by Sonia Parin
***
“Do you really think he’d only give me half a star?” Lexie asked.
Luna brushed her little head under Lexie’s chin. “I’d give you ten stars and my opinion is the only that counts.”
Mimi Hargreaves had sunk into a catatonic state and refused to receive visitors. Lexie didn’t blame her.
“If she’s catatonic, then how is she communicating her desire to be alone?” Luna asked.
“I have no idea. I only know we need to find Frederick.” Lexie strode out of the 5th Avenue building and swirled around. Where would she start looking? “Security cameras in the area.”
“Already checked,” Gunner said.
“Check again, please.” Lexie smiled at his raised eyebrow look. “Well? You wanted to work with me.”
“You seem to forget I had no choice in the matter.”
“Anyway, as I was saying,” Lexie continued, “I think we should start widening the net. What if someone from their past came back to haunt them? Everyone has a past.”
“Did you know you’re still wearing you Santa hat?” Luna asked. “It’s lovely to see you getting into the spirit of it all. As this is our first Christmas together, I am slightly apprehensive. Everyone has different customs and traditions. For instance, my previous companion enjoyed opening gifts on Christmas Eve. I believe that is a tradition the English royal family adhere to.”
“Was your previous companion an anglophile?” Octavia asked.
Luna nodded. “She loved tweed and it was always gin and tonic time for her.” Luna looked up at Lexie. “Are we getting a tree?”
Lexie hadn’t given it any thought. Her Christmases had always been spent at the theater helping out with one of her mom’s productions. Also, every year, her mom organized a Christmas Eve dinner for the cast and crew. That was as far as their celebrations went. Since moving to the city, Lexie had spent her Christmases working at O’Connor’s Bar.
“I guess the answer is no?” Luna asked.
Both Gunner and Octavia raised their eyebrows at her.
“What?” she asked, her tone defensive.
“We should have a Christmas tree,” Luna purred. “A little one would suffice. My previous companion loved the holiday season so much she was non-denominational and even celebrated Hanukah. That’s eight days of gift giving. Oh, and to avoid the post seasonal slump, she also celebrated Epiphany. That falls on January 6th. That’s when the three Wise Men brought me more gifts.”
“I’ve just detected a pattern,” Lexie said under her breath. “Just how many presents are you used to getting?”
Luna blinked and purred deeply. “My previous companion was very thoughtful and generous.”
Lexie sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Octavia nodded and scribbled on a small notebook. “I’ve made a note of it and will start browsing for suitable feline companion gifts.”
Gunner gave her a small nod of approval.
Really? “Can we please focus on one cat who might not be celebrating this Christmas?” She looked up at the building. She didn’t think Frederick would jump from the tenth floor. If he had, surely Smithers would have noticed.
“I think we’ve already established that his disappearance and Oscar Hargreaves’ death are linked,” Luna said.
“Let’s not cross anything off the list.” Lexie looked up and down the street trying to spot anyone acting suspiciously. There were a few people walking dogs, but no cats. She turned to Gunner. “What about Oscar’s building? Surely there must be security cameras there.”
He nodded. “Everyone, including you, has been cleared.”
“Did you check the previous couple of days? Someone could have gone into the building and found somewhere to hide, waiting for the right moment to strike.” Lexie raked her fingers through her hair and nearly dropped Luna.
“You’re clearly frustrated,” Luna said. “Relax.”
“Easier said. What if the killer has been hovering around the office, working undercover? He overheard Oscar saying he needed to stay behind and chose the moment to strike. We need to follow up on anyone new working in his office.”
Luna looked at Octavia and Gunner. “Well? What are you waiting for? Hop to it.”
Chapter Four
Octavia strode into the living room saying, “I’ve crossed off—”
Luna hushed her. “Can’t you see Lexie is meditating?”
“Sorry,” Octavia mouthed and looked at Gunner.
He sat by the window shaking his head. “She’s been at it for an hour and her cat keeps glaring at me.”
