A Tale of Two Tabbies (3 page)

I woke the next morning to the sound of waves crashing onto the shore outside my window. By the time Finn had shown up the previous evening and filled us in, it had been really late. I’d hoped Cody would stay over, but he said he wanted to get home to check on Mr. Parsons, the elderly man he lived with. I had a million and one things to see to that day but decided the most important one was to take Max for his morning run along the beach. I’d been busy lately and Max hadn’t been getting the attention he deserved. Besides, I felt tense and out of sorts, and there was something relaxing about running on the sand as the waves come onto the shore and the thunder of the tide is the only sound that penetrates the rhythm of your own breathing. It was a cool morning, so I’d bundled up in a heavy sweatshirt and long sweatpants before pulling a knitted cap over my head and long ponytail.

It turned out Finn was able to determine that Theresa Lively had been hit over the head with a blunt object in the parking lot of St. Patrick’s. While the forensic team was still gathering information, it appeared, based on the blood they’d found both on the automobile and the asphalt, she was hit as she was either entering or exiting her car. She was then dragged around to the rear of the vehicle, where she was dumped into the trunk. The killer had used her keys to drive to her home and park the car in her garage. So far Finn hadn’t found any fingerprints other than Theresa’s, so it was being assumed that the killer either wore gloves or had been very careful.

The thing I found the most interesting was that Sydney was found in the confessional. If Theresa was just arriving at the church, why was the cat inside and how had he gotten locked in the confessional? If she was leaving rather than arriving, it still didn’t explain why the cat was inside. The only thing I could come up with was that the killer had grabbed the cat while he was vandalizing Theresa’s home, driven him to the church, locked him in the cubicle, and then left. The question was, why in the world would anyone do such a thing?

I took a deep breath as I jogged along the path that paralleled the beach, feeling the tension leave my body as I focused on nothing other than my own breathing and the sound of the sea. There’s a rhythm on Madrona that I’ve found to be true of island living in general. Maybe it’s the fact that there’s really nowhere to go, or that in general folks tend to stay put rather than move around, but I’ve found that island living brings a slower pace. Or at least it used to. It was true that with the changes the island had undergone in recent years, the pace of our lives seemed to have been affected to a certain degree.

Finn had interviewed Sister Mary the previous evening. Other than Father Kilian, who was away at the moment, she was the only one who lived on the church property. Sister Mary lived in a small house across the lawn and garden area from the church. She reported that she hadn’t visited the church building that afternoon, but she had noticed several cars belonging to members of the St. Patrick’s women’s group in the parking lot when she left to do errands at around three o’clock. Cody and I had arrived at around five and the parking lot was empty then, so the group members must have vacated the property at some point between three and five. Sister Mary couldn’t be certain that Theresa’s car was among those present at three. She hadn’t had cause to pay close attention to which members of the women’s group were on the property.

The only other person we knew for certain was present on the church grounds on Wednesday afternoon was Clifford Dayton. Clifford was the paid janitor at St. Patrick’s. While the women’s group sees to things such as cleaning the linens, light dusting, flower arrangements, and puttering around in the garden, Cliff takes care of all the heavy cleaning and maintenance. Finn had tried to reach Cliff the previous evening, but he was out and, as far as I knew, hadn’t returned his call yet.

Max and I ran along the beach for several miles and then I cut up to the road and turned onto the main highway so I could circle through the business section of Pelican Bay. As I neared the harbor, I turned down the first row of residences, which paralleled the oceanfront road where most of Pelican Bay’s businesses could be found.

I decided to pop in on Tansy to ask her about Sydney. In the past Tansy had sent me magical cats to help me with the murder investigations I seemed to be continually getting involved in. Neither Tansy nor her best friend, Bella, would admit or deny being witches, but both women knew things that couldn’t be empirically explained. While both Bella and Tansy seemed to be more in tune with the natural rhythms of the universe than most, it’s Tansy who demonstrates a level of intuition that’s downright disturbing. If Sydney was sent to me by Tansy, he would be the seventh cat she’d put me in contact with. Five of the previous six had helped me solve murders, and one had come to reunite a father with his son.

“Good morning, Bella,” I greeted after the tall woman opened her front door in response to my knock.

“Caitlin, how are you, dear? I was just getting ready to head down to the shop, but do come in.”

Bella and Tansy own Herbalities, an interesting shop that sells herbal remedies and offers fortune-telling services.

“I’m pretty sandy, but I’d like to speak to Tansy for a minute if she’s around.”

Bella bent down and petted Max behind the ears. “She’s here. Come on inside and have a cup of tea. A little sand and seawater never hurt anyone. I have a few minutes before I need to leave, so I’ll join you for a cup as well.”

I followed Bella into the cheerful house with the sunny kitchen. I took a seat at the table while Bella ran upstairs to get Tansy.

At first glance the kitchen was much like any other. There were cast-iron pots hanging from a rack, a bouquet of fresh flowers graced the table, a basket of fresh fruit sat on the tile counter, bunches of dried herbs hung from the ceiling, and healthy green potted plants had been set on several surfaces. Upon closer examination, however, visitors soon realized the plants growing in the enclosed sunporch to the rear of the house were actually herbs, and the knickknacks found around the room were talismans strategically placed for specific purposes.

“Cait.” Tansy hugged me when she glided into the kitchen in bare feet. “I had a feeling you’d be by, so I made you some of your favorite muffins.”

“Thank you; they look delicious.” I smiled at the petite, fair-skinned woman with jet-black hair hanging to her waist.

“I guess you’re here about Sydney.”

I should have known Tansy would get right to the matter at hand. “I assume you sent him to me?”

