had spent weeks on was “uninspired and dull.” She’d locked herself in her room for an entire weekend, coming out only to steal entire cartons of ice cream from the freezer.

  James crossed the room and wrapped Amber in a big hug. For a second she seemed to resist, but then she hugged her brother back.

  “We’ll find her, don’t worry,” James said soothingly, directing his words to both me and Amber. Though his arms were around Amber, he was watching me closely. He seemed somewhat surprised that I wasn’t more emotional like Amber. I was somewhat surprised, too. I could feel an intense anger burning deep in my gut, but I wasn’t about to cry like I might normally have. I was too fed up.

  “I’m calling the animal shelter,” I said, ready to start doing something. “I’ll give them a description of Willow, see if anyone’s found a cat. I think we should also put her litter box outside. I swear I remember reading that can help missing cats find their way home.”

  “Do you really think she’s just wandering around outside?” Amber asked, stepping away from James.

  “It’s possible. We know this guy’s been in the house before and he’s never messed with Willow. Maybe he just left the door open and she slipped out.
It may not have been anything...intentional,” I said, trying desperately to believe that. It was less scary than the alternative, which was that this guy had taken Willow on purpose for some reason.

  “After that, let’s go to the police, let them know what’s going on,” James said sensibly. “We still have to show them the messages Robby got, at any rate.” I screwed up my face at the prospect of having to deal with the police yet again, but I nodded in agreement.

  “Maybe you should go to the shelter in person, too,” I suggested. “That way you can see for yourself if she’s there.”

  Amber nodded half heartedly. “I hope she’s there. Cassie, I’m so worried about her.”

  “I know. I am, too,” I said. As I pulled out my phone to look up the number for the local animal shelter, I found myself thinking the same thing Amber had proclaimed earlier. If this guy had hurt our cat, I’d kill him.

  25

  I shouldn’t have been surprised to hear from Unknown, but I was. I was curled up at the end of the couch. Amber was sleeping, albeit fitfully, on the other end of the couch while James dozed in the armchair. It was a little after one in the morning and though I was exhausted I couldn’t sleep.

  We had spent the better part of the afternoon and evening searching high and low for Willow. We recruited Brooklyn, who had returned early from visiting her boyfriend, to post Willow’s photo on every form of social media she could find.

  James and Amber had gone to the animal shelter to check for Willow, to no avail. Brooklyn and I had walked around the house and spread out into the nearby neighborhoods, calling for Willow while shaking bags of cat treats. Brooklyn had also gone with me to make yet another police report. Though there was, as expected, not a lot the police could do about a cat that was at this point just missing, they seemed to take things a little more seriously. At least, I certainly hoped they had.

  After several hours of sitting around pretending to watch TV, Amber jumping up and rushing to the door to check for Willow every time she heard a creak, and everyone poking at the frozen pizza I had thrown in the oven for dinner, Amber and James had both crashed.

  I couldn’t get comfortable on the couch, and I considered going upstairs to my bed. I knew I still wouldn’t get much sleep there, though, so I decided to stay put. I felt better being close to Amber and James, so I stayed tucked at the far end of the couch, afghan draped over me while I browsed the internet. I refreshed the listing for Willow on the local lost and found pets group every so often, but there had been no updates.

  My phone chimed and I quickly silenced the ringer. Cold, dear Cassie? I’m not surprised, your house is freezing.

  What did you do with Willow? I furiously typed my reply, wondering if the force with which I had hit the keypad would be evident to him somehow.

  The cat? She’s fine, don’t worry! I was just concerned for her, all by herself in that chilly house. I just wanted to take care of her for you.

  Bring her back. Bring her back, and we won’t make a big deal out of it. If you hurt her, though, I will make sure you pay for it.

  Cassie! Of course I won’t hurt her. I already told you, I wanted to take care of her! I felt so bad for her, all alone in your house. She missed you, just like I miss you.

  My heart was pounding so hard I was surprised it hadn’t woken up James or Amber. I slid off the couch and went to the window, making sure the curtains were pulled tight. I didn’t know for sure if he was out there, watching, but if he was I didn’t want him to see how scared I certainly looked. I needed to seem brave. Confident. Prepared to string him up by his toenails.

  You need to understand something. Several things, actually. First, I have no idea who you are. This secret admirer bit is not appealing. I don’t do mystery, and this one is especially not working for me. Second, everything you have done so far to try and get my attention is so weird. I don’t like voodoo dolls, early morning texts, having my friends harassed, or having random trinkets left around the house. Third, I really, really, don’t like my cat being kidnapped. That’s an absolute deal breaker.

  For several long minutes there was no reply. I waited impatiently, both hoping he would and wouldn’t reply. Then, his response came.

