A Purrfect Alibi: A pawsitively gripping cozy mystery (The Oyster Cove Guesthouse Book 3)

by Leighann Dobbs

  Millie snorted. “I’m not that old! We had indoor plumbing. This old thing hasn’t been used since my grandfather’s time.”

  Meow!

  Nero was walking along the “seat” part, which was just a long board with three large holes in it. “Don’t fall in there, because I’m not going in after you.” I used my sternest tone, but Nero just blinked at me and continued walking along, balancing precariously on the edges of the holes as if challenging me.

  When Nero moved, my light picked out a spot in the wood that looked like it had fresh scratch marks. “Look at this, looks like someone pried this open.”

  “A hidden compartment, maybe?” Millie put her flashlight in her mouth and reached over toward the wood. She tugged and pulled and finally a small section slid back revealing a dark hole.

  “What’s in it?” Mom asked.

  We all shone our lights into the dark section. “Can’t see. The compartment goes behind the board.” Millie angled the light and craned her neck to see inside. “Darn. It’s too dark in there.”

  “Reach in with your hand,” Mom suggested.

  “I’m not reaching in with my hand, you do it.” Millie stepped back from the hole and gestured for my mother to step up.

  Mom looked at the hole uncertainly. “I’m not doing it. Josie, you do it. You’re younger and if something bites you, you have a much higher chance of recovery.” Mom pushed me toward the hole.

  Visions of nests of spiders, centipedes or worse ran though my head as I aimed my flashlight inside. Someone had to reach in though, and I didn’t want Mom or Millie to get hurt. Guess it was up to me.

  I slowly put my hand in, tentatively feeling the sides and bottom of the compartment, my heart thudding with the expectation of feeling the creepy sensation of insect legs at any moment. Thankfully I didn’t, but I also didn’t feel anything of interest. Satisfied that I’d explored the entire compartment, I withdrew my hand as quickly as possible. “It’s empty.”

  “Darn!” Mom said.

  Millie shone the beam of her flashlight over the interior of the outhouse again. Probably looking for more secret compartments. “Esther must have come in and gotten the recorder after the noises played. She’d have had plenty of time and we wouldn’t have seen her because we were busy with Gail.”

  “But how would she know there was a secret compartment in the first place?” I asked. Still not convinced, I shone my light on the scratches again. The scratched wood was light, almost white in color. Surely it had been done recently.

  “Good question,” Mom said. “Maybe it wasn’t Esther. Maybe it was Jed’s ghost. He’d know about the hiding place I bet.”

  “Rose, there’s no such thing as ghosts!” Millie who had had her back to us, turned quickly, the flashlight under her chin lighting her face in a ghastly way.

  Mom screamed and jumped back.

  I did too.

  Nero and Marlowe practically fell into the holes they were circling.

  Millie cackled, then lowered the flashlight and rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s look the rest of the place over. It’s pretty obvious someone has been in that hidden compartment, but there might be another clue and we might as well look while we are in here.”

  We searched for a few minutes but found nothing else. The cats weren’t much help, they were more interested in sniffing the holes. Yech.

  “Well, I guess that’s that. We need to confront Esther.” Millie brushed the dirt off her hands and started for the crescent-moon door.

  Merooo! Nero sounded like he wasn’t too keen on confronting Esther. It was no wonder, she’d given the cats a lot of treats and they were probably reluctant to think she could be a killer.

  “She did seem to get really mad when Victor claimed he was talking to Jed tonight,” I said.

  Merope! Marlowe added her two cents as I ushered them out of the outhouse and shut the door.

  “And she got that mysterious envelope,” Mom added. “We need to see what’s in there.”

  “Yeah.” Millie picked up the pace and was practically jogging toward the guesthouse. I wasn’t sure if it was because it had gotten even darker and a little scary outside or if she was excited about facing Esther. “The contents of that envelope could be the key. I have a feeling that the sooner we find out what it is, the sooner we can catch our killer.”

