After taking the long way back to offer Aubrey a chance to calm down and work through what she learned from Linda, we returned to our seats. Not a single group we passed had juicy gossip to overhear. I was slightly impressed at the culprits' ability to keep a secret.
With the tidbits I overheard throughout the weekend just by being in the shadows of the drama, it would have been on brand for a thief in this bunch to be bragging about their conquest.
Our tribe had moved a row of chairs into a semicircle facing the far back wall, while we were gone, and sat gathered in deep gossip. At the center of the group, the cats slept in a huddle. The life of a cat was something to admire. Though, dragons seemed to have it best of all.
We sat next to Skylar, who had prepared three chairs for us just within earshot of the tribe.
"Learn anything good?" I asked.
"Did you know," Skylar said, a tad overenthusiastically, mocking Tori, no doubt, "that Annabelle, owner of a British short-haired named Leo, just got a boob job?"
"The real question here might be, did I need to know that information?" I asked.
Skylar looked behind her, as if to make sure no one was listening and then continued in a whisper, "Maybe she stole the trophies to sell on the black market so she could pay off her medical bills. I don't think insurance covers plastic surgery."
Aubrey giggled beside me as I shrugged and responded, "Makes sense to me. Culprit found. Let's report it to Linda then storm the exit."
"If only," Aubrey said.
Silence fell between us, as I stretched in my chair. The tribe knew every tiny bean of information about the people that lived in the greater Marble Falls area, but a small cat show was too much for them to manage. Their ability to run a successful gossip mill was a bit disappointing.
"Hard to believe that they spent a whole weekend mingling with all the contestants, and have no clues to who stole the trophies," Aubrey said.
"Small town seems to be the extent of their gossip capabilities," Skylar said with an eye roll. "Once we're out of earshot, I'll fill you in on the rest but it's nothing that will break the case wide open."
"So, enlightening they are," I said with a deadpan expression.
"To say the least." Aubrey giggled beside me.
I regretted letting her in on the cat meetings. It was just a matter of time before the jokes started.
"What did you find?" Azure transmitted.
"It was a wash for us as well," I said aloud, while transmitting. "They took none of the money or other prizes. Only the three main trophies."
Skylar sighed.
"That's not nothing," Azure transmitted. "They meant to send a message, rather than acting out of a desire for financial gain."
Duh.
That was an excellent point. I should have realized myself. This was why working as a team was always best. Others could be the brains when mine was low on fuel.
As I repeated the revelation to the girls so they could ponder over it, I circled back to the desperate desire to tell Aubrey how I was getting help from my pet cat. After a life of processing every thought, or hardship with her by my side, it was impossible to come to terms with the biggest secret of my life without her insight. What were those BFF lockets as kids for, if not a promise to share when one of us found a dragon?
"One of the ladies over there was laughing about the theft." Aubrey pointed to a group of women near Linda, who were in fact another tribe.
"That's Isabel, leader of Tribe Borama, they cover the southwest region of Texas," Azure transmitted, splitting his attention between our conversation and that of our own tribe.
"Did you catch any of what they were saying?" I asked Aubrey.
"I overheard her say something about how the look of shock on her face was worth the hassle of waking up early," she said. "It's possible she was talking about something else, but I don't think so. The other ladies joined in on the laughing."
"Curious who 'her' refers to," Skylar said.
"Mmhm," Aubrey said. She might as well have been taking a sip of coffee with that knowing smile she gave us.
"Isabel has always been a drama queen," Azure transmitted. "Far beyond the usual dragon protector."
"Do you think she did it?" I transmitted.
"She's capable."
"What else did you see while I was back there?" I asked Aubrey.
"Nothing useful," she said. "I was trying to pump Linda for information. But she was more of a nuisance than a gossip."
I laughed, unable to control myself. Aubrey was so worked up over the show. She was more offended by the theft of the trophies than I was, and I had a disappointed dragon on my hands.
