Kitten Kaboodle (Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 20) (2 page)

Ellie didn’t answer, but I knew I was right.

“Look, we don’t have to talk about this right now, but you know I’m here for you. We’ve been through a lot together during the course of our friendship. I don’t know what’s going on, but I do know you can talk to me about it.”

“I know.” Ellie smiled a weak sort of smile. “But not now and not here. Let’s change the subject.”

“Okay. What do you want to talk about?”

“Why don’t you fill me in on what’s going on with the Ashton Falls Event Committee? I know we have a meeting tomorrow and after being away for a month I feel totally out of the loop.”

I shrugged. “Okay, if you really want to discuss the committee I’m game, but it’s going to be a pretty boring conversation.”

“At this moment, given our surroundings, I think boring is the most appropriate.”

“Okay, if you say so. Let’s see. There was a discussion at last week’s meeting about doing a wine tasting toward the end of September. There was concern among some of the members that the downtime between the Fourth of July celebration and Haunted Hamlet was much too long and we needed an event that could be held each year in the early fall.”

Ellie looked doubtful. “I’m not sure why anyone would come to Ashton Falls for a wine tasting. We don’t even have a winery.”

“Some of the event committee members suggested we do one of those wine walks, where the shops along Main Street each offer a different wine and appetizer for tasting.”

“I guess that could be fun. Did the committee select someone to organize it?”

“They wanted me to do it, but I’m already doing Haunted Hamlet, so they asked a couple of the others to organize a subcommittee to do the initial legwork. My dad seems to have ended up as head of the subcommittee, so I’ll probably wind up being volunteered in some capacity in spite of the fact that I still have a lot of planning to do for the Hamlet.”

“Have you nailed down a venue of this year’s haunted house?” Ellie inquired.

“Actually, after what’s happened the past few years with the haunted house, the committee is talking about not doing a haunted house at all. Personally, I think that would be a mistake. The haunted house is the cornerstone of Haunted Hamlet. I’m not sure people from out of the area will even bother to make the trip up the mountain if we don’t have one. And really, what are the odds that the event will have to be canceled due to a real dead body four years in a row?”

“Given our history, pretty good.” Ellie smirked.

She had a point. Ashton Falls had seen more than its share of homicides in the past few years. Three years ago the body of a football coach from a rival high school was found in the abandoned house the committee planned to use, two years ago a real ghost hunter was found dead in that same haunted house, and then, last year, the body of one of the community volunteers was found in the very real graveyard just outside of the house we’d selected for the event. Still, in my opinion Haunted Hamlet wouldn’t be Haunted Hamlet without a haunted something to serve as the cornerstone. If we didn’t have to deal with unpredictable weather, a haunted hayride or a haunted walk through the woods could be fun.

The waitress came by to ask us about dessert, effectively ending our conversation.

“My stomach has been a little off lately, so I think I’ll pass,” Ellie informed the waitress. She turned to me. “But you go ahead.”

“I guess I’ll pass too,” I answered even though dessert is my favorite part of any meal. The fudge cake was tempting, but I wanted to get home to check on my furry houseguests.

“I’ll be back with your check,” the waitress said before she left.

I was half-tempted to call the waitress back to order a piece of the fudge cake to go, but I’d been on a sugar binge lately and I knew I really should cut back. I turned my attention to Ellie. “I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well. You do look a little green. I hope you aren’t getting the flu.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. It’s been a long month and I think I just overdid it. I haven’t been sleeping all that well, which I’m sure hasn’t helped the situation.”

“If you remember, I had the flu at the beginning of last summer and it wasn’t fun at all. Be sure to drink plenty of liquids.”

“I will.”

I paid the check and was gathering my things when my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and frowned. It was the sheriff’s office. Apparently, someone had ratted me out about the kittens.

“Salinger,” I greeted our local sheriff in our traditional manner once I’d answered my cell.

“It’s Nona.”

