“I don’t know.” Alice picked at the crust of her dan tat, scattering flaky bits across the table.
“Oh, princess,” Dad said, placing his hand on top of hers. He beckoned to the rest of us. “Time for a group hug.”
Scraping our chairs back, we bustled over to Alice’s side. After the family hug, the crease on her forehead lessened, and Alice could nibble at an egg tart again. “Thanks, I feel better.”
We settled back in our seats, and Alice turned to me. “What about you, Mimi? How’s the new shop going?”
I looked at each loving person around the table: Alice, her eyes sparkling with kindness; Dad, a wide grin splitting his face; and Ma, her head tilted toward me with interest. How could I tell them the truth? That no customers came by? Even worse, that I could be on the verge of getting arrested?
I snatched a dan tat and stuffed it in my mouth. “Everything’s fine,” I said with my mouth full.
They exchanged puzzled looks with one another. Just then, I saw some white fur waltzing by. Ah, the distraction I needed.
I swallowed. “Marshmallow,” I said, picking him up. He’d finally woken up from his power nap on my childhood canopied bed. “Thanks for giving him to me, Alice.”
Marshmallow swished his tail at me. “And thank you for lifting me up closer to the treats,” he said. “I’m famished.”
“What a cute name,” Alice said. Her light brown eyes seemed to glow. “May I hold him for a minute?”
“Be my guest.” I placed Marshmallow on my sister’s lap, where she fussed over him. She petted him until he sounded like a running motor with his continuous purring.
“Maybe the food can wait,” he said, stretching across Alice’s legs.
Seeing the fragile peace that existed while Alice stroked Marshmallow’s head, Ma and Dad gave each other thin smiles. Their heads swiveled her way, watching my baby sis with anxious eyes.
With Alice’s problem revealed, I couldn’t add to the stress and dump my troubles onto my family, too. I’d have to get out of the mess on my own. And after Alice had finished pampering Marshmallow, I knew one place where I might go to gather clues.
* * *
• • •
Marshmallow and I stood on the sidewalk near the dried-up lawn of Russ Nolan’s house. It looked shut up tight. In fact, a coroner’s notice sealed the front door. Could I sneak in without getting caught? After all, the fading sunlight might mask my movements.
Even if I did, though, would I leave behind more incriminating evidence to get me locked behind bars? I shuddered at the thought of seeing Detective Brown again, this time with handcuffs held out to me.
If only I had some sort of camera. Or a drone. Something to be my eyes and ears without stepping foot into the actual crime scene. But wait a minute—I did.
I turned to Marshmallow. “Want to have an adventure? Bet you could wander inside and nobody would know the difference.”
He trained his blue eyes on me. “Are you kidding? I don’t need a record.”
“You watch too much CSI. Cats don’t get arrested.” I pointed to myself. “People do.”
He licked his paw with long, even strokes. “What’s in it for me?”
“Justice and doing the right thing?” I said.
Marshmallow continued grooming.
I tried something more persuasive. “Catnip?”
“No drugs for me, sister.”
“How about you get to keep me as an owner?”
He gave me a slow blink.
“If that happens,” I said, “you’ll get to see Alice a lot more. You two seem to have a great bond.”
His ears perked up at that. Could he be convinced to do the deed? Before he even made a move, a loud screech sounded from behind us.
A sleek Mercedes SUV bumped up to the curb, and a woman in her midthirties got out. She was dressed much younger than her age, having adopted an artificial teenager look by wearing a teal cropped tank with sequined letters that read “Armstrong Academy.” However, everyone in La La Land seemed to look for youth, whether by procedures, cosmetics, or attitude.
Her auburn hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and she sported oversize tortoiseshell sunglasses. The woman clomped her way toward us in rhinestone-encrusted sandals.
“Oh no. Russ Nolan must’ve gotten on someone else’s bad side, too.” The woman plucked her sunglasses off and stuffed them inside her leather crossbody bag with metal rivets on the sides. Her face appeared caked with bright makeup, just shy of obvious clown material.
