‘And those broken stairs had never been a trap set for Matilda or anyone else,’ I chimed in. ‘Soroya sabotaged them and removed the light bulb after she had impulsively killed her newly discovered stepdaughter. Since she couldn’t get rid of the body, she wanted it to look like an accident when it was discovered.’
‘I’m not so sure the killing was impulsive,’ Evangeline said. ‘Soroya was so paranoid, she was probably afraid the woman might make some claim on Gervaise’s estate – ’
‘Which existed only in her imagination,’ I sighed.
‘Exactly. The house belonged to Matilda alone – and she could prove it. Gervaise had nothing to leave.’
‘Except a heap of trouble for poor Matilda.’
‘Oh, well, look on the bright side,’ Evangeline said heartlessly. ‘Soroya won’t have any housing problems from now on. One murder and she might possibly have got a light sentence, but two makes it look as though it was getting to be a habit.’
‘That might even be true,’ I said. ‘If Matilda had died without making a will, then Soroya could have claimed to be her next-of-kin and inherited the house and everything else. And I wouldn’t give much for Teddy’s chances, either, if Soroya was really getting into the swing of murder.’
‘No, even if she plea-bargained with what she knows about the endangered species smuggling – ’
The doorbell cut Evangeline off. We looked at each other. We weren’t expecting company. Tomorrow, Martha and Jocasta were going to come over early and we were going to spend the whole day cooking up a storm. But tonight was scheduled to be a quiet evening at home.
‘Perhaps Martha is bringing over some extra supplies,’ I said. ‘I’ll answer it.’ Cho-Cho followed me down the hallway, she didn’t want to miss anything.
‘Yes? What is it? Uuurk!’ I opened the door to find myself nose-to-beak with an overgrown feathered monstrosity. Cho-Cho-San took one look, hit high C and skittered back down the hallway, fur bristling.
‘What is it?’ I repeated faintly, refusing to believe what I was seeing.
‘Ah! Trixie! It’s Evangeline’s investment.’ Now I noticed Nigel, standing beside it, tethered to it by some kind of leash. ‘I told her I’d see to it that she didn’t lose,’ he said proudly.
‘An ostrich.’ I identified it weakly. Several earlier incidents began to make sense. The feather boa … the steaks … ‘You tied Evangeline’s money up in an ostrich farm. A failed ostrich farm!’
‘Ah, but the assets didn’t disappear. Not like dotcoms. These assets are salvageable. I got her share out before the receivers moved in.’
‘An ostrich,’ I choked. ‘You salvaged an ostrich for Evangeline.’ The thing stared at me balefully.
‘Ah! Not an ostrich.’ He was wounded. ‘I just brought Desdemona up to show you because she’s the tamest.’
‘She’s tame?’ The thing raised one foot and stamped it. Then the rest of what he had said registered. ‘The tamest?’
‘Ah! That’s right.’ He beamed with triumph. ‘I promised her she wouldn’t lose – and I kept my promise. There are sixteen more downstairs.’
‘Sixteen …’
‘Trixie!’ Evangeline appeared at the end of the hallway. ‘Who is it? What’s the matter with the cat? She’s hiding under the sofa. What is it?’
‘Evangeline – ’ I croaked weakly. ‘It’s for you.’
Also by Marian Babson:
The Multiple Cat
Miss Petunia’s Last Case
Break a Leg, Darlings
The Diamond Cat
Even Yuppies Die
Nine Lives to Murder
Shadows in Their Blood
Past Regret
Encore Murder
Guilty Party
Fatal Fortune
Reel Murder
Weekend for Murder
Death in Fashion
Death Swap
A Trail of Ashes
The Cruise of a Deathtime
A Fool for Murder
Death Beside the Seaside
Death Warmed Up
Bejewelled Death
Queue Here for Murder
Dangerous to Know
The Twelve Deaths of Christmas
So Soon Done For
Tightrope for Three
Murder, Murder Little Star
The Lord Mayor of Death
Untimely Death
There Must Be Some Mistake
Murder Sails at Midnight
Unfair Exchange
The Stalking Lamb
Pretty Lady
Murder on Show
Cover-Up Story
A Tealeaf in the Mouse
Deadly Deceit
THE CAT WHO WASN’T A DOG. Copyright © 2003 by Marian Babson. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
www.minotaurbooks.com
First published in Great Britain under the title Not Quite a Geisha by Constable, an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd
eISBN 9781429992558
First eBook Edition : June 2011
First U.S. Edition: August 2003
The Cat Who Wasn't a Dog Page 20