by Fitz Molly
Yet.
He darted around the side of the house heading toward the woods. I was just about to declare it a lost cause when someone stepped out from between the trees and body-slammed him to the ground with a sparkling red rush of strength.
“Bonnie,” I exclaimed, still unable to believe my eyes. Her dress was even tighter than mine, but that hadn’t stopped her from bringing our suspect to a halt.
“When a lady asks you to stop, you stop,” she growled as she ground a spiky stiletto heel into Doug’s back.
“Oh, I like her.” The one-eyed Jinx’s voice rose from nearby. Charles was right. She had found the escaped rescue cat, and she must have dropped or set him aside before tackling our man.
“Well,” Bonnie demanded, drawing my attention back to her. It was impossible to see the bony black cat in the dark woods, anyway. “What do you need from him?”
“Show me what’s in your pocket,” I told Doug, not used to taking such a hard-line approach but also kind of liking how powerful it made me feel. Hard times called for hard measures and all that, and I had definite reason to assume Doug’s guilt. He’d had an altercation with the victim only moments before the murder and had lied about leaving the party early. Then there were the small facts that he had run from me and was clearly hiding something in that pocket.
“Let me go,” he growled, struggling on the ground but unable to escape Bonnie’s heel.
She dug it deeper into the small of his back, and he cried out in pain. “Go on and take whatever’s in there,” she encouraged me.
I swallowed down a fresh lump of anxiety and reached into his pocket. I immediately found what he’d been trying to hide and pulled it out.
A switchblade. Oh my gosh!
“What’s this for, tough guy?” Bonnie demanded with a menacing rasp. “For killing people?”
“What? No!” Doug cried, struggled, then gave up. “Please let me go.”
“Not until you explain the knife,” I said, finding my voice at last. “I heard you and Max had a bit of a fight earlier, but was it really bad enough to kill him?”
“Kill him? Are you crazy?” he shouted.
“Quiet,” I warned. Bonnie bent down and shoved Doug’s face into the grass.
“You’ve got it seriously wrong,” he mumbled into the ground. “I’m not going to spend my life in jail over some loser like Max.”
“But you’re acting pretty sneaky,” I pointed out, drawing closer. “And you have a knife. I’m sure Officer Bouchard will find that suspicious enough to take you in for questioning. Maybe even keep you overnight.” I knew the murder weapon hadn’t been a knife, but Doug having one still seemed pretty suspicious to me.
Bonnie straightened back to her full height, and Doug pushed his face to the side, taking a deep breath before wincing and explaining, “I just slashed his tires, okay? He needed to learn a lesson about messing with Scarlett.”
“Slashed his tires and then killed him?” I ground out, unwilling to let it go.
“No. Why would I kill him?” All the color drained from his face and he widened his eyes with fright. “Wait, is Max dead? Is that why the police are out front?”
Bonnie lifted her heel and took a step back, allowing Doug to scramble to his feet and flee into the woods. “He didn’t do it,” she told me with a shrug. “I can spot a liar from a mile away, and that thing about slashing tires is true.”
“I still think the police would have liked to talk to him,” I said, eyeing her wearily. Why would she let him go when he was clearly dangerous?
She shook her head and sucked air through her teeth, as if in answer to my unasked question. “No need to waste their time. I know who did it.”
I raised one eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? Who?”
Bonnie took a few steps into the woods, bent, straightened again, and turned toward me holding the one-eyed black cat in her arms. Glancing up to meet my eyes, she scratched Jinx behind his ears and whispered a single world that sent a bolt of shock tearing straight through me.
“Me,” she whispered. “It was me.”
Chapter Ten
I flipped the switchblade open and gripped the handle with both hands, holding it straight out in front of me for protection. “Don’t c-c-come any closer!” I sputtered at Bonnie. We both knew I didn’t have a chance of stopping her if she decided to tackle me the way she’d taken down Doug. Even if she rushed at me now, I knew I wouldn’t be able to use the knife on her. My only hope was that she hadn’t figured that part out yet.