“Nona? Why are you calling me from Salinger’s phone?”

“You’re my one call and this is the phone they gave me to use.”

“One call? Are you in jail?”

“’Fraid so and I’m madder than a cat with its tail caught in the lawn mower.”

I grimaced at the imagery. “I guess Edna must have figured out that you’d taken the kittens and turned you in.”

“Kittens? What kittens?”

“The kittens I found on the front doorstep this afternoon.”

“I didn’t leave any kittens on the doorstep, and even if I had, Edna wouldn’t have turned me in. She couldn’t have, on account of the fact that she’s dead and all.”

“Dead?”

“Deader than a doornail. Your buddy here thinks I done wacked the woman, but I didn’t. I don’t suppose you could come on down here and straighten this out? My shows are on in a bit and I’d hate to miss them.”

“I’ll be right there.” I turned to look at Ellie. “They’ve arrested Nona for killing Edna.”

“The cat woman?”

I took a deep breath as I tried to calm my racing heart. “Yeah. I have to go. Can you go to my house and check on the kittens on your way home?”

“Absolutely. Anything else? Are the kids at home?”

Ellie referred to the three minors who lived with Zak and me: Peter Irwin, more commonly known as Pi, Alex Bremmerton, and Scooter Sherwood.

“No, they’re all out of town at the moment, but you should call Zak. He’s out of town as well, but he has his cell. Tell him what’s going on. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.”

I grabbed the cute backpack I’d been using as a purse and ran for my car. Poor Nona. She was a free spirit who wouldn’t do well in a cage. I hoped that once I spoke to Salinger I’d be able to get everything sorted out, although I had a feeling things were going to be quite a bit more complicated than I hoped.

The drive to the sheriff’s office was accomplished in under five minutes, but it seemed like days had passed since I’d received the news. I ran in through the front door only to find the reception area empty, so I headed down the hall to Salinger’s office.

“Donovan,” the man with the short gray hair and steely gaze greeted me when I hurried in through his office door.

“What happened?” I took a deep breath and tried to control the panic in my voice. “Why did you arrest Nona?”

“It appears she took her campaign to shut down the kitten mill a step too far. Edna Leech is dead and we have every reason to believe Nona is the one who took her life.”

I started to argue, but Salinger stopped me. “Have a seat and I’ll fill you in.”

I sat down on the chair across the desk from the sheriff, but I certainly didn’t sit still. This really couldn’t be happening. Sure, Nona was a bit of a firecracker, but she wasn’t a killer. I cringed as Salinger explained that a woman named Vivian Roundtree, who was interested in purchasing one of Edna’s Maine coons, had gone out to Edna’s place to look at the kittens. When Edna didn’t answer her door the woman decided to check out the barn; she had an appointment and she knew Edna was expecting her. When she entered the barn she found Edna dead on the floor. It was determined that she’d been hit over the head with a shovel, which they found in the shrubbery behind the barn. The police cars attracted the attention of neighbors, who were interviewed at the scene. One of the neighbors reported that she had seen a woman on a pink Harley on the property earlier in the day.

I tried to explain that Nona had been out to Edna’s property that morning to check on the cats, which was when the neighbor must have seen her.

“There’s more.” Salinger looked at me with sympathy in his eyes. “We discovered a tassel in Edna’s hand. It was determined that Edna must have pulled the tassel from her attacker’s clothing when they struggled. We believe it came from Nona’s leather jacket.”

“How do you know that?”

“I recognized it as coming from the jacket she’d had on the day I had a conversation with her regarding the ‘No Parking Zone’ in town. Not too many pink leather jackets around with silver tassels.”

“Oh, God.” I leaned my head back and stared at the ceiling. “What did Nona say when you asked her about it?”

“She said it has been ‘hotter than Hades during sinning season’ and she hadn’t worn that particular jacket for days. It’s her opinion that anyone could have broken into the storage compartment of her Harley and taken the garment.”

