He peered at her out of the corner of his eye. “You’re not going to do anything dangerous, are you?”
“I wouldn’t do that,” she replied. “But if Walter or some other person is after us in this town, the best thing we can do is stay visible. That’s the best way we can find out who it is and what they’re planning next.”
He turned away. “All right. I can see that you’re not going to listen to me. You go with your real estate agent.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I’m going to track down Penny Cartwright and Alan Braithwaite,” he told her. “They should know the danger they’re in. I wasn’t going to say anything yet, but if we’re right and the explosion at the aluminum plant was intended to kill Alan, then I should offer them protection, too, at least until we find out who’s doing this.”
Chapter 4
A green SUV pulled up to the curb outside the Opportunity Shop, and the window glided down. A perky young lady in a black suit and fresh make-up smiled through it at Vanessa. “Are you Vanessa Abbot?”
Vanessa nodded. “You must be Julie McLeod.”
“Hop in,” Julie called. “We’ll head out, if you’re ready.”
Vanessa picked up the crate at her feet and grabbed the door handle. When she settled herself in the seat, she arranged the crate on the floor between her knees. Julie eyed it. “What’s in the box?”
Vanessa blushed. “It’s one of my cats.”
Julie’s eyes widened. “One of.....?”
Vanessa nodded. “I have twelve of them—I mean thirteen. I told you on the phone I’m the President of the Cat Protection League. I’m looking at this property to start a cat sanctuary for neglected and abandoned cats. That’s what I do.”
“You told me on the phone,” Julie replied, “but you didn’t say anything about bringing one of them with you.”
“I have to make sure the place is suitable,” Vanessa explained. “How could I know that if I didn’t see one of my most trusted cats there, in that environment? I would always be wondering until the day I moved in if it was right for them. If I moved in and it wasn’t right for them, it would be a disaster.”
Julie shook her head and turned out into traffic. “Suit yourself. I have to tell you, though, this will be the first time I’ve ever shown a property to a cat.”
Vanessa laughed. “I’m sure it will be the last time, too. If this property works out for us, it could be wonderful.”
They drove out of town and along a deserted country back road. Trees and wooded hills stood on either side of the road, and the vehicle passed over bubbling streams and through shady glades. Vanessa took a deep breath of the breeze coming through the window. “It’s very nice out here. You don’t realize what you’re missing until you get out of town.”
“Just wait until we get to the property,” Julie replied. “It’s the most tranquil setting you can imagine. It will be perfect for your cats.”
“And for me, too, I hope,” Vanessa added.
“Of course, of course,” Julie exclaimed.
Vanessa gazed out the window and went into a happy dream. What would her life be like if she could look out at trees, fields and sky all the time instead of a dingy city street? What would her cats lives be like if they weren’t shut up in that cold apartment all the time?
The property Julie took her to see consisted of a wooden frame farmhouse situated on thirty acres of forest. A few meager lawns surrounded the house, but quickly turned to forest just beyond where the lawn mower stopped cutting them.
Julie parked her SUV on the road outside the gate. Vanessa got out on the passenger side with her crate in one hand.
“What is that place over there?” Vanessa pointed across the road.
“That’s the Jorgensen farm,” Julie told her. “But that barn hasn’t been used in nearly sixty years. Look, the roof is half caved in, and most of the siding boards have rotted off. There’s no one there to look at you. You can be sure of that.”
“Why don’t they tear it down?” Vanessa asked.
“The Jorgensen family went to court to try to get permission to replace it with a barn they could actually use,” Julie told her. “Their request was denied. The city council ruled that if they tore this barn down, they couldn’t replace it with anything. They had to leave the land bare, except for farming.”
“That’s a bit silly, isn’t it?” Vanessa asked.
Julie shrugged. “That’s local politics for you. The Jorgensens don’t want to tear it down now. They think they might try again to get permission later, in a few years or so.”
Vanessa nodded. “I see.”
“Are you ready to go inside?” Julie asked.
Julie unlocked the gate and they walked toward the house. Vanessa stopped in front of the porch and set the crate on the ground. She flicked the latch, and the door fell open.
Julie gasped. “You’re sure it won’t run away?”
Vanessa smiled up at her. “You just watch.” She took a step away from the crate.
Nothing happened for a long minute. The two women stared down at the crate. Every so slowly, a speckled cat stuck his nose through the door and sniffed the air. Then he sneezed and his head emerged. He took the first tentative step onto the grass.
Julie watched in rapt attention. The cat stepped lightly onto the lawn. “How will you know if it’s all right?”
Vanessa didn’t answer. The cat crept forward with every whisker alert. He twitched his nose one-way and then another. Then he trotted forward and hopped up on the porch. He sat down in the sunshine and started cleaning his coat.
Vanessa smiled at Julie. “We can go in now.”
Julie’s eyes flew open. “Just like that?”
Vanessa nodded. “Henry knows his business. You can trust him.”
“How do you know your other cats will like it just as much?” Julie asked.
“Henry knows,” Vanessa replied. “If he likes it, the others will like it, too. He wouldn’t say it’s okay if it wasn’t.”
“When did he say it was okay?” Julie asked.