  “I haven’t seen Millie move this fast in years,” Nero said as they trotted along beside the humans. Moonlight lit the path, but the humans had their flashlights bobbing in front of them like oversized fireflies. Blades of tall grass whipped Nero in the face every so often when he strayed too close to the edge.

  “She seems eager to get on with her interrogation.” Marlowe glanced back longingly at the outhouse. “It’s a shame because there were lots of lovely smells in there and I hated to leave.”

  “They didn’t even notice that someone had been digging at the gazebo,” Nero said.

  “We did all we could to alert them, but once they found the recorder they were focused on that.”

  Nero shook his head. “Just like humans not to consider there might be another thing to investigate.”

  “At least they got it half right. Gail did put the recorder there,” Marlowe said.

  “But who did the digging?” Nero asked.

  “It could have been Gail. She was there.”

  “No, I think it was someone else. Perhaps Victor. He was missing from the guesthouse this afternoon.”

  Marlowe glanced at Nero. “Before or after the noises? Maybe he was the one hiding the recorder. It would make sense because he wants everyone to think he is talking to Jed.”

  “Indeed. I wonder if, perhaps, he was burying the recorder so as not to be found with the evidence.”

  “Or maybe he really did talk to Jed and was digging up the treasure,” Marlowe suggested.

  “There is no buried treasure!” Jed’s voice boomed from beside Nero, making him jump sideways in the air like a frightened kitten. He then leaped and pivoted, trying to pretend he did that on purpose.

  “Thought I saw a snake,” Nero said at Marlowe’s amused expression.

  Marlowe turned to Jed. “You keep saying there is no treasure, but your memory doesn’t appear to be very good. Maybe you are mistaken. I mean, you couldn’t remember where you had buried it.”

  “That was just a momentary confusion on account of the property being so different from my time. Now that I have my bearings, I know exactly where I put things.”

  “And Esther tried to dig it up, but nothing was there,” Nero added. They were almost at the house now and he wondered what Millie was going to do. At the rate she was moving she planned to go in all guns blazing and accuse Esther. That might not be the best course of action, especially since he had his doubts as to whether Esther was the killer.

  “It wouldn’t be there.” Jed floated along keeping pace beside them. “I remember that old oak tree. There was no gazebo at the time, but the view of the cove is very pretty from that spot so everyone used to go there. I wouldn’t be so stupid as to bury treasure there where anyone could stumble across it.”

  “So what was the digging at the gazebo about?” Marlowe asked.

  Nero shrugged. “Another mystery to be solved.”

  “So you say that Millie and the gang think Esther is mixed up in the murder now?” Jed asked.

  “She was in the outhouse for suspicious reasons,” Nero said.

  Jed stopped abruptly. He looked quite disturbed. “She may have had very good reasons. After all, I spent a lot of time in there.”

  “Umm… Okay. So she wanted to be close to you in an outhouse?” Marlowe’s whiskers twitched. “Yech.”

  “The fact remains that someone took something out of that old compartment.” Nero turned to Jed. “Did you know about that?”

  Jed swirled and dipped. “I might have had a little secret stash to hide some hooch from the missus back then.”

  Nero exchanged a glance with Marlowe. “So you knew i
t was there, and you’re in communication with Esther… so…”

  “No! It’s not like that. Esther is no killer, I swear to that!”

  Poor Jed, he had it bad for Esther. Nero had never seen a ghost so smitten. Was Jed so gullible that Esther had him doing her dirty work? How far would he go for her?

  “I don’t think she’s the killer, either,” Marlowe said.

  Nero glanced at the younger cat. “Is there concrete evidence which has caused you to reach this conclusion or do you just favor her because she gives us treats?”

  Marlowe’s steps faltered. “I… well… She seems so nice, I can’t imagine her killing anyone.”

  “In our line of work, we can’t go with how we feel, we have to make conclusions based on evidence.” Nero tried to keep the exasperation out of his tone. One minute Marlowe seemed as if she was making great progress in the ways of becoming a cat detective and other times it was as if she’d taken two steps backwards. Oh well, not every feline could be a great detective like he was, he had to remember to be patient with his protégée.

