The Tell Tail Heart

by Cate Conte

  Police lights. And a police car blocking the road.

  “Shoot.” He started to put the truck in reverse to back up, but I put my hand on his arm.

  “Wait.”

  He looked curiously at me, but I was getting a bad feeling.

  “Roll up and let’s see if we can find out what’s going on,” I said.

  “Maddie,” he sighed.

  Lucas always hoped I’d stop being Grandpa’s granddaughter. Meaning, he wished I would leave things like this alone. But even though I’d never had any desire to go into law enforcement like Grandpa, I couldn’t seem to stay away from flashing lights and police cars when they appeared in my path. I needed to know what was going on, especially if it could have repercussions in my little corner of the world.

  And right now, given the weird vibe of the day, I was hyperalert to any kind of disturbance.

  “Just a quick look,” I said. “If we can’t find anything out, it’s fine.”

  He frowned but put the truck back in drive. As we approached, a cop got out of the car and stood in front of it. Of course, it was my high school boyfriend Craig.

  Lucas slowed to a stop. I jumped out and went over to Craig. When he saw Lucas in the truck his jaw set, but otherwise his face didn’t change. He’d been practicing his cop look.

  “Hey. What’s going on?” I asked.

  “No one can get through this way right now,” he said. “You’ll have to turn around.”

  “I know, but why?” I edged closer, trying to see past him. A cluster of police cars were parked farther back, near the docks, along with an ambulance flashing its lights. I could see cops moving around down by the rocks that backed up against the wall of the parking area, on the shallow side of the channel.

  When Lucas climbed out of the truck, Craig frowned a little. So much for the cop look. It seemed he still hadn’t completely come to terms with the fact that I’d passed up a chance to rekindle our relationship in favor of jumping into something new with Lucas. “Police investigation,” was all he said.

  I thought of the nearby yacht club. Val, Ava-Rose, and the linens for the party were all behind the wall of flashing lights, and I wondered if my unease all day had been a foreshadowing. Lucas came over and took my hand, a move that was both comforting and a little possessive. “Craig. I think Val was here at the yacht club. What’s going on? Is my sister okay?”

  Craig must have heard the fear in my rising voice, because he softened a bit. “Nothing at the yacht club. Nothing to do with Val. There’s a guy in the water. That’s all I can tell you.” He looked around to see if anyone was watching him. “You should go.”

  “A guy,” I repeated. “Who? How did he get there? Is he alive?”

  “Maddie.” Lucas tugged my arm gently. “Come on. We should go.”

  I locked eyes with Craig. He met my gaze, his own unwavering. He wasn’t giving in. Reluctantly I followed Lucas back to the truck.

  “What do you think that’s all about?” I asked, when we’d climbed back inside. “What does ‘a guy in the water’ mean? A dead guy, or a guy who fell in and needs help?”

  “No idea, but we’ll find out soon enough, I’m sure,” he said, hanging a U-turn and heading back in the direction we’d come.

  I picked up my cell and tried Grandpa. No answer. Next, I called Becky. “We were just driving down by the marina,” I said.

  “Yeah, I got a call there was some chatter on the radio. Sending a guy out now. You hear what happened?”

  I stifled a smile. Becky tended to use her closest friends—that would include me—as auxiliary reporters. “‘Guy in the water’ was all I heard.”

  “I heard that, too. You hear if it was a dead guy or a live guy?”

  “No comment on that,” I said. “Daybreak’s finest is keeping a close eye on the sitch.”

  Becky muttered something, thanked me, and hung up. I looked at Lucas.

  He returned my gaze. “I guess we’re skipping the movie after all,” he said with a wry grin.

  I reached over and grabbed his hand. “I’m sorry. It’s such a weird night … I don’t think I can concentrate. Do you mind?”

  “It’s okay. Seriously.” He squeezed my hand. “Let’s go back to your place. We can snuggle with JJ, watch something funny, and eat ice cream. And wait for the news to roll in. Sound good?”

  “Sounds awesome.” I sank back against the seat gratefully, hoping that when we got home Val, Ethan, and Grandpa would all be there. Then, all would be right with my world and this lingering sense of unease could finally lift.

