“I have not been trying to get your attention. If you’d like to talk, please meet me downstairs at Angelo’s Pizzeria,” she said. “I’ll go get dressed.”
“Not necessary. What I have to say won’t take long.” Paul pushed the door closed with his foot and barged through her kitchen, striding into the living room. She followed a few steps behind and was taken aback when Paul lunged at her and grasped her by her upper arms.
Katie struggled and accidentally knocked the lamp off the table. The light went out. Had Katie not left the light on in the kitchen, she and Paul would’ve been plunged into darkness. As it was, the living room was too dark for comfort.
Paul pinned her against the wall.
“Let me go, or I’ll scream.”
“Who’s gonna hear you over the noise from the pizza place?”
“What is it you want from me?”
“I want you to leave me and my family alone.”
She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again.
“What? Were you going to deny sending that old man to talk to Ken? That you sought me out at Ink Artistry and interrupted my work? That you visited my sister today? Mary’s been sick, by the way . . . and she’s grieving the loss of our brother.”
“And I went to visit your sister to offer my condolences,” Katie said.
“If that’s true, then why did Mary call me in tears after you left?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she didn’t care for the chocolates I brought her. Or maybe she’s terrified over that thing that got your brother killed.”
Fenton paled. “I’m warning you for the last time to stay away from me and my family.” He gave her a rough shake before tossing her aside. He tramped through the kitchen to the open door and stalked down the steps.
With shaking hands, Katie pushed the door closed and locked it. Then she rubbed her arms, wishing she could stop trembling. Feeling suddenly cold, she moved to the sofa to contemplate her next move. Fenton’s visit had lent credence to the argument that there was something far more sinister than the Victoria Square Merchants Association behind Ken Fenton’s death, and that his sister knew it.
She picked up the phone to call Detective Schuler. Her “it can wait until tomorrow” could no longer wait.
Suddenly there was a pounding on her door.
“I’m calling the police right this instant!” she yelled. “Just stay where you are, and the arresting officers won’t need to come looking for you!”
“Katie, it’s Ray! What’s going on?”
Katie hurried to the door. She was surprised to see that Ray was holding one of her cats.
“Mason!” she cried, upset to think she’d nearly lost her darling boy. She gathered the cat in her arms. “He must’ve got out when Paul muscled his way in.”
“Paul Fenton?” Ray demanded.
Katie nodded and then became uncomfortably aware of her state of undress. “I need to grab a robe.” She gave Mason a kiss on the top of his head and set him on the floor before she went into the bedroom to get a calf-length white robe to slip on over her pajamas. She was relieved to see Della peeking out from under the bed, looking anxious. She’d probably run into the room when Paul had arrived. Katie breathed a prayer of thanksgiving to know that both cats were now safe.
When she returned to the still-dark living room, Andy and Roger had arrived. Roger was trying to get the lamp to work.
Andy hugged her. “What happened?”
Katie hesitated. She didn’t want to say anything damaging about Fenton in front of Roger, but then, he deserved to know what a jerk his sister’s boss really was.
“Paul Fenton came to speak with me,” Katie said. “And I accidentally knocked the lamp off the table.” She looked at the three male faces crowding around her. “Why are you all here?”
“I came to pick up a pizza for dinner and saw Mason,” Ray said. “I wasn’t completely sure it was your cat, but I thought I’d better check. I brought him here to see.”
“I’ll never be able to thank you enough,” Katie said sincerely.
“When I saw Davenport with Mason, I knew something was wrong,” Andy said. “You’d never let Mason slip outside, and if you did, you’d be racing after him.”
Roger smiled. “I came back from a delivery and saw Andy running up your stairs. I followed to help with whatever was going on with my boss.”
“What did Fenton want?” Andy asked, his voice hard.
Katie glanced at Roger.
“Hey, don’t mind me,” the young man said. “I know Regan thinks the world of the guy, but I barely know him. He’s always struck me as kinda sketchy.”
“When he knocked on the door, I thought it was you,” Katie told Andy. “He muscled his way inside, and I told him that if he wanted to talk to me, I’d get dressed and meet him downstairs at the pizza parlor. He said what he had to say wouldn’t take that long, and then he warned me to stay away from him and his family.”
Andy stiffened. “Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head. “Still, I was getting ready to report the incident to Detective Schuler when Ray brought Mason home.”
“I think you should go ahead and call him.” Andy nodded at Ray. “And you should probably get on home with that pizza before your girls send out a search party.”
“Yeah,” Ray said. “I guess so.”
“Thank you again for bringing Mason home.”
“No problem. Call if you need me.” Ray nodded to the men and then departed.
“I’d better get back to work, too,” Roger said. “Don’t want to get in trouble with the boss. By the way, Katie, your lamp seems to be shot. I’ll be happy to take it with me and see if I can fix the socket.”
“Are you sure? That sounds dangerous.”
“I actually enjoy that kind of stuff.”
“Then I’d appreciate your looking at it,” Katie said. “Thank you, Roger.”
“Hey, Rog, let Erikka know I’ll be there as soon as I can, all right?”
