“You ran away?” Karen said. “Oh my goodness, I don’t know what to think.”
“I couldn’t stay there anymore, Nana. I was hoping Tom would let me live here.”
“So much for putting this conversation on the shelf for now.” Tom sounded exasperated.
Karen didn’t seem to hear Tom. She focused on Finn’s bruised forehead. “Did they hit you? Because if they did—”
“No. Nothing like that,” Finn said. “I don’t know how I got hurt. Wish I did. Anyway, it’s all part of why Tom ended up talking to the police for so many hours. With Nolan dead and the gun we found in my backpack—”
“Gun?” Karen, sounding aghast, glanced between Finn and Tom. “Was it one of your guns, Thomas?”
“Nope. That’s all I’m saying about it, too.” Tom looked at Finn. “Please let’s not talk about any of this until we know more. Words fly faster than hummingbirds around this town. We don’t want to start rumors.”
“I’m cool with that. But you better tell Bob, since he’s the one who found the gun to begin with,” Finn said.
Karen blanched. “Bob? Our Bob?”
“See, this is why I wanted to wait until I had all the facts before talking to you,” Tom said.
Karen said, “Did you call him? If so, why in God’s good name would you do such a thing?”
Tom held up a hand. “I haven’t figured out why Bob showed up here. But he’s at my house.”
Karen rested her hand over her heart. “Oh my.”
“You never liked him, did you, Nana?” Finn said. “How come?”
She put an arm around Finn. “You know, I believe Thomas is correct. We can talk about all this later. As for Hilary, I’m certain she’s quite distressed over losing her husband. Where will she stay? I could offer to—”
“Please don’t, Mom,” Tom said, his tone firm.
I said, “I understand she’ll be staying at the Pink House.”
“I take it you won’t be staying there with her, Finn?” Karen said.
“Um, no.” Finn focused on his empty plate.
“Then you can come to my house,” Karen said. “The place is small, but there’s always room for you.”
“Mom, he has a dog,” Tom said.
Karen blinked several times. “Oh. A dog. That would be a problem,” she said, obviously disappointed.
Tom looked at Finn. “Mom’s friend Ed—you remember I told you about him?—anyway, he’s afraid of dogs.”
“It’s okay, Nana,” Finn said. “I’ll find somewhere to stay.”
“You are more than welcome to continue on at my place,” I said.
“Thanks, Jillian,” Tom said, “but as soon as I get rid of Bob—which is next on my agenda—Finn can come to my house.”
“Poor Yoshi will have to get used to yet another cat,” I said, thinking of Dashiell. I pulled my phone from my pocket. “Check this out, Finn.” I showed him my cat cam and, sure enough, Yoshi and Merlot were sleeping in the living room. “They’re not snuggling up yet, but for only one day, this is progress.”
Finn took the phone and smiled. “This cat cam is one fine app.”
“Tom set it up for me so I can see what my cats are doing when I’m not at home,” I said.
Karen peered over at the display. “Toshi is cute,” she said.
“Yoshi,” Finn said, playing with the phone to see different angles of the room. Didn’t need any instruction, I noted.
Unfortunately I was being optimistic about Dashiell accepting a dog into his home. Tom seemed to have forgotten that Shawn Cuddahee, Allison’s husband and partner in running the Mercy Animal Sanctuary, rescued Dashiell right after he was attacked by two dogs.
“Before I go talk to Bob, I need to pick Dashiell up from the vet—that is, if he’s ready to come home,” Tom said.
“He is,” I said. “I called this morning and Dashiell is doing fine.”
“Good,” Tom said. “I’ll get him after we’re done here. Boy am I looking forward to seeing my big old cat, but I think telling my brother to take a hike will be the icing on the cake.”
“While you’re busy, perhaps Finn could come to my house for a while?” Karen said.
“Sure,” Finn said, still fiddling with my phone. “But not for too long. Yoshi will miss me.”
“Got any message for Bob?” Tom said to his mother.
Her blue eyes grew frosty. “No message.”
