Strangled in Cherry Hills

by Paige Sleuth

  A flush crept up Kat’s neck. It infuriated her that he was trying to dredge up sympathy over how much he had to do to sell stolen goods.

  “But Jeff wouldn’t listen to reason,” he continued. “He seemed to think he was entitled to part of my money simply because he had found Dorothy first. That’s when he threatened to go to the police.”

  “He wasn’t worried about getting arrested himself?”

  “I asked him the same question, since I wasn’t going down without revealing our partnership. But he pointed out that a record of my transactions existed whereas there was no hard evidence against him. It would be my word against his.” Mr. Peterson’s jaw tensed. “Well, I couldn’t let him walk away then, could I?”

  Kat scooted a little farther from the tree. She could picture how that conversation had played out, and it made her stomach turn over.

  Mr. Peterson smacked his palms together, nearly causing Kat to lose all bladder control. “There, now you know everything. Of course, that means you can’t leave here alive.”

  Her heart stopped beating for a second. The calculating glint in his eye made it clear he was deadly serious.

  “But you already knew that,” Mr. Peterson said, pushing away from the tree.

  Kat took a step backward. “No matter what you do to me, the police are bound to catch you eventually.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “I figured it out. What makes you think they won’t too?”

  “You only figured it out because of that blabbering ninny who wouldn’t keep her mouth shut about spotting me here.” Mr. Peterson smirked. “I’ll have to take care of her too, right after I eliminate you.”

  Kat realized the rain had stopped. She looked around, her spirits sinking when she still failed to see anyone else in the park. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this situation without outside help.

  A twig cracked overhead. Kat looked up, spotting Matty perched on one of the branches above. She must have climbed the tree from the other side while they were talking.

  Kat’s pulse quickened. If Tom had also found a safe haven, she would only have herself to worry about. In that case, there was nothing stopping her from making a run for it.

  She located Tom lying mere inches away from Mr. Peterson’s feet, and her heart sank. She couldn’t run now. Tom was too friendly for her to trust that he wouldn’t approach Jeff’s killer for belly rubs.

  “What the—Ouch!”

  Mr. Peterson’s shout drew Kat’s attention back to him. When she saw the reason for his outburst, her jaw dropped open.

  Matty was clinging to his head. She had her front paws buried in the hair by his temples and her hind paws braced on his shoulders. Her teeth were bared, and Kat thought she might be hissing but she couldn’t hear above Mr. Peterson’s yelling.

  Mr. Peterson spun around in circles, swatting at his head as if he were being attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes. But Matty held on tight, her tail swinging wildly as she fought to maintain her balance.

  The sight had Kat rooted to the spot. She’d never seen Matty behave so fiercely.

  Tom stood up, staring at Matty with oversized eyes. He recovered his ability to move before Kat did, slinking out of Mr. Peterson’s way.

  Mr. Peterson clamped both hands around Matty’s body. “Get off me, you vermin!”

  But Matty refused to let go. From the way she clung to her prey Kat had a pretty good hunch her claws were out.

  Mr. Peterson yelped as he continued to dance around. When his eyes briefly met Kat’s, he howled, “Help me!”

  With the shock of the moment wearing off, Kat considered whether she should try to pry Matty from Mr. Peterson’s head, not for his benefit so much as for Matty’s. She would hate for the little cat to get hurt in this scuffle.

  She had just stepped forward to intervene when Tom proved once again that he was much quicker than her. He wiggled his rump and vaulted onto Mr. Peterson’s pants leg. His fur standing on end and his tail puffed up to the size of a baseball bat, he sank his teeth into the flesh above his victim’s knee.

  “Ahhh!” Mr. Peterson slammed into the tree behind him. He let go of Matty and doubled over to bat at Tom. Something slid out of his breast pocket, landing on the dirt by his feet.

  Matty jumped back into the tree. With his sister no longer in harm’s way, Tom released Mr. Peterson’s leg and retreated a few feet away. His eyes stayed fixed on the enemy, his tail cutting through the air.

