Robin's Reward (Bonita Creek Trilogy Book 1) (25 page)

“He asked me to keep an eye on you and to call him if you seemed really sad or despondent. I know we’ve all had trouble with Susan for a long time, but I can’t believe she’d stoop this low. It’s like she’s targeted you, and she’s focusing all of her anger on you and Jeff. She’s a mean bully, but she must be really sick to . . .”

“I know,” said Robin, “really,
really
sick.”

~*~

Robin and Penny made the rounds of the front and back gardens again. Then they knocked on Robin’s neighbors’ doors asking if anyone had seen Miss Praise since yesterday afternoon. After an hour of fruitless conversations, the cousins were more disheartened than ever.

Thirty minutes later the sheriff asked Robin for a full statement.

“Do you want me to go all the way back to ninth grade when Susan started bullying me?”

The sheriff rubbed a beefy hand over his face. “I guess you’d better.”

“Here goes.” Robin spoke for almost an hour telling the sheriff about Susan’s earlier remarks and pranks. She recounted again about Jeff and Susan’s brief relationship and the nasty emails Susan had sent.

“You know about the tire slashing accusation. She’s beyond angry with us, and her feelings and pranks are escalating.”

“I agree. Do you have a recent photo of your pet? It would help with the investigation,” Sheriff Snead asked.

“I have one on my phone. Let me send it to you now,” Robin said.

The Sheriff recited his cell phone number so she could send the photo to him.

“Got it,” the sheriff announced when the photo popped up in his inbox. “I’ll get right on this. The sooner we begin the search the sooner we’ll be able to bring your cat home, safe and sound.”

“I appreciate it. I already miss her,” Robin’s tears began again.

“I know this is difficult for you Robin, but the information you’ve given me will help our investigation.”

“Good.” She attempted to smile.

“I don’t want to sound negative, but I don’t know if we’ll ever get to the bottom of this. Worse still, I don’t know if we’ll be able to find your cat either. When pets disappear they’re rarely found. I’m sorry.”

“I understand. Thanks for your help, Sheriff,” Robin said.

“Let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help,” Penny said to the sheriff while he and his men finished up gathering evidence.

Fresh tears stained Robin’s cheeks, and Penny nodded at the sheriff before taking her cousin’s hand and leading her into the cottage.

“I hope Miss Praise didn’t suffer. I couldn’t stand it if she was, uh, well, you know . . .”

“Try not to think about it. Let’s say a prayer for your pet.”

~*~

A few days later Robin ran into Susan in the neighborhood while on her daily walk.

“Hi, Robin. How’s it going?” Susan’s sing-songy voice was dripping with sarcasm. “You must be lonely without Jeff or your cat around for company.”

Susan stood in Robin’s path preventing her from continuing on her way.

“Why do you despise me so? What did I ever do to you?”

“For starters, you took Thomas Bennett away from me when we were teenagers. I’ve known him since Kindergarten. We fell in love before you even got to town. Then when you came along Thomas went off the deep end and fell for
you
.”

“I didn’t know you two had a relationship.”

“Shut
up
, Robin!”

“Back off, Susan, and leave us alone.”

“Oooooo, I’m
so
scared.” Susan feigned a shudder.

“You said Thomas was the start of this. Why else?”

“There’s the little matter of Jeff Clarke. He was mesmerized by my beauty and charm. Then for some reason he went to the dark side and started believing he was falling for you. I can only assume you bad-mouthed me and turned him against me. I tried my best to convince him he’d be much better off with me, but he’s an imbecile.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way. I wish there were some way we could resolve this, just the two of us.”

“Are you joking? You are so ignorant, Robin. This has gone way past resolution. We’ll have to just fight it out until the best woman—me—comes out on top.”

“I feel sorry for you. You’re wasting your life taking out your anger on innocent parties.”

