by Diana Orgain
Wanda let out another yelp, this one seemed to scream jealousy as Maeve stroked the cat.
“Oh, quiet now, Wanda, I can’t keep you both.”
Keep them?
What was she thinking? No, no. It was off to the shelter at the earliest availability. Wanda seemed to read her thoughts and trotted out to the front room with her tail between her legs, making Maeve want to jump out of bed and hug her.
Instead, she glanced at the screen of her phone and saw a text from Gracie:
The space is available now ... we should talk.
A flutter of excitement danced through Maeve’s belly, quickly followed by a stab of guilt. She shouldn’t be celebrating anything on the heels of Nadine’s demise.
Before she could reply to Gracie, Wanda barked sharply from the front room. A warning of some sort?
“What is it girl?” Maeve called out.
A loud knock came from her front door. Ah! Wanda was her alarm system.
Maeve peeked out the front window and saw a Wisteria Pines Police Department cruiser.
Yikes!
She wasn’t dressed to impress. She smoothed down the t-shirt she’d slept in and yelled, “Give me a sec.”
She raced back to her bedroom and slipped on the pair of jeans she’d discarded yesterday for her summery Lunch on the Lawn attire. She wasn’t decked out Hollywood glam style, but it would have to do.
She opened the door to Officer Joseph. “Hi,” she said awkwardly.
He nodded politely at her. “Miss Maeve, may I have a word?”
Maeve noted his serious demeanor and the hair on the back of her neck stood at attention. “Come in,” she said.
As Officer Joseph stepped inside, Wanda let out a mighty growl.
Both Maeve and Joseph glanced at the dog.
“Hush now, Wanda,” Maeve scolded. She ushered Officer Joseph toward her couch, but realized he remained standing.
He pulled a notebook from his breast pocket and said, “I have a few simple questions about yesterday. I’m sorry, I didn’t have a chance to ask them at the time, it was—”
“I understand,” Maeve said. “Believe me I’m happy to help you any way I can.”
He nodded and asked. “I heard you had a conversation with Nadine, prior to her ... prior to her consuming ... uh ... before she fell down.”
“Consuming? Was she poisoned then?”
A flash of annoyance shot across Officer Joseph’s face. “Kindly tell me what your conversation with Nadine was about.”
Maeve shrugged. “I’d only just met her. Gracie was with me ...”
“You both were competing for the same rental space. Is that correct? Did you argue with her?”
A lump formed in Maeve’s throat. “Look. It’s no secret we wanted the same space, but I didn’t kill her.”
“I’m not suggesting you did, Maeve,” Joseph said. “I apologize if this is uncomfortable; I’m simply doing my job.”
Maeve swallowed her frustration.
He’s right. It’s not his fault, she thought.
“Nadine had dibs on the space. She’s close to Gracie’s sister, Lil. I think they had an agreement before I even got into town. Gracie told me I’d probably have to find another space for my café ... she told me to talk to Bobby. I was prepared to do that. I wouldn’t kill another human being over a business rental space.”
Joseph jotted down a note. “Were you close to the drinks table when Nadine was there?”
“I wasn’t any closer than you were.” Maeve shot back at him.
“Did you see anyone hovering at the drinks table?” Joseph asked.
Maeve shrugged. “Nadine was talking to the Mayor and to Bobby.”
Joseph nodded as if it was something he already knew, and then tapped his pen against his notebook. “Say, I have a couple more questions for you.”
Maeve didn’t like the look on Joseph’s face, it was as though he were wearing a mask, and she couldn’t tell what was coming next. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and tried to brace herself. “Shoot,” she said, trying for a casual tone.
“While living in Los Angeles, I understand you had a relationship with a Mr. Frank D’Angelo.”
Distress shot through Maeve’s veins at the mention of Frank’s name, and Wanda darted over to her.
“Yes, Frank. That’s right,” Maeve said.
“I understand he’s been missing since May first.”
“Missing?” Maeve asked.
Joseph leveled a gaze at her. “Yes, isn’t that your understanding?”
Maeve’s stomach suddenly churned, and she felt a little light headed. “I thought he left me. I didn’t know he was missing.”
