Walking in the atrium, the cats greeted her at the foot of the stairs. They eyed her suspiciously. Iris danced in and out of her legs and nearly tripped her several times.
“Miss Siam,” Katherine scolded. “Stop trying to kill me.”
“Yowl,” Iris sassed.
Katherine began climbing the stairs. Scout and Abra had already gone ahead. Several times, they stopped and turned around to look at the alien, who looked like their person, but smelled differently. Abra turned up her lips in apparent disgust. Scout hissed.
“Okay, that’s it! It’s me,” Katherine said. “I’m trying to look good for the big event, but you fur kids don’t seem to approve.”
At the top of the stairs, Katherine turned left to go into her great aunt’s former bedroom and was startled to see the door open — wide open. She had specifically shut the door so the cats wouldn’t go into the room.
“Scout,” she accused. “I know you opened it.”
Scout and Abra turned on their heels and ran down the stairs. “Ma-waugh,” Scout cried defensively.
Rushing through the doorway, Katherine immediately realized her mistake in laying out the dress. There, on the bed, was her sexy black cocktail dress — for the event of the season — completely covered with cat hair.
“Oh, no. You didn’t!” she exclaimed. In shock, she stared at the disaster for a moment, then directed her attention to Lilac and Abby who sat on their haunches at the foot of the bed.
“Proud of yourselves?” she asked the guilty-looking cats.
Abby hiccupped. “Chirp!” she cried brightly.
Immediately, Katherine remembered a similar scene where Abby had eaten a hole in Colleen’s Irish cable-knit sweater. “Oh, no,” she said, quickly picking up the dress and examining it. Sure enough Abby had chewed a small hole, but fortunately it was on the side hem. She didn’t think it would be noticed, especially if she wore her new Gucci evening pumps with the four inch heel. The dress and the shoes had cost a small chunk of change, but Katherine told herself they were her reward for being frugal ever since she’d moved to Erie. After all, she had just deposited five million dollars in the bank; she was entitled to a treat.
Frantically, she searched upstairs for a sticky tape lint remover, to no avail. The phone in the atrium rang. She rushed downstairs to answer it.
“Hello!” she answered, slightly out of breath.
Margie asked, “Hey, kiddo, what are you wearing? I’m stuck in my closet and I can’t find a thing to wear. The kids are no help. Shelly wants me to wear a rhinestone denim skirt with a western blouse, and Tommy suggested I go in my work clothes.”
“Whatever you pick, Margie, I’m sure it will be fine. I’ve got a bit of a problem over here. I laid out my dress and the cats decided to use it as their cozy bed.”
Margie laughed loudly over the phone. “Please don’t tell me it was black.”
“Afraid so.”
“What time is Jake picking you up?”
“Around seven. The invitation said there’d be a cocktail hour — an open bar with an appetizer buffet. Is Cokey wearing a suit and tie?”
“That would be the day! Actually, Katz, he decided not to go.”
“Why?” Katherine asked, somewhat shocked. This was Margie’s big night, she thought. Why would her husband not want to be there for her? It was Margie’s historical reconstruction of the old town library, built in the 1870s, which saved the day when the Historical Society funds were stolen by Frank and Beatrice Baker, and were never recovered. Without the money, a new museum building couldn’t be erected. Margie suggested the old library as the perfect site. And the town agreed.
“He’s worried about the kids staying alone, especially at night.”
“I understand. If I were a parent, I’d do the same thing. Listen, do you want Jake and me to pick you up?”
“Sure,” Margie said appreciatively. “That’s really the main reason why I called. Only if it’s no trouble.”
“Of course not. We’ll see you a little after seven.”
“Thanks, kiddo,” Margie said, hanging up.
Scout and Abra were on the curio cabinet. Abra was standing on her hind legs, sniffing the air. She had her paws on Katherine’s shoulders.
“Okay, Miss Hocus Pocus, I get the part where you think I stink.”
Scout leaned over the cabinet and pawed the handle. Katherine opened the drawer and found the sticky tape roller. “Smart girl,” she praised, petting Scout on the head. Scout backed up and ceremoniously knocked the phone receiver off the house phone.
