Deadly Diamond: A Murfy the Cat Mystery (12 page)

“There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast”

––Unknown

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: A Cat is a Cat

The morning was busy and time passed quickly. Before I knew it, Maggie asked Alyx if she was ready for lunch.

“It’s only eleven-thirty, but I didn’t have any breakfast, and I’m hungry. Is it too early for you?”

“No, it’s fine. I was upstairs moving some furniture around, choosing what to have George repair or recycle. I guess the work made me hungry.”

“Good. Here’s your purse. Let’s go.”

Alyx laughed. “You’re not joking about being hungry, are you?”

As they walked by the display window, Maggie glanced at Misty sitting tall next to the candelabrum where she’d been all morning, scrutinizing each passerby, with a puzzled look flitting across her face.

“Misty hasn’t moved from that spot since I came in this morning,” said Maggie. “And Murfy is at the door trying to get his leash off the hook. Cats don’t do that; dogs do that.”

Alyx shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what to tell you, Maggie.”

I knew what to tell her if I could talk. It’s so unfair––dogs aren’t the only intelligent house pets. Some cats are just as clever; we just don’t let on that we are, thereby, we get away with doing more things we shouldn’t. My efforts paid off, and Alyx grabbed my leash and off we went.

The Beachside Café was busy as usual. The restaurant had a pleasant ambiance with exposed brick walls and a planked wood floor. The counter was a rich, dark mahogany with a brass foot railing. A booth opened up and Alyx said, “It’s so busy in here; maybe it’s better if we get something to go. I don’t feel comfortable sitting down for lunch with Murfy. There are a lot of tourists in town, and we’re getting some funny looks.”

They ordered their favorite and mine––shrimp salad on cheddar bread. Novie, the owner of the Café, brought the food out when it was ready.

“Isn’t it nice to see all these tourists back in town?”

“I know what you mean,” said Alyx. “After that last hurricane, everybody wondered if we’d ever see tourists again, and that one didn’t even hit us. It seems to me that it doesn’t really matter where they make landfall, we’re affected by any hurricane that even comes close to Florida.”

Alyx said, “That’s because those monsters are big enough to cover the whole state!” She added, “I wonder how many insurance policies will be cancelled, next time.”

“Our condo insurance more than doubled last year and so did the insurance I carry for the inside of my unit, although it won’t cost twice as much to replace the contents,” said Maggie.

A man waiting for his take-out order, someone I didn’t know, joined the conversation.

“The insurance companies have changed their philosophy of doing business. It used to be they bet against something happening while we bet it would happen. Now it’s the reverse; they bet that something will happen and charge accordingly. They have us right where they want us and they know it. People are too scared not to carry insurance, and rightly so.”

Maggie redirected the conversation to Novie. “Speaking of insurance, have you heard anything more about the diamond robbery?”

“Chet Hall came in for lunch yesterday, and I asked him about it. He said the police haven’t caught the thief, and they have no leads––they think he had a driver waiting for him outside, or he disappeared into one of the crowded businesses next to the jewelry store. They came in here and asked all of us if we’d seen anyone fitting the description they gave us––we didn’t.”

“The police talked to all of us as well,” said Maggie, “and at our next meeting, Alyx and I are going to suggest that the Merchants Association make a formal request for a greater police presence, especially during peak tourist periods.”

Novie said that after what had happened, she didn’t think there would be any opposition to the suggestion.

Later after lunch and back at the shop, Maggie’s tone of voice said it all when she told Alyx, “She doesn’t like the tiles in the courtyard.”

An audible groan escaped Alyx, “Too bad. We had nothing to do with that. She picked out her own contractor to do that job. I knew we shouldn’t have let her do that.” Alyx looked around the room, and her eyes fell on the rich-toned fabric left over from another job. “Not to worry, Maggie, I have the solution. We simply recover all the cushions with that striped, brick red fabric left over from the Carabba’s home.”

“Do we have enough?”

“Just enough. Do you want to show the fabric to our client first?”

“Not today.”

“Alyx, you’re a genius, you know.”

“No, just a good designer, and so are you.”

“Do you sometimes think we’re too good?”

“You mean because we’re so busy?”

Maggie nodded, “Alyx I need a break after this job.”

“I know you do. It’s hard dealing with the varied personalities of the customers on a daily basis. There are some I’d like to ban permanently from entering the store.”

