I walked her over to the front door and held it open, since she was cradling Ash in her arms. After the door had closed with a soft chime, Marshmallow got up from his sunning spot and scooted toward me.
“Indira sounded vicious,” he said. “She didn’t express any sympathy whatsoever for Russ Nolan.”
“But words can’t really hurt people. Fists do. That’s what I told Detective Brown last night.”
“Ah, the secret phone conversation behind closed bedroom doors. You know, I didn’t totally fall asleep before you went into your room.” Marshmallow twitched his nose at me. “So what’s your theory about the murderer?”
“I bet you saw Magnus Cooper from the porch. He’s a giant of a man. He could have easily crushed Russ Nolan.” I tapped a finger against my bottom lip. “The only flaw in my thinking is that I’m not sure why he used a weapon. He wouldn’t need to.”
“Is that what the cop said? He probably didn’t buy Magnus as the killer.”
I nodded. “Detective Brown didn’t agree with me. But Magnus had two motives. Defending his reputation and freeing the dogs. He even confessed to me that he took the puppies.”
Marshmallow chuckled. “Then there’s no way he could have killed Russ Nolan.”
“Whyever not?”
“Oh, please. Kill a man and try to lead away a pack of pups at the same time? They’d be in a barking frenzy if Magnus, a stranger, stepped onto the property.”
“Wouldn’t Magnus, as a breeder, know how to handle the noise?”
“Puppies aren’t known for their stealth. I mean, have you ever heard of a dog burglar?” Marshmallow flicked his tail in the air. “Besides, they’re not as well-behaved as us cats. The extra time, effort, and possible ruckus . . . why would he risk it?”
“You do have a point. And Detective Brown did say Magnus had an alibi.” I cocked my head at Marshmallow. “If not Magnus, then who would be top on your list of suspects?”
Marshmallow pointed his paw at the window, indicating the palm tree–lined plaza beyond. “The woman who just left. Indira is vindictive. And she’s got the strength. Didn’t she just tell you how many doggie-partnered sports she participated in?”
Touching the back of my head, I imagined a sharp blow there. “I still think it’s got to be a guy. Statistically speaking, men commit more murders than women.”
Marshmallow blinked at me. “Shirl told us Russ didn’t have any guy friends, so there’s only one other male we know of to investigate. That would make—”
The distinctive calendar alert from my phone beeped. I didn’t remember scheduling anything important today, but my phone always alerted me fifteen minutes prior to a planned event.
I read the description: “Library Date.” What did that mean?
Uh-oh. I knew I shouldn’t have given Ma access to read and modify my calendar. I’d meant it as a way for her to keep virtual tabs on me—not to provide her another means of sabotaging my romantic life.
I called Ma up, and when she answered, I barreled into a monologue. “What did you set up, Ma? A library date? You know, that last time with the delivery boy was a total failure.”
“Walao! So bad. To make up mess, need lose many times mahjong.” Ma couldn’t care less about my embarrassment but wanted to save face in front of the delivery boy’s great-auntie.
I let her comment slide because I needed more info on this upcoming appointment. “So, who is the new guy?” I rolled my eyes as I spoke, even though I knew she couldn’t see me over the phone. But maybe she could still detect my displeasure.
“Ah. Boy like dis better. Not make music. Study a lot.”
“Wait, are you saying I’m having a date with a student?” I crossed my fingers. Please don’t say he’s in high school, Ma. “You didn’t sign me up to be a tutor or anything like that, right?”
She laughed. “No, no. Letter come here for alumni program. You so busy, no time revert to university. I do for you.”
I groaned. “You set me up with somebody looking for career advice? I bet he’s in his teens.”
“He interested meet. I make you profile very good.”
I counted to ten in my head before saying, “What exactly did you put down?”
I heard pounding steps from her end. A muffled, deep voice grumbled away. Ma said, “Daddy make me go now. He belanja me to nice restaurant dinner. Already reserve. Bye.”
She hung up on me and left me staring at my phone. I clicked on the details in my new calendar event and mapped out the location.
I couldn’t bear to stand up a poor college student. Maybe I’d explain Ma’s crazy intentions to him and then bail. Afterward, I could return home and unwind from her latest mess.
Marshmallow meowed at me. “Why so sour, pussycat?”
“A surprise date. Another Ma setup. That should explain it all.” I jingled my car keys. “Care to watch the disaster unfold?”
“Save me a seat in the front row.”
Having a cat made for the perfect wingman. All I needed to do was tuck Marshmallow in my purse and place a shawl over the top to cover his fuzzy head.
* * *
• • •
The university library looked like a solid block of gray concrete, almost prison-like in its appearance. Its sliding glass doors swished open for us. As we passed through the library sensors, Marshmallow jostled his head. I tapped my bag, and he settled back down.
“What takes up so much space in here?” Marshmallow grumbled. “I know it’s not a huge wad of cash.”
I shushed him.
“Nobody can hear me but you, Mimi.”
I shrugged and started looking around the main room at the people sitting down at the tables. Against the far wall, an eager-looking guy in his late teens popped up from his chair like a Whac-a-Mole.
