Shot in Cherry Hills

by Paige Sleuth

  “I told her you didn’t do it,” Imogene said.

  “Didn’t do what?”

  “Kill Eric.”

  Kat stilled, Imogene’s words like a bucket of ice water dumped over her head. “She thinks I killed Eric?”

  “Not anymore. But when she first ran into you after the shooting, she had her doubts.”

  Kat sank into a booth seat. She couldn’t help but wonder what exactly Stacey Whitfield had told the police about her.

  Kat grabbed a handful of napkins and shoved them in the dispenser, reminding herself that it didn’t really matter what Stacey had said. After all, it wasn’t as if Andrew suspected her of shooting Eric.

  “Kat? You still there?”

  “I’m here.”

  “I’ll pick you and Tux up tomorrow morning around eleven then, okay? Stacey said she’ll be home until noon.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Kat was still reeling from Stacey’s accusation when the bell hanging from the front door tinkled and an elderly gentleman walked in. She didn’t recognize him as one of the regulars. The way he furrowed his forehead while he took in his surroundings suggested this might be his first time here.

  Kat smiled. “Welcome to Jessie’s Diner. Have a seat anywhere you’d like.”

  He regarded her. “I’m looking for Kat Harper.”

  “That’s me.”

  “I’m Walter Lowry. I live a few houses away from Noreen Wilkenson.” He stepped closer. “She said I could find you here.”

  “Oh.” Kat remembered how distraught Noreen had been and felt a pinch of concern. “Is she okay?”

  “Noreen?” Walter shrugged. “She’s alive. That’s more than some can say.”

  “I guess you heard about Eric Halstead then.”

  “That’s why I’m here. Noreen’s gal pal told me you’re an amateur detective.”

  Kat frowned. “Her gal pal?”

  Walter flapped his hand. “Gene, Whatshername.”

  “You mean Imogene?”

  He snapped his fingers, but they didn’t make any sound. “That’s it.”

  “If you have information on the case, you should probably talk to Andrew Milhone of the Cherry Hills Police Department,” Kat said. “He’s the official detective in charge.”

  Walter nodded. “Your boyfriend, right.”

  Kat felt her cheeks flame.

  “I’m not sure if what I have to say is grounds to go to the police yet,” Walter said. “I was hoping you could tell me.”

  “Oh.” Kat couldn’t see how she could turn down an offer like that. Already she could feel her curiosity getting the better of her. “Okay.”

  Walter surveyed the restaurant before pointing to an empty booth in the corner. “Mind if I sit over here?”

  “No, go ahead. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “A glass of iced tea would really hit the spot.”

  Kat rushed around to the other side of the counter, relieved he’d ordered something. Although Jessie, the restaurant’s owner, wouldn’t give her a hard time for taking a break, Kat wouldn’t feel nearly as guilty about sitting down on the job if it was to chat with a paying customer.

  By the time she returned to his table, Walter had the menu open. “Looks like you’ve got some good stuff here.”

  Kat set down his drink. “Would you like to order something?”

  He closed the menu and pushed it aside. “Maybe later.”

  Kat slipped into the seat across from him. “So, what is it you wanted to tell me?”

  Walter fingered the edge of the tea glass. “Let’s just say, I might have seen something that may or may not be relevant to Eric’s murder.”

  Kat felt a spark of excitement. “What did you see?”

  “Eric, he was—” He broke off, his eyes darting to the left before he refocused on Kat. “Well, let’s just say he was seeing somebody he shouldn’t have been.”

  Kat pondered that. “Noreen said he was single.”

  “Oh, I reckon she didn’t know. Their relationship was a secret.”

  “Then how do you know?”

  “I saw that chippie of his sneaking over there a couple nights ago.”

  Kat raised one eyebrow. “Chippie?”

  “The gal Eric was seeing,” Walter said.

  Kat’s pulse quickened. She could think of only two reasons why a couple would have to keep their relationship a secret. Either she was forbidden from seeing him, or he was forbidden from seeing her.

