The Cats that Surfed the Web (17 page)

Colleen had heard the commotion and ran into the office. “What’s going on? I heard you scream. Katz, you’ve got blood on you.”

“Gary was murdered in the basement. And Abby’s injured.”

“Oh, for the love of God,” Colleen said, collapsing in a chair. “I feel like I’m going to faint. This is unbelievable.”

“The police are coming any minute. Have you seen Lilac?” Katherine said hurriedly.

“No, why?”

“I can’t find her, and I’m afraid she got out,” Katherine said tearfully.

“I’ll look for her,” Colleen said.

“Please don’t come down to the basement. I don’t want you implicated in anything.”

Katherine grabbed a sweater off the chair and rushed back down to the basement. She went to the sunroom door to open it for the police. She was startled to find the door to the outside ajar—a small pile of snow had blown in on the floor.
Dammit,
she thought.
That’s how the killer got in
.
And, Gary! Cokey must have forgotten to lock the door when he left, and the wind blew it open, but why didn’t he close it when he came in?

Chief London and Officer Glover drove up, with all lights flashing and tires crunching on the icy alley behind the house. They got out of their vehicle and did a brisk walk to the pink mansion. They rushed over and stepped down into the sunroom.

“Another body in the basement, Ms. Kendall?” the chief said irritably. “Want to show us where it is?”

“This way.” Katherine motioned to the two officers, who followed her to the turret room in the farthest corner of the basement.

“Cokey,” the chief tipped his hat. “What happened?” the chief asked Katherine. He adjusted his holster so he could crouch down and look at the body.

Katherine was about to hand the sweater to Cokey, but he had already placed Abby in his winter jacket. “I got home a few minutes ago,” she began, “I found my office basement door open, and came down here to investigate.”

“Did you think you had another prowler?” the Officer asked.

“Actually I thought Cokey had returned from the hardware store and somehow got in because I hadn’t had time to go down and unlock the door for him.”

“Cokey, what’s your part in this?”

“I had just come back from Ed’s store when I heard a scream. I ran back here and found Ms. Kendall tending an injured cat. This gentleman, I’m afraid, was lying dead on the floor.”

“Ms. Kendall, do you know this man?”

“Yes,” she answered sadly. “He must have rented a car and driven here to see me. We had broken up several months ago. I haven’t spoken to him since I left Manhattan last Saturday.”

“That’s his rental car parked outside,” Cokey added.

The chief asked Katherine, “You said you had just got home. Where had you been?”

“My friend, Colleen, became ill last night. I rode in an ambulance to the hospital. She was admitted for several hours. I got a ride back to Erie. Then I asked Cokey to take me back to the hospital because she was being released. He drove me there, and then the three of us came back to the house. I brought Colleen inside and he went to the hardware store.”

“Well, I know this man wasn’t murdered while I was tuck pointing earlier this morning,” Cokey observed. “This had to have happened while I took Ms. Kendall to the hospital,” he explained.

“And what time was that?” the chief asked.

“Oh, I think about eight o’clock.”

“Has anyone else been in the house this morning?” the chief asked.

Katherine looked at Cokey curiously.

Cokey said, looking down at the floor. “Patricia Marston was here, but only for a few minutes.”

“The gal who works at the hotel? Vivian Marston’s daughter? What did she want so early in the day?”

“Ah,” Cokey said nervously. “She was looking for something she lost. She didn’t say what it was.”

“In the basement?” the chief asked incredulously.

“Well, she works for Ms. Kendall . . .”

“Not anymore,” Katherine interrupted. “She quit yesterday.”

“What was her job here?” the chief asked.

“Landscaping. Gardening,” Cokey said. “In the summer she mowed the grass and tended to the flower gardens.”

“Do you think she came back while you took Ms. Kendall to the hospital?”

“I don’t know,” Cokey said, shaking his head. “But she’s been a loose cannon lately.”

“And how is that?” the chief asked.

“It’s a long story . . .” Cokey began.

“We’ll talk about it later,” the chief said. Then he looked at Officer Glover and said, “We got us a homicide, Dan. Get the coroner over here. Get the State Police. We’ll need a forensics team. And call in for Officer Silver to invite Patricia Marston to the station for a little chat. You know the drill.”

“Will do,” Officer Glover said, leaving the room.

Katherine took Abby from Cokey and cradled the cat in her arms. Abby moaned.

“The vet is on his way,” Cokey said to the chief.

“I don’t want the vet walking in here and disturbing the crime scene. Hand her to me. I’ll have Officer Glover take her.”

“Thanks,” Katherine said, carefully handing Abby to the chief.