“Cats!” Katherine said out loud. “And to think I have five of them,” she muttered.
Katherine returned upstairs to try to rescue the dress. It was impossible to remove all the cat hairs, so she did a once over with the vacuum cleaner nozzle. Satisfied she wouldn’t look like a human hairball, she hurriedly put the dress on. Glancing at her watch, she realized it was a little before seven, and Jake would be there any minute. Grabbing her evening bag, she headed for the front door.
Looking out the sidelight window, she saw Jake getting out of a classic blue Dodge Charger. He looked like a male model from GQ magazine. He wore a black suit with a crisp white dress shirt, which was unbuttoned at the collar. Katherine stared in awe as he walked up the steps, and she opened the door. It was then she noticed he was carrying a long-stem red rose.
She smiled. “Come in before you freeze to death.”
“For you,” he said, handing her the flower.
She closed the door. “How sweet.”
Jake was silent for a moment. “You look absolutely beautiful.” He gathered her in his arms and whispered, “I love you.”
Katherine’s eyes grew wide. She was startled to hear the words because he had never said them before. She basked in the warm glow of the sound. She took his face in her hands and looked at him lovingly. “I love you, too.”
“Me-yowl,” Lilac shrieked at the top of her Siamese lungs. She reached up to Jake to be held.
Jake picked up the lilac-point and kissed her on the nose. “Okay, I love you, too, Catzilla.”
Katherine giggled. “Now you need the lint roller.” She started to move away, but Jake stopped her.
“No need. What’s a few cat hairs?” He winked.
Holding the rose, Katherine said, “I’ll put this out of reach of the cats. Lilac likes to eat rose petals, and Abby would probably eat the entire stalk — thorns and all.”
She was gone for a moment. When she came back, Jake was sitting on the floor, petting Abby and Lilac. “Where are the other kids?” he asked.
“Plastered on top of the register in the kitchen. Oh, before I forget, Margie needs a ride.”
“Yep, Cokey just called me. He gave me his lame excuse about why he wasn’t going. I think he suffers from ‘suit’ shock. Let’s head on out and pick her up.”
As Katherine locked the door, Jake asked, “Who’s coming to this bash?”
“Mark Dunn said he worked on the invitation list. He said the mayor and his wife will be there. The doctor and her husband. I met them when I first visited Indiana. Members of the Society, and the principals from the Erie high school and elementary schools. Also, the new head of the library, whoever that is. Did you know Robbie Brentwood is the volunteer museum curator?”
“Ye, gods, him again,” Jake commented with a face. “What is he? Like the jack of all trades?”
Katherine poked him on the arm.
Jake ushered Katherine down the sidewalk to the car.
Katherine asked, “Where’s the Jeep?”
“Oh, I save the Charger for special occasions,” he said in a teasing tone.
“Good to know,” Katherine said. “Any more surprises for me?”
Jake answered evasively, “That’s for me to know, and you to find out.”
“What a minute,” she said, looking at him with amused wonder. “That’s my line.”
“Actually, it’s my dad’s muscle car. Dad insisted. He
said I couldn’t pick you up in the Jeep. Now that Margie’s coming with us, I’m glad I said yes.”
As Katherine was getting in, two of the Sanders boys slowly drove by in their beat-up pickup truck, eyeing Katherine. Bobby, with the mullet, lowered his window and blew a loud wolf whistle.
“Hey, guys! Move on down the road.” Jake threw them a serious look.
“Hey, Ms. Kendall, you owe me money for my cake.” Before Katherine could answer, he peeled out and raced down the street.
Jake got in. “Sorry about that. Sam Sanders needs to teach his boys some manners.”
“I really do owe him money for the cake.”
“Are you kidding me? Even without the hula dancer boobs, that cake sold for fifty bucks.”
Katherine brought up her hand to smother a laugh. “Which cake made the most money?”
“The pink gingerbread house sold for a hundred bucks.”
“No way! I know a cake in Manhattan can cost a hundred bucks, but one selling for that in Erie? Amazing. Who won the bid?”