"Looks like you weren't the only one to not get enough coffee this morning." Aubrey pointed to a group of ladies under her arm, trying not to be obvious about it.
Seven women, all wearing scowls on their faces, stared at the doors blocked by Nathan. If I did not know better, I would have worried they were about to rush him and break out. But that was crazy talk. There was no way they could be so irresponsible as to bring attention to themselves. The lady in the front—clearly the tribe leader by the way she carried herself—kept looking at her wristwatch, then back to Nathan.
"If looks could ignite," Skylar said. "Poor Nathan would be a pile of ash. Wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that glare."
"No kidding, where does she need to be so badly?" I asked.
"Maybe she needs to use the restroom," Aubrey joked. "I know I'm looking forward to getting out of here. My bladder ain't near what it was pre-kids."
We giggled together and watched the woman attempt to give an unamused Nathan a piece of her mind. Didn't look to be for the first time either. The way he tuned her out was praiseworthy. Talk about a resting face to be jealous of.
"That's Sue," Azure transmitted, "head of Tribe Avoiuli, which covers the Austin area. She is the most stuck-up woman I've had the displeasure of meeting. Thinks she is the most important dragon protector, just because the Austin tribe is the oldest in Texas."
"I'm so glad you keep up with all these people," I transmitted. "There is no way I would be able to correlate faces to names and tribes."
"Glad to be of service," Azure transmitted in a condescending tone.
I ignored him and focused on the ladies at the doors. There was no point giving him the satisfaction of a response.
"Of course," Aubrey lowered her voice. "They could be in a hurry to flee the scene."
"If that's the case," I said. "They have a huge misunderstanding of the word stealth."
"Probably haven't watched enough covert operation movies," Skylar said. "That's the problem with amateurs these days, don't learn enough of the basics."
She shook her head in disappointment, while Aubrey and I doubled over in laughter.
"There are too many suspects," I said. "Anyone here could have a motive for stealing the trophies."
I glanced at Aubrey with an over-dramatic questioning look. Had to rule out everyone in the room, right? She saw right through my nonsense and put her hand to her chest in a mock gasp.
"Not me," Aubrey said in her most sunny voice and stuck out her tongue. "I don't even own a cat!"
We laughed, drawing glances from our own group of gossiping cat lovers. I cleared my throat and returned to people watching.
Aside from the tribes, sprinkled throughout the room were small groups—two to four women, and the occasional man—all of whom were non-protectors.
It was interesting to note the stark difference in how the tribes were reacting compared to the normals? normies? no dragoners?
"Others. Focus. Eye on the prize," Azure transmitted. "Stop making me feel like I'm surrounded by tea drinkers."
"Shots fired!" I transmitted. "Would 'brilliant observation, let me ask Skylar if she is picking up on that too' be too complex a thought for you? Instead of name calling?"
"Is your larynx broken too?" he transmitted.
"Look at mister vocabulary," I
transmitted. "I'm sure Aubrey would get a kick out of this turn of events."
"Touche," he transmitted.
I rolled my eyes at his snotty behavior. This trophy business went straight to his head. With each passing minute, a future cat show was looking less likely.
Hopefully, he was transmitting to Skylar. It would give me a small confidence boost to know she was thinking the same about the people in the room.
It was shocking how many of the non-protectors had deer in headlights expressions, compared to protectors who maintained calm demeanors—or anger, in Avoiuli's case. Maybe they all just needed a good cup of coffee?
I would drink tea to get a cup of coffee! The end of the show survey would hear about the lack of refreshments in this room.
"Skylar agrees that it's weird," Azure transmitted. "Shadow and her are also assuming the culprit is a tribe member."
"Are you dragons talking cross tribe about this?" I transmitted.
Seemed reasonable if it was a dragon issue. They could find the guilty party faster as there were more of them in communication. But if it had to come down to us "feeble-minded humans," I had growing confidence in our ability to solve the crime. If I got out of this room, that was. It could not be that hard to follow the drama trail and figure out who stole them. The fact they would waste our time, knowing there was no refreshment table in here, was pure evil.