“Relax. I’m not going to hurt you,” Bonnie said calmly, clutching Jinx even tighter to her chest.
“You killed Max.” It was hard to keep from shouting. Someone would hear, would come and rescue me from this crazy lady. I had to believe that. Had to stall until help arrived.
Bonnie shook her head and took another slow step forward. “Not on purpose.”
“But you strangled him! It doesn’t really get any more on purpose than that.” I strained to see if help was coming, darting my eyes to the side but unwilling to turn. My peripheral vision revealed no movement. No reinforcements.
“No, I did not.” Her voice was soft and lilting like a lullaby, slowing my heart rate slightly.
I tightened my grip on the switchblade, refusing to fall under her spell. “You confessed,” I argued.
She offered a half-cocked grin before glancing down to the ground. “Yes. It’s my fault, and I feel bad.”
“What do you mean?”
Everything fell quiet. I could hear my own gasps for breath as I struggled to keep a clear head. Otherwise nothing.
“You saw the body, right?” Bonnie said after a moment’s careful consideration.
I nodded, unsure what she was playing at but still unwilling to drop my guard.
“Was he wearing my coat? The fur?” she wanted to know.
I thought back to the scene and distinctly remembered noticing Max’s pale bare arms. No coat. “No.”
“But he had it on earlier. Didn’t he?” She pumped her head vigorously, as if trying to convince herself rather than me. “I remember seeing him when he claimed it after the auction. Thinking there goes one problem.”
“What do you mean?” I waved the knife for effect, but Bonnie didn’t even seem to notice.
She swallowed, looking paler after that. “Remember how I was talking to your sweetie about how I need a lawyer?”
I nodded again.
“Did he tell you why?”
“No,” I mumbled. How I wished she’d just get on with it. These slow questions and false starts were beginning to aggravate me.
“Client confidentiality. He’s a good lawyer. Got integrity. Good.”
“What are you talking about?” I rasped.
Jinx stirred in Bonnie’s arms. “Always with the questions,” he spat. “Can’t you see the nice lady is upset?”
Bonnie reached down and stroked his fur, unaware the rescue cat had just come to her defense. But why was he taking her side instead of mine?
“I’m leaving my ex,” Bonnie revealed, “and it’s not exactly an easy situation. I was hoping Charles could help me.”
Jinx purred and rubbed his head against her collarbone. He was like a completely different cat than the one I’d met earlier that evening.
I refocused my attention on Bonnie’s face, watching for any signs of deception or danger. “With your divorce?” I asked.
She let out a sad laugh and fixed her gaze on the black cat while addressing me. “Not exactly. We were never married officially, but we were together long enough to be considered a common-law marriage. Which means I’m entitled to cost of living, you see?”
“But what does this have to do with Max? The victim,” I added, just in case she hadn’t bothered to catch his name before signing his death warrant.
Bonnie grimaced and threaded one hand through Jinx’s fur—for support, I guessed. “My ex is not a nice guy. Not like your Charles.”
I widened my eyes and m
otioned for her to continue with a wave of my blade.
“Ever heard the term married to the mob?” she asked with a dry chuckle. “That’s me, except I was common-law married instead of the actual thing.”
“Your ex is a mobster?” I hissed, hardly able to believe what she was telling me. “And he followed you here to Glendale?”
“Afraid so. At least that’s how it seems.” She smiled again, but a tear fell and rolled down her cheek, giving away her true mood in an instant.
“Why and from where?” I pressed. The pieces were starting to come together, but not enough to reveal the full picture.
“Where do all the biggest criminals go to play? DC, of course. It’s a long drive. I didn’t think he’d find me here. I should’ve known better, though.” Bonnie took another deep breath and began stroking Jinx’s fur again. “I may have absconded with some key evidence against him.”
“Blackmail?” I whisper-yelled.