“The mayor’s wife, Melody. It was quite a bidding war. Wish you could have seen it. Robbie wanted it, too.”
“Oh, no!” Katherine exclaimed. “Should we warn her about the grim reaper figurine I put inside the house? She might break a tooth.”
Jake laughed, “Thinkin’ so.” He turned the ignition key and the Charger’s big engine roared to life. The sound of the muscle car idling could almost break the sound barrier. He put the vehicle in gear and pulled out onto Lincoln Street. He drove several blocks and parked in front of Cokey’s and Margie’s house. Margie was waiting on the front porch. She looked very pretty in her long black dress and low-heeled pumps. A three-strand pearl necklace hung gracefully around her neck. Margie’s short red hair was swept back from her face. She looked like a middle-aged Annette Bening.
Jake got out and walked to the porch. “Hey, Aunt Margie. Shouldn’t you grab a coat? It’s freezing.”
“No, I’m fine,” she answered.
Jake opened the back passenger door for her. Getting in, Margie said to Katherine, “I had to unpack this dress from mothballs.”
“No way. I would have smelled it,” Katherine joked.
“Okay, cat’s out of the bag. I found this dress online and I fell in love with it.” Margie beamed.
“You look gorgeous,” Jake said, getting in.
“Do you like my pearls? They’re a wedding present from your uncle Cokey,” Margie said, with a wide smile on her face.
The trio arrived at the gala event. Two young men dressed in tuxedos greeted the guests. One of them Katherine recognized. Ken Smith, her student from the last training class, said, “Lookin’ good, Teach!” Katherine smiled and said thank you.
Erie’s proud mayor, Ralph Newman, rushed over and personally applauded Margie for her outstanding work. “You did an excellent job,” he said, pumping her hand.
“Thank you, Mayor,” Margie said. “Allow me to introduce you to my friend, Katherine Kendall.”
“Hello, Katherine. Nice to see you again. It’s nice to see you, Jake, as well. How’s the university treating you?”
“Just fine, Mayor,” Jake answered, smiling.
“Well, folks, there’s a lonely bartender over there. Open bar. Help yourself.” The mayor left the group and flitted off to greet the next arrivals.
Margie said, “This building was the town’s library from the 1870s until the 1920s. It was slated for demolition, but I stepped in and convinced the town to give it to me.”
Katherine asked, surprised, “Seriously, the town gave it to you?”
“I paid a dollar for it. State law allowed it. After I had re-roofed, updated the plumbing and electrical, and painted it, Mark Dunn approached me about making it into a museum. That was after Carol Lombard passed away and the money for the new building disappeared.”
Katherine remembered, “Carol had two hundred thousand from my great aunt’s will to help build a new museum, but Margie, she died before the distribution. The money is probably still available. Contact Mark Dunn about it.”
“Oh, I know,” Margie said. “The Erie Historical Society savings were stolen by Frank and Beatrice, but the money for the new museum came from your great aunt’s will. The renovation didn’t cost two hundred grand. There was money left over for miscellaneous stuff, like the displays and exhibits, heating and cooling, but not enough to pay employees. That’s why the Society has volunteers to maintain it.”
“Interesting,” Katherine said. “Just curious. Who’s the treasurer?”
“Robbie Brentwood,” Margie answered, then changing the subject said, “See the display cases? I found them at a salvage store in Indy. They’re original from the 1920s. The wood is oak.”
The small building was wall-to-wall with display cases of various widths and heights placed against the wall. Large print placards or photo posters were mounted above. Margie continued, “The floor was in terrible shape, so I put down a laminate that looks like hardwood. It will be easier to maintain and handle foot traffic.”
“Margie, you did an incredible job,” Mark Dunn congratulated as he approached. On his arm was a stunning blond, long-haired with big blue-violet eyes. She was dressed in a low-cut red dress. Katherine recognized her immediately. It was Linda Martin, the Indiana state police detective who helped solve the William Colfax bootlegging mystery. Katherine had only seen her in uniform or in casual clothes. Normally, she wore her hair tied back with little cosmetics. But tonight she looked like a runway model.
