by Elle Rush
“Gram!”
Chapter Nine
Decker
Something niggled in the back of his brain about the attempted break-in at Kitten Caboodle, but until his subconscious decided to share, Decker couldn’t do anything about it. What he could do was complete his investigation into Pure Bred.
But first.
“Good morning, Nick.” Decker was back in his suit and tie. He wasn’t dressed to impress his client, although it never hurt. He needed to make himself even more memorable at Pure Bred to get more information on their Funster shipments and their mysterious cat sales.
“Any news?” the vice-president asked.
“More questions than anything else. I’m going to lean on Pure Bred hard today. Until I know what they’re hiding, I have to assume it’s E.L.V.I.S. The prototype’s GPS says it was somewhere in the mall. Someone must have it. I’ll do another search today in the store and café in case I missed it or somebody moved it,” Decker said.
He was reaching for his coffee cup when he caught a glimpse of Nick Klassen’s face. The man winced and was trying to hide it, badly. Nick tried to get his usual grin back in place but his mouth kept twitching.
“What?” Decker demanded. The smallest additional detail could help him bust the case wide open. He didn’t need clients who withheld information.
“It might have moved, but not because somebody moved it,” Nick said.
“Explain.”
“We did tell you the doll moved. That it had an animatronics component,” Nick hedged.
“According to the specifications you sent, that meant it had articulating joints and the capability to wave its arms and turn its head.”
Nick flinched on the screen. “Those specs might not have been entirely accurate. When we said it moves, we meant it can move itself. Walk. Climb. Curl up in a ball and hide.”
“Why would you develop a doll that could do that?” Decker asked. “Nick, Mr. Klassen, what—specifically—did you hire me to find?”
The explanation did not improve Decker’s temper. By the time their conversation ended, Nick’s assistant Jilly had sent him the updated specification of what he was truly looking for.
Calling E.L.V.I.S. a doll was like calling a shotgun a pellet delivery system. The description was technically accurate but entirely and dangerously understated. How had they expected him to find their missing, highly advanced Electronic Long-range Video/audio Interactive Surveillance unit when he thought he was looking for an action figure?
Decker spent the rest of the morning familiarizing himself with E.L.V.I.S.’s true capabilities. The surveillance unit was supposed to replace North Pole Unlimited’s current E.O.S. model, whatever that was. E.L.V.I.S.’s purpose was to observe its designated target, record where the subject was, what it was doing and who it was doing it with, and send the data back to NPU’s security room via a satellite link. From there, the footage was redirected to whoever was owned the unit. Unfortunately for NPU, the satellite link and the geo-positioning system were on the same circuit, and both were malfunctioning. That meant while E.L.V.I.S. was in Archer Plaza, recording whatever it decided needed to be recorded, it also had the capability of following its subject from place to place. Decker was looking for a moving needle in a retail haystack.
He’d wasted enough time being covert. Something this sensitive needed more direct action.
His first move was to stop at the mall’s customer service booth where he dropped off a flyer offering a reward for locating his “sick niece’s missing dolly.” If a mall employee didn’t contact him directly for the obscene amount of money he was offering, the booth attendant would make sure he found out if and when E.L.V.I.S. was turned in.
He checked his watch. It was still too early to stop by Kitten Caboodle. Decker had texted Joy when he got up, to see if she’d slept well or if she’d had nightmares about the break-in. PTSD could happen even if she hadn’t been in the shelter at the time. She texted back a “Fine. Thanks for asking. Looking forward to tonight!” and a bunch of smiley faces and emojis.
He read the text again while he fought against his instincts to go verify Joy’s state of mind. “You can go after you finish at Pure Bred,” he bargained with himself.
His shirt was spotless and his tie straight when he strode into Pure Brewed for the second time. “Black, drip, the largest you’ve got.” He wasn’t out to impress anybody this time. The barista didn’t question him.