A look of skepticism crossed Joseph’s face. “You didn’t know he was a missing person?”
“He didn’t answer my texts ... I called his agent, but when he said he hadn’t heard from Frank, I thought he was lying. That Frank had put him up to it.”
Joseph squinted at her. “The LAPD questioned you. They have you down as a person of interest.”
Maeve took a step back, wanting to distance herself from Joseph and the news, but Wanda was hovering, practically hugging her legs, and Maeve tripped over her and sprawled on the floor.
Joseph pulled Maeve to her feet quickly. “Are you alright?”
Maeve shrugged him off. “I’m fine. I’m not a person of interest. You have that wrong. Frank left me. He was drunk and angry and wanted to drive home. I took his keys and called him an Uber.”
“LAPD said they asked you not to leave town and yet—you fled Los Angeles.”
“I didn’t flee LA! And they never asked me not to leave. I called them when I hadn’t heard from Frank, and they’re the ones who told me I had an overactive imagination! Said, that if they filed a missing person’s report for every man that walked out on a woman, they wouldn’t have time to—”
Joseph held up a hand to stop Maeve’s outpouring. “Can you please give me the name of the officer you spoke with?”
Maeve fought back the nausea she felt.
Who did I speak with?
She tried to block out that awful week. How the cops had treated her like she was a pariah, like she was the one who’d chewed up and spit Frank out, instead of the other way around. “I don’t know,” she mumbled.
“You don’t know?” Joseph pressed.
“I don’t remember.”
Joseph bit his lip and studied her.
“Or maybe ...” Maeve shrugged. “I didn’t get a name. I didn’t know I’d need to prove my innocence.”
Joseph jotted something in his notebook and asked, “Prove your innocence over what?”
“Frank’s disappearance!” Maeve said, then when Joseph looked unconvinced she added. “And Nadine’s murder.”
“It’s not confirmed that Nadine was murdered.”
“Well, she didn’t poison herself,” Maeve said, exasperated with him.
“I didn’t say she was poisoned, either.”
Maeve shrugged. “Well, you alluded to it. Now, you’re just playing games.”
Joseph reflected on his notebook. “Your songs; Die! You Cheating Dog, Choke on That Lie, and I’ll Never Get Over You. Were they written about Frank D’Angelo?”
Ire rose in Maeve’s blood, and her cheeks flushed with anger. “Of course not! I wrote those songs three years ago. I only met Frank last summer.”
Joseph tapped his notebook. “Still, the lyrics are quite ...”
Maeve narrowed her eyes at him. “Quite what?”
“Quite harsh ... a little violent, I’d say,” Joseph said.
Maeve stiffened. “Really? I’d say they’re quite commercial. Do you know how many companies bought the rights for I’ll Never Get Over You? They like it as a customer loyalty jingle.”
Joseph held her gaze and stifled a grin. “And how many companies like Die! You Cheating Dog as a jingle?”
Before Maeve could reply, Wanda dipped her head to the ground, covered he
r eyes with her paws and let out an emotional wail.
<><><>
After Officer Joseph left, Maeve slouched onto the couch. What a disastrous conversation.
Frank was missing? Really?
She felt completely disconnected from him and LA. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he’d walked out of her life, and yet ...
Wanda nuzzled Maeve’s knees, and the cat emerged from her bedroom, stretching. Maeve dug out her phone and replied to Gracie’s text.
Let’s talk. Come over. You know anyone who wants a cat?
While Maeve waited for Gracie, she fretted over Frank. He hadn’t left her ... he was gone. What did that mean? Was he in danger?
She searched her heart for a telltale sign of grief, but she felt strangely vacant. In the weeks that had followed, after he’d walked out of her apartment that night, she’d done a bit of soul searching and realized he’d never been right for her. They’d fought more than they should, and he always seemed angry.
Still she wouldn’t wish any harm on him.
All this time, she’d been picturing him, drunk in a bar with a floozy on his arm. Couldn’t that still be the case? He could surface anytime.
She grabbed her phone and checked his twitter account. He’d recently posted an obnoxious stupid tweet. How could he be missing then?
Didn’t the police check twitter?