“I don’t know anything,” I said, shaking my head multiple times, as though that could sever invisible connections to the murder. I’d been seen arguing with the man before he’d died. I wondered if I seemed guilty, not only to Detective Brown but to strangers like this lady. “Actually, I only met Russ Nolan yesterday.”
Maybe I’d said his name with distaste, because the woman said, “Did he do you wrong in a day? That’s a record. Welcome to the sisterhood, then. I’m Tammy.” She offered her hand to me. When I went to shake it, she started making a complicated hand jive motion.
“Um.” I stepped a bit back from her.
“You’re not in the know? Guess not everyone’s in tune with the latest and greatest.” Was she trying to sound retro hip?
I wonder how well she knew the breeder and if she could provide me with any useful info. “Tammy, how did you meet Russ Nolan?”
“Bought a teacup Chi from him recently.” Tammy’s fire-iron red lips curved down in displeasure.
I thought back to my interactions with Indira and Lauren, who’d both bought tiny yippy dogs from him. “Did your dog happen to get sick?”
“How did you know? Do you own one of his dogs, too?” Her chestnut eyes locked on to Marshmallow, sitting beside me. “Guess not. I see you’re more of a cat lover.”
It would take too long to set the record straight for her, how this gift of a cat was not exactly so desirable, so I decided to nod instead.
“Well,” she continued, “imagine my surprise when Kale’s kneecap slipped. She started dragging her lame leg.”
All the little Chihuahuas from the breeder seemed to have similar problems. Why was that? “How’s Kale now?” I asked.
“Not good. And I wanted to give that breeder a piece of my mind.” Tammy strode toward the sealed door and started shifting the tape. “I wonder what happened to him. Was it an accident? Revenge of the Dogs?”
“Don’t touch that sticker. That’s a real crime scene.”
She turned to me with her hands on her hips. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“No, not much,” I stammered. “I heard, uh, a rumor that it was a homicide.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “How come you know about the sick dogs? Are you in cahoots with Russ, too? Buddies with that breeder Magnus down the street? He was supposed to be a top-notch guy, according to my mommy gal pals, but now I’m not so sure.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m just a pet groomer and stumbled upon a few odd-acting puppies recently.”
“Mm-hmm.” She sized me up. “I’m a great judge of character. As acting president of the PTA, I keep kids safe from predators.”
“Honest to goodness, I’m a groomer. Let me get you my business card.” I scrounged through my tote. How could I find anything in this humongous and unfamiliar Hello Kitty bag? “Or perhaps I can give you some references? I’ve worked with Lauren Dalton—”
“Oh, Lauren.” Tammy gave a gasp of delight. “She’s generously donated to the school. If you know her, you should be in the clear. Plus, she’s my pet yoga buddy.”
Yoga again. “Do you know Indira as well?” I asked.
“I’ve probably seen her around.” Tammy dug into her small purse, pulling out her sunglasses and slipping them on. “Did you say you’re a groomer?�
�
She could be another viable customer. “One minute,” I said as my hand finally closed around a familiar rectangular shape. I handed my card to Tammy.
“‘Hollywoof,’” she read, giving me her fiery red smile. “I like it. Sounds happening. Catch you on the flip side.”
“Sure. Goodbye.” I waved to Tammy as she opened her car door and slid into the driver’s seat.
As she screeched off in the SUV, the neighboring house’s upstairs window popped open. “This is a residential street, not a racetrack,” a familiar-sounding voice said.
A woman with a haggard face and frizzy hair trapped under a sweatband peeked over the windowsill. “You again,” she said, her face puckering like those shriveled red dates Ma put in her herbal soups. “Don’t move a muscle. I’m coming down right now to have a word with you.”
CHAPTER
six
THE NEIGHBOR MARCHED over to the sidewalk to confront me. However, she wore lounge pants and a sweatshirt that read “I’d rather be watching YouTube,” and she didn’t look ready for company. In one hand, she held a rolled-up newspaper, which she brandished at me. I felt like a pesky fly she couldn’t wait to swat.
