Kitten Kaboodle (Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 20) (4 page)

I stopped to consider Ellie’s words. The attorney did seem to know his stuff, but could I really trust him to have the skill necessary to ensure Nona’s freedom when even I had doubts as to her innocence? Perhaps I needed to prove Nona was innocent for my own sake. If she simply got off due to a technicality or a superior argument made by the attorney Zak had hired and the truth was never found, there would always be a part of me that wondered.

“I know you’re worried about my getting involved in yet another murder investigation, but I need to see this through. My gut is telling me there’s more going on here than a simple dispute over the cats. I don’t know what that might be yet, but my Zodar is encouraging me to look at the entire picture and not give in to the tendency to focus on a single motive for Edna’s death—which, by the way, is exactly what Salinger is doing.”

“You think someone killed her for a reason other than the dispute over the kitten mill?”

“I think the idea that Edna was killed for a different reason should be explored at the very least. Maybe we should talk to Silvia Downing. I remember Aspen telling me a while back that Silvia and Edna used to be friends. It seems in the beginning Edna just had a couple of cats who lived in the house as pets. After one of the cats became pregnant and she realized how much money was to be made selling Maine coons she began buying more and more cats until she had too many for the house and began keeping them in the barn. At that point Silvia and Edna parted ways. When Aspen began her campaign Silvia was one of her first volunteers. She not only hated the fact that the cats were treated as livestock but she hated what owning the cats had done to Edna.”

“Does Silvia still work at the sporting goods store?”

“As far as I know. It’s just down the street. Let’s find out.”

As it turned out, Silvia did still work at the sporting goods store, and she was more than happy to talk to us. Silvia, like Edna, was a very attractive woman who knew how to play up her assets and seemed to enjoy creating a reaction from the opposite sex by displaying said assets in a friendly yet seductive way. I didn’t know either Silvia or Edna well, but if I had to guess, their friendship had initially been based on a mutual appreciation of outer beauty.

“Yes, Edna and I used to be friends. When we met we both enjoyed going out and partying on the weekends, but then Edna changed. Not only did she become so obsessed with her cats that she rarely left her property but she used to be kinder and less obsessed with making money. Actually, she used to be less obsessed in general.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

Silvia shrugged. “I don’t know; it just seemed like Edna began to focus on select things and select people to an obsessive degree while pretty much ignoring everyone and everything else. It’s like with the cats; she went from having a couple of them she seemed to really care about to having a barnful that, as far as I know, she cared for only to the extent they produced kittens that brought in money.”

“So you decided to join Aspen in her attempt to shut down the kitten mill?”

“I was one of the first to sign up. I don’t know if you’ve been out to Edna’s place, but the way she treated those poor cats just wasn’t right. And it had gotten worse. At least she used to take care of them, but lately I heard she didn’t even take them to the vet when they were sick. They either got better on their own or they didn’t. If you ask me, the subject of her obsession had changed in recent months. I think she was beginning to lose interest in the cats, which was why she stopped taking care of them. I’m not a psychiatrist, but I’d be willing to bet Edna had a personality disorder that could probably be labeled. After I began to hear rumors that she wasn’t caring for the cats anymore I decided I would join Aspen and do what I could. The thought of sick cats left to die simply because Edna had tired of them was almost more than I could take.”

Boy, did I understand that. “Do you think it’s possible someone from your group could have killed Edna over the way she treated the cats?”

Silvia shrugged. “Well, I don’t know for sure, but I’d be surprised if that were true. Still, there are members of our group who are very passionate about the ethical treatment of animals. Tempers do flare at times, and I know Edna had altercations with at least two of our protestors outside of their time with the group.”

“Who?”

“Ben Wild and Donald Jacobs. I heard Ben ran into Edna at the post office, and Donald claims Edna has been stalking him, which in my mind totally fits.”

“Stalking him?”

“I told you she can become obsessed with both things and people. I can totally imagine that if she became obsessed with a person she would stalk them. I don’t know all the details, but he told me that when she showed up at the construction site where he’d been working he made it clear he was going to take action if she didn’t stop following him.”

I frowned. “Why would Edna be obsessed with Donald? I seem to remember he was recently engaged.”