“Sure thing, boss.” Roger took the lamp and left.
As soon as they were alone, Andy pulled Katie to him for a warm embrace. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Positive. Especially now that I’m in your arms.”
“Did Fenton put his hands on you?”
“He grabbed me by the biceps, but it was no big deal. He didn’t hurt me.” Katie downplayed her fear and the fact that her arms were sore from being in Fenton’s grip. She didn’t want to put Andy in danger should he decide to confront the thug. “You ought to get back to work. Now that it’s dark, I’m going to read in the bedroom.”
“And call Schuler.”
“That, too,” she agreed.
“I’ll be up to check on you after work.” Andy kissed her and she watched him go, locking the door behind him.
Katie allowed herself a few long moments to collect her wits before she took her wine, book, and phone into the bedroom. After making sure the cats were in the room with her, she closed the door.
She turned on the overhead light and then flipped on the bedside lamp. She hesitated before turning out the overhead light, then slipped out of the bedroom to double-check that the back door was locked. When she returned to the bedroom, Katie called Detective Schuler.
“Schuler,” he answered crisply.
“Oh, hi, Detective, it’s Katie Bonner. I was expecting your voice mail. I’m calling because Paul Fenton just left my home, after issuing a threat.”
“Interesting. I just got off the phone with Mr. Fenton, who was complaining about you harassing him and his family. He told me that if you go near him or anyone in his family again, he’s going to have you arrested for trespassing.”
Katie gave a chirp of indignation. “I beg your pardon? I took a box of chocolates to his sister today to express my condolences for
her loss. While I was there, she said something cryptic about Ken’s death. She said she thought it had to do with ‘that other thing.’ I believe you should pursue the matter further to find out who Mary Jones thinks killed her brother and why.”
“Mr. Fenton informed me that his sister, Mary, is in poor health and probably doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
“Isn’t it possible he’s manipulating you so you won’t investigate further?”
“Investigate what, Ms. Bonner? Some mysterious ‘other thing’?” he asked, his tone mocking. “That makes no sense. What does make sense is that you’re making yourself a nuisance to Paul Fenton and his family, and I will not tolerate it. Consider this a warning.”
All traces of fear were now gone. In its place was seething anger. Katie had no idea what other thing Mary Jones was talking about, but now, more than ever, she was determined to find out.
Ten
Katie arose early on Sunday morning, quietly got dressed, and kissed a sleeping Andy on the forehead before she fed the cats and headed out for her power walk around the Square. As she walked, she breathed in the fresh air and admired the pink and white impatiens overflowing from wooden flower barrels spaced along the edge of the walkways in front of the shops.
The beauty and peace of Victoria Square helped Katie to compartmentalize her anger at Paul Fenton. The fact that he’d come to her apartment and practically threatened her and then turned the entire situation around on her when she related the incident to Detective Schuler still caused her blood to boil, but she knew she had to set that anger aside if she was going to be able to learn the truth about Ken Fenton’s murder.
Finding out what Mary suspected to be responsible for her brother’s death and avoiding getting arrested for trespassing was going to be a problem. Katie remembered Nick telling her that someone familiar with Ken’s “shady past” would be at the luncheon. Hopefully, she would get some answers there.
Andy was still sleeping when Katie returned from her walk. She hopped in the shower. When she emerged from the bedroom showered and wearing a knee-length floral dress, she found Andy in the kitchen.
“The scent of cinnamon hit me the instant I opened the bathroom door,” she told him, placing her arms around his waist as he stood at the counter drizzling icing onto warm cinnamon rolls.
“I thought you could use something sweet after what you had to deal with last night, Sunshine.”
She laughed. “I thought my something sweet was you.”
“Well, yeah . . . that’s true.” He turned and dropped a kiss onto her lips. “Wow. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you. I wanted to dress up a little for the luncheon.”
“Either way, you’ll be the most beautiful woman there, but you’ve certainly sealed the deal now,” he said.
She hoped that meant he thought she was more beautiful than Erikka. She wasn’t, but she certainly wanted Andy to think so.
“I might have to walk again this evening after having one of these for breakfast.”
He held a cinnamon roll to her lips. “Taste this and tell me it isn’t worth it.”
She did and moaned with delight. “That is beyond delicious . . . and worth every step I’ll need to take to work it off.”
Andy openly appraised her figure in the dress. “You’ve already worked it off this morning. You’re really rocking that dress. Do you have to go to work before heading to the luncheon?”
“You know I do. Will you have trouble making the luncheon?”
“Nope. You, Erikka, and I can walk over together. I’m leaving Roger in charge of the pizzeria.”
Katie blinked in surprise. “Roger? Are you sure he’s the best choice?”
Andy’s face tightened. “Yes, I want to give him the opportunity to prove himself . . . both to me and to himself. It’ll be good for him.”
“It’s just that he’s so new.” And he’d been in even more trouble than some of the other high-risk boys Andy had employed at the pizzeria.
