Felines and Footprints

by Jinty James

  “I’m worried people will show up for the morning service before we can let them know church is cancelled today.”

  “Okay.” Lauren grabbed a quick shower and put on suitable attire for visiting the church grounds on a Sunday – tailored fawn slacks and a teal sweater.

  “Let’s go.” She rejoined Zoe and the felines in the living room.

  “Brrt?” Annie asked inquiringly, looking at her with big green eyes.

  “Want to come, Annie?” Zoe invited her. “We’re going to tell everyone that—” she lowered her voice “—Father Mike can’t make it to church today.”

  “Brrt!” Yes!

  “Will you be okay on your own, Mrs. Snuggle?” Lauren asked.

  The white cat grumbled a reply.

  “I think that means yes,” Zoe said. “We won’t be long,” she told their guest. “But we might visit Mrs. Finch on the way home and check she’s okay.”

  Mrs. Snuggle didn’t bother to answer this time, just returned her gaze to the screen.

  “I’ve already made a notice.” Zoe thrust it at Lauren.

  No church service today because Father Mike is stuck in Florida due to a pilot’s strike. But don’t worry, he’ll get back here as soon as he can!

  “Looks good.” Lauren nodded.

  After buckling Annie into her lavender harness, the trio trooped out of the house.

  “Luckily it’s not that far to walk to the church,” Zoe said as they set out.

  “It’s good exercise,” Lauren agreed. The weather was a touch chilly, but the sky was blue and the sky shone down on them. “The sun feels good.”

  “Yeah.” Zoe closed her eyes and turned her face up to the sky. “Mmm.”

  “Watch where you’re going.” They passed a streetlamp.

  “Oops!”

  Lauren told her about her upcoming lunch date with Mitch at the vineyard.

  “Will you be okay to cat sit Mrs. Snuggle? Or if you’ve got something planned with Chris, she should be all right on her own. She’s been okay when Annie’s been in the café with us.”

  “Chris and I planned on going to Gary’s at lunch for burgers, but—” she snapped her fingers “—I can ask Chris to pick them up and we can have them at the cottage, and give Mrs. Snuggle and Annie plain patties.”

  “Thanks.” Lauren touched her arm. She glanced down at her fur baby. “Is that okay with you?”

  “Brrt!” Yes!

  They reached the Victorian-era church.

  Lauren shivered when she glanced at the spot on the gravel where they’d found Gavin. But now, there was no trace anything had happened, apart from some deep tire tracks that could belong to the killer vehicle, or the police.

  “Oh, good, there’s no one here.” Zoe rushed to the door and held up her notice against it.

  “Did you bring some tape?” Lauren realized she hadn’t thought of that.

  “Yep.” Zoe dug into her pants’ pocket and pulled out a small roll. She stuck the piece of paper onto the door. “I hope no one gets mad that there isn’t a service today.”

  “Me too.”

  “Let’s visit Mrs. Finch on the way home,” Zoe suggested. “I wonder if she knows how to play gin rummy? We could do that on craft club nights sometimes when we’re not doing any actual crafting.”

  “Good idea.” Lauren smiled.

  They turned to go.

  “Isn’t that Janice?” Lauren paused mid-step.

  “What’s she doing here?” Zoe sounded puzzled.

  “Brrt?”

  Janice was bent over, staring at the gravel in the parking lot, as if looking for something. She wore her brown coat and gray slacks.

  “There’s no church service today,” Zoe called to her. “We’ve just put up a notice.” She pointed behind her to the wooden door.

  “Oh! Zoe. Lauren.” Janice jerked her head up, seemingly startled. “I didn’t realize you were here.” She glanced around the empty parking lot. “I thought I was alone. You brought your cat with you.” She smiled at Annie.

  Annie sniffed the gravel and then looked straight at her with alert green eyes. Janice took a step back.

  “We walked,” Zoe told her. “We wanted to get here before anyone came to church. Father Mike’s stuck in Florida due to a pilot strike, and since Gavin ...” she trailed off awkwardly.