“Innocent like your nasty old cat? Do you know she scratched up my arms something fierce when I was carrying her to—enough of this touchy feely conversation. I only hope I don’t have permanent scars from her claws. Scars could jeopardize my modeling career, you know. I would be sorely missed by my public if I had to retire.”

“What did you do with my cat? Did you hurt her?”

“Why do you always have such an evil opinion of me, Robin? I’m not
that
cruel. I dropped her off at one of those animal shelters you hear about on the internet.”

“Which animal shelter? In what town?” Robin pleaded.

“Ahhhh—nice try. But that’s all you’re going to get out of me. If you really want the bag of bones back, go out and find her yourself. I have a mani/pedi appointment. Toodles!” She gave Robin a three-fingered wave and flounced off in the direction of the town square.

Stunned, Robin was frozen for a few minutes before she reached into her pocket for her cell phone. She speed-dialed the sheriff’s office and reported what Susan had said about Miss Praise.

“I’m on it. One good thing, at least maybe Susan didn’t harm or—you know—Miss Praise. But this woman definitely can’t be trusted, so I’ll have to check into it. For a start, I’ll send out a text alert to all of the municipally-run animal shelters with Miss Praise’s description and that photo you gave me before. If we don’t find your cat that way, we’ll expand the search to private shelters. I’ll be in touch.”

Robin sent text messages to Penny and Jeff to let them know Susan had confessed to taking Miss Praise.
I hope you’re all right, kitty. Assuming Susan is actually telling the truth about taking you to a shelter.

Chapter 30

Designing couture clothing and sewing were Penny Ralston’s passions in life.
She enjoyed using her talents to create beautiful clothing for a variety of friends and clients. She knew she’d never become wealthy from her design and sewing business and openly admitted money was positively
not
the motivating factor in her small business.

Jorie and Robin were coming to Penny’s studio the next morning to discuss ideas for Robin’s June wedding. It seemed a bit early to begin planning a wedding nearly ten months away, but both Jorie and Penny realized Robin needed a distraction to keep her mind off missing her fiancé and the loss of her cat. The bridesmaids decided not to mention the investigation relating to Miss Praise today.

Penny had jotted down a list of topics they needed to discuss involving the dress designs, fabrics, decorations for the wedding and reception, favors for guests, and music for the wedding ceremony. Jorie was creative when it came to music and food, so it seemed natural she’d be in charge of coordinating those areas.

Although she’d never been in love, Penny held the hope of one day meeting her special someone chosen especially for her by God. She envisioned herself being a loving and dutiful wife, making a cozy and comfortable home for her husband. She had a strong desire to be a mother, nurturing her babies and teaching them wholesome values and beliefs.
Stop this train of thought right now! You aren’t the person getting married here. Your time will come when the Lord’s plan for your life is revealed. Be patient.

~*~

The next morning, Robin arrived at Penny’s house loaded with herbal tea and blueberry muffins from the local bakery. Jorie was scheduled to arrive about an hour later, so the cousins chatted while they ate in the small kitchen. Penny sensed her cousin’s joy in marrying Jeff was tainted with sadness over the disappearance of Miss Praise. After some doubts and hesitation at the beginning of her relationship with Jeff, the bride now appeared emotionally ready to begin a new chapter in her life as Mrs. Clarke.

“Any sign of Miss Praise?”

Robin’s eyes misted up. “No one has seen her since the day before Susan left the toy and card on my porch. So far, Sheriff Snead hasn’t been able to find the shelter where Susan supposedly left Miss Praise. I haven’t given up complete hope that I’ll get her back, but it does look bleak.”

“Do you feel up to working on this today?”

“Yes, I need to focus on my marriage to Jeff. I guess my grief over my kitty will lessen with time.”

“I have some swatches of fabric to show you. I sorted through what the wholesalers give me when I shop at my favorite fabric house in San Francisco and chose a few I thought you might like for your wedding dress.”

Taking care not to give her opinion about any of the fabrics before the bride-to-be made her choice, Penny described each fabric in detail as her cousin inspected each swatch.

