He had indeed. “What do you know that you want Kara to help you write and sell?”
She leaned forward and whispered to me as if we were in a crowded room and she didn’t want anyone to overhear. “Dirk Boatman has a cousin he never knew about.”
So Emily knew about Birdie’s son. Did Candace give Dirk this information and he in turn told Emily? It was bound to come out, but the only way Dirk could have learned about this between when I saw him and meeting up with Emily was if there was something about Theo in that will. I had to take this slow. “So Dirk told you this?”
She nodded. “Mr. Jeffrey never mentioned this secret son, but he’s named in the will. And get this. Mr. Jeffrey wanted his son—his name is Thurman or Thurston or something like that—anyway, he wants this son to have Clyde—and all the money that comes along with Clyde. This is a big story, Jillian. The family is going to be so upset.”
Huh? Money that comes along with Clyde? Clyde living with Theo? I was dumbfounded. But I kept my cool. “This son is the only one who benefits in the will?” I wasn’t about to share what I knew about Theo Roberts and I certainly wouldn’t be telling Emily he was in town.
“I don’t know about the rest of the will. Dirk said there were pages and pages of legal stuff, all sorts of provisions. He was just blown away that Mr. Jeffrey never told him a thing about this guy—and he’s apparently about the same age as Dirk. Yup, he’s pretty bummed that his uncle never shared the information.”
The cats were on the move all of a sudden and I wondered if a moth or a fly had come in out of the rain with Emily. All except Pulitzer and Prize, who ran into the hall leading to the powder room and Kara’s home office. All three boy cats headed through the kitchen toward the mudroom, but to my surprise, Chablis went to the sidelight window by the front door and peered out. It was still storming, so I was surprised she was brave enough to leave the safety of the couch.
“Where are they all going?” Emily asked.
I stood, wary of all the cats responding at once. If not for this heavy rainstorm, I might have been able to hear what they were hearing. I muttered, “I don’t like this. Something’s up.”
Before I even made it to the mudroom and back door, my heart was racing. The hair on the back of my neck rose. Was someone else in this house?
Like a fool, I’d been so mobbed by all the cats who greeted me when I’d arrived earlier, I’d completely forgotten to lock the back door. The minute Emily arrived, I should have remembered. Too late now.
Twenty-nine
In the darkened mudroom I saw the silhouette of three cats sitting and staring at the back door. I flipped on the light. No Clyde. Where was he? What had just happened?
Then I smelled rain and realized the door was ajar. “No,” I cried, running through the small room. I threw open the door and stared out into the blackness. I heard the sound of a car engine and, despite the rain, I ran outside and saw a car, headlights off, backing out of Kara’s driveway. I pulled out my phone and dialed Tom’s number, knowing whoever had tried to nab Clyde before had just succeeded.
He didn’t answer and I wanted to throw the phone as far as I could. I was that upset.
Emily had come outside and was right behind me. “Who was that?”
“Someone’s taken Clyde.” I pointed to the end of the long driveway where headlights now came on as the car made a turn onto the road.
“I’ll get him back,” Emily said. “This will be an amazing story.”
She ran back into the house. I started after her, but the rainwater brought in by the intruder who had snatched Clyde got the better of me. I slipped and slammed onto the hard tile. My tailbone hit the floor, and pain shot up my spine. My legs felt like rubber as I used the built-in benches lining one wall for purchase and reached up for one of the coat hooks. Finally I was upright.
By the time I reached the kitchen, walking seemed almost impossible. I had to forget about doing anything in a hurry. I noted Emily’s car keys were gone—and a glance toward the front door told me so were her wet shoes.
I still clutched my phone and this time I speed-dialed the police station. Lois, not B.J., answered.
“Is Tom there? Or Candace? This is an emergency.” The pain in my backside was subsiding—maybe just because of adrenaline doing its job.
“Jillian, is that you?”
“Yes. I need to talk to one of them right now.”
“Something I can do?” she asked.
“Please. Are they there?” Did she not hear the urgency in my voice?
