The Cats that Played the Market (The Cats that . . . Cozy Mystery Book 4) (3 page)

“Are you Katherine Kendall? I’m G. Robert Brentwood. Just call me Robbie. I’m so glad to meet you. Did you have any trouble getting here? What do you think of this weather? Mark said you were from New York. Have you been there lately?”

Katherine just stared at the man with her mouth open because he asked a million questions and didn’t give her time to answer any of them.

“I’m on the second floor,” Robbie continued in a thundering voice. “Mark Dunn is also on my floor. You know him, of course. He’s your late aunt Orvenia’s lawyer. Here, I’ll show you the way.”

He held the lobby door open and continued, “I’m so sorry. I haven’t let you get a word in edge-wise. My mother says it’s a terrible habit of mine. Please, let’s take the stairs. I need the exercise.”

Katherine agreed. He carried an unhealthy amount of weight. On the second floor, Robbie escorted Katherine to a small office with sparse furnishings. There was a desk and office chair, computer, and combination printer and fax machine. Against the windowed wall was a credenza with mounds of paper stacked on it. Obviously, Robbie’s forte wasn’t filing.

“Please have a seat,” Robbie said, pointing at a leather-covered side chair. He sat behind his desk and immediately began nervously twiddling with a pen. “Mark has told me that you are interested in investing. I’m privy to a new, high-performing mutual fund that is paying off in big bucks. I also do direct management of investments for high-net worth individuals like you.”

Katherine took a deep breath and wondered when the man would let her talk. “I would like to hear more about it.” She plucked another business card from a holder near the edge of the desk. The reverse side of the card had raised, bold letters spelling out Licensed Financial Professional.

“It’s as simple as this,” Robbie continued. “You give me the sum of ‘x’ dollars. I’ll set up an account at the Erie bank of your choice. You’ll give me access to the money and I’ll make decisions on what to buy and what to sell. I guarantee within three months, I will have tripled your money.”

“In this economy, you must do very well with what you do,” Katherine remarked. She glanced at the wall, which held three mat-framed diplomas: an undergraduate degree from a university in New Jersey, an MBA degree from a prestigious school, and a certificate identifying him as a certified financial planner.

“I worked on Wall Street for a number of years and I’m aware of the best investment opportunities available on today’s market. In fact, I still have an office in Manhattan.”

“Interesting,” Katherine noted. “As a matter of fact, when I worked in midtown, your building was very close to mine —”

Robbie interrupted, throwing his hands up in excitement. He said in a booming voice, “We could have bumped into each other and not even known it. As I was saying,” he returned to the topic at hand, “If you sign this account agreement and deposit a mere five thousand dollars I will begin my magic. I’m sure you’ll be so happy with the results.”

Katherine thought,
Mom used to say if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is.
“I’d like to explore your offer further. Do you have a website I can access? Any literature I can study?”

“I assure you, what I do is completely legitimate,” Robbie said, undaunted, “I will invest a major part of your money in this new mutual fund, and you’ll see the windfall within a month or two. The more you put in, the more you make. Easy sneezy,” he said. “Everyone in Erie is investing. Why not jump on the bandwagon today?”

Katherine thought,
What a salesman! He won’t take no for an answer.
Standing up to leave, she gathered her bag and folded her coat over her arm. She smiled politely. “I’ll take this under advisement and get back to you. Thank you so much for meeting with me.” She stepped for the door, but Robbie stood up and called her back.

“Oh, by all means. Here’s my website,” he said, scratching the address on the back of one of his business cards, which she already had, but accepted this one, as well. “Check it out! Check me out! And don’t delay. Get back to me right away!”

Katherine hurriedly headed for the elevator bank. A line had formed outside Robbie’s office door. She recognized the mayor’s wife and Cokey Cokenberger.

“Hi, Cokey,” she said, stopping to talk. “I want to thank you for plowing my driveway this morning.” She knew it was a lame excuse to talk to him, because she had already thanked him earlier.  She was curious why he’d want to meet with the new financial advisor in town.

