Crêpe Expectations

by Sarah Fox

I waved back, holding the kitten against me with one arm.

  Hope shifted her gaze back to Brett. “What kind of problem in the woods?”

  “Marley and I went into the forest to catch the kitten…and found a human skull.”

  Hope’s eyes widened. “Are you sure it’s human?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  She shook her head, her eyes still wide. “I… What does this mean?”

  “Someone from the sheriff’s department will be here soon to take a look at the skull. We’ll see how things go from there. Does your property extend all the way to the river?”

  Hope shook her head again, clearly still shocked. “It ends at the tree line.” She opened her mouth to say something more but then closed it, as if at a loss for words.

  The kitten squirmed in my arms, and I decided it was a good time to change the subject. “Is this your cat?” I asked.

  “No,” Hope replied. “But it’s probably the same one I’ve seen around here a few times. The first time I saw an older cat too—the kitten’s mother, I assumed—but she was killed by a car two days ago.”

  Sadness pressed against my chest. “That’s terrible.”

  “It is,” Hope agreed. She pointed to food and water dishes on the porch. “I put out some food, hoping I’d be able to catch the little guy, but clearly you’ve had more luck.”

  “Did the mother have any other kittens that you know of?” Brett asked.

  “No, I only ever saw the one. I figured someone probably decided they didn’t want them anymore and dumped them here.”

  A rush of anger joined my sadness. “I don’t know how anyone could do such a thing.” I kissed the kitten’s head. “That would explain why this one seems used to people, though.” I stroked his fur and looked up at Hope. “Do you want to keep him?”

  “I can’t, unfortunately. Lonny and I decided to keep the inn pet-free in case any guests have allergies. If I managed to catch it I was going to take it to the animal shelter. Do you want to take him home?”

  “We could,” I said with a glance at Brett. “I’m not sure what my cat will think.”

  “We can give it a try,” Brett said.

  I smiled and stroked the kitten’s fur. “Did you hear that? You’re coming home with us.”

  The sound of an approaching vehicle wiped the smile from my face, reminding me of why Brett and I were up at the house.

  “I’ll go put this little guy in my car for now,” I said.

  “And I’d better go phone Lonny.” Hope disappeared into the house.

  Brett came down from the porch and headed around the side of the mansion. As I reached my car, I saw a sheriff’s department cruiser slow to a stop in front of the Victorian. Brett crossed the driveway to meet Deputy Mendoza as she climbed out of the vehicle.

  “Hopefully I won’t have to leave you alone too long,” I said to the kitten as I set him down on the front passenger seat of my car.

  My tote bag was also on the seat, and the kitten immediately batted at the straps. I opened the window a crack and shut the door. I stayed there a moment, watching him pounce on my bag, before I joined Brett and Deputy Mendoza at the front of the Victorian mansion.

  Brett had already explained the situation to Mendoza, and the deputy was now speaking into her radio. Several minutes later, another sheriff’s department cruiser followed the long driveway up to the house and parked behind Mendoza’s vehicle.

  “I understand you found a skull in the woods,” Ray Georgeson said once he’d climbed out of his cruiser and had said hello. His gaze settled on me.

  “It happened totally by chance,” I said.

  I had a habit of getting involved in murder investigations and had found dead bodies in the past. It wasn’t a habit Ray approved of, but he refrained from commenting on that for the moment, and Brett told him how we’d come upon the discovery.

  “And you said the skull is partially buried?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said. “It was probably the floodwaters that uncovered it.”

  Ray took off his hat and ran a hand through his brown hair before replacing it on his head. “Mendoza and I will go take a look.”

  We gave him general directions and told him about the glove I’d used to mark the location of the skull. As the sheriff and deputy headed around the back of the mansion, Hope came out the front door. Brett and I chatted with her for a few minutes, and then we all wandered around to the back gardens. Ray and Mendoza had yet to emerge from the forest, so I decided to go check on the kitten.