She must have finally understood I wasn’t making a social call. “They’re both here. Let me get Tom on the phone.”
It seemed like forever, but probably only a few seconds passed until he came on the line.
He only got out half of a hello before I started talking. “It’s Clyde and Emily and they came for Clyde and she’s following them and—”
“Jillian, slow down. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. But it’s dangerous for Emily. You already know Clyde gets the money and that’s what this is all about and—oh my gosh.” I stopped as it hit me. “We can track them. We have Clyde’s GPS and the one on Emily’s car.” I almost felt euphoric at this realization.
“Start at the beginning and tell me what’s going on—I’m confused.”
“There’s no time to tell you everything. Someone came here and stole Clyde. Emily was with me. She got in her car before I could stop her and is following whoever it is. And, Tom, it could be the murderer. She ran into Dirk and he spilled the details of Mr. Jeffrey’s will. That girl is just foolish enough to confront whoever it is if she catches up with them.”
“Okay. I’ll handle this. I put all the tracking info for both Clyde and Emily on my iPad. I’ll find them both.”
Relief washed over me. “Okay. Thank God. And please keep in touch. I can’t stand not knowing what’s happening.”
“We’ll take care of this. Sit tight.” He disconnected.
Sitting was the last thing I wanted to do right now. I probably wasn’t capable of doing so, anyway. As the adrenaline rush began to fade, the pain ramped up. I slowly made my way to Kara’s powder room, hoping she had some aspirin in the cabinet.
I found a bottle of Motrin. “Even better,” I mumbled, cupping water in my hands from the bathroom faucet and downing the painkiller.
I turned to see five feline faces staring at me from the bathroom entrance. Relief came then as I realized the rest of the cats were inside and safe, even though I wasn’t sure if I’d closed the back door. I only wished Clyde were with them.
As I slowly walked through the house to secure that back door—how stupid to have left it open in the first place—I had a thought. Just because Tom and Candace were on this didn’t mean I couldn’t track Clyde, too. So I pulled up the GPS program for Clyde on my phone and sure enough, I saw his little red dot making its way toward town.
The door was closed, thank goodness, and I locked it this time. I should have done that to begin with and none of this would have happened.
I grabbed a few paper towels from the kitchen to wipe up the water. Every muscle in my back protested when I tried to bend over. I dropped the towels and used my foot instead. All the cats seemed quite amused by this and Syrah even attacked my toes a few times. I was glad I could make someone happy tonight, because I’d sure let Clyde down.
Slowly the medicine began to ease the pain and I was able to think through what Emily had told me as I paced in front of the dark flat-screen TV. If Clyde disappeared—which seemed to be someone’s plan—what happened to all the money that Theo would have inherited when he took the cat?
A sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach suddenly rivaled the pain in my backside. Aside from the apparently clueless Dirk, the rest of the family knew about Theo’s existence, knew that he was Mr. Jeffrey’s son. Wayne was aware Theo was in town. But did the rest of them know? Would one of them harm him to make certain he never saw any of that inheritan
ce?
I needed to know the exact terms of that will. If both Clyde and Theo were gone, who got the money? This killer hadn’t stopped with one murder, and it was probably the same person who’d broken into my home and came here tonight. Yes. Whoever it was might well go after Theo.
Since Clyde was helping us track this monster, I checked the screen and enlarged it to see if they were anywhere near Birdie’s address. I released the breath I’d been holding when I saw the little red dot actually moving away from her house.
If Birdie hadn’t told Theo who his father was, she needed to do so immediately, just so that her son understood he was in danger, if nothing else. But had I gotten her phone number when I’d visited earlier? Of course not.
Someone had to talk to Birdie. I could do it, but I knew I should check with Candace first.
I got Lois again when I called the station a second time. “She’s busy, Mrs. Hart. There’s a situation.”
“I just need to ask her one question.”
Lois sighed. “Oh, all right.”
Candace sounded worried when she picked up and said, “Has something else happened?”
