OVERDOSED IN CHERRY HILLS

Maura O’Malley’s fingernails danced a staccato beat on the conference room tabletop. Her gaze swung from the clock hanging on the wall to the window overlooking the parking lot one story below DataRightly headquarters and back again. The only place her eyes failed to land was her laptop monitor.

Katherine Harper watched all this from her seat across the table. “You seem distracted,” Kat said. “Big plans this weekend?”

Maura’s head jerked in Kat’s direction. “What?”

“Just wondering if you were looking forward to having the next two days off.” Kat glanced out the window. “It’s supposed to be gorgeous the next two days. Sunny, upper sixties. The perfect May weekend here in Central Washington.”

“Huh.” Maura looked at the clock again, showing no interest in the weather.

Kat wondered if her boss had a date tonight. Maura had never mentioned a boyfriend before, but with her bright green eyes, lovely olive complexion, and thick, dark hair, Maura was pretty enough that she wouldn’t have any trouble attracting the attention of a man. And a date would help to explain why she was so fidgety this afternoon.

But no matter what was going on in Maura’s personal life, right now they had a Monday close-of-business deadline looming.

Kat nodded toward Maura’s laptop. “Have you looked at the code I sent you yet?”

“Code?” Maura echoed.

“The programming code I’m modifying for Billy Bob’s Sporting Goods. I made some adjustments to accommodate those new accounting checks they’re putting into place.”

“Oh, right.”

Kat waited for her boss to pull up the program in question, but Maura didn’t even glance at her laptop, let alone reach for the mouse.

“All right, Maura.” Kat closed her own laptop and pushed it aside. “Something is obviously on your mind. Spill it.”

Maura sagged in her seat. “It’s Stumpy.”

“Your cat?” Maura had adopted the gray Manx six months ago, after another DataRightly employee and Stumpy’s previous owner had been murdered.

“Stumpy is at the vet’s.” Maura snapped her chair forward and started drumming her fingers against the table again. “The vet said he had to be put down.”

Kat’s heart lodged in her throat. “Put down?”

“I mean put under. Under anesthesia. He’s having his teeth cleaned.”

“Oh.” Kat breathed out a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s standard procedure. Unfortunately, the vet can’t explain to Stumpy what’s going on, so the only way to do a proper dental cleaning is to sedate him during the procedure.”

“I know, but I’m worried about him.”

“I understand.” Kat would be worried too, if it were one of her cats. Matty and Tom were like her children. No wonder Maura couldn’t concentrate.

“The vet’s office was supposed to call when Stumpy was ready to be picked up.” Maura’s eyes flicked toward the clock. “Except they should have been done by now.”

“They’re probably just running late. Sometimes they have emergency procedures they have to fit in between all the scheduled surgeries and whatnot.”

“I don’t know. Wouldn’t they have called if that were the case? They have to know I’m flipping out here.”

“On the contrary. I’m sure they would have called if something had gone wrong with Stumpy’s procedure, but if they haven’t gotten to him yet they’ll likely hold off on phoning you until he’s ready to go home, just as they told you they would.”

“I guess.” But Maura didn’t sound convinced.

“Which vet did you take him to?” Kat asked.

“Ritter Veterinary.” A flicker of concern crossed over Maura’s face. “They’re reputable, aren’t they?”

“Yes. Dr. Mark takes great care of several of the animals we have in 4F’s care.” Furry Friends Foster Families, or 4F for short, was a local nonprofit organization that placed homeless animals with foster families until they found permanent homes. Kat served as their treasurer, which was more a label of convenience than indicative of her responsibilities on the board.

“Maybe I should try calling them,” Maura said.

“You might as well.” It was obvious they wouldn’t make any progress on their client’s program until Maura set her mind at ease.

Maura snatched her cell phone off the table and punched a few buttons before pressing it to her ear. Kat couldn’t help but notice the way she kept rubbing the fingertips of her free hand together, and she wondered if her boss were wishing she had a cigarette right now. Maura had resolved to quit for the umpteenth time back in February, and she had yet to slip up. Kat was pretty sure she’d know otherwise. Given a nonsmoking Maura’s propensity for mood swings, the past few months had been an excruciatingly painful time for everyone working at DataRightly.

Right now though, Maura looked more troubled than crabby.

“There’s no answer,” Maura said, pulling the phone away from her ear.

“Then they’re probably busy with emergencies,” Kat surmised. “Just as I suspected.”

Maura tossed her cell phone between her hands before jumping out of her chair and heading for the door. “I should go down there and make sure Stumpy’s okay.”

“You’re leaving now?” Kat frowned at the clock. “It’s only three.” They typically didn’t get off work until five.

Maura paused by the door. “Come with me. If something’s happened to Stumpy . . .” She swallowed. “I might need the comfort.”

Kat figured there was no point in arguing. They obviously weren’t going to get any more work done this afternoon, Monday deadline notwithstanding.

“I’ll come,” Kat said, “but I’m sure everything is fine. You’ll see.”

She said it with confidence, but it would turn out to be an empty assurance.

* * *