Blackmail in Cherry Hills

by Paige Sleuth

  Fresh tears sprang to Maya’s eyes, and she slapped one hand over her mouth. “I left that part of my life behind me. I wanted to leave that part of my life behind.”

  Imogene and Kat exchanged a look. Then Kat exchanged the same look with Petey. The tabby seemed just as bewildered by Maya’s distress as they were.

  Imogene turned back to Maya. “You have to tell us. You can’t let whoever did this get away with it. It isn’t right.”

  Maya shook her head, her lips drawn into a stubborn line. “No, it’s over. They already won. I can’t change my vote now. I just want to forget about it and move on.”

  “Maya.” Imogene huffed in exasperation. “Ignoring the fact that you cast a vote under duress, let’s get real here. How likely is it that you’ll be able to move on? What’s to stop this person from blackmailing you again the next time you’re scheduled to vote on something?”

  Maya blanched. “You think that might happen?”

  “Of course. You don’t really believe this hooligan will stop bullying you now that you’ve proven you’re willing to bend to his wishes, do you?”

  From the horrified look on Maya’s face, Kat guessed that might very well be exactly what Maya had thought.

  Imogene stood up and started pacing. “We have to figure out who this individual is now, before things escalate. We need to go to the police.”

  Maya inhaled sharply. “I can’t go to the police. Then they’ll know.”

  Imogene spun around. “Know what?”

  Maya’s mouth opened and closed, but no sounds emerged.

  Imogene flew across the room and grabbed Maya’s hand. “Please tell us. We won’t go to the police if you don’t want us to, but we need to do something. You can’t let this . . . this . . . weasel get away with this. What are you so afraid of people finding out?”

  Kat held her breath as Maya worked her jaw. She seemed to be giving Imogene’s words serious thought.

  “You’re right,” she said after a tense minute had passed. “This might not be the end, and I can’t risk that. But you have to swear to me you’ll keep what I tell you confidential. I can’t have anyone knowing about that part of my life.”

  “What part of your life?” Imogene asked.

  “I used to be . . .”

  Several additional tears leaked out of Maya’s eyes. Petey sprang back into action, his pink tongue already poking between his teeth. But Maya held the cat at bay. She soothed the tabby with some gentle strokes, seeming to gain strength from the repetitive motion.

  Finally, Maya looked at Imogene again. Her next words came out in a rush. “I used to be a paid escort.”

  Imogene gaped at her. “Like a . . . a . . .”

  Maya nodded. “Yes, like that. Back when I lived in Philadelphia. It’s a part of my life I’m not proud of, and I gave it up when I met Ian. I thought I had put it behind me when we married and left the city, but apparently somebody here knows.”

  Imogene squeezed Maya’s hand. “We’ll find out who that somebody is. I promise you. And your secret is safe with us.”

  “Thank you, Imogene. You are a true friend.”

  Maya slid Petey off of her lap, ignoring the cat’s meowed protests. As she stood up, Petey’s large body spread out to engulf most of the armchair’s seat.

  “I’ll go get the note,” Maya said. “Maybe you can use it to help figure out who sent it.”

  Imogene nodded, a serene smile on her face. But as soon as Maya ducked out of the room, she spun toward Kat, her face a mask of shock.

  “Can you believe it?” she hissed.

  “At least the blackmail letter explains why she changed her vote,” Kat replied.

  Imogene flapped her hand. “I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about her being an escort. An escort!”

  Kat supposed she might be as thunderstruck as Imogene if she knew Maya better. From all outward appearances, Maya seemed so refined and elegant. It was hard to imagine her entertaining men for money.

  Maya returned. “Here,” she said, handing Imogene a plain white envelope.

  Imogene pulled out the letter inside. Kat read it over her shoulder.

  Vote NO on the breeder ban, or prepare for everyone in Cherry Hills to find out about your sordid Philly past. I know what you once did, what you once were. Now you must decide. Do you want all of your neighbors to know too?