“What do you think you’re doing traipsing around this lovely neighborhood?” She shook her head and muttered, “We all used to keep our doors unlocked on this block. Except for Russ Nolan. At least I convinced him not to chain up his side gate. But ever since Russ moved in, things have gone downhill.”
So the breeder had been a new arrival. Could he have brought unsavory characters with him to the area? “When did Russ Nolan buy here?” I asked.
She stopped waving her newspaper and snorted at me. “Please. Russ Nolan couldn’t ever own a house in this neighborhood. That wretched Kevin Walker, my old neighbor’s son, started renting out the place last year after his mother kicked the bucket. Not that she was a great neighbor, either, always taking the borrowing-sugar rule to the extreme.”
She stood there, tapping her foot against the concrete, and waited for a response from me. I couldn’t shed any light on her neighbors, but I did apologize for my presence. “Sorry to disturb you, ma’am. I had to come back today because my cat, uh, lost his collar.” I pointed at Marshmallow.
His blue eyes narrowed at me. “How dare you pin the blame on me.”
The neighbor did a double take. “I didn’t notice him. Smart choice on your part. Cats make great pets, so quiet and clean.” She aimed the newspaper tube at Russ Nolan’s front door. “Not like those pesky dogs Russ kept, with their constant barking. Worse than those puppies the dog collector Magnus Cooper has on Oak Lane. Lives two streets away, but still walks his dogs around here.”
One of her comments caught my attention. “Did you actually hear those puppies?” Hadn’t Russ soundproofed the dog room with thick blankets?
She puffed out her chest. “I’ve got quite the hearing, even though I’m pushing seventy. I told Russ plenty of times to knock it off. Their constant noise caused me migraines.” Massaging her brow, she continued, “Called the police station once, but they said it was my neighbor’s right to own a few dogs.”
So she didn’t know how many dogs Russ actually owned, or that he’d bred them for profit.
She squinted at me. “You don’t look like his usual type.”
“Excuse me?”
“Russ. Not a single male buddy, but always parading his girlfriends around the neighborhood. Men nowadays, dating multiple women at the same time. Whatever happened to old-fashioned courtship?” She smacked the newspaper against the palm of her hand. “Loose morals.”
I choked. “I wasn’t dating Russ.”
She harrumphed at me, clearly not believing a word I said.
My mind flashed to a comparison of Josh against Russ. I couldn’t help but cringe and said, “For crying out loud, didn’t you hear me argue with Russ? We’re not a couple. I don’t like him one tiny bit.”
“The lady doth protest too much. You two had a lover’s spat,” she said, nodding her head. “And it caused a major neighborhood disturbance.”
Those words echoed what Detective Brown had told me. “Aha, so you were the one who reported me to the police.” My hands started clenching and unclenching.
Marshmallow nudged my leg. “Cool it,” he said, but I shook my head. This lady had practically handed me over to the police as a murder suspect.
I shook my fist at the neighbor. “I’m in deep trouble now because of your big mou—”
Meow.
The neighbor and I both looked at Marshmallow, who’d let out the huge cry and had now shrunk himself into a fluffball. He peeked up at us with wide baby blue eyes.
An involuntary aww came out of the neighbor’s mouth. “You definitely have much better taste in animals than in men.”
I took a deep breath and relaxed my hands. “Thanks.” I said it in response to Marshmallow saving my hide, but she didn’t have to know that. My anger would only give this nosy neighbor more ammunition for the police to use.
Marshmallow twitched his whiskers at me and said, “Watch this.” He held up a paw to the woman.
She unfurled her newspaper and fanned Marshmallow. “Do you think your cat’s okay? He’s acting weird. Is it heatstroke?”
“Tell her to shake my paw,” Marshmallow said.
“What?”
The neighbor stopped fanning and peered at me. “It’s those rock concerts, right? Makes young people lose their hearing. I said, Do you think your cat’s okay?”
I gestured to Marshmallow’s paw. “He’s fine. Just waiting for you to shake his paw.”
