Murder in Green Harbor (Deirdre The Cat Lady Sleuth Cozy Mystery Book 2)

by Nancy C. Davis

  Deirdre frowned. “Have you found any connection between him and Misty?”

  “He says he didn’t know her. Don’t know if I believe him. I can’t see why he would kill her and then report it later, though.”

  “How far in did they find her?”

  Davis began to pull at his moustache. “About 100 meters from the road.”

  “Doesn’t that seem a little far in if you need to take a leak?”

  The sheriff nodded. “That’s what I thought. But it’s possible. And what’s Jason’s motive to kill her anyway? I’m more inclined to follow up on Paisley Briggs. He has a record of assault, he was known to be an associate of Misty’s and he’s still on the lam. Jason came forward.”

  Just then Joe meowed loudly. She looked down to see him sitting by her chair and looking at her intently, as if asking her to tell the truth. She sighed.

  “I went in to Jason’s room,” Dee blurted out. “When we took Blanche home. Joe ran in there so I followed him. Then I spotted a little cell phone charm that spelled out Misty’s name. Sheriff, they must be connected or why else would he have that?”

  Davis’s bushy brows drew close together. “Alright, I’m interested. I’ll get a search authorized for the White house. Are you alright Deirdre? You look pale.”

  “It’s just that Blanche is my friend. I didn’t want to say anything.”

  “Dee, we have reasonable suspicion to do a search on the house anyway. And if Jason did it, we need to catch him before anyone else gets hurt. We’ll be gentle with Blanche, don’t you worry.”

  Dee nodded gratefully and said her goodbyes. The cats were quiet as she drove off. “I wish Blanche wasn’t involved in this business at all,” she said to them sadly.

  A niggling worry stayed with her. The sheriff had said that Jason had found Misty 100 meters from the road. Dee suddenly felt the urge to see the site for herself. She hoped it might make her more certain about suspecting Jason.

  She drove back to the site, trying to take pleasure in the fall colors surrounding her. This time she made sure the windows were rolled up tight. She connected her smartphone to the stereo and put on an Agatha Christie audiobook to help her calm down. She coasted down a steep hill and before her lay the forest in a patchwork of bright red maple and dark evergreen. She cracked open the window a little to let in that fresh piney smell she loved.

  Dee parked well off the road when she got to where Misty had been found. “I’ll only be gone a moment,” she told the cats. “This could be upsetting and it’s not for kitties. Especially not Clem, he’s just a baby.”

  Joe put on his “I couldn’t care less” face and curled up in a tight ball.

  Dee locked the doors and followed the markers into the woods. In her mind, 100 meters was a considerable distance to walk to pee. Yet as she crashed through the underbrush, pulling aside low pine branches and stepping over gnarled roots, she realized it wasn’t far at all. At least, it wasn’t such a far distance for someone looking for privacy from the highway. It wasn’t a particularly trafficked road but she could see going in this far to make sure your neighbor didn’t sail by and see you doing a number one.

  However, when Dee got to the spot where Misty was found she felt skepticism rise up again. Little neon flags indicated that she had been found behind a large log. It was out of the way and a bit hard to get at with all the dead leaves and underbrush. There would have likely been no way to spot her from far off either, not if she was hidden behind the log. So why would Jason go all the way over there?

  Dee pushed her way back out and sat in the car a moment, wondering. She was as confused as ever about her decision to tell the sheriff about Misty’s bracelet. Well, nothing more to see there. She drove off, tuning back into Agatha Christie as much for inspiration as relaxation.

  Chapter 10

  She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she almost didn’t see the car pulled over on the side of the road. Dee pulled over immediately.

  The first thing she noticed was that the car was a smart navy blue Mercedes. You didn’t see a lot of fancy cars in the woods of Maine. In fact, Dee knew exactly who that car belonged to – Matthew Stevens, the business manager at Browns’ Salt Water Taffy.

  After she parked she saw that he was peering under his car looking completely lost.

  “Hi Matthew,” she called out as she got out. “Car trouble?”