The café, he noted again, was sparsely decorated to just this side of “no personality whatsoever.” A handful of generic prints of European street scenes littered the walls and some fake bamboo plants in plastic containers sat in the corners. Behind the cash register, two photographs of a Caribbean coffee estate were on display: an old one in sepia tones, and the other a more recent shot of the same view, showing the upgraded plant facilities while the same plantation house stood in the background. Everything else was café and store merchandise advertised on chrome and glass shelves. Not only was there no place to display a doll, there wasn’t anywhere to hide one. Unless E.L.V.I.S. was behind the counter or in a storeroom—an unlikely option since a surveillance unit wouldn’t monitor a mostly empty room—Decker had no choice but to move on.
Liam was working again. Good for Decker, bad for him. The twenty-something tried to duck into whichever row Decker wasn’t searching. Not in the mood for games, Decker strode down an aisle at the other end of the store, then came up behind Liam when he was looking the other way. “Where’s my cat?”
“Ummm.”
“Where’s your boss?”
“In the office. I’ll take you,” Liam said eagerly.
The kid knocked on the door, and Decker heard Lorraine before he saw her. “Liam, what are you doing back here? You should be on the floor.”
“He’s back. I’m gone.”
The shelf stocker had no problem throwing his supervisor under the bus. It wasn’t a great move when it came to future employment, but Liam would do well in a survival situation.
“Mr…” Lorraine let her voice trail off. Decker stared at her, and waited for her to admit she knew who he was. “Mr. Harkness, what can I do for you?” she asked.
“You could give me an update on the cat you promised me.” Decker knew he was pushing hard, but he recognized her type. Lorraine wouldn’t respond to anything other than direct confrontation. He proved himself right when she nodded.
“We haven’t received them yet, but I did receive some pictures from our breeder.” She pulled her phone out of her blazer pocket and called up a photo. She turned the screen to show him. “We’ll have three males. You’ll have first pick when they come in,” she promised.
They looked a little like Joy’s kittens, only bigger. Of course, since those were the only kittens he’d ever actually seen in person, he didn’t have a lot to compare them to. Black was black. “They look big enough to be weaned,” he said, repeating something Joy had said about her trio. He hoped it was a suitable observation for these cats.
“They have been. It’s a transportation issue at this point,” Lorraine explained.
It sounded like a weak excuse. “What about the Funster doll I’m looking for,” Decker pressed.
“I told you. We don’t carry anything like that.”
“You also told me you didn’t have any Bombay cats for sale the first time I spoke to you. I know the doll was sent to either Pure Bred or Kitten Caboodle,” he lied. “I’m willing to pay a premium but I need to finalize the purchase within the week.” It had hit him earlier he could kill two birds with one stone by having Lorraine turn her own store upside down looking for E.L.V.I.S., rather than spend his own time searching for the doll.
Lorraine’s pupils dilated at the word “premium” but aside from that she did nothing to give away her interest. “If it was shipped to us in error, I’ll give you a call if we locate it. If there’s nothing else?”
Decker didn’t waste time with goodbyes. He’d done what he wanted. He ch
ecked his watch on the way out. If he timed it right, he might be able to take Joy to lunch.
It was ridiculous he didn’t like going twelve hours without seeing her. He had no idea who she was a week ago. It was too much. He was moving too fast. He didn’t care. He had an interesting case and the prospect of lunch with a beautiful, intelligent woman. E.L.V.I.S. and Joy had come into his life at the time he’d needed them both. He’d give back the doll. He was keeping the girl.
Chapter Ten
Joy
Joy had known she was making a mistake when she did it, but it didn’t stop her. She grabbed a handful of her silky knit sweater-dress and tugged it over her hips. The royal blue fabric was fine when she stood behind the till or lifted items on the upper racks, but whenever she squatted to reach something on the lower shelves, her dress rode up and became a mini. She only needed to tolerate it for four more hours until she was done for the day.
