by Lyndsey Cole
Leona drove them in her bright yellow convertible mustang. “You still don’t have a shy bone in your body,” Annie teased.
As they drove on Main Street through Catfish Cove, Annie willed her body to relax into the car seat. “There’s nothing like coming home to realize how much you missed something,” she said, more to herself than to Leona. “Hey, what’s that shop? A tattoo parlor? Catfish Cove finally entered the twenty first century?”
Leona inched up the hem of her jeans above her brown leather ankle boots to reveal the top of an intricate tattoo. Annie’s eyes popped. “What’s the design?”
Leona shook her pants back down. “A mystery for another day. How about you and I get matching tats sometime?” Leona laughed out loud at Annie’s horrified expression. “Still not into piercings or other body modifications?”
Annie shook her head. “No. I’m not quite there yet. So tell me more about this mystery man you’re taking me to visit.”
“Who said anything about a man?” Leona said as she swerved into the parking lot of the Second Chance Animal Shelter. “I volunteer here. Grab your camera and let’s go. And close your mouth, Red, don’t act so shocked.”
As Leona and Annie opened the front door, dogs barked and howled. Cages filled with cats lined the front room, some curled up in soft beds, others climbing on cat trees. A gray haired woman put her papers down and turned her attention from her desk piled high with folders and smiled at Leona. “How nice to see you. You brought more help.”
“Karen, this is my niece, Annie. She adopted a stray kitty we found at the café but I think she’ll like to meet the dogs too. She’s always been a dog person.” Leona winked at Annie.
Karen nodded toward the swinging doors leading to the back room. “You know your way around. Baxter is already howling out back. He recognizes your voice.”
Leona gestured for Annie to follow her through the door to the back where the kennels were located. Pandemonium broke out with the dogs jumping on the front of their cages to see who came in to visit. Leona stopped in front of a cage with a big golden dog. His feet reached chest high on the cage and his head tilted backwards as a happy howl came from his mouth. He took a few breaks to add in a couple of woofs.
“This is Baxter. I’ve been walking him every chance I get. I guess you could say we are kind of bonded to each other.” Leona lifted the leash from a hook and carefully opened the door to hook it on Baxter’s collar. “Do you want to walk someone too?”
“Of course. I’d like to walk them all. Heck, I’d take them all home if I could, you know that. Any suggestions?” Annie’s eyes took in the long row of kennels filled with dogs, not having a clue how to choose just one.
“This is Roxy, a real sweetheart. I think she’s a lab-pit mix, and . . .” Leona grinned at Annie “. . . she loves cats.”
They went out the back door to a large fenced in field with Baxter and Roxy. “First, we’ll walk around the perimeter before we let them off to have some freedom.”
As they walked side by side with the dogs dancing on the leashes or stopping to sniff the bushes and pee, Leona asked Annie, “Why did you come back to Catfish Cove?”
Annie shrugged. “The guy at the café? He was why I left.”
“What? That was Max?”
“Yeah. We were together for most of the last year. He was a decent guy but there always seemed to be something in the background that I couldn’t put my finger on. The day I left, I heard a disturbing message on his answering machine and it wasn’t the first one, but I promised myself it would be the last one. I had to get away but I think he followed me.”
“What was the message?”
Annie hesitated before stopping and looking directly at Leona. “Your time is up.”
“That’s it? Your time is up?”
“That was it. I grabbed my backpack and left.”
“Did you kill him, Red?”
Chapter 5
“No! I didn’t know he was here until I found his body at the café.” Annie was a little hurt that Leona would even ask her that question.
“Why did he follow you?”
Annie stopped walking and chewed on her lip. “I don’t know. I think he wanted to tell me something.”
“That you’re in danger?”
“I don’t know. Detective Jaffrey asked me if Max was involved in something illegal. Everyone liked Max, at least the people he introduced me to, and I never even considered that possibility until Jaffrey asked me.”