She hung her head and laughed again. “Not blackmail. Leverage. I’m used to a certain style of living, you know? I’ve been with Vinnie twelve-odd years. I don’t have any job skills to call my own. What am I supposed to do? Starve?”
When I’d first met Bonnie that evening, I hated her on sight. I also didn’t agree with her reasoning now or the fact she’d tied herself to a mob boss for over a decade. Still, she was a woman who had been hurt and was obviously scared for her life. I lowered my knife and sighed. “Where did you put this leverage of yours?”
“I’ll tell you, but don’t judge me,” she spat, suddenly becoming defensive. “You have no idea what I’ve been through. At least not until you walk a mile in my stilettos.”
I nodded and waited for her to continue.
“It was in the lining of that coat,” she revealed with a sob.
“The one you donated to the auction?” I whisper-yelled. Of all the irresponsible and reckless schemes…
“I needed to get it somewhere safe. Somewhere I could find later if needed but that Vinnie wouldn’t be able to track. Understand?”
“Stop upsetting the lady,” Jinx hissed. “Can’t you see she’s crying now?”
Bonnie assumed the hiss was meant for her and lowered the cat to the ground, then glanced up at me with shimmering eyes full of tears.
“So he killed Max for the coat,” I said softly. “How did he know?”
She sniffed, much like Max had so many times in my presence. “He’s smart. I’m not surprised he figured it out. I should have known better. But a girl can hope, right?”
“You need to turn yourself in,” I urged. I didn’t want to upset her, but she had important information that needed to be shared. Whether or not I’d liked Max, his killer needed to be brought to justice. “Tell the police what you know. Help them capture Vinnie.”
She nodded. “I know. I know. I will. But…” Her eyes cut into mine like steel. “Your name’s Angie, right?”
“Yeah.” Honestly I was surprised she’d picked it up. I thought she was just another silly woman who used her body to attract the attention of whatever man she wanted. I hadn’t given her enough credit—either for her intelligence or the tough situation she’d found herself tangled up in.
“Angie, I’m really scared. Now that Vinnie knows I was trying to blackmail him, he’s not going to let me go. I had a small chance before, but now I’m basically a dead woman walking.”
I flipped the blade closed and dropped my hand to the side. “We’ll find him. We can protect you until he’s behind bars,” I promised. Even as I spoke the words, I knew I’d do whatever it took to help this stranger find peace.
“You’d help me?” Her voice cracked on that last word, and I could tell she was moved by my offer.
I shook my head. “Not me. I’m definitely not qualified to take on some big city mobster, but the police… They’re good here. They can help. I’m sure of it.”
“If you trust them, then I trust you,” she said, reaching a hand toward me. This time I grabbed it and held it in mine, and we marched around the front of the house to talk to Officer Bouchard together.
“Wait,” I said right before we rounded that last corner. I turned, and sure enough that one-eyed black cat was trotting after us.
“What?” he mewed at me when he caught me staring at him with a huge smile.
“Wherever you go next, I’m sure you’d like to have a friend,” I told Bonnie, squeezing her hand before letting it go. “Take him with you. Oh, and consider naming him Jinx. It fits him.”
Jinx strode over and rubbed his head against Bonnie’s leg. “No more of that Captain Blackbeard nonsense,” he said with a smirk. “I owe you one.”
Bonnie scooped him up and smiled. “That’s a really good idea,” she told me. “I left everything behind to get away from Vinnie. It’s been real lonely. I thought I could hide from him on my own. I should’ve known better.”
“Stop beating yourself up, and stop doing it all on your own,” I urged.
“Witness protection,” she murmured. “I can testify. Help put Vinnie away.”
“Yes. You’ll finally be safe and free.”
She smiled at me through tears. “The leverage probably wasn’t the best idea, but I didn’t know what else to do. I thought he’d follow me no matter what I did, and at least with the leverage I’d have a chance.”