The silence hung like a thick cloud over all of us for several seconds. Tom broke the tension by saying, “Let’s go. Dashiell probably wants out of the vet clinic.”
After we left the restaurant and went our separate ways, I wondered what had happened between Tom and Bob, and between Bob and his mother. No one was offering any information, but then, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to know.
I drove home, the wonderful distraction of our conversation at the diner replaced by fatigue and worry. A man had been shot to death and Finn not only had a gun in his possession when we found him walking on the side of the road, he also had blood on his clothes. Candace would surely unearth something from the evidence to eliminate Finn as a suspect in Nolan Roth’s death. She had to. No way could she believe Finn was guilty of murder. As I approached my house, those thoughts slid to the back of my mind when I realized there was a car parked on the side of the road, one I didn’t recognize—an old banged-up blue sedan with South Carolina plates.
I pulled into the driveway and stopped about halfway up. A man immediately got out of the sedan and started toward my van. He wore no sweater or jacket in this chilly weather and his striped button-down shirt was wrinkled, his jeans baggy and his long sandy hair blew around his head in the autumn wind.
My mouth went dry. I didn’t like the looks of him.
The man came all the way up to my car, rested both hands on the driver’s-side window and stared in at me.
Thirteen
On another day, I might have rolled down the window and talked to this stranger. After all, folks made wrong turns down my street all the time and needed directions. Today, however, my gut was telling me this person didn’t need directions.
I reached for my phone on the seat next to me. Thank goodness I automatically put it close when I’m driving alone. An old habit, one I appreciated right now.
“Can I help you?” I called loud enough for him to hear. I slid the arrow on the phone’s screen and pressed the phone button, ready to make a call. I was sure he’d seen me do this, but he didn’t make any move to leave.
“They said you have my boy,” the man said.
My stomach clenched. Fear can be a gift, I’d read, one that leads you to make the right decisions. Something about this man put me on high alert. I was just about to tap the speed dial number for Mercy PD when I heard the short blast of a car horn. In the side mirror, I saw Kara getting out of her car.
I wanted to yell, “No,” but it was too late. The man had moved away from my van when he heard the horn, so I opened the door and got out, still clutching my phone. I couldn’t cringe in my car while Kara was confronting this stranger.
A Belle’s Beans cup in her left hand, Kara walked up to the man and held out her right hand. “I’m Kara Hart. Who are you?”
This is exactly the sort of thing her father would do in a touchy situation, I thought.
The man tilted his head and stared through narrowed eyes, ignoring her hand. “They told me the name was Jillian Hart, not Kara.”
She dropped her hand. “Who told you?” she said evenly.
Always the questioner, Kara’s even tone not only quieted my nerves, but seemed to do the same for this man.
His expression grew less wary. “The people in the diner. They said I just missed you, that Finn was with you.”
Kara briefly looked my way and said, “I didn’t catch your name.”
“Rory Gannon. Now, where’s my boy?” he said.
Finn’s biological father. How did the so-called phantom end up in Mercy? This can’t be a coincidence.
“Kara,” I said, trying to match her cool amicability. “This is Finn’s father.”
I saw a hint of confusion cloud her face for an instant, but then she was back on her game. She smiled. “Okay. Finn’s father. When did you get into town, Mr. Gannon?”
He ignored her question and looked at me. “Are you Jillian or is she the one I need to talk to?”
“I’m Jillian.”
“Is he with you?” he said.
“I’m sorry, but no,” I said.
This obviously wasn’t what he wanted to hear. His agitation was evident in eyes that darted everywhere. His gaze finally settled on my van.
I stepped away from the driver’s door and gestured toward it. “Go ahead and look if you don’t believe me.”
He took me up on the offer while Kara and I exchanged “what the heck is going on?” glances.
Once he’d assured himself Finn was not in my car, he walked over and checked out her new hybrid SUV. Finally satisfied we didn’t have Finn stashed away somewhere, he returned to us.
“Finn wasn’t with you in the restaurant? ’Cause some waitress said you had a teenage boy sitting with you,” he said.