“I don’t know why Edna set her sights on Donald. As far as I can tell, he didn’t know either. What he said was that every time he turned around, there was Edna, watching him. It was driving him crazy. I had to stop him from becoming physically violent with her when she showed up at our protest a few days ago.”

I wasn’t close to Donald, but based on what I knew of him, he didn’t seem like a violent man. If he’d reacted to Edna’s presence in the manner Silvia had just described, the woman must really have pushed his buttons. I made a mental note to follow up with both Ben and Donald. I also wanted to have another chat with Nona.

“You know who else you might talk to?” Silvia added. “Wanda Ferguson. She isn’t a member of our group, but I heard a rumor that Wanda slapped Edna at the grocery store a while back."

“Wanda slapped Edna?”

“That’s what I heard. In fact, people are saying that if Ernie hadn’t stepped in, their altercation would have turned into a full-on cat fight.”

Okay, I guess that was interesting news. I couldn’t imagine Wanda slapping anyone. She worked at the local dry cleaner, and in all the years I’d known her, she’d been nothing but pleasant. I thanked Silvia for the leads and Ellie and I said our good-byes.

If Edna had been following Donald around others must have seen her. At this point I was going to keep an open mind as I tracked down any clues there were to find.

We were greeted by a young girl who looked to be around ten years old when we arrived on Edna’s property. She was tall and thin, with long braids draped over her shoulders and a nose covered with freckles I couldn’t help but find endearing.

“Are you here to see Edna?” the girl asked as soon as we got out of the car.

I hesitated, unsure what my response should be. “Do you live around here?”

“Just down the way.” The girl pointed down the road. “I come by to play with the kittens sometimes, but when I got here today I found them all gone. Did Edna move?”

“I’m afraid Edna passed away.”

“She’s dead?” The girl looked to be surprised but not necessarily mournful.

“Yes, I’m afraid so.”

I watched the girl as she looked toward the barn. “And the cats?”

“The cats are safe.”

The girl let out a breath. “That’s good. When I got here and they were gone I was afraid something bad had happened to them.”

“Why would you think that?” I wondered.

“Edna told me there were bad people who were trying to take the cats away from her. She was worried about what might happen to them if the bad people got their way.”

I was momentarily taken aback when I realized Nona, Aspen, and I were most likely the
bad people
the girl was referring to. “I run a shelter in town,” I assured the girl. “We made sure they were all tucked in nice and comfy.”

“I know who you are. You’re Zoe.”

“That’s right. What’s your name?”

“Shawna Brighton.”

“So how do you know my name is Zoe?”

“My friend Tucker told me about you. He said sometimes you pay him if he finds lost animals.”

“Yeah, sometimes Tucker helps me out. Do you know him from school?”

“No, I’m homeschooled, but one of Tucker’s aunts lives next to me. He comes and stays with her sometimes and we hang out. Can I come to see the cats at the shelter?”

“Maybe this afternoon, if it’s okay with your mother. Did you come to see the cats yesterday?”

“No. My mom made me go to Bryton Lake with her for the weekend and we didn’t get back until late last night.”

“When was the last time you came by to play with the cats?”

“Last week.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“I guess it was Wednesday. No, not Wednesday; Thursday. I remember Tucker was here on Thursday and we came together.” Shawna looked down the road. “I better go. My mom doesn’t like me to talk to strangers. If she finds out that I’ve been talking to you, I’ll get a whippin’ for sure.”

I looked at Ellie after Shawna had taken off down the street. “A whipping?”

Ellie shrugged.

“Let’s take a walk around the property and then we can head next door to see if Tilly is home,” I suggested. I stood in the drive and looked toward Edna’s house. It wasn’t a bad place as houses went. Two stories with green shutters, it actually had quite a bit of curb appeal in spite of the fact that it was somewhat weathered and Edna had done absolutely nothing to the natural landscape.

The barn where the cats had been housed was perhaps fifty yards south of the house. It was white as well, and from the outside it looked like any other barn in the area. If you didn’t know any better, you would assume it was used for horses or other livestock; it was only after you entered the interior of the building that you realized the space was designed to house the dozens of cats Edna bred.

