A prickling sensation at the back of her neck made her heart flutter. She was being watched. Casually, she nudged the drawer shut, peeled the old pizza from the nightstand, and threw it in the overflowing trash basket. Then she turned and grabbed the sheets as though preparing to make the bed.
“Oh, Connor! You startled me,” she commented, hoping that she did not sound flustered or, at worst, guilty.
The young man loomed in the doorway, silent and frowning.
“I’m just tidying up the house before I pick up your grandmother.” She continued making the bed. “We don’t want her to return to a messy place. She will need to rest for at least the next week. No exertion, the doctor said…” Stop babbling, you old fool! Emelia quieted herself.
“Grams leaves my room alone.”
“Oh, of course.” She dropped the covers.
Connor suddenly strode purposefully toward her. Emelia stepped back, banging her calf against the bedstead. She stifled a gasp and straightened to her full 5’ 4”, bracing herself for God-knows what. But the young man simply reached around her to grab a bowtie that was draped over his bedside lamp.
“Forgot my tie.” He then waited as Emelia left his room, closing the door emphatically behind her. “Uh, thanks for taking care of Grams,” he grunted. “Tell her that I’ll be home by 4.” He paused, brow creased, an unreadable look in his eyes.
“Connor?” she prompted, but he turned, ran down the stairs, and out of the house.
Emelia took a deep, calming breath. She waited until she heard Connor’s car start and drive away, then she reopened his door and quickly searched his room. It pained her to leave the trash overflowing and the dirty clothes scattered, but she didn’t dare clean. Had the look in his eyes been threatening? Worried? Sad? Guilty? Her mouth thinned into a determined line: she must protect Nancy. She returned to the hunt for the EpiPen, tidying as she went from room to room.
***
At eight o’clock Monday morning, Kalico found M’s already at her desk, busily typing, and nibbling on a cinnamon bagel. Her hair was now a brilliant shade of chartreuse.
“Hey, M’s. What’s up?”
“Just updating our website. Nice save of Stanley.”
“Yea. Don’t know how the big boy made it up that oak, but I was never so glad to find a cat. Lois was frantic. And look….” He flourished a check for $200 before M’s’ eyes.
“Terrific. Endorse it, and I’ll deposit it. Don’t forget your law firm meeting’s today.” She looked pointedly at his jeans.
“Have my suit in the car.” He grinned and looked over her shoulder at the screen. A picture of himself standing high up in the oak tree with Stanley perched on a branch above him filled half the page. A headline declared: “Cat Detective Goes Out on a Limb to Save Beloved Feline.” Two smaller photographs—one of Stanley’s head poking out of Kalico’s jacket and the other of a smiling and tearful Lois cuddling her boy—were inserted artfully at the bottom.
“Where’d you get those? Mom?”
“Lynn Winterjoy forwarded them to me with the pertinent details. She said to remind you that you owe her a dinner.” M’s raised an eyebrow and grinned.
“Sure. Thanks.” Kalico tried to look nonchalant.
M’s grin widened. “She seems interested, Ben.”
“She a client’s niece. Besides, I’m far too busy,” he frowned. And far too broke, he added to himself.
“C’mon, Ben. You know you’re a stud-muffin,” she giggled, a sound Kalico had not heard in over a year. “Go for it!”
“Enough!” he tried to frown but a laugh escaped him. “You’re reminding me of the time you and Katie torpedoed my date with….”
M’s dramatically placed a hand on her brow and pretended to swoon. “The glorious Tiffany DeLong.”
“Yes. If I recall—and how could I ever forget—Tiffany, a golden goddess of a girl, and I were standing on her porch after a movie date. A crescent moon was shining. I swear her hair looked like liquid silver. I was going in for a kiss when….”
“When Katie sneezed! We waited behind those bushes for hours. We just wanted to see your moves!”
“You just wanted to spy on me and embarrass me.” He laughed at the memory of the two little girls emerging from the shrubs. “I never did get that kiss—or a second date.”