  We drove the rest of the short distance in companionable silence, and I breathed a sigh of relief when Lucas turned onto our street.

  And then, from the shadowy depths of the ferry parking lot to our right, someone darted out into the road.

  Chapter 7

  I think I screamed. Lucas, luckily, reacted much more calmly. He swerved, cursing under his breath, his arm automatically shooting out to hold me in place even though I wore my seat belt.

  Thank goodness we hadn’t been going fast. And that it wasn’t icy.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, when we’d come to a stop halfway in the oncoming-traffic lane.

  “Yeah.” My hands were shaking as I tried to unclip my seat belt. “Is he okay?” Before I’d closed my eyes and braced for impact, I swore I saw a big, furry leopard coat.

  Before I could get my door open, Leopard Man appeared at the passenger window, peering in at me, causing me to jump.

  Lucas sucked in a breath. “What is this guy doing? Is he drunk? Maddie, don’t open—”

  His words fell on deaf ears as I pushed the door open. “What’s going on?” I demanded. “Are you okay? We could’ve hit you!”

  Leopard Man didn’t look particularly fazed at this news. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. But I need to find your grandfather, and he isn’t home. I thought he might be with you.” He looked truly contrite but still concerned. Almost more shocking than his sudden appearance in front of the truck was the fact that he wasn’t speaking in his usual Shakespeare.

  The unease I’d been trying to fend off all day settled around me like a thick fog, almost choking me. Something was terribly wrong.

  Lucas was taking his cues from me, but he had one foot out of the truck, ready to … do something if the situation warranted it. I could tell he didn’t know what to make of the whole thing, especially since he didn’t have the Leopard Man history that I did. I was pretty sure he thought the whole persona was weird, but he’d never wanted to hurt my feelings by actually saying so out loud.

  “I don’t know if he’s home,” I said. “He didn’t mention going out, but he doesn’t always tell me what’s he’s doing. How did you know I was in this truck?”

  “You two are always in this vehicle.” He glanced up and down the street. It was truly deserted. No one had passed since we’d started this conversation, which was good because we were, after all, in the middle of the road. “I’d like to come to your house and wait for him, if that’s acceptable?”

  “Um. Sure.” It was my turn to look at Lucas for a clue. I hated the thoughts that were going through my head right now. I’d always been a great defender of Leopard Man. Grandpa had always vouched for him, even if my dad had been leery, and Grandpa wouldn’t have ever let me within a hundred yards of Leopard Man if he thought there was anything dangerous about him. But tonight, in the middle of a dark street, with a man in the water and a crazy woman who wanted my cat—a crazy woman who’d been talking to Leopard Man earlier—I was ashamed to admit that I was a bit apprehensive. Nevertheless, manners won out. “Jump in.”

  I could feel Lucas’s eyes boring into the back of my head, but I ignored him. This was Grandpa’s friend and he was asking for help. Grandpa would want me to help him.

  “Is, uh, everything okay?” I asked once Lucas had put the truck in gear and we were moving again.

  Silence from the back seat for so long I wondered
if he’d heard me. Then, I heard his soft voice, almost a purr: “‘It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.’”

  Lucas glanced at me. I knew exactly what he was thinking.

  I turned to look behind me at Leopard Man, but he was staring at his lap. I had no idea what to say to that quote. I couldn’t even remember which play it was from. So I stayed silent until we pulled into our driveway a few seconds later. Grandpa’s truck wasn’t there.

  Ugh.

  When we got out of the truck, Lucas pulled me close. “Are you sure you want to invite him in? He’s acting kind of odd.”

  He was kind of right. Leopard Man’s behavior tonight was certainly odd. Then again, one could argue his behavior every day was odd. I mean, really. Most people didn’t dress up like a big cat, complete with a tail, and walk around quoting Shakespeare all day. But that was normal for him. Sure, he was eccentric. It was part of the charm.

  But his furtive actions and attempts to ambush our truck were a little weird, for sure.

  “Yeah, I’m sure,” was all I said to Lucas. I turned back to wait for Leopard Man, who had taken his time getting out of the truck. Then he paused, shielding his eyes as a car turned into the driveway, headlights washing over us.

