Best In Show (Mina's Adventures Book 6)

by Maria Grazia Swan

  “No, not him. He can take care of himself, and then some. I’m talking about that creep, Van der Voss. Not his real name but that’s the least of his problems. I’m on my way to talk to him.” Another sigh. “You’re keeping my department busy.”

  “Hey, what do I have to do with this? What happened to him? Heart attack from finding out his precious cat is older than he thought? Men. Someone needs to explain to them that age is a state of mind.” It was hard for Mina to keep from laughing while dishing out all the nonsense meant to get De Fiore riled up.

  “What the...? Have you been drinking? Happy hour, this early in the day? Someone beat him up so bad the only reason he’s still alive is because the racket woke up the guests in the cheap motel room next to his, and they called the cops. He’s at the Santa Ana Trauma center. Someone broke every bone in his body. If I were you I wouldn’t count on cashing that check of his.”

  “Are you bringing him flowers? Aren’t you in charge of homicide? He isn’t dead yet.”

  “He asked for police protection. I had already entered his name in the system, so I got the call. I’m on my way there.”

  “Kalinda doesn’t think that’s his real name.”

  “I tend to agree. How is Kalinda?”

  “Why don’t you ask her yourself? She’s right here.”

  “She—huh—I was just kidding around. Mina and I—we’re old friends.”

  Too funny. Mina was sure he was blushing, and swearing to get even with her.

  “Hi, Dan, relax, Mina loves to banter with you. We went to look at a house for sale in her neighborhood. I’m tempted. Oh, wait, regarding the creep with the broken bones. Eva, my former assistant, her maternal grandfather’s name is Victor Van der Voss. Too much of a coincidence, huh?”

  “Are you saying they’re in this together?”

  “No. I have a very different theory. It would help if I had access to a more—friendly computer system? I’ve been using Mina’s, but I need to get into my Matchmaker files and I can’t really do that now. It’s a complicated mess.”

  “You’re welcome to use the office system or—my home computer.” That little pause before the my home spoke volumes.

  “Thanks, Dan, it’s the timing. Need to get ahold of my buddy somehow and find out if the coast is clear.”

  “Are you two speaking in tongues?” Mina asked. Making sure tongues sounded loud and clear.

  Kalinda slapped Mina’s thigh while hiding a smile. “Dan, you talk to the creep, and I’ll get onto Eva, then let’s compare notes?”

  “Sure. Over dinner?”

  “Sorry,” Mina interrupted, “I already have commitments for tonight.”

  A long silence followed. Ah, mission accomplished. Mina giggled while garnering another slap from Kalinda.

  Five minutes later, Mina turned the LTD around, and they headed to the Mission Viejo shops to find a fancy new top for Kalinda to wear to dinner. De Fiore was to pick Kalinda up by seven. Kalinda spent most of the ride on the phone. First she called Gino, and they actually argued with each other regarding Eva. Finally he agreed to put the former assistant on the phone. Kalinda motioned for Mina to listen in then she put the phone back on the hands-free speaker.

  “Hi, Eva, look I’m trying to help you, so take a long breath and clear your mind.”

  “But, I—“

  “Shush, hear me out first. I have been trying to find that awful man who stole your money and your heart. I have no access to my own Matchmaker site for reasons we both know and are not going to revisit right now. Something came up that may or may not be significant. A man going by the name of Victor Van der Voss has visited my friend Mina’s cat boarding facility with a cat we suspect doesn’t belong to him and...”

  “What does he look like?”

  “The cat?” Mina asked.

  “Nooo.” It was more a cry than anything else. “The man using my grandfather’s name. Do you have a picture?”

  “I’m afraid not.” Kalinda said. “Do you recall the name of the site where you two met?”

  “Yes, it was the Heavenly Match. They went out of business at about the same time I discovered my bank account empty.”

  “Oh, yeah. I remember. The site was a hotbed for scammers. It was thanks to that, that we started to flag suspicious entries. Of course, the worst offenders find ways around it. Mina, is there anything in particular you noticed about this man that may help Eva?”