Leona bent down and unclipped the two dogs who were thrilled to chase each other around the field. Baxter was about twice the size of Roxy, but Roxy was much more agile and ran circles around the big goofy golden retriever mix.
“What do you think about Baxter?” Leona asked with a smile on her face as she watched the dogs.
“Same strawberry blond hair color as you. You’d make a good couple. Are you thinking of adopting him?”
Her smile grew bigger. “How’d you guess?”
“Your smile says it all. What are you waiting for?”
“I have to wait a few more days to make sure his owner doesn’t show up. If no one claims him, he’s mine.” She whistled and Baxter charged to her, barely stopping in time before knocking her over. Leona crouched down and Baxter licked her face from chin to forehead. “Ewww. No licking.” She turned her head away, laughing, and he sat down leaning against her with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. Leona looked up at Annie as she clicked away with her camera. “It was love at first sight.”
“It always is with you, isn’t it?”
Leona pulled a tennis ball from her coat pocket and threw it for Baxter but Roxy got a hold of it first. She dashed away with Baxter in hot pursuit but she took a sharp turn and his back end slid sideways when he tried to catch her.
“Why don’t you adopt both of them so Baxter has a playmate?” Annie said.
“Maybe.” Leona whistled again and clipped the leashes on. “Time to go back inside. I’ll try to come by again tomorrow. You’re welcome anytime, too. Karen is too busy to walk the dogs like this, she depends on volunteers. She wouldn’t mind if you photographed all the dogs for her website. A professional photo can make all the difference in finding a home.”
“I’d like to do that. You know how animals have always been a big part of my life.”
Leona and Annie found Karen still sitting at her desk shuffling through her mountain of folders. She smiled at them when they walked in. “Did the dogs enjoy their romp?”
“You know they did. And,” Leona tilted her head toward Annie, “I recruited another volunteer for you. Annie is a photographer and she agreed to photograph the dogs and cats for your website.”
A smile as big as her mountain of paperwork spread across her face. “That’s the best news coming through this office all week. Oh, I almost forgot, someone stopped by yesterday asking directions to the Take It or Leave It Café. I don’t know if he was looking for the old place or the new one so I gave him directions to both.”
“Someone from out of town?” Leona asked.
“Yeah, New York plates on his beemer.”
Annie felt a twitch start in her cheek muscle. “What did he look like?”
Karen put her head on one hand and thought for a minute. “Tall, skinny, dressed impeccably, like someone from the city. Why?”
Leona sat down in the only other chair in the room. “Annie’s ex-boyfriend, Max, was found dead in the new café this morning. He was from New York. Do you think someone followed him here?” she asked, turning to Annie. “Does that description sound like anyone you met from Max’s art gallery?”
“Maybe his partner, Vincent West. I didn’t know him well, but I met him a couple of times.”
“Why would he be looking for the Take It or Leave It Café?”
Annie rubbed the pink paper in her jean pocket. “He could have followed Max, thinking Max was following me. I suppose he could have researched my background and discovered Catfish Co
ve and the Take It or Leave It connected to my name online.”
“You should tell Tyler about this,” Karen said.
“Tell him what? That someone stopped here asking for directions? Not much unusual about that. I want to find out if the guy is Vincent or not before I start acting like a paranoid fool,” Annie said. She took her camera off her shoulder and walked closer to Karen to show her the photos of Leona and Baxter.
Karen scrolled through the pictures. “These are amazing. If you can get shots like this for all the dogs, they will be adopted in no time.”
“I’m happy to help you and the animals. I’ll be working with Leona at the new café, so once we settle into a workable routine I’ll make time for a photo shoot.
“Great. I’ll see you on Friday for the opening. Can’t wait for a smoothie and a muffin.”
“I forgot to tell you. Annie came up with a new name. Now it’s The Black Cat Café—Take It or Leave It.”
“Awesome name.” Karen nodded.
Back in the car, Leona revved up the engine of her mustang. “Let’s make a quick stop at Cove’s Corner and check what’s going on. I can’t imagine it will take too much time to finish up with their investigation. It would be helpful to be able to get back in to get some baking done instead of losing this whole day.”
