CHAPTER

six

THE NEIGHBOR MARCHED over to the sidewalk to confront me. However, she wore lounge pants and a sweatshirt that read “I’d rather be watching YouTube,” and she didn’t look ready for company. In one hand, she held a rolled-up newspaper, which she brandished at me. I felt like a pesky fly she couldn’t wait to swat.

“What do you think you’re doing traipsing around this lovely neighborhood?” She shook her head and muttered, “We all used to keep our doors unlocked on this block. Except for Russ Nolan. At least I convinced him not to chain up his side gate. But ever since Russ moved in, things have gone downhill.”

So the breeder had been a new arrival. Could he have brought unsavory characters with him to the area? “When did Russ Nolan buy here?” I asked.

She stopped waving her newspaper and snorted at me. “Please. Russ Nolan couldn’t ever own a house in this neighborhood. That wretched Kevin Walker, my old neighbor’s son, started renting out the place last year after his mother kicked the bucket. Not that she was a great neighbor, either, always taking the borrowing-sugar rule to the extreme.”

She stood there, tapping her foot against the concrete, and waited for a response from me. I couldn’t shed any light on her neighbors, but I did apologize for my presence. “Sorry to disturb you, ma’am. I had to come back today because my cat, uh, lost his collar.” I pointed at Marshmallow.

His blue eyes narrowed at me. “How dare you pin the blame on me.”

The neighbor did a double take. “I didn’t notice him. Smart choice on your part. Cats make great pets, so quiet and clean.” She aimed the newspaper tube at Russ Nolan’s front door. “Not like those pesky dogs Russ kept, with their constant barking. Worse than those puppies the dog collector Magnus Cooper has on Oak Lane. Lives two streets away, but still walks his dogs around here.”

One of her comments caught my attention. “Did you actually hear those puppies?” Hadn’t Russ soundproofed the dog room with thick blankets?

She puffed out her chest. “I’ve got quite the hearing, even though I’m pushing seventy. I told Russ plenty of times to knock it off. Their constant noise caused me migraines.” Massaging her brow, she continued, “Called the police station once, but they said it was my neighbor’s right to own a few dogs.”

So she didn’t know how many dogs Russ actually owned, or that he’d bred them for profit.

She squinted at me. “You don’t look like his usual type.”

“Excuse me?”

“Russ. Not a single male buddy, but always parading his girlfriends around the neighborhood. Men nowadays, dating multiple women at the same time. Whatever happened to old-fashioned courtship?” She smacked the newspaper against the palm of her hand. “Loose morals.”

I choked. “I wasn’t dating Russ.”

She harrumphed at me, clearly not believing a word I said.

My mind flashed to a comparison of Josh against Russ. I couldn’t help but cringe and said, “For crying out loud, didn’t you hear me argue with Russ? We’re not a couple. I don’t like him one tiny bit.”

“The lady doth protest too much. You two had a lover’s spat,” she said, nodding her head. “And it caused a major neighborhood disturbance.”

Those words echoed what Detective Brown had told me. “Aha, so you were the one who reported me to the police.” My hands started clenching and unclenching.

Marshmallow nudged my leg. “Cool it,” he said, but I shook my head. This lady had practically handed me over to the police as a murder suspect.

I shook my fist at the neighbor. “I’m in deep trouble now because of your big mou—”

Meow.

The neighbor and I both looked at Marshmallow, who’d let out the huge cry and had now shrunk himself into a fluffball. He peeked up at us with wide baby blue eyes.

An involuntary aww came out of the neighbor’s mouth. “You definitely have much better taste in animals than in men.”

I took a deep breath and relaxed my hands. “Thanks.” I said it in response to Marshmallow saving my hide, but she didn’t have to know that. My anger would only give this nosy neighbor more ammunition for the police to use.

Marshmallow twitched his whiskers at me and said, “Watch this.” He held up a paw to the woman.

She unfurled her newspaper and fanned Marshmallow. “Do you think your cat’s okay? He’s acting weird. Is it heatstroke?”

“Tell her to shake my paw,” Marshmallow said.

“What?”

The neighbor stopped fanning and peered at me. “It’s those rock concerts, right? Makes young people lose their hearing. I said, Do you think your cat’s okay?”

I gestured to Marshmallow’s paw. “He’s fine. Just waiting for you to shake his paw.”

“Huh?” She stretched her left hand out to Marshmallow—and he tapped it.

After shaking hands with him, the neighbor smiled at Marshmallow. “What manners. How do you do? My name is Shirl, and you are . . .”

“His name’s Marshmallow,” I said.

She clucked her tongue. “He needs a more suitable name. How about Emperor?”

“Shirl’s got great taste,” Marshmallow said. “Emperor would be a more fitting name.”

Shirl tapped her chin. “Have you taught him to do any other tricks? I saw a cat flushing the toilet the other day on YouTube.”

“Oh, he has plenty of skills.” I patted Marshmallow on the head. “But I can’t show you them right now.” I didn’t know if he had any more tricks up his sleeve.

“Maybe when you practice and perfect them?”

“Yeah, sure. I take it we’re okay. You won’t call the police on me?”

She nodded, but her eyes were fixed on Marshmallow. “Not today, anyway.”

“Thank you again,” I whispered to Marshmallow as we headed back to the car. Near the door of my Prius, I paused and tried to give him a high five. He left me hanging.

Licking his fur, Marshmallow said, “Tricks are my secret weapons, Mimi. I can’t give them out to people like party favors.”

“Fine.” I settled us into the car. Right after I buckled in, my phone rang. It played “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge.

I picked up. “Alice, is everything all right?”

Her voice sounded muffled. “I locked myself in the bathroom so I could talk to you. Ma and Dad are still trying to cheer me up. She started making another batch of egg tarts, and he almost suffocated me with his last bear hug. They even asked me to sleep over here, like a little girl.”

A text pinged in the middle of our conversation. I ignored it.

“Sorry I left you with them, but I had to go and take care of something,” I said.

“Does this have anything to do with your phone call to my classroom? I swear I won’t tell Ma and Dad.”

I didn’t need Alice to worry about me. She already seemed plenty stressed by her work. “Oh, that? An accidental butt dial.”

I heard the water faucet turn on from her end. “Almost done,” Alice shouted. Then, in a lower voice, she said, “You called my cell, too, Mimi. That means you wanted to talk to me.”

“Um, double butt dial?”

“I don’t believe you.” She shut off the water. “But I need to go before Ma breaks down the door. Please let me know if you need anything at all.”

After she’d hung up, I remembered the ignored beep and checked my messages. Who had texted during the call? Ma. Of course.

Your sister lock herself inside washroom. Crying. You jiejie, big sister, can go fix. I call already school office and make you appointment. Tomorrow morning, eight.