Thirty-nine

No sooner had we stepped inside the inn than the in-house phone rang.

Macon waddled off, cooing to Marmalade, who was playing kitty hockey with a stuffed mouse.

I recognized Nessie’s voice immediately. “Sweetie, I know it’s not on the room service menu, but do you think someone could make me some scrambled eggs and bring them up here? Maybe some for Lulu, too?”

“Certainly. Would you like something with that? Toast? Bacon? Coffee?”

“Toast sounds lovely. And aspirin. I don’t want any caffeine. How about an herbal tea and some water?”

“I’ll bring them up shortly.”

I retrieved a room service cart and pushed it into the private kitchen, where I discovered Oma with John and Cooper.

John jumped to his feet. “Can I give you a hand with that?”

“Thanks, but I’ve got it. Nessie just ordered room service. I hope she’s not sick.”

Oma rose and prepared the cart while I started the eggs. “Liebchen, I’m so glad that you have returned. Dave said he cannot do anything without evidence. Did you find the Ben?”

“He was at the Alley Cat with Paige. I told him everything but he insisted on staying. They were being very romantic.”

“That’s odd,” John mused. “I ran into Laura on the way over here and she told me that you were getting back together with Ben.”

I stirred the eggs. “She lied to Ben too, and told him she was going out with someone Macon set her up with. But Macon says she never signed up to be matched.”

The three of us looked at one another.

“I’ll be right back,” I said.

I pushed the cart through the doorway and rolled it to the elevator. Nessie’s door was open when I arrived.

I knocked anyway.

“Thank you, darling. I just didn’t have the strength to go out and get a bite.”

“Do you feel ill?” I unloaded her food on the table.

“Oh no. Just exhausted. I’ve been sleeping on a desk chair in a tiny study in that house where Celeste is staying. And I’m worn-out. I had to give up my little secret early in the morning when a young man refused to leave the premises. He departed pretty darn fast once Mama Nessie showed him the door. I would have been appreciative. But, oh my, was there a stink. You’d think none of them had mothers. Celeste has all but disowned me. I give up. It’s out of my hands if that child marries poorly.”

“Maybe you should give Celeste some credit. She is her mama’s daughter.”

“You are sweet as honey. But the man she intended to marry made Hank look like a winner.”

I was about to leave but thought I’d take a stab. I fudged a little. “We found a business card for Randall Donovan. Was that yours, by any chance?”

“Did it have the strangest e-mail address you ever saw scribbled on the back of it?”

“Yes, it did.”

“It’s mine.”

So she had lied about not seeing him in Wagtail. “Who is Saurian Pail?” I asked.

“Isn’t that peculiar? It’s Randall’s private e-mail address. He might have been a shrink, but I believe he needed to see one.” Nessie frowned. “I suspect he gave me that address because he didn’t want his wife to know if I emailed him.”

“Why not?”

She sucked in a deep breath. “He was a slug. The man made a pass at me.”

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“Someone murdered him. I didn’t want anyone to think I did him in!”

I wished her a good night and closed the door. So Randall had been hiding e-mail. Probably from his wife. I hoped Ben was okay with Paige.

I took the elevator downstairs and stashed away the room service cart.

When I entered the kitchen, I could feel tension between Oma and John. “What’s going on?”

“Your grandmother thinks it would be unethical to enter Laura’s room for a quick look around.”

“It would be,” I agreed.

John’s expression of hopefulness vanished.

“Unless, of course, we were turning down the bed and leaving a cookie on her pillow.” I went to the pantry and found a box of wrapped sugar cookies. “Aha! Cat treats, too.”

Oma sighed. “I don’t approve of such sneakiness. But under the circumstances . . .”

John jumped to his feet.

We walked through the library to the cat wing. “Maybe you should hide in the library in case she’s here,” I whispered.

He nodded and retreated. I saw him peering around the corner.

Laura had hung a do not disturb sign on her door. That was a little dilemma. I whisked it off the door handle and hung it on the door behind me. I knocked on Laura’s door. “Turndown service!” At my feet, Marmalade mewed. I knocked again. “Turndown service!”

I unlocked the door, my blood pounding in my head. The door swung open. “Laura? Laura!” I didn’t see anyone except Marmalade, who strode inside.

John hustled down the hallway.

Laura was not the tidiest guest. Papers and clothes littered the bed. She did indulge Marmalade, though. He had plenty of cat toys to play with.

The sheets on the bed were a mess. Laura must have used the do not disturb sign since she’d arrived, because it looked to me as though the bed had not been made for a few days.

Marmalade pounced on the bed, sending papers flying to the floor. I picked up flyers for Animal Attraction events, coupons for local services, and a letter. I placed them on the bed, where there were lozenges, a tube of lip gloss, car keys, receipts, and a small mirror. It looked like she had dumped the contents of a purse on the bed.

Marmalade wanted to play. He batted the letter to me. I flicked it back, and he jumped on it.

“Do you see anything interesting?” I whispered to John.

“I’m kind of disappointed. Just regular stuff like makeup and clothes.”

Marmalade batted the letter to the floor again. This time I looked at it when I picked it up.

It was handwritten.

My dearest Vandoon,

Your continued blindness regarding this folly compels me to write. You cannot build a relationship on lies as they will eventually emerge and the foundation will crumble. You will live in fear of the day when the truth will destroy everything for which you have yearned. You must reveal your transgressions to him, painful as it may be to do so. Only then can you begin again and find peace in your heart.

You know how distressing it is for me to give you this advice. I would much rather keep you for myself. My life will be desolate without you.

However, bear this in mind. I give you up freely in the interest of your happiness. But if you do not confess the evil you have wreaked upon him, then I will be forced to disclose your maliciousness.

In love,
Saurian Pail

Randall Donovan was a weird guy. I read the letter again. Laura had wronged someone. Evil was a pretty strong word. Yet even though he knew she had done something terrible to a man, Randall had been in love with her?

I tried not to snicker. This confession of love was written by the guy who said love didn’t exist? What a phony. Macon had nailed him.

I gasped aloud. Randall had been looking for Laura, not Paige. It must have been Laura who’d killed Randall so he wouldn’t divulge her secret.

And the only man she knew in Wagtail was John.