  Jed swirled to Esther’s defense. “She is nice. And kind. She wants justice. Have you not considered that there may be another reason for her activities?”

  They reached the house and Millie ripped the door open and ran inside with the other humans quickly following. Jed held back and Nero paused, waiting for him to fill them in.

  “Well, what is her other reason?” Nero said finally.

  Jed looked a bit unsure of himself. “I’m not sure exactly what Esther has in mind. Wait, it can’t be…” He paused and looked off in the distance, then said very softly, almost as if to himself, “ Yes… Yes… it all makes sense now. This goes back much deeper than either you or the humans think and I bet I know who is behind all of it.”

  Twenty-Five

  Millie skidded to a halt in the kitchen and we all piled in behind her. The door banged shut, leaving the cats outside. They wasted no time in meowing their displeasure and I opened it to let them in. The five of us stood around catching our breath.

  “What’s your plan?” I asked Millie.

  “I do think we need to proceed with caution. We could be dealing with a killer,” Millie said.

  “Maybe we should call Seth,” Mom suggested.

  Millie pressed her lips together. “No time for that, if Esther is the killer we need to act fast. Victor is planning something and I’m sure Esther means to stop him.”

  Meooow. Nero blinked up at us as if contributing to the conversation.

  I looked down at him. “I know you like her, but this is bigger than cat treats.”

  Nero seemed affronted. He yowled, turned his back end toward us and flicked his tail at me.

  Millie frowned at him. “Anyway. I’m sure she is still in the house, probably waiting to make a move on Victor. I think the key is to catch her alone.”

  “Good plan. Even if she tries something, it is three against one.” I pointed to Mom, Millie and then myself.

  “And two cats,” Mom added.

  “Right,” Millie said. “I think we should get her to show us what was in that envelope and potentially use that to get a confession. I have Seth on speed dial so we can call him in once we have solid evidence.”

  “Good thinking. We wouldn’t want to call him prematurely lest we ruin our reputation,” Mom said.

  Millie nodded. “We have to be very careful about our credibility. We’ve called him in on a few false leads before. Won’t make that mistake again.”

  They were worried about their credibility? I was more worried about another murder at the guesthouse.

  Millie put her fingers to her lips with a shushing noise. Someone was rustling around in the butler’s pantry. We crept over to see Gail looking out the window.

  Gail turned to us. “Shh… he’s out there. I saw him.”

  “Who?” Mom asked, ducking down and then peeking up over the countertop to look out the window.

  “Victor.” From the tone of Gail’s voice, she might as well have been telling us the devil was out there. I guess she did see him as such. I really hoped he was the killer, he seemed like a jerk, but the evidence we had pointed to Esther.

  “What’s he doing?” Millie asked.

  “Getting ready for his fake talk with Jed, I assume. He called in that reporter,” Gail whispered.

  Anita Pendragon was out there too? I leaned closer to the glass but it was dark out and I couldn’t see a thing.

  “Tonight is Victor’s last chance. I heard Anita saying the movie producer called her about the story. Nothing sensational has happened, so he’s moving on. Victor will have to up his game.” Gail turned to us, her eyes deadly serious and maybe a little crazy. “He may do something drastic. Maybe even murder.”

  “You think he’s the killer?” Mom asked.

  Gail turned back to the window and murmured, “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

  Mom, Millie and I exchanged looks. Should we try to follow him?

  “Here he comes!” Gail whispered as I saw a figure emerge from the shadows and head toward the back foyer.

  We all ducked.

  “What do you think he’s up to?” Mom whispered.

  “Not sure.” Gail peeked up over the counter. “He must be setting things up for his big chance. Anita is out there too. I saw another shadowy figure over by the conservatory and it wasn’t Victor.”

  The door to the foyer opened and we heard someone slip in. Sounded like they were trying to be quiet. Gail turned to us. “Are you going to catch him?”

