Meow Means Murder

by Jinty James

“I know you’re busy running the café.” He shrugged. “I’ve got the weekend off, and I don’t mind yard work.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled up at him. “You must let me repay you somehow. What about free coffee and cupcakes for the next month?”

  “Deal.” His eyes crinkled at the corners and his mouth tilted upward.

  Lauren gazed at him, her stomach fluttering.

  “Lauren, are you okay? We’ve been waiting – oh!” Zoe stopped in her tracks, Annie skipping around her sneaker clad feet.

  The spell was broken.

  “Mitch mowed the lawn.” Lauren waved her hand toward the grass.

  “Brrt.” Annie looked up at Mitch in an approving way.

  Lauren glanced at the cat and then at Mitch. Had Annie somehow known this was going to happen? Was that why she’d looked like she was smiling when Lauren had come out here?

  “He did?” Zoe grinned. “Awesome! Now I don’t have to feel guilty for wanting to crochet instead of helping.”

  “Anytime.” Mitch shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “I’d better get going.”

  “How’s the investigation coming along?” Zoe asked.

  “Zoe!”

  “We’ve been wondering.” Zoe blinked innocently.

  “Mitch has the day off,” Lauren told her.

  “It’s okay.” He broke in. “We’re working on it. That’s all I can say.”

  “Of course.” Lauren nodded.

  They watched him depart, Lauren sighing silently as he rounded the corner of the now neat yard. This might have been the first time a guy had done something like this for her without expecting anything in return.

  “I told you he likes you.” Zoe beamed. “Way to go!” She punched Lauren on the arm.

  “Brrt!” Annie chirped in agreement.

  “Ow!” Lauren rubbed her forearm. “Not so hard.”

  “Sorry. Now you can relax this afternoon, just like us.”

  “Mm.” But she didn’t know if she could – she might be too busy thinking about Mitch.

  CHAPTER 7

  “Let’s do something.” Zoe put down her crochet hook and stretched.

  “Like what?” Lauren looked up from her knitting. It was official – she would never finish this scarf.

  “Like – like – go salsa dancing! Or ice skating! Or – or – ooh, I know! Let’s go to the steakhouse for dinner!” Zoe’s eyes sparkled.

  “Since I have no idea where we would go salsa dancing or ice skating, the steakhouse does sound tempting,” Lauren admitted.

  “Brrt!” Annie sat up on the sofa. She’d been snoozing next to Lauren but Zoe’s announcement seemed to have woken her. Or perhaps it was the mention of the steakhouse.

  “I don’t think they allow cats,” Lauren told the feline.

  “Brrp.” Annie scrunched up her face. It looked remarkably like a pout.

  “We’ll bring a doggy bag – or a pussy bag back for you,” Zoe promised.

  “Brrt!” Annie’s pout disappeared.

  “And,” Zoe continued, jumping up from the armchair, “I think we should order the wagyu!”

  Lauren’s knitting needles dropped out of her hands with a clatter.

  “But that costs—”

  “I know.” Zoe nodded. “But we don’t often splurge, do we?”

  “No,” Lauren slowly admitted.

  “And,” Zoe warmed to her argument, “It could be a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

  “But it’s one-hundred-and-sixty dollars.”

  “We could share,” Zoe replied.

  Lauren hesitated.

  “That’s only eighty dollars each.”

  “I think your argument sounded better before you added the cost,” Lauren said drily.

  “Ple-e-ase?” Zoe batted her eyelashes. “And I bet Annie would love to try expensive wagyu, wouldn’t you, sweetie?”

  “Brrt!”

  Lauren could have sworn Annie batted her eyelashes as well.

  She hesitated.

  “Okay.” Lauren gave in with a sigh.

  “Yay!”

  “Brrt!”

  “Ooh, look at the time.” Zoe checked her watch. “It’s almost six already. We’d better get ready.”

  Lauren put her knitting away, then headed to her bedroom. Her stomach had started grumbling, although she didn’t know if it was from the mention of expensive steak, or the fact that she hadn’t eaten since lunch.

  She’d tried to keep her mind on her chick lit novel, but thoughts of Mitch kept intruding, so she’d attempted to continue knitting her scarf, which had been a bit more of a success.