  I hoped it was Grandpa Leo, but the headlights were too low to be from his truck. It was Val and Ethan, in her car. They parked and got out. Ethan held a couple of bags of takeout. Chinese, from the smell of it.

  I waved at them, then unlocked the door and motioned for Leopard Man to go inside.

  He removed his leopard-print knit hat and nodded at me as he stepped past me and went inside. Lucas followed. Val and Ethan, catching up to us at the door, both raised quizzical eyebrows at me. Impulsively, I gave Val a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay,” I murmured.

  She stepped back, clearly confused by my gesture. “Of course I’m okay. What’s going on?” She glanced at Leopard Man, outwardly curious.

  “He’s waiting for Grandpa.”

  “Why?”

  “No idea.”

  “Did you see all the commotion down by the marina?” she asked.

  “I did. That’s why I’m glad you’re okay. Do you know anything?”

  Val shook her head. “I was there for a while tonight. Nothing was going on when I got there, but when I left to pick up Ethan the cops were around.”

  “We drove right by there. Craig was at the barricade. I asked him what was up.” I lowered my voice and glanced around. “He said there was a guy in the water.”

  “A guy? Like a dead one?” Val asked. Ethan, who had been quiet up to this point, sucked in a breath. His face had paled a bit under his red beard and he tugged at his knit cap a little nervously. Death made him queasy, and he’d found himself in closer proximity to it recently than he liked.

  “I don’t know. He wouldn’t say anything else. Can we please go in? I’m freezing and I need to check on JJ.” I huddled in my giant North Face jacket. My family had taken to making fun of me for being so cold already this winter. They said I’d lost my New England edge. They were probably right. San Francisco wasn’t L.A. in terms of really hot weather, but still. I’d gotten used to lows of 50 degrees. Already it was hovering right around a balmy 30 degrees on the island, and we weren’t even in full-on winter mode yet.

  Val motioned for me to go inside. I was grateful for the blast of heat that hit me as soon as I walked through the doorway. I’d cranked it up before I left, anticipating the cold night. Leopard Man had shed his giant coat, revealing a plain black shirt paired with his leopard-print pants, and was perched on the edge of the sofa, petting three cats at one time. They were all tripping over one another trying to get closer to him. Sebastian, the orange guy, had already left a coating of orange fur clinging to his black shirt.

  “I let them out,” Lucas said, motioning to the cats. “They were waiting at the doors.”

  Watching our guest with the cats made me feel a little better. Anyone who attracted cats like that had to be okay in my book. Especially considering one of them was my newest resident, a shy gray girl named Gemma, who hadn’t really bonded with anyone yet.

  “That’s fine. Want to make some coffee or tea?” I asked him.

  “I’ll do it,” Ethan offered. He disappeared through the door. I heard coffee grinding a minute later.

  “I’ll help,” Lucas said, and followed him.

  I surveyed the situation. Leopard Man was intent on the cats. Val stood by the wall, seemingly unsure of what to do with herself. I took a breath.

  “I’m sorry about your shirt,” I said.

  Leopard Man looked at me blankly, then glanced down at himself. He let out a chuckle and brushed a bit at the fur. “Shakespeare would have nothing good to say about this,” he said.

  I looked at him quizzically.

  He shrugged. “Shakespeare was not a cat lover. His mentions of cats were largely negative. It is my one disappointment with the famous bard.” He stroked Gemma’s ears with one hand and Muffin’s chin with the other. “I, however, feel a closer kinship to cats than people.”

  I nodded. I could totally relate.

  When Lucas came out with a mug of coffee, I used the opportunity to excuse myself.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said, and took both flights two at a time to the third floor. I shoved open my bedroom door, breathing a sigh of relief when I saw JJ still curled up on my pillow. He opened one eye, twitched his ear, then closed his eye again. I could hear him purring all the way from across the room. My heart swelled with love. I picked him up and snuggled him close. He squeaked in protest. “Ah, too bad.” I kissed his nose and placed him back on the bed. He promptly went back to sleep.