  Kat’s stomach clenched. How awful Maya must have felt when she discovered such a nasty missive in her mailbox.

  “It looks like this came from an inkjet printer,” Imogene said, turning the letter over in her hands.

  Kat hunched closer. “There are smudges between some of the letters.”

  “So they used a bad printer.” Maya sighed. “Unfortunately, I don’t see how that’s going to help identify who sent it.”

  Imogene squared her shoulders. “Well, we’re going to do our best.”

  Petey’s ears pricked. He hopped off the armchair and hurried into the kitchen. Kat’s first thought was it must be dinnertime for the big tabby, but she had to reconsider when she spied Maya’s panicked expression.

  “Ian’s home.” Maya rushed toward the front window and swept the curtain aside. “Petey always hears his car before I do.”

  Sure enough, a quick peek over Maya’s shoulder revealed a blue coupe swinging into the Pickerlings’ driveway. The rumblings of a garage door opening sounded a moment later.

  “You have to leave.” Maya wheeled around, letting the curtain fall back into place. Her face had turned stark white. “He can’t find out about the extortion letter, or he’ll want to know what I have to hide.”

  “We won’t say a word to your husband,” Imogene promised.

  Maya herded them toward the front door with shaky hands. She seemed to be on the verge of having a full-blown anxiety attack.

  Imogene exited first. Kat had just crossed over the threshold when she heard another door opening from somewhere inside. Petey’s muffled meow reached her ears, followed by a male voice announcing, “I’m home!”

  “Take this.” Maya pressed the blackmail note into Kat’s hand. “I can’t have Ian finding it.”

  Kat nodded. Shoving the letter into her jeans pocket, she hurried toward Imogene’s SUV without looking back.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “You really think Keave Ohana is responsible for sending Maya that blackmail note?” Kat asked Imogene the next evening.

  Imogene had called shortly after Kat had returned home from work, saying they had an urgent errand to run. Kat hadn’t known her intention was to drive them to The Bark and Meow until after she had already climbed into Imogene’s SUV.

  “Considering he would have been forced to stop selling pets for profit if the ban had passed, how can I not consider him?” Imogene replied.

  “I just can’t see him resorting to blackmail.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well . . .” Kat trailed off. She didn’t really have a solid reason for her feelings. Blackmail just struck her as such a shady enterprise, one she had trouble picturing a business owner engaging in.

  “The Bark and Meow is Keave’s life,” Imogene said. “I wouldn’t put it past him to do anything to protect that little pet store of his.” She hunched closer to the windshield and stepped on the accelerator, a determined set to her mouth. “Either way, we’re going to find out.”

  Imogene drove just as fast as she had during the trip to Maya’s house the evening before. Kat didn’t have any choice but to brace herself for another wild ride.

  Imogene somehow managed to avoid getting pulled over or running over anyone. Pretty soon they were swerving into the parking lot of a shopping center located on the outskirts of town. Kat rolled her shoulders as she stepped out of the vehicle, working out some of the knots she’d accumulated during the trip. Every time Imogene’s SUV had fishtailed around another bend in the road, Kat’s muscles had tensed a notch.

  The Bark and Meow sat between a supermarket and a home-improvement shop.
Despite the name of the pet store, the first thing Kat saw when they walked inside were birds and fish.

  “Looks like it should have been named The Chirp and Glub,” Kat said, falling into step beside Imogene.

  Imogene didn’t reply. Nor did she give any indication she had even heard Kat’s quip. She kept her gaze trained forward as she strode purposefully down the store’s center aisle, looking fully prepared to mow down any customers foolish enough to insert themselves in her path.

  She seemed to know her way around the store. When she reached the end of the sales floor, she veered left into a short corridor, stopping halfway down in front of a closed door with the word ‘Office’ painted in its center.

  Imogene raised her fist and banged on the door.

  “Come in,” a male voice called out.

  Imogene went in first. Kat followed but lingered close to the door. Her plan was to stay out of Imogene’s way unless her friend appeared to be on the verge of losing it. Given how worked up Imogene had been yesterday, Kat wasn’t completely convinced this outing wouldn’t tip her over the edge.

