Mission Impawsible

by Krista Davis

  I finished my tea, handed Huey over to Ben, and found I was smiling as I set off on my morning walk-through of the inn to make sure everything was in order.

  I began in the main lobby, which bustled with Animal Attraction participants, then made my way to the small library. One lone woman was curled up in the window seat with her cat, reading a book. The library connected to the cats-only wing, where the rooms were outfitted with screened porches, a real tree to climb, and a catwalk near the ceiling that ran around each room. I picked up an umbrella that someone had dropped and continued upstairs. I couldn’t help noticing quite a few Do Not Disturb signs. A lot of guests must have been up late the night before.

  I walked through the second floor, pausing briefly at the grand staircase to gaze down at the lobby. Still busy. I kept going to the other end, where Oma’s apartment was. The hallway ended at a balcony that overlooked the reception lobby. I trotted down the stairs to the desk where Zelda worked and placed the umbrella in our lost and found box.

  “Did you meet an interesting guy last night?” I asked.

  “I don’t think I’m the only person in Wagtail with a hangover this morning,” she groaned. “Macon matched me up through Live Love Meow. I brought my cat Leo along for our meeting because everyone loves him. My guy, Axel, turned out to be adorable. He had the most open, friendly face and sweet blue eyes that just melted my heart the minute I looked into them. But my good-for-nothing ex-husband, Hank, showed up at the bar of the restaurant. So then, of course, I acted like a complete idiot, trying to avoid being seen by him.”

  “Did you tell your date what was going on?”

  “In spite of my best efforts, Hank spotted me and had the nerve to pull a chair up to our table. Naturally, he was a total jerk and made it sound like we were still together! Holly, it was a nightmare. And even worse, Hank made some thinly veiled threats! So I tricked him into going to the bar for more drinks, grabbed the cats, and told my date we were on the run.”

  Uh-oh. “I hope you paid your check?”

  “Luckily, our waitress was a friend of mine. She knew all about Hank and could see what was happening, so she said, ‘Go, go, go!’ After that the date was very romantic. I’m seeing him again when I get off work.”

  “How are you going to dodge your ex?”

  “I wish he didn’t know where I live. That creep came around and banged on my door in the middle of the night. Good thing I changed the locks when I got rid of him. I didn’t let him in, of course, but I didn’t get much sleep knowing he was hanging around out there. I even saw him looking where we used to keep a spare key! Today I’ve outsmarted him. I rented a boat and ordered a picnic! The only way Hank is going to be able to bug us is if he swims out to the boat.” Zelda cackled with glee.

  “Are you taking your cats?”

  “You bet! Well, not all of them. Only Leo. The inn chef is making them Something Fishy, which is Leo’s favorite.”

  I retreated to the office to take care of some paperwork. Sunshine streamed through the open French doors. Twinkletoes sat on the desk trying to open a drawer, and Marmalade assisted her from the desk chair.

  “What are you two doing?” I asked. “There are no treats or catnip in there.”

  That information didn’t stop them. Marmalade managed to pull the drawer open slightly. From above, Twinkletoes immediately jammed her paw into the drawer and felt around.

  I was so amused that I watched to see what she would find. She dragged out a plastic bag of catnip with her claw, seized it in her mouth, and jumped off the desk.

  “I stand corrected.” I dashed after her to rescue the catnip.

  Marmalade and Twinkletoes followed me back to the desk, desperately trying to snag their catnip booty again. I put it back in the drawer and located two catnip-filled mice for them to play with. Thrilled, they seized their toys and ventured outside into the sun. I could see them rolling on their backs with the mice clutched in their front paws.

  Trixie settled near me. I tried to concentrate, but my thoughts kept turning to Gustav and the abrupt end to his life.

  An hour later, Zelda showed Laura into the office. Apparently, they had met the night before too, because they were carrying on about how much fun they’d had.

  “Marmalade!” cried Laura. She ran to the terrace, scooped him up in her arms, and carried him inside, holding him like a baby. “Thank you so much, Holly. I saw him briefly this morning, but then my little sweetie took off again. I was worried sick about him yesterday until I received your text.”