She shouldn’t have worn it. It was a summer outfit, too thin for the autumn temperatures. But since she was in a climate-controlled building, she thought she could get away with it. Decker hadn’t said he’d stop by during the day. In fact, he probably wouldn’t since he had a job too, but if he did appear, she wanted him to see her favorite dress before she put it away for the season.
After she’d pulled the dress out of her closet, she’d lost half an hour trying to choose what she’d wear for her date that night. She’d have to make a decision when she got home. At the moment, she was pleased her matching heels were comfortable because she was being run off her feet.
After the grandma who wanted eight packets of cat treats for her darling Siamese’s birthday party, the woman who couldn’t decide which collar looked better on her poodle, and the three-year-old demon princess in the stroller who pulled six bags of birdseed off the shelf, Joy happily took a minute to ignore customers while she crouched to sweep the scattered seeds into a dustpan.
It was probably why the person in the next row didn’t see her.
“How can I get you out of the store with me?” A man’s voice floated over from the next aisle.
Joy wanted to cheer. He sounded like he was standing in front of Myrtle and Baron’s cage. The birds had been surrendered when their owner was admitted to a long-term care facility. The parakeets were cheerful birds. She’d love it if they went to the same home.
“Good morning. Can I help you with…” Her question trailed into nothingness when she saw the guy from yesterday loitering next to the kittens’ playpen. She felt her nose turn up as well, but that was a reaction to the cloud of body spray wafting her way. His hand darted away from the screen she’d placed on top of the glass box to keep strangers from touching the cats without permission. Exactly like he was trying to do. She’d even taped a sign to the glass: If you want to pet the kittens, please ask an employee to help you. Kittens love supervised snuggles! “Excuse me!” she said loudly. “Can I help you?”
The correct answer was no. Handsy guy didn’t seem to understand that.
“I changed my mind. I want to put my name in to get these three black Bombays. What do I need to do to get started?” he asked.
“As I told you yesterday, we offer no pedigree for these cats. If you’d like them anyway, we need your name and contact information, including a copy of your driver’s license to put on the paperwork,” Joy said. The shelter’s adoption contract also gave them permission to run credit and criminal background checks. This potential cat-daddy might be legitimate but Joy would bet her next paycheck the fine print would scare him off.
He pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and waved it in her face. “I’d rather give you a deposit and leave my number. I’ll need them by the end of the week.”
This special snowflake had no clue who he was dealing with.
“Again, as I told you yesterday, these kittens will not be available for adoption until November.”
He started peeling off bills. “What’s this really going to cost me?”
“Get. Out!”
Joy hadn’t meant to be quite so loud. His eyes were already wide, and the magnifying lenses in his glasses gave him a comical air. She didn’t let herself smile until he was out of the store.
Spooky and Midnight butted their heads against the glass until she caved and picked them up. Pumpkin covered his nose with his paws and sneezed. “Yes, Pumpkin, that rude man was wearing too much cologne.”
She put the kittens down to let them scamper on the floor for a few minutes to stretch their little legs. Both of them darted halfway down the row and paused in front of a stack of fifty-pound dog food bags. They sat side by side and looked at the pile.
“That’s not kitty food, you two.” She took a box of cat treats from the cubby under their play box and shook it. “Want a snack?”
They didn’t move. Their eyes were riveted to the shelf.
“Fine.” Joy scooped them up and returned them to the display case. “Don’t start whining,” she told them when they peeped at her. “I gave you a chance to run around. You didn’t want to. Now you can stay there while I go for lunch unless Rob wants to let you out.”
Midnight peeped again, and batted at her hand.
“Bad kitty.”
“He’s a baby. What did you expect?” Decker’s warm voice filled her ears and made her head spin.
“Hey,” was all she managed.
He leaned in and shook his finger at the kittens. “Are you monsters giving Joy a hard time?”
Pumpkin leapt at his hand, missed, and fell awkwardly on his side. Decker poked him gently in the belly and Pumpkin’s legs flailed for a moment. He stopped and gave Decker a plaintive look. Decker poked the kitten once more, and the cat’s legs started going again.
