A Story to Kill (5 page)

Chapter 5

Shauna filled Cat's glass with iced tea. “How long has your uncle been questioning Billy?”

Cat looked at her watch. “Since three?” She squinted at the display. “Where are the guests? Did you bring them back from the pool yet?”

“Hours ago. You were upstairs in your office.” Shauna sat across from her. “Hopefully, you were writing and not just pacing.”

Cat ran a hand through her hair. “I did get a few pages pounded out. Funny how stress can turn off the word faucet sometimes, and other times it makes it flow faster. You didn't answer my question, though: Where are the others? I figured they'd be huddled in here with us, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation in the living room.”

“Seth took them to that buffet at the Indian casino. He said he'd stay around, let them play for a while if they want, then bring them back.” Shauna raised her eyebrows. “The guy's a total hottie. And sweet. What in the world possessed you to leave him for Michael the Jerk?”

Cat took a sip of her tea. The cold flowed down her throat and took her back to the summer she'd started dating Michael. They'd met at the college. She'd been taking summer school, trying to finish her degree so she could get out into the real world. “Seth and I had broken up a few months before. He wanted me to backpack across the country that summer before he went off to the army and I'd insisted on taking classes. It hadn't seemed like a forever breakup, but by the time he got back that fall, I was head over heels for Michael. The man could be a charmer, when he wanted to be. And right then, I was what he wanted.”

The front door slammed shut and Cat jumped. Uncle Pete strolled into the kitchen and nodded at Cat's glass. “You got more of that?”

Shauna jumped up and grabbed a glass out of the cupboard. “Of course. You sit down and relax.”

Uncle Pete took off his baseball cap and ran his fingers through his hair. Cat wondered if that's where she'd learned the movement. “Do I look that bad?”

“You look tired.” Cat tilted her head toward the front of the house. “I take it the slam was Billy leaving?”

“He said he was going to eat, but I'd bet money you could find him down at Bernie's. That's where he spent most of last night, except for the part where he followed Amy Potter home and stayed with the girl until he arrived here this afternoon.”

“Amy Potter? I thought she moved somewhere back East. And didn't she get married?” Cat searched her brain for the latest news on Amy. The girl had been a few years younger than Cat, but they'd had several classes together.

“She's back, sans husband.” Uncle Pete smiled. “She's been trying to work her magic on our boy Seth, but he tends to ignore her advances.”

Cat felt her cheeks heat. “Doesn't matter who Seth was or is dating.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Uncle Pete held up a finger when Cat tried to argue. “I saw you leaning into him when I showed up this afternoon. And he was too concerned about your safety to stay on the phone long. Basically he told me to get my butt over here. The guy's never got over losing you.”

“He was so worried about you. That's why he said he'd take the others out for a dinner run.” Shauna went over to the stove and, as she stirred a pot of spaghetti sauce, the smell of tomatoes and herbs filled the kitchen. She'd made the sauce from scratch as they waited for the interview to be over. “He even said he'd take half his normal rate, since all he was doing was babysitting and not repairing anything.”

Cat snorted. “Of course he did. He wasn't worried about me, he wanted to pad this week's paycheck.”

Shauna and Uncle Pete exchanged a look.

“If you say so.” Shauna turned her attention to Uncle Pete. “So are you staying for dinner? For an Irish girl, I make a mean spaghetti.”

“Actually, you can box some up and I'll take it back to the station with me.” He drained his tea. “It's going to be a long night. Apparently this guy is connected to the governor somehow, and my phone's been ringing off the hook with requests for updates. I keep saying, I can't update anyone until I get a chance to investigate. It's funny how they forget about that part.”

“From what I saw, the cause of death is pretty apparent.” Cat shuddered. “I don't know how I'm going to get all that blood out of the rug in that room.”

“You're not. The rug's been taken in as evidence. Bob Jenkins is coming by to look around the room for something that could have been used as a weapon. Whatever it was, the thing was heavy. Bob says he died from the first strike, but the guy kept swinging. I'm surprised someone didn't hear the racket.” Uncle Pete stood and adjusted his belt.