"No," he transmitted. "To reiterate, dragons are drama. Those of us that orchestrated an inquiry have been told to calm down, 'it's just a cat show.' We'll keep trying, though. The longer this goes on, the more dragons I'll be able to persuade."
Aubrey began laughing, and I looked to where she was staring.
"What's so funny?"
"They're over there playing cards." Aubrey pointed. "I have so many questions. How can they be so carefree? Who had the foresight to bring cards? Would a guilty group bring cards to pass the time? It's a great cover if they did."
I laughed at the idea of planning a robbery and using a deck of cards as cover. It was so absurd that it might be true. Dragon protectors were known for their out-of-the-box thinking after all.
"They're playing hearts," Azure transmitted.
"You can tell that from over here?"
"Not exactly," he transmitted. "That's Tribe Cyrillic of San Antonio, they're renowned heart players."
I shared this tidbit with Aubrey, telling her it was a rumor. Skylar met my eyes and smiled at my obvious lie.
"Why don't we play cards at our lady's night?" Aubrey asked.
"Because none of us own a deck of cards." I laughed.
"I think I have some Uno lying around," Aubrey said.
"Oh, no thanks." Skylar waved away the mere idea of Uno with her hands. "Lost 240 points on my first ever hand played, never again. First to 500, my butt. That'll happen in like two good hands. What's the point?"
Aubrey and I wide-eyed her rant over a kids game. Note to self: never mention Uno in Skylar's presence.
She realized we were staring in stunned silence and giggled.
"Whatever," Skylar said. "It's a tea of a game."
"Apparently." Aubrey giggled. "Can't say it's ever gotten that heated with the kids."
"I would kill for a cup of coffee," I said. "But I would settle for a deck of cards. Anything to pass the time."
"Seriously!" Aubrey said. "How long can it take for the cops to show up?"
Skylar stood and stretched. "Seems off that they aren't here yet. Had to have been a cruiser in close proximity to us. This is South Austin."
"If they're coming," I pointed out. "Maybe the theft of a cat show's trophies is too small potatoes for the Austin Police."
"That's rude," Aubrey said, placing her hands on her hips.
Skylar however, giggled and sing-song whispered, "Po-ta-to! Boil it, smash it, stick it in a stew."
I could not help but giggle with her while Aubrey gave her a strange look and continued speaking about the severity of the situation, causing us to burst into a full-blown giggle fit.
"Y'all deserve to know who did this and have it made right. Even if I think it's a little silly, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be treated with respect."
It was official, Aubrey cared more about the missing trophies than I did.
"There is nothing funny about this," Aubrey said. "And nothing to do with potatoes."
"Aubrey is going to have herself a purebred kitten by Christmas," Skylar said between giggles.
"No kidding," I said, trying my best to control myself. "Wouldn't have pegged you for the cat show savior type."
"Nope." Aubrey shook her head. "Already have two heathens at home. Don't need a third to clean up after."
We laughed. That would be a sight, Aubrey sucked into the cat show circuit. Too bad dragon protectors were spinsters. Moms would make the most loving protectors.
Wait, a minute.
"You're a mom," I pointed out. "Don't you keep entertainment tricks in your purse?"
"Sure." She pulled out a pen and paper.
"Draw me a puppy," she said in her most patronizing voice possible.
Skylar laughed and shook her head, while monitoring the room.
I laughed. "Can't draw without my coffee."
"If ever," Azure transmitted along with the sound of laughter.
"Whatever," I transmitted, looking around the ballroom for the third time. "You know what, I think a tribe is missing. There are only four large groups in this room."
"You're right," Azure transmitted. "Tribe Theban of the San Marcos area isn't down here."
He got up from the cat pile and came to sit at attention on my lap.
"Wonder what that means," I transmitted.
"Nothing good," Azure transmitted.
