Claw And Order (Mystic Notch Cozy Mystery Series Book 8)

by Leighann Dobbs

  “Whoa, now, Willa, you don’t want to damage that book!” Franklin looked appalled at the thought.

  “Why not? It’s bloated up with fluff. Look how thick it is.” Robert Frost had appeared beside Franklin. He was dressed in a tweed suit with a bow tie. “You’ll never see any of the books on me padded like that.”

  Franklin frowned at Robert. “There is a lot more to be said about me. I was the president of the United States, in case you’ve forgotten.”

  “I brought joy to many with my exquisite poetry!” Robert retorted.

  “No fighting, guys.” Willa slid the book back into its spot on the shelf. “I have an important question.”

  “Is it about how to rhyme a certain word? I’m very good at that,” Robert said.

  “That’s child’s play.” Franklin turned to Willa. “Perhaps our favorite shop owner needs a lesson in foreign policy.”

  “Those are both worthy questions,” Willa said. “But it’s neither. I was wondering whether either of you happened to see anyone in here take something from the shelf behind the counter.”

  Their ghostly gazes turned toward the front of the store.

  “I don’t think so. What is it that you think they took?”

  “The key that fell out of the recipe book when you guys were fighting over it,” Pandora cut in.

  “Oh that! Yes, I do remember that key,” Robert said. “I think it used to be mine. You see, the distinctive shape with the notch on the top reminds me of one that opened my writing box.”

  “Really?” Willa looked interested, but Pandora rolled her eyes. Now she’d have to suffer through some story about his beloved writing box that held his best-selling poems.

  Robert got all misty-eyed. “It was a lovely box about this size.” Robert mimed the size of a bread box. “It was tiger maple inlaid with ivory on the edges and a thin gold strip.”

  Franklin, not to be outdone, said, “I had a decanter box just like that except it also had my initials on it.”

  Robert gave him a look and cleared his throat. “Yes, but mine was special. I had never sold a poem until I started keeping my work in that box. Suddenly my work became very popular.”

  “That’s nice, but you don’t think it was really the box, do you?” Willa glanced at Pandora. She seemed skeptical, but now that she was getting on board with magic, maybe not so much.

  Robert laughed. “Probably not. It’s just my old superstition bubbling up. But I do miss that box. Of course, my sister and my friend, Joshua Duggins, wouldn’t miss it.”

  “Why not?”

  “They used to joke it was cursed. When they each opened it, something bad happened.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, my sister fell off her horse that very afternoon and broke her arm, and Joshua lost his job. Not to mention, it rained for ten days straight after he opened it.”

  “Could have been coincidence,” Franklin said.

  “What about when you opened it? Sounds like it was good luck for you,” Pandora said.

  “Yes, it was! Nothing but sunshine and roses when I opened it. Everyone used to joke that it was cursed, and I was the only one who could open it without the evil getting out.” Robert stroked his chin. “I should write a poem about that. Anyway, that’s why I always kept it locked. Didn’t want anyone to get bad luck.”

  “Or to see your poems and possibly steal them,” Franklin said.

  “That too.”

  Robert made sense. The cats had been worried the key opened a portal. Pandora had been picturing some sort of a door, but maybe the portal was Robert’s writing box. Where was that box now? Hopefully not with the person that had taken the key. If it wasn’t, they still had a chance.

  “I didn’t see a thing, but I’ve been out at some ghostly baking contests trying to see if anyone is cooking up a batch of Robert Frosted Lemon Drops or Path Less Traveled Fudge.” Robert looked at Franklin. “What about you?”

  “I’ve been busy too. Looking for the origins of the Franklin Pierced Frankfurters recipe.” Franklin looked at Willa. “Sorry, but we just aren’t in the store at all times.”

  Willa looked as disappointed as Pandora felt. “Are you sure? You saw no one behind the counter? What about Felicity Bates? Or Sarah Delaney?”

  The ghosts shrugged. “Sorry.”