  “Brrp.” Annie jumped onto the bed.

  “We’ll bring some steak back for you.” Lauren stroked the silky soft silver fur.

  Annie bunted her hand, demanding more.

  “Are you ready?” Zoe paused in the doorway a few minutes later, wearing black wide-legged pants and a smart blue top.

  “Almost.” Lauren had chosen a plum wrap dress and black mules.

  “Let’s go!”

  “You’re not getting hangry, are you?” Lauren asked.

  “Not yet. But I might soon if we don’t get going,” Zoe admitted.

  Lauren and Annie shared a look – uh oh. It wasn’t good when Zoe was hangry.

  They drove to the steakhouse, which was a few blocks away from their cottage.

  “We should do this more often,” Zoe said as Lauren parked outside. There were a few cars in the lot already and golden outdoor lights invited them to step inside the long, rectangular restaurant.

  “I know.” Lauren nodded. “As long as it’s not eating one- hundred-and-sixty-dollar plates of food all the time.” Although her income from the café covered all her living expenses including savings, too many expensive nights out would not be good for her bank account.

  “This is a one-time super splurge,” Zoe reassured her. “We can do other fun things that don’t cost a lot. Like when we went to the casino last month.”

  “That was fun.” Lauren smiled. And she’d won at Bingo.

  They entered the building, a hostess greeting them immediately.

  “Won’t you come this way?” The blonde appeared to be in her thirties, with subtle makeup, and wore a black dress.

  They followed her to a table set for two in the middle of the room.

  Once they were alone with their menus, Zoe murmured, “That wasn’t Kimberly.”

  “I know. But remember when she was in the café the other day? Before Todd – you know. It sounded like she doesn’t work here.”

  “That’s right.” Zoe tapped the menu. “Because she was complaining Wayne is never home at night.”

  Lauren gazed around the room. Three other tables were occupied, but they were all a distance away. The steakhouse looked classy, with white linen tablecloths, low lighting, and soft classical background music.

  “No wonder Wayne can charge so much for wagyu,” Zoe remarked, glancing at the menu, and then at their surroundings. “He’s really set the scene.”

  “He must be a good businessman,” Lauren murmured.

  “I think we should get some sides,” Zoe decided. “We are sharing a steak, after all.”

  “Not too many,” Lauren cautioned.

  “Okay, Mom.” Zoe grinned.

  By the time their waitress arrived to take their order, they’d decided to try the stuffed onions as well as the wagyu, which came with a leek and potato gratin. They’d chosen sparkling water to accompany their meal.

  Lauren tried not to feel embarrassed when Zoe asked the waitress for two separate plates. “We’re sharing the wagyu,” she explained.

  “You’re not the first.” The waitress smiled as she took their menus.

  “If we’re still hungry after, we can fill up for dessert.” Zoe winked at Lauren.

  It would be nice to eat a dessert someone else had made, but Lauren decided to keep an eye on her spending.

  “We’ll see.”

  “I wo
nder what they’re having.” Zoe turned in her chair to watch a family of two adults and two teenagers tuck into their meal. The enticing savory aromas wafted across the room.

  “Whatever it is, I hope ours tastes as good as theirs smells,” Lauren said.

  When their meal arrived, Lauren couldn’t wait to try it. By the hangry look on Zoe’s face, she was sure her cousin felt the same.

  Lauren’s plate held a small piece of steak, covered in what had been billed as a light and delicate savory sauce made to enhance the flavor of the wagyu. The waitress set down their side of stuffed onions in the middle of the table

  “Is this all we get?” Zoe’s mouth parted in disappointment as she stared at the small piece of meat on her plate, along with the gratin and some broccoli.

  “We split an eight-ounce steak,” Lauren reminded her.

  “I just thought it would look a bit bigger. Oh well.” Zoe began to cut her meat. “I am now going to steak heaven.” She popped a piece in her mouth and chewed. And chewed.

  “Well?” Lauren cut up her steak and speared a piece with her fork. She waited for her cousin to speak.

  “Don’t know,” Zoe mumbled around her mouthful of food. She forked up another piece of beef.

  Lauren frowned. Her stomach grumbled and she tried her first bite.