“No. I’m concerned about Birdie and Theo. I’m not sure she’s gotten up the courage to tell her son the truth, but you know it will be all over town by morning.”
It was Candace’s turn to sigh. “You’re right, but we’re headed out to find Clyde and protect Emily. I’ll call her once we have a moment. I really have to go, Jillian.”
“I’d be happy to talk to Birdie and—”
“Would you? That’s great.” She disconnected.
I stared at my cell. I’d been hoping to get a number from Candace, but no way could I call the station a third time.
Finding Clyde and Emily was more important than anything else right now.
So I donned a raincoat that I found in Kara’s hall closet, petted all the kitties and said good-bye. This time I made certain to secure the house by turning dead bolts and setting the alarm. When would I learn that nowhere was as safe as it might seem when there was trouble?
The rain had let up some but was still coming down pretty hard. I wanted to rush to the van, but it was a slow go. The next challenge I faced was unexpected—climbing in and finding a sitting position that didn’t bring tears to my eyes. But after readjusting the seat, I headed to Birdie’s house, praying all the way that she had already told Theo the truth.
On the drive into town, I called Kara to tell her that Emily could be in trouble.
“For real?” Kara sounded unconvinced.
“Yes. She’s chasing someone who might be a murderer. That girl is impulsive, if you haven’t noticed. But Candace and Tom are on it and will probably rescue her from herself—and maybe catch a killer.” I explained about Birdie’s son, the cat’s abduction, the will and Clyde’s GPS tracking that even I could follow on my phone. I didn’t mention the fall I’d taken. I was too embarrassed to admit my butt was throbbing. “I’m on my way to warn Birdie and Theo that if whoever it is gets away from Candace, Theo might be in danger.”
“Why don’t you just call her house?”
I explained how Birdie’s name sure wasn’t listed on any of the white pages I’d searched on my phone.
“Did you do a reverse lookup? You have her address, right?”
“I tried that the other day when I was hoping to call her, but nothing came up. Besides, I don’t mind getting out. Hanging around your house waiting to hear what’s happening with poor Clyde and Emily was only making me anxious.”
“I’m not surprised. But do you really need to do this tonight? Can’t you wait until Tom and Candace have done their job? I worry about you.”
“I can see on the GPS that whoever took Clyde is far from Birdie’s place. I’ll be fine. If you hear anything on your police scanner, call me. I’m worried about that cat and even more worried Emily will get herself into big trouble. Thank goodness for that tracking collar.”
“Tom can track Emily’s car, too, right?”
“Yes. He said he’d do both.”
“Sounds like Candace and Tom might have someone in lock-up by tonight. Maybe Emily will be locked up, too, if we’re lucky.”
I could picture Kara’s smile and knew she was kidding. I apologized again for hooking her up with Emily in the first place and disconnected.
A few minutes later, I parked in front of Birdie’s house and carefully made my way along the rain-slicked cement walkway to her front steps. The last thing I needed was another fall, so I hung on to the railing tightly as I made my way up.
I rang the doorbell and, while waiting, I closed my small umbrella and slid it into the pocket of Kara’s raincoat.
No answer.
I tried peeking through the crack in the lace curtains covering the door’s window. Lights were on. I rang again and this time I called, “Birdie? Theo? I just need a minute of your time.”
Finally, I saw Theo’s silhouette through the lace as he approached the door. But he didn’t open it. He just pulled the curtain aside and spoke to me through the glass. “My mother is asleep. Can you come back another time?”
Something about his voice—the lack of the assured professorial tenor I’d noticed before—told me something wasn’t right.
“Are you okay, Theo?” Perhaps after my last visit his mother had finally told him the truth and he was shaken by the news.
But no. I saw fear in his eyes.
“We’re fine,” he said loudly. But then he pressed his face closer to the glass and mouthed, “Call 9-1-1.”
I reached for my phone and held it up. I also didn’t speak, just pointed at the phone and mouthed the word, “Trouble?”
