Copycat Killing: A Magical Cats Mystery (32 page)

He came at me then, but I was ready for him. I’d been watching his feet out of the corner of my eye. I darted left.

“You’re wasting your time, Kathleen,” he said. “You’re wasting mine.”

The computer area was more or less behind me and the stacks were to the right. Peter probably figured he had me trapped but this was my library. I knew what I was doing and I was mad.

“You ran me off the road the other night,” I said.

“Did I?” he said. One eyebrow went up. He took a step toward me.

I took a step back. “Stop playing lawyer,” I said. “You killed Jaeger. You pushed him down the stairs, he hit his head and you left him there to drown. What did you do? Swipe Ruby’s keys to the store?”

He gave a snort of laughter. “Speculation.”

“Fact. You didn’t hurt your hand in the parking lot at your office. You did that on the railing of the basement steps at the co-op.” I held up my hand. “Same as I did. Same as Jaeger did when he grabbed for the railing to save himself. Except my cut got cleaned out twice. I bet there’s little bits of wood still in yours. Evidence.”

“Shut up,” he said.

I took a step sideways and back. “Jaeger was blackmailing you. I think you found out he was forging more than just that will for you. You knew he’d get caught again and you weren’t going down with him.” I laughed. “You showed up. He put the evidence against you in one of Maggie’s boxes. Pretty smart.”

“Christian was an idiot,” Peter said. “A spoiled little
pissant who’d never done a decent day’s work in his life. He couldn’t swim, you know. And for the record, I didn’t push him. I just didn’t pull him out.”

He lunged at me, and this time I wasn’t fast enough. He grabbed me, turning me around with his arm tight against my neck, slowly cutting off my air supply. I struggled to catch my breath.

Marcus came out from behind the new shelving unit. “Let her go,” he ordered.

Little pinpricks of light were swirling around the edge of my vision but I knew I had to take advantage of Peter’s surprise. I drove the heel of my right hand up and back with as much force as I could. It made very satisfying contact with Peter’s nose. He sucked in a wet breath and I twisted free from his grasp. Marcus grabbed my arm and pulled me back against him as Derek Craig came around the other side of the shelves.

I smiled up at Marcus and felt for the tiny, wireless transmitter under the V-neck of my sweater. “What took you so long?” I wheezed.

M
arcus drove me over to Eric’s Place where Maggie was waiting. “Is your throat all right?” he asked.

I pulled down the visor and looked in the little mirror on the backside. There was a wide red mark on my neck, even though Peter had had hold of me for only a few seconds.

My throat felt a little raw, as if I’d been talking too much. “I’m okay,” I said. “It’s nothing that a cup of Eric’s coffee won’t fix.”

“I can’t believe I agreed to that,” Marcus said as we pulled up to the café.

“Neither can I,” I said, unfastening my seat belt.

“I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

“Do you think I broke Peter’s nose?” I asked. It had been bleeding heavily onto an old but clean towel I’d found in the staff room.

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t think you did.” He gave me a knowing look. “Unless, you wanted to.”

“No comment.”

He laughed. “You’re a pretty good actor.”

“I liked working with you,” I said, smiling up at him.

“So did I,” he said.

We stood there on the sidewalk, having a little moment. I don’t know how long it would have lasted except I started to cough. My throat was dry, probably more from fear and all the talking I’d been doing than from anything Peter had done to me.

“You need to sit down and have something hot to drink,” Marcus said.

He led the way inside. Maggie was at the counter talking to Eric. She came right over to us.

“You all right?” she asked.

I nodded.

“Go sit down,” Marcus said. “I’ll get you some coffee.”

Maggie led the way to a table by the end wall where her tea was waiting. “What happened to your neck?” she asked, squinting at me across the table.

I touched my throat. “Peter grabbed me,” I said. “I bloodied his nose.”

“Is it broken?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Marcus doesn’t think so. Am I a bad person because part of me hopes it is?”

“After what he did and what he tried to do? No.”

Marcus came over to the table then with a mug for me, and a take-out cup for himself. “I have to get to the station. I’ll call you later.”

“All right,” I said, taking the cup from him and wrapping my hands around it. “Is it all right to go back to the library?”