  A pleasant beefy taste. The sauce was nice, reminiscent of barbecue, but she could not tell the difference between this eighty-dollar piece of steak and the thirty-dollar one she’d had a few months ago in Sacramento.

  Perhaps she just wasn’t a gastronome.

  “Well?” Zoe asked.

  Lauren chewed.

  “I don’t know.” She echoed Zoe. “Let’s try these.” She helped herself to a stuffed onion.

  “Yeah.” Zoe stabbed at the plate.

  The leek and potato gratin accompanying the meat was good, along with the grilled broccoli. So were the stuffed onions, overflowing with rice, bacon, and peppers.

  However, Lauren couldn’t help thinking she’d just wasted eighty dollars on a small steak.

  “Still want dessert?” Lauren asked when they’d both eaten everything on their plates, apart from a small portion of meat she’d set aside for Annie that had escaped the sauce.

  “No.” Zoe patted her stomach. “Everything filled me up more than I thought.”

  “Same here.” Lauren sipped her water.

  “Hello, girls.” Wayne suddenly appeared in the dining room, his white chef’s outfit making him appear even more solid. A couple of diners looked at him curiously. “I heard you were here.”

  “Hi, Wayne,” Lauren replied.

  “So, how was everything?”

  Lauren glanced at Zoe.

  “Good,” they chorused.

  “Great, great.” Wayne rubbed his hands. “That’s what I like to hear. You must have enjoyed it.” He glanced at their empty plates.

  Lauren couldn’t tell him the reason they’d eaten almost every scrap was because they’d been starving.

  “Oh, was there something wrong with your steak?” He eyed the portion Lauren had set aside for Annie.

  “We need a doggy bag – or a cat bag for Annie.” Zoe spoke up.

  “I should have guessed.” Wayne grinned. “No problem. Let me take care of that for you.”

  “Thanks.” Lauren smiled.

  When Wayne departed for the kitchen, Zoe leaned forward. “I hope Annie likes the wagyu more than I did.”

  “You didn’t enjoy it?” Lauren furrowed her brow.

  “That’s just it. I did enjoy it but I thought I would enjoy it a lot more. Because—”

  “Here you go, Lauren.” Wayne returned with a neatly wrapped foil parcel.

  Zoe drew back and sat up straight in her chair, pretending she hadn’t just been speaking.

  “Thank you,” Lauren replied.

  “Can I get you two anything else?” Wayne asked. “We’ve got chocolate cheesecake as well as a few other desserts.”

  Lauren glanced at Zoe. It was tempting, but ...

  “No thanks,” they both said at the same time.

  “All right.” Wayne nodded. “I’ll just get the check for you.”

  He returned to the kitchen.

  “Maybe we should talk when we’re in the car,” Zoe said in a whisper.

  “Good idea.”

  The waitress stopped by a minute later with the bill. Lauren and Zoe split it, and left a tip. After saying goodnight, they headed toward the car. The sun had set but it was still light.

  “If that was wagyu then I don’t know what the big deal is.” Zoe fastened her seatbelt with a harsh click.

  “I know what you mean.” Lauren sighed. “I hoped it was just me.”

  “It definitely wasn’t you,” Zoe reassured her. “I just hope Annie likes it. I was so hungry, I ate it all before remembering to save any for her.” A guilty look flashed across her face.

  “It’s okay.” Lauren turned on the ignition and backed out of the space.

  “So why did Todd give the steakhouse such a good review a while ago?” Zoe mused as Lauren drove down the street. “He must know what wagyu tastes like, don’t you think?”

  “He should if he’s critiquing it,” Lauren replied.

  “Maybe Wayne was having a bad night,” Zoe suggested. “Or he has a new chef who doesn’t know how to cook wagyu. Because I couldn’t tell much difference between what we had tonight and an ordinary steak.”

  CHAPTER 8

  At least Annie enjoyed the steak. Lauren watched the Norwegian Forest Cat gobble down the treat as if she hadn’t been fed for a few days, when Lauren knew for a fact she’d enjoyed breakfast, lunch, and some kibble that afternoon.