Vanessa dropped her eyes. “Just now. Now can we go inside? I want to have a look around.”
Julie showed her the house. Then they took a walk around the grounds. After an hour or so of giving the place a thorough inspection, Vanessa put Henry in the crate and took him back to Julie’s car.
“What did you think?” Julie asked. “Do you think you might go for it?”
“It’s very nice,” Vanessa asked. “I think my cats and I would be very happy here.”
“Then would you like to make an offer?” she asked.
Vanessa blushed and turned toward the car. “I’ll have to discuss that with the bank. But I will tell you that I would love to buy it.”
Julie smiled, and Vanessa picked up Henry’s crate to put it in the car. At that moment, the cat let out a yowl that set Vanessa’s hair on end. He screeched and scratched and fought to get out of the crate.
“What is wrong with you, Henry?” Vanessa asked. “What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
“He didn’t act that way on the trip out here,” Julie pointed out. “Something set him off.”
“He never acts like this—ever,” Vanessa replied. “That’s why I brought him. He’s the most even-tempered cat in the world.”
“Well, he’s not being very even-tempered now, is he?” Julie remarked. “Do you want to take him out and see if he settles down?”
Vanessa shook her head and slid the crate into her seat. “Let’s just go. Maybe he’ll settle down when we get on the road.”
Julie nodded and got into the driver’s seat. Vanessa took one last look around, and at that moment the sun reflected off something over in the dilapidated barn across the road. At first, she discounted it as a reflection on the broken glass in the old windowpanes. But then she looked again and realized the bright light blinked back and forth. The reflective surface was moving.
Vanessa pee
red closer at the building and saw the moving reflection in one of the broken windows. A shape rose up over the windowsill, and a human head appeared behind the shining light. Vanessa could just make out the sandy brown hair swept sideways, the mustache above the upper lip, and the square cut of the jaw.
Vanessa caught her breath, and her heart nearly burst out of her chest. She blinked, but she couldn’t deny the evidence of her own senses. The person over in the barn window, watching her through binoculars, was none other than Walter Connelly!
As she watched, Walter bent down and picked up something from the floor at his feet. He brought it out and rested it on the windowsill. Vanessa strained her eyes to see what it was. Then the sun reflected on something else, but it wasn’t anything as shiny as the round glass of binoculars. This was something black and thin, and Walter held it up to his face and squinted at her from behind it.
The first thought of what it was flickered through Vanessa’s mind, but it was too late. The first gunshot ripped through the tranquil countryside. The bullet sang over her head and over the SUV behind her. In the back of her mind, Vanessa heard Henry screeching in his crate. Good old Henry. He always knew when something like this was about to happen, and he always tried to warn her. Thank Heaven she brought him with her.
Vanessa ducked her head as the second shot thumped into the side of the SUV.
“What in the name of all that’s holy is going on?” Julie bellowed.
The third gunshot blasted through the air, and the window next to Vanessa shattered into a cloud of powder. She covered her head with her hands and spun around to protect her face from the gunshots.
She dove into the passenger seat. “Drive!” she screamed to Julie. “Drive!”
“What is going on?” Julie cried again.
“Can’t you see?” Vanessa shouted. “Someone’s shooting at us. Now get this car started and get us out of here. He’ll kill us if we stay here.”
Julie turned the key in the ignition, but another bullet hit the front windshield and it crumpled in a curtain of tiny shards. Julie screamed and let go of the ignition key. She clutched the sides of her head and screamed through the gaping hole where the windshield used to be.
Vanessa started to yell at her again, but changed her mind. She seized the key and turned it over herself. The engine roared to life. She grabbed the gearshift and threw the SUV into drive. She slammed her hand down on Julie’s knee and pushed her foot down hard on the gas pedal.
The SUV shot forward and almost ran into a clump of trees by the side of the road. The car in motion snapped Julie out of her terror. She grabbed the steering wheel and turned the vehicle out of the way just in time.
Julie kept her foot jammed down on the gas pedal when Vanessa let her go, and the SUV tore down the road away from the property, away from Walter, and away from the shooting. A cloud of dust separated them from the danger.
After a while, the two women calmed down and Julie drove at a regular speed again. They reached the main highway back to Caspar Crossing, and they sighed with relief.
All at once, Julie screeched off the pavement and braked the SUV to a stop on the side of the road. “What is going on? Who was that shooting at us?”
Vanessa took a deep breath and turned to Julie “Who knew you were coming out here to show me this property?”
Julie gasped in surprise. “Just the other people in my office, my secretary, the other agents, and our general manager. I always tell them where I’m going, and I have to make a record of viewings for the owners so they know how much traffic they’re getting in potential buyers. Why do you ask?”
Vanessa closed her eyes and shook her head. “Never mind.” Then her eyes snapped open. “No, wait a minute. I want you to give me a list of all their names.”
“What for?” Julie cried.
Vanessa let out a shaking breath. “I know it’s not something you normally do, but this is part of a murder investigation. A man just tried to shoot us, and someone in your office must have told him where we were going. I have to have those names.”
“I don’t think I can do that,” Julie replied. “If it’s part of a murder investigation, shouldn’t the police be asking for those names?”