He shook his head. “No. Not tonight. Have your coffee. Go home.” He looked at Maggie. “Keep her out of trouble,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. “Of course,” she said. “That always goes so well.”

He laid a hand on my shoulder. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I’m glad you’re okay too,” I said. I watched him walk out and cross the sidewalk to his SUV.

When I looked at Maggie her head was tipped to one side and she had an aw-shucks grin on her face. “You two are just so cute,” she said.

I set my cup on the table and reached for the sugar. “I’m ignoring you,” I said.

She laughed and leaned back in her chair. Then her face turned serious. “I can’t believe Peter killed Jaeger.”

“I’m not defending him. But I think he acted in the heat of the moment.”

“Peter never struck me as someone who did anything in the heat of the moment,” Maggie said.

“Getting Jaeger to forge that will was stupid,” I said, adding cream and stirring my coffee.

“So why did he do it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he got tired of being the good guy and getting nothing for it, kind of like Ray.” I leaned my forearms on the table. “Peter took care of that great-uncle for years, but the only other will Marcus could track down left everything to some distant cousin’s kids. Peter was only related by marriage and for some people ‘blood’ is everything.”

“So you don’t think he planned to kill Jaeger?” Maggie lifted the lid of her little teapot and then looked around for Claire who nodded and held up one finger.

“No. But it’s clear Jaeger didn’t trust him. I think that’s why he put his things in your box.”

“Just in case.”

Claire came over with the hot water and refilled Maggie’s tea. “Could I get you anything else?” she asked. “Eric has a great beef stew.”

“Yes!” Maggie and I answered at the same time.

Claire smiled. “Just give me a couple of minutes.”

Maggie poked the tea bag with her spoon and then poured another cup. “So you figured you asking Peter to meet you at the library was going to raise his suspicions?”

I took a sip of my coffee and nodded. “I did. Plus Marcus didn’t think my getting forced off the road was an accident. If Peter was Jaeger’s killer, then it made sense he might be trying to scare me, considering I was asking questions about Jaeger and what he’d been doing.”

I took another drink. “Marcus made sure I was fitted with the wireless transmitter well in advance. Then he played along when Peter asked to meet him at the co-op before Peter was supposed to meet me at the library.” I ran my fingers over the side of my neck. “I don’t know if Peter underestimated Marcus, or if he’d gotten arrogant and careless because he’d already gotten away with so much. Anyway, Derek Craig hid in the storage closet. Peter did something to the pump. Then he locked Marcus in the basement. As soon as he left, Derek let Marcus out.”

“I told you Peter was a mechanic before he went to law school.” Maggie leaned forward. “Your neck looks better.”

“He probably had me for less than a minute. As soon as he grabbed me, Marcus stepped out and it was over.”

“How did you get Marcus to agree to this whole thing?”

I set my mug on the table. “I don’t exactly know.”

Maggie looked at me and a huge smile spread over her face. “He likes you,” she said in a singsong voice.

I made a face at her, stuck a finger in each ear, and started to hum softly. That didn’t stop Mags. She just leaned in a little closer and repeated the words.

I pretended I couldn’t hear her, but I could, and it didn’t really sound so awful.

T
he sun was warm, the sky was an endless, deep blue overhead and the faintest breeze blew through the open windows of the library on the afternoon of the building’s one-hundredth birthday celebration. Everett and I cut the ceremonial red ribbon at the front door as most of the town gathered below. Then everyone streamed into the building.

Two of Oren’s father’s sculptures commanded the computer area. Oren stood by the windows overlooking the garden—with the new gazebo he’d finished the week earlier—his face glowing with pride. I walked over to join him.

“My father would have loved this, Kathleen,” he said. “Thank you.”

I smiled back at him. “Thank you for letting me bring these pieces down here.” I looked up at the beautiful metal eagle that seemed to be poised in midflight in the room. “I’m glad he’s getting the recognition he deserves.”

Harry Junior had found a way to suspend Maggie’s
collage panels from the ceiling and they followed the curve of the windows. Rebecca and Mary were standing by the panel that told the story of The Ladies Knitting Circle, smiling and answering questions. Rebecca had insisted the women’s story be told when Everett had wavered and she’d worked closely with Abigail and Maggie. When the centennial celebrations were over, the panels would be moved over to the reading area where they were staying on permanent display.