After the fifth time, Joy felt obligated to step in. “He’s not going to stop doing that any time soon,” she told Decker.
His mouth made an O and his hand froze in mid-tickle. It was like he didn’t realize how long he’d been doing it. Joy already had a litter box and set of food and water dishes picked out for Decker and Pumpkin as an adoption gift for when Decker figured it out.
“I didn’t expect to see you today. It’s a pleasant surprise,” she added before he got the wrong idea.
“I had some business in the mall. It’s done. I thought I’d take you to lunch,” Decker said.
“Instead of supper?” It made wearing the dress a good choice, but she wanted a long, romantic dinner, not a processed, food-court hamburger. The change of plans didn’t necessarily mean anything bad. He might have to work unexpectedly or—
“No. And supper. Can you go now?”
“Rob, I’m on lunch!” Decker wrapped his fingers around hers and she was halfway out the door when she heard the responding “Okay.”
Decker frowned at the spinach side salad and roll she got from Fresh-To-Go. “Is that all you’re having?”
“It is if you’re still taking me to a nice place tonight.”
Decker pressed his lips together, but Joy saw the hint of a smile. She speared a forkful of greens. “Did you get what you needed at your meeting?”
“Not yet, but I will. How was your morning?” he asked before starting on his first cheeseburger.
“Busy, with a little weird thrown in for good measure.”
He set down his burger. “Tell me.”
“The kittens are being odd, even for cats. They’re constantly freezing and staring at the bags of kibble across the aisle,” she said.
“Maybe they’re hungry.”
“Oh, they’re always hungry. But you know what? Now that I think about it, those shelves are directly behind the aisle where somebody keeps knocking all the toys to the floor. Maybe something’s there.” Joy spoke slowly, forming each word as the idea crystalized in her head. The shelf was too small for a person, but something else using it as a hiding place was entirely possible.
“Eat,” Decker ordered.
Joy picked up her fork. “Not a mouse. That’s too small. You don’t thi
nk it’s a rat, do you? The back door to the shelter is always being opened and closed, and the garbage bins are stored at the corner of the parking lot a few stalls down from us. A raccoon, maybe?”
“Eat. We’ll take a look when I walk you back to the store.”
“You don’t have to—” His look shut her up. “We’ll look after lunch,” she agreed.
Chapter Eleven
Decker
He found a shoe. A shoe roughly an inch and a half long, made of a soft, fuzzy, navy rubber Decker could bend in half between the tips of his thumb and forefinger. He examined it closely, then put it back where he found it.
That was one question answered. E.L.V.I.S. had been shipped to Kitten Caboodle, although there was no sign of it at the moment. Decker didn’t know if it was good or bad news. He had proof E.L.V.I.S. had chosen Joy’s store, and one aisle in particular, as its home base. It didn’t answer his second question about whether or not the doll had moved on after causing back-to-back nightly mischief which had put its hidey-hole into jeopardy. Or his third, where he wondered if it was what had damaged the store’s mall doors.
At least he had something to report to Nick Klassen. After days of no leads, any progress was an improvement. Finding E.L.V.I.S.’s old lair was a solid mark in the good-investigative-techniques column. Finding his new one would be even better.
Now Decker had to figure out what the doll was doing. E.L.V.I.S. was a surveillance unit, designed to spy on whatever subject its programmers designated. Who or what was E.L.V.I.S.’s target?
“Did you find anything?” Joy asked.
Decker heaved the dog food bags back into place. “No trace of any animals,” he prevaricated. He didn’t want Joy to worry that rats or other vermin infested her store, but he couldn’t tell her the truth. “Will you let me know if it happens again?”
He read the independent streak on her face. She was going to say no. She wouldn’t want to bother him about some stupid mess at her job. He frowned, knowing that solving this mystery was one more problem she added to her list of responsibilities when it was his, and he already had the solution. “Okay,” she said, but there was a slight hint of resentment to it.