The Cat of Christmas Past (5 page)

When Danny returned with the board we listed everyone who was on the Pottage property the day of the kidnapping. I went through the list the old man had given me while Siobhan used a dry erase marker to transfer the list to the whiteboard.

She began by listing Father Kilian, who had performed the christening. I volunteered to speak to him the next day because it would be easy to stop by the church on my lunch break to see what he could remember from the day.

Belle’s sister, Bonnie, and Bonnie’s husband, Sutton, were also in attendance. They were listed as the godparents. Belle’s cousin, Jessica, and her husband, Brad, were there, as well as Belle’s best friend, Beverly, and Beverly’s husband, Steve.

According to Pottage’s notes, Bonnie and Sutton, Jessica and Brad, and Beverly and Steve all lived out of state and were staying at the residence when the kidnapping occurred. They remained at the house for a couple of days after Charles was taken, and they all helped out with the search effort. I doubted any of them would have kidnapped Charles, and it wasn’t going to be easy to interview them, but I had Siobhan list them anyway.

Mayor Bradley and his wife, Nora, had attended the party, as had Doris Rutherford and her husband, Ted. Both Mayor Bradley and Ted Rutherford had since passed away, but it would be worth my time, I was certain, to chat with both Doris and Nora.

My neighbor Francine Rivers had been invited, as had the previous owner of the
Madrona Island News
, Orson Cobalter. Orson most likely was there to cover the event for the paper, but I couldn’t imagine why Francine had been in attendance. Orson had since passed and so was unavailable for questioning, but it would be easy to pop next door to talk with Francine, which I offered to do.

Surprisingly, my Aunt Maggie was on the guest list, as was her best friend and business partner Marley Donnelly. I figured a conversation with the two women would be a good place to start. They worked just a few doors down from Coffee Cat Books, so a quick trip down the street during a slow time of the day should net the results we required.

There were five other names mentioned. Edith Cribbage had been the nanny, Jane Partridge the maid, Liza Bolton the cook, Roger Riverton the upstairs guard, and Phillip Preston the guard at the gate. It had been a very long time and I didn’t know any of them, but I hoped I could track them down at some point during the investigation. My gut told me it was an employee and not a guest who would turn out to be the kidnapper.

“On the surface, do any of these people seem to have a motive to kidnap the baby?” Siobhan asked.

“I don’t know the out-of-town guests, but it seems unlikely any of them is guilty of the crime,” I answered. “For one thing, they remained at the estate for a couple of days following the kidnapping. If one of them was guilty they would have had to find a place to stash the baby until they left. That seems unlikely. As for the local guests, there’s not a single person I would believe guilty of such a crime.”

“Yet someone did it,” Danny pointed out.

“Yes,” I agreed, “someone did. I plan to speak to everyone on the list, but right now my money is on one of the staff as the guilty party. The problem is I have absolutely no idea where to find any of them. I guess I’ll start with the people on the list who I know to see if anyone can point me in a direction.”

“Both the peppermint lattes and the chocolate mochas are on sale this week,” I informed the group of teens who had come into the bookstore for a hot beverage after school.

“Two of each,” a tall girl with long blond hair replied. “Do you think you’ll have the gingerbread latte on sale again?”

“We had the gingerbread last week, but I think Tara plans to feature it again,” I answered. “Do you all have plans for break?” I asked as I prepared the drinks.

“I’m going to Aspen,” the blonde informed me.

“That sounds like fun.” I set her drink in front of her.

“It would have been if my boyfriend could have come, but my parents are torturing us with a family-only trip. I mean, really, who sets out to torture their kid at Christmas?”

“At least you get to go skiing,” one of the other girls, a brunette, added. “I have to stay home and babysit my two little brothers while Mom’s at work.”

“That’s such a drag,” the blonde agreed.

“That will be twelve dollars,” I informed the group after I had delivered all the drinks. “Be sure to check back next week. I’ll see what I can do about the gingerbread.”

“Who’s the cute guy reading to that bunch of kids?” one of the teens asked.

“Yeah, he’ll do,” another of the girls joined in. “Is he single?”

“His name is Alex. I don’t know if he’s single, but I can tell you he’ll be working here over Christmas break.”

“He’s a total babe. Does he live on the island?” the first girl asked.

“Afraid not. Besides, he’s too old for you. He goes to the university in Portland.”

“Such a shame,” the blonde sighed. “I wouldn’t mind finding him under my tree on Christmas morning.”

I smiled at the girls, who were almost tripping over their own feet as they stared at Alex as they walked away. He really was good-looking, but not as good-looking as my Cody. Still, I was sure he did quite well in the girlfriend department.

I smiled in greeting at the next customer. “What can I get for you?”