  Kat squinted at the ground, trying to see what had fallen out of Mr. Peterson’s pocket. Her heart lurched when she saw it was a cell phone.

  “You’re going to pay for this, Kat Harper!” Mr. Peterson worked to drag the cuff of his pants up his leg. “If those flea-infected beasts gave me rabies, you’re going to be very, very sorry.”

  His knee exposed, Mr. Peterson bent over to inspect the damage.

  Recognizing her chance, Kat charged forward and kicked Mr. Peterson’s injured knee. As he crumpled with a wail, she plucked the phone off of the ground and pressed the emergency call button.

  She glowered at him while she waited for her call to connect. “For the last time, my cats don’t have fleas.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “I don’t think he wants to come,” Kat told Andrew, adjusting Matty in her arms.

  “Sure he does.”

  Andrew tugged on Tom’s leash, but the cat didn’t budge. Ever since they had strapped on the harness, he had been lying prone on the floor. She had checked to make sure she hadn’t cinched it too tight, but adjusting the fit hadn’t made a difference. It was as if merely being in contact with the fabric had immobilized him.

  Andrew frowned. “I don’t get it. He seemed so eager to get outside when I was over here last time.”

  “That’s before he knew he would have to go out on a leash,” Kat pointed out.

  “Matty doesn’t mind it.”

  Kat looked at Matty, who was wriggling in her arms, anxious for them to get a move on. “She must know she has to wear it if she wants to keep her outside privileges.”

  Andrew pulled on Tom’s leash again, dragging the cat a couple inches across the carpet. Tom didn’t react. He didn’t seem to care what happened to him. Apparently the harness had stripped away his will to live.

  If he didn’t look so miserable, Kat would have been tempted to laugh over his theatrics. “I say we leave him here.”

  Andrew shrugged. “Okay.”

  Kat waited by the front door while Andrew worked to detach Tom’s harness. Tom didn’t help at all. He continued to pretend as if he’d lost all muscle control. He didn’t seem to realize Andrew might finish faster if he didn’t have a limp cat to work with.

  “Done,” Andrew announced, holding up the harness.

  Tom scampered under the coffee table and hunkered down, keeping one eye on the humans in case they tried to subject him to more kitty torture.

  Andrew tossed the harness on the couch and joined Kat by the door. “Okay, let’s do this.”

  Matty’s eyes were huge as they made their way through the building. She seemed to have trouble believing Kat was actually allowing her out of the apartment.

  Once they stepped outside, Matty started fidgeting again. Kat held her tight. She didn’t want Matty walking so close to the road, and she wasn’t about to cut through people’s backyards again.

  Andrew slid his hand around Kat’s waist while they walked. “We recovered the rest of Sherry’s missing jewelry from Mr. Peterson’s apartment,” he said.

  “You did?”

  “Lucky for her, he hadn’t located any buyers yet.”

  Kat smiled. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to have everything back.”

  “I’m sure she will.”

  They reached the dog park a minute later. Although it was cloudy, the day felt perfect. The temperature hovered in the seventies, and a slight breeze rustled the tree leaves. Several people were out with their dogs, both humans and animals enjoying the fall weather.
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  Kat set Matty on the grass away from the crowd. Although Matty had taken to the dachshund okay, Kat wasn’t sure how she would react to a dog that was bigger than her.

  The feline had an extra spring in her step as she walked around. She didn’t even seem to notice the harness, and Kat found herself pondering over how different two animals could be.

  “Kat!”

  Kat looked up, surprised to see Lady Fairchild rushing toward them with Muffin in her arms.

  She halted in front of them. “Kat, I’m so thankful I ran into you. And Detective Milhone, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

  “Please, call me Andrew,” Andrew replied.

  “All right, Andrew.” Lady Fairchild turned Muffin loose, smiling at Andrew as she straightened back up. “I must commend you on a job well done. I’m eternally grateful that you recovered my elephant figurine. It was a gift from my mother, you see. It has a lot of sentimental value to me.”