Ellie received a phone call shortly after we arrived so I looked around the property, then went alone to Tilly’s. Unlike Edna’s house, which could use a bit of TLC, Tilly’s house, as well as the surrounding acreage, was immaculate. I rang the bell and waited on the front porch. The drive was devoid of automobiles, but I was sure I could hear the sound of a television coming from the back of the house.

“Can I help you?” a nicely dressed woman asked after answering the door.

“Hi, my name is Zoe Donovan.”

“Oh, I know who you are. You’re the shelter owner who’s trying to shut down the cat factory next door.”

A
cat factory
was an interesting way to refer to Edna’s enterprise, but I supposed it was accurate. “Yes, I own the animal shelter in town. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.”

“About the cats?”

“Actually, about Edna’s murder.”

Tilly squinted and tightened her lips. I was expecting a flat-out refusal when she opened the door and invited me in. Her home was as immaculate on the inside as it was on the outside, so I asked Charlie to wait for me on the porch.

“Can I get you a cold beverage?” Tilly offered.

“No. I’ll just keep you a minute. Your home is lovely.”

“Thank you. I was sorry to hear about Edna, but I wasn’t sorry to find out the cats had been taken away. I was afraid they’d ruin the wedding.”

“The wedding?”

“I’m getting married next month. The reception will be here in my garden, but the stench from the barn can become quite unbearable when the wind shifts and blows in this direction.”

“Oh. Yes, I can see that would be a problem. Congratulations.” I hadn’t noticed a particular odor, but maybe that was just because I was used to the scent of animals in my environment.

“Thank you. Now what can I help you with?”

“Did you happen to notice whether Edna had any visitors yesterday?”

“I wasn’t home yesterday. I left early to do some shopping in Bryton Lake and didn’t return until late in the evening. I didn’t even know Edna had died until Jethro filled me in this morning.”

“Jethro is the man who lives on the other side of Edna’s property?”

“Yes. I’m afraid Edna and Jethro didn’t get along. In fact, Edna didn’t really get along with any of the folks who live in this area. When Jethro showed up on my porch this morning with a big grin on his face I knew something was up.”

“Jethro was upset about the cats?”

“The property line. A while back, quite out of the blue, Edna contacted Jethro and told him his well was actually on her property. Now, that well has been exactly where it is today for over fifty years, and up until now no one has given it a second thought, but Edna was thinking about adding another structure to her property and part of the permit process was to have the property assessed. It turns out the property lines on record with the county don’t match the fence lines at all. As soon as Edna found out about the well, she insisted that Jethro pay her a ridiculous amount to lease the property where the well was located or she would sue.”

“I take it Jethro wasn’t happy about that.”

“He was more than unhappy; he was downright angry. Edna wanted a fortune and his attorney told him that his only recourse if he couldn’t work something out with Edna was to move the well. But the cost of filling in the old well and digging a new one a few feet away was quite prohibitive.”

I had to wonder if Jethro was mad enough to kill the woman who had been causing him so much trouble.

After I left Tilly, Ellie and I headed back toward town. Neither Jethro nor Ned were at home, so I supposed I’d have to continue my investigation another day. Ellie needed to run a few errands before coming over to my place for dinner that night and I needed to go grocery shopping because the invite had been an impulse, so we parted ways but agreed to meet up at around six that evening.

The Ashton Falls Market was a small, independent store run by a friendly man named Ernie Young. Ernie liked to chat while he checked you out, so more often than not he proved to be a good source of local gossip. Actually, one of the things I liked most about shopping in the local market was the hometown feel Ernie brought to the place.

“Afternoon, Zoe. You having a party?”

I imagined Ernie’s comment was prompted by the bottle of tequila and fresh limes in my basket. “No. Ellie and Levi are coming for dinner.”

“I’ve got some nice-looking steaks on sale.”

“I saw that, but I think I’m going to stick with a Mexican theme. I don’t suppose you have any avocados in the back? The selection in the produce aisle are pretty hard and I wanted to make guacamole to go with the tacos.”

“Hang on and I’ll take a look.”