  He stood up and smiled at her. She was reminded again what a good-looking guy he was. He was wearing smart chinos and a gray Anorak and had one of those toothy, white all-American smiles. If she was only younger, much, much younger. Maybe Taylor would like him? No, Tay was typically only into arty guys and Matt was decidedly square.

  “It was making a terrible noise. I didn’t want to keep driving it for fear I’d really damage the thing. Hard to repair a Mercedes in these parts.”

  Dee did a quick once over. “You’ve got a flat! Do you have a spare tire?” He shook his head sheepishly. “Neither do I. Well, why don’t I drive you back to town and we’ll get the mechanic out to help you. He’s famous for not answering his cell so I think it’s best just to show up.”

  Matt nodded, locked up the car and got into her front seat. He smelled like cedar, but not the tree, more like an expensive cologne designed to smell rustic and chic. Dee had to admit she liked it. What was wrong with her? She had blew off Sam earlier that day and now she was making eyes at Matt. Maybe she was lonely. Who knew? Well, as she liked to say, she was old, not dead.

  “How are the Browns holding up?” she asked as they set off. “I saw Sarah briefly the other day at the Cove Café but that was before they found Misty.”

  Matt shook his head. “Bad, honestly. She was their only family. But to be frank with you, they deserved better. Misty was never grateful to them. She always took their money and then disappeared. Not that she deserved what happened to her,” he corrected quickly. “It’s just that she wasn’t much comfort to them.”

  Dee nodded. “I can imagine that. And it’s so difficult now, with all the suspects. There’s Paisley her friend and there’s Jason who found Misty. And I talked to Jacob Miller briefly at the town hall the other day. He seemed to know her too, though I don’t know if he had anything to do with the murder.”

  Matt snorted. “It’s clear to me. Jason was just the poor guy who stumbled on her. And I’ve never heard of Jacob having a connection to the case. Paisley is the real suspect and I hope they get the evidence to convict him soon.”

  Dee looked around at him in surprise. “You’re really that convinced that Paisley’s the one? I mean, I know he and Misty used to pal around but I don’t see what his motive would be.”

  “He was a guy with strong ties to the drug world. I’m sure he got Misty involved and she probably did something to make him angry. Not pay a dealer or get him in some kind of hot water. They probably told him to take care of her.”

  Dee sat there, perplexed. It all sounded far-fetched to her. What did anyone really know about Paisley’s ties to drugs? And if he was involved with that, why bring in Misty if he thought it risky?

  “I don’t know,” she said slowly. “I’ve been hearing a lot of speculation lately and not a lot of evidence.”

  “Listen.” Matt leaned in close. “I know the Brown family better than anyone and I heard things about Misty that no one else got to hear. They were dead worried about her. Paisley would disappear with Misty all the time to Portland. She’d show up at their house drugged-up. She was always getting calls on her cell that she wouldn’t answer or if she did, it sounded like someone was angry at her. And she’s been coming here a lot more lately. Why? Likely because she wanted some kind of protection from the Browns. And she’d been avoiding Paisley lately. Something had really gone wrong. Seems to me Paisley got her into a mess. And he fixed it by getting rid of her.”

  Dee was shocked. “Have you told the police all this?”

  “Of course!” he exploded. “I’ve been cooperating every step of the way. How do
you think we feel that Paisley did this to Misty and now he’s on the loose? I feel sick.”

  Dee still privately wondered how he could be so sure that Paisley was the culprit. And yet, who else could have done it? Jacob maybe. Her mind was churning. She focused on driving for a moment, trying to let everything absorb. They were entering the town from the hills. Below she could see the sweep of the sea far below. The autumn sun had come out full blast and set the waters sparkling. The sight calmed Deirdre’s mind somewhat.

  Then a sound from the backseat distracted her. It sounded like a low, guttural growling. Dee looked in the rearview mirror to see Joe pacing the backseat. The fur on the back of his neck was standing up. He looked torn between worry and fear. It wasn’t often he acted like this.