Rebecca caught sight of me, smiled and waved. The light caught the sparkling diamond on her left hand. Everett had proposed a couple of days ago and they were both as giddy as a couple of teenagers.

Roma tapped me on the shoulder. “Hi,” she said. She looked around. “This is wonderful. I don’t know where to look first.”

“Where’s Eddie?” I asked.

“In the parking lot discussing the best way to plank a salmon with Eric.”

“Oh, don’t tell me he cooks too?” I said.

She nodded and grinned.

Roma had had a very simple graveside service for her father. Putting his remains to rest seemed to have put the past to rest for her as well. Today she had the cat that swallowed the funky chicken air about her.

“What’s up with you?” I asked.

“Later,” she said. “This is your day.”

“This is the library’s day,” I said, pulling her aside. “What is it?”

“I bought Wisteria Hill.” The words came out in a rush.

I stared at her and I think my mouth fell open. “What?”

“I bought Wisteria Hill.” She said it a little more slowly this time.

“That’s…that’s wonderful!” I didn’t know what else to say so I hugged her.

I studied her face for a moment when I let go and I could see how happy she was. “How did this happen?” I asked.

“I’ve been thinking about it for weeks. I love the place. And Everett doesn’t want to live out there. So I asked him.” She grinned. “He said yes.” She twisted the heavy silver ring she wore around her finger. “The place needs work, but it’s livable for now and what Eddie can’t fix I’ll get Oren to do.”

I shook my head. “He fixes things too? That boy is practically perfect.”

She nodded. “Yes he is.” She looked around. “Have you seen Maggie?”

“She’s around somewhere with a cute, stubbled bartender who is in reality only a part-time bartender and a full time PhD candidate in psychology.”

“Which she found where?”

“Remember me telling you about Maggie and me doing a little bar crawl last winter when we were trying to figure out what happened to Agatha Shepherd?”

She nodded.

“He was the bartender at Barry’s Hat. He took one look at Maggie and pretty much forgot how to tie his shoes. I guess I’m the only one still uncoupled now.”

Roma was already starting to grin. I shook a finger at her. “Don’t you start! Maggie is bad enough. I don’t need another matchmaker.”

She held up her hands as though she were surrendering.
“Okay, but there’s someone tall, dark and handsome watching you from across the room.”

I could see Marcus out of the corner of my eye. “Go away,” I said. “I’m quite happy with Owen and Hercules.”

She laughed and went off to look for Maggie.

I walked around for a while myself, answering a few questions and hearing a lot of congratulations. I was proud of the library. The building was beautiful and usage was up and staying there. I saw Everett coming from the reading area where Abigail and Susan had set up a display of banned books. I walked over to him.

“Kathleen, this is a wonderful celebration,” he said. Like Roma, he seemed to be at peace now with the past.

“Thank you,” I said. “It wouldn’t be happening without you.”

“Or you,” he said.

Susan was trying to get my attention, standing by one of the magazine carrels, holding a twin by each hand. “Excuse me,” I said to Everett. “I think Susan needs me.”

He touched my arm. “Come see me tomorrow. We should talk about the future.”

“I will,” I promised.

“Can you keep an eye on things here?” Susan asked, as I walked up to her. She blew a loose strand of hair out of her face. It looked like she had a piece of bamboo in her topknot. “I need to take these two monkeys out to my mother.”

“Hi Kathleen,” the boys said in unison. They were the pictures of blue-eyed innocence.

“Hi guys,” I said, crossing my eyes, which always sent them into a fit of giggles. I made a shooing gesture at Susan. “Go,” I said.

She was back in a couple of minutes. “The boys are barbecuing,” she said.

“Is that bamboo in your hair?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. It’s good luck.” She headed across the room to join Abigail.

I wandered back out into the main part of the library in time to see Harrison Taylor, aka Old Harry, come through the library entrance with his sons…and his daughter. I blinked away the prickle of tears. Harry’s daughter, the result of a relationship he’d had while his wife was dying, had been placed for adoption at birth. I’d been lucky enough to have found some papers that had helped the old man find her. It had been worth almost getting blown up.