Luna hissed.
“You really shouldn’t refer to Luna as a cat,” Octavia warned.
Lexie winced. She’d been sitting in her quiet place, going through everything she’d seen and heard over the last couple of days. Calling on the elements to help her, she’d sensed a light breeze sweeping around her mind, clearing the debris away and leaving behind an imprint of everyone she’d seen when she’d emerged from the 5th Avenue apartment. She insisted the killer might have been lurking somewhere in that crowd of people strolling by. Drawing in a deep breath, she emerged from her meditation and opened her eyes. Lexie yelped. Gunner and Octavia stooped down almost nose-to-nose with her.
“Well?” Gunner asked.
“Purple.” The color had popped up several times. “I’m hungry.”
Gunner straightened. “We could go over the security footage. Maybe it’ll show up. Do you remember where you saw it?”
“A Coat.” Lexie held her hand up. “Don’t ask me why I saw a coat. Everyone’s wearing them.” She checked her cupboards for food. “There’s nothing here. Let’s go out.”
Gunner and his fellow detectives hadn’t come up with anything substantial either. The Hargreaves were universally liked. Oscar’s employees had been with him since he’d gone into business. The most recent recruit had been working for him for over a dozen years and she’d had nothing but praise for her boss. Besides, they’d all been accounted for as they’d all been having lunch.
At the Kitty Café, Lexie ordered her favorite comfort food, a pizza with the lot. As she watched Luna mingling with the other cats, she tried to think of suitable Christmas/Hanukah/Epiphany presents to give her. “Gifts.” She hated shopping. “Octavia.”
“I know what you’re going to say. I’d love to—”
“Thank you. That’s a load off my mind.”
“Wait. You didn’t let me finish. I’d love to, but I think Luna would like the gifts to come from you.”
“She doesn’t care where they come from, so long as she gets numerous boxes containing things she’ll probably play with for a minute and then discard.”
Octavia patted her hand. “I guess Christmas is not a big deal in your family.”
Not really. Her mom was always so busy with her theater group, Lexie had grown up thinking of it as another day she had to put in making an appearance and pretending to be happy hanging around the theater, all the while knowing her mom would love nothing better than for her to take up acting. If she had spent more time grooming Lexie for her role as a High Chair and less time making her memorize lines, Lexie wouldn’t be playing catch-up. She unclenched her jaw and steered away from casting blame. After all, she’d been the one to ask for a sabbatical from her “witch” duties and her mom had been nice enough to grant it.
“Octavia, please remind me to get a tree.”
“And ornaments,” Gunner surprised her by saying. “Glass ones can be eye-catching. And you must have tinsel. Have you thought about a color scheme?”
Lexie tried to speak but no words came out. She wore denim jeans and T-shirts, killing several birds with one stone as every morning she only needed to reach inside her closet and pull out some clothes without thinking. She’d never been any good at making selections.
Octavia smiled. “I think that’s too much for Lexie to process.”
“How are you going to wrap your gifts?” Gunner asked. “Person
ally, I prefer satin ribbons.”
Octavia nodded in agreement. “I’m great at tying bows so I can help you with that.”
“We could start after you finish your meal,” Gunner suggested. “We’ll have a tree up for you in no time.”
Either Gunner was trying to make himself more likable or he was showing his true colors...
“I think you’re forgetting something,” Lexie said.
“I have my people working on it,” Gunner assured her.
Lexie crossed her arms. “I want access to that security footage. They’re missing something. Someone walked into that building and killed Oscar. Either that... or someone is lying.”
Gunner chortled. “Lying to an O’Rourke detective? That’s unheard of.”
“Did you use your compelling voice on everyone you interviewed?”
He nodded. “The O’Rourke detectives know when to employ their voices for major effect.”
“Are you suggesting I shouldn’t tell you how to do your job?”
“We’re the ones with the detective badges.” He shrugged. “Legitimate badges.”