  “And then we sang ‘Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart’!” Zelda laughed.

  “I’ve never sung karaoke before,” said Laura. “It was a blast.”

  I could hear Marmalade purring in her arms.

  “Thanks again for letting him spend the night, Holly. We’re on our way to a cat store. Marmalade has never been shopping before. Then Marmalade and I have a lunch date!”

  Zelda walked out of the office with Laura, still gabbing about the previous night.

  I spent the next couple of hours catching up on paperwork.

  At eleven, Zelda popped her head in. “Mind if I take lunch now? I’m leaving at three.”

  “Sure. Perfect timing. Seems like things are pretty quiet.”

  Zelda sat down in the chair opposite me. “Holly? I’ve been debating whether to tell you this, but I think maybe you should know.”

  I tensed. Had she seen the killer? Was Zelda in the Shire last night?

  “I met Laura at Hair of the Dog last night. She was with Ben.”

  I stared at her for a moment, waiting for the bad news, then laughed aloud when I realized she was done. “That’s fine. I’m glad Ben met somebody nice. I was afraid you knew something about the murder.”

  “Murder?” she screeched.

  I told her about finding Gustav and warned her to be careful.

  Zelda took off, shaken by the news. Minutes later, I heard the sliding glass doors to the reception lobby slide open. Trixie jumped to her feet and ran out to see who it was before I had left the office.

  An older gentleman walked in. He carried himself quite erect but shuffled a tad and relied on a walking stick that was covered with medallions. I was familiar with them. Many of our hiking guests had similar walking sticks with badges marking the places they had visited in Europe.

  “Good morning!” I said.

  “Good morning. I should like to check in,” he said with a pronounced German accent. “I have a reservation under Gustav Vogel.”

  Eleven

  My breath caught in my throat. How could this be happening? All kinds of strange scenarios ran through my head. Was this the real Gustav Vogel? Was he an impostor? Could there be two people by that name?

  I swallowed hard. Maybe I had misunderstood. I didn’t think so, but I asked anyway. “I’m sorry? Your name again?”

  He spoke slowly. “Gustav Vogel. V-O-G-E-L. I was supposed to be here yesterday but was detained because I was mugged.”

  That sounded way too familiar. Two Gustav Vogels, and both were mugged? “I’m sorry to hear that.” I faked a smile. “Thank you. Would you excuse me for a moment?”

  I hurried into the office and phoned Officer Dave, all the while keeping an eye on Mr. Vogel through the open door.

  “Dave,” I whispered. “I have a Gustav Vogel trying to check in.”

  After a moment of silence, he said, “That’s not funny.”

  “I’m not trying to be funny.”

  I heard him suck in a long breath. “I’ll be there in a few minutes, but this better not be some kind of gag.”

  I hung up, feeling annoyed. I had never tried to trick him before. This wasn’t in the least bit amusing for me either.

  I returned to the desk.

  “Is there a problem?” asked Mr. Vogel. “Perhaps I could speak to Liesel Miller. S
he is expecting me.”

  “She’s out at the moment but should return soon. There’s just a little bit of confusion. May I see your identification?”

  There. That should solve it.

  “As I mentioned, I was mugged. I do not have my driver’s license because my wallet was stolen. The police were kind enough to give me a copy of their report. Perhaps that would help you?”

  He handed me a pink sheet of paper. The writing was faint, as though it had been the third carbon sheet and the officer hadn’t pressed quite hard enough. “This is dated yesterday.”

  “That is correct. Had it not been for this misfortune, I would have arrived here yesterday. But I was hospitalized for the night.”

  “I’m so sorry. Perhaps you would like to sit down?” I gestured toward the love seat.

  “I should like to lie down if I could please be shown to my room.”

  Dave turned up at that exact moment, panting like he had run from wherever he had been. I was relieved to see him because he had spared me having to tell this man, assuming he really was Gustav Vogel, that we had given his room away.