  “That’s a shame about Father Mike. I hope no one will be upset about missing out on church today.” Janice looked at her watch. “I’d better go home in a minute and warn Grandma and Aunt Virginia so they don’t have a wasted trip.”

  “Have you lost something?” Lauren asked. Annie’s Lost and Found on Friday flickered in her mind. She turned to Zoe.

  “Yeah, Annie found something in the café on Friday.” Zoe appeared to read her cousin’s mind.

  “Brrt!”

  “What was it?” Janice asked, pulling her coat tight around her waist.

  “A cigarette case,” Zoe replied. “Like in an old movie.”

  “I didn’t know many people smoked these days,” Janice commented.

  Lauren frowned, remembering the slight whiff of smoke from Janice’s coat one day in the café. Had it been the first time she’d visited?

  “I’m afraid I have to go.” Janice turned to leave. “It was nice bumping into you.”

  “Which way are you walking?” Zoe asked. “We’re going this way.” She pointed to the left.

  “The other way,” Janice replied quickly.

  “Brrt!” Annie pawed at the gravel around the same area where they’d discovered Gavin’s body. “Brrt!” She looked directly at Janice.

  Lauren glanced down at the gray gravel. The footprints they’d seen on the day of Gavin’s death had disappeared. In fact, if she hadn’t known what had happened, she wouldn’t have suspected anything untoward had taken place here.

  “Have you found something, Annie?” Zoe bent down and peered at the gravel. “It’s not another cigarette case, is it?” Her hand swept over the gravel, as if searching for something.

  Janice shifted.

  “Just joking.” Zoe straightened. “There’s nothing there.” She put her hand into her pants’ pocket and pulled out something shiny. “Is this what you were looking for?”

  “My cigarette case!” Janice darted forward.

  “I knew it!” Virginia’s strident voice made Lauren flinch.

  “Aunt – Aunt Virginia!” Janice paled.

  “I knew you were up to no good, young lady!” Virginia was dressed in her Sunday best, a well cut, somber colored skirt and matching jacket.

  “What are you doing here?” Janice asked, taking a step back.

  “I had to check that Ethel has arranged the flowers properly, so I decided to walk here,” she told her. “Last time it was her turn, she made a dreadful mess of it, and people were talking about it for a week afterward. Father Mike will allow me to enter before the service.”

  “There’s no church today,” Zoe informed her. “Father Mike’s been delayed.”

  “That is just too bad.” Virginia tutted. “Really.”

  “There was a pilot’s strike,” Lauren said. “Father Mike can’t help being delayed.”

  “I suppose not.” Virginia pressed her lips together. Then she turned her attention to her great-niece. “Come along, Janice.” She held out her hand to Zoe. “You will give me that dreadful item, thank you.”

  “This?” Zoe dangled the silver case.

  “Zoe!” Lauren hissed.

  “Yes.” Virginia tapped her foot.

  “I thought it was Janice’s.”

  “It’s mine now.” Virginia glared at Zoe. “And I will be throwing it in the trash. Because that’s where cigarettes and everything to do with them belong.” She turned to Janice. “I knew you were sneaking out the back door at scrapbooking.” She pointed to the hall. “Don’t think I don’t know how long it takes to brew a pot of coffee.”

  Lauren’s eyes widened.

  “Brrt.” Annie pawed the gravel, then loo
ked up at Lauren.

  Janice’s alibi for Gavin’s death was scrapbooking with Doris and Virginia. But if she’d left through the back entrance while supposedly in the kitchen ...

  Zoe turned to Lauren. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “I heard a door slam in the church hall when we introduced Gavin to the scrapbooking group,” Lauren said slowly.

  Janice paled.

  “You own the cigarette case,” Lauren said slowly to Janice. “But why would you lie about it?”

  Janice turned red, then white.

  “Because it’s a shameful habit,” Virginia told them with a scowl.

  “Don’t you think I need a bit of stress relief having to live with Aunt Virginia?”

  “Definitely,” Zoe allowed. “I’d probably need to smoke too if I was in your situation, but—”

  “What about your grandmother, Doris?” Lauren broke in.