Vanessa drooped and nodded. “You’re right. I’ll tell Detective Wheeler to get in touch with your office.”
Julie gasped. “Is it really all that important?”
Vanessa settled back in her seat. “It’s a matter of life and death.”
Chapter 5
Vanessa strode into the police station and approached the front desk. “Where’s Detective Wheeler?”
“I’m right over here,” he called out.
Vanessa caught sight of Penny Cartwright and Alan Braitwaite standing next to Pete’s desk. “Walter Connelly is here in town.”
His eyes flew open. “What?”
Vanessa nodded. “I saw him watching me through binoculars, and then he shot at me.”
Pete rose to his feet. A black cloud darkened his face. “Where?”
“That’s just the thing,” she told him. “He was in an old abandoned barn across the road from the property I just went to look at. Someone from the real estate agent’s office must have found out I was there and tipped him off.”
“You should have found out who works in the office,” he replied. “We could have compared their criminal records to see if any of them have any past or present connection to Walter.”
“I tried to,” Vanessa told him. “The agent wouldn’t give me that information. She said if it really is part of a murder investigation, she should be talking to the police.”
Pete nodded and sat down in his chair again. “Fair enough. At least we have somewhere to look.”
“How do you explain him being here in town?” Vanessa asked. “He’s supposed to be under house arrest in Washington.”
Pete shrugged. “Who knows what lurks in the minds of the federal government? Maybe their idea of house arrest is not going out for pizza. I don’t know. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is how we’re going to deal with him now that he’s here.”
“Can’t you just drive out there and arrest him?” she asked.
“He’ll be long gone by now,” Pete replied. “Besides, now that we know he’s here, he’ll be a lot easier to spot than trying to find some mystery stranger. We all know what Walter looks like. We don’t have to try to find out who’s doing his dirty work for him.”
“He could still be using agents,” Vanessa pointed out. “He wouldn’t be going around blowing up aluminum plants and cutting brake lines himself. That would be beneath him.”
“You would think,” Pete replied, “that sneaking around abandoned barns and spying on people with binoculars would be beneath him, too. You would think he would send someone else to shoot at you. That way, if you happened to catch sight of them, you wouldn’t recognize the person. But he didn’t. He wanted to see you for himself. He might feel the same way about cutting my brake lines and blowing up the plant. He might not trust an agent to do the job right.”
Vanessa waved a finger at him. “You can’t tell me that Walter Connelly—Doctor Walter Connelly—criminal mastermind and underworld kingpin, snuck into that plant, climbed up that scaffold, and drilled a hole in a copper gas line just to silence a potential witness. You’re taking this whole thing too far. Besides, as you said, someone would recognize him, especially there at the plant, since he wasn’t a regular employee.”
Pete shook his head. “This is getting us nowhere. We have to track him down before he strikes again.”
Vanessa turned to the pair next to his desk. “Hello, Penny. Hello, Alan. What are you two doing here? You’re not going into protective custody, are you?”
Penny glanced at her brother. “We weren’t sure what to do. We came here to talk to Detective Wheeler and Captain Jameson about the situation. But that was before we knew Walter was in town. This changes everything.”
Vanessa sighed, and they all sat down aro
und Pete’s desk. “I wasn’t all that excited about going into hiding myself, but now that I’ve seen Walter from myself, I’m starting to have second thoughts. If Walter has people planted all over town and can get information about where we are and where we’re going at the snap of his fingers, none of us are safe. We might not even be safe in protective custody.”
Pete stared down at his desk. “I used to think we had a pretty straight department here. I haven’t seen anything that would make me think Walter or any other criminal element had a hand in this police force. But if the FBI is that slack about letting him roam around the country, I would have to agree with you. I wouldn’t trust anybody with your protection.”
“So what are we going to do about it?” Vanessa asked.
“There’s only one thing we can do,” he told her. “We have to find a way to bring Walter to justice. We have to catch him in the act of trying to kill one of us, or find proof that he’s hiring others to do it. We have to prove he’s here, in town, and we have to find some way to stop him.”
“How are we going to do that?” Penny asked.
Pete shook his head. “I know it’s a tall order, but we have to do it. We can’t wait around for someone else to do it. We could all be dead before anybody knows what happened.”
Vanessa sat up straighter in her chair. “I’m with you, Pete. We’ve stopped Walter before. We can do it again.”
“This is much more serious than that was,” Pete told her. “No one knew before that Walter was a killer. Now he’s killed one person and tried to kill two others.”
“He tried to kill three people,” Penny reminded them. “Don’t forget that the explosion at the plant was intended to kill Alan. He killed Eastman by mistake.”
“Do we know that for certain?” Vanessa asked. “I thought that was just a speculation.”
“We know it for certain now,” Pete told her. “I checked the personnel records from the plant. Another pipe fitter had to go to Chicago for some special training conference. Alan was supposed to come in to cover for him, but at the last minute, his car broke down and he had to back out. They called in Eastman instead. He was doing the job Alan was supposed to do.”
Meow or Never (Vanessa Abbot Cat Protection League Cat Cozy Mystery Series Book 3) Page 3