I waited while Ernie went into the back. As with many small-town shops, the Ashton Falls Market was a good place to run into neighbors to discuss the latest news. Today, however, the only other customers were two women who must have been from out of town because I didn’t recognize them. It only took a moment for Ernie to return with two perfectly ripe candidates. “How about these?”

“They’re perfect, thanks.”

Ernie and I chatted about Zak and the kids while I struggled to find a smooth segue into the topic I really wanted to discuss. Luckily, Ernie brought up Edna’s death, creating the perfect opening.

“I heard she had an altercation with Wanda Ferguson right here in the store,” I smoothly piggybacked onto Ernie’s comment.

“You got that right. Talk about a chick fight. I thought I was going to have to call the sheriff when Edna pulled off Wanda’s wig and Wanda went and slapped her.”

“Do you happen to know what they were arguing about?”

Ernie looked around before lowering his voice and leaning in toward me. “Seemed Wanda was upset that Edna had been seen with her husband Pete outside the River Ranch Motor Lodge.”

I frowned. “Wanda suspected Edna and Pete were having a fling?”

“Based on what I witnessed that seemed to be the case, and based on what I’ve heard from other folk I’ve discussed this with, it seems Wanda was right. I even heard talk that Pete was planning to leave Wanda for Edna. Of course, with Edna out of the way now, I’m guessing Wanda might have a shot at keeping her marriage together.”

Pete was a fairly unspectacular-looking man who at first glance didn’t seem the type to attract a person like Edna, but I remembered what Silvia had said about Edna’s obsessions. I supposed obsessions were just that and couldn’t always be explained. Wanda seemed like a nice-enough woman; still, it seemed to me a cheating husband and destroyed marriage might make as good a motive for murder as any. I wondered if Salinger knew about Wanda’s feud with Edna. I considered calling him and mentioning it, but, on the other hand, knowing something he didn’t could give me leverage should I need it in the future.

After the market I stopped by the feed store, which was just down the street, to get a few supplies for our household pets. Charlie began to bark and wag his entire body when we pulled into the parking lot. I’m sure he loved visiting the feed store because they always had a yummy treat for him to try out, and the people there were always nice, so he got lots of hugs and kisses as well.

“Can I help you?” I was greeted by a young man I’d never seen before. It wasn’t often the feed store had new employees, but I had heard that one of the clerks had moved on.

“Hi, my name is Zoe. I run the animal rescue and rehabilitation shelter in town.”

“I’m so happy to meet you,” the young man gushed. “My name is Christian. Chris for short. If you just give me a few minutes, I’ll gather together your regular order. I would have had it ready, but I didn’t realize you’d be by today.”

“You know what my regular order is?”

“Yes, ma’am. I just got promoted from handyman and delivery driver to clerk. I want to do a good job, so I made it a point to memorize the regular orders of all of our larger customers. In fact, you’re our largest customer by a lot, so anything I can do for you…”

“Actually, I’m just here today to buy some food and supplies for the menagerie of animals who share our home. My assistant, Jeremy, will call first if we need to place an order for the Zoo.”

The boy looked relieved. Getting together a large order like the kind we required for the Zoo would take hours for a single person.

“So, how many customers’ orders did you memorize?” I asked.

“Five so far. The Zoo is our biggest client, followed by the Ashton Falls Home for Maine Coons.”

“I guess they require a lot of cat litter.”

“Yes, ma’am, and we sold it to her wholesale. We even delivered it, although I heard the woman who owned the place passed away, so I’m not sure what will happen now.”

I paused as two other customers came in. I realized the new clerk might know something that could at some point provide a clue, but I didn’t want to start asking questions in front of people I didn’t know. Charlie and I looked at the dog toys while we waited for the customers to leave, then worked my way back up to the counter.

“Looks like Charlie found a toy he likes,” Chris commented.

I was more than a little bit impressed that Chris knew Charlie’s name. He really had done his homework.

“Yeah, I think he’s made his decision. The only other thing I really need today is dog food.”

“I’ll be happy to load it in your car for you.”

“Thanks, I’d appreciate that. So, what did you think of Edna’s breeding operation?”

“Think?”

“You said you delivered supplies there. I guess I assumed you must have had access to the cats.”