Denton jerked to his feet, swerved his eyes once toward Reggie, and aimed the dart gun at me.
I emptied my .38 into Denton’s cesspool heart.
29
At the memorial service for Conrad and Stevie, swirling dust motes shimmered like sequins above a large photograph of them at their wedding. In the photo, Stevie was radiant in a traditional bridal gown and veil; Conrad wore a splendid morning coat, a pleated white shirt, modestly patterned skorts, and his signature ear bobs. They looked so vital, so alive, that it was hard to believe they were dead.
Inside the chapel, an organist played softly while the audience sat in silence, still stunned at the ugly violence that had lived among them. Outside, the media slavered over a breaking scandal that involved some of Florida’s most prestigious politicians and businessmen. A grand jury had decided that Leo Brossi had killed and been killed by Gabe Marks, and that I had shot Denton Ferrelli in self-defense. Once again, my name had become front-page news. I had actually been turned into something of a heroine, which shows that people who write about killing don’t have a clue what it means to do it.
I sat with Josephine and her husband. Josephine kept an arm tight around my shoulders as if she were afraid I might bolt and run. I might have too, if I hadn’t known reporters would love to see it.
A moment of quiet fell, and then the organist swung into a loud rendition of “Stars and Stripes Forever,” the signal circus bands use to alert performers that a major disaster has struck. At the cue, a line of clowns wearing red noses and big silly shoes stepped through the side door and took seats in the front two rows. Pete followed them, also dressed in full clown, and stepped to the dais to deliver the eulogy. Now that Denton was no longer a threat to Conrad’s plan for a retirement home for circus performers, I knew there was joy mixed with Pete’s sadness.
I looked over my shoulder and saw Guidry a few rows back and across the aisle. Ethan Crane was almost directly behind him, and both of them were watching me. Their eyes held identical questions that I couldn’t decipher. Or maybe I just didn’t want to.
I can barely answer my own questions, how could I answer theirs?
Acknowledgments
As always, many thanks to The Thursday Group—Greg Jorgensen, Kate Holmes, Clark Lauren, and Janet McLaughlin—who heard a lot of this book as fastscribbled scenes written during our weekly Improv Writing Class. For their support, information, and friendship, I am blessed.
Thanks to Barry DeChant, aka the famous “Bonzo,” for letting me join one of his classes for future clowns, many of whom will work in hospices and children’s hospitals. The world is enriched by their wise humor and generosity of heart, as it is by clowns all over the country. For general crime-scene information, a big thank-you to Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department Crime Scene Technician Lora Garrett; to Dr. Reinhard W. Motte, Miami-Dade County Associate Medical Examiner; and to Homicide Detective Chris Ioreo of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department.
For this and every other book in the Dixie Hemingway Mystery Series, I have gratefully used information provided by numerous Web sites, newspapers, magazines, and books, most notably The New Natural Cat by Anitra Frazier with Norma Eckroate, and nature articles by Kat Wingert in the Siesta Key Observer.
And finally, many thanks to my dream team: Marcia Markland, the world’s best editor, and her assistant, Diana Szu; and to my agent, Annelise Robey, and her cohorts at the Jane Rotrosen Agency. In a time when many writers are wearing invisible black armbands for their dead faith in the publishing world, Marcia, Diana, and Annelise have been unfailingly loyal and supportive.
Also by Blaize Clement
Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter
Praise for Blaize Clement and DUPLICITY DOGGED THE DACHSHUND
“Don’t let the cutesy title fool you. This isn’t one of those lightweight, frothy ‘fun with animals’ stories … It’s tough, gritty, and edgy. One of the strongest points of Clement’s work is her knack for building suspense slowly but steadily, to the point where you have no idea what peril might be lurking just around the bend.”
—Sarasota Herald-Tribune
“Clement uses the animals in Dixie’s care … to enrich her plot, creating in the process an entertaining cozy, one of the few set in South Florida, land of noir.”
—Booklist
CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT SITTER
“A knockout read … For anyone who loves mysteries, animals, or just plain great writing.”
—Laurien Berenson, author of Chow Down
“Clement’s assured cozy debut introduces an appealing heroine.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Impressive … a sure keeper, with well-developed characters, seamless prose, and a winning plot … [a] commendable new series.”
—Mystery Lovers.com
“A first-rate debut.”
—Booklist
“Entertaining … Dixie is a complex, well-conceived character and the plot fast-moving and believable.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“At once a cozy mystery for animal lovers and a jarringly earthy hard-boiled whodunit about human corruption. Clement’s sleuth, Florida pet-sitter Dixie Hemingway, is an engaging combination of vulnerability and toughness, but the real heroine of the story is a gritty Abyssinian cat. A good read!”
—Susan Conant, author of Gaits of Heaven and the Holly Winter Dog Lover’s Mysteries
“Kick off your flip-flops, find a hammock, and settle in for a fun read. Clement’s Floridian heroine, Dixie Hemingway, spouts laugh-out-loud one-liners and words of wisdom in this intriguing whodunit filled with twists, turns, and some pretty captivating critters!”
—Cynthia Baxter, author of Right from the Gecko
“Funny, engaging, and true to life.”
—Lee Charles Kelly, author of ’Twas the Bite Before Christmas
“Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter has it alclass="underline" a feisty heroine, lovable animals, and a solid whodunit. What more could you ask for?”
—Barbara Seranella, creator of the Munch Mancini crime novels
“A fantastic who-done-it … Fans of fast-paced clever mysteries will appreciate Dixie’s efforts to uncover the culprit before she either goes to jail or dies.”
—Harriet Klausner Reviews
“A new star in the ‘mysteries with animals’ firmament … this book stands out in the genre for its plotting, pacing, and well-formed characters, in addition to an enticing tropical locale.”
—The Kingston Observer
“A keeper, with its plucky protagonist, cats galore, and a nice sense of place.”
—Library Journal
There are tears in the very heart of things, And mortality touches the human mind.
—VIRGIL , THE AENEID
Keep reading for an excerpt from the next Dixie Hemingway novel the next novel
EVEN CAT SITTERS GET THE BLUES
Coming soon in hardcover from St. Martin’s Minotaur