“You’re welcome, Katz,” he said, then whispered. “I heard I can triple my investment in a matter of months, so I’m investing big-time.”

Katherine’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, Cokey, is that wise? Have you investigated this man’s credentials?”

Cokey shrugged and said dismissively, “No big deal, but don’t tell Margie. I want it to be a surprise.”

Katherine looked skeptical. “I guess.” Mark Dunn was coming out of his office and literally bumped into her.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he said amicably. “I take it you took my advice and met with Mr. Brentwood.”

“Yes,” she said non-committedly. “I know you said you’d invested money with him, but I need to think about it.”

“Don’t wait too long,” Mark advised. “I was just heading for lunch. Care to join me?”

“Oh, Mark, I’d love to, but can I take a rain check? I’m meeting Michelle from the library. We’re having lunch at the diner.”

“Okay . . . hang on a second. I’ve got those property documents for you.” He dashed back in his office to get them. He returned, holding a three-ring binder with side tabs peeking out along the edge. “Any questions, just give me a call.”

“I appreciate it,” Katherine said, walking with him to the elevator.

When the doors swished open on the first floor, Mark’s cell phone rang. He stopped to answer it, then said to Katherine, “Catch you later.”

Katherine smiled and made her way out of the building. As she opened the front lobby door, she was forced to move aside by a very angry man who was cursing to himself. “When I get a hold of that lyin’ son of a bitch, I’m gonna snap his neck in two,” the man said, storming for the elevator bank. She heard Mark say, “Hey, Nick, let’s calm down there, buddy.”

Wow! I guess I’m leaving just in time
, Katherine thought.
Wonder what that was all about? Wonder who Nick is?

Once outside, Katherine slid on a patch of ice and instantly righted herself. She thought she was getting very good at this and wondered if there was a special category in the Olympics for such an athletic skill. The town of Erie couldn’t keep up with the streets, let alone clear the sidewalks. She climbed in her Subaru and drove to the diner. She parked close to the door and walked inside. Michelle had reserved a booth in the far corner. She waved Katherine over.

“Hey, Katz, how are you? Long time, no see.”

“Where does the time go?” Katherine said, sliding into the booth.

“How’s your new computer class going? Any serial killers enrolled this time?” Michelle said, tongue-in-cheek, referring to her disastrous date with the Festival Murderer himself.

“I have four super students. The session is almost finished, but I’m going to take a month off before the next group.”

Frank, the waiter, came over and took their orders. He repeated, “For you, Katz, one Reuben with extra sauerkraut. And for you, Michelle, one breaded pork tenderloin with mayo and dill pickles.”

“Oh, Frank, could you add a spring water for me?” Katherine asked.

“Yeppers,” he said, smiling. “Michelle, the same?”

“Yep. Thanks, Frank. Oh, by the way, how’s your mom doing? I heard she was in the hospital,” Michelle asked, concerned.

“She fell and broke her hip, but the doc patched her up. She’ll be dancing the jig in no time.” He grinned and walked away.

Michelle smirked, “Frank’s mom is a hoot. You’ve got to meet her. She’ll be at the annual holiday fundraiser, I’m sure. She makes these white chocolate cakes in clay flowerpots. They are to die for! Oh, by the way, Katz, you never got back to me. Are you attending, or not? I’m organizing it this year and I’ve reserved a table for you, but you never gave me the heads up.”

“I’ve given it much thought, but what can I make to sell for charity?”

Frank brought the spring water over and poured each a glass. After he left, Michelle said, “Well, Orvenia always baked her famous iced sugar cookies. They were made from butter and were absolutely delicious. Why don’t you try that?”

Katherine chuckled to herself, remembering baking the ‘masterpiece’ birthday cake with Jake. She wondered if he’d help her make the cookies. “That’s not a bad idea, Michelle,” Katherine said enthusiastically. “I found her cookbook in the attic, of all places. I’ll look for the sugar cookie recipe. Wouldn’t it be fun if I cut them in the shape of cats?”