“If I remember it right, you managed to get plenty of kisses in high school!”
“What?”
“Katie didn’t always sneeze!”
Kalico groaned. “You two were little devils!”
M’s nodded in agreement. “But, seriously, Ben, Lynn seems nice.”
“She is. Any news about Ghost?”
“No more sightings at the park. I must have spooked him. I bet he’s on the move again.” She sighed. “I’m so sorry.” Then she added, “The next time you go after him, I’d like to come along. You know, get some on-the-job training.” She laughed self-consciously.”
“Sure. I appreciate the help.”
“I’m going over to the animal shelter this morning to see if Pippa or any of the others have been rescued.”
“Great. There’s not much else going on today. Go home and relax.”
M’s face froze into an expressionless mask. The giggling girl was gone again.
“Trouble at home?” he asked gently.
“Status quo.”
“You know if you ever need to talk….” Kalico looked at his assistant’s bent iridescent head. She did not look up, so after a moment, he went into his office. M’s would open up in her own time.
He settled in behind his desk determined to review his finances one more time and to double check the materials for his meetings with the two law firms before determining the next steps in the Winterjoy case. But first things first: email. Of course, the first correspondence was from Miss Winterjoy, followed by one from Lynn. He opened Lynn’s first.
Ben:
Thanks for an adventurous evening. I will never forget Lois’ reunion with her Stanley. A true love story! Please tell your mother how much I enjoyed the comfort food and conversation. See you soon, Lynn
Kalico found himself grinning as he shot off a quick reply:
Lynn:
Thank you for your help last night. Mom enjoyed meeting you too.
Probably too much, he thought, given his mother’s late night phone call and not so subtle suggestion that he invite Lynn to the next Kalico family movie night. He continued typing.
Lois is busy showering Stanley with cat treats and says that she has made him promise to never run away again. Don’t forget that you agreed to let me take you out to dinner.
Kalico paused––a spontaneous invitation out was one thing, but now he was committing to a date. He was in no position to date. No time. No money. And he was most likely going to have to move back in with his parents. He typed quickly before he could talk himself out of it.
Are you free Saturday evening? There’s an amazing Detroit-style pizzeria that just opened. I could pick you up at 7. Ben
He hit send. Then he turned his attention to Miss Winterjoy’s latest missive.
Mr. Kalico:
Nancy is home, she is tired, but feeling better. Lynn and I are on guard, but I am at a loss about how to protect her from Connor whose most recent behavior is suspicious. It is imperative that we meet.
Attached is the list of names you requested. However, your reasons for widening our circle of suspects elude me. Shall we say 3 p.m. at my home on Tuesday? Emelia Winterjoy
Kalico affirmed the meeting. The list of names was comprehensive; it included Nancy’s co-workers and neighbors who had access to both her car and her home. After each name, Miss Winterjoy had included brief notes.
The final email was from Vic.
Hey, Bro.
Time to get your head out of the trees and your feet back on the ground. (A photograph of Kalico high in an oak tree appeared.) I’ve attached the application to the Austin Police Academy. Seriously, consider it. Just imagin
e: you and me keeping the streets safe. Vic
Kalico opened the attachment, paused, and then printed it out, placing it carefully on his desk—just something to consider.
For the next two hours Kalico reviewed his finances, made out checks for rent, insurance, M’s wages, and other smaller business expenses. At least he had enough to cover the basics—minus any salary for himself. His rent was due in ten days, and he’d be short unless he took money out of his business reserve fund—again. He was astounded at how quickly his capital had dwindled in six months. At least today he would be marketing his agency to potential clients. He had to get his head in the game if he were to stay self-employed. No more chasing pets. No more indulging fanciful clients. It was time to get serious or lose his dream.