They pulled into a mostly empty parking lot. As they walked inside, the yellow tape was still across the café entrance. Leona pulled Annie into The Fabric Stash to see if Martha had any information. She had a nose for gossip and if anything was spinning around town she would be sure to know.
Martha was bent over her long arm quilting machine, humming to herself as she worked the pattern through the quilt. “Hi Martha,” Leona yelled.
Martha straightened up, smiled and turned the machine off. “Leona! And is Annie Fisher with you? I haven’t seen Annie for far too long. How are you, hon? Have you heard about the dreadful happenings right here in the café? Yes, I suppose you would know.” She stopped talking to laugh at her silly question. “How about some tea? I always keep my electric kettle ready to go for my customers. You’re in for a treat today, because, guess what? There are a couple of cinnamon buns left.”
“Martha, take a breath of air and relax, okay?” Leona kidded her. Martha had a habit of rattling on so fast it was hard to keep up with her train of thought.
Martha pushed her gray hair out of her eyes and poured three cups of tea. “All the excitement around here today revved up my adrenalin and it’s flowing like a Ferrari on a racetrack. And that handsome detective?” She put her hand over her heart. “If only I was twenty years younger I’d be killing someone so I could enjoy an interrogation from him. I think he said his name is Neil Jaffrey. One of you should check him out. I didn’t notice a ring on his finger.” She winked at Leona and Annie over her teacup as she took a sip.
Annie settled into a comfy chair with her tea. “It’s nice to be back in Catfish Cove and I’m happy you remember me, Martha.”
“Of course I remember you. You and Leona, you two could be sisters. I don’t know how you both ended up with that beautiful strawberry blond hair and your mother has long dark hair. You are blessed with your mother’s eyes though, Annie.”
Annie nodded, realizing how well her mother kept the secret of her adoption from her and everyone else.
“What did you and that fine-looking detective chat about?” Leona asked.
“Oh, he didn’t spend much time with me, I’m sorry to say. He was talking to Jake, next door in the Clay Design shop. He was in with Jake for a good hour. And someone else was in there, too. A tall, skinny guy, not from around here. He stood out like a sore thumb in this town, too metrosexual.”
Leona spit her tea out when Martha used that word.
“What? Did I use it wrong? I try to keep up with these new terms, don’t want to be left back in the twentieth century, you know. Full speed ahead is how I want to live my life.”
Annie chuckled. “You used it right. Did you catch the guy’s name?”
“No. Their voices were muffled and I couldn’t understand what they were talking about.” She leaned close to both women and whispered. “I certainly tried to eavesdrop but they closed the door, and when I put my glass up against the wall, I still couldn’t make out a dang word clearly.” She dabbed at the front of her blouse with a lacy cotton handkerchief where a tiny bit of tea had spilled. “Dang it. Another blouse with a stain. Pretty soon I’ll be wearing a bib if I keep this up.” She looked up at Annie. “I almost forgot, the metrosexual guy stopped in here and asked about you. I thought that was odd since I didn’t even know you were back in town.”
“What did you tell him?”
She chuckled. “I gave him a hard time. You know, he wasn’t my type of guy, too smooth and he has those cold, mean eyes. He asked if I knew an Annie Fisher and I said, Sandy? I don’t know any Sandy. He kept repeating himself louder and louder thinking I would eventually hear him correctly.” She slapped her knee and roared with laughter. “He tried to stay friendly but I could see the frustration building behind his eyes as he clenched his jaw and said one last time, A-N-N-I-E. I shook my head and he left. You should have seen his face. I could barely keep from rolling on the floor in hysterics before he got out the door.” Martha added, “Your father came in, too. He can be so charming when he wants something. Usually he doesn’t even give me the time of day, unless, of course, he’s stopping to collect the rent.”
“What did he want?”