Michelle giggled, “Purrfect!”

All of a sudden, the loud din of gossiping Erie townspeople came to a screeching halt. The entrance door bell sounded, which indicated somebody new had entered. There was dead calm. Katherine had her back to the door and whispered across the table to Michelle, “Who just came in?” She wore a knowing grin on her face about the town’s practice of sizing up a newcomer before resuming their idle talk, a.k.a. gossip.

Michelle whispered back, “Look out! It’s Barbie Sanders and she’s headed this way.”

“Really?” Katherine asked, turning in her seat. “Barbie, how are you?” Katherine was surprised to see her former student in a navy-blue business suit with a crisp white blouse. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore little make-up.

“I’m just fine, Teach,” Barbie said. “I’d bring you an apple, but I ate it on the way. Oh, ha! Ha!”

All heads were turned in their direction, and then like magic, the gossipers started talking again.

“Want to join us?” Katherine asked.

Barbie slid in next to Katherine. “I’d love to, but I can only stay a few minutes. Katz, I saw your car parked outside so I wanted to come in and give you the news. I’m moving to the city. Daddy rented me an apartment. I just interviewed for a part-time job at a small animal clinic and I got accepted at the technical college.”

“Woo-hoo! I’m so proud of you,” Katherine said, genuinely happy for her privately taught student, who turned out to be a whiz at computers. “What are you going to major in?”

“Just general business courses at first, but I want to be a vet tech.”

Katherine remembered how much Barbie loved cats, and how well she took care of Iris when the Siamese was stolen, then abandoned in Barbie’s trailer court. “You’ll be perfect.”

“I also want to show you my baby pictures.” Barbie rooted around in her Coach bag and pulled out a baby book.

“When did you have a baby?” Michelle asked.

Barbie ignored the question and handed the book to Katherine, who began thumbing through the photos.

“Oh,” Katherine gushed. “Seal-point kittens. How old are they?”

“They’re twelve-weeks-old. I named them Dewey and Crow.”

“Where did you get them?” Katherine asked.

“Look out, Katz. You’ve already got a bunch,” Michelle warned.

Barbie continued, “Daddy drove me to Chicago to a gal friend of his. Her friend breeds Siamese. Oh, you would have not believed it. The entire house was full of Siamese, and kittens everywhere. It was hard for me to pick, but when I saw the two brothers playing, I had to have them.”

Frank brought their sandwiches over, set the plates down, and eyed Barbie curiously. Barbie said haughtily, “Take a picture, Frank. It lasts longer.”

Frank rolled his eyes and left.

“I’ll leave you two to your lunch,” Barbie said as she stood up. “I’m headin’ home to pick up the rest of my stuff. Take care now,” she added, leaving.

Michelle gave Katherine a surprised look. “I’m impressed. Business suit and all.”

“I suggested to Barbie that she attend a business attire/etiquette class, and apparently she took me up on it. Did you notice she didn’t have the obnoxious, loud laugh?”

“I kind of heard it once,” Michelle corrected. “But it was much more subdued than usual.”

Katherine agreed. “I’m going to have company in a few days. My friend Colleen and her mother are flying in. I’ll have to ask them if they want to contribute to the fundraiser as well.”

“Sweet! The more the merrier! Okay, I’ve got you marked off to make Katz’s Kitty Cat cookies. Let me know what Colleen and her mom want to do.”

“I will. I’ll text Colleen and ask later.”

“Fun!”

They both dug into their sandwiches and agreed to meet again for lunch later in the week.

*              *              *

After lunch, Katherine drove into the city to run some errands, then returned to Erie with a car load of groceries. As she pulled into the carport, she saw five cats sitting on the wide windowsill in the dining room. Clearly, they had been waiting for her to return home. She didn’t know if they were genuinely happy to see her, or if they knew inside one of those grocery bags was dinner — a premium gourmet feast. It was a toss between the two.

When she turned the key in the side door and walked through the vestibule to the dining room, the cats met her with great anticipation and noise as they voiced their happiness at her arrival.