  “Hey buddy, what’s wrong?” she asked, reaching back to pat him. She felt him rub up against her hand. Well he wasn’t mad at her. Nor was it Clem. Joe didn’t even look at the little ginger tabby, who was doing a similar routine. He stalked around, imitating Joe mewling and looking at Dee. Flipper merely sat there, looking up and blinking sleepily. Confusion and a bit of annoyance was written across his black and white face – clearly he didn’t see any reason to be awoken from his nap.

  “What’s going on with your cats? They don’t like riding in the car?” Matt asked.

  “No, normally they’re as good as gold. Something upset them. Not sure what.”

  Matt reached back and tried to pat Joe. The tabby cat recoiled and sniffed his hand anxiously. “Maybe it’s me. I have two German shepherds. They probably smell them on me.”

  Dee pulled up to the shop. Fletch Taylor, the mechanic, was sitting out front propped up on a stool and drinking a soda, looking as if he’d never considered working a day in his life.

  She sighed. “Fletch is blessed that he’s the only mechanic in town. Otherwise he’d have been out of business years ago.”

  Matt laughed. “You’re too right. Well, thanks for bailing me out Dee. I’m glad it was you.” He gave her a toothy grin that actually made her a little weak in the knees. Goodness, the man was a danger to women.

  “Happy to help,” she said falteringly.

  She drove off, more than ready to eat dinner and settle into her cozy bed. Thankfully, the cats calmed down as she headed back. By the time she pulled into the driveway they were once again clumped into a little furry, snoozing pile. She had to forcibly remove Flipper, who had fallen into a deep sleep. Thankfully, the word “dinner” quickly revived his interest in getting up.

  Chapter 11

  “What did Sam say about the new kitten?” Taylor asked.

  The comment caught Deirdre by surprise. They had been running over the details of the print newsletter. Dee had laid it all out, with her assistant’s help, and now Tay would take over and do the finishing touches, send the file to the printer in town and make sure it was printed to spec.

  Deirdre was trying to train Tay just in case she decided to retire. Even though Tay could be trying at times, she was quite fond of her and committed to helping her however she could.

  “He wasn’t entirely pleased about Clem,” Dee conceded. “He’s not really a cat person.”

  Taylor scoffed at this and slouched down in her chair, dressed in her uniform of late of plaid shirt, boy jeans and Converse sneakers. She looked about 12 years old with her light freckles and bangs.

  “Alright out with it.”

  Tay shot her a sharp glance. “I don’t get why you guys don’t just date already. You’re up in each other’s business all the time anyway.”

  Dee laughed, surprised. “Sam and I have already been married to different people. Now we’re enjoying some solo time. We like being up in each other’s business, as you put it, but not in a complicated way. Just in a friends way.”

  Tay scratched her head. “I dunno, it seems complicated to me. Like, you guys consult each other on everything. You fight. And you see each other practically every day. I mean, it’s like being in a relationship without any of the benefits.”

  Deirdre colored. “I’m going to pretend like I don’t know what you mean. If Sam and I decide to get married, you’ll be the first person I tell, okay? Otherwise, we’re happy as is.”

  Tay rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to get married. Geez. That’s, like, a little too drastic.” She headed off then to the printers, leaving Dee wanting to both burst out laughing and tear out her hair.

  It was another sunny fall day and Clem was busy chasing sunspots all over her office floor. He was having a ball of it and even Joe had joined in. When the slivers of light crawled up the walls they sat tensely below, tails twitching furiously.

  Now that the newsletter was out of her hands, Deirdre decided to take a break and check up on what was happening in the library. Thankfully, the town knew the place was short-staffed and that they just had to stick their head in her office if they needed anything. Still, it was always a good idea to look helpful. The library couldn’t run itself.

  There was the usual collection of people there: students clustered at the desk doing homework (or more usually cracking jokes and throwing crumpled pieces of paper at each other). A few retired folks were sitting in the armchairs by the window and reading the paper or a book. A couple of stay-at-home moms were in the kids’ area quietly reading books to their little ones.

  Dee wandered around aimlessly, re-shelving books and tidying the magazines. Long beams of light crawled over the worn wooden floor. The plants were going to be happy for all the sun they’d been getting lately.

