Not a Creature Was Purring

by Krista Davis

  I struggled to my feet. “Trixie? Trixie?”

  I didn’t see her anywhere. The barking had ceased.

  Stumbling, I made my way to the second-floor landing, just in time to see Twinkletoes fly down the hallway toward the reception lobby.

  I followed her and watched as she jumped up on the railing. She looked down, intent on something. Probably the kitten.

  I rushed to the railing to grab her, but she jumped a split second before I could wrap my arms around her.

  “Noooooo!” I howled.

  She flew through the air and landed on someone’s back. Aside from the shock of having a cat jump on him, I assumed his screams might have stemmed from her claws sinking into him.

  He twisted and turned, frantic. I got a good look at his face. It was Tim.

  He dropped the pillowcase he carried and staggered around the reception lobby like a maniac, trying without success to dislodge Twinkletoes from his back.

  The pillowcase wriggled, and I could hear something inside whining. “Trixie?”

  I ran down the stairs yelling, “Dave! Holmes!”

  Tim glanced at me and made a mad rush for the sliding glass door with Twinkletoes still riding his back.

  I flew behind the counter and pressed the locking button so the doors wouldn’t open. Twinkletoes sprang away and ran to the curiously active bag.

  Tim smashed into the glass door like a locomotive full steam ahead. It shattered into tiny bits of safety glass and rained down on him as he fell into the snow.

  I relaxed a little. Even if Tim ran, Officer Dave could follow his footprints in the snow. I hurried to the pillowcase and untied it. Trixie bounded out, apparently none the worse for her horrid experience.

  In the bottom of the bag were three credit cards, all in the name of Dale Thackleberry. Each one had been chewed.

  Holmes, Dave, and Tiffany rushed down the hallway and into the reception lobby. They stopped dead, probably trying to figure out what had happened.

  Trixie stood in the middle of the room, barking like crazy at Tim. Twinkletoes sat on the counter, nonchalantly washing her paws.

  Tiffany and Officer Dave walked over the glass shards to Tim and were helping him up when Linda arrived and screamed.

  Tiny rivulets of blood ran down his face. “I thought it would open,” he muttered.

  Linda plucked bits of glass off her husband. Tears streamed down her face.

  I could hear Dave calling it in over his radio.

  Tiffany watched her parents in horror. “I knew you were drinking too much. I told Mom we should stage an intervention.”

  They clearly didn’t realize what had happened. Or maybe they didn’t want to. “He slugged me.”

  “Tim? He would never do that.” Linda looked at the credit cards that Dave held up for her to see. “There must be some kind of explanation. It’s a mistake. Just a big mistake.”

  Tiffany backed away. “No, Mom. We’ve all been in denial. I thought Dad’s behavior was from his drinking, but I think he was drinking heavily because of something else.”

  “Is that true, Tim?” asked Linda.

  “Tiffie caught me. She didn’t know it was me, I don’t think.” He gazed at his daughter.

  I heard gasps above and looked up. EmmyLou, Barry, and Norma Jeanne listened to him from the balcony.

  Blake and Austin had drifted in and watched, followed by Oma, Rose, Doris, and Mr. Huckle.

  “But when Tiffie went to Dale, he figured it out.”

  Tiffany appeared to be in shock. “You’re the one who was stealing from Thackleberry? My own father?” She wobbled, but Dave caught her before she fell backward.

  “Why, Tim? Why?” whispered his wife.

  “It was never enough. We always needed more money. More, and more, and more. It was so easy to just reimburse myself a little more here and there, and then the checks got bigger, and I had to have them made out to fake suppliers. I thought no one was onto me, but when we arrived in Wagtail, Dale lowered the boom. I didn’t want to kill him. But there was no way out. I had no choice. We would have lost everything. No one would ever have hired me. He left me no choice.”

  Linda had turned as green as the Grinch. I thought she might be sick.

  “You should have told us, Daddy.” Tears rolled down Tiffany’s face. “Grampy would have tried to help. I know he would have.”

