by Lynn Cahoon
“We are finished. Nice to see you, Professor Turner.” Jessica’s eyes narrowed. “And thanks for nothing, Cat. I thought I could count on you but you’re as flaky as Michael said you were.”
Stunned, Cat watched as Jessica stormed out of the house, slamming the front door as she left.
“My, she is in a mood today. Of course, I heard she had issues with the other professors many times. She just seems to think the world should provide her every need.” Professor Turner checked his watch. “Oh, dear, it’s almost ten. Can you hurry and get my water? I hate to be interrupted once I’ve started a lecture.”
Jessica wasn’t the only one who thought the world revolved around her. But why would she want Cat to lie for her? This didn’t make sense at all. Cat realized Professor Turner was still standing there, waiting for his water. “Sorry, I’ll grab a bottle right now.”
“Thank you, Catherine.” He turned to go into the living room, but then paused and turned back. “That Blair woman is trouble. I’ve heard rumors that she tried to pass off another professor’s work as her own. Of course, she didn’t get caught or the school would have dismissed her on the spot.”
Cat watched as he entered the living room and then she hurried to get his water. Had there been rumors of Jessica’s lack of care with claiming ownership of other’s works? She hadn’t told anyone at the college, even Jessica, about the book. Only when she had decided to become a full-time writer and open the retreat had she come clean to her former peers.
She deposited the water on the lectern and then headed upstairs to her office. She needed to find out all she could about her former friend before Uncle Pete came over to verify Jessica’s bogus story. Cat shivered as she ran up the stairs, one question looping through her head. Had Jessica actually killed her brother-in-law?
Googling Jessica Blair only came up with the typical stuff Cat expected to find. Her profile on Covington’s website. Glowing reviews from former students. And a list of classes she was teaching this semester and next. That was what made her pause.
Jessica was teaching exactly the same classes she had been when Cat left five years ago. Yet Cat knew that the college had hired several professors since she’d left. So why wasn’t Jessica moving up the ladder? Cat wrote down the question and wondered if one of the other professors in the English Department might know. She’d start with Professor Turner since he was just downstairs, but a glance at her watch told her she’d been up here web surfing for over an hour. Turner was long gone. She’d have to find someone else to spill the dirt.
She went back to the department faculty list and her gaze stopped at Lori Reedy. The woman had been the dean’s secretary for more years than Cat could remember. Deans may come and go, but the administrative staff stayed put.
She shut down her computer and grabbed her tote, shoving her notebook and a few pens inside. She had questions for Lori, and if she timed her arrival just right, she’d catch her coming back from her lunch hour. On a whim, she grabbed the latest Tori book and tossed it in the bag as well. Dropping off a signed book was a great excuse to get the woman talking.
Or at least Cat hoped so.
Shauna was in the kitchen finishing setting the table for lunch. “Hey, I was just about to come get you.”
“I can’t stop to eat right now. I’ll be back in about thirty. Go ahead without me. I’ll heat up something when I return.” Cat had her hand on the back doorknob when Shauna spoke.
“Catherine Latimer, where are you going?”
She turned, her hand on her shoulder tote, and met Shauna’s gaze. “Why are you asking?”
“Because I don’t want you to get into trouble. I overheard that spat you had with your friend. Although, maybe you should think about moving her to an ex-friend category. That woman is awful. But you shouldn’t be going out to confront her. You’ll probably knock her on her butt.” Shauna held on to a plate like it was a steering wheel on a runaway car.
“I’m not going to confront Jessica.” Cat walked back and pried Shauna’s fingers away from the plate and set it on the table. “Seriously, I’m not that stupid. Although I do want to call her out on her lies, I’m more interested in why she needed an alibi.”
“Do you think she killed him? Just because she wants an alibi doesn’t mean she’s a killer. Does it?” Shauna sank into a chair and pushed her hair out of her eyes. “Figuring out the lies has me all twisted. I’d rather be cooking. So if you’re not heading to Jessica’s to give her a piece of your mind, where are you going?”