The college kid had dressed up as though for a job interview. He wore an ill-fitting blazer that stretched too tight across his broad shoulders—maybe a relic from his high school debate team.
As I got closer, he pushed up the thick glasses sliding down his nose and grinned at me. Acne scars marked his pasty face.
I said, “You’re here for career advice from an alumna?”
“Uh-huh.” He nodded so much that he looked like a bobblehead. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me. My name is Cole.”
“Cole, nice to meet you. Let me first clear up—”
“It’s my honor to meet you, Dr. Lee.” He shook my hand with a sweaty grip.
I felt my lips pucker like a preserved plum. “And what exactly am I a doctor of?”
He half chuckled. “Oh, you’re funny, too. I’m an animal science major, and I want to go to vet school like you after I graduate.”
With a frown, I slid into a chair at the table and set down my purse. He sank into the chair opposite me, his bright eyes following my every movement, perhaps excited about the upcoming conversation.
“Actually,” I said, “I’m not a veterinarian.”
“Ha. Nice joke.” His wide grin faltered. “Why do you look so serious?”
I hemmed and hawed. “There was a mistake on my profile. My mother changed . . .”
His eyes bulged behind his glasses.
“Never mind. It would take too long to explain.”
He examined his thumb and picked at the cuticle. “What do you actually do then?”
I sat up straighter and gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m a pet groomer.”
“You make animals look good? That’s, er, interesting.” He looked away from me as he spoke, maybe so he didn’t have to lie straight to my face.
My bag on the table moved as Marshmallow shuffled around. “Like you wouldn’t believe,” I said.
Cole’s eyes flicked down at my bag. Had he noticed? But he continued talking. “So, what kind of stuff do you do at work?”
&n
bsp; I thought back over Indira’s visit, my sole client of the day. She hadn’t asked for anything to be done. Not much there. What about before that? I told him the truth. “Most recently, I expressed the anal glands of a Chihuahua.”
Cole gagged.
“Hey, vets do it, too,” I said.
He sprang up from the table. “Sorry, I just remembered. I need to complete some research for a term paper. Thanks for the chat.” He ran from the table to hide away in the book stacks.
“You scared him off,” Marshmallow said, popping his head up. The shawl spooled on the table. “Good timing, though. I need a breather.”
I heard staccato steps speeding my way. A moment later, the librarian’s stern face appeared before me. “No pets allowed,” she said.
I had to think quick. “Um, he’s a service animal.”
The librarian pressed her mouth into a thin line.
“He’s my Seeing Eye cat?”
“Leave,” she said, her arms crossed over her chest. She continued to glare at me as I scurried through the exit.
Outside in the balmy night air, I looked back at the concrete building. A prison vibe inside and out. I told Marshmallow, “Probably not what Ma had envisioned.”
“You know, you should stop her before it gets worse.”
I groaned. “You’re right. But how?”
“Well, aren’t you and Josh”—Marshmallow waved his paw around—“an item?”
Were we? Kevin Walker had assumed Josh and I were a couple during the rental house tour. And I’d introduced Josh to Shirl as my boyfriend. He hadn’t corrected me. Plus, the last time we’d talked, he’d said he wanted to see me in a personal capacity.
I decided to text Ma before I could change my mind.
Me: Library date flopped. BTW, I actually met someone recently.
Ma: Wah! You have boyfriend. Why no tell me? Meet him can?
Me: Soon, Ma.
Ma: Fast come. Invite for Family Game Night.
We observed a family tradition of gathering to play board or card games on a regular basis. To add excitement, we competed against one another for money. At the start of the family gathering, we dropped all our spare change into a jar, and the winner would take the loot home.
The change jar might serve as a great complement to Josh’s collection of fortune cookies. Fine, I texted back to Ma.
After I sent the message, I looked back over the entire text conversation, and my throat constricted. What had I done? I’d wanted freedom from Ma’s outrageous setups, but Josh and I hadn’t defined our relationship yet . . . I sure hoped I’d read his intentions right.
CHAPTER
sixteen
AT JOSH’S OFFICE building, I texted him from downstairs. I figured I wouldn’t be invading his actual work space if we met up in the arctic air-conditioned lobby.
Marshmallow grumbled from inside my large Hello Kitty tote. “Freezing to death isn’t just an expression, Mimi. You’d better hope I have eight more lives.”
I also shivered in the intense AC, but when I saw Josh come out of the brass elevator, my whole body heated up.
He approached me wearing a sleek dark blue suit, and his eyes sparkled at me. “My favorite girl turned up.”
“And don’t forget about the best cat in the universe,” Marshmallow added in a stage whisper.
Josh hugged me hello, seeming to breathe me in through his embrace.
When he let go, I stood there dazed.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
When I continued to stay silent, Josh placed his palm against my cheek. I wanted to lean into it.
“You’re at my workplace in the middle of the day,” he continued.
I glanced around the polished lobby and asked, “Is there a more private place to talk?”
Josh led me around the corner to a space half-hidden by a large staircase. There, I noticed a wooden bench with a Charlie Chaplin statue sitting on it.