  “He said—” Tim smirked “—that it was time we all learned to live within our means. I hated him for that. He never had to. He had everything handed to him on a platter. He didn’t know what he was talking about.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t kill Vivienne, too?” begged Linda.

  The peculiar thing was that Tim hadn’t looked one bit remorseful when he was talking about Dale. But at the mention of Vivienne’s name, he turned into a blubbering fool.

  “It was a mistake. A horrible mistake.” He gazed around the room. “I meant to kill you!”

  He pointed at Doris. He was at least fifteen feet away from her, but she recoiled anyway.

  “Once I knew the business was heading down the tubes, I figured we had to sell it. It was my only chance of hiding what I had done. But with Dale’s death, Doris held the power, and I knew she would never agree.”

  “I don’t get it.” Linda’s brow furrowed. “Then how did Vivienne die?”

  “I put mashed sleeping pills in bourbon punch and brought it to Doris. Mom must have drunk it.”

  Doris raised her head high. “Evil begat evil. It went full circle when you murdered your own mother.” She turned abruptly and headed away, her cane tapping as she walked along the hallway.

  She was right about that. He had wrapped the weapon with which he had killed her son and given it to her as a gift. Only a person with a truly dark heart could have done that.

  “Why did you slug me, and why did you put Trixie in a pillowcase?”

  Tim didn’t seem ashamed. “I was going to dispose of her.”

  I gasped and clasped Trixie to me too tightly. She didn’t complain.

  “She and your cat are a clever team. They kept sneaking into our room. They stole that little dog ornament and chewed up Dale’s credit cards. I saw the dog running off with Dale’s cash in her mouth. Every time I opened my door, either your cat or your dog was there being a pest. I was going to get rid of her once and for all. I think she must have hidden the cash in your apartment. I can’t find it anywhere. If your dog hadn’t found Dale and my mom, I would have been out of here by now. Of course, I was counting on the private jet being at my disposal.”

  Tim sounded delusional to me. Even though it was cold, Dale’s and Vivienne’s corpses would have been found rather quickly. Had he grown overconfident about his ability to commit crime?

  “You were planning to break into Holly’s apartment?” cried Linda.

  “I needed cash. I was going to pick the lock, but she opened the door and the stupid dog wouldn’t stop barking.”

  Stupid dog, indeed. I planted a big smooch on Trixie’s forehead.

  Under the lights outside the glass doors, two police officers walked up and surveyed the damage.

  Over the next hour, Mr. Huckle, Holmes, and I cleaned the floor of the reception lobby, while Dave prepared to transport Tim to the jail in Snowball via police snowmobile.

  We had just finished when Tiffany ran into the lobby. “I forgot all about Snowflake!”

  I was so weary I could barely keep my eyes open. “I’ll take the first floor. Mr. Huckle, would you look in the basement? And Holmes, how about you search the second floor?”

  Tiffany accompanied me on the first floor. Mr. Huckle and Holmes joined us when they were through. There was simply no sign of the little kitten. “We can call Zelda and see if she can communicate with Snowflake,” I suggested. “The inn offers so many places for a cat to nestle.”<
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  “I don’t believe in animal communicators, but I’m willing to give it a try.”

  I headed for the lobby phone, and when I picked it up, I spied something moving in the Christmas village. I hung up, placed a finger over my lips in a signal to be quiet, and sneaked up on the village that Linda had set up.

  Nestled in a semicircle of houses, Twinkletoes was curled in the shape of a C, with tiny Snowflake hidden in the white fur of Twinkletoes’s tummy. They were fast asleep.

  “That’s so adorable!” Tiffany immediately photographed it and posted the picture on Instagram.

  I dragged myself into the private kitchen, planning to take the secret stairs up to my quarters, but encountered Oma, Rose, and Mr. Huckle, who made a huge fuss over my black eyes and the growing bruise on my cheek. I had taken a good battering, and bed was beginning to be very appealing. I begged off and promised to tell all the next day.

