Praise for the Fat Cat Mysteries
FAT CAT SPREADS OUT
“This is one of my favorite new series! The Fat Cat Mystery series is a delectable blend of lovable cat, mystery, baked delights, and friendship. Janet Cantrell has WOWed us again with Fat Cat Spreads Out, the second in the Fat Cat Mystery series . . . The plot is a delicious blend of ingredients that bakes up into a great new mystery.”
—Open Book Society
“Like catnip to cozy mystery readers. It is fast-paced fun, with interesting, likeable characters and a great puzzle mystery. There is even a dash of romance thrown in.”
—Examiner.com (5 stars)
“I am hopelessly in love with Quincy . . . Just priceless.”
—Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries & Meows
FAT CAT AT LARGE
“A delicious mix of desserts, stealthy stealing, feline foraging, and murder!”
—Fresh Fiction
“Charming . . . Cozy mystery readers will be purring with delight.”
—MyShelf.com
“Ooohhhh . . . a story about an overweight, lovable cat named Quincy. How could I possibly resist this one? Well, of course, I couldn’t. I loved this book from the cover through every page in between . . . [A] great beginning to a brand-new series.”
—Socrates’ Book Reviews
Berkley Prime Crime titles by Janet Cantrell
FAT CAT AT LARGE
FAT CAT SPREADS OUT
FAT CAT TAKES THE CAKE
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
FAT CAT TAKES THE CAKE
A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author
Copyright © 2016 by Penguin Random House LLC.
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eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-62165-3
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / April 2016
Cover illustration by Craig White.
Cover design by George Long.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained in this book.
Version_1
To my husband, Cliff
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to acknowledge a few of the people who have helped me with this book. For information on hacking, Cori Lynn Arnold and James M. Jackson. For details on evasive maneuvers, Sam Morton. For giving me spot-on feedback, Gale Albright and Paula Benson. My Plothatcher friends, as always, Janet Bolin, Janet Koch/Laurie Cass, Pam Cochran, Krista Davis, Daryl Wood Gerber, and Marilyn Levinson, for much needed and invaluable moral support.
CONTENTS
Praise for the Fat Cat Mysteries
Berkley Prime Crime titles by Janet Cantrell
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
Recipes
Leash-Training Tips for Cats
About the Author
ONE
“That’s a lot of mail,” Anna Larson said. She was taking a short afternoon break, sitting on the squeaky stool at the work island in the kitchen of the Bar None, the dessert bar shop co-owned by her and Charity Oliver, called Chase by almost everyone.
“Look!” Chase waved an envelope at Anna. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks red, partly from coming inside out of the early December cold, but also from excitement.
“If you held it still, I could see it.”
Chase smiled at her business partner and surrogate grandmother. “I’ll do better than that. I’ll open it for you.”
“You know that’s a federal offense,” Julie Larson said.
“Julie.” Anna put on her stern-grandparent face, which looked incongruous with her soft gray hair and her periwinkle eyes, much more used to smiling. “You don’t always have to be a lawyer.” Anna wore her usual bright sweater with a plain T-shirt and jeans. This sweater was a rough, burlap-like material in aqua and bright green, worn over a pale blue shirt.
“But it is, Grandma.” Julie, sitting next to Anna, nudged the older woman slightly and fished a marshmallow out of her cocoa with a spoon. Her eyes were identical to Anna’s, but set into a face that was forty years younger than Anna’s seventy-two and framed by dark brown hair. She kept her hair short and practical for her new job with Bud Ellison’s small real estate firm. Chase thought her good friend seemed much happier and more relaxed since she had left the district attorney’s office.
“Your honor,” Anna began.
“That’s for judges, Grandma,” Julie said.
“Your high horse-ness, then. I give Charity permission to open my mail. Wait.” She took the envelope Chase was still waving in front of her. “Who is it from?” Anna saw the return address. “It’s the Batter Battle!” She ripped the envelope open and pulled several sheets of paper from it, quickly scanning the cover letter. “I’ve been invited to participate in the Minny Batter Battle.”
After fanning her face in amazement, she slipped off the stool, leaving the seat spinning and creaking, and danced around the kitchen.