“This is raw silk. It drapes well and looks divine with beading and hand-embroidery embellishments. This one is silk taffeta. It has a slightly more shiny appearance than the raw silk, but it drapes well, too.” Penny spoke knowledgably about each fabric then answered Robin’s questions. “Do you see anything you like?”

“This ivory raw silk is a dream,” Robin said, fingering the swatch that was Penny’s first choice too.

The maid of honor’s eyes lit up with excitement. “This is the fabric I chose as the best for your dress and jacket. It fits the ensemble I’ve designed for you and will blend perfectly with your coloring. Should I order yardage of this one?”

“Please do. It’s luxurious and yet not flashy.”

“
Exactly.
I’ll place the order today to make sure we can get the quantity we need of this exact fabric and color lot.”

“I’ll give you my credit card number to use to purchase the fabric. Remind me to do it before I leave.”

“Not necessary. A secret admirer, who wishes to remain anonymous, has already offered to pay for all of the supplies for your wedding gown and accessories,” Penny said proudly.

“What? Who? Is it Jeff? That guy—”

“My lips are sealed solidly shut, young lady. Don’t ask again.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Jorie arrived shortly and the topic of conversation turned to the maid of honor and bridesmaid’s dresses.

“You can design and sew your dresses as you wish. I don’t have a particular color scheme in mind for the wedding.”

“All right then. Our dresses will be a surprise for you,” Penny said excitedly.

“I’ll give you my credit card number so you can purchase the fabric—”

“Nope, it’s already been handled by another secret admirer.”

“Who are these mysterious secret admirers?” Robin implored.

“It’s for us to know and you to find out when we’re ready to tell ya,” Jorie laughed.

“We’d like you to sing ‘The Wedding Song’ and the traditional ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ as I mentioned on the phone. We like the messages and melodies in those songs. We’re trying to think of another song for the end of the ceremony. Can either of you think of another appropriate song?”

Jorie said, “I love ‘Morning Has Broken.’ It’s uplifting and was originally written as a hymn during the Depression.”

“I’ve always liked it. We’ll surprise Jeff.”

“Got it,” Jorie smiled.

“Will you ask Mrs. Simpson if she’ll play at the wedding? If she commits, will you write it on the church calendar?”

“Yes. She’s an awesome accompanist. Have you checked with the gardens about renting a piano or portable keyboard for the Dahlia Garden gazebo?”

“I’m writing it on my list of things to do. Thanks for the tip.”

“I think we have enough to do for now. I’ll call you when the fabric comes in so we can discuss your outfit, Robbie,” Penny offered.

With a wave of her hand Robin said, “I love your eye for design, and your sewing skills are impeccable. Work your magic and I’ll try it on before the wedding.”

“I’ll call you when my initial sketches are ready. I want your approval before I begin cutting up the expensive raw silk fabric.”

~*~

When the sheriff’s car pulled up in front of Robin’s cottage one evening she knew he’d have news to share about the disappearance of Miss Praise. She waited on the front porch as he approached her cottage with authority.

“Hello, Miss Bennett.”

“Hi, Sheriff Snead. Please call me Robin.”

“All right. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

“Yes. Do you want to go inside?”

“Let’s sit out here and talk.”

They sat at the same table where she’d originally become acquainted with Jeff. Nervous tension filled Robin’s mind until the sheriff spoke.

“May I get you something cold to drink, Sheriff?”

“No, I’m fine. We’ve obtained a full confession from Susan Stinson about the incident with your cat. To avoid upsetting you even further, I won’t share the details. Suffice to say the woman needs some help.”

Robin gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. “It’s all so unbelievable and so unnecessary.”

“Yes, it was definitely cruel of her to snatch your cat I might have some good news about your pet.”

“Yes,” Robin said.

“I’ve spoken with the director of a small shelter down in Ukiah who’s pretty sure Miss Praise was adopted out of their facility by a good family a day or two ago.”

“Thank goodness.”