CHAPTER FOUR
Sunday, May 17th, 10:15 AM
"I tried to reach out to their leader," Azure transmitted. "No response."
"I've counted the groups multiple times, and they aren't here," I transmitted. "Does that mean they are guilty?"
"Best not jump to conclusions," he transmitted. "There are a few tribes that don't attempt to place in the show. I've never paid attention enough to the drama, but it is possible they never attend the awards."
"I think there's a group of ladies from San Marcos missing," I said.
"Oh, really?" Skylar asked.
"Looks that way," I said. "I was just running through all the groups we've met, matching them up to the ones in here. Pretty sure they said they drove up from San Marcos."
I was direct enough for Skylar, but couldn't tell if Aubrey followed. Had I known there was going to be a scandal I would have prepared better, or not invited Aubrey at all.
"I guess that solves the question of who," Skylar said.
"Yeah," Aubrey said. "Why else would they be missing on trophy day."
Before I formulated a response, the front doors opened, and two officers entered heading toward Linda. Their body language indicated they would rather be anywhere else. The slow pace and lack of eye contact with the room set my nerves on edge. They must have drawn the short stick and were forced to take the call. No wonder they took their sweat-tea time to get here.
"Two police?" Aubrey asked. "There are over one hundred suspects here, and they only sent two police?"
"That's what I was thinking." I laughed. "This is going to take all day!"
"If we miss out on the bats, I am going to be livid," Skylar said.
"No kidding," I said.
"Ladies, Ladies," Linda announced, "and gentlemen. These officers are going to be investigating . . ."
The officers shrugged, not a care in the world for what Linda was telling the room. That was the last sign I needed. There was no way they had any intention of solving the case. They would do the bare minimum, check their boxes, and go home.
So ridiculous.
"Momentarily, you'll be free to leave the room," Linda continued. "But you're not allowed to leave the hotel until we resolve this matter."
Aubrey
was right, it's just a cat show, and aside from the competitors, no one else in the city cared what happened here. Did the coordinators even have the authority to make us stay?
The male officer leaned to his partner and whispered in her ear, and she struggled not to break into a smile. Her partner no doubt whispered some sarcastic comment about not bothering with a petty theft of cat trophies.
"Wow." Aubrey crossed her arms. Her anger was simmering. I knew that look all too well, someone was about to lecture. "Rude. Like, they could be at a call in the heat right now. But no, here they are, basking in the AC, snickering about a theft. Real professional."
She rolled her eyes, Skylar and I stayed focused on the stage. I was not about to poke the bear.
"At least there's a silver lining, right?" Skylar asked.
"I was about to lose my mind sitting here without coffee," I said.
"Totally," she said. "What's the plan, besides coffee?"
"The show's vendors have agreed to stay open today while this is all sorted out," Linda continued. "Please take a few minutes to stop by each and thank them for their support."
The six other tribe ladies—realizing that I was back—moved closer to hear what I had to say about the situation. I glanced around the group, pausing at each of them to take in their facial expressions. Mostly, everyone seemed to be wary and ready to call it a weekend. With Sofia, Vera, and Betty being over sixty, an extended weekend of childish drama was probably outside of what they found to be enjoyable. Bethany was big on getting out of town, but through our weekly meetings, I had discovered she was more into motorcycle rallies, and less excited about the cat show than I originally assumed. Tori was Tori, of course, and her snotty expression rarely left her face. Which left Elizabeth, whom I still had not fully figured out personality wise. I knew she was in her early fifties and loved pottery, but I had no clue what she did for fun.
I decided to run interference and keep them busy. They knew full well that I was about to dive headfirst into an investigation. Might as well give them a task to feel like they are a part of it. It would keep them busy, while we ran our own investigation. I looked back to the officers, they would rather be anywhere else but on stage.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," the male officer said. "You are now free to move around the hotel. Please do not go far, we will need to speak to each of you."
Purrfect Roast: A Dragon Cozy Mystery Page 3