“I want you two,” the chief said after he’d returned, “to walk around the edge of this room and wait for me in that room in the back.” For the first time, the chief observed the blood on Katherine’s jacket. “What’s that?” he pointed.

“When I came in here, it was so dark. I didn’t see Gary on the floor. I tripped over him.”

“And go on.”

“Can I get this blood off me?”

“No,” the chief barked. “We want to make sure your blood and DNA are not on the murder weapon. Do as I ask.”

Cokey escorted Katherine out of the room.

“What happens now?” Katherine asked, sitting down on one of the wicker chairs.

“Well, I assume the chief will want a statement, and then the State Police will interview us.”

Katherine fished out her cell phone and called Mark Dunn. She left an urgent voice mail. Then she texted Colleen, “Did you find her?” In a few seconds, the phone pinged. “No. Still looking,” the screen indicated.

Katherine buried her head in her hands and sobbed. “Gary is dead and Lilac is missing.”

“Is Lilac one of your cats?”

“Yes, and I can’t go look for her.”

“Do you think she got outside?”

“I’m not sure but she could have.”

“I’ll text my son and have him look for her. What color is she?”

“She looks like a Siamese but her mask and points are gray.”

Cokey sent his son a text message with the information. “I wouldn’t worry, Ms. Kendall. I bet Lilac is hiding somewhere in the house. She probably heard the commotion in the basement and then the police sirens. I’m bankin’ she’s not outside.”

“Thanks,” she said, then added, “Cokey, I heard your conversation with Patricia this morning.”

“Damn, I was afraid of that. She just won’t leave me alone. She’s like a stalker. She follows me from job site to job site. She parks in front of my house and just sits there. I’m scared to death my wife will find out, which is why I haven’t gone to court for a restraining order.”

Officer Glover entered the house and said to Katherine, “Hey, Dr. Sonny just took your cat. You need to call him.”

After she thanked him, Katherine quickly tapped in the vet’s number and left her pertinent information with the front desk. When Officer Glover left the room, she said sternly to Cokey, “Do me a big favor? Don’t ever let that woman in my house again, got it?”

“Got it,” he said guiltily.

Chapter Ten

Katherine sat in the parlor, sipping a glass of wine, and thought about what a horrible day it had been. She was thankful that Colleen was okay, and was relieved that Lilac had been found. Last time she checked on Colleen, she was fast asleep, with Lilac curled up next to her.

Iris and Scout had joined Katherine and were sitting like bookends on the claw-footed sofa. Every once in a while, Scout would go to the large picture window and try to capture a snow flake, just like she had done at the motel in Pennsylvania.
That seems like a century ago
, Katherine thought. She was having second thoughts about staying in Indiana. At this point, she didn’t give a damn about the inheritance. She had her own money. But she did care about Abby, and didn’t want to leave her. She was waiting for Mark Dunn, who had been delayed in the city because of the snowstorm.

Joining Scout at the picture window, she looked out onto the street. Eight inches of snow had piled up, and large, wet flakes continued to fall. A snow plow truck drove by with a Honda driving right behind it. Mark pulled in front of the house, and then came up the sidewalk.

The loud clang of the doorbell sent Iris and Scout scurrying upstairs. Katherine rushed to open the door before Mark rang a second time.

“I left the seminar as soon as I could,” Mark apologized. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get your message until the noon break. I started back to Erie right away, but I had problems in Brownsburg,” he said breathlessly.

“I’m just glad you’re here and that you’ve arrived safely. Please come in,” she said, moving away from the door. “Would you care for a glass of wine? It’s a nice Merlot.”

Mark took off his coat and casually laid it across a chair. He slipped off his boots and then walked into the parlor. “Yes, I’d love one. I-74 was a mess. I actually spun off the road. Fortunately, a tow truck was in the vicinity and pulled me out.”

“Did it damage your car?” she asked, concerned.

“A little scrape on the back fender. It’s fixable,” he said.

“Oh, how scary,” Katherine said. She poured him a glass and handed it to him. He took a long sip and then sat down.

Katherine began pacing the floor, wringing her hands.

“But that’s nothing compared to what you went through,” he said gently. “If you don’t mind telling me, I’d like to know.”

Katherine found a chair near the gas-jetted fireplace. She didn’t answer right away.

Mark said, “I basically know the gist of it from talking to Chief London, but I want to hear it from you.”

“Chief London? When did you speak to him?”

“I called him from the road. We talked for quite some time.”

