Deadly Diamond: A Murfy the Cat Mystery

by Anna Kern

  Carole and her son weren’t the only suspects on my list. There was also Carole’s husband––his own financial situation could be worse than Carole knew or admitted to. He could have killed Althea.

  Finally, although I had nothing concrete to go on yet, there was one other person who had motive and opportunity––Althea’s son. According to the letter from the private investigation firm, he’d planned to see Althea. He could be the murderer––his motive the same as the others––money.

  Alyx had her question answered as to what Carole and her son were looking for as soon as she entered Althea’s room and saw the contents of the lingerie chest she’d previously boxed, spilled on the bed.

  “They most definitely were looking for something, weren’t they, Murfy?”

  I meowed in agreement. No sense in looking through that; it looked like they did a good job. Regardless, she quickly went through it as she put it all back into the box, not bothering to sort it this time, and found nothing to back-up the scenarios she’d mentioned––or mine––for that matter.

  “Well, that’s that. The only thing left to do is to go to Carole’s house and find out if either her son or husband has a heart problem.”

  Alyx paused in the living room, and her eyes fell on a small Imari porcelain bowl sitting on a console table against the stairwell. The bowl didn’t have a tag, and she picked it up for closer inspection. When she did, an amber bead fell out.

  I figured the bead had broken off of something, and when I saw a basket of jewelry sitting on the coffee table, I called attention to it with my ‘I want something’ meow that I’d trained her to recognize.

  She rifled through it, didn’t find anything to match the amber bead, and dropped it in the basket. Something must have popped in her mind as she did that. She shook her head as if to clear it, and said, “Come on, Murfy, let’s get out of here,” expecting me to follow. I wasn’t ready to go yet though, and I turned my back, and quickly pawed through the jewelry until I found the bead that Alyx had tossed in the basket. I secreted it in my mouth thinking it would serve as evidence later, if needed.

  “The dog has a human master; the cat is the master of his human.”

  ––Murfy

  CHAPTER THIRTY: Antiques & Designs–A Midnight Visit

  Alyx sat up in bed, none of us sure what she’d heard until the doorbell rang again. She grabbed her robe and peered out the kitchen window before going to the door or turning on any lights. A Beachside police cruiser was in her driveway and she hurried to the front door.

  The shorter of the two officers spoke first,” Are you Alyx Hille?”

  “Yes. What’s wrong? Did something happen to my son, Ethan?”

  The officer introduced himself and his partner.

  “No, ma’am, we’re here to report a break-in at your store on Ocean Street.”

  She took a deep breath, “Okay, tell me what happened,” she said, opening the door wider, inviting them into the foyer.

  “We were patrolling the area and didn’t see anything outstanding until we drove around to the parking area in the rear of the stores and saw the back door to your establishment wide open. We investigated and found no one inside. We believe the perpetrator or perpetrators fled when they saw us. We’d like you to come with us and identify any missing items for our report.”

  She wished Maggie were around. As if he read her mind, the taller officer said, “We also tried to contact Maggie Broeck; there was no answer.”

  “Maggie is my business partner and she’s out of town, but you already know that, don’t you?”

  They gave her one of those polite smiles that isn’t a real smile and fools no one.

  She started to walk away and remembered her manners. “Excuse me while I put some clothes on. I’ll meet you there.”

  “A cat sees no good reason why it should obey another animal, even if it does stand on two legs.”

  ––Sarah Thompson

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: The Estate Sale

  Early Saturday, the morning of the estate sale, Alyx called Maggie to tell her about the break-in.

  “I’ll have Bernice take inventory today to make sure nothing is missing,” she said. “The items from Althea’s condominium are in shambles, though. The furniture was turned over on its side, drawers pulled out, chair seats removed, apparently ready to be torn apart, possibly interrupted by the appearance of the patrol car…” She paused. “They searched under, behind and in all the drawers.”

  “I’m speechless,” replied Maggie. “What could they have wanted?”

  “I think someone was looking for something that belonged to Althea.”

  “So you don’t think it was a robbery?”

  Alyx took a deep breath before answering. “No, I don’t. At first, I thought it might have been bored teenagers out for an evening of mischief, but now I think maybe not. The police are calling it a break-in, and said they’ll conduct an investigation accordingly. They did say they found the alarm disabled. Apparently, it’s an old-fashioned model, and anyone could have disabled it. I don’t necessarily agree with that; I couldn’t.”

  “I’m sorry, Alyx. I shouldn’t have left you with the estate sale going on––and now this to deal with too. We’ll leave right away, and I’ll investigate the cost of putting in a new alarm system as soon as I get back.”

  “No, it’s not necessary for you to leave, Maggie. I can handle it. The only reason I called was to let you know about it. If I need you, I promise I’ll call. I’ll let you know if there are any developments and don’t worry, okay?”

  Although Alyx rushed to get to Althea’s place early, Nelda was already at her condominium when we arrived for the estate sale.

  “I’ve got coffee and pumpkin muffins,” Alyx announced, and handed Nelda the bag of muffins.

