by K E O'Connor
“There’s taking charge of your life and then there’s being a selfish animal hater who kills her husband,” said Helen.
I finished my second muffin, feeding Flipper the last bite much to his delight. “Let’s meet later at the cat sanctuary and I’ll let you know what I find out.”
Helen gave me a quick thumbs up as we parted ways, and I headed to Lady Cordelia’s study to start my first day of work.
The door was already open when I got there, and as I entered, I saw a wall covered with books, a large desk set by a bay window, and an enormous stone fireplace dominating one end of the room.
Lady Cordelia sat behind the desk. She had a pair of glasses perched on the end of her nose, and her hair clipped off her face as she studied a document in front of her.
She glanced up from her paperwork and gestured to a seat on the opposite side of the desk to her. “I hope you’re settling in well.”
“I think so.” I sat in the chair. “Thank you for dinner last night.”
Lady Cordelia peered at me in silence for several seconds. “Yes, dinner was an event. We didn’t get a chance to talk about your duties. My family can be feisty at times, and they rather took away my attention.”
“Sometimes you have the worst fights with the people you love the most.”
“I didn’t realize I’d employed a philosopher as well as a personal assistant.” A small smile played on Lady Cordelia’s lips. “But that is very true of this family. It won’t happen again. And I have a specific task for you to focus on in your first few weeks here.”
“What’s that?” I expected to be given the usual task of re-organizing the filing system or typing dictation and sending out letters.
“You’re to dispose of the cats.”
I blinked at Lady Cordelia. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Leo’s wretched cat sanctuary needs to go.” Lady Cordelia smacked a hand on the desk. “We need to change things on the estate, and the cats are a burden we can do without. Do you know how much it costs to run the sanctuary?”
I shook my head. “An animal sanctuary is never going to make you any money. But didn’t your late husband like animals and want to help them? He wouldn’t have set it up to make money.”
“He did adore animals. But as you rightly pointed out, he’s my late husband and doesn’t get a say in how this estate is run anymore.” Lady Cordelia’s top lip curled. “And I want those cats gone. It costs us almost one hundred thousand pounds a year to feed them and pay the staff bills. And they have indoor heated rooms. They’re animals for goodness sake, they don’t need heaters, they have fur.”
“Perhaps you can buy cheaper cat litter to cut down on costs?”
“There’s no point in trying to reduce the costs at the sanctuary,” said Lady Cordelia. The best thing to do is get rid of them. It will leave the way clear for us to expand and develop the estate without those mangy animals getting in the way.”
Any feelings of goodwill I had towards Lady Cordelia vanished and I narrowed my eyes. “And you want me to oversee getting rid of the sanctuary?”
“I know it’s not typical work for a personal assistant, but we need all hands on deck,” said Lady Cordelia. “Having looked at your CV and taken up your references, I know you’re a woman who can turn her hand to anything. Do this for me, and I’ll consider raising your salary when you’re successful.”
I blinked several times, processing the information, a sinking feeling in my stomach. “What do you suggest I do with the cats?”
“Do what you like with them.” Lady Cordelia shrugged her narrow shoulders. “Probably putting them to sleep is the best thing. No one else is going to want them.”
“You want me to arrange to have the cats killed?” My fists clenched in my lap as my feelings for Lady Cordelia morphed into hate.
“Or whatever you like,” said Lady Cordelia. “Get them out of my way and do it quickly. The sooner they’re gone the better. Consider this a test of your abilities, so I can see how adaptable you are.”
“I need some time to consider this,” I said. “Relocating fifty animals doesn’t happen overnight.”
“I want you to make it happen, and don’t take long about it. Having those cats everywhere is a reminder of Leo and what he used to spend his time on.” Lady Cordelia let out a sigh as she removed her glasses and cleaned the lenses. “Lorna, do you believe in reincarnation?”
“I’m not sure,” I said slowly. Would a ghost be considered a form of reincarnation? The dead were coming back, but in their same form. I guess that could be reincarnation. “Why do you ask?”
“Because if such a thing exists, I know for sure Leo would have come back as a cat. For all I know, he might be one of the new intakes at the sanctuary, stalking around and seeing what the rest of us are doing.” Lady Cordelia laughed bitterly. “And I know, if he could have done, he’d have married a cat.”
I bit my bottom lip. “I don’t think that’s legal.”
Lady Cordelia placed her glasses down gently. “Yes, well, just deal with the cats. That’s your first and only task for now. I hope you won’t let me down on this.”
I swallowed. I could hardly refuse my new employer the first task she’d given me, despite the thought of having to send those cats away to goodness knows where was making me feel sick. “I’ll look into it right away.”
Lady Cordelia stood and strode out from behind her desk. “You may use whatever resources are in here, and you have your own laptop over on that desk.” She pointed behind me to a small desk set up in the corner of the room. “But get to work on dealing with the cats first. We’ll sort out the rest of your duties at a later date.” She left the room and closed the door behind her.
I looked down at Flipper, my stomach churning with a mixture of shock and horror.
Lady Cordelia was now back on the top of my suspect list.