  Millie thought about that. “If he’s the killer we will. But first things first, these things must be done in a methodical manner. Do you know where Esther is?”

  Gail cocked her ear toward the ceiling. We could hear Victor going up the stairs. The second-floor landing creaked but he kept going. Was he going to the attic? I’d locked the door, hadn’t I?

  Gail didn’t look away from the ceiling as she spoke. “Esther’s in the front parlor gazing into that crystal ball of hers.”

  Millie jerked her head in the direction of the front parlor and said, “Come on, ladies. We have no time to waste!”

  Esther was in the front parlor just as Gail had said. She was seated at the oak table next to the window, her gaze fixated on the crystal ball, which was practically glowing atop the purple velvet cloth she’d laid on the table’s surface. I wondered if the cloth was part of her act or if she’d done that so as not to scratch the antique table. If it was the latter, I made a note to make sure to let her know I appreciated that… after we got a confession out of her, of course.

  The cats were already there. They must have come in when we were talking to Gail. Marlowe was curled up on Esther’s lap and Nero was sitting on the corner of the table, his gaze fixed out the window.

  Esther looked up at us, her eyes cloudy as if she were somewhere else entirely. Slowly her gaze cleared and her face registered surprise.

  “Oh, hello.” Her voice sounded uncertain. I suppose it was a bit intimidating to look up and see the three of us looming over her.

  Mew. Nero blinked at us. I sensed disapproval in his demeanor. Marlowe let out a snore from the comfort of Esther’s lap. I envied Marlowe’s ability to lapse into a catnap quickly and at any time, she was clearly oblivious to the gravity of the situation.

  “Hi, Esther.” Millie’s tone was friendly as she sat down across from her.

  “Would you like a reading?” Esther waved her hands over the crystal ball.

  “No. We’d actually like to talk to you about something much more important.”

  “Oh?” Esther’s gaze flicked between the three of us. “Yes. Those ghostly noises we heard earlier.”

  Millie sat back in her chair and studied Esther.

  “Those were dreadful, weren’t they?” Esther shivered.

  “We think whoever is responsible must have hidden a device outside on the grounds,” Millie said.

  “Oh? I hadn’t thought much about th
at.” Esther was a good liar. She really did look as if she hadn’t thought much about it. “I suppose they did. My guess is it was Victor.”

  Millie drummed her fingers on the table, the sound muted by the purple cloth. “Maybe, but you were also seen outside in a very odd place.”

  Meow! Marlowe stirred in Esther’s lap and something crinkled. The envelope from the bank? I looked over but she had a flowy caftan on that hid whatever was crinkling.

  Marlowe glared at Millie, then stretched and jumped up onto the table next to Nero and followed his gaze out the window.

  “Me?” Esther averted her gaze, focusing on the crystal ball. “I have no idea what you mean.”

  Millie glanced up at me with a triumphant look. Esther was clearly lying and to Millie that meant she was the guilty party.

  Mom leaned over the table. “Give it up, Esther. We know you’re hiding something.”

  Mew! Nero’s tone held a warning, but it wasn’t directed at my mother. His gaze was steady out the window and… wait… someone was out there! I leaned forward to get a better look.

  “I’m not hiding anything!” Esther was indignant.

  “No? Then explain what you were doing in the outhouse!” Millie demanded.

  “I had my reasons, which are none of your business,” Esther said quietly.

  Outside something was moving. A shadow. I leaned even closer. It was Anita Pendragon! I could make out the shape of her hair and it looked like she was wearing a trench coat. Rather dramatic if you ask me. What in the world was she up to?

  Muffled creaking came from above. With a sinking sensation, I realized that I had left the door unlocked. Had Victor really gone into the attic and if so, what was he doing?

  “I think you have way too many secrets.” Millie leaned across the table. “Is one of those secrets the fact that you killed Madame Zenda?”

  “What? No. I did not kill her.” Esther’s hands fell from the table to her lap.

  “Well then, you won’t mind explaining why you lied about being at the antiques store,” Millie said.