Kitten Kaboodle (Zoe Donovan Mystery Book 20) (5 page)

“No, ma’am. Ms. Leech kept her supplies in a shed and I delivered them directly there. I asked once if I could see the cats, but she said she didn’t allow anyone inside the barn except her maintenance person.”

“Maintenance person?”

“The man who cleaned the pens. I met him once. Nice man.”

“Do you remember his name?”

“Fritz. Don’t know his last name.”

“Do you happen to know his address or phone number?”

“No. It never came up. I heard Ms. Leech fired him a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know for certain whether he’s still even in the area. That’ll be seventy-two dollars and thirty-six cents.”

I handed Chris a credit card. He completed the transaction, then hauled the dog food out to my car, and I thanked him and headed home. I wished I had time to follow up on the new suspects that had come to light, but if I wanted to make it to my own dinner party on time I was going to have to investigate another day. Both Wanda Ferguson and Fritz the handyman seemed to have motives for wanting Edna dead, as did her neighbor Jethro. I was really glad these new candidates had come to light; there had been a small part of me that had begun to believe Salinger was right and Nona really was the best and only suspect.

I loved Nona. She was fun and carefree and she continually said and did things that surprised me. I hated to think she might be capable of killing anyone, but she did have a temper, and I’d seen her act without thinking on a number of occasions. The more I thought about it, the more I’d had to admit that it wasn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility that Nona had gone back for the kittens and Edna had attempted to stop her, resulting in an altercation that had ended with Edna dead on the barn floor.

I decided I would put a pin in the nagging fear in the back of my mind and focus all my effort on figuring out who else other than Nona had motive to want the woman dead.

She was in the drive warming up her bike when I arrived home. “Going somewhere?”

“Gotta hot date.”

I frowned. “Maybe under the circumstances you should hang out here tonight. Ellie and Levi are coming over. You can join us for dinner.”

“No offense, dearie, but hanging out with a bunch of kids doesn’t in any way compare to spending time with the hot cowboy I intend to lasso.”

“Cowboy? I thought you were dating a gator wrangler.”

“That was days ago. I figured out a long time ago that the spice of life is variety. Now if you don’t mind, I need to be on my way.”

I wanted to argue, but it occurred to me that Nona was fifty years my senior. Why in the heck did I think it was my job to parent her?

“Do you have your phone?”

“In my pocket.”

“And money?”

“In my bra next to my emergency cigar.” Nona leaned over so I could see for myself that she was telling the truth. The woman certainly knew how to work her assets.

“Okay.” I gave in. “I guess you’ll be fine, but please try not to be late. I worry about you.”

“Oh, I’m gonna be late.” Nona laughed as she climbed onto her Harley and sped away in a cloud of dust.

I rolled my eyes, but because there wasn’t a thing I could do about Nona’s wild ways I decided to let it go as I began unloading the groceries from the trunk of my car. I was halfway done when both Ellie and Levi pulled into the drive at virtually the same time. I wasn’t sure if the timing of their arrival was a good thing or a bad one.

“I didn’t realize it wasn’t going to be just us,” Ellie commented as she approached my car.

“Yeah, me neither,” Levi chimed in.

“Yeah, well, you know me, I’m the sneaky type.” I shrugged. “I have the mixings for margaritas if you want to help me with the rest of these bags.”

Both of them grabbed a bag, but I could feel the tension. I asked Levi to mix up the frozen drinks while I put the groceries away and Ellie poured chips and salsa into clay bowls. We took everything out onto the deck overlooking the lake, where I hoped, after a drink or two or ten, my friends would lighten up and remember that they
were
friends. I wasn’t certain what had occurred to cause this rift. They’d seemed to be getting along just fine when Zak and I got home from Ireland in February.

I realized my search for my family tree was as good a topic as any to break the ice, so I dug in with the little information I had.

“I heard back from Clayton Longtree.”

“Oh, what did he say?” Ellie asked after taking a sip of her drink.

“He’s managed to trace the Donovans back seven generations, but we’re a long way from knowing if my ancestor might have been the daughter Catherine gave up.”

When Zak and I had gone to Ireland for a murder mystery weekend, I’d discovered that the lady of the manor back in the sixteen hundreds secretly had given up her daughter to a couple she felt would treat the child with more equality than her male-centric husband. The daughter’s name was Amelia and the last name of the family she’d been given to was Donovan. At the time it had appeared that I could possibly be a direct descendent of Catherine Dunphy, and when I returned home I’d hired a man whose business was researching family trees to find out if my hunch was correct.

