“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.