  “I was happy it hadn’t been sold yet. But I can’t take all the credit.” Andrew took Kat’s hand. “I had a little help.”

  Kat blushed.

  Lady Fairchild chuckled. “Well, you both are my stars. And Muffy’s too.”

  Muffin barked his agreement, then waddled over to lick Matty.

  “He looks well,” Kat commented.

  “Oh, he is.”

  “Did Dr. Harry help him?”

  “No.” Lady Fairchild bent over and picked Muffin up, tucking him in her armpit. “He said there wasn’t a thing he could find wrong with him. I had my doubts until I learned that that lout of a man was the one who killed Jeffrey.”

  Kat sighed. “I’m sorry Mr. Peterson turned out to be what he was.”

  “Oh, that’s not your fault.” Lady Fairchild pressed her cheek against Muffin’s. “And it’s no wonder Muffy stopped wanting to have anything to do with that sorry excuse for a human being or his dog treats. He’d seen him murder Jeffrey that day!”

  Muffin’s tail wagged as he worked to cover his human’s face with dog slobber. Lady Fairchild allowed it for about ten seconds, then wedged him under her arm again.

  “Anyway,” she said, “I’d like to compensate you both for your roles in preserving order in Cherry Hills.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Kat said.

  “Nonsense. I’m going to write out another check to 4F as soon as I get home.” Lady Fairchild kissed the top of Muffin’s head. “And Muffy agrees with me, don’t you baby?”

  Muffin barked twice.

  Kat grinned. “That’s very generous of you—of both of you.”

  “It’s the least we can do.” Lady Fairchild paused. “Did you know Muffin was a shelter dog?”

  “I did not know that.”

  “Just imagine if nobody had been around to rescue him. I would be lost.”

  Kat gazed at Matty, her heart surging with love. “I would be lost without this one too.”

  Lady Fairchild’s eyes widened. “Oh, my. Is that a cat on a leash?”

  “That’s Matty,” Kat told her. “I might take the leash off after a while, but I want her to get used to it first.”

  Lady Fairchild watched Matty chew on some grass. “She seems to be tolerating it okay. Angela would scratch my face off if I tried to put anything on her.”

  Kat laughed, thinking of Tom’s reaction. “Matty’s quite an unusual cat.”

  “You don’t say.”

  The clouds parted, and the sun came out. Muffin barked, his tail wagging as if he couldn’t contain his joy over witnessing this simple act of nature.

  Lady Fairchild turned her face toward the sky. “It’s days like these that make me realize I wouldn’t want to live anywhere but Cherry Hills.”

  The clouds shifted, and the sun’s rays shone like a spotlight on the tree that Matty had climbed before attacking Mr. Peterson, the same tree that Jeff had died under.

  Kat squeezed Andrew’s hand, soaking up the warmth. She couldn’t help but marvel at how sometimes a place you never cared to see again might one day become the place you never wanted to leave.

  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 Seven of the Cozy Cat Caper Mystery series, Halloween in Cherry Hills. Thank you!

  HALLOWEEN IN CHERRY HILLS

  “Halloween is tomorrow,” Katherine Harper said, reaching over to pet her cat Matilda. “That’s less than eight hours away.”

  Matty’s eyelids slipped shut, the room filling with the sound of her purring. The tortoiseshell was curled up in her favorite spot on the couch, her yellow-and-brown body compacted into a tight ball and her white chin facing outward in order to be easily accessible for scratching.

  “So?” Andrew Milhone asked. Tom, Kat’s other cat, was stretched out on his back along Andrew’s legs, thrilled to be on the receiving end of a vigorous belly rub.

  “So, I live in a secure apartment building,” Kat replied.

  Andrew grinned. “Then you’ll be safe from the crazies.”

  Kat rolled her eyes. “My point is, nobody is going to come trick-or-treating here. We’ll be bored out of our minds. It would be more fun to spend Halloween somewhere else, don’t you think?”