“And yet, I’m the one with a lead.”
“A purple coat.”
“That’s a start. It’s more than you have.” Lexie’s tone betrayed her frustration.
“So we should scour the city and employ our compelling voice on anyone wearing a purple coat.”
Lexie wanted to say it might work if she cast a spell on his voice to single out the culprit. While she’d been surprised by her increasing confidence, she still doubted its reliability. She knew that attitude worked against her, but maybe if everyone had been less sketchy with information and more helpful with providing a how-to instruction manual...
Sighing, she made a mental note to practice meditating and spell casting.
Lexie looked over her shoulder. “I hope Luna’s networking pays off.” Luna appeared to be in deep conversation with a group of cats. “Maybe the kitty grapevine will provide us with a solid lead.”
Gunner harrumphed.
“If you have issues, I suggest you take them up with Luna.”
“And risk having my eyes scratched out?” he mumbled under his breath.
Luna strode toward their table, her nose lifted in the air as she eyed Gunner.
Lexie pushed back a chair for her to sit on. “Well? Did you find out anything useful?”
“Everyone has their Christmas trees up and the gifts are beginning to pile up.”
Lexie knew Luna had tried to sound indifferent, but her voice had been loaded with yearning. Scooping Luna up, she said, “Okay, people. There’s nothing more we can do today. I...” Lexie swallowed, “I need to shop for a Christmas tree.”
Octavia and Gunner looked at each other and both said, “We’ll come too.”
Half an hour later, Lexie stood in the middle of Elf Kingdom, a local store selling nothing but Christmas decorations. Gunner and Octavia both displayed their superior shopping experience by grabbing shopping carts.
“What do you think?” Gunner asked. He held two sets of ornaments and, apparently, he expected Lexie to select one or the other. “The Shatterproof Peacock Feather Balls or the Drop Ornaments.”
“Is there a reason why we can’t have both?” Lexie asked, her voice faint.
“We could get the set.” Gunner looked over her shoulder. “But we should select the tree first. Traditional or quirky?”
“Maybe we should let Luna decide. Yes, in fact, run everything by her first.”
“Good call,” Octavia whispered. “Oh, I saw those baubles but at 4.99 each, I didn’t think you’d go for them. We are going to have so much fun decorating the tree. I can’t wait.”
Counting the ornaments Gunner had piled up in his cart, Lexie swallowed.
Gunner went off, murmuring under his breath, “Christmas tree. Tinsel. Lights. More ornaments. You can never have enough ornaments or tinsel. Silver? Gold? Where’s that cat?”
“He’s getting into the spirit of it,” Octavia remarked. “I would never have guessed.”
“Yes, I can see you’re both possessed. Before you dash off into a shopping frenzy, could I borrow your notebook, please?”
Shoppers streamed in and out of the store, their eyes bright with excitement. The upbeat sounds of a Christmas tune mingled with the shoppers’ chatter and the hoot of a toy train winding its way around the store.
Lexie stood in the middle of the hubbub, scribbling a few ideas. “Inside job.” She thought she’d heard Octavia say she’d crossed someone off the list. “Must be the maid, Marcie.” Lexie decided they should look at people associated with Marcie. Someone might have put pressure on her to gain entry into the Hargreaves’ home. Then there was the matter of linking the stolen cat to Oscar’s death...
She looked around her. Seeing Gunner emerging from between two large trees, she strode up to him. “Time of death.”
“Between nine and midday. Spruce, fir or pine?”
“Huh?”
“I can’t find Luna. Someone has to decide.” He swept his hand across one side of the store. Tree after tree were lined up, with and without ornaments.
Shrugging, Lexie pointed at one. “That’s pretty.”
“Really? What about the one next to it?”
“Yeah, I like that one too.” They all looked the same to her.
Gunner picked up on her thought. “They’re not. There’s the Noble Fir. The needles turn upward, exposing the lower branches. The stiff branches make it a good tree for heavy ornaments. Then there’s the Virginia Pine. The branches are stout and woody and respond very well to trimming. The Douglas Fir is one of the top major Christmas tree. It’s my personal favorite. It comes in dark green or blue green.”