  “She’s great,” Janice said. “But we can’t afford to live on our own. Aunt Virginia took us in and we have to repay her by staying with her and practically waiting on her hand and foot. Well, I do.” She grimaced. “She says it’s the least I can do after losing – after what happened.”

  “Of course it is, you ungrateful girl,” Virginia snapped.

  “What happened?” Zoe pressed.

  “Nothing.” Janice shook her head vehemently. “Just give me the cigarette case and I’ll go home.”

  “You are not getting your hands on that item again,” Virginia told her. “No more smoking. Do you hear me?”

  “Everyone can hear you,” Janice said resentfully. “I’m not a child. I can smoke if I want.”

  “Not if you want to keep living in my house.”

  “It’s a shame I’ve never had the chance to run you over!” Janice sucked in a huge breath when she realized what she’d said and her eyes widened. “Oh, Aunt Virginia, I didn’t mean—"

  “You killed Gavin!” Zoe pointed her finger at her.

  “Keep your voice down.” Janice swung her head wildly, as if checking for passersby. There was no one around. “No, I didn’t.” She stared at them, tears suddenly forming in her eyes. “It ... it was an accident – sort of.”

  “I think you should explain,” Lauren said.

  “Brrt!”

  Janice shoved her hands in her coat pockets.

  “At scrapbooking on Thursday, I was about to go out the back and have a sneaky cigarette, when I heard a car. Grandma and Aunt Virginia were arguing about the right color of cardstock to use, so I knew they wouldn’t miss me.”

  “Is that when you were making the coffee?” Zoe’s eyes widened.

  “Yeah. There’s a back door in that tiny kitchen.”

  They all ignored Virginia’s snort.

  “So I went outside and Gavin was in the parking lot, getting out of his car. He’s the last person I wanted to see, and I was going to scurry back inside, and then I got mad. I thought, why should I have to hide from him? He should be hiding from me!” She pointed a finger at them, punctuating her point.

  “Why?” Lauren asked.

  “Because he ripped me off! Worse, he ripped off Grandma!”

  “Oh no,” Zoe murmured.

  “Oh, yeah! We went to the same college in Oregon. He was two years ahead of me. One day my roommate told me about this investment scheme, where you could double your money in a couple of weeks. She’d put in a hundred dollars, and got back two hundred.”

  “Was Gavin running it?” Lauren had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

  Janice nodded. “So I put in one hundred, and I get back two hundred, just like my roomie. Then I put in the two hundred, and I get back four hundred. It was amazing! A lot of the students were talking about it, and they were going in it again and again, with larger amounts of money. I asked Gavin how he could provide such good returns and he said it was one of the high yield investment programs that all the rich people took part in, and that’s how they were so rich.”

  She paused.

  “You met Gavin. I bet he made a good impression on you, didn’t he?”

  “Yes,” Lauren admitted, “although I did wonder about him being a bit too sincere.”

  “Even if he was a priest – or was he?” Zoe’s eyes widened. “Mrs. Snuggle didn’t like him, though.”

  “I noticed Annie frowned at him when we caught him in Father Mike’s study,” Lauren added.

  “Of course he was a priest, you silly girls.” Virginia turned to Janice. “I cannot believe you are blaming Gavin. You lost Doris’s money, and you are responsible. Although why Doris was foolish enough to trust you with her finances is something I will never be able to fathom.”

  Janice tightened her jaw and continued. “Gavin made the scheme sound plausible. He said his brother worked in one of those big investment firms and that’s how he knew about it. I told Grandma about it, and she put in all her retirement savings.”

  “And she lost all her money?” Zoe guessed.

  “Yes. And I lost all my money, too. Since Grandma was putting in all her savings, I thought it only fair I put in everything. Two days before we were due to double our money, Gavin disappeared – with everyone’s funds.”

  “I’m sorry,” Lauren said.

  “No one was ever able to find him – and back then his name was Garth, not Gavin. And it turned out he didn’t have a brother. Some of the students tried to go after him but hit a dead end. So did the police. Everything he told us was a bunch of made-up nonsense.”

  Lauren thought she sounded just like her Aunt Virginia then.

  “Imagine my surprise when he stops by our scrapbooking group and introduces himself as the supply priest while Father Mike’s away. I couldn’t believe it!”