  Tom flipped over and rested his chin on his paws, a sure sign the brown-and-black cat had finally gotten enough attention—for now.

  Andrew settled back against the couch. “In that case, I vote for Aruba. They don’t celebrate Halloween there, do they? We can relax on the beach sipping piña coladas while everyone back here in Cherry Hills has to deal with kids on a sugar high.”

  Kat sat up, a flash of exasperation searing through her. “Andrew, I’m trying to have a serious conversation and you’re making jokes.”

  He frowned, the twinkle in his eyes dimming. “Okay, well, where do you want to spend Halloween? Seattle’s only a two-hour drive. We could see what’s happening over there.”

  Kat rubbed Matty’s ears. “I don’t want to go to Seattle. I was thinking of something a little closer to home.”

  “You mean Wenatchee?”

  “Closer. Like, your place.”

  Andrew’s mouth dropped open. “My place?” The words emerged as a squeak.

  “Yes.” Kat stopped petting Matty so she could twist toward Andrew. “If you haven’t noticed, I’ve never actually been inside your house.”

  He swallowed. “I realize that.”

  “We always hang out here.” Kat looked around her apartment and grimaced. “This place is so small. Don’t you get tired of it?”

  “Not really.”

  “Well, I do. Besides, I want to see where you live.”

  Andrew stared at her. She stared back. She only looked away when Matty crawled into her lap and nudged her hand with her head. Clearly Matty hadn’t appreciated being ignored while the humans were talking.

  Kat stroked the tortoiseshell, but her mind was still on her conversation with Andrew. She couldn’t see what the problem was. It wasn’t as if she had proposed marriage. She just wanted to see his house.

  The full force of her stubbornness kicked in then. She made a silent vow not to back down until he agreed.

  Andrew shifted positions, creating enough of a disruption that Tom jumped onto the floor and stalked off. The sound of crunching kibble drifted out of the kitchen seconds later.

  Andrew coughed. “You know, my place isn’t really that interesting. It’s old, and I’m not much of a decorator.”

  Kat held up her palms. “So?”

  Matty reached up and swatted Kat’s hand. Kat wasn’t sure if the animal was taking Andrew’s side or if she was simply miffed about being ignored again.

  Andrew raked his fingers through his hair, sending a sandy lock flopping over his
forehead. “The roof has a couple leaks. It’s really annoying when you want some peace and quiet and all you can hear is a steady drip-drip-drip.”

  “Luckily, the forecast for tomorrow includes a zero percent chance of rain.”

  He crossed then uncrossed his ankles. “My neighbors can be kind of loud.”

  “Andrew!” Kat slapped her hands on the couch cushions, much to Matty’s dismay. “I don’t care! I don’t care about your neighbors, or your lack of interior design skills, or a few leaks. I wouldn’t even care if you had a bubbling brook running through your living room. I just want to see where you live. Is that so strange? I mean, we’ve been dating for a couple months now, and I’ve never been inside your house. That can’t be normal.”

  His face paled, and she felt a ping of alarm.

  “Is there a reason you don’t want me to see your house?” she asked, her voice growing quieter. She was having trouble getting the words out around the lump developing in her throat. “Are you ashamed your neighbors will see me with you or something?”

  “What?” He straightened. “No.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “It’s—I’m—” He huffed, then stood up to pace around the room.

  Dread pooled in Kat’s stomach. “Just tell me.”

  He must have heard the pleading note in her voice. He pivoted around to face her. “I’m nervous.”

  “Nervous?” She took a moment to absorb that. “Nervous about what? That I’m going to judge you?”

  He stared at her for what felt like half an hour. The anguish written all over his face made Kat’s chest tighten. When he finally did speak, his words tumbled out in a rush.

  “I’m afraid I’ll let you in, and then you’ll leave.”

  “I won’t leave, even if I hate the house. I promise. I’ll even bring an umbrella, just in case it does rain.”

  He blew out a breath. “You’re not getting it. I’m afraid you’ll leave leave.”