Resolved, Kalico locked his office. He would review his notes on the insurance agency and the law firm one more time, practice his pitch, and …. The phone rang: Zoe was gone again and Mrs. Buonanotte was frantic. Three hours later, Kalico dragged himself into his apartment and collapsed on the couch. Zoe was home, Gina Buonanotte was ecstatic, and he had a container of fresh-baked ziti as payment. But he had missed his two appointments.
Chapter Thirteen
At 11:30 Tuesday morning, Kalico paused just outside the door to his agency and frowned. Some jerk had inserted C A T written in orange permanent marker so that the nameplate read: The Kalico CAT Detective Agency. That would boost client confidence—if he had any clients. Santiago Insurance Company had agreed to reschedule. They did not subcontract, however, but indicated that he was welcome to apply for an in-house investigator position. He’d been tempted. Lawrence, Gunderson, and Reed had been less forgiving. They were just building their law practice and said that they would contact him if and when needed. Although he disliked marketing himself, Kalico determined that he needed to set up dozens of more such meetings to generate business.
Hearing animated voices, he paused in the doorway. M’s and Lynn were bent over a book.
“You’re right,” Lynn acknowledged. “Mr. Rochester is manipulative. He does bring in Blanche Ingram to make Jane jealous. But why?”
“Because he enjoys locking women in rooms and playing mind games.”
“That’s certainly a possible explanation—if we see him as a villain. But, M’s, why else would he manipulate Jane? Look at the text.” Lynn, looked up and her eyes met Kalico’s. She smiled hello.
M’s frowned and scanned the book. “He says that he wanted to fix her attention and love.”
“Good. Now, what obstacles stand in the way of Jane acknowledging her love for him?”
“Well, he is her boss and so much older.”
“Yes, and?”
“So there’s a difference in position and power?”
“Yes! It would be like you deciding to date Ben.”
M’s face registered horror, then she giggled, and Lynn joined her.
“Hey! Thanks a lot!” Kalico interrupted. “I’ll have you know, I am quite a catch!”
“So your mother says!” M’s retorted.
They all laughed. Kalico then ushered Lynn into his office after asking M’s to see if she could remove the graffiti above their sign.
Lynn stood in front of the white board, frowning. “Mrs. Klein? Really? She’s over 90!”
“Elderly, yes. But I just completed a criminal background check, and she makes Ma Parker look like Mother Teresa.”
“You’re kidding!” Lynn turned alarmed eyes to Kalico’s, saw that he was trying to suppress a grin, and laughed reluctantly, but her frown deepened.
“Mrs. Klein dropped off a novel—a lurid romance, if your aunt’s note is correct—at Nancy’s for the book drive. Seems like everyone in the neighborhood as well as Nancy’s co-workers had access to her house.”
“This is all so, so….” She gestured at the board, then sank into a chair. Her hands nervously picked at her black skirt.
“Lynn, what can I do for you?” Kalico smiled encouragement.
“I can’t stay. It’s my grading period.”
Kalico waited. “How is Nancy?” he prompted.
“Safely home and feeling a little better. Aunt Em is on guard. She’s arranged for the ladies to rotate visits so that Nancy is rarely alone.”
Kalico looked meaningfully at the white board. Nancy’s protectors were all there as suspects. Never slow on the uptake, Lynn took a deep breath. “I know. I know, but Em is certain that Connor is…”
“The perp—if there is a perpetrator?”
“Yes. We had an awful row about it this morning.”
“Tell me what happened.”
Kalico listened attentively as Lynn related her fight with her aunt. After a sleepless night, she’d gone over to Emelia’s before work determined to convince her to give up the notion that Nancy was in danger. “But Em is convinced that Connor is a potential murderer. She won’t listen to reason. She’s never liked Connor, and he knows it, so he always acts strangely around her. But I know that he loves his grandmother.” She sighed.
Kalico, silent, murmured encouragement.