“We’re here about a cat,” the woman, who I didn’t recognize, informed me.

“Awesome. Let me get Tara to cover the counter and we can go next door to chat.”

I ushered the woman and her daughter toward the cat lounge as soon as I informed Tara what I was doing.

“So, what sort of a cat are you looking for?” I asked.

“A kitten,” the girl answered.

“Susie saw a black and white kitten in here on Saturday. She’s been bugging me to come to take a look at it ever since. I don’t see it today. Have you sold it?”

“First of all, we don’t sell the cats and kittens we feature here. We adopt them out to prescreened families. And yes, I do still have the black and white kitten. It’s at the cat sanctuary today. I try to rotate the cats I bring into the lounge. I can give you an application to fill out, but I want to be sure you really want a kitten and are willing and able to take care of it. I don’t mean to be rude, but adopting a pet because you want your daughter to stop pestering you isn’t a good reason.”

The woman frowned at me. I had the sense she wasn’t at all sold on the idea of actually caring for a kitten.

“Please, Mom? You promised me a treat if I was good during this boring business trip. We’ve been here for five days and I’ve been good. I want a kitten,” the little girl insisted.

“If I get the kitten for you will you shut up about it?”

The irritated look on the woman’s face pretty much made up my mind that I wasn’t going to hand over one of my cats to this particular family.

“Like I said, we have an adoption process. I really can’t promise you anything until we do a background check,” I informed the woman.

“You do a background check on people who simply want to adopt a kitten?” the woman asked.

“Yes, we do.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. The whole thing sounds like a hassle.”

“But Mom…” the girl whined as the woman turned to leave.

“I’m really too busy for all this,” the woman said to the child. “I still need to meet with the old geezer out on the island. We’ll go to the pet store in Seattle next weekend, where they don’t give you the third degree to buy a kitten.”

“Old geezer,” I interrupted. “Do you mean Balthazar Pottage?”

“Yes. I work for the development company that plans to build condos on his land. I’m stuck on this island until I can convince him to follow through with his initial promise to sell the land to my boss. Trust me, there’s nothing I want more than to be on the next ferry heading east. But the only way I can do that is if I can talk some sense into the old guy. Wish me luck.”

Hardly.

The woman’s words left me with a nervous feeling. Not that I actually thought Pottage would back out of our deal. He really did seem to want to find out what had happened to his son. Still, the knowledge that the condo developer was putting pressure on him did fill me with a certain level of urgency.

I checked on all the cats and then returned to the coffee bar.

“It looks like we’re through the morning rush. Would you mind if I take both an early and a long lunch so I can go talk to a couple of the people from the list we made last night?” I asked Tara.

“Go ahead,” Tara said. “Alex and I should be fine until people start gathering for the three o’clock ferry.”

“Thanks. I’ll hurry.”

I decided my first stop would be the Bait and Stitch. Both Maggie and Marley should be there at this time of day, and chances were good that Doris Rutherford would be there as well. It was a nice day, so I decided to walk the short distance between the stores. I wasn’t sure what information, if any, the women could provide, but I was enjoying my walk.

Madrona Island was a magical place during the holidays. Everyone went out of their way to provide a welcoming feel. White twinkle lights were strung in the trees along Main before Halloween and continued to light the otherwise dark street until after the short days of winter gave way to the longer ones of spring. The shops along Main had gone all out with their decorations. Windows featured holiday scenes and almost every door featured a bright green wreath. Holiday music could be heard from each shop as I passed.

As with the other businesses, the soft sounds of Christmas CDs playing holiday tunes greeted me as I opened the door to the Bait and Stitch. The shop my aunt and Marley owned was a unique endeavor, a warm and friendly store that combined Maggie’s love of fishing with Marley’s love of sewing. It also served as gossip central because the women of Madrona Island tended to congregate around the quilting tables to share news, real or imagined, while enjoying cups of tea.

“Cait, how nice to see you.” Marley hugged me as I walked in through the front door.

“The place looks great. I especially love the red bows you’ve placed around the sales floor. Very festive.”

“Maggie and I had the best time decorating,” Marley said.

“Coffee Cat Books looks lovely as well,” Doris Rutherford, the queen bee of the local gossip hotline, commented from one of the chairs Marley had placed around the quilting table.

“Yes, you girls have done a nice job with the place,” added Ruth Everson, the local charity events coordinator.

“Thank you both. Tara and I worked really hard to bring the feeling of the season to the store. Is Maggie around?”

“She’s over on the fishing supplies side of the building with a customer,” Marley informed me. “I’m sure she’ll come back here after she’s finished. Things are pretty slow on the fishing end of things at this time of year.”