“Would it matter if you were related?” Ellie asked. “Would you be eligible for some sort of an inheritance?”

“No, it wouldn’t matter. I’m not after any money; I’m just curious. I felt a real connection to Catherine when I was in Ireland. A part of me hopes we’re related in some way.”

“You felt a connection to a woman who’s been dead for hundreds of years?” Levi asked.

“She felt a connection to her ghost,” Ellie explained. “If you’d been around more often you would have heard the story.”

“Ouch.”

“Okay, guys, let’s not argue,” I intervened. “The three of us are friends. Best friends. I know things have been tense between you since the breakup, but you were friends a lot longer than you were a couple. I’m really hoping for all our sakes that you both can put whatever is wrong behind you.”

Neither Levi nor Ellie said anything.

“Remember that time the three of us went camping and somehow managed to bring a whole bunch of stuff we didn’t need but totally forgot to bring any food?”

“And Levi decided to live off the land by eating berries and tree bark, but all it did was make him sick and he ended up puking all night.” Ellie laughed. “I never knew one person could throw up quite that much.”

“Let’s not forget the strawberry wine incident at Miller’s Pond,” Levi countered. “Talk about a puke fest.”

“Hey, you’re the one who brought the wine in the first place,” Ellie reminded him playfully. “I was just a sweet young thing who had never had a drink until you corrupted me.”

“Sweet young thing?” Levi countered.

“I think Zoe has us both beat with her skinny-dipping adventure after drinking that spiked punch when we were seniors in high school.” Ellie laughed. “You were so shocked you fell off the side of the truck.”

“I guess I had my own share of that punch.” Levi chuckled.

I listened as Ellie and Levi tried to outdo each other with tales from the past. One of the best things about friendships that spanned a lifetime was that there were always plenty of stories to remind you just what an important part of your life the other people were.

My luck, I decided, must have made a turn for the better. Ellie and Levi both lightened up quite a bit once we began sharing stories from our past, and Nona actually came home both sober and at a decent hour. I felt the stress that had weighted me down the previous day dissipate as Jeremy, Charlie, and I sat on the floor in a room filled with kittens. Jeremy and I had talked in depth about the future of the cats and kittens we’d rescued from Edna’s barn, and while we had yet to be given permission to rehome the animals, we’d decided to begin the socialization process in earnest.

“I think the kittens will be fine in homes with children and other animals; it’s the older cats I’m worried about,” Jeremy commented as we played with the kittens and watched them play with one another. With the exception of a large male kitten who seemed fearless, most of the others were skittish when first exposed to one another, Jeremy, Charlie, and me, but the longer we played with them the more relaxed they became. “My idea is to give all the cats as much human interaction as we can manage and then decide if there are any that simply aren’t candidates for rehoming. I’ve contacted several cat sanctuaries about taking a couple of cats each if necessary.”

“I’m sure Nona and Aspen would be willing to volunteer time to play with the cats. I’ll line up a few others as well. We don’t currently have any large felines in residence, so maybe we can use the cougar pen as an area to socialize the cats.”

“That’s a good idea,” Jeremy said as he tried to pry loose one of the kittens, who had decided to crawl up his back. “It’s a secure pen and I’m sure the cats will enjoy having the trees to climb on. Do you have any idea what sort of a timeline we’re looking at in terms of being given the all-clear to begin the rehoming process?”

“No, not really. I just hope whoever inherits them allows them to be adopted into loving, caring families. The fact of the matter is that these cats—particularly the kittens—are worth quite a bit of money. I won’t be a bit surprised if the heir to this particular clowder decides to sell them rather that allow them to be put up for adoption.”

“It’d be a shame if the new owner simply continued with the business Edna started.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “It really would.”

“How are the kittens you have at your house doing?”

“Better. They seem to be responding to the treatment Scott recommended. I’ve been holding them as much as I can, and I know Nona has been doing the same. I think once they gain some weight they’ll be good candidates for adoption.”

Jeremy laughed as two kittens chased each other across the room and ended up in his lap. “I love my job. I mean really, what other job pays you to play with kittens?”

Jeremy set the kittens aside and began carefully walking around the room to ensure that all of them were participating. “Have you managed to come up any new leads into Edna’s murder?” he asked as he picked up one of the kittens that had been shying in the corner.

