by Paige Sleuth
“Midnight?” she called out. “Where are you, baby?”
Her heart rate skyrocketed when she heard a meow.
Kat followed Midnight’s cries to a closed door. As anxious as she was to free him, she forced herself to move slowly so as not to startle or hit the cat if he happened to be sitting right behind the door.
Dust filled her nostrils as she let herself into the room. Although a handful of boards had been hammered over the windows, enough sunlight seeped through the gaps to illuminate scores of minuscule particles dancing in the air. Kat had no choice but to sneeze.
Something brushed against her foot. When she looked down to see Midnight weaving between her legs, she felt fifty pounds lighter.
She bent down and scooped up the cat. He let her, seeming happy to have the company. She buried her face in his fur, a surge of emotion ripping through her. The tension that had been building inside of her ever since she’d learned about Midnight’s disappearance drained from her body in that one instant, releasing with it a steady stream of tears.
“Midnight?” she heard Tracy call out.
Midnight must have recognized his human’s voice. His ears pricked, and he meowed.
Kat let out one last sob before swallowing the lump in her throat. “In here!”
Tracy came barreling into the room. Midnight started squirming at the sight of her, his meows coming faster now.
“Midnight!” Tracy squealed, rushing toward him.
Kat handed him over. “He’s okay.”
Tracy hugged him close to her chest, her own tears pouring out.
Kat turned away to give them some privacy, wiping the moisture from her cheeks. Her gaze caught on Beth standing just outside the room, and a mixture of anger and resentment seared through her. Now that she knew Midnight was safe, her relief was clearing the way for a whole host of other emotions.
Kat twisted toward Tracy. “Would you like me to call the police? They can figure out how to deal with Beth.”
Beth shifted her weight between her feet. From the terrified look in her eyes, Kat figured this was the first time the teenager had ever been on the wrong side of the law.
Tracy continued to stroke Midnight while she blinked her tears away. “I don’t know. Maybe we could leave them out of this.”
Kat arched an eyebrow. “Leave them out of this? She broke into your house and stole your cat.”
“I know, but you heard her reasons.” Tracy shifted her attention to Beth. “You still fixing to go to your nana’s tonight?”
Beth shrugged. “I guess.” She glanced at Kat before looking down at her shoes. “I mean, if I’m not in jail.”
Tracy adjusted Midnight in her arms. “Why don’t I go on up to Wenatchee with you?”
Beth’s head snapped up. “What do you mean?”
“If you’re game, I can tote Midnight up to your nana’s like you wanted,” Tracy said. “I’m not doing anything tonight. I hadn’t even planned to be back in town until tomorrow. It wouldn’t hurt me to take a drive with y’all.”
Beth gaped at her. “You would do that?”
“Sure.” Tracy gave Midnight a kiss. “Like you said, if anything can make your nana remember who she is, Midnight’s your best bet. And if he can’t do the trick, well, then I reckon he can at least provide her with a couple hours of joy.”
Finally, it was Beth’s turn to cry.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Andrew shut the front door and walked back into the living room. “That must have been trick-or-treater number five thousand six hundred and twelve.”
Kat smirked. “Try seventeen.”
Andrew slumped next to her on the couch. “Really? That’s it?”
“Want me to get the next batch?”
“That only seems fair, since you were the one who talked me into this.”
Kat grinned. “For all your grousing, you look awfully happy. You have this glow about you.”
“That’s sweat.” He sagged against the sofa. “I’m exhausted.”
Kat laughed, her gaze drifting toward Matty, who had located a space behind a video game console on one of Andrew’s entertainment shelves. The feline was lazing contentedly in her new spot, keeping one eye on the humans.
Tom, on the other hand, hadn’t sat still since they’d arrived. At the moment he was inspecting every box, bag, and appliance in Andrew’s kitchen. Knowing how he liked table scraps, Kat had to wonder if he was searching for something to eat besides the bowl of kibble she had brought with them.
She hadn’t planned to take Matty and Tom with her to Andrew’s, but as she was leaving her apartment she had been seized by a memory of Midnight crying for help. She had known then she couldn’t go anywhere without her own fur babies by her side. Thinking about Midnight’s ordeal still caused a physical ache deep in her chest.
Kat fingered her hair, wondering how the visit with Beth’s grandmother was going. No sooner had the thought entered her mind when the image of an elderly woman flashed through her head. The woman had her head thrown back in laughter, her white hair framing her face as she rested two liver-spotted hands on the pure-black cat in her lap. A freshly carved pumpkin sat on the table next to her, a smile etched beneath two triangular eyes.
Kat blinked, and the image disappeared. She frowned, wondering if she’d just had what Madame Vood might call a vision. Was there any chance that the white-haired woman was Beth’s grandmother?
No, Kat thought. That would be crazy.
“Your cats like it here,” Andrew piped up, drawing Kat from her thoughts.
She looked at him, her heart skipping a beat when her eyes met his. “I like it here too.”
Andrew brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “I could get used to having you here.”
“I could get used to being here.”