“Anyway, he has no motive.” She rose and paced the room. “Em can be so stubborn. I told her that she was being fanciful, that she was prejudiced against Connor. And she…” Lynn’s eyes darkened at the memory. “And she asked me if I thought she was ‘in her dotage.’ If I had ever known her to act without a good cause?” She stopped in front of Kalico. “God, Ben, she was so hurt and angry.”
“It’s a tense situation.”
“Yes! I just want things to go back to normal. Accidents happen.” Her phone beeped. “That’s my alarm. I have to get back to school.” She grabbed her purse. “And thanks for listening. I feel better.”
“You’re welcome. We can sort things out this afternoon. I assume you’ll be at the meeting?”
“Yes.” She moved rapidly to the door. “And Ben, dinner Saturday will be fine.”
Before he could reply, she was gone, calling “Try hand sanitizer” over her shoulder. He smiled to himself: he had a date.
He came out to the reception area, where M’s was busy scrubbing the door. “Hand sanitizer?”
“Apparently, it removes permanent marker.” M’s stood back and admired her work—the C A T had disappeared, except for the cap of the T.
“When you’re done there, will you please call the next four businesses on our list and set up appointments?”
“Will do. But you cannot flake—not even for little Zoe.”
“I won’t. Any luck at the shelters yesterday?” Kalico changed the subject.
“No. But I spoke again with Pippa’s owner, Alyssa. The dog is chipped, so we can’t figure out why no one has turned her in—unless someone found her and just decided to keep her.”
“Makes sense. A Bichon Frise puppy is cute––and valuable.”
“I plan to canvass the neighborhood where she was lost again after class this afternoon. Alyssa authorized $20 an hour for up to ten hours. She’s also posting a reward of $100 in addition to our finder’s fee.”
“I don’t think you should canvas West Campus alone. That neighborhood’s had some problems. I’ll go with you.”
M’s nodded.
Kalico went back into his office to prepare for his meeting with Miss Winterjoy. It promised to be uncomfortable––at best.
***
At 3 p.m. Kalico was seated in a floral wing-backed chair with the calico cat, Perdita, curled in his lap and a cup of green tea balanced on his right knee. Miss Winterjoy, dressed severely in a charcoal gray pants suit, sat ramrod straight opposite from him. Her steel blue gaze was fixed on him, and she was silent and unsmiling. Even the antics of Trey and Snow, who obviously felt that they deserved one of the cookies set out on the coffee table, failed to elicit a response from their owner.
“I understand that Nancy is feeling better?” he offered.
Miss Winterjoy nodded slightly. Then she snapped her fingers sharply and pointed at the kitchen. The corgis paused
mid-dance. “Sirs, enough!” She snapped again and the dogs, heads lowered, sulked to the kitchen and sank onto the tile with joint sighs. She returned her gaze to Kalico.
He wanted to loosen his tie and take off his jacket. He felt nervous sweat trickle down his back. “Miss Winterjoy,” he began, “I want to go over my latest report on our case. As you can see….”
His client raised a hand to stop him. “I prefer that we wait for Lynn. I want her to join our discussion. I wouldn’t want her to think that I had you chasing one of my fancies.”
At that moment, excited barks announced Lynn’s arrival. She rushed in, greeted the dogs, nodded at Kalico, and bent to kiss her aunt on the cheek. “Sorry to be late. A student needed help with a scholarship essay.”
Miss Winterjoy allowed the peck on the cheek. Must be like kissing an iceberg Kalico thought. Lynn settled in the chair next to his. Silence descended. Only Perdita’s strong purr was audible. Even the corgis seemed subdued, lying by Lynn’s chair, their eyes focused on the cookies.
“Well,” Kalico began. “I wanted to bring you up to date on….”
“Aunt Emelia,” Lynn interrupted. “I want to apologize for this morning. I was out of line. Of course, I do not doubt that you have reason for your concerns for Nancy.”
Miss Winterjoy studied her niece for a moment. “I, too, am sorry for my impatience. Now, Benjamin, enlighten us on your progress on this case.”
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