“Maybe. I haven’t had a chance to speak to the new suspects on my list, but it seems Edna was having an affair with Pete Ferguson.”

“Pete? Really? He doesn’t seem the type.”

“I totally agree, but according to Ernie, who’s usually in the know, not only was Pete having a fling with Edna but he had plans to leave Wanda for her.”

Jeremy whistled. “Sounds like motive for murder to me.”

I set the kitten I was holding down and picked up another. ‘That’s what I thought. The only other suspects I’ve managed to dig up are Edna’s neighbor, who had been fighting with her over the property line, and a man named Fritz. It seems he was Edna’s handyman until she fired him.”

“I know Fritz. He came in looking for a job after Edna canned him. We didn’t need anyone, but I gave him a couple of leads.”

“How did he seem?”

“Seem?” Jeremy asked.

“Did he seem like a killer?”

Jeremy shrugged. “I’m not sure how a person who’s a killer would seem, but he wasn’t carrying a weapon or anything. He did seem pretty upset about getting canned. Apparently, part of his pay was supposed to come from a percentage of the money made off the sale of the kittens, and he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to see any money from the litters last housed at the facility.”

“Seems odd to pay a handyman with a percentage of sales,” I pointed out.

“I think he was more than a handyman. It sounded to me as if he was more of an assistant, or even a manager.”

A man who was not only fired but who felt he was being gypped out of a profit that was rightfully his would make a strong suspect, I decided. Maybe I’d take some time that afternoon to pay a call on the bitter ex-employee. If Fritz had applied for a job with us, we should have his contact information on file.

“By the way, how did your trip with Jessica go last weekend?” I asked.

Jessica was Jeremy’s girlfriend, the mother of a seven-year-old girl named Rosalie who absolutely adored Jeremy’s two-year-old daughter, Morgan. My mom and dad had watched both children the previous weekend so Jeremy and Jessica could have a special trip away.

“It went great. In fact,” Jeremy’s face broke into a grin, “Jessica and I are engaged.”

“Oh my God.” I got up from the floor and crossed the room. “I’m so happy for you.” I hugged Jeremy. “Why didn’t you tell me before now?”

“Jessica wanted to wait for us to announce it until she had a chance to tell her family, but I figured I can trust you to keep our secret.”

“Absolutely. Have you set a date?”

“Not yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as we do. In fact, I was kind of hoping you and Zak would let us hold it at your house. You have such a nice setting for a wedding.”

“You can absolutely hold it at the house.” I hugged Jeremy again. “I’m so excited for you. I think you, Jess, Morgan, and Rosalie are going to make an awesome family.”

Jeremy really did look happy, which made me happy too. He’d had a tough time as a single dad, but things had gotten so much better for him once Jessica came into his life.

“I hear someone in the front.” Jeremy turned his head and looked toward the door. “I think Tiffany is up there, but she did say something about cleaning the bear cages, so I’d better check just in case.”

Tiffany Middleton was one of our most trusted employees at Zoe’s Zoo.

Jeremy left the room and I turned my attention to Charlie, who had not one but four kittens crawling on his back. He was such a patient dog. No matter how many times he was hissed at or swatted in the face, he continued to lay on the floor with what can only be described as a smile on his face.

I took my phone out of my pocket and pulled up a new note. There, I listed the suspects I wanted to try to speak to that day and the reason I believed they had motive to kill Edna. Fritz had been fired from his job and gypped out of the pay he probably felt he had coming to him, Wanda believed her husband had been stepping out on her with Edna, and Jethro had reason to want Edna out of the way to avoid digging a new well that was over his property line. I looked at the list and considered whether there were others who ought to be added. I remembered Aspen saying Donald Jacobs was convinced Edna was stalking him, so I added his name. Aspen had also told me Ben Wild had had words with Edna when they’d run into each other at the post office.

So far that gave me five new suspects, which was five more than I’d had when I started. Not bad, I decided, for a day and a half of sleuthing.

“Delivery for Zoe Donovan-Zimmerman.” Jeremy returned from the front with the largest bouquet of flowers I’d ever seen.

“Uh-oh,” I replied as I glared at the colorful display.

Jeremy frowned. “Someone sends you a fantastic bouquet and all you can say is ‘uh-oh’?”

“It’s not my birthday or my anniversary and I haven’t been ill, so a display of this size delivered on a random weekday morning can only mean one thing.”

“‘I love you’?” Jeremy tried. “Or maybe ‘I miss you’? Zak has been out of town for over a week.”

