‘All right, settle down now. Quiet, everybody,’ Josh ordered.
‘Yes, we can indeed be proud of the bright and fearless youngsters we have among us …’ Josh began declaiming into the microphone again. ‘We can look to the future with confidence while we have such brave young – ’
Kerry crossed his eyes and made loud gagging noises. The other boys yelped with laughter. Mummy was laughing, too - she shouldn’t encourage them that way. Kerry had been cock-a-hoop ever since Edith had told him Maureen could keep the money that Mr Nordling had given her – and that there would be more for him.
Nordling might have thought he was lying but, for once, he had been telling the truth: Ingrid would have wanted them to have it.
Edith had seen to it that Jamie and Pete were also getting a reward from the estate, as was Robin – although he had already claimed the only reward he wanted. Leif Eriksson was now his.
‘Now you’ve ruined the take!’ Josh stopped the tape and scowled at Robin, the old animosity returning – Robin had been laughing loudest of all.
‘You ought to keep your mouth shut, you might learn something,’ Josh snarled. ‘I can train you to be a presenter, like me, when you grow up. You’ll have a head start with my experience and contacts behind you – ’
‘I don’t want to be like you,’ Robin said. ‘I want to do something useful in the world.’
‘You think I’m not useful? You’re just a kid. You don’t know what you want.’
‘Yes, I do.’ Robin looked down and gave a teasing little pull at Leif’s tufty ears. The cat seemed to grin up at him trustingly. Suddenly, his future path was clear. ‘I’m going to be a vet.’
‘What a splendid ambition!’ Mummy glowed with approval.
‘You think so?’ Josh glared at both of them impartially. ‘We’ll see about that.’
‘You won’t,’ Mags told him. ‘Eva telephoned this morning. She and Steve will be back at the end of the week.’ There was nothing like having your child hit the headlines in a sensational murder case to concentrate even a honeymooning mother’s mind wonderfully.
‘Good!’ Josh turned back to the tape. ‘Then maybe we can have some peace around here. Not that we’ll be here much longer.’
‘We won’t,’ Mags said. ‘At least, I won’t. I’m going back to university.’
‘Back?’ Josh’s head snapped up. ‘You were never there in the first place.’
‘I almost was. I had a place, but then – ’ She broke off, Josh knew what had stopped her.
‘There will be no problem,’ Mummy trilled. ‘I’ll see to that.’
‘When you’re a vet,’ Jamie turned to Robin, bright-eyed, ‘I can be your accountant.’
‘Great!’ Robin fluffed out what would be Leif’s shirt front when it grew back. ‘I’ll be your first client.’
It was hard to tell who was purring louder: Mummy or Leif Eriksson.
Also by MARIAN BABSON
The Company of Cats
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
TO CATCH A CAT. Copyright © 2000 by Marian Babson. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. 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.
First published in Great Britain under the title
A Tealeaf in the Mouse by Constable,
an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
www.minotaurbooks.com
eISBN 9781466819511
First eBook Edition : April 2012
First U.S. Edition: November 2000
To Catch a Cat Page 20