Cat wondered how the man carried all those tools around all day without his back screaming from the weight. Today, his belt was totally decked out. She guessed that he had expected to be taking Billy in for questioning or at least holding him for a while. She realized he was waiting for a response to his statement. “I was upstairs in my office all evening. Shauna had walked with most of the guests to the library for writing time, and Seth was still working on that last wing of second floor rooms we haven't opened yet. So I guess either the killer timed the attack with the construction noise, or the soundproofing Seth did in the rooms last week is really amazing.”

“Even when that boy's staying out of trouble, he's smack in the middle of it.” Uncle Pete chuckled. “No worries; we'll be in and out. You don't mind if we bag a few items if there's something that Bob finds suspicious?”

“Would it matter if I said yes?” Cat yawned and stretched. “Do what you have to do. I want to have the murder solved as much as you do.”

A knock sounded at the front door. “Must be Bob. We'll check in when we leave and have you sign a property tag. Even though you're family, we need to do this the correct way.”

“Especially since I'm family,” Cat countered. “I don't want the town gossips to be thinking I killed one of my first guests.”

Uncle Pete chuckled and stepped toward the door.

“Come back when you're leaving and I'll have your dinner ready. With some fresh French bread and a container filled with fresh fruit, all you'll need to add is something to drink,” Shauna called after him.

He nodded to her and smiled. “I sure am glad my niece decided to bring you along when she came home to start her new adventure. I haven't ate this good since my Ginny died.”

Cat stood. “I'll walk you.”

Uncle Pete kissed her on the cheek. “You just sit and relax for a while. I know how to find my way to the front door.”

Cat watched him leave the kitchen and waited until she heard the men making their way to the second floor. She probably should greet Bob Jenkins, but she'd wait until a more appropriate time. She turned to Shauna at the stove who was dishing up a dinner plate of spaghetti. “I don't remember him ever talking about Aunt Ginny. He paid you a huge compliment.”

Shauna sat the plate in front of Cat with a bowl of parmesan and then returned to the stove to get her own dinner. “He's a sweet man. I like cooking for him.”

Cat took a bite of the spaghetti and sighed. “I didn't think I'd ever be hungry again after seeing that body.”

Shauna looked down at the plate she'd just set on the table. “Well, I guess I could have been more appropriate with the dinner selection. Do you want me to make you something else?”

“Are you kidding? This is wonderful.” Cat took another bite and after she swallowed, she paused, looking at her fork. “Lesson for today: Life goes on for the rest of us, even when someone leaves the playing field.”

“You're acting all calm and philosophical about Tom's death.” Shauna met Cat's gaze. “Do you want to tell me how you're really feeling?”

“Scared to death that the murder is going to close down the business before it ever has a chance to get going.” Cat shrugged and turned her attention back to the food in front of her. “I can either give in to the fear or pretend I'm not feeling it. Either way, I'm determined to make this session a positive one for our guests, even if it's started out sucky so far.”

“Rose is in shock. She adored the guy.” Shauna took a sip of her tea.

Cat set her fork down and went to the fridge to get out the bottle of white zin she kept on hand. She grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and set them on the table, filling each glass with the wine. She handed one to her friend. “The session hasn't gone perfect so far, but I'm determined to fight it out. Are you with me?”

Shauna picked up the glass. “To the writing retreat, may it grow and prosper.”

They clinked their glasses, but Cat paused before drinking. “And to Tom Cook, may Uncle Pete find his killer and put him away for the rest of his, or her, lifetime.”

Cat and Shauna repeated the gesture, then took a sip of the wine. They finished eating in silence, but when Cat tried to clean up after dinner, Shauna shooed her away. “I'm not done baking for tomorrow's breakfast. Let me alone so I can do my job.” She took the plate out of Cat's hand. “Besides, don't you have a book deadline coming up soon?”

“You know I do.” Cat glanced at the table. “But it doesn't mean I can't do my share of the chores.”