Frowning, Lexie asked, “You just happened to know that?” She could see him struggling to answer so she added, “Don’t worry.” She mentally hollered Luna’s name.
She came sprinting across the store, a huge kitty grin lighting up her face. “I’ve never seen so many pretty lights. Which set are we getting?”
“Can you help Gunner pick a tree?”
Luna glanced at the display. “So many to choose from.”
She left them to it and found a corner to sit down. Hypothetically, someone could have snatched Frederick, raced down 5th Avenue and killed Oscar. But why?
“I talked him into getting the Noble Fir,” Luna said as she leaped up onto her lap, “But I don’t think he’s happy about it. He was displaying childlike stubbornness, so I had to put my paw down and remind him this was all about me. Can we put the tree up tonight?”
“I’m sure Gunner and Octavia will love that.”
“But what about you? I wouldn’t want you to feel left out.”
Gunner rushed toward her, his shopping cart full to the brim. “I’ve just received word, Mimi’s cat has turned up. Gold or silver tinsel?”
***
“Balance is everything. See, you have two blue ornaments together,” Luna explained and pointed to the ornaments. “Is it that you don’t understand, or you don’t want to understand? You can’t have the same colors next to each other.”
Lexie looked up from her notebook. “Play nice, Luna.”
Octavia chuckled under her breath. “Poor Gunner, he’s actually doing a terrific job decorating the tree, but Luna’s a hard taskmaster.”
“Wait until he has to put the tinsel on.” It had taken him an hour to set up the lights to Luna’s specifications. That had involved Luna prancing around the tree and making sure she’d be able to see lights from every vantage point.
Before that, he had decorated her apartment with Nutcracker soldiers, red candles, wreaths, and a couple of reindeers, but that had happened after he’d set up the tree next to the fireplace with ample space for the presents.
“Do you think Luna would enjoy a spa day?” Octavia asked.
“I thought you’d finished your on-line shopping. Do we really want to spoil her?”
“It’s just once
a year. Which reminds me... Are you doing lunch or dinner? I’m good with either one.”
Really? “I haven’t thought about it, but what about your family?” Lexie had assumed Octavia would want to spend the holidays with her nearest and dearest.
“As you know, I’m working very hard to reinstate our coven. They’re not helping, in any way. And they’ve all opted to spend Christmas in Hawaii.”
“If you had a falling out with them, this is the time to kiss and make up,” Lexie suggested.
Octavia lifted an eyebrow. “Are you spending the holidays with your mom?”
“She’s bound to drop by.” Lexie scrunched up the page she’d been scribbling on. It didn’t make sense. “Gunner, did your people give you any more details about Frederick? A cat that size should have been reported wandering around the streets. He can’t have just turned up. Someone must have dropped him off.”
He shook his head.
Lexie turned to Octavia. “Earlier, you started to say you’d crossed someone off. Who was it?”
“Oh, the office staff. Gunner put me in touch with his people and we coordinated our efforts. You wanted everyone cross-referenced and double-checked, so I got onto it. I even pushed to have their relatives and friends scrutinized. They’re all in the clear.”
“And yet, someone managed to get inside the building and kill Oscar.” As for Frederick disappearing...
Lexie flipped through the pages she’d been filling up with every idea that came to her. “Gunner, what did Oscar have scheduled for the day he was murdered?”
“Only a business call, and then he planned on joining the others for lunch.”
“Who was the business call with?”
Gunner shook his head. “Oscar was killed before he took the scheduled call.”
“Yes? But... Do we know the name of the person he was dealing with?”
Gunner put down the tinsel he’d been holding. “His personal assistant will know. I’ll... I’ll get someone onto it straightaway.”
“We have to talk to Mimi Hargreaves.”
“Now?” they all asked.
***