  “I can see the day’s events have you all stressed out,” I said dryly.

  He didn’t acknowledge my sarcasm. Closing the door behind me, I headed back downstairs.

  Back in the living room, Val had vanished, Leopard Man still petted the cats, and Ethan had brought more coffee. Mugs for each of us sat steaming on the table next to the couch. Lucas was in the cat room cleaning again.

  I sat on the opposite end of the couch. Before I could speak, Leopard Man said, so softly I barely heard him, “I’m sorry you ran into some unpleasantness today.”

  “Unpleasantness?” I repeated, my stomach flipping over. So the crazy woman had been telling him about it. “How did you…”

  He opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Grandpa came in through the front door. At the sound, Ethan, Val, and Lucas emerged from their various hiding places. He took one look at us all and said, “We’ll be downstairs.” He motioned for Leopard Man to follow him, which he did without a word, leaving us staring after them.

  Chapter 8

  Lucas and I looked at each other.

  “What do you suppose that was about?” I asked Lucas. My mind was already spinning with the possibilities. Grandpa hadn’t looked surprised to see Leopard Man, which made me wonder. However, it could just be the cop face. I wondered if he knew anything about the guy in the water.

  “I don’t know. He’s your grandfather,” Lucas pointed out. “And Leopard Man is his friend. Well, I guess your friend, too, right?”

  “Yeah.” I sat back and crossed my arms. “Do you think I should go down?”

  “Um, no,” Lucas said. “I don’t. I think your grandfather would’ve invited you if he wanted you to be a part of this.”

  Not the answer I wanted, but I knew he was right. I let out a sigh. “This is a weird night. It feels wrong to be sitting here watching TV.”

  “Yeah, but you need something to take your mind off things.” He came and sat next to me on the couch, slipping an arm around my shoulders. “Should we still watch something funny?”

  “Like what?”

  “Your pick.”

  I thought about that. “Something with Melissa McCarthy?”

  “You got it.” He kissed the top of my head, then leaned over and grabbed the TV remote off the coffee table. Jasmine, t
he kitty who’d been snuggling with Jason Holt, leaped up onto the couch, settling half on my leg and half on Lucas’s. I reached down and rubbed behind her soft ears. She purred her contentment.

  “Where’s Val?” I asked.

  “Upstairs. She got a call. Something about napkins.” Lucas shrugged. “She likes that stuff, I guess?”

  “She does.” I wanted to go get JJ but didn’t want to disturb Jasmine. I settled in and stroked her fur, but she jumped anyway when the doorbell rang. “What now?” I muttered.

  Lucas was fixated on scrolling through the Netflix options featuring Melissa McCarthy, so I headed for the front door.

  I’d already grabbed the doorknob when dread hit the pit of my stomach. What if the crazy lady was back? Was it something worse? This had been the strangest day, and I hesitated. The bell rang again. I wished there were a peephole, like in my high-rise apartment back in San Francisco. I could’ve peered out the window next to the door, but whoever it was would definitely see me in that case.

  I took a deep breath, pulled the door open, and saw that I had every reason to feel dread. Sergeant Mick Ellory of the Daybreak PD stood on the other side. And any time Ellory showed up on my doorstep, it was not a good sign.

  “Maddie,” he said with a nod, those steely eyes piercing mine. He offered me a small smile, as if to try to take the tenseness out of the situation. It was progress. For a while, we couldn’t stand the sight of each other. At least now we could have a civil conversation.

  “Hi. Everything okay?” I asked brightly.

  “Sorry to interrupt your evening,” Ellory said without answering my question.

  I shrugged. “It’s fine, Sergeant. How can I help you?”

  “I need your grandfather’s expertise. Is he here?”

  “Mick,” I heard Grandpa say.

  I spun around, surprised. “I didn’t hear you come up.”

  Grandpa kept his eyes on our guest.

  “Hello, Chief,” Ellory said.

  That raised my eyebrows. While the majority of cops on the island still thought of Grandpa as the chief, most of them—especially all-business Ellory—didn’t acknowledge it out of respect for the current chief. If he was “chiefing” Grandpa Leo, he must really need his help.