You Had Me at Cougar

by Terry Spear

  “Irena, a waitress in a restaurant in Cody, Wyoming, learned that Ricky and his brother are living here now. She had dated Kolby and she knew I had dated Ricky.”

  Great.

  Mel narrowed her eyes at Ava. "When my dad learns how you treated me—"

  "How? By telling you the truth? Go ahead. Run by the sheriff's office. Believe me, you won't be causing an issue for Ricky. Everyone adores him and they all have his back. And his wife's too. But if you think you're smart enough to pull the wool over everyone's eyes, be my guest." Ava smiled. Then she went into the shop and locked the door in Mel's face. The woman was probably used to getting her way in Cody because everyone knew who her daddy was. But in Yuma Town? The cougars ruled.

  Then the woman stomped off and Ava headed back to the kitchen, pulling her phone out at the same time, and calling Dan. Since he was Ricky's boss, she wanted him to know what was up first so he could protect Ricky.

  "Hey, the Mobster's daughter, Mel, is in town and she looks like she's ready to have someone's baby any minute, Dan."

  "Great. I'll let Ricky…wait. He's on his way to the bakery to get some donuts for the office."

  Ava sighed. She should have already had them started and ready to eat by now. She went back to the front windows filled with summery displays and saw Ricky pull up in the police car. "Yeah. He just parked and Mel is following him back to the store. I guess I'll let them in and monitor their talk while I'm baking breakfast goodies."

  "Okay, keep me apprised of what's going on if there’s trouble."

  "Will do."

  She opened the door and said to Ricky, "I've got to bake those donuts. Come in and you can wait for them while I'm in the kitchen and have your talk with Mel."

  "Yeah, sure, thanks, Ava," Ricky said.

  Then Ava went into the kitchen to begin baking pastries for breakfast. She was so late doing it, but at least with her cougar hearing, she would be able to listen in on the conversation between Ricky and Mel and if he needed further witnesses or backup, she would call for it.

  “Okay, what’s this all about? You being here? Looking for me?” Ricky asked, sounding annoyed.

  Mel rubbed her belly. “I told my dad the baby is yours. You have to marry me. That woman in the kitchen said you were married already—but if you know what’s good for you and her, you’ll divorce her and marry me.”

  Ava couldn’t believe the nerve of the woman. She hadn’t even said the baby was his because she could never prove it was. But to get poor Ricky involved in this? What a horrible liar. Poor Ricky.

  “You know I’m a deputy sheriff,” Ricky said, folding his arms across his chest. He was wearing his uniform so he hadn’t really needed to tell her that.

  “Right. So? My daddy has a lot of you in his coat pocket.” Mel gave him a wicked smile.

  “It’s not happening. You’ll have to square it with your dad and give up the baby’s father’s name on your own, if you even know who it is.”

  Mel frowned at him. “He is furious with you and he’s going to have your head if you don’t come back with me and marry me.”

  “No deal. For once in your life, tell your dad the truth.”

  “I can’t go home without you.”

  “I have a job, a wife, and babies on the way. I can’t help you.”

  “All right, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. You haven’t heard the last of this.” Then Mel stalked out of the shop.

  Ricky ran his hands through his hair and glanced back at Ava.

  “I got it all on my cell phone. You denying anything, that you are a deputy sheriff. I can’t imagine her dad would believe her,” Ava said.

  “She has always had her dad wrapped around her little finger. He always buys what she’s selling. So yeah, I’m sure he believes it, though if he had her watched at all, which I know he does, he probably has an idea who it might really be. I suspect though, he figures if she’ll go to such lengths to say I’m the father, he’ll go along with it, thinking she really wants to be with me. I never would have gone along with it. Not even if I had still been working as an informant and unmarried. Can you imagine what her father would have done to me if he had known I turned in bad guys to law enforcement?”

  “Yeah, he wouldn’t have been happy with you, worried you would do the same to him.” Ava finished up the donuts and kolaches, placed them in a box, and handed it to him for everyone at the sheriff’s department. “Dan’s waiting to hear the news.”