Chapter 8
I spent the morning researching local animal sanctuaries, thinking I’d be able to relocate the cats to other places that loved animals as much as Leo had. I had a list of contacts to call, but felt in need of a break before I started. And since I was going to be the one in charge of getting rid of the sanctuary, I needed to see it for myself.
The autumn sun was still warm as I walked into the grounds, Flipper by my side, his nose in the air as he caught an interesting smell. So far, autumn seemed to be holding off, despite the hints of orange and brown in the trees.
I spotted a sign saying Sanctuary, and headed along the path towards it.
Flipper increased his pace and his ears shot up.
“You go steady with these cats,” I said to him. “Some of them will not like you and you don’t want to scare them.”
Flipper gave me a look as if to say as if I would. But he slowed his pace and remained by my side.
We reached a small wooden office block, and I knocked on the door and walked in.
Sandy was behind the desk, three cats sitting on top of the reception area. They all paused in their grooming activities and regarded me with large eyes.
“I hope you don’t mind me dropping by,” I said to Sandy, instantly feeling guilty at knowing what I was going to have to do to the sanctuary. “I’m earlier than I’d planned to be.”
Sandy stood from the desk and smiled at me. “You’re welcome. Fancy coming and hanging out with some cool cats?”
“If you’ve got the time to show me around that will be great,” I said. “And Flipper wouldn’t mind tagging along as well. He loves cats.”
“So long as he behaves himself, then he’s welcome,” said Sandy. She scooped a large white cat off the counter and settled him in her arms. “This one’s called Stevie.”
“You name all your cats?” I tickled Stevie behind his ears.
“Every single one.” Pride resonated through Sandy’s voice. “Some of them come to us with names, but others we have no clue about their background, so we pick a name that suits their personality.”
; Stevie purred loudly and pressed against my hand.
“I’ll show you the animal homes.” Sandy pulled open the door and I followed her out with Flipper. “We don’t like to call them cages. And they’re top of the range, with all the toys and luxuries a cat could dream of. And some of the cats have had such a bad time of it, they deserve to be pampered.”
It was like Sandy was deliberately trying to make me feel even guiltier, being the tyrant who’d be throwing out these poor abused babies. We walked along a neat gravel pathway, and I could hear the sound of cats meowing as we drew nearer.
“We have ten cat homes per row.” Sandy pointed at the large, metal cages. “They have an indoor section where they can sleep or get away from prying eyes if they want a bit of privacy. And then they all have their own outdoor runs. Each cat is separated if they don't come in with a sibling or friend, so there’s no problems with fighting or any of them sneakily getting together and breeding. But we neuter and spay the cats when they arrive if it hasn’t already been done. Kittens are so cute, but they need a lot of looking after.”
Flipper poked his nose at one of the cages, and a large black paw appeared and swiped at him. He backed up swiftly and gave me a worried glance.
Sandy laughed. “That’s Panther in there. And he lives up to his name. He’s the biggest black cat I’ve ever seen with a temper to match.”
I peered cautiously into the cage, and was met by a pair of unblinking green eyes. “He’s beautiful, if a little scary.”
“We’ve had him here a long time,” said Sandy. “Most of the cats here have what I call special needs. Some have behavioral problems or have been so badly treated they don’t trust people any more. Can’t say I blame them when you hear some of the horror stories about what people do to their animals.”
I ruffled Flipper’s fur, recalling our first meeting, when he’d been dumped on the side of the road as a puppy. “People can be so thoughtless.”
“At least we’re here to show there’s some good in the world,” said Sandy.
I nodded, guilt running through me like acid. I would find these cats amazing new homes.
Sandy led me along the rest of the pens, introducing me to all the cats and giving me information on each of their backgrounds. It was such a great setup, and I could understand why Leo was so passionate about helping these animals.
“When I think about what Lady Cordelia wants to do to the sanctuary, it makes me sick.” Sandy walked me and Flipper back to the office, Stevie now asleep in her arms. “She wasn’t always like this, though.”
“What made her change?” I asked.
“Ever since Sebastien came on the scene, she’s been different. Until then, Lady Cordelia was content enough to let Leo get on with his work with the cats. She didn’t like it, but I think it gave her the chance to have some time on her own.”
“Did she meet Sebastien before Leo died?”
Sandy deposited a sleeping Stevie on the desk. “I wouldn’t know. But he showed up quickly enough after Leo died.”
“And Sebastien is making Lady Cordelia get rid of the animals?” I didn't think Sebastien had shown any dislike of the cats when we were looking around the castle, and hadn't complained about Flipper and Big Ginge when they were in the dining room.
“I don’t know much about him,” said Sandy. “He seems too young for Lady Cordelia. But I can see why he’s interested in her. She’s a recent widow with money. I guess a man can overlook a few years if he can get his hands on some of that cash.”
“I’ve met Sebastien, he seems like a nice guy to me.”
“I didn’t say he wasn’t nice,” said Sandy. “But nice guys can’t live on fresh air.” She bent down and stroked the back of a skinny tortoiseshell cat who emerged from behind the desk.