  After all, if Imogene’s suspicions were correct, the very person they were about to confront might be the man who had bribed a town council member into voting against the ban Imogene had poured her heart into.

  The windowless office was small and stark. Several tall file cabinets lined the walls, and, in the center of it all, Keave Ohana’s large frame took up the area behind a cheap wooden desk littered with paperwork. Keave’s golden brown complexion, black hair, and dark eyes would have given him away as Hawaiian even if his name hadn’t.

  “Why, if it isn’t Imogene Little.” Keave leaned back in his swivel chair and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  Imogene’s eyes narrowed. “You know very well why I’m here.”

  “The only thing I can figure is you’ve come to congratulate me on convincing the Cherry Hills council to vote down that crazy ordinance you proposed.”

  “It’s not crazy,” Imogene spat. “It’s the humane, sensible thing to do. And if you valued life more than you value the money lining your pockets, you would agree with me.”

  Keave spread his hands. “Hey, I’m not the enemy here. I love animals as much as anyone.”

  “Then you should care about the number of them dying senselessly in shelters.”

  “I do. Of course I do.”

  “If that’s true, why sell dogs and cats bred for profit here? Why not showcase rescue animals instead? Furry Friends Foster Families would be happy to have some of our animals promoted in your store.”

  “You’re forgetting one thing,” Keave said. “Your animals wouldn’t earn enough of a profit to pay the rent. That’s why I need the designer pets, the ones people are willing to fork over four figures to call their own.”

  Kat stiffened. She knew that argument wouldn’t go over well with Imogene. Rescue work was about compassion, not money.

  Sure enough, Imogene’s face turned beet red. She seemed to want to say something, but her pent-up rage had her shaking so hard Kat didn’t figure she could get the words out between her chattering teeth.

  “A guy’s gotta stay in business,” Keave went on. “And to do that I need to offer a unique product, something people are willing to pay good money for.”

  “Animals are not a commodity!” Imogene shouted.

  Kat scooted forward, prepared to intervene if Imogene lunged for Keave’s throat.

  But Keave seemed oblivious to how close he was to being maimed. “If you’re talking about rescue animals, I agree with you. They’re a dime a dozen. But purebreds? Those have value. People who want something unique snatch those things up.”

  Kat cringed. She wished Keave would stop talking. Every word out of his mouth only served to incense Imogene further.

  “Rest assured though,” Keave said, “I only show animals from reputable breeders. I don’t want sick puppies and kittens in my store any more than you do. Take that nice Siberian breeder who lives in town. Bianca Bradley’s her name. She treats her animals like family.”

  Imogene’s hands balled into fists. “Like family she’s willing to sell for a profit, you mean.”

  “Hey, she’s doing a good thing, offering up hypoallergenic cats to people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to enjoy the company of a pet.”

  “Siberians aren’t hypoallergenic,” Imogene countered. “They tend to carry less of the protein that causes an allergic reaction in some people, but that varies by cat.”

  Keave flopped his arms onto the desk. “Look, I’m not going to debate you on all the scientific stuff. I’ll admit, I don’t know much about that. But what I do know is people go gaga when Bianca showcases her Siberians here.” He smiled. “They’re cute little things. Fluffy. People like fluffy.”

  “Fluffy?” Imogene nearly choked on the word.

  “Yeah. You should see them. It might change your tune about not wanting to allow them in the store.”

  Imogene’s jaw inched toward the floor. Kat didn’t figure she knew how to respond to such an argument.

  “Bianca should have some new kittens ready for sale in about a month.” Keave rummaged around on his desk until he found a sheet of paper, which he yanked out of the mess and thrust at Imogene. “All the info’s printed on here.”

  Imogene didn’t reach for the page. She looked flabbergasted that Keave would even try to hand her something so obviously contrary to her principles.