“Was the jacket in there when you went to look for it?”

“No. The compartment was empty. Nona seemed to think an empty compartment was proof her jacket had been stolen, but the truth of the matter is that we have no way of knowing if the jacket had ever been stored in the compartment, and even if it had been, there’s no proof she didn’t remove or destroy the jacket after she killed Edna.”

I leaned forward in my chair and placed my folded arms on Salinger’s desk. I knew I needed to choose my words wisely, but all I really wanted to do was scream at the top of my lungs that the man must be mistaken and he really should let me take Nona home. “The temperature today hovered in the mideighties. It really doesn’t make sense that Nona—or anyone else, for that matter—would have been wearing a leather jacket, or any other jacket for that matter. If the tassel is indeed from a jacket, the only thing that makes sense is that someone intentionally planted it in Edna’s hand.”

“Maybe,” Salinger admitted, “but at this point Nona is our best and really only suspect. We know she’s been in a battle with the woman over the cats, which gives her motive, and she did admit that she’d stopped by the victim’s home earlier this morning to confront her about some sick kittens, so that puts her at the scene of the crime.”

I was sure Nona was innocent, but I saw this one was going to be tough.

“What time did Edna die?”

“It’s been determined that Ms. Leech died between one and two o’clock this afternoon.”

“And what time did the witness say he saw Nona on the property?”

“Before noon. I know what you’re going to say: Nona might have been at the scene of the crime, but she wasn’t at the scene at the
time
of the crime. The problem is that the district attorney will make the case that she came back after her initial visit and killed her. I don’t suppose you can vouch for Nona’s whereabouts between one and two o’clock?”

I hesitated. Nona had come home at around eleven-thirty, but she’d left again by noon, and the kittens weren’t delivered to my front porch until around three. I assumed Nona had gone back for the kittens, but if she did, she clearly didn’t want Salinger to know about the second visit. I supposed I understood her hesitation. Putting her at the crime scene near the time of death wouldn’t help her case at all. I struggled with my conscience as I tried to determine whether or not I should mention the kittens and the fact that she must have gone back, but in the end I decided to wait. “I saw Nona this morning, but I was at the Zoo between one and two.”

Salinger sat back in his large leather power chair. He seemed to be studying my face, most likely to determine whether or not I was lying. “You know how I feel about you and Zak, but I’ve looked at the evidence and it really does appear that Nona killed Ms. Leech in a fit of rage. The woman is a loose cannon. Do you know that she threw eggs at my car the other day after I gave her a ticket for riding her Harley down Main Street at almost seventy miles an hour? After the egg incident I brought her in to discuss the matter and she proceeded to disrobe in my office, saying if I was going to take her to jail I was going to ‘have to take the real her beneath the outer layer in which we shield ourselves.’”

I suppressed a smile. “I realize Nona is a colorful person, and she has a tendency to act on her emotions without the benefit of a filter, but she isn’t a killer. I know her well enough to know she has a good heart beneath the flamboyant exterior she parades around in.”

“If you really believe that, you best find a way to prove it. The district attorney is convinced we have our killer, so I doubt much will be done to look for additional suspects. Personally, I think the woman is guilty. It seemed obvious to me that she was hiding something when we spoke. It would be my recommendation that you stay out of this one. For one thing, you’re too close to the situation to remain objective. In the event that you don’t take my advice, I would caution you to be careful. I’d hate to see you pulled into something that very well may not turn out the way you hope.”

I’d rather ride Nona’s pink Harley through town naked in a snowstorm than give up on her, but I didn’t say as much. “I’ll be careful. Can I see Nona?”

“Not until after her arraignment.”

“And when will that be?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

“She’ll need a lawyer,” I realized. “I’ll arrange one.”

“Figured you would. If you’re unable to secure one, a public defender will be assigned, but the one in our area is newly licensed, and I have a feeling that woman is going to need someone with a bit more experience if she hopes to talk her way out of this one.”