Cat glanced at the door. “I’m going to find out why Jessica’s career has dead-ended at the college. Uncle Pete says you have to find out as much as you can about the victim to find the killer.”
“But Jessica’s not the victim,” Shauna pointed out.
Cat headed to the door. “No, but she’s family. And she’s trying to cover up something that she doesn’t want found out. I don’t think she killed the guy. She’s a vegetarian for one thing.”
Shauna rolled her eyes. “Vegetarians can kill people too!”
Chapter Ten
Lori Reedy had a desk in the waiting room outside the dean of the English Department’s door. The telephone system sitting on the right side of the mahogany desk was as big as a small laptop and all eight lines were lit when I walked toward her. She didn’t even look up. “Hold on a minute.”
Then she went through each line and took a message for the dean, who was apparently out of town at a conference this week. The man hadn’t told his dentist, his trainer, or apparently his poker buddies. Cat briefly wondered if the dean was in the same poker group as Seth and Uncle Pete. And the late Greyson Finn. When Lori was finally finished, she tapped the pile of notes on her desk to straighten them and, putting a paper clip on them, threw them into an in-box on the side of her desk.
“So what can I help you with, Ms. Latimer?” She folded her hands in front of her on the desk, looking a lot like Cat’s fifth-grade teacher had each time she’d asked for a hall pass.
“I’m so glad you remember me.” Cat smiled and pulled the book out of her tote. “I wanted to drop off one of my books since you’ve always been so helpful. I appreciated the flowers you sent for the department to Michael’s funeral.”
“His death was a considerable shock to the entire staff. And of course, since the two of you had been married . . . Well, I’m glad you found some condolence in the flowers.”
Cat knew the department had sent flowers; the bouquet had been huge. But she’d guessed that Lori had been the one to order them. And she’d struck pay dirt. “I did, ever so much. My time employed here at Covington will always be some of my fondest memories.”
Lori glanced at the book Cat held in her hands. “Not the type of thing they teach around here.”
“Which is probably why I haven’t been asked back to teach since I’ve moved home. Not that I have enough time to teach a class anyway.” Cat backpedaled just a bit to try to keep Lori off guard. “Can I sign this to you?”
She shook her head. “Sorry, no.”
Cat felt her eyes widened. “I don’t understand.”
“I’ve already read it and have my copy at home. I have the entire set actually. I really enjoy your storytelling.” Now a smile curved on her face. “I sent a set to my sister in Des Moines. She likes witch stories too.”
“That’s nice to hear. I’ll send you a copy of the new book when it comes out.” She tucked the unneeded book in her tote. She started to step away, but then paused, seeming to consider something. “I started the same time as Jessica Blair. I see she’s still teaching the 101 classes. If I had stayed, would I have been stuck with the freshmen classes too?”
“Oh, no, dear. You were being fast-tracked.” She shook her finger. “And it had nothing to do with your husband’s influence. You were a firecracker and all the students and other faculty loved you.”
“But Jessica?”
The air held heavy for a minute, then Lori glanced around to make sure the room was still empt
y. “You can’t say where you heard this, but Jessica isn’t really a stellar teacher. The only reasons she’s still here is Greyson Finn’s relationship with the dean. Of course, now that Mr. Finn is gone, maybe he’ll do the right thing and fire her sooner than later.”
After saying her good-byes and thanking Lori again for buying the series, Cat walked home slower than she had to the college. She hadn’t expected to hear something like that about Jessica. When they’d taught together, she’d been excited about teaching the new students. About making a difference in someone’s life by reaching them with just the right book. Now to find out that she was only at the school because of Finn’s connections? Man, that had to sting.
Cat sat on a bench just outside the campus. Her mind was playing with an idea. Had Jessica known that she owed her job to her brother-in-law? And if so, was that the reason she was so desperate for an alibi? But that didn’t make sense. If she wanted to keep the job, she wouldn’t kill her golden goose.