I knew better than to give up any information to this strange man. “Can I ask how you ended up in our little town looking for your son—and found me?”
“You can ask all you want.” He stared past me at my front door. “Is he in your house hiding from me?”
“Why would he hide from you?” Kara asked.
This question seemed to fluster Gannon. “He doesn’t know me too well, is all.”
“Does he even know you a little bit?” I made sure the question sounded sincere and not like an accusation, since he’d apparently never been a part of Finn’s life.
“What’s it to you?” Gannon said. “He’s my flesh and blood, so you better tell me where I can find him. I deserve to know.”
That’s debatable, I thought. But I wasn’t about to get him any more riled up than he already was, so I said, “I wish I could tell you, but I’m not sure where your son is.” Not exactly where he was, anyway.
He stepped toward me. “You’re lying.”
Kara moved between Gannon and me. “You need to leave, sir.”
Why was she acting like she could take him on? This guy was obviously a loose cannon. Feeling afraid for both of us now, I pressed the speed dial number—something I should have done immediately. “Is this the Mercy Police Department?” I said, loud enough to send a message to Rory Gannon.
B.J. said, “Jillian? Something wrong?”
“I’d like to report a trespasser,” I said.
Gannon said, “You’re siccing the police on me when you’re probably a kidnapper?”
“Am I hearing the voice of your trespasser?” B.J. said.
“Yes. You know the address,” I answered.
“Does he have a weapon?” B.J. said.
“Not that I know of,” I answered.
“I’m sending someone now,” B.J. said.
Kara’s hands were on her hips and I saw no trace of fear in her body language. She said, “I suggest you leave while you can.”
“I get it. You’re hiding him and you’re determined to keep him from me.” He pointed at me. “I’ll be back.”
Rory Gannon jogged to his car and drove off.
I still held my phone to my ear and was listening to B.J. dispatching a squad car. I said, “He left, B.J., but I got his plate.” I rattled off the numbers. “His name is Rory Gannon and he’s Finn’s biological father.”
“Him? Uh-oh,” B.J. said. “He—he said he was Finn’s father and seemed nice enough, so I told him where y’all went for lunch. Guess I screwed up.”
“Does Candace know he’s in town?” I asked. She surely would have interviewed Gannon if that were the case.
“She will in a minute. I am so sorry if he bothered you, Mrs. Hart. He seemed nice, real polite,” B.J. said.
“I guess he forgot his manners on the drive over here,” I said. “Better let both Candace and the chief know about him as soon as you can.” Poor B.J. had so much to learn and was such a good kid, I couldn’t be upset with his mistake. Candace might not be so forgiving, however.
“I’ll talk to them right away. Let me correct my dispatch to a BOLO. If Mr. Gannon comes back, call me and I promise to do better.” He sounded so down in the mouth I felt terrible for him.
“You take care, B.J. No harm, no foul.” I disconnected.
While I’d been talking to him, Kara had gotten into her SUV and rolled the window down. When I was off the phone, she said, “Not what I expected to find when I came back here. That guy’s seat is not in the full, upright position.”
“No kidding. But are you going somewhere?” I said.
“I’m not leaving, especially after a guy straight out of a bad movie just visited. Could you pull your car up so I can get closer to the back door? I did some serious damage at the mall and cleaned out the Piggly Wiggly.”
I pulled the van close to the garage, and after I took Yoshi out to relieve himself, I helped Kara empty the back of her SUV of the bags of groceries and the clothing purchases for Finn. I explained what little I knew about Rory Gannon. Yoshi and the boy cats, who seemed to have forged a truce while I’d been gone, sniffed at each sack of groceries. Yoshi was the more interested party, and once I located the dog food, I offered him a dish of kibble.
Syrah sniffed the food while Yoshi sat patiently and watched. My cat took his time and finally walked away, seemingly indifferent. Merlot didn’t even bother checking out the kibble and Chablis had only shown her whiskers momentarily and then rushed off to whatever safe place she’d found to hide from Yoshi. Only then did the little dog eat.