“Huh?” She stretched her left hand out to Marshmallow—and he tapped it.
After shaking hands with him, the neighbor smiled at Marshmallow. “What manners. How do you do? My name is Shirl, and you are . . .”
“His name’s Marshmallow,” I said.
She clucked her tongue. “He needs a more suitable name. How about Emperor?”
“Shirl’s got great taste,” Marshmallow said. “Emperor would be a more fitting name.”
Shirl tapped her chin. “Have you taught him to do any other tricks? I saw a cat flushing the toilet the other day on YouTube.”
“Oh, he has plenty of skills.” I patted Marshmallow on the head. “But I can’t show you them right now.” I didn’t know if he had any more tricks up his sleeve.
“Maybe when you practice and perfect them?”
“Yeah, sure. I take it we’re okay. You won’t call the police on me?”
She nodded, but her eyes were fixed on Marshmallow. “Not today, anyway.”
“Thank you again,” I whispered to Marshmallow as we headed back to the car. Near the door of my Prius, I paused and tried to give him a high five. He left me hanging.
Licking his fur, Marshmallow said, “Tricks are my secret weapons, Mimi. I can’t give them out to people like party favors.”
“Fine.” I settled us into the car. Right after I buckled in, my phone rang. It played “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge.
I picked up. “Alice, is everything all right?”
Her voice sounded muffled. “I locked myself in the bathroom so I could talk to you. Ma and Dad are still trying to cheer me up. She started making another batch of egg tarts, and he almost suffocated me with his last bear hug. They even asked me to sleep over here, like a little girl.”
A text pinged in the middle of our conversation. I ignored it.
“Sorry I left you with them, but I had to go and take care of something,” I said.
“Does this have anything to do with your phone call to my classroom? I swear I won’t tell Ma and Dad.”
I didn’t need Alice to worry about me. She already seemed plenty stressed by her work. “Oh, that? An accidental butt dial.”
I heard the water faucet turn on from her end. “Almost d
one,” Alice shouted. Then, in a lower voice, she said, “You called my cell, too, Mimi. That means you wanted to talk to me.”
“Um, double butt dial?”
“I don’t believe you.” She shut off the water. “But I need to go before Ma breaks down the door. Please let me know if you need anything at all.”
After she’d hung up, I remembered the ignored beep and checked my messages. Who had texted during the call? Ma. Of course.
Your sister lock herself inside washroom. Crying. You jiejie, big sister, can go fix. I call already school office and make you appointment. Tomorrow morning, eight.
CHAPTER
seven
LOCATED IN THE San Fernando Valley, Roosevelt Elementary was a prim schoolhouse made with storybook red brick construction. A giant American flag, alongside a bear-emblazoned state banner, flew high above a shiny metal pole. Every morning, Alice told me, the students recited the Pledge of Allegiance with their hands over their hearts.
Climbing the stone stairs, I crept past the stately columns guarding the front. I moved at a snail’s pace through the hallway, dreading the upcoming confrontation.
After Ma had scheduled the appointment, I couldn’t cancel it at the last minute and unleash even more ill will against my sister. Since I knew I needed to be the protective older sister, the burden rested heavily on my shoulders. I would have to help Alice and save the Lee family name from dishonor.
I paused before the school office and took a deep breath to steady myself. Marching inside, I noticed a long counter in the front, lined with bright neon flyers advertising various activities, all emphasized with exclamation points: “Sculpt with Clay!” “Engineer Through Legos!” “Cheerlead by Waving Fuzzy Pom-Poms!” The harried-looking receptionist, glued to a phone, peeked at a sturdy clock on the wall and mouthed, “Mimi Lee?”
I nodded, so she pointed behind her to a closed door with a frosted glass window. Walking over to it, I saw the word “PRINCIPAL” etched in faded gold on the opaque surface. I tried to peer through the murky glass but couldn’t see a thing. I wondered what horrors might meet me inside.
Mimi Lee Gets a Clue Page 5