He nodded, but before I could get a finger on the keypad, Theo turned and shouted, “No!”
The door’s glass shattered around me when Theo crashed into it. I dropped my phone. I heard it thud onto the porch floor somewhere behind me.
But what I now saw through the hole in the glass made me forget about my phone.
A jagged circle of blood on the left shoulder of Theo’s white shirt was spreading fast.
Too fast.
Thirty
My hammering heart thrummed against my ribs as I crouched on the porch. This position sent a shock wave of pain up my spine. I didn’t care.
I have to find my phone. Have to. Where did it go?
“Stop what you’re doing this instant, Mrs. Hart,” commanded a voice from beyond the broken glass.
That sweet drawl had an edge to it, and I turned to see Millicent Boatman grasping Birdie by the shoulder of her dress and holding a gun to the terrified woman’s temple.
I rose to my knees and raised my hands. “Whatever you say. Please don’t hurt her.”
Millicent shoved Birdie and said, “Roll your son’s body away from the door. We surely would enjoy it if Mrs. Hart came in out of the rain and joined us.”
I heard Theo say, “I can move, Mama. It’s all right.”
“But you’re bleeding, Son.” Poor Birdie sounded as terrified as I felt.
“Don’t you two believe for one minute that your fussing after each other will buy Mrs. Hart time to phone the police. I’ll shoot her next if she tries anything.”
A second later, the door opened just enough for me to enter. Theo, his shoulder bleeding profusely, sat leaning against the wall.
“All of you march your precious selves into the living room and allow me to reconsider how to deal with the three of you.” Millicent waved the gun at me. “You have created quite a dilemma by showing up here.”
Theo put his right hand out to me and I pulled him up, the strain of doing so making me catch my breath. We walked down the hall as instructed, and I wished for once that I still had a tracking device on me. Kara knew where I was. Candace might, too, but we all believed the danger was with Clyde and Emily.
Not at this house. Not now.
Millicent told us all to sit—but not together. Birdie eased onto the Victorian sofa, but her eyes ne
ver left Theo. He took the armchair near the window, his right hand pressed to his bloody shoulder. His face didn’t reveal any of the agony he must have surely been experiencing. He wanted to protect his mother by maintaining his composure despite the shooting. His self-control bolstered me. I sat on a padded straight-back chair, refusing to let the pain I felt by the mere act of sitting show on my face, either.
“I suppose,” Millicent said more to herself than to us, “that once the police show up here, they will conclude that Jillian Hart was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” She smiled. “Oh, this will work well. The Mercy police officers will assume that the drug-dealing ne’er-do-wells came here looking for what Buford owed them. And out of pure spite, they decided to take their revenge on the innocents visiting Miss Birdie tonight.” She looked at me. “That sounds like a plan—don’t you think?”
“Why are you doing this, Millicent?” I wished I hadn’t said anything as soon as the words left my lips.
“What business is it of yours, dear? You believe that because LouAnn thinks you hung the moon or you took in that infernal cat, you have the right to put your nose in our family business?” She glanced at Theo and sneered. “And that includes you, doesn’t it?”
“You are not my family,” he answered.
“Funny you should mention that,” Millicent said. “I had the exact same thought. Unfortunately, my brother didn’t see things the same way. He decided to hand over far too much of his wealth to you along with his beloved and stupid cat. Why? Because he felt guilty, that’s why.”
“You knew what was in his will before Dirk found out today?” I had to keep her talking—perhaps give us all a chance to stop this insane woman from killing us. In an attempt to ease the agony in my lower back, I shifted in the chair and felt the compact umbrella against my thigh. I leaned to my right so it wouldn’t press so hard against me.
“Keep still while I think, Jillian.” She slipped her hand into the pocket of her dress. I feared it might be another weapon, but she pulled out a phone and tapped the screen with her thumb. She muttered, “I do need help to pull this off. Why hasn’t he called me yet?”
The Cat, the Vagabond and the Victim: A Cats in Trouble Mystery Page 22