  “Most people in the neighborhood aren’t as safety conscious as me,” Walter went on. “They don’t see all the things I do, being retired military.” He tapped the side of his head with one finger. “The army trains you to keep an eye out.”

  Kat smiled at him. “Thank you for your service.”

  His chest puffed out. “You’re welcome.”

  Kat folded her arms on the table. “You don’t happen to know who Eric was seeing, do you?”

  “Nah. I never talked to her, just watched from my window as she ducked through the Whitfields’ backyard over to his place.”

  “How often did you see her?”

  “Just that one time. But like I said, she was moving in the shadows. Could be there were times she was over there that I never did see her coming or going.”

  Kat didn’t know whether a woman visiting Eric once was enough to accuse him of stealing her from another man. Still, she couldn’t deny that someone skulking around in the dark looked awfully suspicious, no matter their reason. Could this woman have snuck over to Eric’s house just this morning, right before she shot him in his own living room? The possibility made her shudder.

  “Hey,” Walter said, breaking into Kat’s thoughts, “what’s that basket of newspapers over there for?”

  Kat followed the direction of his gaze. “Those are just old editions of the Cherry Hills Courant.”

  “You saving them for something, or can I have them?”

  “You can have them.” Kat was about to ask what he wanted them for when she recalled a snippet of conversation from Noreen’s living room. Hadn’t Noreen said something about Walter lining his birdcages with old newspapers?

  The pink feather Andrew had found on her jeans popped into her head. Was it possible the feather had come from one of Walter’s birds and, if so, could Walter have something to do with Eric’s murder?

  Kat sucked in a breath, then let it out when she caught Walter staring at her. “Noreen tells me you have some birds,” she said, doing her best to keep her voice steady.

  Walter took a sip from his iced tea. “Yeah, that’s right.”

  Kat forced herself to lean back in the booth, trying to look casual despite how hard her heart had started pounding. “What kind of birds?”

  “Cockatoos,” he replied, a grin breaking out on his face. “They’re funny little critters. You wouldn’t think something that small would have that much personality, but they do.”

  Kat forced a smile on her own face. “What do they look like?”

  “Like birds.” Walter shrugged. “Feathers, a beak, the works.”

  “Do you have any pictures of them?”

  “Well, yeah, sure.”

  Kat snapped forward as Walter reached into his pants pocket. It was all she could do not to snatch the cell phone from his hand when he pulled it out.

  He punched a few buttons, then turned the phone toward her. “Here they are, Thelma and Louise.”

  Kat held her breath as she took in the picture. Two white birds, both with a splash of yellow on the top of their heads, sat on a wooden perch. There wasn’t a single pink feather between them.

  “They’re cute,” she said. “You only have the two?”

  “Yeah. Two gals is enough for an old codger like me.” He chortled, but sobered quickly. “So, you’ll tell your boyfriend what I saw?”

  “Mmm hmm,” she murmured, still thinking. She’d been so hopeful that one of Walter’s birds would turn out to be the source of that feather that she couldn�
��t help the disappointment creeping over her.

  “I appreciate that.” Walter slipped the phone back in his pocket. “If he needs an official statement he can come talk to me. I didn’t want to waste his time though, if not having the chippie’s name doesn’t help him.”

  “The chippie,” Kat repeated, her brain switching gears. She straightened, hoping Walter hadn’t noticed how she’d zoned out for a second. “Right, yes. I’ll be sure to tell Andrew about the chippie.”

  “Great.” Walter shifted in the seat, looking as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He picked the menu back up. “Now, what’s good here?”

  “Jessie has a delicious lasagna on special today.”

  Walter’s nose twitched. “Is that what I smell? My mouth has been watering ever since I came in the door.”

  Kat stood up. “I’ll get you a serving.”

  Walter set the menu aside and draped his arms across the back of the booth. “That would be great. And don’t forget about those newspapers.”

  Kat thought about those two white birds in the photo and felt her heart sink all over again. “Oh, I won’t be forgetting about that anytime soon.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Any updates on Eric’s case?” Imogene asked during the drive to the Whitfields’ the next morning.