“I don’t know where to begin. My mother used to say that I’d begin every story with what I had for breakfast, but I didn’t have breakfast, so here it is in a nutshell. My nightmare began with Colleen getting sick. I tried to drive her to the hospital, but someone had stolen my car battery.”

“Really?” he said. “That kind of stuff rarely happens in Erie.”

“Well, it did. I didn’t get a replacement until late this afternoon, and now with snow in the driveway, I can’t get out anyway. Gary’s rental car was processed by the State Police and then towed to an impound lot.” She filled him in on the rest of the details of the day. “It was bad enough to find my ex-boyfriend dead on the basement floor, but poor little Abby was lying in the corner. I thought she was dead, too.”

Mark commiserated, “That poor little cat.”

“I thought she’d been stabbed also because she had a lot of blood on her, but now I realize it was Gary’s blood.”

“Did you know Gary was coming? I know that’s a nosy, personal question, but . . .”

“I don’t have a clue why he would want to visit me, unless he wanted us to get back together.”

“Well, I’m sure the police notified his next of kin.”

“I called his sister Monica this afternoon. She had already spoken to the Erie police and was making funeral arrangements. I’ll need to fly out sometime early this week to attend his funeral.”

“I can take care of your cats,” Mark offered. “Just let me know.”

“Thanks,” she smiled.

“How’s Colleen?”

“She’s resting. She had quite an ordeal. When I brought her back from the hospital, she was supposed to go straight to bed, but she ended up searching the house for Lilac, who had gone missing.”

As if on cue, Lilac walked into the room with a miniature stuffed bear in her mouth. She dropped it on Mark’s shoe. “Me-yowl,” she called loudly.

“Good girl,” he said, petting Lilac’s head.

Katherine continued to brief Mark on her eventful day. “I thought that Lilac had gotten out because the basement door to the outside was open. She could have easily slipped out, but later Colleen found her inside the lining under the seat of a wing back chair.”

“You mean one of those chairs in the living room?” he asked.

“We call it “Abby’s stash” because that’s where we found a gold cigarette lighter belonging to Cokey.”

”I don’t think Cokey smokes. How did you know it was his?”

“From the inscription engraved on the side. I think Patricia Marston gave it to him.”

“Patricia Marston? Why would she give him a lighter?” Mark asked perplexed.

“This may surprise you, but Cokey and Patricia had an affair. I think it’s over now.”

“I’m intrigued. What are you
not
telling me?”

“This morning, before all hell broke loose, I heard Cokey and Patricia arguing in the basement. He said he didn’t want to see her anymore.”

“So, Cokey was working this morning? He must have let Patricia in.”

She nodded. “Later Cokey took me to the hospital to pick up Colleen.”

“Do you think Patricia stayed in the house after the argument?”

“I don’t think so, because I saw her leave.”

“Interesting,” he said, taking another sip from his glass of wine.

“Then Cokey drove me to pick up Colleen. When we came back to the house, there was a car with a rental sticker parked behind my Toyota.”

“Gary’s, no doubt,” Mark said. Lilac had curled up on his lap and was purring loudly.

Katherine nodded, then continued, “
Cokey said he had to go buy something at the hardware store, so I took Colleen up to her room. When I came back downstairs, I thought I heard Scout in the basement. So much to my horror, the door to the basement was wide open. I found Scout and Abby in the back turret room. It was so dark. I didn’t see Gary, and I tripped over him. I must have screamed because Cokey ran in.”

“Ah, I’m so sorry,” Mark said.

“But, I did something very stupid. I grabbed Scout and ran her up to the powder room. I must have gotten blood on my shoes because there were prints leading to the stairway.”

“Why didn’t you just call 911?” he asked.

“Because I wanted to get Scout out of harm’s way so I could tend to Abby. She was lying on her side. It looked like she wasn’t breathing.”

“So, Cokey called 911?”

“Yes,” she nodded.  “When the chief arrived, he was his usual cranky self. He was taking pictures with his smartphone. One was of a bloody shoe print that was definitely not mine. I had my boots on, which has a smooth pattern on the underside. This print had grid marks, like a sneaker.”

“Yes, the chief told me about that. That’s a great piece of evidence.”

“But even though he looked at my boots and could clearly see I didn’t leave the print, he still made me give a statement.”

“Standard procedure,” Mark said. “And, Cokey had to give one, too, I presume.”

“Yes. Cokey and I had to wait in the unheated sunroom for hours while the State Police processed the scene. We couldn’t leave the room. Here Colleen is sick. Lilac is missing. Abby is at the vet. It was a nightmare. Oh, and the awful part of it was,” she hesitated, then said. “I had blood all over my jacke
t
—
Gary’s blood. The chief wouldn’t let me change. Later, the State Police took my jacket into evidence.”