Her stomach rumbled and Cat shook off the nagging doubts. She announced to the empty sidewalk, “One more reason I’m not supposed to be investigating. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
A passing jogger gave her the side eye. He’d had his earphones in but apparently, he’d heard some of Cat’s whine. She smiled, trying to look sane, and gave him a short wave. He automatically waved back and picked up his speed.
I’m not crazy just because I’m sitting here talking to myself. This time, Cat kept the thought inside as she stood and headed back home. When she let herself in the back door, Shauna and Seth were just finishing a lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. The warm and comforting smell of the food made her almost weep with joy. What was wrong with her that she was so emotional?
She grabbed a plate and a bowl and filled them while the others watched. Finally, Seth broke the silence. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Maybe,” Cat mumbled through a mouth filled with warm, gooey cheese. She swallowed before continuing, not wanting to choke on the food. “Jessica was on a short leash at the school. She wasn’t even close to tenure track and they weren’t giving her additional assignments. According to the dean’s secretary, they only kept her on because of Greyson Finn and his influence.”
Shauna pushed her empty bowl away. “The man seemed to have a lot of power for a chef.”
“I think he was more than that. Maybe you could consider him a community leader. I saw a lot of pictures of him at those high society charity events where people go to be seen in Denver.” Cat sipped her soup, thoughtful about the effect one man could have on a region.
“He was going to build a restaurant here in town.” Seth grabbed another sandwich. “The request for bids hit my e-mail last week.”
“Seriously? Why didn’t you mention this before?” Cat shook her head.
Seth held the sandwich halfway to his mouth. Then he set it down on the plate. “There are a couple of reasons. One, I didn’t see the e-mail until this morning. I don’t check it a lot when my schedule’s full. No use knowing about work I can’t take on.”
That made sense, but Seth had said a couple of reasons. She decided to push. “And two?”
He sighed. “And two, I told Pete I’d try to keep you from investigating Finn’s murder, so I didn’t feed the beast. But I see you’ve already taken up the gauntlet.”
“No, I’m not investigating the murder.” Cat held up a hand before Shauna and Seth could speak. “What I want to know is why Jessica is so focused on me giving her some lame alibi for the time when her brother-in-law was killed.”
“And?” Shauna prodded.
Cat didn’t look up from her soup. “And, I want to know why she claimed to have written my book. I guess I’m still a little upset about that.”
“If she had a good reason, in her mind,” Seth added quickly when he saw the red that creeped up Cat’s neck, “would you forgive her?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t think you can come back from a betrayal like that and be all, let’s go get mani-pedis.” Cat sighed and leaned back in her chair. She was no longer hungry and that was a bad sign. She was always hungry. “I’m really steamed at her.”
“You have every right to be mad.” Shauna picked up her plate and took it to the sink. “Sometimes people aren’t who you think they are.”
Cat wondered if Shauna was thinking about someone besides Jessica. Shauna had found out a lot about her almost-fiancé after his death. Things that she wouldn’t have liked if she’d found out when he was alive. But she’d been blinded by love.
Cat didn’t think that was all so bad. She took her half-eaten lunch to the sink. “I’m going upstairs to work. I’ll be in my office if anyone needs me.”
“I thought you didn’t have a project going right now,” Seth said.
Cat grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “There’s lots to do besides just the writing. Now I need to do all the things I let slide.”
“An author’s work is never done.” Shauna rubbed Cat’s arm. “You’re fine about this Jessica thing, right?”
“Of course.” Cat put on a smile she didn’t feel. Betrayal seemed to be her theme the last few years. First a husband, then a friend. Maybe she had “stupid” tattooed in invisible ink on her forehead. “Besides, I have you two. Why would I need Jessica?”
Cat heard Shauna’s muttered comment when she left the kitchen:
“Which means she’s not at all fine. I hope that witch Jessica gets what she deserves.”