Andrew leaned close enough for his breath to warm Kat’s skin. Her pulse quickened, and she ran her tongue over her lips. The way he was looking at her, she knew he was getting ready to kiss her.
Except, he didn’t. Right before his lips touched hers, he pulled back, a muscle in his jaw clenching. As clearly as if she could read his mind, she knew he was thinking about his uncle’s fate and all those old girlfriends who had only lasted long enough to see the inside of his house once.
“Andrew,” she said, “I realize you have a superstition about people in—”
He pressed one finger to her lips, cutting her off. “Don’t say it. I don’t want to jinx this.”
The doorbell rang. Kat didn’t move, hoping whoever was there would go away.
Andrew draped his arms across the back of the couch. “Your turn to get that, remember?”
His flat tone sent a chill down her spine. She hated to leave him before they could talk about what had just happened, but when the doorbell rang again she realized she didn’t have a choice.
She hauled herself off the couch with a sigh. Her mind was still on Andrew as she swung the door open, but when she caught sight of the person on the doorstep she forgot all about their interrupted conversation.
Standing in front of her was a short man in a cloak. His face was covered by a plastic mask that featured one bulging eye, several bloody scars, and a crooked nose.
Kat gaped at him, Madame Vood’s words from this morning echoing through her head. The spirit tells me he will send you a sign when you are safe to inhabit this new world.
This couldn’t be the sign the spirit had been talking about, could it?
“Trick or treat,” the short man said, holding out a pillowcase.
His squeaky voice caused Kat to relax a little. Okay, so this wasn’t a man after all, but a boy dressed as . . . Well, she couldn’t really tell what he was supposed to be, but with the mask and cloak she was guessing something evil.
The pillowcase drooped. “Do you have any candy?” the boy asked.
“Oh.” Kat shook herself and hurried to grab a few pieces of candy from the bowl on the table next to the door. “Yes, sorry.” She dro
pped them into his pillowcase.
“Thanks, lady.”
Before Kat could reply, the boy whirled around and raced across the yard to the next house.
Kat watched him for a second, feeling disoriented. What had just happened?
She shut the door and hobbled back to the couch.
Andrew sat up. “What’s wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost.”
Kat met his gaze, a smile breaking out on her face. The chill she had felt earlier was gone now, replaced by a warmth spreading throughout every cell in her body.
“I don’t know if he was a ghost, a spirit, or just a boy in a costume,” she said, perching next to Andrew, “but I think he just gave us his blessing.”
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you for visiting Cherry Hills, home of Kat, Matty, and Tom! If you enjoyed their story, please consider leaving a book review on your favorite online retailer and/or review site. Also join my readers’ group so you’ll be one of the first to know when their next adventure is published.
Please keep reading for an excerpt from Book Eight of the Cozy Cat Caper Mystery series, Stabbed in Cherry Hills. Thank you!
STABBED IN CHERRY HILLS
“So, how did it go?” Andrew Milhone asked as he stepped inside Katherine Harper’s apartment.
Kat kicked the door shut. “Awful. It was the worst job interview in recorded history.”
Tom, Kat’s brown-and-black cat, poked his head out of the kitchen. When he spotted Andrew, his ears pricked and he ran over to them, meowing the whole way.
“What do you think, Tommy boy?” Andrew asked, crouching down. “You think your mommy’s interview was as bad as she’s making it out to be?”
Tom responded by flopping onto one side and splaying his legs.
Andrew lifted one eyebrow. “Wow. That must have been one dire interview.”
“I told you.” Kat trudged into the living room and slumped onto the couch. “My chances of getting the job would have been better if I hadn’t even shown up today.”
Andrew stood up and took off his coat. “Yeah, but then you’d have to wait until your first day on the job to humiliate yourself.”
Kat stuck her tongue out at him.
Andrew’s eyes twinkled as he walked toward her. But he didn’t get very far before Tom scrambled upright and raced in front of him, coming to a halt in the exact spot where Andrew was about to step.
Andrew pulled his foot back at the last second, narrowly avoiding stepping on Tom’s tail. But the abrupt motion caused him to lose his balance. He pitched forward, his coat flying out of his hands. He somehow managed to catch himself on the sofa armrest, ending up only half sprawled on the floor.
Kat’s heart lurched, and she bent closer to him. “Are you all right?”
He blew his sandy hair out of his eyes. “Your cat almost killed me.”
“Next time don’t be the first to walk away,” Kat advised, relaxing a little now that she knew he wasn’t injured. “As long as he’s still lingering, he hasn’t gotten enough attention yet.”
Andrew got back on his feet. “I didn’t think he ever got enough.”
Kat grinned. “It’s a very rare occurrence.”
Andrew circled around to the front of the couch. Tom watched his progress with the intensity of a hawk. His dilated pupils suggested he was contemplating the merits of attempting another dash-and-stop. He looked almost disappointed when Andrew plopped onto the seat next to Kat, eliminating the feline’s chances of tripping him again.
“So, give me all the details about this interview,” Andrew said, draping his arm around Kat’s shoulders.
She sagged against him. “You sure you want to know?”
“Whatever happened, I doubt it was as bad as you’re making it out to be.”