“Did they fingerprint you?”

“Yes, I guess to eliminate me as a murder suspect.”

“They were just doing their job, Katherine,” Mark remarked. “You didn’t touch the murder weapon, did you?”

“No,” she said sadly, remembering the awful sight of Gary lying on the floor with a knife stuck in his side.

“So I take it one of the officers took Abby to the vet?”

“Dr. Sonny came in person, I guess. I didn’t see him.”

Mark was silent for a moment, then said, “Well, here’s what I think happened. I think Gary was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He came across this nut case in the basement. He was unarmed. The intruder, or whatever you want to call him, panicked and killed Gary.”

“You think the intruder was a guy? How do you know it wasn’t a woman? Until the police find the killer, I don’t feel safe in this house. Even though you had Cokey change the locks, I feel the house isn’t secure.”

“Do you want me to stay the night until the locksmith comes tomorrow?”

“That’s not a bad idea. I appreciate it.” Katherine got up and poured the two of them more wine. “Mark, be honest with me, what kind of woman was my great aunt? Did she have enemies?”

“To be honest, she wasn’t much liked in this town. She was an exceptionally smart woman, but very manipulative.”

“How so?”

“She’d find out what people wanted and then promised that someday they’d have it.”

“That sounds like something from
Faust
!”

“During this past year, Orvenia instructed me to revise her will three times. I have each of the revised wills digitally archived. The earlier versions were very complicated and listed numerous people. The one before the most current will designated Vivian Marston as the sole beneficiary.”

“This I didn’t know,” Katherine said pensively. “If I just call it quits right now, what will happen?”

“You’ll forfeit your right to inherit,” Mark said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“But what happens to Abby?”

“Since Vivian Marston is dead, the inheritance and Abby will go to the next heir.”

“And who, pray tell, is that?”

“Patricia Marston.”

“Patricia Marston!” Katherine blurted. “She’ll inherit Abby and everything else?”

“Orvenia was very clear in her instructions.”

“Oh, Mark,” Katherine said angrily. “This establishes motive. I think Patricia has been doing all these terrible things from day one. This was her plan all along:  to get rid of me somehow so she could inherit everything.”

“But why would she kill Gary when she had plenty of opportunities to kill you?”

“Like you said, he must have startled her and she panicked. Hear me out. During my first trip to Indiana, I overheard a heated discussion between Mrs. Marston and her daughter,” Katherine explained. “Vivian wanted Patricia to remove some kind of plant. She called it a weed. A Jim something. Well, I did an Internet search, and I think she was referring to Jimson Weed.”

“Oh, yeah,” Mark said. “You wanted me to look into it because you didn’t want toxic plants around your cats. But when I checked later that day, most of the houseplants had been removed. I assumed Patricia had cleaned the area. But, I’m not familiar with Jimson Weed.”

“Jimson Weed causes all sorts of problems. It can cause severe hallucinations. In other victims, symptoms can be falsely diagnosed as the flu. Colleen was diagnosed with the stomach flu. I think Patricia has been trying to poison me from the get-go.”

“How’s that?” he asked.

“She minces Jimson seed with poppy seeds. On my arrival, she had baked poppy seed muffins.”

“Ah, that’s right,” he remembered.

“The salad last night was meant for me. Colleen and I both swear Patricia put something in the poppy seed salad dressing.”

“Did the ER doctor run a toxicology test?”

“No,” she said. “He nearly bit my head off when I mentioned I thought Colleen had food poisoning. He was adamant that she had the flu.”

“Unless you have a confession or some hard evidence, that kind of accusation would be hard to prove.”

“Yes, I know. It’s circumstantial evidence. I watch a lot of crime dramas. But I also think she poisoned my great aunt and then killed her own mother.”

“Orvenia Colfax was ninety-one years old. I’m not sure the State would want to pay for her to be exhumed in order to conduct a toxicology investigation,” Mark said dismissively, then added, “However, if Jimson Weed causes delirium
, that could explain how Vivian managed to walk over here from the nursing home. But the million dollar question is, how did she get in the house?”

“This house is like Grand Central Station,” Katherine said, rolling her eyes.
“Even with the doors locked, people get in, people get out. It’s ridiculous,” Katherine said sarcastically. She got up from her chair and joined Mark on the sofa. “I think Patricia lured her mother to the basement. They had some kind of argument. And Vivian had a heart attack next to the water heater. I think Patricia was the one who covered her with a garbage bag. At least she cared enough about her to do that!”