“The sanctuary is great,” I said, deciding it was time to come clean. “And I hate to have to tell you this, but Lady Cordelia has put me in charge of making sure it closes.”
Sandy’s green eyes narrowed. “So you’re here finding out how the place is run? You’re trying to see what we’re doing wrong so you have good reason to shut it down?”
I held my hands up as I shook my head. “Absolutely not. The sanctuary is an amazing place, and I’m not happy she’s put me in charge of closing it.”
“So stop her from doing it,” said Sandy. “Tell her she’s wrong and you can see how important this place is.”
“She won’t listen to me, her mind’s made up. But I’ll do what I can to slow things down,” I said. “Perhaps you can get Lady Cordelia out here and show her all the great things you do? That might make her think differently about the place.”
“She won’t be interested in that,” said Sandy. “The few times she has been out here since Leo died, all she’s done is complain. She loathes this place. Giving her some fancy tour and trying to get her excited about unloved cats is out of the question. And she wouldn’t want to mess up her designer shoes.”
“I’m on your side with this,” I said. “If we can find any way to keep the sanctuary going, I’ll make sure it happens. But if I can’t, then at least between us we can make sure the animals go to safe places. I’ve already got a list of local rescue centers that could take them in.”
Sandy folded her arms over her chest and gave a huff. “It’s not right her making you do this. If she wants to get rid of these lovely animals then she should do it herself. She should look each cat in the eye and see just how mean she’s being.”
“Best if Lady Cordelia's not directly involved. She did mention putting them to sleep.”
Sandy gave a strangled sounding cry. “I won’t let her near them if she thinks she’s going to do that.”
“And neither will I,” I said. “I’ll keep you informed as to what’s going on. You won’t come here one morning and find all the cats gone.”
“Well, I should be grateful for small things,” said Sandy. “When I tell Nell she’ll be furious. She’s more obsessed with the cats than me. She hates the idea that Lady Cordelia is going to change things.”
“Tell her gently,” I said. “Perhaps the two of you can take some of the cats home with you.”
“That’s another problem,” said Sandy. “We both live on site. The jobs come with accommodation, so not only are we going to have no work, we’re going to be out of our homes.”
I shook my head, wishing I could say something else to reassure Sandy. “I’ll do what I can to help you.” My mobile rang and I gave Sandy a quick wave goodbye, before answering it. I smiled as I recognized the number.
“How’s your first day at work going?” asked Zach.
“I’m surrounded by cats.” I walked a few steps away from the sanctuary.
“Cats?”
“That’s right, and Flipper is in his element,” I said. “He’s trying to make friends with every cat he meets, but they don’t seem sure about him.”
“And dare I ask about the castle’s other residents?” Caution threaded through Zach’s words.
“I’ve only seen one ghost,” I said. “Actually, I’m quite disappointed about that. I expected to be walking into them every time I turned a corner. It seems like the castle isn’t as full of ghosts as the website claims.”
“That’s a relief to hear,” said Zach. “I was thinking you’d be surrounded by unhappy ghosts demanding your attention. But one ghost is okay.”
“I can handle this one. In fact, he seems like a nice old man. He’s not caused me any problems.” I paused. Zach would not like me revealing this next bit of news. “But I don’t think he died of natural causes.”
I heard Zach exhale down the phone. “You think he was murdered?”
“Looks like it,” I said.
“Do I need to warn you to be careful?”
“I’ll do the best I can,” I said.
“That’s all I can ask of you,” said Zach. “If you get into trouble let me know.”
“You know you’re my favorite ghost hunter.”
Zach snorted. “I’m not a ghost hunter, but I like to make sure you’re safe.”
“Okay, you’re my gardening knight in shining armor.”
“That compliment I will accept.”
I grinned to myself. I loved having Zach as my protector. I’d held back from accepting his help in the past, but it didn’t feel right when he wasn't around, and I liked to know I had him to rely on, no matter how spooky and weird the situation became.
“I was also calling because I’ve seen details of a house that looks good. Plenty of bedrooms, needs a bit of work, but well within budget,” said Zach.
“Sounds great,” I said. “Fix up a time and we’ll go and see it.”
“How about tomorrow evening?”
“It’s a date,” I said. “Shall I bring Helen?”
“Maybe not,” said Zach. “Let’s have a look at it just the two of us to begin with. If we think it’s got possibilities, we can get Gunner and Helen along for a second viewing. I’m not sure I can take any more of their bickering right now.”
I laughed. “I've mentioned the bickering to Helen, but I’m not sure it’s going to help at all. And she’s determined to prove me wrong, and show she’s not interested in Gunner.”
Zach sighed down the phone again. “I’ll look forward to their next round of bickering then. I’ll send you the details of the house so you can have a look and see what you think of it.”
We’d just said our goodbyes, and I turned back towards the house, when the air around me chilled and a wave of dizziness ran through me.
“Leo?” I clutched my arms around my stomach, my vision going blurry. Where was Flipper? I’d been so busy chatting to Zach I hadn’t noticed him disappear.
The air got even colder and my teeth began to chatter. “Leo, stop messing about. I know you’re here.”