“Oh yeah, he wondered if I saw anyone hanging around the building yesterday. Anyone unfamiliar. I told him, in case you didn’t notice, there are a lot of tourists coming through town, have been for the last seventy five years. So, yeah, there were unfamiliar people around yesterday. Geez, does he think I keep tabs on everyone coming through?” She stood and stretched. “And if I did, I wouldn’t tell him anyway. Sorry Annie, but your father isn’t one of my favorite people.”
“No problem, Martha, he’s not one of my favorites either.” Annie rubbed her hand over the quilt Martha was working on. “We’d better let you get back to your quilt. These colors are beautiful. I like how you mixed the greens and blues with a hint of orange. What’s the name of this pattern?”
“Thank you. It’s a modified log cabin style. Choosing the colors is always the best part for me. Well, that and doing the final quilting ever since I got this long arm machine.” She patted her big machine fondly. “I’m always surprised how the pieces and colors seem to come together with a mind of their own and perform a sort of material magic.” She shook her head, suddenly lost in her thoughts of her quilts.
As Leona and Annie headed out the door, Martha remembered one more thing. “Annie, that guy said for me to tell you, if I saw you, he’d be back.”
Chapter 6
“I don’t like this. Who is that guy, Vincent, and what does he want with you?” Leona asked as they walked out of The Fabric Stash.
“He’s Max’s partner but I don’t know why he’s looking for me.” Annie turned right toward Clay Design instead of left to the back exit. “What’s the deal with Jake, the pottery guy? He came into the café right after I found the body and scared the bejesus out of me when he seemed to appear out of thin air. I don’t know where he had been lurking but it was creepy.”
“He’s a bit of a mystery man. He’s extremely talented, and I heard he sends some of his porcelain pieces to an art gallery. He’s kind of a loner, keeps to himself. I think he lives in a cabin out in the boondocks at the end of a dirt road. Your father wanted him in here, thought he would bring in a lot of tourists. I don’t think he had a shop before he opened up in Cove’s Corner.” Leona’s lips twitched up into a conspiratorial grin. “Let’s go in and have a friendly chat.”
“Hey Jake, quite a day,” Leona said as they walked into Clay Design and found Jake packing some pottery into bubble wrap.
He quickly slid his knife into the holster on his belt and closed the top of the box he was packing. “Annie, h
ow are you doing? That was quite a shock for you this morning.”
Annie nodded. “Yeah, that’s an understatement since that was my ex-boyfriend slumped in the booth.” She wiped a tear away with the back of her hand.
Jake stood up and placed his hand on her arm. “I didn’t know. I thought he was just somebody in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“It must have been tough for you too. You weren’t far behind me.”
He glanced at his watch. “I’m in the middle of packing some of my pieces for shipment, and I’m desperate to make this deadline. How about we talk more about this tomorrow? Not that I can add any information. That detective grilled me for far too long for the meager information that I have.” He nervously shifted from one foot to the other. “I was planning to close for the day and get this packing done.” He gestured toward the pottery lined up on a table.
“Sure. See you tomorrow. We’ll be here bright and early catching up with some baking for the busy weekend coming up. Losing today hasn’t helped with our opening plans, that’s for sure. Tomorrow will be a long, busy day,” Leona said.
“Can’t wait for all the delicious aromas from your café wafting through this building to tempt us. I’ll certainly be a regular.” He smiled warmly. “Between your food, my pottery and Martha’s beautiful quilts, I expect the tourists to be flocking through.”
“See you in the morning. Coffee on the house for my neighbors here at Cove’s Corner.” Leona linked arms with Annie and they walked out in step with each other. In the hallway, they raced each other to the door like a couple of kids.
Annie whispered in Leona’s ear, “Did you see his knife? I don’t even know how Max was killed. Do you think he was stabbed?”
“Try to weasel some info from your old fiancé, Tyler Johnson, now head of the police department, or that gorgeous detective. For now, I’m heading to the grocery store to stock up on supplies for our marathon day of cooking tomorrow. I don’t want to run out of anything once we get in production mode for the big opening. Want me to drop you off at your apartment?”