  When I peeked in through the car window, I saw the little black cat curled up on the driver’s seat, sleeping. Brett came up behind me and looked over my shoulder.

  “Sound asleep?” he asked.

  “Looks like it. He’s so cute.” I leaned back, resting against Brett’s chest.

  He wrapped his arms around me, and we watched the kitten sleep.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed movement at the edge of the woods. Ray and his deputy were on their way back toward the house. We met up with them as they approached, but they didn’t have much to say other than that they’d be calling in more resources.

  “Do you think there’s a full skeleton buried there?” I asked.

  “No way to tell yet,” Ray replied. “We won’t start digging until we’ve got the right people out here to do it.”

  It quickly became clear that those people wouldn’t arrive anytime soon. After a few more words with Ray, I decided to head home. Brett was allowed to keep working in the garden, so I left him to transplant the remaining rosebushes.

  The kitten woke up as soon as I opened the car door, and I picked him up and moved him over to the passenger seat. He dug his claws into the upholstery and stretched before climbing on top of my tote, nearly tumbling off when he tried to peer inside the bag.

  “You’re a goofball,” I said to him, giving him a scratch under his chin.

  He leaned into my touch, closing his eyes in bliss. I tucked the paper bag of leftover cookies inside my tote and buckled up.

  As I drove, the kitten went back to exploring my bag, managing to poke his head inside, but otherwise not getting up to too much mischief. He was adorable, and I was already falling for him. I hoped Bentley and Flapjack would take to him as quickly as I had.

  When I pulled into my driveway, I spotted my friend Lisa Morales’s sedan parked in front of my blue-and-white Victorian. I parked next to her car and caught sight of her sitting in one of the white wicker chairs on the covered porch. She waved to me as I got out of my car.

  “Sorry,” I called out. “I expected to be home earlier. Have you been waiting long?”

  I couldn’t bring myself to mention the skull, so I kept that to myself for the moment.

  “Only a couple of minutes,” she replied, coming down the porch steps toward me. “Don’t worry about it. I was enjoying this gorgeous spring weather.”

  “It’s a nice change, isn’t it?” I reached back into the car and scooped the kitten into my arms as he pounced on the seat I’d just vacated.

  “Aw, a kitten!” Lisa almost melted right in front of me. “Where did it come from?”

  “He’s a stray. I found him up at the Wildwood Inn while I was visiting Brett.”

  Lisa couldn’t take her eyes off the black cat. “Can I hold him?”

  I passed the kitten over, and he immediately snuggled against Lisa, purring away.

  “He’s so adorable,” Lisa gushed. “Are you keeping him?”

  “Maybe. I’m pretty sure Bentley will accept him, but I don’t know how Flapjack will feel about having another cat in the house. He’s still getting used to Bentley living here full-time.” I fetched my tote bag from my car and led the way up to the front door. “I was going to cook, but that was when I thought I’d be home earlier. Should we order takeout?”

&
nbsp; Lisa had arrived for a movie night, something we tried to do together once a month. Chloe was supposed to join us as well.

  “Takeout would be great. I’ve been craving Chinese food all week.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll order.” I unlocked the front door but paused with my hand on the doorknob. “Maybe I should go in first so Bentley doesn’t scare the kitten half to death.”

  I knew that as soon as I opened the door, the dog would come charging into the foyer to greet me.

  Lisa kept the kitten cradled close to her chest. “Good idea. We’ll wait out here for a moment, won’t we, little guy?”

  I smiled, knowing Lisa had now fallen for the kitten as much as I had.

  I left them out on the porch and entered the house. As expected, I heard a clattering of claws on the hardwood floors, and Bentley raced down the hall toward me, his tail wagging. I kicked off my green Converse sneakers, leaving them by the door, and crouched down to greet the dog.

  “Hey, buddy, did you miss me?”

  Bentley wagged his tail so hard that his whole body wagged with it. I laughed, and he gave me several sloppy kisses on the cheek.