“That overweight, screaming man who insisted on buying Althea’s desk, for example?”

“Exactly.”

“Listen, I have a few things to take care of, and I think I’ll do that now if you don’t mind,” said Maggie.

“Okay, Maggie, I’ll see you later.”

Alyx measured the fabric, put it back on the shelf, and then pulled the tissue-wrapped pillbox from her purse; she set it down in front of her and perched on the edge of the chair behind the desk. She folded her arms on the desk, and I placed my paw on her forearm, both of us staring at the silver object.

“What do you know, fur-baby? Did you sense something else when you found this?”

Alyx abruptly stood, knocking me off balance, and the flash of insight that was starting to form in my brain disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

Maggie came back to the store a bit later, to pick up some information she’d forgotten, making small talk while she looked for it.

“I had a heartwarming experience at lunch yesterday,” she told Alyx. “I meant to tell you earlier but forgot.”

“Where did you go?”

“I had an errand to run for George, and on the way I stopped at a beach side diner called Betty’s. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the clientele––they were all senior citizens.”

Alyx raised an eyebrow at that.

“I know that’s not an unusual sight around here. What was unusual was that all the servers looked to be in their seventies, and the cashier had to be well over eighty.

“So what happened?”

“Nothing happened. The interaction among the servers and with the cook was touching. In fact, I thought they were all related, so when I left I had to ask, and it turns out that Betty, the cashier, was the original owner of the diner back in the sixties when they were located on Main Street. She sold the place ten years later, and the new owners moved the diner to its current location. What I find amazing is that all the employees that worked for Betty at the Main Street location stayed on to work for the new owners. No one left, Alyx. They are all still there.”

“That’s a nice story. It says a lot about Betty and the new owners, doesn’t it?”

“We’re nice employers. Do you think Nelda and Bernice will be that loyal?”

“Work ethics aren’t what they used to be. Let’s just say, I won’t take it personally if they decide to leave.”

Maggie eventually found what she was looking for and left. Alyx went looking for Bernice and waited for her to finish up with a customer, then asked, “Do you feel comfortable being left alone for an hour or so?”

“No problem.”

“I have to run a few errands. If anyone’s looking for me, have them call me on my cell, and if they don’t have the number, tell them to call me here, later.”

“Cats are a mysterious kind of folk. There is more passing in their minds that we are aware of.”

––
Walter Scott

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:
An Amateur Sleuth with a Cat for a Partner

Alyx turned over the small, silver pill case to Detective Smarts––not mentioning that I was the one who’d found it.

“Do you think the killer might have left it behind?” she asked.

“Not necessarily; it could have been dropped by anyone at any time.”

“So, it doesn’t help anything?”

“I didn’t say that, Ms. Hille. Many other things have to come together, such as a suspect, a possible motive, and an opportunity. Of course, we’ll check it for prints.”

“It seems to me, Detective Smarts, you’re taking a lot of time to put those things together, unlike your action in my son’s case.”

Detective Smarts expelled a breath of air from his puffed cheeks. He leaned forward in his chair and looked her directly in the eyes. “Ms. Hille, I’m truly sorry about what happened to your son. At the time, he was the only suspect with motive and opportunity. If it were to happen again, I’d have to say I’d do the same thing. As far as my reluctance to talk to you about the case––I see you as an amateur sleuth with a cat for a partner. No excuses, I just can’t take either one of you seriously.”

Alyx stared at him for a full five seconds before she shook her head and laughed. “I guess I can’t blame you when you put it that way.”

She stood, slipped her bag over her shoulder, and at the same time, extended her hand. “If I can help in any way, as a concerned citizen, let me know. As far as my cat is concerned, I can’t make any promises; he has a mind of his own.”

The handshake said they had a temporary truce. As for me, I didn’t care what Detective Smarts thought of my detective skills. I had a job to do, and I intended to do it.

Unlike Smarts, there were several suspects with motive and opportunity on my list. All I needed was a little help to ferret them out into the open. Although I’d figured out that Simon wasn’t as altruistic as he wanted me to believe, it was necessary that I spend more time with him and his friends see what I could learn. I fervently hoped that I was strong enough to resist the temptation to join forces with him.

Later that night, I was so preoccupied with my own thoughts on the way to the shed, that I wasn’t aware I was being followed, until I saw Pooky and Misty situate themselves outside the shed so they could hear but not be seen. Misty had questioned me during the day and must have figured out that I was meeting with Simon and his friends. She probably thought I’d lied to her and I was still planning to join him.