A familiar horn jolted her from her thoughts, and she sprang off the couch to look out at her street. She spotted Gracie’s red Chevy zipping into her driveway. Two women and a young girl hopped out of the truck as Maeve opened her front door.
Penny, the young girl, bolted toward her. “Where is she?” she asked, giggling.
Maeve pointed toward Wanda and the cat, and the girl squealed and sprinted in their direction.
The cat darted under the couch, but Wanda stayed put, her tongue hanging out, and her tail wagging. The girl assaulted Wanda with hugs and aggressive petting.
Poor Wanda, Maeve thought with a slight laugh, if it was possible to be hugged to death, it was about to happen.
Gracie sauntered up Maeve’s walkway, followed by another tall slender woman. Maeve rose to her feet to greet her friend. “Maeve!” Gracie sang. “This is my sister, Lil. Penny’s mom.”
Maeve smiled, and tried to push aside the nervousness she suddenly felt. “Nice to finally meet you.”
Lil gave Maeve a sad smile, and Maeve realized Lil wasn’t exactly pleased to meet her.
“I’m sorry for your loss. Were you and Nadine close?’ Maeve asked.
Lil nodded. “It’s a small town. Everyone is close, but her death was so unexpected.” Lil wrapped her skinny arms around herself and shivered.
Gracie snaked an arm around her sister’s shoulders, then pressed her forehead to Lil’s cheek. Penny stopped hugging Wanda and watched her mom. Lil straightened, and a decided expression crossed her face, as if she were determined not to cry in front of her daughter. She turned to Maeve. “So, you’re the one I get to blame for the cat, huh?”
Maeve laughed. “Sorry, but I do appreciate you taking her. Taking in one stray is more than I can handle, and when I called the pound, they told me the black cat was going to be put down this week, and I couldn’t do it.”
“Yeah,” Lil said.
Penny’s head jolted toward them, a look of fear on her face. “What do you mean put down?”
Lil waved a hand at her daughter. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, Penny.”
Penny sensed something was off with her mother and hugged Wanda to her. “What’s going to happen to Wanda? You’re not going to take her to the pound. Are you, Maeve?”
Before Maeve could respond, Lil leaned in toward Maeve and said, in a hushed whisper, “Before you even think it, I’m not taking the dog. I hate dogs.”
Wanda’s ears perked up, and she moaned pitifully.
The cat peeked out from under the couch and studied the woman.
“Ah,” Lil said, toward the cat. “She is gorgeous. Johnny and I have been talking about getting Penny a pet, but I was thinking something more along the lines of a goldfish.”
Penny reached for the cat, and the cat allowed herself to be picked up. “Please, mom! Please.”
“I suppose the black cat will be a nice addition around Halloween anyway,” Lil said. “My husband and I run the town’s annual haunted house, so we’re kind of known as the weirdo Halloween people,” Lil said.
Gracie nodded. “Total weirdos.”
“I’m going to name her Tonya!” Penny squealed.
Maeve grinned. “She’s not one for the stereotypical animal names, is she? Wanda and Tonya?”
Lil turned to Gracie and gave her a look that Maeve couldn’t read, then she turned to Penny and said, “Let’s get that kitty in the truck, before I change my mind.”
Penny jumped to her feet with the cat in her arms and followed her mother out toward the truck.
Gracie flashed Maeve a smile. “So, you still interested in the space?”
Maeve felt her breath catch. “You know I am.”
“It’s yours,” Gracie said.
A surge of excitement swept through Maeve’s body. “Finally! Something is going my way.”
Gracie frowned. “What do you mean?”
Maeve brought Gracie up to date on Officer Joseph’s visit. Gracie listened carefully and said, “Frank’s been posting tweets?”
Maeve nodded. “I go through little bouts of checking his social media obsessively, then I get sick of him and don’t check for a while. I was feeling pretty good that I hadn’t stalked his posts since being here.”
Gracie patted Maeve’s hand, and Wanda pressed against her legs, the doggie version of circling the wagons. “Everyone stalks exes after a bad breakup.”
Maeve nodded, but she knew she’d only been checking on him to speed up her healing process.
“The point is, he’s not a missing person if he’s posting tweets, right?”