  “He’s tall and on the slim side, he seems germophobic. What I mean is, when he came to the shelter he used a handkerchief to open the door, afraid to touch the knob.”

  “Or perhaps he wanted to avoid leaving fingerprints?” Kalinda added.

  “None of that means a thing to me.” Eva’s voice was loaded with resentment.

  “Wait, there was this thing he did, so annoying. When he spoke, his nose made a weird noise, even on the phone. It was a wheezing.”

  For a long time no one spoke then Eva said, “You mean like this?” And she made a noise very, very similar to Van der Voss’s.

  “Yes, yes, that’s it. Exactly. You know him then?”

  “I know him well, unfortunately. He had some surgery performed as a child, tonsils and adenoids, but was butchered. He can’t breathe or speak normally.” Was that empathy that Mina detected in Eva’s voice? Was loving the cad who hurt her a cross to bear for eternity? Poor, poor woman.

  “Eureka! I’m assuming he’s the one who took advantage of you, correct? So what’s the creep’s real name?” Kalinda asked.

  “I don’t know.” The voice of defeat. “When I met him, he went by the name of Peter DeWitt. Doctor Peter DeWitt. Where is he now?”

  “At the Santa Ana Trauma Center.”

  “Seriously? He really is a doctor? How about that. Santa Ana Trauma Center you said?”

  “That is correct. He is undergoing surgery. Someone beat the crap out of him.” Kalinda’s voice was pure Arctic breeze.

  “No! My poor, poor Peter! What happened? Was it a robbery?”

  Kalinda looked at Mina and shook her head. “What a sick bitch.” She hung up the phone.

  For the first time since she had known her, Mina got a glimpse of Kalinda’s dark side, the one that made her a perfect asset in Diego’s so-called profession.

  “It doesn’t make sense,” Kalinda said. “How does one go from plundering millions from stupid women to snatching an old pregnant cat? Something is missing. Either that or this Van der Voss and Peter whatever are not the same person. Well, food for thought. We’ll let Dan solve this riddle.”

  By eight o’clock, Mina’s house was quiet once again. Kalinda had left with De Fiore. Mina didn’t ask, but she had a strong feeling that the bed in her office would remain empty that night. As for Margo? Mina hadn’t heard from her since she’d left the shelter in the early afternoon. Things with Gino must have gone well.

  Houdini and Aria sat next to Mina on the stairs. She was too depressed to even turn on the light. This was crazy. How could she be annoyed when friends were in the house yet lonely when they left. She needed to get her head examined. And her heart too while she was at it. Diego. The solution to all her problems. No. The origin of all her problems.

  Stop it!

  Mina walked around the house turning on all the lights. Then she started the process in reverse. After a while even the cats gave up and they sauntered up the stairs away from their nutty mistress.

  Okay, she had to do something. She grabbed a chilled bottle of Prosecco from the fridge and headed over to Millie’s, cutting through the garage. The sight of her old Volkswagen in the garage, hidden under the custom cover she’d had made, flooded her soul with memories. Mina walked around the car and lifted the corner of the cover by the driver’s side, and got in the car.

  She sat in the car, her eyes closed, revisiting the past, the good and the bad times. The car was like her personal diary. The bottle of chilled wine was making her fingers turn blue. When she set the bottle on the dusty passenger seat, Mina notic
ed something white on the well-worn floor mat. She bent down and picked it up. It was a plain white envelope, nothing written on it, and not sealed. She could feel something inside, something that wasn’t just folded paper.

  There wasn’t much light in the garage, and especially not much under the car cover. The car’s battery had died a very long time ago, but it had never bothered her until now. What should she do? She retrieved the bottle from the passenger seat, got out of the car, and quickly walked back into her house. The car cover could wait until morning.

  In the kitchen, she laid the envelope on the table. Curiosity had Mina’s hands trembling. Without losing sight of the envelope she got a stem glass from a shelf and uncorked the bottle. Then she sat, sipping Prosecco, staring at the envelope as if she expected the thing to come alive or something.

