Snowmen In Paradise (Book 2 Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries) (22 page)

“I’ll say one thing about this town,” Kyle commented, “they certainly are into their festivals and celebrations
. I’ve been here three and a half months and this is the fourth celebration I’ve been to.”

“The holidays are always busy
, but yeah, we do tend to overdo it a bit.”

An hour later, Tj waved to Jenna and Dennis, who were working their way toward them through the crowd. It was so sweet, the way they wrapped their arms around each other. Jenna had her head on Dennis’s shoulder and they looked like they had eyes only for each other, in spite of the crowd around them. “What happened to the big night out at the bar?”

“We might have figured out another name for our suspect list,” Jenna offered
as she took a step away from Dennis. “Corbin Wells. His sister Wendy works at the Inn. He’d had a few drinks in him, but he was spouting off to anyone who would listen that Travis was a no-good SOB who’d gotten what he deserved.”

“I started up a conversation with one of the other guys
, who confirmed that Corbin has been on a manhunt ever since he found out that his sister was forced to engage in acts he didn’t want to discuss after agreeing to have a drink with him at the end of her shift.”

“It sounds like he might be our guy,” Tj agreed
.

“Where are the girls?” Jenna asked.

“Your mom took them home,” Tj answered.

“Did you ever
get a chance to talk to Sean?”

“Yeah,” Tj
told Jenna. “He claims to have been at the resort during the time Travis was killed, but he doesn’t remember seeing anyone who could corroborate his story. I tried to pick his brain about exactly where he’d been. I’m going to ask around. Maybe someone noticed him and he didn’t realize it.”

“You don’t
think he’s a serious suspect?” Dennis asked.

“Not really
. We added him to the list because Travis’s death will benefit his career, but he doesn’t seem the type to be a murderer. Still, I’d like to confirm an alibi so I can cross him off.”

“Who’s left?” Jenna asked.

Tj took out her phone and considered her notes. “Pete Quinn is my top suspect at this point. Dylan found out that he was blackmailing Travis over a steroid cover-up. Travis burned down the evidence, so it makes sense that Pete might have been upset that the gravy train had come to an end. If you add the fact that Travis basically bilked him out of a lot of money when he promised to sign with him as a sponsor and then didn’t, it seems he has a pretty good motive.”

“Have you talked to him?”
Dennis wondered.

“Not yet
. I checked at his shop and the staff said he was in Sacramento for a few days. It seems odd that he’d be gone at such a busy time, but I suppose it’s possible. Until I can verify that, he stays at the top of the list.”

“Who else?”
Jenna asked.

“Mayor Wallaby and Johnson claim to have been
together, but according to Harriet the timing is off. And according to Dylan, they had plenty of time to have the argument they told Dylan about and then return to the mountain and kill Travis. Johnson said he went home after talking to Wallaby. Unfortunately, he was alone. Dylan has Roy and Tim talking to neighbors. Wallaby won’t tell Dylan where he went after arguing with Johnson.”

“He was most likely with a woman,” Dennis s
aid.

“That was my guess as well,” Tj confirmed.

“Okay, so we have Pete, Wallaby, Johnson, and Sean with unconfirmed alibis,” Jenna summarized. “Anyone else?”

“Albert Pitman confessed to drugging Travis but claims he didn’t kill him
. While that may be true, it could also be a ploy, so he stays on the list.”

“Don’t forget to add Corbin,” Jenna reminded her.

“I will. And Wendy as well. Doc mentioned that she was supposed to be a judge at the chowder cook-off today but didn’t show.”

“I thought our plan was to make a list and whittle it down
, but it seems like it keeps getting longer,” Jenna pointed out.

“Travis was a toad
. There are a lot of people in town with motives,” Tj answered.

Tj woke early the following morning. She was going to have a full day at the carnival, but she decided she wasn’t going anywhere until she tracked down the missing pet. Yesterday morning she’d done a cursory search, but she hadn’t been overly worried at that point, so she really hadn’t looked beyond the surface. When she’d gotten home last night, the girls had been asleep, and she hadn’t wanted to wake them, so she’d looked around but hadn’t really torn the place apart. This morning, if their furry gray friend didn’t make an appearance, she’d dismantle the house board by board if she had to.

“Any sign of Crissy?”
Tj asked Ben, who was making coffee.

“Not yet.”

“Gracie still sleeping?” Tj poured a large mug of the hot liquid.

“Yeah.
She had trouble falling asleep, so she’s probably pretty tired.”

“You know this house better than anyone,” Tj s
aid. Ben had built the house from logs he’d milled himself. “Where could she be hiding?”

Ben thought about it
. “We know that Gracie took Crissy to bed with her on Thursday night. She was gone Friday morning. The only way she could have gotten out is if someone had gone in and left the door open.”

“I went in to kiss her good
night when I got home,” Tj confirmed. “I don’t remember seeing Crissy, but the door was open for about a minute while I tucked her blankets around her and kissed her forehead.”

“Has she ever tried to get out before when you’ve gone in to say good
night?”

“No
. Most of the time she’s sleeping right there on the bed.”

“But she wasn’t there last night?”

Tj thought about it. “I’m not sure. It was late, and Gracie was already asleep. I left the hall light on but didn’t turn on the light in the bedroom. I was tired, so it was a quick kiss, but I honestly don’t remember if Crissy was there or not.”

“Seems odd that she’d take off that way
.” Ben shook his head.

“Not if she’s sick
. Animals do that,” Tj worried aloud. “They go off alone to die.”

“Did you check the attic?”
Ben asked.

“
The attic?”