  Flapjack made a more sedate entrance, padding along the hallway and sitting down just inside the foyer, flicking his tail as he waited for me to go greet him.

  “I brought someone home for you to meet,” I told him as I picked him up and kissed him on the top of his orange head.

  Flapjack closed his eyes briefly as I stroked his fur.

  “Be nice, okay? He’s just a little guy.”

  Flapjack made no promises, but since Bentley had calmed down, I set the tabby on the floor. Crossing my fingers, I opened the front door, hoping my cat would welcome a new member to our family.

  Chapter 4

  I held on to Bentley so he wouldn’t charge the kitten when Lisa set him on the floor. I didn’t expect Bentley to deliberately hurt the black cat, but he was an exuberant dog and many times larger than the kitten, so there was always a chance he’d cause accidental harm to the little guy. Flapjack sat on the floor, his tail giving the occasional swish as he eyed the cat in Lisa’s arms.

  “Let’s hope this goes well,” Lisa said, gently setting the kitten down.

  Bentley tried to bolt from my arms, but I held on tight.

  Flapjack stood up slowly, his amber gaze fixed on the newcomer. The kitten had his front paws slightly splayed in a wide-legged stance. His ears twitched, but he otherwise stood frozen, looking first at Bentley and then at Flapjack.

  The orange tabby moved toward the kitten, stopping when he was about six inches away. Then he flicked his tail and let out a long, loud hiss.

  The kitten literally jumped. When he had all four paws on the floor again, he arched his back and hissed in return. Flapjack mirrored the kitten’s stance and raised an orange paw.

  Lisa came to the kitten’s rescue, quickly sweeping him up off the floor and into her arms. He squirmed until he’d turned around enough to keep an eye on Flapjack.

  I released my hold on Bentley, disappointment rushing in to replace the hope I’d been harboring. Bentley dashed across the foyer and sniffed Lisa’s legs. She reached down with one hand and gave him a pat on the head. Flapjack turned his back on all of us and gave a dismissive flick of his tail before stalking off down the hallway.

  “That didn’t go so well,” I said, frowning at Flapjack’s retreating form.

  “It took him time to warm up to Bentley, right?” Lisa said. “Maybe he just needs more of a chance to get used to having another cat around.”

  “Maybe.” I took in the sight of the kitten snuggled up against Lisa. “Or, maybe he’s destined for another home.”

  Surprise registered on Lisa’s face when she caught my meaning. “My home?”

  “Why not? You’ve been thinking about getting a cat.”

  She’d mentioned the possibility a couple of times over the past few months.

  Lisa nuzzled her face against the kitten’s head. Even from a few feet away, I could hear the kitten purring. Lisa smiled, and I could see in her face that she was falling head over heels.

  “You’d be okay with that?” she asked. “I can tell you already love him.”

  “So do you. Besides, I’ll still get to see him whenever I’m at your place.”

  “That’s true.” She gave the kitten a kiss. “Would you like to come home with me?” she asked him. “Auntie Marley can come visit you anytime.”

  Still purring, the kitten stretched his neck so he could touch his nose against Lisa’s.

  My grin became almost as bright as Lisa’s. “I think that decides it.”

  “Thank you, Marley. I really do love him already.”

  “I can see that. And I’m so happy for both of you.”

  Lisa shifted the kitten in her arms and ran a hand over his black fur. “I’ll need to take him to a vet to get checked out. He probably needs his shots, and I want to make sure he’s healthy. Plus, I’ll need to go buy food, a cat bed, toys, a litter box.…”

  I laughed. “Tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll send you home with some food, and I’ve got an extra litter box you can borrow for the time being.”

  “Then we’re all set,” Lisa said to her new family member. “Now, how about dinner?”