  Cassie, I know you might not see it right now, but we are meant to be. I promise. I can’t tell you who I am just yet, but you’ll know soon. Then you’ll see what I’ve been trying to get you to see all along. We belong together, you and me. Just be patient. All in good time everything will make sense.

  Exasperated, I let out a little huff of fury. Amber stirred slightly and I clamped my hand to my mouth. Still seething, I looked back at my phone. Before I could stop myself, I had fired off a response.

  Never. Not in a million years will I be interested in you. I have a boyfriend, did you know that? Yeah, I bet you missed it. You were probably too busy kidnapping my cat or smelling my underwear or some other weird shit that you think means you love me. So leave me alone. Do not come near me or my friends ever again. I want nothing to do with you.

  I hit send. Just a few seconds later I suddenly felt incredibly stupid. Why had I said anything about James? Now he’d probably get harassing texts just like poor Robby. I also shouldn’t have goaded him so much, not while he still had Willow. I hoped my moment of rashness wouldn’t backfire horribly.

  With an uneasy feeling, I rolled over to face the back of the couch. Every so often I would check my phone, wondering if there would be any reply. I waited on tenterhooks all night, but a response never came.

  26

  I woke up later that morning to the sound of Amber on the front porch calling for Willow. James was awake but looking quite drowsy.

  “What time is it?” I croaked, my throat dry. I couldn’t remember falling asleep, and for all I knew it was well into the afternoon.

  “Six thirty,” he replied, giving me a small smile. “Good morning, by the way,” he added.

  “Good morning,” I stood and stretched before padding over to the armchair. Sitting on the arm, I leaned down and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

  “You can do better than that,” James teased, pulling me back down for a longer kiss.

  “I can, but I didn’t want to subject you to my morning breath,” I protested.

  “I’ll live,” James chuckled, and I remembered with a flash the message I had sent to Unknown last night revealing that I was dating someone. I immediately cursed myself for being so impulsive.

  “Um, I need to tell you something,” I admitted, straightening up. I quickly ran through the messages I had gotten last night and recounted losing my cool.

  “And now you’re worried he’s going to start coming after me?” James clarified, arching an eyebrow.

  “Well, yeah. Basically,” I shrugged.

  “Oh, Cass. Don’t worry. First of all, if I’m understanding you correctly, you didn’t use my name, right?” I shook my head in confirmation and James went on. “So he doesn’t even know, at least not yet, that I’m your boyfriend. And even if he does, you don’t need to worry about me. I’ll be fine,” James said reassuringly. “I’m honestly more worried about the cat being with him. You definitely need to take those messages to the police after your classes today.”

  “Okay. You know, maybe I should suggest the police department start handing out frequent customer rewards. I bet I’d rack up,” I sighed loudly and slid down into the chair until I was in his lap. I put my arms around his neck and tucked my head under his chin. Breathing deeply, I took in his scent, a combination of detergent and a faded hint of cologne.

  For a long moment I sat there, James’s arms around me, still and sleepy. Amber came in a few minutes later, looking drawn.

  “She’s not out there,” Amber said, sounding resigned.

  “Yeah, I don’t think you’re going to find her,” I began, dreading having to tell her the bad news. “I heard from Unknown. He claims he has her. He swears she’s okay, but that’s obviously not a lot of comfort. Don’t worry, I saved the texts
and I’m going to go to the police department again after class.”

  “For God’s sake, does this ever end?” Amber let out a long, exaggerated breath.

  “Amber, I’m so sorry,” I said, feeling horrible about everything. I had no clue why, but for some reason Unknown thought that taking Willow would...convince me to be with him? Force me to meet him? There were too many possibilities, and none of them were great.

  “Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault,” Amber said wearily. She rubbed her eyes.

  “I know, but still…” I trailed off, not sure what more I could say.

  “Look, I just want to be alone right now. I’m planning to skip my first class. Hell, maybe I’ll just skip all of them. I’ll be in my room if you need me.” Amber trudged upstairs and I heard her bedroom door shut loudly. I looked around at James.

  “She’ll be okay. You know how Amber is. She doesn’t like anyone to see her get upset, so she goes off on her own. She’s been like that since we were kids,” he said with a shrug. He glanced up the stairs, then looked back at me and added, “But she’s not mad, at least not at you. I swear.”

  I let out a half laugh. “How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”

  “Because I get you, Cassie Morgan. Now go get ready.”

  “Okay, fine,” I said, reluctantly heading upstairs to shower.”

  Thirty minutes later I was on my way to campus, absolutely dreading the day to come even more than I had yesterday. I had all of my normal classes followed by a shift at work. Somewhere in between all of that I had to find time to print screen shots of last night’s text messages, go to the police station, and somehow make it to work on time.

  I was absolutely useless in both my philosophy and English lit class. The one and only highlight to the morning was getting my midterm essay back with a big, bold “A” on the top. I smiled slightly before shoving it in my binder and promptly zoning out.