  “Maybe we’d better not splurge again for a little while.” Zoe had been downcast since they’d returned home. “After buying the yarn for my crochet project, and dinner tonight, I don’t have any money left.” She opened her red leather wallet. The lined folds were indeed empty.

  “I know what you mean.” Lauren nodded. “But at least we can say we’ve tried wagyu.”

  Zoe made a face. “I think we should stick to coffee and cupcakes.”

  They both laughed. Annie looked up, her expression enquiring, then returned to her beef.

  Lauren’s dreams were jumbled that night. First, images of her unfinished red scarf arose, then Mitch, then her plate of wagyu, first covered in sauce, then without. She was glad when the sunlight steaming through her drapes woke her the next morning.

  On Sunday, Lauren and Zoe went for a short hike in the nearby Tahoe National Forest. Lauren finished reading her book, barely thinking about Mitch at all that afternoon – well, maybe four times.

  On Monday, Lauren and Zoe got the housework out of the way, and checked on Mrs. Finch, who invited them in for coffee.

  And then it was Tuesday morning.

  “All ready!” Zoe stood behind the counter at 9.30 a.m. The gleaming wooden floorboards looked clean enough to serve coffee and cupcakes on, and Annie sat in her basket, her green eyes alert, as if she waited for her first customer to walk through the door.

  “Ed’s already making blueberry Danish,” Lauren told her, coming out of the swinging kitchen doors.

  “After our relaxing weekend, I’m ready to work, work, work.” Zoe grinned.

  “I know what you mean,” Lauren replied.

  “Hi, girls.” The front door opened with a rush and Claire and her daughter appeared.

  “Hi, Claire,” Lauren greeted her. “Hi, Molly.” She bent down to the stroller.

  “Brrt!” Annie jumped down from her bed and trotted toward the toddler.

  “Annie!” Molly waved her legs and feet in the air. In her chubby fist she clutched Bear.

  “Molly talked about you three all weekend.” Claire smiled. “I promised her we’d come and visit you as soon as you were open.”

  “’ook, Annie.” Molly waved her toy in the air. “Bear.”

  “Molly insisted on bringing Bear today,” Claire continued.
“She said if she lost it, Annie would find it for her again.”

  Lauren’s heart melted as she watched the blonde toddler gently stroke Annie. The cat seemed to enjoy the child’s attention.

  “What can we get you?” Lauren asked.

  “Do you have any triple chocolate cupcakes?” Claire asked hopefully.

  “Yes.” Lauren grinned. They were the first treats she’d made that morning.

  “Awesome. And a double shot latte. Your coffee is the best.”

  “Thank you.” Satisfaction filled her at the compliment. She strived to create the best experience she could with her menu items.

  “Cino!” The little girl turned her attention to Lauren for an instant, then back to Annie.

  “No problem.” Zoe grinned.

  “Won’t you two join me?” Claire asked. She glanced around the empty café. “Sometimes I’m desperate for adult conversation. My husband works long hours.”

  “We’d love to,” Zoe said enthusiastically. “We’ll sit with you when we bring your order over.”

  “Annie can show you to a table,” Lauren added.

  The feline glanced up at Lauren, her ears pricked. She seemed to nod, and trotted toward a table for four in the center of the room.

  “How does she do that?” Claire marveled, pushing the stroller after Annie.

  “Cat magic,” Zoe replied with a giggle.

  Lauren and Zoe plated the order, and brought it over to the trio. No other customers had arrived yet. That would worry Lauren normally, but this morning she was looking forward to chatting with Claire.

  Annie sat on one of the chairs. Molly stayed in her stroller, and Lauren and Zoe took the remaining two pine chairs.

  Claire took her first sip of latte, her eyes closing in appreciation. The aroma of dark cherry, nuts, and spices wafted from her cup.

  “Exactly what I needed.” She set down the mug.

  “Cino!” Molly smacked her lips together after tasting her own drink, a chocolate speckled foam mustache coating her upper lip. Her mother grinned when she caught sight of it.

  “What made you move here?” Zoe asked curiously.

  “My husband’s job,” Claire replied, forking up a bite of triple chocolate cupcake. “He worked for a newspaper in L.A. for years – so did I – and then he was offered a promotion in Sacramento, on one of the company’s other papers. It made financial sense to take it.”