  • • •

  I had never looked worse than I did in the morning. Makeup was useless. I showered and pulled on a ribbed white turtleneck, a navy blue plaid skirt, and brown boots. I let my hair hang loose, in the hope it would help cover my face, and donned the biggest sunglasses I owned.

  Shelley was back to waiting tables, and Zelda should have been at the registration desk, but I found her having breakfast with Oma, Rose, and Dave.

  Fortunately, Dave was filling them in on the details of what had happened.

  Shelley didn’t bother taking our order. She rushed over to the table with Trixie’s favorite—steak and home fries. “I hear Twinkletoes is a heroine. I hope it’s okay that I fed her people tuna this morning.”

  “She deserves it. If she hadn’t jumped Tim, he would have left the inn and none of us would have known what he was up to. Heaven only knows what he might have done to poor Trixie.”

  Shelley handed me a cupcake with a tiny dog bone on top. “Holiday Hound Cake for Trixie when she finishes her breakfast. And this is for you. Cook knows how you love French toast with fresh berries.”

  “Thanks, Shelley.”

  “It’s crazy,” said Dave, “but even though Tim admitted to murdering Dave, and accidentally killing his own mom, he absolutely will not admit that he stabbed the Grinch to hide Dave’s body.”

  Suddenly, I felt a chill run through me. “Um, is there a way to match a particular blade to the tear in the plastic?”

  “We already did. The size of the blade is a match to the holes that were made.”

  “I meant do the blades leave characteristics, so you’d know which blade made the hole out of, say, five that were exactly alike?” I asked, trying to pretend that my heart wasn’t beating like mad.

  “Not that I know of. I just think it’s curious that he copped to the big crimes but insists he didn’t make those holes.”

  I breathed easier. I was pretty sure I knew who actually tried to kill the Grinch. But I didn’t see the point in getting Aunt Birdie into trouble again. After Dale left her house she must have sneaked through the yards in the dark of night to kill the Grinch, not knowing that Dale was dead inside of it. I smiled sweetly at Dave, thinking this was one sleeping dog I should let lie.

  While I was eating, Rupert showed up.

  “I got me a passel of kids!” Rupert grinned with delight. “I want to thank you, Officer Dave.” Rupert extended his hand. “Aw. Gimme a hug!” The two of them embraced.

  “It wouldn’t have happened without you giving me a good recommendation. I wasn’t sure after the fuss about the Grinch,” said Rupert.

  “You got custody of your children?” I guessed.

  “You betcha! Four of my own and two more make an even half a dozen.”

  “Two more?”

  “I’m adopting Ethan and Ava Schroeder. Their momma was a distant cousin of mine.”

  “Six children!” He had decorated his bungalow so beautifully for Christmas, but it wasn’t very big. Where would they all sleep? “Is your house large enough?”

  “I’m buyin’ a mansion with eleven bedrooms. It’s on the east side of town, but’s that’s okay. Been empty for nearly two years, so I got it for a steal. There’s room for all of us and my mama, too.”

  “Birdie will be sorry to see you move. She loves your kids.”

  “That woman has a heart of gold. I best get back. She’s sitting with them right now. Merry Christmas, y’all!”

  Rupert ambled out, happier than anyone had a right to be.

  I leaned in and whispered, “How can he afford a mansion?”

  Dave laughed at me. “You really don’t know? Have you heard of RG Backhoe and Excavation?”

  I gave him an annoyed look. “No.”

  “It’s the biggest company of its kind around here. He excavates and does crane work, too. Has a small fortune invested in huge machines, and he has three crews that work for him.”

  “I had no idea.”

  He nodded. “Rupert dropped out of school in the eighth grade when his dad died. He went to work to help support his brothers and sisters. He started with nothing and worked like a dog. Now he’s the boss.”

  “Sort of like Doris. Speaking of which, how are the Thackleberrys this morning?”

  “Linda is busy lining up lawyers for Tim,” said Oma. “I think the rest of them are booked on flights home later today.”

  While I ate, they drifted away and went back to work. I needed to do that too, but I couldn’t help thinking what a close call it had been for Trixie. I had a lot to be thankful for.