  They unloaded and set up a card table in the garage, grabbed a couple of chairs from the kitchen, and Alyx tied my leash to her chair, which was totally unnecessary since I wasn’t about to go anywhere with a crowd of people stomping around, not watching where they stepped, I’m sure.

  The women barely had time to take a sip of coffee when a caravan of trucks and vans arrived.

  “Fasten your seatbelt, Nelda. Here we go.”

  Nelda took a bite of the pumpkin muffin and smiled. “Got coffee. Got food. I’m ready.”

  Most of the early birds were local dealers hunting for bargains. Alyx said she remembered all those times when she’d arrive at a sale at the advertised time, and half the items would have been gone because the dealers beat her to the sale and made tempting offers that the homeowners couldn’t refuse.

  She ignored the slamming car doors and the murmuring of the mini-crowd until one man––the owner of the collectibles store down the street from Antiques & Designs––asked in a loud, brusque manner, why she wasn’t letting them in.

  “In the interest of those who want to buy items for their own use and not for resale, I’ve decided to make it fair, and open the sale at the time stated in the ads. According to my watch, it’s not nine o’clock yet.”

  “Aw, come on. You know how it works; this isn’t the only sale going on.”

  “It’s the one I’m running, and I’m opening at the time advertised.”

  The man clenched his fists, pushed past a couple of other people, made a show of slamming his truck door, and peeled away. No one said anything, except the thumbs-up sign from the young mother in the back of the group.

  As the day progressed, the estate sale was going well. Most everything sold for the asking price, and by the middle of the day when the crowd had trickled down to one or two people at a time, Alyx started marking items half-price to move them more quickly.

  Alyx and Nelda had everything wrapped up by three in the afternoon. Nelda was helping her carry a few items to her truck, when she saw a note under the windshield wipers and handed it to Alyx, who scanned it and shoved it in her pocket without comment.

  “Thanks again for helping out, Nelda. I hope i
t wasn’t too much for you. Estate sale customers can be trying.” She turned, unlocked the car door, buckled my carrier into the passenger seat, and climbed in without further conversation. She didn’t notice that Nelda hadn’t left, and rested her forehead on the steering wheel.

  “Did that rude man from this morning leave you a nasty note?” said Nelda through the window.

  “Don’t worry, Nelda; it’s not the first time I’ve made someone angry. Thank you for all your help. You worked hard today. Enjoy what’s left of the day, and I’ll see you Monday.”

  Alyx drove straight to the police station, and she asked to see Detective Smarts. He wasn’t in, so she left a message for him to call her as soon as possible regarding a threatening note someone had left her.

  “Meow is like aloha––it can mean anything.”

  ––Hank Ketchum

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: A Welcome Diversion

  Alyx looked tired and for good reason. First, someone had broken into the store, and now a threatening note had been left on her truck. Clearly fascinated by Jonathan Steele, she hadn’t hesitated to accept his dinner invitation, but now she seemed to be having second thoughts, as I watched her move slowly around her bedroom. She pulled an outfit out of the closet and then put it back, she dialed a number and then disconnected it before it rang. In the end, she stepped into the shower. Coming out with a thick cotton towel wrapped around her, she applied color to her eyes and lips.

  The female cats were no longer interested in her wardrobe, now that she’d purged her closet of all the unattractive clothes. In keeping with her more casual style, her wardrobe was now up-to-date and flattering.

  The doorbell chimed and we all followed her to the door, Pooky anxious to meet the new man and ready to dislike him. As it turned out, Steele came with a bag of treats in his pocket and the two of them left for the Ethiopian restaurant having made three new friends.

  As a precaution, I had asked Gemma, one of Pooky’s outdoor cat friends, to keep an eye on Alyx when she was away from me if she could.

  Gemma had ingratiated herself with Hunter’s assistant, Dorinda, when I gave her a job to do that involved surveillance of the lawyer’s office. She visited Pooky on occasion, and I was glad to hear that now she had a home when she wanted one, and could depend on regular meals––no cat should have to scrounge for food.

  When they returned from their date, Alyx invited Jonathan in for coffee. They engaged in small talk while she prepared the coffee and it was ready within minutes. She watched him stir three teaspoons of sugar into his cup and asked him what motivated him to start traveling.

  “I was born in Africa. While in college, and against my parent’s wishes––I might add––I decided to visit my birthplace. I loved the experience and knew that it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So when I graduated, I got a job with an import-export company in Chicago, and the rest is history, as they say.”

  “Did you tell me that Lithuania was the last country you visited?”

  “Yes, that’s right. I was there about a month ago. I met some wonderful artists whom I hope I can continue to do business with.” He shifted in his chair, moving a little closer. “That’s enough about me; now tell me about you. Are you a transplant like most of us here in Florida?”

  “There’s really not much to tell. I was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan. My brother, Tom, and his family were already living in this area when I moved here. My ex and I had often talked about moving to a warmer climate and since our son was five and starting school, we thought it an appropriate time to make our move. Five years later, I found myself a single mom, on my own. I went back to school to become a designer and met Maggie. We both already had a large collection of things and talked about someday owning our own business. One day, I was walking along Ocean Street and saw a building for sale, made an offer, and as you said, the rest is history.”

