by T. H. Hunter
There was silence at the table for a moment.
“I don’t think that’s true, Amanda,” said Barry.
“There was no way of knowing he would get killed,” said Val.
“Valerie is right, you know,” said Barry. “There were all sorts of variables beyond your control. If he had reacted a little faster to Harriet’s curse…”
“Stop saying that,” I snapped. “It’s not his fault.”
“I didn’t say it was,” said Barry calmly. “All I am saying is that chance – bad luck, fate, whatever you want to call it – plays an enormous part in this business. It’s part of the game. Alec knew that. He took risks every day.”
“I should have seen through that woman earlier,” I said moodily. “She was too beautiful, too perfect, too classy. Straight out of Merlin’s College in Oxford. Nobody’s like that. I should have known it was all just an act.”
“She was able to hide her true feelings very well, Amy,” said Val. “I didn’t suspect her either. Nobody did.”
“Well, I always had my suspicions…” began Barry pompously.
“Oh, come off it, Barry,” said Val. “You didn’t guess it was her.”
“Fine, fine,” he said. “For once, I didn’t. But I did know that Sarah had nothing to do with it.”
“Well, she was hiding something,” said Val.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Turned out she was having an affair with Lord Pembroke,” said Val.
“So that’s what she was hiding from us,” I said. “How is she, anyway?”
“Recovering,” said Barry, with an unreadable expression on his face. “She’ll be alright again. Lord Pembroke’s son, Steven, on the other hand, is a different matter.”
“Did he make it?” I asked.
“Yes,” said Barry. “He’s alive. But he will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Even magic couldn’t save him from that. Sarah saw them at Lord Pembroke’s funeral. She sent me a letter just a few days ago.”
“I see,” I said. “Is there any news about Harriet? Were the MLE able to track her down?”
Barry hesitated, looking at Val then back at me again. Judging by his pained expression, I could guess the answer before he uttered it.
“I am afraid they haven’t, Amanda,” said Barry heavily. “The MLE have dozens of agents on the lookout.”
“They won’t find her,” I said immediately. “She’s too clever.”
“Since the MLE are utterly incompetent,” said Barry, “I agree with you.”
“I want to be the one that finds her,” I said grimly.
“Of course you will be, Amy,” said Val soothingly. “We’ll help you.”
She placed some scones on my plate.
“But until then,” she continued, “what better way to pass the time than to catch other bad guys?”
“And gals,” added Barry.
“Well, exactly,” said Val.
“Can’t trust most of them, you know.”
“We don’t seem to have much trouble bumping into them,” I said. “Bad people, I mean.”
“You can’t continue brooding at Fickleton House forever, you know, Amy,” said Val.
“Can’t I?” I said, smiling weakly.
“I would be worried if you didn’t for a while,” said Val. “It shows that you have a heart. And that you want to do the right thing. I… I know you liked him a lot. But at some point, however hard it is, life must go on.”
“Exactly,” said Barry.
I said nothing, instead choosing to stare into the distance. I could tell that Val had been rehearsing what she would say to me for quite some time. And, judging by the lack of snide comments that he usually reserved for all things emotional, I was sure that Barry was in on it, too.
“Whatever the unfortunate circumstances,” Barry continued. “This is an opportunity for you, also.”
“There might even be a few open cases left to solve,” said Val casually.
“You’ve been in contact with this lawyer, haven’t you?” I said, smelling a rat.
“Us?” asked Barry innocently. “Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Your tone of mock indignation, for one, Barry,” I said, breaking into the first real smile since the events at Pembroke Manor.
“Well, what if we have?” said Val, deciding to throw caution to the winds. “It’s still a good idea.”
“I don’t deserve this,” I said immediately.
“You do,” said Val, pressing my hand.
“And even if you didn’t, Amanda,” said Barry. “What better way to repay your debt than to continue Alec’s work?”
“Alec’s old cases, you say?” I asked slowly.
“We talked to the lawyer on Mrs. Faversham’s phone,” said Val. “Most of the cases will be tackled by the MLE, but they’re more than willing to offload some of them. As soon as we set up shop, they’re ours.”
I looked at her in surprise.
“Yours, of course, Amy,” she said apologetically.
“Don’t be silly,” I said. “If we do this – and I did say ‘if’ – all three of us would work together as a team, as we’ve always done.”
Val beamed at me.
“Wait a minute,” said Barry. “I didn’t sign up for anything.”
“I thought you were all for the idea?” I said.
“For you, yes,” he said. “It’s what you’re meant to do. But for me, I prefer the quiet life of the scholar…”
“Are you afraid, Barry?” I asked him, grinning.
“Of course I’m afraid!” he exclaimed. “Alec had all sorts of encounters with drug barons and mobsters – the entire magical underworld! What can a warlock trapped in a cat’s body possibly do against people like that?”
“A great deal, Barry,” I said, “you’ll see soon enough.”
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading The Great Catsby. If you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it, you can be the first to know about new releases and bonus content by joining the mailing list (also known as Barry’s fan club – but don’t tell him that).
The sixth book in the Cozy Conundrums series, The Cat of the Baskervilles, will be available on Amazon soon.
If you’d like to spread the word, reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are a great way of supporting the series. A quick note that you liked it really goes a long way and is deeply appreciated.
I’ll hopefully see you in the next adventure!
Yours truly,
T.H. Hunter