“Hello. You’ve met Linda,” Mark said cheerfully.
“Yes, of course.” Katherine pulled Linda aside and said, “You look spectacular!”
Linda whispered, “Mark called me last night and asked me to join him, and I said ‘yes.’ I borrowed this dress from my roommate. Fortunately, we’re the same size.”
“Lucky you. It’s perfect.” Then to Mark, “Have you started working at the new firm?”
“I start on Monday. My office here is officially closed. I think Robbie Brentwood is going to rent it.”
“I’m very happy for you.”
“Katz, you know how to find me if you need me. Just call, text or whatever.”
After Mark and Linda moved away, Jake took Katherine’s arm. He led her to the first display case which housed items from the 1840s, when the town of Erie was founded. Above the glass case was a framed poster describing the importance of the Erie canal and the town’s early economy. The next display case was full of photos from the tornado of 1909, which wiped out several downtown businesses. But the most popular display, and where the most people were gathered, was the William Colfax exhibit. Since there was so much material, Margie had used a separate, smaller room for that exhibit. Margie was standing near the entryway.
Katherine stopped in her tracks. There, right in front of her, was the speakeasy door from the yellow brick house. Margie caught her eye and winked.
“Margie, I can’t believe how you restored this. It looks brand new.”
“Trust me. It took lots of varnish remover and a light sanding, but isn’t she a beauty?” Margie took Katherine by the arm and led her inside the William Colfax exhibit. The small room was lined with more display cases, blown-up posters of both William’s and Orvenia’s portraits, and a large framed picture of the pink mansion circa 1911.
“Emily Bradworth did a wonderful job,” Katherine said. She then told Margie about how Lilac almost thwarted the young graphic artist’s efforts to photograph the portraits.
Margie whispered, “She hangs out here a lot. I don’t know what she sees in that Robbie guy.”
Katherine shrugged. “Love is blind!”
Several mannequins in the corner wore vintage dresses from Orvenia’s collection: one figure wore a beaded flapper dress from the 1920s, and the other sported a 1950s party dress, complete with a full skirt.
For security reasons, none of the gold coins found at the Ethel cemetery were exhibited, because they had b
een sold to a wealthy coin collector. Several of the bootlegging bottles were included, along with William’s ledger and the money bag from the Greencastle Dillinger bank robbery. Katherine had the final word in where it should go, and chose to keep it in Erie.
More guests filtered into the room, so Margie and Katherine went back outside. A woman in a short, silver-sequined cocktail dress came over and introduced herself as the high school principal, Julie Miller. She asked Margie, “Where’s Robbie? He’s the curator, for heaven’s sake. What happened to him?”
“I have no idea,” Margie answered. “After the fundraiser, I came over here for a few minutes to drop off something. He was here with Emily and you.”
Julie’s face clouded immediately. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t seen Robbie since yesterday,” she said, with anger rising in her voice.
“I beg to differ,” Margie said defensively. “It was either you or your clone.”
“If you see him, send him my way.” Julie walked away with a tight-lipped expression.
Margie whispered in Katz’s ear. “Want to hear some Erie gossip?”
Katherine smiled. “Sure. Why not?”
“Julie’s having an affair with Robbie. It’s all over town. Her husband found out and threatened to kill Robbie if he didn’t leave his wife alone.”
“What?” Katherine asked, puzzled.
“You want me to repeat it, kiddo?” Margie offered.
“Emily Bradworth told me the two of them were getting married, and that Robbie was going to announce it tonight.”
“That’s a good one,” Margie said, surprised.
“If he’s seeing Julie, he really is a jerk.”
“Why?”
“Because that poor naïve girl moved to Erie to be with him.”
“Naïve?” Margie laughed. “You mean crazy. What person in their right mind would want to move to Erie? Oops, I didn’t mean you, Katz.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Jake said, moving over.
“That men are good,” Katherine smiled.
“You lie,” he said. Then he whispered in her ear, “But you’re a gorgeous liar.”
She punched him affectionately on the arm.
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