  Dave asked if he could borrow the office. Naturally, I consented. The two men entered the little room behind the desk and the door closed.

  I picked up the phone and called Oma’s friend, Rose Richardson, who owned several rental properties. “Rose, I’m in desperate need of a room. Are all your places full?”

  “Funny you should mention that. I have a darling one-bedroom bungalow that wasn’t rented this week. Seems most of the people came to Animal Attraction with friends and needed more than one bedroom. I was just telling your grandmother about it.”

  “Oh! She’s there?” I should have realized. Rose and Oma were thick as thieves. “Where are you? Can I send someone over to pick up the key?”

  “Liesel is just on her way back. I’ll send it with her.” Her voice faded as though she was talking to Oma and not into the phone. “It’s the yellow cottage on Pine Street. Close to Hot Hog.”

  I heard Oma say, “I know the one. It’s very cute. Tell Holly I’ll be back in five minutes.”

  I thanked Rose, hung up, and let out a heavy breath. One crisis resolved. Sort of.

  Ben walked in at that moment with Huey. “There you are! Holly, we need to talk.”

  We certainly did. But Dave would surely be finished with the second Gustav Vogel shortly, and Oma would be back any minute. It couldn’t have been a worse time. “I’m a little busy at the moment. Maybe we can meet for coffee or lunch in an hour?”

  He flushed pink. “That’s what I wanted to talk about. Actually, I have a lunch date. I want to borrow Twinkletoes, but I can’t find her.”

  I smelled a rat. Twinkletoes and Ben did not get along. Not at all! “For heaven’s sake, take Huey. You’ve ignored him since last night. And he’s such a great dog. He has behaved like a perfect angel.”

  “Um, no. It has to be Twinkletoes.”

  “Why? You do recall that you don’t like each other. Right?”

  “I may have told Laura that Twinkletoes was my cat.”

  “May have?” I giggled.

  “Okay, so she’s a cat person, not a dog person.”

  “What a great start to a relationship. You’re lying to her already. And the only cat you know is Twinkletoes, who hates you!”

  “Hate is such a strong word.”

  “Don’t you think Laura will notice when Twinkletoes spends lunch hissing at you?”

  The door behind me opened. Dave and the second Gustav Vogel exited the office. Just as Mr. Vogel rounded the desk to the reception lobby, Oma walked in through the sliding glass doors.

  They looked at each other, and if it had been a movie, heavenly music would have played. Maybe Macon was right about us making up our minds in ninety seconds to four minutes. I wasn’t sure it had taken them that long.

  Gustav nodded at Oma and held out his hand. “Gustav Vogel. You must be the lovely Liesel.”

  I hoped Oma wouldn’t faint. In a big rush that alarmed the dogs, I hurried to her side, ready to catch her.

  Oma stared at Gustav for a long moment as though she were looking at a ghost. She shook his hand. “I thought you were dead.”

  Gustav laughed. A nice, hearty chuckle. “I must misquote Mr. Twain. As you can see, reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.”

  “I have to sit down. I did not expect this.”

  I walked with Oma to the love seat just in case she should topple. Gustav promptly sat next to her.

  Trixie and Huey, probably sensing treats from Oma, wagged their tails and sniffed them.

  I hustled over to Dave and whispered, “So, what’s the story?”

  Ben sidled up to us to hear what was going on.

  “I called the police to confirm. He’s on the up and up. On his way here, Gustav was jumped and mugged. They took him to the hospital as a precaution because the mugger did a number on him.”

  “So who is the other guy?”

  “What other guy?” asked Ben.

  Dave raised his eyebrows and shrugged. “Beats me. How am I supposed to investigate a murder if I don’t know the identity of the victim?”

  Twelve

  “Murder? There’s been a murder? Why didn’t you tell me?” Ben glared at me.

  “Did you expect me to wait up all night for you, or did you want me to wake you early this morning to share that news?” It was a little testy of me, but I hadn’t had much of a chance to talk with him privately.