  She tried to remember the last time she had actually been inside the Volkswagen. A long time ago, for sure. But the blank envelope didn’t look that old, no yellowing of the paper, no stains. It looked—new. She lifted the flap and with two fingers slid the folded paper out. It was as plain and as white as the envelope. Folded in four, it looked sort of square, but not really.

  Another sip of Prosecco. Her fingers holding the glass left foggy marks against the frost on the crystal glass. She breathed deeply and unfolded the paper. Something maroon and looking like crumbled tissue paper landed on the tabletop. When she tapped her finger on it, it basically pulverized. What was it? The slanted, large cursive handwriting left no doubt about who the writer of the brief message was.

  “If you are reading this, you were sitting in the Volkswagen. In the dark. No, I’m not a magician, I just know you well. You felt lonely and sad, and maybe a little mad at me for not being there for you. I can’t blame you. I’m always amazed that you are willing to wait for me even when you don’t know when or if I will come back. Keep the faith, bella. You know that old cliché. Yes, I know how much you like American expressions. This one promises good things to those who wait. Soon, very soon.

  “P.S. That powdery dark red stuff? Remember the rose you threw in the wastepaper basket in De Fiore’s office when you were mad at me because of the kidnapping of Houdini, and the mix-up with the other cat? Yes, I saved it. It was all I had left of you at the time. Now I’m returning it because I have you back in my life.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Mina slept with Diego’s letter under her pillow. Maybe the lonely hearts fairy would bring him to her bed during the night. She could only hope.

  Morning came. It was a rather strange way of waking up with the house being so quiet again. Perhaps she could go into her home office and get some work done.

  Or she could join Linda who would be at the shelter for a few hours in case someone stopped by to check out some of the available furry friends. But Sundays were always quiet, probably because of the location, smack in the middle of a strip mall catering mostly to offices that were closed on weekends.

  It was the last weekend of August, and the next weekend would be Labor Day weekend, and they had planned to set up the adoption booth by Doheny Beach, a popular spot, especially on long weekends.

  Mina slid her hand under her pillow to make sure the letter and the parched petals weren’t just a dream. The ringing of the phone made her jump.

  Please let it be him.

  It was De Fiore, his voice so full of vim she now had doubts about Kalinda spending the night. I mean, he should be cuddling and all that, right? “Good news kid.”

  Okay, no way he would call her kid in front of Kalinda.

  “We found the rightful owners of that cat, Princess. Actually, what did they say her real name was?”

  Who was he talking to?

  “Oh, she has three names,” Kalinda said.

  The phone was on speaker?

  “But the one she responds to is Karat, and the name of the breeder is Twenty-Four Karat Cattery, located in Illinois, CFA Registered. What else? Oh, this cat, this Karat has produced two Grand Champions, both females. One made Best in Show. Let me see what else? I made notes. Dan, I need more coffee.” Kalinda sounded as energetic as De Fiore but not as enthusiastic. “They have no idea why the fraudulent Van der Voss would have taken Karat, and yes, they are aware of the pregnancy. They claim this is to be her last, and all the soon to be born kittens are already spoken for.”

  “You think that’s why he stole this cat? To sell the babies?”

  “No,” De Fiore said. “He stole the wrong cat. That was part of his confession. He went in at night and grabbed the cat he thought was one of the Grand Champions. What he didn’t know was, the mother and Best in Show daughter often slept together. He had already sold the cat to a cat fancier from some foreign country. Burma? Collected half the fee in advance and spent most of it. The people who beat him were the ones who brokered the deal.”

  “So what happens now?” Mina couldn’t think straight. Her mind was still dealing with those two, who’d obviously spent the night together, and who were behaving like…married people? “This is sooo confusing. Why did he go after a cat? Like Kalinda said, one doesn’t go from plundering millions from gullible women to snatching an old pregnant cat. Right?”

  “Kalinda told you that?”

  “Uh, yes.”

  “Great. Here, Kalinda, explain to the kid how our fading gigolo became a cat thief. And a stupid one at that. I’m on my way to the office. You know my number if you need me.”

  He was leaving Kalinda all alone? De Fiore lived in a condo somewhere in Costa Mesa, but Mina didn’t know for sure where.