As we put away groceries, Kara asked if she needed to pick Dashiell up. I told her Tom said he planned to do it—and would then be kicking his brother out of the house.
“Do you know anything about Bob and Tom’s history?” Kara asked as she stacked cans of cat food on the pantry shelf.
“Nothing, except Tom can’t stand him,” I said. “I’m pretty sure Karen isn’t feeling the love, either.” I was checking out the sweatshirts, jeans and T-shirts Kara had bought for Finn. They looked like they’d fit, plus they appeared a lot more teen friendly than what I would have bought.
“Ah, it’s logical Karen would know about Finn,” Kara said. “From what little contact I’ve had with Karen, she strikes me as, well… odd.”
“She’s different, yes. But she adores Finn.” I told Kara about our lunch and then said, “Tom’s ex is in town, too.”
“I expected her to arrive and hoped to get an interview,” Kara said. “How did you find out she was here?”
“She was at the police station and wanted to talk to Finn, but he wanted nothing to do with her,” I said.
“Is Tom going to have her arrested for what she and Nolan Roth did to him?” she said. “You did say Tom thought she was involved, right?”
“There could be a problem. See, Candace told us Hilary claims she knew nothing about Nolan’s actions. Since Tom never saw her when Nolan made him drive to North Carolina, I’m not sure what will happen.”
“Uh-oh. A he-said, she-said problem. What’s she like, by the way?” Kara asked.
“First impression? Normal. Concerned. Oh, and gorgeous,” I said. “She’ll be at the Pink House, if you want an interview.”
Kara’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
I started at the sound of a knock at the back door, but then realized it was Candace’s special rat-a-tat. She came in looking even more tired than when I’d seen her last at the police station.
“Hey, you two. I heard about Gannon. He didn’t come back, did he?” she said.
“No,” I said. “But he said he would. The man’s intense, to say the least.”
“I’m so glad you called us. B.J. screwed up on this one.” Candace took a spot at the breakfast bar. “I sure hope you have tea because I need a sugar boost in
the worst way.”
Kara poured her a glass and then took her keys from the pocket of her jeans. “I have a paper to run. Call me if you need anything, Jillian.”
She waved to us both and was gone.
Candace took a long drink of tea. “Tell me about this Gannon guy.”
“You haven’t found him?” I asked, filling a glass with water. My lunch had probably supplied an entire week’s worth of sodium and I was thirsty now.
“No. We are so undermanned we only had one squad car to follow up on the BOLO. They thought they’d run into him coming away from this neighborhood, but nothing. It’s like he disappeared into thin air.”
“He said he’d be back—and I believe him.” I drank half my water, realizing my heart had sped up again at the thought of his return.
“What did he want?” she asked.
“He wants his son. Thinks I’m hiding him.” Syrah was weaving between my legs and rubbing his head on my calves. Marking his territory in case the curious Yoshi got any ideas, no doubt.
“I searched the NCIC database before I came here,” Candace said. “I don’t want to scare you any more than you already are, but you need to know this. About fifteen years ago, Gannon served time—first in a hospital for the criminally insane and then when he was competent to stand trial, he did a stint in prison.”
I drank the rest of my water, the glass nearly slipping from my trembling hand. “F-for what?”
“He went nuts when he was pulled over on a routine traffic stop,” she said. “Wailed on the officer with a baseball bat he conveniently had in his front seat. Put the officer in critical condition. Seems Gannon claimed the officer was an alien. He was convicted of felonious assault, so this guy is a violent offender.”
“Both Kara and I knew he was off, but now I’m even more scared of him,” I said. “My question is, how did he find out Finn was in Mercy?”
“Exactly. I have no idea. But I intend to find out. Violent offenders reoffend. He could be our killer—but I have to find him and interview him before coming to any conclusion on that.” She stood. “Where’s Finn, by the way?”
“He’s with Karen,” I said.
“I’ll ask the squad car out in the field to run by her neighborhood,” she said. “If Gannon found you, he might be able to find Karen, too. She was at the diner with you, right?”
The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon: A Cats in Trouble Mystery Page 11