Awed and confused, the girls were silent throughout the whole process. I had no way to warn them that they were being shadowed––my worst fear was realized when they filed into the dilapidated shack. Six huge Siamese cats sat in statuesque poses, their blue, laser-like eyes aimed at their captives, prohibiting any movement;

Wide-eyed with fear, my housemates held their heads high. I made a quick assessment of the situation and decided on a course of action. Before Simon could say anything, I pounced in front of the felines and in a loud roar that whipped their ears back, demanded to know why they’d followed me.

Misty stepped forward and hissed that she wanted to know if I was going to join Simon, and Pooky insisted that it wasn’t totally Misty’s idea. Then they looked at each other disheartened, unaware of my motives, when I said that I didn’t believe them. Simon grinned when I told him I wanted to take them home and teach them a lesson or two about privacy. I promised Simon it wouldn’t happen again and no one stood in our way as I led them both out. Once clear of the shed, the girls were off in a blur. I was proud of them. They were obviously scared, but not intimidated.

I was in no hurry. The felines were well ahead of me––which was fine––because I needed the time to clear my mind. Maybe I should have told them everything. I should have known that Misty wouldn’t let it go, but never did I believe that anything could have motivated Pooky to leave the house. The most important lesson I’d learned that night is that true friendship––human and otherwise––is a gift to cherish.

The trip home was uneventful; no animal or human challenged our right to the night. I arrived home a few minutes behind the other two and found them waiting on the lanai. There was no arguing when I flatly stated that I would discuss everything with them in the morning. I slid the latch on the pet door closed, with no human any wiser to our recent outdoor excursion.

The following morning while Alyx was busy doing other things, I reassured Misty that I hadn’t lied to her; I told her I had to make Simon think that I was still considering leaving so that I could learn more from him about Althea. She said she trusted me, but she had no idea what Simon was teaching me, and as far as Althea’s murder case went, she wanted to help and to let her know what I needed her to do. Then she bounced away, her string trailing behind her, the same-old Misty, yet so different.

At the shop, Alyx and Maggie were busy rearranging a few items on the floor, and Maggie was trying to keep things positive as they pushed and shoved furniture around. When Alyx complained about the work, Maggie said moving furniture was not her favorite thing to do either, yet undoubtedly it was worth the effort if the item sold. Nevertheless, they were delighted to see Mary Zenn walk in, a big smile on her face.

“You look like you won the lottery. What’s up?”

“It’s even better than winning the lottery,” answered Mary, plopping down on the couch they’d just pushed to a new location, the grin she walked in with not leaving her face.

“Maggie, let’s finish this later.”

“No problem; I’ll take good news over moving furniture any day.”

“Okay, are you ready for this?” asked Mary.

“Yes,” they answered in unison.

“Do you remember the paintings you sold to the man from Palm Beach?”

“Yes, Maggie said he asked for your card. Does he want to buy more of your work?” asked Alyx.

“Oh, it’s much better than that. John Rictus is the owner of the Rictus Art Gallery and he wants my artwork to be part of his next exhibition!”

“Mary, that’s wonderful!”

Alyx hugged her. Maggie congratulated her and waited to hear more.

“The show is in three months, and he wants me to do as many new paintings as I can until then. Apparently, they get more artsy tourists than we get here in Beachside,” she said glancing at the unsold paintings on the wall.

“I’ll send invitations, and I hope you both can come.”

Mary cleared her throat, “Do you think you guys can help me with my hair and clothes on the night of my show?”

“Sure, we can. Maggie is the fashion plate around here. I’ll be glad to go with you to my stylist Enzo; he’s great at makeovers. He’ll give you what you want done in his special way,” she laughed. “I’ll make an appointment for the week before, so you have time to adjust to your cut.”

The look on Mary’s face said she’d assumed too much. “You don’t want your hair cut, do you?”

Mary hung her head a little, “I thought just taming it a little would help. I’m an artist. Artists are supposed to look weird.” As she said that, her head came up, “Thanks, Alyx, I think I’ll go as myself,” and then she added, “Maybe you and Maggie can help me look like me, only better.”

Maggie and Alyx exchanged looks, and Maggie nodded. “Speaking for Maggie and me, it’s a deal,” said Alyx.