  “So that’s why you acted a little strange when we were there with him,” Lauren said.

  “I thought I was going to faint for a second. And I was trying to get a really good look at him, to make sure it was him.”

  “What did you do?” Zoe asked.

  “Nothing. What could I do? Who was going to believe me that Gavin, this charming new priest, was actually a conman? I did call the parish office though, asking after him, and they told me he was a real priest. So either he went to seminary school after he ran off with everyone’s money from college and became legitimate, or he somehow faked his way into the parish.”

  “What about going to the police?” Lauren asked.

  “I had no proof. It was my word against his. He ripped us off in Oregon, and this is California. Would they even be interested in going after him after seven years?

  “After Grandma had to sell her house, because she couldn’t afford the running costs with her savings wiped out, we moved here to live with Aunt Virginia and I changed schools. Now I’ve got student loans to repay, which is one of the reasons why I haven’t tried to find a place to rent for just me and Grandma, and I’m trying to pay back Grandma a little each month. Plus, it’s really hard to find anything decent around here, no matter how much it costs.”

  “That’s true.” Zoe nodded. “Chris was lucky to find a house, but the outside isn’t in great shape.”

  “Aunt Virginia keeps reminding me about how she took us in and it’s my duty to do practically everything in the house. I don’t mind, because I am grateful, but it does annoy me when she goes on and on about it.”

  Virginia snorted in disgust.

  “But worst of all, I feel so guilty that I lost all of Grandma’s savings.” Janice’s face crumpled.

  “I’m sorry,” Lauren said, feeling helpless.

  “Brrp,” Annie added.

  “How does your grandmother feel about it?” Zoe asked. “You two seem to get on well.”

  “She’s been amazing.” Janice blinked through her tears. “Of course, she was upset, but she didn’t blame me. She said she shouldn’t have been so greedy, and it was obviously too good to be true. She doesn’t even want me to pay her back the money she lost, although I am. Because I blame me.”

>   “But how did you kill Gavin accidentally?” Lauren asked.

  “Yeah, you did say that – didn’t you?” Zoe added.

  “Brrt.”

  “So when I saw him that afternoon out here—” Janice swept her arm around the small parking lot “—I decided to confront him. I marched up to him and said, “What are you doing here?” And he said, “Your aunt asked me to stop by scrapbooking.” And then I told him he had a lot of nerve coming here after what he did to me and Grandma – and he laughed! He said, “No one can give you one hundred percent returns in two weeks – everyone I suckered deserved it.”

  “So he did recognize you,” Lauren commented.

  “Yes.” Janice nodded. “He said, “I always thought you were cute in college, but your money was cuter. You gave me a start when I recognized you the other day in the hall, but what are you going to do?” And then he shrugged, like he knew the answer was nothing. He didn’t seem worried that I might have contacted the police on that Monday.

  “I was so mad, I had no idea what I was doing. He’d left the keys in the ignition so I jumped into his car, started the engine, and drove at him. When I realized what I’d done, I got out of the car and checked for a pulse, but he was dead.”

  “And the footprints?” Lauren asked.

  “They were mine. I didn’t know what to do when I saw my footprints in the mud and gravel, so I took my shoes off and returned to the church hall through the back door. I had tissues in my pocket and I wiped off the mud and—” she winced “—anything else off my shoes, and put them back on.”

  “What about your fingerprints on the steering wheel and the ignition?” Zoe asked. “And the car door?”

  “I wiped them off with the bottom of my sweater,” Janice said with a tinge of satisfaction. “There are so many crime dramas these days, that even Grandma probably knows how to get rid of fingerprints so you can’t get caught. And I didn’t get caught.”

  “Until now,” Lauren reminded her.

  “Yes,” Virginia said. “I’m very disappointed in you, Janice. You grandmother tried to raise you right, and give you everything she could, and this is how you repay her. First, by losing all her money, and now by killing a priest.”

  “You’re right.” Janice pressed her lips together. “You might as well arrest me.” She held out hands to Lauren and Zoe in resignation, as if expecting to be handcuffed.