“Cait, I heard you’re the person responsible for saving the Bayview Apartments,” Ruth commented. “My aunt lives in the building and she told me how you took charge to save the day.”

“Yeah, well, it isn’t a sure thing yet. I’m trying my best to save the building, but I’m afraid it really is a bit of a long shot.”

“How can we help?” Marley asked.

“Yes, what can we do?” Ruth seconded.

“Perhaps a committee to address the issue,” Doris suggested.

“A committee to address what issue?” Maggie asked as she walked into the sewing room.

“The issue of the Bayview Apartments,” I informed Maggie. “I’ve worked out a deal of sorts with Balthazar Pottage, but in order to save the building in the long run I need to figure out what happened to his son.”

Maggie frowned. “That’s not going to be an easy task.”

“Tell me about it. I understand you were at the party the day of Charles Pottage’s disappearance.”

“I was,” Maggie confirmed. “As were Marley and Doris. We shared everything we could possibly remember with the deputies who investigated the case at the time. Nothing we told them seemed to help then and I really doubt it will now.”

“Maybe not, but I have to try.”

“Certainly. Have a seat,” Marley offered.

“What would you like to know?” Doris asked.

“I was curious as to why the three of you were even at the christening party,” I began.

“When she first moved to the island, Belle Pottage joined the local garden club, of which the three of us were members,” Maggie informed me. “She wasn’t much of a gardener; I think it was a way for her to meet people. Her husband wasn’t around all that much, and she was pretty much stuck in that big house by herself most of the time. We felt sorry for her and went out of our way to befriend her.”

“What exactly happened on the day of the kidnapping?” I asked.

“The party was for the christening of Charles Pottage,” Maggie began.

“He really was a beautiful baby,” Marley added.

“And he had all that thick dark hair,” Doris joined in.

“Father Kilian performed the ceremony,” Maggie said. “Belle’s sister and brother-in-law were present to act as godparents.”

“And after the christening?” I wondered.

“Belle took Charles upstairs for a nap. He’d been fussy throughout the ceremony.”

“What did everyone else do while Belle was upstairs with the baby?”

“The Pottages put on quite a spread. I’m pretty sure everyone stayed to eat. Father Kilian left shortly after the ceremony because he had Mass to perform, but everyone else mingled while we enjoyed the delicious food and wine.”

I pulled the list Pottage had given me out of my pocket and considered the names. “It appears it was actually a fairly small party.”

“It was,” Maggie agreed. “Keep in mind, Balthazar Pottage hadn’t made any friends on the island and Belle had only made a few. It was Christmas Eve and most people were home with their families. Marley and I weren’t due to share Christmas with your family until the next day, so we decided to attend the gathering, more as a show of support for Belle than anything else.”

“And Ted and I didn’t have family on the island, so we welcomed the diversion,” Doris offered.

“Do you remember who else from the island was there?”

Maggie paused as she appeared to be considering my question. “Mayor Bradley was there with Nora. The Bradleys didn’t stay all that long after the actual christening. I’m sure they’d left before Belle discovered Charles was missing.”

“Belle had also invited a cousin and a couple of friends from out of state,” Marley added. “I believe all the out-of-town guests were staying at the house.”

“Does it seem odd to you that Belle chose Christmas Eve as the date for her baby’s christening?” I asked the women.

“I don’t think Belle was happy in her marriage,” Maggie offered. “If I had to guess I’d say she held the christening then as an excuse to invite her sister and friends to stay on the island for the holiday.”

I frowned. “How unhappy was she?”

Maggie shrugged. “It’s hard to know what’s in another’s heart, and she didn’t really speak of her relationship with her much older husband, but he was away a lot of the time and she commented several times that she preferred it that way. I think she hoped the baby would change things, but if you ask me I think Charles just drove a larger wedge between the couple. If Charles hadn’t been kidnapped and Belle hadn’t been killed in the car accident, my prediction is the marriage wouldn’t have lasted.”

I looked down at my list again. “Mr. Pottage told me that there were two guards on site that day, one at the gate and one at the top of the stairs. Doesn’t that seem excessive considering the only guests were family and friends?”

“I thought so at the time.” Doris nodded. “But I learned later that he had received death threats after he evicted a bunch of people from an apartment building he’d purchased out of bankruptcy. I think the guard at the gate was always there, but I’m not certain why he added the one at the top of the stairs. It did seem a bit much.”

Maggie looked up as the bell over the door rang. Two couples I didn’t know walked in from the cold. Maggie got up to chat with them, effectively ending the conversation, but I felt like I had a bit more insight into the day’s events.

“Do any of you know where I can find Edith Cribbage, Jane Partridge, Liza Bolton, Phillip Preston, or Roger Riverton?” I asked the women who were left at the table.