“When the power went out during last week
’s storm, I went up into the attic to get some more blankets for the girls’ beds. I suppose it’s possible I didn’t close the door tightly.”

“It’s worth a try.”
Tj hurried to the pull-down stairs that led to the attic. The stairs were pulled up and the latch was fastened tightly, so Crissy couldn’t have squeezed through. Still, as long as she was here, it was worth taking a look. She’d pretty much looked everywhere else. She pulling down the stairs and climbed them one by one until she reached the large room, which covered the living space below.

“Crissy,” she called
. “Are you in here, sweetie?”

Tj let out a happy breath when she heard a faint cry
. It sounded like it was coming from the area directly above Gracie’s room. There was a ceiling access to the attic from there, so maybe Crissy had worked it free and climbed inside.

The attic was stacked from floor to ceiling with old furniture and storage boxes
. Her dad and grandfather both tended to be pack rats who were reluctant to throw things away. As Tj maneuvered around the debris accumulated over three generations, she continued to call the missing cat.

“Crissy?”
Tj stopped near a pile of old clothes. “Well, I’ll be.”

Crissy was
stretched out on her grandpa’s old winter coat. Beside her were two kittens, one white and one black. Tj should have recognized the signs, but truth be told, she’d been so busy, she’d barely paid any attention at all to the cat, who was mostly cared for by Gracie.

“You’ve picked yourself a nice spot to have your babies
, but it’s kind of cold up here. Maybe you’d like to move downstairs?”

Crissy began to purr.

Tj found an empty box and lined it with an old but soft blanket. Carefully transferring the kittens inside, she called to Crissy and started back down the stairs. Closing the access firmly behind her, she carried the box into Gracie’s room. Crissy and her babies would be comfortable in Gracie’s closet, away from the hustle and bustle of the main living area. Tj knew it wouldn’t be long before Crissy would leave her babies for a short time each day, but for now she’d set up a feeding station and litter box close by.

“Look what I found
.” Tj kissed Gracie on the head to wake her up.

“Crissy,” she yelled as she hugged
the cat. “Where did you go? I was so sad without you.”

“I think she was busy
.” Tj set the box on the floor next to the bed so Gracie could see the kittens.

“She made babies?”

“Looks like.”

“Can we keep them?”

“We’ll see. For now, let’s get the new family settled in your closet.”

“Can I hold one?”

“Not yet.” Tj sat down next to Gracie. “This is very important, so I want you to listen carefully.”

“
’Kay.”

“Crissy
’s babies are too little to hold. If you pick them up, you might hurt them. I’m going to let them stay in here with you, but you have to promise not to touch them until I say it’s okay. Deal?”

“Deal.” Gracie grinned.

Tj
had a full morning of events. She wanted to fill Dylan in on Corbin Wells’s outburst the previous evening, but she knew she wouldn’t have time to meet him until the afternoon. She texted him and asked if he’d be free to meet her for lunch. He texted back to say he’d love to meet her if they could do it at one-thirty. She confirmed the time and asked him to meet her in front of Grainger’s General Store.

Mike informed the family that he would be tied up with events at the resort all day
so they shouldn’t include him in any plans they might make. Grandpa likewise reported that he, along with Doc and Bookman, were going to take all four girls to the ice-sculpting competition, since Helen, Bonnie, and Jenna were going to be busy at the Antiquery until after three. Gracie hadn’t wanted to go at first because she felt it was her duty to stay home to take care of her new family, but Tj had convinced her that babies needed lots of rest during the first few days of their lives and it was best to let Crissy have some peace and quiet. Gracie was reluctant until Mike promised he’d stop in to check on them every now and then.

“I didn’t expect to see you today,” Jenna commented as Tj poured herself a cup of coffee, snagged a couple of cookies off the cooling rack, and slid onto one of the stools lining the counter.

“I’m taking Dylan to lunch as an apology for not trusting him with the whole J
osh situation. I thought I’d stop by to pick something up and then take him on a picnic.”

“Isn’t it a little col
d to be sitting on the ground?” Jenna slid the sandwich she was grilling onto a plate.

“We’re not having our picnic on the ground
; we’re having it in the sleigh. I want to take Dylan up to Pine Nut Hill to watch the ice skating in the cove.”

“Sounds romantic
.” Jenna smiled as she scooped potato salad onto a plate next to a sandwich and rang the bell for Bren to pick up the order.

“It does,” Tj agreed
. “However, my plan, for the short time I have his undivided attention, is to talk murder, so I’m not sure how romantic it will actually be.”

“Maybe you should give the investigation a break and focus on the beautiful sunny day, the romantic horse
-drawn sleigh, the handsome man next to you, and the delicious lunch I’m about to prepare for you,” Jenna said.

“
Maybe you’re right.”

“Dennis heard from Josh,” Jenna informed her
. “His dad is doing better, and they think they can save his arm. Josh hasn’t told him about Travis yet, which he thinks he’ll take hard. They weren’t really close—in fact, Travis hated him quite a lot—but I guess Bert hadn’t given up hope of establishing relationships with both of his sons.”

“Poor guy
,” Tj sympathized.

“Josh is coming back to work on Monday
. Bert will have to stay in Sacramento for a while, but Josh figures he can visit on his days off.”

“Has he
told his mom what’s going on?” Tj wondered.

Jenna nodded. “
She took it better than he expected. He doubts they’ll ever be one big, happy family, but he said she seemed fine with him pursuing the relationship. By the way, before I forget to mention it, Dolly was in again today. And, as expected, Sean was in as well. He was sitting at a table with his coach and Dolly was sitting alone across the room. They didn’t speak or make eye contact, but they arrived at about the same time and left within minutes of each other.”