  When we arrived in the family room at the back of the house, a perturbed Flapjack stalked off, heading for the second floor. I was sorry he was unhappy but I knew it was only temporary, and his departure allowed Lisa to let the kitten run free and eat some dinner while I took Bentley out in the yard for a few minutes. When I brought the dog back in, Lisa kept the kitten in her arms. Neither of them seemed unhappy with that arrangement.

  I received a text message from Chloe, letting us know that she was on her way to my place, so I phoned in our food order while Lisa settled on the couch. We’d determined that the kitten was indeed a boy, and Lisa had already started mulling over possible names.

  “Max… Lucky…” Her gaze fell on an astronomy book Brett had left out on the coffee table. “Orion!”

  The kitten let out a meow, his green eyes gazing up at Lisa as he did so.

  “I think he approves,” I said with a smile.

  Lisa beamed at the kitten. “Then that settles it. Hello, Orion.”

  He bumped his head against Lisa’s chin and purred.

  Chloe arrived minutes later and showered attention on Orion.

  “Have you decided what you’re going to make for the first round of the competition?” I asked as she scratched the kitten under his chin.

  “Not yet. No matter what I try to make, it’ll probably be a disaster.”

  “Don’t say that,” I protested.

  “Marley’s right,” Lisa said. “Stay positive. I’m sure you’ll do great.”

  Chloe didn’t look the least bit convinced, but our food arrived at the front door at that moment. As I paid the delivery guy, Brett pulled up in his work van and parked next to my car.

  “That smells good,” he said, relieving me of the bag of takeout once he’d given me a kiss. “Chinese food?”

  “Yes, and I made sure to order your favorite.”

  “Chicken in black bean sauce? I’d better hurry up and grab a shower, then. I don’t want to miss out.”

  “I’m sure Lisa and Chloe won’t eat it all. But yes, go on so the food will still be hot when you get back down here.”

  He took a moment to say hi to Lisa and his sister, and to fuss over Bentley. Then he disappeared upstairs. Lisa, Chloe, and I set the food out on the kitchen table, and I got out plates and poured drinks. Lisa had left Orion on the couch, and he was now balancing his way along the back of it. Bentley had followed Brett upstairs, so the kitten was free to roam. He pounced on some imaginary foe, lost his balance, and had to leap down onto the arm of the couch to save himself from falling. From there h
e hopped to the floor and swatted at the little red ball I’d dug out of Flapjack’s stash of toys. The ball rolled across the floor, and Orion went skittering after it, making us all laugh.

  Once Brett had joined us at the table, I finally told Lisa and Chloe about the skull we’d found in the woods while catching the kitten. Somehow it was easier to talk about the disturbing discovery with Brett at my side.

  “Ugh,” Chloe said with a shudder. “I would have freaked out. Was it just a skull? Not an entire skeleton?”

  “The skull is all we saw,” Brett replied, “but we don’t know what else is buried with it, if anything.”

  “Do you think it’s from an ancient burial?” Lisa asked.

  “We really don’t know,” I said. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

  “Tassy James was found in the woods,” Lisa said. “Maybe this is another of her killer’s victims.”

  Tassy James was a young woman who’d gone missing decades ago, her remains discovered only recently.

  “We don’t know that there were any other victims,” I pointed out.

  “And this skull is a long way from where Tassy’s remains were found,” Brett added.

  Chloe had stopped eating. “Do you think…?”

  “Think what?” I asked, worried by the way some of the color had drained from her face.

  “The party in the woods wasn’t far from the mansion,” she said, addressing her brother, her blue eyes worried.

  Brett set down his chopsticks. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. Ray will tell us more when he can.”

  “What conclusions?” I asked, feeling lost. “And which party?”

  Understanding dawned on Lisa’s face. “That party?”

  “Which party?” I asked again.

  “It was about a week or so after my high school graduation,” Chloe explained, her face still pale. “A bunch of people from my class had a party near the river.”

  “And what happened?” I asked, knowing something must have.

  “One of my classmates—Demetra Kozani—was never seen again after that night. She left the party and that was it. She just disappeared.”