  “You better believe Mandy is too.” Then Ricky thanked Ava and headed for the door, his phone out, calling Dan. “Hey, hopefully Mel is on her way out of here. Ava recorded the whole thing.”

  “I’ll send it to Dan and you,” Ava said, and then went back to baking.

  “Thanks.” Ricky left the shop.

  Ava just shook her head. She still couldn’t believe the nerve of the woman to do that.

  Then she got a call, and it was from Chet. She smiled, thrilled to hear from him so early.

  “We’re getting an early start and leaving now. We’ll be in Loveland at one for lunch.”

  “It’ll take me two hours to get there though.”

  “Yeah, unless we run into the men and have a time capturing them, if they’re truly involved in any of this. If we are led on a hunt, we might end up going somewhere else.”

  “I’ll chance it. Where do you want me to meet you?”

  “At the hotel where they’re supposed to be meeting up at.” Chet gave her the address.

  “Okay, I’ll see you at three if you’re able to hang around.” She just hoped that she’d actually be able to meet up with him.

  Then Mandy came in for donuts and kolaches for the hospital clinic and Ava smiled and waved at her. “Got to go. I have another customer.” She would tell Chet later about that crazy Mobster’s daughter, but she wondered if Ricky had already told Mandy about it.

  “See you in a few hours.”

  Then they ended the call and Ava wrapped up Mandy’s box of pastries to go. “Tell me about her. This ex-girlfriend of Ricky.”

  Ava smiled. Ricky must have told her she had been here and talked to him, but Mandy must have believed he wouldn’t tell her all about Mel.

  “She’s a spoiled rotten brat who gets her way because of who her daddy is.” Ava showed Mandy the video she took of Mel and Ricky. Mandy could see for herself what she looked like, how she spoke, and all.

  “Oh, Ricky didn’t tell me she’s about to pop one out.”

  Ava chuckled. “Yeah, a little too late to be hunting down a father for the baby.” She was going to tell Mandy that she didn’t have to worry about Ricky, but she figured Mandy already knew that. And that she had a whole ton of cougars to watch their backs.

  “How are things going between you and Chet?”

  Ava smiled. “We’re missing each other. He’s going to Loveland for a case.”

  “Oh, great. Then he’ll be visiting you?”

  “I’m going up there to see him.”

  “That’s super. The nurses and doctors are waiting for me to get these over to the clinic.”

  “Here you go.”

  “Thanks.” Then Mandy left the shop and Florence arrived.

  “Morning.” Florence said.

  “Morning. We’ve been busy and I’ve got to get back to baking.” Ava headed back to the kitchen.

  More cougars came in for pastries and Florence took the orders.

  Later that afternoon, things slowed down, and Ava kept wondering if Chet had reached Loveland yet when she got a call from him. She smiled.

  “Hey, we’re here, looking for the two brothers and a friend of theirs.”

  “Oh, good, Chet. Any luck?” Ava asked.

  “We’re headed to the hotel where they were supposed to be staying.”

  “Okay, well, you know Tracey is from there, so if you need her help, you should call on her to get you around up there.”

  “Yeah, we’re good so far. We’re parking now. You don’t have any premon
itions about this, do you?”

  “No, but if I were there, maybe.” She had the afternoon off so she could do it.

  “Okay, meet us at the hotel.” Chet gave her the location. “If you haven’t had lunch—”

  “Oh, I haven’t. I’d love to have lunch with you all, but it’s already one and it will take me a couple of hours to get there.”

  “We have a hefty breakfast. We’ll wait for you. Everyone’s in agreement.”

  “Okay, thanks, I can’t wait.” She smiled. “I’m on my way.” She was elated she might be able to help them with their case. She’d never used it to help any kind of law enforcement before. It was too scary to think of what would happen if she couldn’t see any visions in a situation and the police thought she was just a nutcase. But at least with the cougars, they knew she was the genuine deal.