Tansy frowned. “Actually, no. The fact that you ran into Sydney in the confessional was strictly chance. I’m certain, however, that he can help you, although my instincts tell me this particular situation has many layers and might benefit from the help of another.”

I sat back in my chair. “Another?”

Tansy sat down at the table across from me while Bella made the tea. She stared into space, as if trying to get her bearings. I have to admit that the serious look on the face of the normally light and airy witch was making me a little nervous.

“You will be joined by another. A cat named Lucie. She will come to you before the sun sets. I feel conflicting energies. The cats will not like each other initially, but it is important that they work together. You need to make them see this.”

“How am I supposed to convince two cats who don’t get along to work together?”

Tansy smiled. “You’ll find a way.”

Great.

“These muffins are delicious.”

Bella set a pot of tea and three cups on the table and sat down before pouring the tea into the cups.

“Thank you,” Tansy answered. “They’re a special recipe I’ve developed. I had a feeling you would like them. I’ll bag some up for you to take to Siobhan. I’m afraid they won’t keep until Maggie returns, but I can make another batch for her next week.”

“You know Maggie’s away?”

“Of course.”

I should have figured. Tansy knew everything.

“I don’t suppose you could tell me where she’s gone off to? Siobhan and I are worried about her.”

Tansy looked directly at me. She paused, as if trying to make up her mind about something. “Maggie isn’t ill. There’s no cause for concern. She’s just trying to make up her mind about something and she needs the space to do so.”

I smiled in relief. I was still curious about where Maggie was, but if Tansy said she wasn’t ill, chances were she wasn’t.

“As long as we’re on the subject of people making up their minds about things, you wouldn’t happen to know what Cody has on his mind?”

Tansy smiled at me with a twinkle of knowing in her eyes. She glanced at Bella, who nodded before taking a sip of her tea. It was sort of creepy the way the two women seemed to communicate without either of them saying a word.

“Cody’s secret is not ours to tell,” Tansy replied. “He’ll tell you when the time is right.”

“I’m trying not to worry, but it’s hard. I want to help. He seems distressed, or maybe it’s more like confused.”

“Cody is facing a difficult decision, but I wouldn’t worry. My intuition tells me that everything will work itself out as it should.”

I wasn’t sure if that made me feel better or not, but I didn’t suppose there was anything I could do about the situation at that point in time, so I chatted with Tansy and Bella a while longer and then Max and I headed back toward the peninsula. I fed Max and headed over to the sanctuary to feed the cats before heading in to shower and get ready for work. I love the bookstore my best friend Tara and I run, but today I wished I could just stay home and work on a few of the theories I’d begun to develop.

“Everything is set for the advertising for the sale this weekend,” I informed Tara later that morning.

“Great. I know it’s only a two-day sale, but I’m really hoping for a good turnout. We could use a boost to our income after a couple of slow months.”

“Where are we with the new inventory?”

“Destiny catalogued it into the computer before she left for her lessons, and I have half of it set out. The rest is in the back.”

Destiny was our part-time employee.

“Did we get in any more of the new spring mugs? It seems they’ve been selling faster than we could put them on the shelves.”

“I set out the last batch yesterday and by the end of the day they were gone. I guess I’ll double the order next time.”

“Or triple it. The mugs have been our best-selling item the past couple of months. We should start planning a summer design now.”

“I’ve sketched out a few ideas. I’ll show them to you later. The ferry will be here in a few minutes. We should get the coffee bar ready.”

Tara started a fresh pot of coffee and then began refilling the other supplies we’d need to make the hot beverages we were known for. So far it seemed that combining a coffee bar with a bookstore and a cat lounge had proven to be a popular and profitable idea. January and February had been our slowest months since opening the store the previous August, but that was probably to be expected. The winter months were the slowest on the island in general.

“By the way,” Tara filled the grinder with coffee beans as I gathered the boxes we’d unpacked in preparation for disposal, “Jill Post was in yesterday while you were at lunch. I meant to tell you about her visit when you got back, but it slipped my mind. She asked about a kitten for Tillie. Apparently, Tillie saw a longhaired orange female when her mom was in picking up her order. I told her I’d ask you if she was still available.”

“She might be. I have an application I’m checking out from a woman who lives on Orcas Island, but unless my information is incorrect, it looks like she already has nine cats. I’m sure she loves cats and would probably take decent care of the little gal, but ten cats? I left a message for a friend of mine who lives on the island; she’s going to pop by her place to do a quickie home visit. If she does indeed have nine cats, I think I’ll decline the application. I’ll call Jill either way.”

“Yesterday was so hectic I never did ask you about your trip to Seattle on Tuesday. How’d it go?”

“Great. I think I accomplished everything I set out to do. I do need to follow up on a couple of the donors I spoke to about the cat sanctuary. Everyone seemed willing to help support the project, but there were a few who needed to speak to other people.”

“It’s a good cause most folks will want to get behind.”

“It is. Oh, you’ll never guess who I ran into on the ferry on the way home—Felicity Danielson,” I said, without waiting for Tara to try.

“I haven’t seen her in at least a couple of years.”

Felicity had gone to high school with Siobhan. Although she’d grown up on the island, she’d gotten a job in Seattle a couple of years ago and hadn’t returned since.

“She said this was the first time she’s been back since she left. I mentioned she might have waited for a nicer time of year to visit with all the rain we’ve been having, but she said she had some business to take care of that couldn’t wait. She looked worried and sort of tense. I hope everything’s okay.”

“I just spoke to her mother last week and she didn’t mention any problems. Of course she also didn’t mention Felicity was coming home.”