“A single rose means
I love you
, a small display means
I miss you
, but a bouquet of this size can only mean
I’m sorry
.”

Jeremy looked more closely at the flowers. “I don’t see a card. Maybe you have a secret admirer.”

I crossed the room after setting the kitten I was holding on the floor. Jeremy was right; there was no card, but I knew the flowers had to be from Zak. “Something tells me I’d better call Zak.”

“Go ahead and use my office. I’ll start putting the kittens away,” Jeremy offered.

Unfortunately, Zak didn’t pick up when I called. I knew he was busy trying to get things wrapped up so he could come home from his trip early. If there was something really bad going on he’d call me. Wouldn’t he? Maybe the flowers were simply an
I’m sorry
for not being here to deal with the Nona situation.

“I just got off the phone with Scott,” Jeremy informed me when I returned to my office. “He wants you to bring the kittens you have at your house by his office this afternoon if you have a chance. A couple of the blood samples he took seem suspicious and he wants to take another look.”

“Suspicious? Suspicious how?”

“He didn’t say. I’m sure he’ll fill you in when you stop by.”

I glanced at Charlie, who had wandered over to sit next to me. He’d been so patient, but I could tell he was ready to call it a day. “I’ll head home and get them now. Call Scott back and tell him I’m on my way.”

I sure hoped nothing serious was wrong with those babies. It’d only been a couple of days, but I was already attached to the little fur balls. There was one orange-and-white kitten in particular who had wormed his way into my heart. Marlow would have a fit if I brought yet another cat into the family, but I had to admit that given enough time it was going to be close to impossible to let the little guy go.

When I arrived at home I noticed a strange car in the drive. I began to get an even worse feeling about the bouquet that had been delivered as I considered the possibilities. The car could belong to someone visiting Nona, but the feeling of dread that I couldn’t quite quell convinced me that our visitor was someone worthy of a bouquet costing several hundred dollars.

My worst fears were confirmed when I walked into the house. “Mrs. Zimmerman?” It took every ounce of control I had to keep from hyperventilating as the artfully dressed woman paused to look me up and down.

“Really, dear, now that you’re Zachary’s wife you really should pay more attention to your personal grooming. You look like a street urchin.”

“I was at the Zoo playing with kittens, a job that really doesn’t require designer clothing. What are you doing here?”

“I heard Nona has been causing you problems and I’m here to help.”

Oh no, no, no. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. Zak’s mom didn’t like Nona, and as far as I could tell, the feeling was mutual.

“That’s very sweet of you,” I managed to croak out, “but I think I have everything under control. There really isn’t any need for you to stay. I know how busy you are.”

“Nonsense. Nona is a Zimmerman, and if there is a problem with a Zimmerman you can bet a Zimmerman will take care of it.”

“Nona isn’t a Zimmerman,” I pointed out.

“Yes, well, close enough. Now which rooms can we use?”

“Rooms? As in more than one?”

“Nona can be a handful, so I brought help.” Mrs. Zimmerman smiled, as if she were delivering the best news in the world instead of the worst.

“Help?” I felt my heart drop clear down to my feet.

“Darlene is home from college and Twyla and the kids weren’t busy, so they offered to come along. Isn’t that nice?”

“They’re
all
here?” I know my voice sounded high and squeaky. Zak’s cousins Twyla and Darlene were sisters. Darlene was single, but Twyla had two very undisciplined children who’d almost destroyed the house the last time they’d visited.

“They are and they have all given up three weeks of their summer to help out, so be sure to give them nice rooms. Preferably overlooking the lake.”

“Three weeks!” At this point I’m pretty sure I blacked out. Well, maybe not physically but definitely mentally. The cousins had all stayed at the house the previous summer when they’d come for Zak and my wedding, and if I remembered correctly, they’d all spent their time lounging around while Zak and I waited on them. If the cousins had returned you could bet it had more to do with a free vacation than a rescue operation.

I wanted to say something that would make this all go away, but I knew there wasn’t anything I could say, so I closed my eyes and counted to twenty.

“You look a little pale, dear,” Mother Zimmerman commented. “Are you feeling all right?”

Not by a long shot. “I’m fine. Are the others here already?”

“Yes, we came together. They are all in the pool.”

“And Nona?”

“She left shortly after we arrived. She said something about an appointment.”

Smart woman. Leaving sounded like an excellent idea. “I also have an appointment,” I announced as firmly as I could manage.