  “See you in a few.”

  She was ecstatic. “Heading out now.” She gave Florence a hug. “I’m going to help Chet with his case.”

  Florence hugged her back. “Finally, someone has enough sense to put your talent to good use.”

  “Just for this case.”

  “Uh-huh. Good luck and stay safe.”

  “I will.” Then Ava got into her car and drove to Loveland feeling like she could conquer the world. Chet made her feel that way.

  Chapter 13

  Bridget and Travis were glad Chet had asked Ava to join them in Loveland for the case. Chet was thankful she could do it too and wanted to. Though he didn’t want her to be in any danger. But they hadn’t had any success in looking for the men. Just maybe she could get a clue for them. She just needed to be here if her ability would work, he figured. But he didn’t want her to feel badly if it didn’t work out.

  “I didn’t smell the men’s scents in the hotel lobby,” Chet said. “I doubt they would be running around wearing hunter’s spray here, believing cougars were trying to chase them down.”

  “So they haven’t gotten here yet or they decided to meet somewhere else?” Bridget said.

  “Yeah, either case I figure,” Chet said. “Or they’ve cancelled on the trip here.”

  They took seats in the café where they could wait for Ava while having some drinks. And still watch for the brothers and Hugo.

  “I still can’t believe you took down three cougars on your own on that last case,” Travis said to Chet.

  “You weren’t there to help, or I would have given two of them to you.”

  Travis laughed and saluted him.

  They took turns checking on the lobby to see if the men had arrived and somehow slipped by them, but where they were sitting right now was the perfect spot for surveillance.

  Then they finally saw Ava drive up and park. Chet hurried out of the café to greet her. He hadn’t exactly planned to jump off his chair and nearly upset their drinks, and he smiled when Bridget and Luke laughed and Travis said, “Go get her.”

  Then Chet hugged and kissed Ava before she’d barely left her car. “I missed you. I’m afraid we have an audience.”

  Ava kissed him and hugged him back. “I’ve been missing you and I’m glad we have an audience.” Ava waved at Bridget, Travis, and Luke.

  They smiled and waved back.

  “I’m starving. Are you all ready for a really late lunch?” Ava asked as she and Chet joined them.

  “Boy, are we,” Bridget said.

  Travis had already gotten the menus for them. Chet introduced Ava to Luke.

  “I heard about how you helped Chet and the others up in Ely,” Ava said.

  “Yeah, we were after the same bad guy and his cohorts,” Luke said. “Kind of like now.”

  “I’m having the grilled ham and cheese sandwich,” Bridget said, looking over her menu.

  “I’m going for the steak and cheese,” Luke said, “with an order of berries as a side.”

  They all smiled at him.

  “Hmm, the Reuben for me,” Ava said.

  “I’ll have a Reuben also,” Travis said.

  “BLT for me.” Chet waved at the waitress to take their orders.

  Once their meals were served, Chet explained the case to Ava. “But they haven’t arrived yet. Two people said they were coming here, and Cedric saw the phone conversation that Hugo and the brothers had that confirmed that,” Chet said.

  “But not for two more hours.” Ava took a bite of her Reuben.

  Luke, Chet, and the MacKays were staring at her.

  “What?” Ava asked and took a sip of her iced tea.

  Bridget picked up a potato chip from her plate and pointed it at her. “You sound like you know for sure that’s when they’ll be here. We thought they would be here sooner.”

  “I…I saw three men arrive who fit the description Chet gave me. They looked like good friends, and they were talking away to each other. I heard one say, ‘Hugo, are we going to have dinner here?’ And one of the men said, ‘Yeah, we are. They have the best steaks.’ As to the time, I heard the clock chime in the background—five times.”

  “In another two hours,” Travis said.

  “Yep.” Ava ate one of her potato chips.

  “We knew we needed you on the case,” Travis said, the others agreeing.

  “They’re sitting at a booth in the steak restaurant. Well, in my vision. It’s in the back of the restaurant,” Ava said.