  As if he recognized his murdered owner’s name, Tux let out a deathly howl from the back seat.

  “No,” Kat said. “You’d probably hear any news before me anyway.” Imogene seemed to be at the center of the Cherry Hills gossip pipeline more often than not.

  “I thought Andrew might have filled you in during your date last night.”

  “He had to cancel.”

  The air grew heavy, the implications of Kat’s statement hanging between them. With a fresh murder case to investigate and a killer still at large, naturally the Cherry Hills detective would be too busy to do anything but work.

  The tension broke when Tux meowed.

  Kat twisted around to pet him, but he slunk out of reach into the back of the cat carrier. His yellow eyes flashed when he looked at her. He clearly remembered her role in stuffing him into his current prison.

  Kat faced the windshield again, guilt creeping over her. She couldn’t imagine being so small and helpless. How awful to be at the mercy of humans—some of whom could shoot one of their own in cold blood.

  Imogene pulled into a driveway two doors down from Noreen’s. Kat tried not to notice Eric’s house in between, but her eyes moved there of their own volition. She recalled the scene that had greeted her inside, and a shiver ripped through her body.

  Imogene frowned at Eric’s house. “So terribly tragic.”

  Tux wailed his agreement.

  Imogene reached into the back seat and poked her fingers through the carrier slats. “Don’t cry, little Tux. Your new owners are going to love you.”

  They climbed out of the car. The warm fall day seemed almost too perfect given what had happened here yesterday. Or, Kat thought, trying to stay positive, maybe today’s tranquil weather just meant this would be a good day for Tux.

  Imogene unbuckled the carrier from the back seat while Kat fetched some starter supplies from the trunk. Their arms full, they headed up the driveway together.

  Stacey flung the door open before they could even ring the bell. It was as if she had been watching for their arrival.

  She motioned them inside. Today she’d traded in her gardening outfit for a clean pair of jeans and a loose-fitting blouse. “It’s so nice of you both to bring Tuxedo over like this.”

  Imogene stepped into the foyer. “We’re delighted you offered to take him in.”

  Stacey rubbed her palms together. “I’m so excited to be able to help him after . . .” She broke off, her eyes growing moist.

  Imogene shifted the carrier to one hand so she could pat Stacey’s arm. “I understand. Horrendous circumstances.”

  Stacey cleared her throat and spun around. “Well, come in and meet Vern.”

  They piled into a spacious living room. The same man Kat had seen comforting Stacey the day before sat reading on one end of a sectional sofa. He threw his magazine aside when he saw them.

  “Stacey’s been talking my ear off since yesterday about this cat,” he said.

  Tux meowed, and Imogene chuckled. “He’s been quite vocal himself,” she said, setting the carrier on the floor as she perched on the armchair across the room. “It’s really sweet of you to adopt him.”

  “I didn’t have a say in the matter,” Vern replied, leaning back and crossing his ankles. “My only requirement was that she keep him out of my garage. I can’t have him underfoot while I’m working on my projects.” He winked at Kat.

  Stacey groaned as she collapsed onto the other end of the sectional. “I’m telling you, I’d rather have animals running around than you with your power tools. Even the loudest animal couldn’t be as obnoxious as you are.”

  Vern grinned. “Hey, I didn’t hear you complaining when I installed that Jacuzzi tub you’ve been begging for.”

  Stacey rolled her eyes until her gaze fell on Imogene. “He brings up that tub whenever I complain about the noise around here. I’m telling you, that tub was more trouble than it was worth.”

  “Eh.” Vern flapped his hand. “You didn’t seem to mind it when you were languishing in that hour-long bubble bath last night.”

  Stacey’s face drooped. “It was a rough day.”

  They fell silent, the reminder of Eric’s murder settling into the living room like an unwanted guest.

  When Tux meowed again, they all jumped.

  Stacey slid off the sectional and crouched down next to the carrier. “I bet you want to be let out of there, don’t you, Tux?”

  Imogene stood up. “It’s probably best to get him acclimated to a small section of your home first.” An impish grin spread across her face. “Maybe we could set him up in that bathroom with the Jacuzzi tub.”