“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” And deep in my heart, I knew it would be. “I don’t know where you’ll end up next, and I’m probably not supposed to, but just know… You’ve got a friend in Glendale, Maine, if ever you need one.”
“Bye, Angie,” she said, giving me a quick hug and squeezing Jinx between us.
I watched as she strode up to Officer Bouchard and began telling him everything. She would be all right, and at least one of the shelter cats had found a home tonight.
Now it was up to me to help the others find their perfect matches—just like Bonnie and Jinx had found in each other.
Want More?
Want more from Angi, Octo-Cat, and the rest of the Pet Whisperer P.I. gang?
Get started with KITTY CONFIDENTIAL or catch up with the full series HERE!
Were you intrigued by the black cat named Mr. Fluffikins? He stars in Molly’s brand new Paranormal Temp Agency series. Get started with WITCH FOR HIRE if you’d like to read more of his harrowing tale.
Learn more about the author and see her other awesome books HERE.
Secrets of the Black Cat
Mila Riggs
About This Single
When a sweet black cat crosses Delphina's path, she believes she’s finally been chosen by her very own familiar. Unfortunately, she wakes up the next morning to discover that her precious little kitty has transformed into a full-sized and full-fanged panther. Can she solve this magical Halloween mystery before a new semester at the Secret Academy begins? Or will she lose her new best friend just as quickly as she found him?
Where It Fits
SECRETS OF THE BLACK CAT can be read as a stand-alone, but chronologically it fits between ESCAPE FROM THE LOST TOWER and TRIAL OF THE MIDNIGHT FOG… Enjoy!
Chapter One
This was going to be the best Halloween ever. It had to be.
I mean, it was my first time coming home for a visit after enrolling in Darnborn—AKA the Secret Academy—that spring. I’d brought my new roommate and best friend Zoey with me, too. Yeah, she was kind of a local celebrity in the magic world, and I couldn’t wait to show her off to everyone I’d grown up alongside in our small suburb of Boston. And if they noticed how much I’d grown in my own glamour magic, all the better.
This would definitely be one for the record books.
“Delphina,” called my mother as she rapped on my bedroom door. “I’m more than happy to have your friend stay with us, but you didn’t say it would be Zoey Harper.”
Instead of answering her right away, I took my time applying the rest of my eyeliner with my mouth stretched tight and hanging partially open, which somehow alw
ays helped my concentration when it came to perfecting my cat eye. “Come in,” I called when my work was done.
Mom entered with slow, hesitant steps, her mouth pressed into a firm line.
Was she mad? Why would she be mad?
Well, maybe I already knew the answer to that, and maybe that answer was precisely why I hadn’t revealed the identity of my guest earlier. Still, I decided to play innocent.
“Well, yeah. She’s my best friend, Mom. Besides, her family is totally crazy pants. You didn’t expect me to leave her on her own to spend the biggest holiday of the year at school?”
Mom crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “I’m all for being welcoming, but…”
“But what?” I said as I turned to face her head-on. I silently dared her to say what we both knew—that trouble had a way of following Zoey wherever she went, that by having her here I’d basically invited danger to our house.
Mom let out a deep sigh. “What’s done is done. Just tell me this, do I need to prepare to have a tiger in our house?”
I let out a little snicker as I imagined Zoey’s familiar, a giant white tigress, making herself at home in my room. Sure, our large five-bedroom house was way roomier than the academy’s dorms, but it wasn’t exactly the prime habitat for our little apex predator. Also, I was pretty sure that if my mom got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and found herself in a staring contest with the majestic pussycat, she’d wind up dead from a heart attack.
“The last I heard, Zia is safe and sound back on campus,” I answered with complete honesty. Mom didn’t need to know the tiger had a way of showing up whenever and wherever she wanted.
She let out a sigh of relief. “Okay. That’s a relief, at least. What are you planning on—?”
Before she could finish, the doorbell rang and I bit my lip to keep from squealing in excitement. “She’s here!” I shouted, unable to control myself for another second longer.