  When we finished eating, I headed for the office, but stopped when I spied Blake, Tiffany, and Norma Jeanne in the Dogwood Room. They had coffee mugs and breakfast breads and sat together around a coffee table.

  Tiffany called me over. At her feet Snowflake played kitty games with Twinkletoes.

  “Holly, we’re probably leaving around lunchtime. I want to thank you and to apologize. None of us ever imagined that anything like this would happen. I’m so sorry that Dad punched you.”

  “I think he needs help. He obviously lost his way. But I’m happy to see the three of you have reconciled.”

  “It wasn’t until we realized that we were losing Thackleberry that we understood how special it is to have a family company,” said Norma Jeanne.

  “I thought you hated your job.”

  “I do! But it’s a big company. If we can save it, I’ll find another division that I’ll like better, I’m sure.”

  “Are you going back to med school, Blake?” I asked.

  “I don’t think that would be possible. I sort of messed that up for myself. For a year or two, I’m going to concentrate on Thackleberry. After all, I’m pretty good at promotion. If I still want to go to med school after that, I’ll consider it.”

  “I’m glad Thackleberry will survive. We love your products!”

  EmmyLou was walking by with Maggie and overheard me. She stopped and gazed at the three of them. “Who would have ever thought a nightmare like this would be the thing that brought us back together? I’m so proud of you three.”

  She strolled down the hallway toward the elevator with me.

  “EmmyLou, if you don’t mind my asking, there’s one thing I was wondering about. The night Dale died, you came back to the inn very late, looking around like you were afraid someone might see you.”

  She laughed aloud. “And someone did. You!” She lowered her voice to almost a whisper. “You are one of the few people who would understand this. I was sneaking out to be with Maggie.” We both looked down at Maggie, who barked. “I was so afraid these were her final days, and I couldn’t bear the thought of her dying alone at the animal hospital. I know there were all kinds of people there looking out for her, but I had to be close to her. They kicked me out! Can you believe that? I didn’t want anyone else to know. Not everyone in the family would have understood why I did that.”


  “I understand completely.”

  “I wanted to tell you that Aunt Birdie invited me to tea at her home this morning. Just the two of us.” EmmyLou’s eyes welled up with tears. “We cried and cried together. Dad always spoke fondly of her. I couldn’t leave without meeting her and thanking her for being so kind to Dad.”

  “I’m glad you could meet her. Did she have any knives?” I asked.

  EmmyLou laughed uproariously. “Not a one! She’s still angry about that. She had to borrow a neighbor’s knife to cut the cucumbers for the sandwiches.”

  She stepped into the elevator, and I went to work.

  It was evening before I saw Holmes. He loped into the inn like his old self.

  “Shh. Get a warm jacket.”

  What was he up to now? He followed me upstairs to my apartment. I donned a warm coat and grabbed the Christmas present that I hadn’t had a chance to give to him.

  We left through the hidden staircase that led to the private kitchen and exited through the back door. We walked through the snow to the reception entrance, which was still blocked off.

  A green horse-drawn sleigh awaited us. Trixie sat on the seat in her red sweater next to Twinkletoes, who wore a red scarf around her neck.

  We climbed on and tucked a blanket over our legs. It turned out that Holmes, who never ceased to amaze me, knew how to drive the sleigh!

  We pulled out, just in time to hear Sugar McLaughlin calling, “Holmes! Holmes! Wait for me.”

  “I haven’t been able to get away from Sugar all day long.”

  “The price of being popular.”

  He drove to a lighted tree in the middle of nowhere, where I had stopped when Trixie was in the hospital. We were high enough to see the lights of Wagtail glittering in the night.

  Holmes pulled out a thermos of spiked hot chocolate, which hit the spot.

  I handed him his Christmas gift. He tore the wrapping open and lifted the top of the box. “It’s the leather jacket!” He laughed aloud. “I was so disappointed when it didn’t turn up under my parents’ tree. I was thinking about buying it for myself. This is great! Thanks, Holly.”

  He pulled a box out from under the seat and gave it to me.