  “Do you see anything about us talking to them?” Chet asked.

  “Or them trying to elude us?” Travis asked.

  Luke asked. “Or pulling a gun on us?”

  “I don’t see that much. Just that they ordered steaks and they’re talking and laughing like they haven’t a care in the world. Are you sure these guys did anything wrong?” Ava took another bite of her Reuban.

  “We don’t know for sure. That’s why we need to talk to them and smell their scents. We have to learn if their scents match anyone that had been in the homes where the murdered women were.” Chet hoped that the mention of any of this wouldn’t be too upsetting to Ava. The CSF agents were used to dealing with crimes and crime scenes. Ava wasn’t.

  “What do we do in the meantime?” Ava asked. “After we eat lunch, we’ll still have about an hour before they arrive.”

  “We can move to the lobby for a while and then when we see the men, we’ll wait until they’re seated in the restaurant and then approach them there. They won’t be able to bolt if they’re sitting in a booth,” Chet said. “We can pin them in.”

  “What if they’re not the ones involved in any of this? If you smell their scents and you don’t recognize them as anyone that was in the homes where the murders were committed?” Ava asked.

  “They could have used hunter’s concealment. They would know that cougars would get involved in a cougar’s murder,” Bridget said. “Unless—”

  “The murderer wasn’t a cougar,” Ava said.

  “But all the women murdered were cougars. How would a human have known—” Chet frowned. “Maybe he gained the women’s confidence and one of them spilled the beans, then he learned who all else was in her circle of cougar friends.”

  “Then what do these men have to do with anything?” Ava asked.

  “The rumor has gone around that these men might have been one of the ones who committed the murders,” Chet said.

  “But one of the women wasn’t a cougar. She had dated Luke and she was human,” Bridget reminded them.

  “Do we have a connection between the women?” Travis asked.

  “They’re cougars from a small town. They knew each other. They were friends. They were all about the same age—mid-twenties to thirties. Different hair colors though. Blond, brunette, redheaded,” Chet said.

  “It doesn’t have to do with hair color like in some serial killers’ cases, but that they are all connected as cougars and friends, or maybe just friends,” Bridget said.

  “Then who has started the rumors that these men are involved?” Ava asked.

  “Someone who actually did the murders and wants someone else blamed
for them?” Travis asked.

  “We could have been sent on a wild goose chase while the killer is still in Cody,” Chet said. “Since we’re here now, we’ll check out the men’s stories to see if they had any connection to the women, or alibis for the time the murders took place.”

  Ava told them about Mel coming to the bakery this morning and explained all that had happened.

  “Poor Ricky,” Bridget said.

  “It just seems Ricky is always in trouble in one situation or another,” Travis said. “In a way, I’m not surprised.”

  “Well, Dan knows what’s going on, and I showed Mandy the video of Mel this morning so she does too,” Ava said.

  “A video?” Chet asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Very clever.” Chet smiled at Ava.

  When the time was upon them, Ava said, “There they are.”

  Chet couldn’t believe Ava would see the three men first. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. “Okay, let’s go inside and get a table.”

  They found a table near the men and ordered dessert. They remained quiet while they listened in on the conversation. It was great having cougar hearing when they needed it for a mission.

  Hugo said, “I’m glad we could get away like this. With all the rumors going around about us—”

  “Yeah, by you know who. It makes me wonder if Langston had something to do with it,” Joe said.

  Langston? Chet wondered why no one had mentioned him to them when they were talking about who might have committed the murders. Had the men been setup to take the fall? But unless they had no alibis for the times of the murder, then maybe they had nothing to with them.

  “I just can’t believe anyone would think any one of us would have committed the crimes,” Hugo said.

  Which could mean they were innocent, or one of them was still guilty and was playing the game.

  Chet and the others ordered pies and cakes, figuring they would be finished before the men were and could ask them some questions, but also, they wanted to know what Bridget could learn from reading the men’s minds in the interim.