“Really? My interviewer’s name was Leo Price, but I was so nervous I botched it and called him Mr. Lice.”
Andrew chuckled.
“It’s not funny,” she said.
“It’s a little funny.”
She considered arguing with him, then opted to let it go. “Well, what happened next isn’t funny. When I reached out to shake his hand, I knocked over his coffee mug and spilled hot coffee all over the front of his pants.”
“It was an accident. Anybody could have done the same.”
“Have you ever poured coffee on Chief Kenny’s lap?” she challenged.
“Well, no.”
“And that wasn’t even the worst part of the interview.” Kat’s stomach clenched just thinking about what had occurred next. “After he dried himself off as best he could, he asked about my prior programming experience.”
“So?”
“So that’s when I told him about that database project I worked on in college as part of Professor Bluefield’s team.”
Andrew tilted his head. “You mean the one to track the trees planted on your campus? Didn’t you say your department gave you some kind of award for that database?”
“I did.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“The problem is, as it turns out, Leo and my old professor went to high school together thirty years ago. At the end of their senior year, Professor Bluefield stole Leo’s girlfriend away and married her himself.”
Andrew winced. “Ouch.”
Kat sighed. “Exactly. I wish I had known that before I listed Professor Bluefield as a reference.”
“Leo might not have even seen that. If DataRightly operates anything like the Cherry Hills Police Department, their Human Resources department handles all the reference checks.”
Kat rested the back of her head against Andrew’s arm and stared up at the ceiling. “The way my luck is going, I doubt it.”
As if sensing her need for comfort, Matty, Kat’s yellow-and-brown tortoiseshell cat, jumped onto the cushion next to her and settled down against her leg. Kat rested her palm on Matty’s back. The feel of the feline’s soft, warm body underneath her fingers did wonders to lift some of her dejection.
So as not to be left out, Tom leapt onto Andrew’s lap. He tilted his head to one side as if to question why Andrew had stopped with the belly rubs. Andrew responded by scratching Tom between the ears. Apparently that was an acceptable answer. Tom started kneading Andrew’s leg with his front paws, his claws extending and contracting as the sound of his purring filled the air.
Kat rolled her head sideways until Andrew was in her direct line of vision. “I’m worried I’ll never find a job in my field unless I move to Seattle or someplace with more tech companies. There just aren’t a lot of options in Central Washington.”
She felt Andrew’s arm tense under her head. “Are you thinking of moving?” he asked.
“I’d prefer not to. I like it here.”
Andrew scooted closer to her. “I’m glad. I like having you back in Cherry Hills.”
She snuggled against him, marveling at how her perspective had changed since she’d moved back to her childhood hometown four months ago. Back in July she hadn’t felt much of an attachment to Cherry Hills. Now, she couldn’t imagine being happy anywhere else.
“I just wish more local places were looking for programmers,” she said, brushing a wad of loose fur off of Matty and watching it drift toward the carpet. “At this rate, I’ll be waitressing at Jessie’s Diner until I qualify for social security.”
The sound of Andrew’s cell ringtone interrupted their conversation. He eased his arm away from Kat and fished the phone out of his pants pocket, careful not to disturb Tom as he did so. “Milhone,” he answered.
Kat watched him as she stroked Matty, a little buzz of energy zipping through her body. Sometimes she still couldn’t believe they were a couple. When they were growing up together, she never would have imagined that one day their relationship would morph into something romantic.
“I’ll be right there,” Andrew said before pulling his phone away from his ear and disconnecting the call.
His grim tone prompted Kat to sit up straighte
r. “What’s wrong?”
Andrew nudged Tom aside and stood up. “I have to go.”
Kat scrambled off the couch, ignoring the dirty look Matty shot her. “But you just got off work. I thought we were going to eat dinner together.”
“Well, apparently I was only on a short break.”
Kat had trouble breathing as she watched him shove his phone back into his pocket and scoop his coat off of the floor. As a police detective, there were only a few reasons why Andrew might be called back to work. None of them were pleasant.
He stopped walking halfway to the front door and turned around. The light she had seen in his eyes earlier was gone now. “Kat, you’re going to hear this sooner or later, so I might as well be the one to tell you,” he said.
Her heart stopped beating. “What’s that?”
“Leo Price was just found stabbed outside the DataRightly building.” Andrew’s jaw clenched. “He didn’t make it, Kat. He’s dead.”
* * *
Click here to find the book at your favorite online retailer.
Books in the Cozy Cat Caper Mystery series:
Book 1: Murder in Cherry Hills
Book 2: Framed in Cherry Hills
Book 3: Poisoned in Cherry Hills
Book 4: Vanished in Cherry Hills
Book 5: Shot in Cherry Hills
Book 6: Strangled in Cherry Hills
Book 7: Halloween in Cherry Hills
Book 8: Stabbed in Cherry Hills
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paige Sleuth is a pseudonym for mystery author Marla Bradeen. She plots murder during the day and fights for mattress space with her two rescue cats at night. When not attending to her cats’ demands, she writes. She loves to hear from readers, and welcomes emails at [email protected].