“The director is doing some follow-up and will contact me when she knows for certain if it
was
Miss Praise.”

“Thanks, Sheriff.”

“Robin, I think I know the answer to this question, but I want to be sure. If I locate Miss Praise, do you want her to come back home?”

Robin’s immediate instinct was to say yes. Miss Praise was
her
pet. The tabby had been loved by Robin and her grandmother for her entire life. But if Miss Praise came back, would that just give Susan the chance to use the old feline again to hurt Robin? Maybe Susan would even hurt Miss Praise next time.

“I’ll have to think about it, Sheriff. My main concern here is Miss Praise’s safety. I mean, what if Susan does the same thing again, but this time she hurts my cat physically?”

He nodded.

“What about Susan? Can she get away with this?” Robin pressed him.

“If you file charges, she’ll have a trial and will likely go to the county jail for a couple of months. If you choose not to file charges, shell get off without a hitch.”

“Letting her off the hook so easily just doesn’t feel right. I need to speak to my fiancé and pastor about this. Do I have to give you an answer right now?”

“No rush.”

“Did Susan tell you why she stole Miss Praise?”

“For the record, she said she wanted to get back at you and Jeff for the way you and your friends have snubbed her for years. Off the record, I think she’s a disturbed woman. I wouldn’t be surprised if her violent streak escalates if she doesn’t get some help.”

“Violence is exactly what I’m worried about if I bring Miss Praise home right now. Thanks for your candor, Sheriff. I’ll get back in touch when I’ve decided what I want to do.”

Robin immediately sent a text message to Jeff followed by an email detailing what the sheriff had shared. Then she called Pastor White to bring him up to date. Both men were supportive and told Robin it was her decision how she wanted to proceed. They agreed with the sheriff that if nothing was done to stop Susan’s bullying, things would continue to escalate.

After much deliberation, Robin decided to press charges against Susan. She believed maybe the embarrassment of having a trial would cause Susan to come to her senses and seek the mental health help she needed. Robin contacted Sheriff Snead by phone and told him of her wishes. He agreed to handle the matter immediately.

The next morning the sheriff’s car pulled up outside her cottage as Robin was leaving for the library.

“May I walk with you, Robin? We can talk along the way.”

“Sure.”

“I’ve got two bits of good news. Susan plead guilty to every charge and made a plea bargain with the District Attorney’s Office to spend ninety days in a mental health hospital for inmates instead of going through a trial.”

“I’m surprised she didn’t try to fight it.”

“I’m not. We have conclusive evidence she wrote the card, and she confessed to the rest. It’s a no-win situation for Susan.”

“I still can’t believe her cruelty toward Miss Praise when she took her from her lifelong home.” Robin shook her head. “So it’s over? I’m finished being terrorized by Susan Stinson?”

“I can’t guarantee it, but I think you can rest assured you won’t be hearing from the woman again.”

“What’s the second piece of news?”

The sheriff stopped walking and set his hands on his waist before smiling at her. “We found Miss Praise.”

Robin froze. “Is she okay?”

“She’s just fine. Probably missing you and her home like crazy, but she’s healthy and has been well taken care of by the family who adopted her. Once the director told them about the situation, they offered to return Miss Praise to you and then find another cat to adopt.”

Tears streamed down Robin’s face. “I didn’t think I’d ever see her again.”

“I know. I told Pastor White about it, and he offered to drive you down to Ukiah to pick up Miss Praise and bring her back home.”

“I’m scared of what Susan might do to her if she finds out Miss Praise is here, but I really do want my pet to come home. I’ve missed that ball of fur.”

“Try not to worry about Susan. She’s going to be locked up for a while, hopefully getting the treatment she needs to get well. I think you should go for it and bring Miss Praise back to her rightful home.”

“You’re absolutely right. Can you give me the number of the family who has her, please? I’ll set up a time to go retrieve my kitty.”

“I have it right here.”

“I’ll store it in my phone.” They paused and exchanged the number.