  Dave seemed annoyed. “If you’ll excuse me, I don’t have time for your petty bickering.”

  He put us in our place with that one sentence. “I’m sorry, Dave,” I said. “If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”

  Dave’s mouth twisted to the side. “Do you know if the dead guy signed up for any of Macon’s matchmaking? That might be a good place to start. Maybe Macon has the guy’s real name and address.”

  “It could assist in identifying the killer, too,” Ben pointed out.

  Dave flashed him a look.

  “What? Maybe he didn’t like the person he was matched with.”

  “Right, he meets someone for half an hour and she already wants to kill him?” I doubted it.

  “What exactly did the now dead Gustav Vogel say to you and Liesel yesterday?” asked Dave.

  I motioned for him to follow me. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Oma, could you help me remember what that odious man said about dog and cat lovers yesterday?”

  “Ja, of course. He said that cat lovers were neurotics and dog lovers were replacing their need for human companionship with dogs. And that dogs don’t understand what we say.”

  Ben snorted. “The guy was right. He was just telling the truth. Who would murder him for something like that?”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. Why did people who had never had a dog or cat think they knew more about animals than those of us who spent time with them?

  “Ben, why did you come here this weekend?” I asked. “Don’t you think you would be better off with a woman who is like you and doesn’t want pets?”

  The broad grin on Oma’s face was irritating. “Holly is correct. You will meet the wrong women for you here in Wagtail.”

  Ben scowled at me. “Look who’s giving advice on romance. I don’t see you hooked up with anyone.” His eyes widened. “That’s why you’re so short with me. Have you changed your mind? You want to marry me after all?”

  Why were we having this little scene in front of an audience? I could feel my ears getting hot. “Ben, go on your date and tell her the truth. Dave, Gustav number one recognized Macon. Maybe Macon would know who he is? Oma, would you like to show Gustav to his cottage? Or should I take him over?”

  A scant five minutes later, everyone had cleared out, but Ben left poor Huey with me
again. Zelda returned, and I headed for a much-needed lunch.

  The dining area still buzzed with visitors. It was fun to watch people getting to know one another. I considered eating in Oma’s private kitchen, but Huey and Trixie found Lulu and Duchess.

  Through the window, I spied Ben dining with Laura on the terrace. Laura appeared interested in what he was saying. Twinkletoes and Marmalade watched activities on the lake from a spot near the terrace stairs that led to the lakefront. At least Twinkletoes wasn’t embarrassing Ben by hissing at him.

  Sky and Nessie worked on a laptop at the table where I usually sat when I was alone. It was partly hidden, back by the window where Shelley placed and picked up orders.

  They called me to join them.

  “This is such fun!” Nessie typed something into the computer. “There she is. My sweet angel, Celeste. Oh no! This won’t do at all. I knew there was something wrong, wrong, wrong about that guy she was with last night. Macon has matched her to a musician!”

  “What’s wrong with that?” asked Sky. “Musicians are very creative and kind.”

  Nessie glared at her new friend. “Stick with me, Sky. I swear I never met anybody so naïve. I would love it if she were being matched to someone kind, but honey, musician is code for poorer than the proverbial church mouse. No, no, no. That won’t do at all.”

  “What are you looking at?” I asked. “Celeste’s Facebook page?”

  Nessie ignored my question. Her fingertips hit the keys rapidly. “Ohh. Here’s a doctor. Now, that’s much better! Okay, let’s see what’s happening with Sky’s daughter, Maddie.”

  Shelley waved at me as she picked up an order. “Steak salad, peppered trout, or barbecue chicken pizza?”

  They all sounded so good. “Steak salad, please. With iced tea. Is there a dog version of the steak salad?”

  “Of course.” Shelley grinned. “Theirs comes with sweet potatoes and cooked kale.”

  “Trixie and Huey will have that. Thanks, Shelley.”

  Nessie gasped. “Oh my! Look at this—a dot-com entrepreneur. He’s perfect for Maddie.”