  They both reached for their coffee. Alyx put her cup down. “I know you’re not married now; have you ever been?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “There have been significant others. I’m not seeing anyone now. How about you? I assume, since you’re here with me, there’s no one special in your life?”

  She lowered her eyes before she answered. “No, there isn’t.”

  The rest of the evening was devoted to general conversation––business, the area, and other light subjects.

  Alyx tried to stifle a yawn and lost. She apologized and explained why she was so tired.

  “Do you often conduct estate sales?”

  “No, actually, we don’t. This was a special case; Althea was a friend.”

  He blinked in quick succession. Alyx didn’t appear to have seen his reaction, probably due to her tiredness, but I did.

  “Did the estate sale include all the contents of the house?”

  “No. The better pieces we bought outright and are in our store––all together in one spot.”

  “Did you find a favorite piece?”

  She smiled, “Yes, the bed,” and she went on to describe it.

  She yawned again, this time openly and no excuses.

  “Okay, Alyx, I’d better go before you fall asleep on me. That wouldn’t be good for my ego,” he said, trying to sound hurt.

  “Somehow, I don’t think that’s a problem for you.”

  She walked him to the door, and he took her hand in both of his, “I’ve enjoyed your company. Maybe we can do it again, soon?”

  “I’d like that.”

  She locked the door, turned off the lights and went straight to bed.

  “There’s no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat.”

  ––Wesley Bates

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: The Problem That Wasn’t a Problem

  Alyx was on the phone when I ventured into the workroom the next day.

  “Maggie, where are you calling from? Is everything all right?”

  “I’m home and I’m fine,” Maggie said.

  “Home? What happened, sweetie? I told you I was taking care of everything. I hope you didn’t come home just because of what happened.”

  “No, that’s not why I’m back,” I heard Maggie say from the receiver. “Do you have time to talk? I’ll bring lunch.”

  “I’ll make the time.”

  Maggie lived in a one-bedroom condominium on the ocean. Her attractive seventh-floor condominium, decorated in a sleek modern style was second only to the ocean view from the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors across the width of the living room. Traffic was usually heavy around lunchtime, and the ten-minute trip took us twenty minutes plus the time it took to pick up the lunch order at the Cuban Sandwich Shop.

  After greeting each other with hugs, Alyx didn’t waste any time getting to the point.

  “Okay, what’s wrong?”

  “George’s son, Erik, is thinking about enrolling in college here in Florida and asked if he could stay with him for a year or two, so he can save money to pay for the next two years of school, and George told him that he can stay for as long as he wants.”

  “I don’t understand. Why are you so upset about that? Granted, you won’t have the same privacy you have now, but you can work it out, can’t you?” Alyx took a sip of lemonade and set it down.

  Maggie did the same, except she held on to hers and paced to the door and back.

  “That’s not it. It’s that I don’t know how to behave around a nineteen-year-old. I’ve never had any kids, and I don’t really know him; I’ve only spent a few days with him. I don’t know how to be a mother; I don’t even know how to cook. What if he hates me?”

  “Maggie, he’s not going to hate you. To begin with, you don’t have to mother him; he has a mother already, and, secondly, George loves you. Did he say anything that sounded like he’s changing his mind?”

  She shook her head, drained her plastic cup, and dropped it in the wastebasket. “He has no idea why I wanted to come home. Since I’m the one who suggested going in the first place,
he had no problem with me changing my mind.” She smiled. “Sometimes I think he’s too good to be true.”

  “The old Maggie would have said he was ‘too good for her,’ and that’s why I can say I think you’re experiencing commitment jitters.”

  “I should have stayed here and helped you instead of running away.”

  Alyx waved away the sentiment and suggested they eat lunch. Maggie took a bite of the crunchy lunchmeat sandwich and asked if there was any new information about the break-in or the estate sale.

  “The sale went fine. Nelda did a great job. Almost everything sold for the price marked.” Then, she hesitated, “Something odd did happen though.” She pulled the note from her purse and handed it to Maggie to read.

  Maggie read the short note out loud: “SHE’S GONE AND SO ARE HER THINGS––LEAVE IT ALONE OR ELSE … Oh, my! Alyx! You did tell Detective Smarts about this, right?”

  “Well, I tried. I left him a message but I haven’t heard back from him yet.”

  She picked up her cell phone and handed it to her. “Call him again, Alyx.”

  “All right, Maggie, I’ll give him a call if you promise to call George and talk to him about the changes you’ll have to make with his son coming––and be sure to tell him you’ll be joining him more often on his picking jaunts.”

  Alyx made the call, and this time her message said it was urgent.

  “Honest as the cat when the meat’s out of reach.”

  ––Old English Saying

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: A Gift From a Far Away Place

  The store closed at six on Sundays, and Alyx usually had dinner with Ethan and, most times, his girlfriend, Nicki. About once a month, she and Ethan got together with her brother, Tom, and his wife Susan. I knew she was glad for any time she had with Ethan––truth was, she missed his company. At the same time, she was happy to see him settling down, looking forward to spoiling her future grandchildren in a way she hadn’t been able to spoil Ethan due to her financial situation while he was growing up.