Cat didn’t turn around to hear Seth’s response, but Shauna’s apparent outrage at Jessica’s behavior made her feel justified in her own anger. She ran into Rick coming down the stairs and put on her hostess smile. “I didn’t realize you all were back from lunch.”
“Most of the group isn’t.” He glanced up the stairs. “Bren needed to come back and make a call so I walked back with her.”
Cat didn’t say anything, but she guessed she didn’t hide the questioning look on her face.
“I know, she’s an adult. But sometimes I think she’s alone too much. And it wasn’t that big of a deal. I was done eating anyway.” Rick held up his laptop. “And now I’m going to set up in the living room and get some words down. I wrote this morning, but some things that Hemingway dude said, it’s been tickling at my brain.”
“I’m glad you got something out of Professor Turner’s lecture. I know not everyone’s as big a Hemingway fan as he is.” Cat didn’t say that Turner was a fanatic and most of the guests had found him dull. “But there’s something to be said to studying the masters of the craft to see what you can learn.”
“Exactly. I’m always reading biographies of the great writers. It gives me hope that someday, I might have a book written about me.” Rick stepped toward the living room. “Do you want to join me?”
Cat thought his offer was more out of politeness than wanting company, so she shook her head. “I’m heading upstairs to my office on the third floor. If you need me, Shauna knows where I’m hiding.”
“The house is great. It has a writerly vibe to it.” He strolled toward the doorway on the other side of the foyer. “See you this evening.”
Cat watched him disappear. The house did have a good vibe. It had been comforting when she and Michael lived here, but now, it seemed welcoming. She wondered if houses could have souls or personalities, which took her to Tori’s world and an idea for a new book. She raced up the stairs, hoping to get the bones of the idea down before the spark dissipated.
It was after five when she finally saved her document and closed up her computer. She’d written a chapter and made a quick outline/blurb for her agent to use if the publisher came back for more Tori books. The idea was strong. She knew it. Now it was just waiting time for the publisher to run the numbers and see if she’d made them enough money.
She met Shauna on the stairs. “I was just heading up to see if you wanted to come down for dinner or not. That must have been a lot of paperwork.”
“I thought they liked Tori and the books.” Shauna glanced at her, confusion on her face.
Cat shrugged. “They do, but one of the problems with being a storyteller is if there is a void, we’ll fill it with a story. I’m just keeping my options open.”
“Whatever makes you feel better.” Shauna paused at the bottom of the stairs. “I’m just glad you’re writing and not running around trying to solve this murder.”
“The day’s still young.” Cat strolled into the kitchen. “What are we having for dinner?”
The kitchen smelled like her childhood home on Sunday afternoons. She turned and grinned at Shauna. “Fried chicken?”
“Yep. And mashed potatoes, a corn casserole, corn bread, and of course, apple pie à la mode for dessert. I had to up my weekday game because Pete was trying to say he was too busy to eat.”
Cat grabbed the plates and started setting the table. “My uncle can’t resist your chicken. I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason he won’t chuck the job and move to Alaska to be a hermit with Shirley.”
“I don’t know. I hear Shirley has her own talents.”
Cat threw a towel at her. “Ewww. Stop talking about Uncle Pete and Shirley doing it. It gives me the hives.”
“Who’s doing it?” Uncle Pete asked as he and Seth walked into the kitchen at the same time.
“I knew they talked about sex when no one was around—I’ve just never caught them.” Seth took Pete’s hat and hung it on the coatrack. “Must be your sly investigation techniques.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Cat stepped over and gave her uncle a kiss on the cheek. “I’m really glad you could tear yourself away for dinner.”
“Almost got caught at the station. There’s so many calls coming in from the tip line, Katie’s about ready to pull her hair out. We have a couple of interns from the college answering phones.” He walked over and kissed Shauna on the cheek. “Thank you for making dinner. It smells wonderful in here.”