  “Darn.”

  Willa blew out a breath. “Looks like we’re going to have to investigate this the old-fashioned way. I think we should look into Felicity Bates first.”

  “At least now we may have two items to look for. If that key really was Robert’s, we can look for the box and the key. Hopefully we can keep them from ending up in the same hands.”

  Willa pulled out her phone. “I’ll message Striker and see if he wants to get together for dinner. Hopefully, I can get some information out of him about the murder investigation. That’s got to be connected, don’t you think?”

  Pandora puffed out with pride that Willa was asking her opinion. Of course, she knew that she, as the cat, was the superior being, but she wasn’t sure Willa had realized that. She couldn’t wait to report to the Mystic Notch cats that she’d communicated with her human and that human knew who the boss was. But her euphoric feeling of excitement was short-lived because she would also have to tell them that they lost the key.

  “I guess I’ll need to report back to the cats and see what they say. First… can I have some of those salmon cat treats you hide in the filing cabinet?” There were going to be advantages to being able to talk to Willa, not the least of which was requesting exactly what Pandora wanted for dinner.

  Chapter Eleven

  I checked my messages when I got in the car. There was a reply from Steve Wheeler about the bathroom remodel. When I’d contacted him before, I’d assumed the tea was for me to drink because Pepper sensed that I wasn’t getting the hint from Striker. But then Pandora drank it, and now we could communicate. Maybe I’d been wrong, and it had nothing to do with Striker wanting to take things to the next level and me not noticing.

  I glanced over at Pandora.

  “What?” Pandora seemed annoyed.

  “You drank Pepper’s tea, and then we could talk to each other. Do you think the tea did that?”

  “Duh.” Pandora looked at her like she was stupid. “Why do you think I drank that vile concoction in the first place?”

  I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want to admit to my cat that I thought the tea was because Striker wanted more out of our relationship. So, did that mean I shouldn’t have the bathroom redone?

  “Striker’s coming for dinner. I’m going to see what I can get out of him about the investigation.”

  “See if they found any white cat hairs at the scene,” Pandora said just before curling into a ball. “I’m going to take a snooze. I have a lot to discuss at Elspeth’s barn, and I need to be on my game.”

  I drove the rest of the way in silence, listening to Pandora’s little snores. I wished I could fall asleep as fast as she could. When I pulled into the driveway of my white Victorian house, she stirred.

  “We’re here already?” She stretched and waited for me to open the door then jumped out and started toward the woods.

  “Hey, where are you going?” I called after her.

  “To Elspeth’s barn,” Pandora shot over her shoulder.

  “You go there by yourself?”

  Pandora stopped and turned around, cocking her head to the side, her tail swishing high in the air with the hooked end pointing toward the woods. “I do a lot of things by myself that you don’t know about. Just because we can communicate now doesn’t mean you can boss me around.”

  “Okay, right.”

  Pandora trotted off, and I turned toward the farmer’s porch next to the driveway that I used as an entrance, muttering under my breath. “Just see if you get the salmon-flavor food again.”

  In the kitchen, I pulled out some plates and set the kitchen table. Should I put a candle in the middle? No, that was getting
too romantic. But maybe some romance would help get information about the case out of Striker. Before I could decide, his car was pulling in. He hopped out with a paper bag and let himself in the side door. It felt good that he was comfortable enough to just walk in. I thought again about the toothbrush holder.

  “I got subs this time. I’m kind of pizza’d out,” Striker said.

  “Did you get my favorite?” I loved roast beef with extra pickles and lots of mayonnaise.

  Striker grinned and kissed me on the lips. “You bet I did.”

  We unpacked the subs and sat down at the table. Striker frowned, looking around the kitchen. “Where is Pandora?”

  What should I say? I couldn’t exactly say the cat had told me she was going to Elspeth’s. Striker knew that I didn’t let Pandora out on her own. Truth be told, I was a little worried. The woods could be dangerous, and I was afraid a coyote or other animal might get Pandora. Though, judging by the way she had confidently stalked off, she’d done this before.