“Not tonight. Go do your writing magic and leave the domestic stuff to me. Let me earn my keep here.”

Cat wandered out into the foyer and glanced out the window. She wanted to go outside and sit on the swing on the front porch and polish off that bottle of wine. But Shauna was right. She was on deadline. She'd hoped she'd be able to write during the retreat, set a good example for her guests. Now two days had passed and, except for the hard-earned page or two she'd pounded out yesterday, her word count was pathetic.

She climbed the stairs to her office, started a cup of apple cider in her pod machine, and opened up her file. After a few minutes, the magic took over and she was lost in the world of a teenage witch trying to be normal.

A knock on her door brought her out of the story she was creating. She looked at the clock on the computer: already nine. Time to shut down for the night anyway. “Come on in, I'm shutting down,” Cat called out. The door opened but Shauna didn't appear next to her.

“I wondered if you wanted to take a walk with me.” Seth's voice gave her chills down her spine.

She spun around. “It's kind of late.”

He shrugged, not looking at her. Instead, he was thumbing through the books she'd gotten shelved last week. Boxes still littered the floor, filled with books waiting to be introduced to their new home. Or for some, their old home. Cat just hoped she'd be able to keep the house now that she'd taken out a bank loan for the renovations. “Perfect time to walk. We don't have to worry about running into those college kids avoiding their classes.” He took a book off the shelf and pointed it at her. “You care if I borrow this? I'm kind of obsessed with his writing.”

Cat took the book from him. It was an old H. P. Lovecraft story. She'd picked it up when she'd been teaching freshman English as a way to introduce the class to the horror genre, but had gone another way with her lesson plans. “I haven't read this yet. You'll have to tell me how you like it.” She handed the book back.

“Leave it to you to have books you've never read. Don't you know most of us buy books to read them?” He nudged her toward the stairs. “We'll walk through town, and I can show you all the new stuff that's happened since you left.”

“I drove through town on my way here. I think I saw most of the new stores.” Cat followed him down the stairs anyway. She knew she would agree to go walking, she just wanted him to work for it.

“Fine.” He took her hand at the bottom of the stairs. “I'll buy you an ice cream cone at the Big Bun.”

“Now you've convinced me.” She opened the door and motioned him out. “After you. And make sure you have your wallet—you're not getting out of buying that easy.”

He stopped at his truck and put the book on the passenger seat. Cat glanced inside the truck, seeing he still kept his vehicles spotless. For a guy who worked construction and liked to explore the outdoors, Seth always kept his truck clean. He'd picked her up for prom in his old beat-up Ford, but when he'd opened the door to help her in, she had been surprised to see he'd power washed the inside and hand-dried the cab from top to bottom.

He noticed her watching him and shrugged. “I can't help it; I like a clean car.”

They walked toward town. The air felt soft on her face, and for a spring evening, the light jacket she'd grabbed out of the hall closet before they left the house was the perfect weight. For a while, they didn't talk. Finally, Seth spoke. “Did you know Tom Cook?”

Cat sighed. “Only through his books. He signed up late and I wondered if he was
the
Tom Cook. Rose counted on him being the famous author. She's kind of an obsessed fan.”

“I can't say I've read any of his work.” They turned off Warm Springs and onto Main Street, walking away from the college.

“I read his breakout book. It was terrific, but I'm not into thrillers. I like my small-town settings, and Tom focused on globe-trotting heroes, saving the world from the evils that lurk in remote destinations.” She cocked her head. “He really was an amazing writer, though. I looked forward to talking with him this week.”

“Sounds like a book I'd like. I'll have to put it on my bookstore list.” He nodded to the next storefront. “Tammy Jones took over the bookstore a couple years ago when Mrs. Henry retired. The school orders books through her, but a lot of their stuff is e-book now, so she's been struggling. I try to stop in every week or so to refill my to-be-read pile. You should talk to her; maybe you guys can do a joint promotion or something for the writers who come to your retreat.”