“Don’t worry; I’ll find someone. Is it okay to collect the cats from Edna’s place and take them back to the Zoo?”

“I figured you’d want to do that, so I cleared it with the county. They want a complete inventory of the cats you remove from the property and none of them can be rehomed until we establish who legally owns them now that Ms. Leech has passed.”

“Okay, I understand. And Salinger…”

“Yeah?”

“I know how it looks, but please try to keep an open mind.”

“I will if you will.”

I just looked at the man I had come to respect. I really hoped this wouldn’t permanently destroy our relationship.

After I left the sheriff’s office I called Zak, who had spoken to Ellie. He’d called an attorney he knew, who’d agreed to take Nona’s case. Then I called Ellie and filled her in. She was feeling better after getting some fresh air and agreed to meet me at the cat farm to help with the relocation of the animals.

We had only about ninety minutes of daylight left despite the fact that it didn’t get dark until almost nine-thirty, and I wanted to get all the animals moved that night. I finished my conversation with Ellie and called Jeremy Fisher, my assistant at Zoe’s Zoo, to ask if he would be able to head there to make sure we had room for all the cats to be housed comfortably. As soon as I hung up with Jeremy, I headed to Edna’s.

Edna lived on a five-acre parcel that was bordered by national forest in the back, a cabin on the right owned by a woman named Tilly Palmer, and another five-acre piece of land belonging to a man named Jethro Willits on the left. Directly in front of Edna’s property, across the narrow country lane, was a seasonal ranch that offered horseback riding tours during the warmer summer months. During the winter, the owner, Ned Bunting, transported the horses down the mountain to a location at a low enough elevation that snow wasn’t a factor. Maybe one of Edna’s neighbors had seen someone other than Nona on the property. I’d get the cats settled in at the Zoo, then come back to knock on doors.

“Are you sure Nona is as innocent as you believe she is?” Ellie asked as she helped me load the cats into travel crates. “It makes sense that Nona came to the cat farm to rescue the kittens, Edna caught her, they struggled, and Nona ended the fight by hitting Edna over the head with the shovel.”

“I know it seems like that’s what most likely happened, but unless Nona confesses to Edna Leech’s murder I’m not going to believe she did it. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut, and my gut is telling me that Nona is innocent. At least she’s innocent of killing Edna; I have little doubt she’s the one who stole the kittens.”

“Even though she told you she didn’t steal them?”

“Yeah, that is a bit odd. Maybe Salinger was listening in and she didn’t want him to know about the kittens, or maybe she was trying to protect me from getting pulled into the whole thing.”

“Are you going to add the six kittens at your house to the inventory sheet?”

Was I? Salinger had told me to keep a list of the cats and kittens I removed from the property, but technically I hadn’t removed the kittens currently residing at my house. When I explained this to Ellie she shot me a look of disapproval. I knew she wouldn’t say anything, but I also knew she was disappointed in me. It wasn’t the fact that the kittens were valuable that made me want to hide them. I’d happily pay for them. It was the fact that at this point I really didn’t know what was going to happen to the felines Edna had owned.

“What about this Aspen?” Ellie asked, diverting the subject from the kittens in my possession. “What if Nona told her about the kittens and she’s the one who stole them? Maybe she’s the one who actually killed Edna.”

I frowned. “I don’t know. She doesn’t seem the type to kill a person. She’s so nice.”

“A lot of killers are nice,” Ellie pointed out.

When I didn’t answer Ellie continued with her train of thought. “Okay, let’s look at the timeline. You told me Salinger said Edna was killed between one and two o’clock, which means if Nona didn’t kill the woman, she had to have rescued the kittens before Edna was killed or she would have seen the body. The kittens were left for you around three. If Nona stole the kittens before Edna died she would have had to have taken them prior to two. Why would she wait to bring them to you?”