  The bell on the front door tinkled and Jacob Miller walked through, looking as distracted and bug-eyed as she’d seen him at the town hall. His pale blonde hair stuck up and he looked as if he’d been under the sun too much. He spotted Deirdre immediately and walked over to where she was by the magazine rack.

  “Hi Deirdre, I’m, uh, looking for today’s paper.”

  “Sure thing.” She scooped up a crumpled copy and handed it to him. He settled down in a free chair away from everyone else. Dee went over to him after a couple of minutes because it looked like he wasn’t focusing on the paper. Instead, he looked pretty distressed.

  “You okay Jacob?” she asked. “You look like something’s bothering you. Probably not any of my business but that’s never stopped me. Is it about Misty?”

  Jacob smiled thinly. “I guess it is.”

  Dee sat next to him on a stool. “Have you talked to the police about seeing Misty the morning she disappeared?”

  He shook his head vigorously. “Naw. I mean, I got nothing that would help the cops. I would help if I could, I really would. But I can’t.”

  “Alright, I get that. What about any info on Paisley or even Jason? You know they’re both suspects.”

  “I don’t know anything about Paisley. But I was thinking to talk to them about Jason. I heard something way back that I haven’t thought about in a long time. But it’s seeming pretty important now, actually.”

  Deirdre frowned. “Really? What is it?”

  Jacob wiped sweat off his brow and sighed. “What most people don’t know is that when Jason was in high school he became obsessed with this science teacher of his, a Ms. Boucher. He began following her home from school, writing her all kinds of letters, showing up places he knew she’d be. He got so relentless the teacher filed a restraining order. That made Jason real mad. He went to her house one night and began demanding she let him in, then broke a window anyway. The cops came before he could do anything. The teacher declined to press further charges and moved away. Jason got a slap on the wrist, far as I remember. They kept it quiet for the sake of his mother.”

  Deirdre was getting overwhelmed with all the conflicting information she was hearing. “How do you know about this? I mean, I remember that teacher, Ms. Boucher, leaving suddenly and everyone wondering why. But Jason’s name definitely wasn’t mentioned.”

  Jacob shrugged. “I knew because Jason and I were friends back then. He kept talking to me about Ms. Boucher
and how much he was in love with her. That he was going to be with her. I wanted nothing to do with it but he didn’t have a lot of other people to talk to. I had no idea he was serious about her. Thought it was just a stupid high school thing. After the restraining order I tried to keep away from him but he showed up at my house after he threw a rock through her window. Told me everything that had happened.”

  Deirdre wracked her brains trying to remember if Jacob and Jason were friends back then.

  Suddenly Jacob’s cell began to ring. He looked in his pocket and blanched. “Man, I been talking too much again,” he mumbled. “I dunno why I do that. Bad as Jason.”

  He shoved the cell back into his pocket. Wrappers tumbled out onto the floor. Dee saw that they were from Browns’ salt water taffy.

  “Sweet tooth?” she asked.

  He shook his head furiously. “Naw, I actually don’t like these things that much.” He shoved them at her. “Here, have ‘em.”

  He left then, leaving Dee clutching the bag. Well, she had a sweet tooth herself and she wouldn’t mind chewing over some taffy while she chewed over what Jacob had told her. She went back into her office, put the candy on the desk beside her and started to go through her email.

  It didn’t take one minute before Dee heard the tell-tale crinkle of wrappers. She looked up to see Joe and Clem stalking the bag of candy with great intent. Then there was a flash of paw – alternatively tabby and ginger, trying to scoop inside the bag.

  Joe managed to get one and sent it flying onto the floor. He leapt down and chased it as if it were a mouse. Clem went flying after, though he wasn’t used to landing from such heights. He did a bit of an awkward roll and then, as if on springs, he bounced back up and went running after Joe.

  Dee moved quickly, retrieving the candy from an indignant Joe and then putting the whole thing inside a drawer. As if she’d been so absent minded – Joe was always trying to get into anything that was in a bag.

  Joe and Clem sat by the drawer and stared at it intently, as if their collective brain power might open the drawer. At first she thought it was amusing. But after a few minutes of them staring the wheels in her mind started turning.