As we sat down, Josh said, “Even though it’s not the Bradbury Building, at least we got a replica of its iconic bench.”
I patted Chaplin’s bowler hat and thought about the architectural wonder that used to house the statue’s twin. The Bradbury Building has been the elegant backdrop for a number of movies, probably because it features Italian marble staircases, French wrought iron railings, and open-cage elevators.
Josh took my hand in his. “Did something happen with Detective Brown? Is he harassing you again?”
The cop’s name splashed me like cold water. Better to tell him now. Didn’t people say to spring bad news first? “Unfortunately, Detective Brown has me pretty high on his suspects list.”
“Did he tell you that?” Josh clenched his jaw.
“Not in those words exactly, but when I called him—”
His grip on me tightened. “You did what?”
My face grew hot. “I found some new evidence pointing to Magnus as the culprit. I mean, the man practically confessed to me—”
“You spoke with Magnus Cooper? Please tell me it was over the phone.” Josh removed his hand from mine and reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. He pulled out two wrapped fortune cookies, offering one to me.
I took it and said, “I saw Magnus in person, but his assistant was there at the same time. It seemed safe enough.”
Josh shook his head and crushed his fortune cookie. “Tell me everything that happened.”
I told him about Russ Nolan faking the sire of his puppies and muddying Magnus’s reputation. And that Magnus had stolen the tiny Chihuahuas from the house.
I continued, “When I pointed those things out to Detective Brown, he didn’t seem impressed. He thought I was pinning the blame on Magnus to save my own hide.”
Josh slid a hand through his hair, making his bangs flip from one side to the other. “You know, anything you say to that cop could incriminate you. Please don’t speak to him without me around.”
I cast my eyes down and stared at my scruffy tennis shoes. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. What’s done is done.” He opened the wrapper of his pulverized fortune cookie and picked out the slip of paper.
I peeked at it and read, “Someone with blue eyes admires you.”
Marshmallow shifted in my bag beside me. “Not these baby blues.”
Flattery could get me back into Josh’s good graces. “I think your fortune meant to say someone with brown eyes admires you.” Though I didn’t regret getting more info from Magnus, I felt horrible that I’d distressed Josh in the process.
Josh looked deep into my admiring eyes. “It’s just that I don’t want anything bad happening to you.”
I gave him my best hangdog imitation.
His gaze softened. “Anything else you need to let me know?”
Marshmallow wriggled in my bag. “Ooh, tell him my alternate theory about Indira as the killer.”
I shushed Marshmallow, but Josh responded instead. He touched my shoulder. “I really am on your side, Mimi.”
“That came out wrong,” I said, tossing the fortune cookie back and forth between my hands. “I was actually talking to my noisy cat.”
“Your—” He eyed my large bag, and a look of understanding dawned on his face.
“There is one more thing,” I said as my heart started thumping with both nervousness and joy. “I told my mom about you, Josh.”
“You did?” A goofy grin spread across his face.
I wrung my hands. “Except she assumed you were my boyfriend.”
His eyes lit up. “I’d love to have that honor.”
“You would?”
His voice dipped low. “Honestly, I’ve never met anyone like you.”
“Really?” I jiggled my foot. “But we haven’t known each other too long. Plus, I’m your client . . . and a murder suspect at th
at.”
“I admit it’s a bit unusual. But Mimi, I know you’re innocent, and I admire you for standing up for those puppies and yourself.”
I blushed, lowered my eyes, and then looked back up at his adoring face.
He held my gaze. “I’d like for us to date, so instead of just thinking about you all day, I can actually spend time with you . . . if that’s what you’d like, too.”
I took a deep breath. “It’s official, then. We’re a couple.”
He raised my hand to his lips and planted a kiss on it, as though sealing the deal.
My heart fluttered.
“As much as I enjoy giving you legal advice,” he said, “it’d be great to do some non-work-related activities.”
I smiled at him. “Be careful what you wish for . . . because Ma’s already invited you to our next Family Game Night.”
He gave me a deer-in-the-headlights look, and every muscle in his body seemed to freeze.
“It’ll be perfect,” I said, crossing my fingers behind my back. “You’ll definitely come?”
His voice came out slow and thick. “I’ll try.”
I gave him the date and time for game night, along with my parents’ address. The fortune cookie he’d given me I decided to save for later, so it could remind me of Josh while we were apart.
When I plopped the fortune cookie into the bag, Marshmallow said, “Ow. What’s with the avalanche?” He headbutted my side through the bag’s fabric.
As I rubbed my rib cage, I heard the sound of bustling steps. My gaze swiveled to the entrance of the office building, where I glimpsed a giraffe-like man. Instead of taking the brass elevator, he headed toward the staircase behind us.
When he spotted us on the bench, the man snickered. “Bras before bruhs again?” I recognized that mocking, reedy voice.
Josh glanced at his coworker and said, “There’s nothing wrong with a coffee break.”
“I don’t see a cup in your hands,” his coworker said as he moved past us. He climbed the staircase and added under his breath, “Strike two, Akana.”
After the rude coworker left, I said, “Will you get into trouble because of this?”
Mimi Lee Gets a Clue Page 12