  And now that we could actually talk to each other, I didn’t feel like I could tell Pandora not to go to the barn alone. It was clear that Pandora did not want to be bossed around, and I had a sneaking suspicion that continuing to do so might not bode well for me.

  “Last I saw, she was lying down in the living room. She might be a little under the weather today. She’s been a bit sleepy.” I figured that would explain why she wasn’t in the kitchen looking for a food handout. I wasn’t ready to tell Striker I could talk to my cat. Even though we’d shared the fact that we could both see ghosts, talking cats was a whole different story.

  “I hope she’s okay.” Striker bit into a steak-and-cheese sub and made yum yum noises.

  I picked a pickle out of my sub. “I’m sure she’s fine. Gus came by accusing me of being involved with Mary Ashford’s murder.”

  Striker chuckled. “Good to see Gus is back to her old self. But of course, you’re not a suspect.”

  “I know. Mary came in and bought a book from me. That’s why she had my card.”

  “That’s what Gus said.” Striker continued to focus on his sub. Obviously he wasn’t going to offer up any more information. I’d have to ask outright.

  “So, how is that investigation going? Any leads?” Then I hastened to add, “I only ask because Danielle Norden had been very upset that Mary got the book, and I was afraid I had offered her as a suspect in Gus’s mind.”

  “Gus did have her as a suspect. But we’ve already interviewed her, and she has an alibi. So don’t worry, you didn’t get her into trouble.”

  Good. I took a bite of my sub. It was delicious with crusty bread, tangy horseradish, pickles, and creamy mayonnaise, which all blended in perfectly with the rare roast beef.

  “It’s scary that Mary was killed that way.” I was fishing because I had no idea how she was killed.

  “You mean bludgeoned?”

  “Yeah, gross.” So, she wasn’t killed magically, apparently. Bludgeoning seemed like a good old-fashioned non-magical homicide method.

  “Anything interesting at the scene, like maybe white cat hairs?”

  Striker stopped chewing and looked at me suspiciously. Maybe I’d gone too far with that question. “Cat hairs? You mean like in the last case?”

  “Yeah, exactly.” Fluff had been at the center of the other case.

  “Nothing like that.” Striker continued to munch on his sub.

  “Do you have any leads?” I tried to sound like I was just making idle conversation.

  “We’re tracking a few things down. Mary lived alone on an isolated road with one other neighbor, and the neighbor didn’t see anything unusual. But don’t worry, we’ll find out who did it,” Striker said.

  “I have the utmost confidence that you will.” I did, but that didn’t help me much with my own investigation. I had no idea if Mary’s killer was looking for the key. Maybe it was an old boyfriend or disgruntled coworker. But I did know something that police didn’t. If the killer was looking for the key, then the murder might have magical connotations. Maybe Gus and Striker hadn’t asked exactly the right questions of Mary’s neighbor.

  I eased off on the questioning, and the conversation turned to more mundane topics. As we ate, I couldn’t keep my thoughts from wandering to how Pandora was making out with the Mystic Notch cats in Elspeth’s barn.

  Pandora’s whiskers twitched with excitement as she slipped through the opening in Elspeth’s barn door.

  The cats were in their usual positions. Some were busy eating at the stainless steel dishes. Some were napping in the beds Elspeth had lined up in the back. Others were grooming themselves atop the many bales of hay.

  “Big news!” Pandora called out. “I have finally communicated with my human.”

  “Meow?” Otis looked down from his position in the loft. His mouth was opening but only meow sounds were coming out. What was up with that?

  Maybe Otis was playing a joke on her. She turned to see Inkspot passing through the sliver of moonlight as he made his way from the back of the barn.

  “Greetings, Inkspot. I have good news and bad news.” Pandora bowed slightly in deference to Inkspot’s standing as their leader.

  “Meow.” Inkspot’s deep baritone was unmistakable, but why was she only hearing meows and not words?