“True, but I’ll be right across the Square if he needs me. And besides, there are two other guys in the shop. They’ve all had their turn at being in charge. It helps them build confidence.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
He tweaked her chin. “Just because you’re a control freak doesn’t mean everyone else is,” he teased.
She smiled, but she was thinking that, yes, she was careful about whom she left in charge of Artisans Alley, as well as Tealicious, but she didn’t hire people who’d just gotten out of juvenile detention, either. She guessed Andy must see something special in the young man.
* * *
—
When Katie entered the vendors’ lounge at Artisans Alley, she found herself looking at an unfamiliar face. A short man with buzz-cut steel-gray hair, brown eyes, and a long, thin scar on the left side of his forehead was turning from the refrigerator with a bottle of water in his hand.
He nodded. “Good morning.”
“Good morning. We haven’t met. I’m Katie Bonner.”
“Hugh McKinney.” He strode over to shake her hand.
“You’re the new leather goods vendor, aren’t you?” Vance had taken care of the paperwork when McKinney had arrived.
“Yessiree.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t yet had a chance to visit your booth, but I’ve seen your products go through the checkout and they’re beautiful.”
“I understand. You’ve been busy. Would you like to see it now?”
She didn’t really have time, but she didn’t want to be rude to a new vendor—especially one who had a beef with the place. “I’d love to.”
Katie accompanied Hugh McKinney up the stairs to his booth. His space was neat and tidy, with the majority of his merchandise strung together and secured to his table with cord reels. The smell of leather and tobacco made Katie feel that, if she closed her eyes, she could be in a gentleman’s study.
“You must smoke a pipe,” she mused.
“Not on Artisans Alley property, ma’am,” he said. “But, yes, I do. And I keep a pouch of tobacco here. Is that all right?”
“Of course. The scent complements the leather nicely.”
He smiled. “Charlotte told me the other day that I have the best-smelling booth in the building.”
“I’m inclined to agree.”
Katie looked over the wallets, eyeglass cases, belts, and toiletry bags. “These are beautiful.”
“Thank you. I can make larger items as well as customized items upon request. And, if you see anything you like, I keep most of my merchandise in locked boxes fitted with alarms beneath the table.”
The area under the table was blocked from view by a black cloth.
“And when I’m not here giving a demonstration, I keep my tools hidden, too. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.”
“That’s true.” Katie remembered Vance telling her about Hugh’s inquiries and concerns about loss prevention. “How long have you been leather crafting?”
“My father taught me when I was about fifteen years old. Now that I’m retired from the postal service, I can pursue my hobby full-time.”
“I’ll have to get a customized wallet for my boyfriend, Andy, closer to his birthday,” Katie said. “I’m really glad you seem to be fitting in with Artisans Alley so well. Do you have any questions about anything while I’m here?”
“Not . . . not really.” He grinned. “I’m glad you turned up the air conditioner.”
“I think we’re all happy about that. But I get the impression there was something else you wanted to ask about.”
“Well . . . I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry for what you went through.”
At Katie’s frown, he continued.
“Seeing that man get electrocuted . . . and then getting hurt yourself.”
“I just
got knocked down . . . and out,” Katie said. “I’m sorry for Mr. Fenton . . . and his family.”
Hugh nodded. “I appreciate your stopping by. Be sure and let me know when you want that wallet—I’ll give you the friends and family discount.”
“I appreciate that.”
Katie returned to her office and was looking over the spreadsheet for Saturday’s receipts when Ray called.
“Hi, Katie. Sorry to disturb you, but I wanted to make sure you’re all right after your visit from Paul Fenton.”
“Yes, Ray, I’m fine. Thanks again for bringing Mason home.”
“I’m glad I was able to catch him so easily. He’s not that familiar with me.”
“He’s more reasonable than Della. She makes a person work for her affections. But I appreciate your returning him. Had he gotten in the road . . .”
“You did call the police on Fenton, didn’t you?” he asked.
Katie let out an exasperated breath. “Yeah and a fat lot of good that did me.” Katie told Ray how Fenton had been able to change the narrative on her.
“I hate to admit it now, but I once saw you as a buttinski, too.”
“What changed your mind?” she asked.
“Who says I’ve changed my mind?”
“Fine. Then I’ll let Detective Schuler send you up the river for a crime you didn’t commit.”
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence,” he scoffed. “I was a detective longer than you’ve been alive.”
That was almost the truth.
“You were a detective. You aren’t anymore, and it’s someone on the inside who’s trying to pin Ken Fenton’s murder on you.”
“Nobody has convicted me yet.”
“‘Yet’ being the key word. Paul went ballistic because I went to see his sister, Mary, and she told me about some . . . other thing . . . she believes is responsible for Ken’s death. I believe that whatever this other thing is, it’s the key to solving Ken’s murder.”
“Stand down, Nancy Drew. I don’t need anyone sticking her dainty little neck out for me.”
“I’m not. I’m doing this for myself and for the Merchants Association. Before we decide to invest in buying that building from Harper Jones, we need to find out if something about that building had anything to do with Ken Fenton’s murder.”
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