  Keave swung the paper toward Kat. She took it, unsure of what else to do. The colorful flier had ‘Bradley’s Breeding’ printed in pink at the top followed by an equally colorful announcement of Siberian kittens being available for purchase by qualified buyers at the end of August.

  “You ought to come on by the store and take a look at the kitties in a few weeks,” Keave said to Kat. He turned back toward Imogene. “You too. An animal lover like you won’t be able to resist those tiny, little things. They’re simply adorbs.”

  Imogene snapped her mouth shut. Her eyes blazed as she aimed a level look in Keave’s direction. “Have you lost your mind? You really think I’m going to adopt a Siberian kitten? Have you even been listening to anything I’ve said?”

  Keave leaned back in his chair. The gesture seemed more to put some distance between him and Imogene than to relax. Maybe he was finally coming to realize Imogene wasn’t going to be swayed by arguments that centered around the terms ‘fluffy’ and ‘adorbs.’

  “Sure, I’ve heard every word,” he said. “But I’m telling you, there are other points of view to consider. The fact is, not everybody wants a mangy, old rescue cat. And this is a free country. People should have options.”

  “When animals aren’t dying by the droves because they’re unwanted, I’ll agree with you. But until people start being responsible pet owners by getting their animals fixed, not abandoning them, and treating them like cherished family members instead of objects to be traded in and dumped when they’re no longer wanted, I will have to disagree.”

  At least Imogene wasn’t raving as she had been earlier, Kat noted. She had probably come to the conclusion Keave wasn’t going to be influenced by anything she said and there was no point in wasting her breath. Besides, they hadn’t come here with the goal of changing Keave’s mind. They had come here to determine whether he might be the person who had coerced Maya into voting in his favor.

  Kat thought about the ink smears present on the blackmail note Maya had received, and she slid a little closer to the desk. To mask her true intention, she pretended she was merely stretching her legs. But she needn’t have bothered. Keave still had his eyes on Imogene.

  Kat craned her neck forward and surveyed the desktop papers within view. She didn’t spy any ink smudges. Then again, the only documents in front of her were what appeared to be vendor invoices that had likely originated from a printer outside of this office.

  “Look,” Keave said to Imogene, “I appreciate what you’re tryin
g to do. But the bottom line is, I have a business to run. That’s my first priority.”

  Imogene regarded him. “Your business means everything to you, huh?” From the intensity of her gaze, Kat was pretty sure Imogene’s thoughts had turned to the blackmail note too.

  “Not everything,” Keave said. “That honor belongs to my family. But this store is very important to me.”

  “You claimed at one of the town council meetings you would leave Cherry Hills and set up shop elsewhere if the breeder ban passed.”

  Keave flicked his wrist. “I may have exaggerated a tad. I wouldn’t leave Cherry Hills over a silly purebred ban.”

  “So you’re a liar, is that what you’re saying?”

  “Hey, it wasn’t my idea to threaten to leave. I only did so because Norm said I’d get my message across better if I made it personal.”

  Imogene sucked in a breath. “Norm? You mean Norman van der Veer?”

  “The one and only. He coached me on what to say at those town council meetings.” Keave grinned. “He’s quite the politician, eh?”

  Imogene didn’t respond, but Kat could see storm clouds brewing in her eyes.

  “My wife wouldn’t be too happy with me if I upped and moved her,” Keave said. “She loves this town. But Norm thought I would sound more convincing if I played it up a little.”

  “Oh, he did, did he?”

  Keave nodded. “Lucky for me things worked out in my favor.”

  “Yes, that certainly was lucky,” Imogene said through clenched teeth.

  Or, Kat considered, maybe it wasn’t luck on Keave’s side so much as a willingness to go to any length to get what he wanted.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Imogene stared at her cell phone. “According to Bianca’s website, she’s been breeding Siberians for a few years now. She shows cats too and, I quote, ‘is an expert on raising and caring for quality felines.’”

  Kat looked at her friend across the console. They were both back in Imogene’s SUV after leaving The Bark and Meow, but Imogene had yet to start the engine. She had been too busy Googling Bianca Bradley.