  “Kalinda, are you all alone? Do you want me to come over? Where are you?”

  A loud laugh was the first answer. “Mina, I’m fine. This is perfect. Dan has a place on the fifth floor of a charming building, with elevators from the underground garage to the front door. Back to the cat. The Cattery owners are sending someone to take custody of Karat and fly her home. They should be at your place by this afternoon, you can expect a grateful phone call first, and hopefully a donation for the Foundation at pick up time.

  “As for the idiot, he hooked up with some gal on a dating site, with him pretending to be a doctor and the gal pretending to own Twenty-Four Karat Cattery. Let’s cut to the chase, as he did. After going through the same courting routine, he flew to Illinois to clinch the deal. But all he got was her oh so tearful confession about being just an employee with no access to any funds. She had probably banked on her charm being sufficient once they met in person. That’s when he concocted the plan to steal a priceless cat. I’m sure you can fill in the blanks. I have the green light for computer access and Dan’s system is so new and... oh, didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “Kalinda, offend me? I hate computers, no offense. I’m more concerned about you.”

  “Don’t be, this was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. I’m realizing all the things I can achieve on my own. This was an awakening. And do you know who is also done? Eva will be officially arrested and charged with fraud and computer tampering, but she’s going to be extradited back to Hawaii where her partner in crime is already in jail.” She said all that with the same tone the weather girl announced another sunny day in sunny California, then hung up.

  Poor De Fiore.

  Mina’s sadness lifted when she thought about Princess aka Karat, who was going back home to her real family. What a relief, no, what a joy. Better go tell Millie. After feeding the cats of course. Aria was staring at her, and she didn’t look too happy. And after a shower.

  “Sorry, sorry little one. I know I’ve been neglecting you two, but everything is going to be okay now, I promise.” Mina went to turn on the shower.

  Her hair was still dripping when she answered the phone.

  “Oh, my God!” It was Margo at her best. “They handcuffed her. What a scene! It was like the movies, like that show on TV. Whoa, you should have been here!”

  Mina toweled her hair dry. “Who are you talking about?” But she could guess who.
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  “Her, Eva. They’re sending her back to Hawaii, for all the stuff she did to Kalinda while she was her employee. Gino is finally talking to me straight. What a story, you wanna come up here?”

  “Would love to, but I can’t. Someone is coming to pick up Princess, and I need to go tell Millie so we can get the cat ready.” There was no need to go into the details with Margo. Eva’s arrest would provide her with enough entertainment for the day. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

  Mina put on jeans and a clean T-shirt then rushed to the kitchen to feed the cats. She made a mental note about the heaping full laundry hamper, and the need to vacuum all the floors. Any time now he would call, maybe even be at her door. If Eva was being extradited, it meant Diego's job was done, at least for now, she hoped.

  She went to share the news with Millie.

  Gino called maybe twenty minutes after an emotional Millie and a relieved Mina had waved good-bye to the silver SUV leaving Glitzy Cats B&B with their precious cargo in a lovely pink carrier. They were sitting watching poor Zeus, alone again, sniffing around the cushion where Princess/Karat had spent most of her time.

  “Well, time to fill these rooms with lively felines so Zeus will have company, and we can make some money. Of course, the donation from The Twenty-Four Karat Cattery helps a lot,” Mina said.

  That was when her cellphone had chimed. “Oh, hi, Gino, I hear you got rid of your last guest.”

  “Hmm. Let me guess? Margo already called you.”

  “Hey, Gino, she was my friend before she met you. Let’s not forget that.”

  “Doesn’t matter. That’s not why I’m calling.” He sounded in no mood to joke around. “Tell me about Labor Day.”

  “Labor Day? It’s next weekend. It’s always the first Monday in September. Right, Millie?”

  Millie frowned and nodded.

  “Then it will be one week from tomorrow. Yes?”

  “I guess. I haven’t thought about it much, except that Sunday I’ll be working the adoption booth at Doheny. Why all these questions about Labor Day? Margo didn’t know the answers?”