  Pandora looked around in a panic. The other cats were now trotting up. Sasha, Kelley, Hope. All their mouths were moving, but all she could hear was a cacophony of mews and meows.

  They were looking at her funny too. Their heads tilted, their eyes questioning, their tails twitching.

  “Can’t you guys understand me? What is going on? I drank the tea, and now I can talk to Willa.” Oh no. She drank the tea. Pepper’s teas were known to backfire.

  The panic grew stronger.

  She tried again. “Maybe this is just temporary. You guys can hear me now, right? We have an issue. The key is missing from the box, and we don’t know who took it. I need your help!”

  The cats looked at each other in confusion.

  “Meero?”

  “Merow?”

  “Merep?”

  It was no use. She couldn’t understand them, and judging by the confused looks on their faces, they couldn’t understand her either.

  Pandora hung her head and turned to leave the barn. Without the wisdom and help of the cats, how were they ever going to find the key?

  Chapter Twelve

  The next morning, I shuffled downstairs in my pajamas at six thirty. Striker had left to go back to his place the night before, stating that he had to get to work early. Had he left because of the tiny bathrooms? I made a mental note to reply to Steve. I wasn’t sure if I would spring for a remodel now unless I got some hint from Striker. Maybe just a double toothbrush holder would do.

  I hadn’t seen Pandora the night before and was a bit anxious to find out if she made it home okay. A quick peek in the kitchen showed that she’d eaten the treats I’d put in her bowl. She was safe.

  I had a half hour before I had to leave for work, so I shuffled into the living room with a cup of coffee. The paperweight on the coffee table tugged at my attention. I sat on the couch and lifted it up, gazing into it.

  I held it in front of my face. Would I see a clue in there? But all I saw was an upside-down image of the other side of the room. I tilted it this way and that, but it still looked like my living room, although a little fuzzy.

  Where had I put my reading glasses? It was hard getting used to them, and I kept leaving them places, but maybe they would help me hone in on something inside the glass orb.

  I found them between the couch cushions. After sliding them on, I lay down and held the paperweight up over my face, but once again, I saw only the ceiling and a black dot, which I thought was a bug on the other side of the glass orb at first.

  “What are you lying around for? We have a problem.” I turned my head to see Pandora sitting on the floor, frowning up at me.

  “Sorry, I was looking to see if
I could find a clue in the paperweight.” I sat back up and put it on the table. Pandora looked all blurry, and it made me disoriented for a minute until I realized I still had my reading glasses on. “You did say this was like a crystal ball, right?”

  Pandora hopped up on the table and peered into the paperweight. “Yeah. You didn’t see anything?”

  “Just an upside-down image of the room.”

  Pandora pushed the paperweight aside. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry. It turns out Pepper’s tea had some unexpected consequences.”

  I frowned. Of course it did. Her teas always had some unintended consequences. “What?”

  “It turns out I can no longer talk to Elspeth’s cats.” Pandora looked so dejected that I felt sorry for her. I reached out my hand to pet her fur.

  “Is that really bad?” I asked.

  Pandora rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Without being able to communicate with them, we can’t coordinate our efforts. Normally, we would branch out around town and spy on people. I was planning on having them spy on Sarah Delaney and Felicity to see if they did anything strange. But now I have no idea what they are doing, and they have no idea what we are doing. We’re practically on our own.”

  “I bet we can figure this out on our own,” I said, hoping I wasn’t being naively optimistic. “We already have some pretty strong clues that it was Felicity, right?”

  “Right. What did you find out from Striker?”

  “Not much. Danielle is in the clear because she had an alibi. The neighbors saw and heard nothing. Mary lived on a remote road with just one neighbor, but I was thinking they might’ve asked the questions for normal murder, and this is a paranormal murder. Maybe we should talk to the neighbor and ask different types of questions.”

  “Good thinking.” Pandora’s approval made me flush with pride.

  “Did you find out how she was murdered?”