  Stacey picked up the carrier and took a step toward the staircase. “Sounds perfect.”

  Kat and Imogene followed Stacey up the stairs and into the master bedroom. Tux’s protests grew louder the closer they got. If Kat didn’t know better she’d think the poor animal thought they were planning to give him a bath in the Whitfields’ Jacuzzi tub.

  Stacey circled around a king-size bed to reach the connected bathroom. “Oh, hi, Anna,” she said, halting in the doorway. “I didn’t realize you were working today.”

  Kat looked past Stacey’s shoulder, spying a young woman of about twenty scrubbing the tub. Several brunette locks had escaped from the bun on top of her head and were now plastered to her neck.

  “Mr. Whitfield let me in.” The girl wiped the sweat from her forehead using her shirtsleeve. “I didn’t finish everything yesterday after . . .” She broke off, biting her lip.

  Imogene tsked. “Dreadful, isn’t it?”

  “Anna, this is Imogene Little and Kat Harper,” Stacey said. “Anna does a fantastic job keeping my house clean,” she told them.

  Anna stood up and dropped the scrub brush into a portable caddy on the floor. “Nice to meet you. I’d shake your hands but I’m a mess.”

  Imogene smiled. “Not a problem.”

  Anna’s eyes landed on the carrier. “What’s that?”

  “We’re adopting Eric’s cat,” Stacey said, holding up the carrier. “After what happened to him, it didn’t seem right that Tux ended up homeless.”

  In case Anna hadn’t had a chance to hear what he thought of the situation, Tux let out another earsplitting howl.

  “Oh, the poor thing,” Imogene said. “He’s been carted all over town in the past twenty-four hours. It will be good to get him settled in one place.”

  “I’ll get out of your way then.” Anna peeled off her yellow gloves and tossed them into the caddy before picking it up. “I’m pretty much done here anyway.”

  Kat stepped aside so she could get through. “It was nice meeting you.”

&nb
sp; “You too,” Anna called over her shoulder. She disappeared through the bedroom door.

  Stacey entered the bathroom. “C’mon, ladies. Shut that door behind you.”

  Kat took in the high ceilings, skylight, and sparkling marble floor as she set up the litter box in one corner. The Whitfields’ bathroom looked to be about half the size of her entire apartment. Of course, that might have been the effect of the huge mirror spanning one whole wall behind the his-and-her sinks.

  “This is gorgeous,” she said.

  Stacey put Tux’s carrier on the floor and unlatched the door. “Isn’t it? It hasn’t always been this nice, but Vern did a good job fixing it up.”

  Imogene busied herself with filling food and water dishes. “I thought you didn’t like him tinkering so much.”

  Stacey laughed. “Oh, I give him a hard time, but we’re just having fun.”

  Imogene grinned. “Sounds like you have a healthy marriage.”

  “That we do. He was absolutely wonderful yesterday after that business next door.” Stacey fingered the hem of her shirt, her smile fading. “Without Vern here, I would be in shambles right now.”

  Imogene walked over and patted her arm. “I’m sure the police will catch whoever did this soon. We could all use some closure.”

  Stacey’s worried gaze drifted toward Tux, who was sniffing at the bottom of the clothes hamper. “I wonder if he understands what’s going on.”

  “Unfortunately, I suspect he does.” Imogene sighed. “Animals are far more perceptive than we give them credit for.”

  Stacey headed toward Tux. He ignored her until she bent down to pet him. Then he swiveled around and raced up the sleeve of her blouse.

  Stacey gasped as she lost her balance and tipped against the hamper. Her near fall didn’t seem to bother Tux. He merely wrapped his front legs around her neck and hung on.

  “That’s his thing,” Kat told Stacey. “Apparently he thinks people are cat trees.”

  Stacey pressed one palm against her chest and drew in a breath. “I knew that. He just took me by surprise.”

  Imogene chuckled. “He must know you’re his new mom.”

  “I hope so. Lord knows the poor thing could use a mom right now.”