Gracie shrugged. “Well, I suppose he could have scheduled them, or someone could have hacked into his account.”
Maeve’s stomach churned. “Now, Joseph thinks I had something to do with Nadine’s death.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Gracie said. “You wouldn’t hurt a fly.” She motioned toward Wanda. “You’re the kind of person who rescues dog and cats. You’re not a murderer!”
“I need to figure out who killed Nadine,” Maeve said.
Gracie shook her head. “Leave that to the police. They’ll figure it out sooner or later.”
“I have to help. I don’t know. I guess I don’t like the way Joseph acted toward me–like I’m a suspect. Like he thinks I’m ...” Maeve shrugged.
Gracie sighed. “Well, I don’t know about investigations and all that ... but I suspect the Mayor.”
“You do?” Maeve asked.
“Half the town suspects him. You should talk to him. See what he says.”
“How do I get an appointment with him? Or do I just walk into City Hall and accuse him, like a crazy lady.”
Gracie giggled. “We are a bit crazy, huh?” The horn from Gracie’s truck blared and Gracie looked annoyed. “Oh hush, Lil. Let me think a minute. It’s Monday, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Go to that little Bistro on the corner for lunch,” Gracie said, pulling out her phone and checking the time. “If you leave now, you might bump into Rodney.”
“Who’s Rodney?” Maeve asked.
“Rodney works in the mayor’s office. He sort of worked under Nadine. Since Nadine has ... well, I bet Rodney’s been put in charge of the mayor’s schedule. Every Monday around 1:00 PM, he goes to lunch at the Bistro. The man is routine obsessed. Tuesday, he hits up that Latin American Diner, and on Wednesday, he goes to the buffet across the street from the Bistro. If you leave now, you’ll probably make it in time to run into him. He’s a tall, muscular, redhead in a suit. Kind of hard to miss. Just as a warning, though, he’s a real tool. Kind of a sexist jerk, if I’m bein
g honest, so stay firm if you want to actually talk to him. Don’t let him blow you off because you have curves instead of facial hair, you know what I mean?”
Maeve rose from the couch. “Oh please. Do you have any idea how many sexist jerks I had to deal with in Hollywood? Wanda and I have got this, right girl?”
Wanda barked and wagged her tail as confirmation.
Gracie laughed and made her way out the door. “Alright. Consider yourself warned, and let me know what happens.”
Maeve followed Gracie toward the door. “Tell your sister thank you for taking the cat. One stray is more than enough for me right now.”
Wanda’s tail wagged so hard it shook her entire body, and the ladies laughed.
Gracie walked down the driveway, then turned and said, “I’ll write up the rental agreement with Lil. Why don’t you meet me later at the space, and we can sign it? Make it official.”
“Will do,” Maeve called out.
Gracie gave her a thumbs-up, as she jumped into her truck and sped off.
Maeve gave herself the once over and figured jeans might be alright for the bistro. She grabbed her car keys and let herself and Wanda out of the house. Wanda leapt into the passenger’s seat when Maeve opened the door for her.
“You sure are smart, you know that?” Maeve said, patting the dog’s head. She hurried around to the driver’s side, cranked up the car, and peeled out of her gravel driveway. The bistro was only a short drive away, and Maeve was determined to find this Rodney character. It took her less than five minutes to locate the small restaurant, then as she pulled into the parking lot, she spotted a redheaded man hurrying out the door, a phone to his ear.
“There he is!” Maeve shrieked, and Wanda gave her a courtesy bark.
Maeve whipped into a parking spot and hurried out of the car. Wanda leapt over into the driver’s seat and climbed out that way.
It’s like she knows I’m in a hurry, Maeve noted, as Wanda trotted along beside her. “Rodney!” Maeve called out after the man who had already reached his vehicle.
“I don’t care, Joseph,” the man snorted into his phone. “Make it happen. I’m doing the work of two people here, all right? Cut me some slack.”
“Rodney!” Maeve called out again as the man opened his car door. Wanda bolted, and the next thing Maeve knew, Wanda had forced her way past Rodney and jumped into the driver’s seat of the man’s very nice and perfectly clean car. “Oh no,” Maeve mumbled under her breath.