Roger was loaded for bear when he strolled into the kitchen at Long Plantation at six in the morning. He wasn’t prepared to see Tabitha sipping coffee, waiting for him. He was early, and so was she.
“I love to watch the day break,” she explained, nodding out the window. “I’ve never visited the Delta. This is an incredible place. It’s like…the horizon goes on forever.”
“Those fields seem like forever when you’re planting or harvesting.” The morning light caught the auburn highlights in her hair and set them on fire. Her pale skin took on a rosy glow as the sun began to clear the distant tree tops.
“Thank you for agreeing to show me your business. I’m ready whenever you are.”
“Oh, I need some coffee. And we need to talk.”
His tone made her swivel to face him. She was good, but not good enough to hide the alarm on her features. And a pinch of guilt, if he was reading her correctly.
“Talk about what? I swear to you I’m not trying to bilk your aunt and uncle out of money. I really want to bring them peace.”
“It’s not Samuel’s money I’m worried about. It’s my agriculture business.” He realized she knew then that he was on to her. Was she smart enough to own it or would she lie?
“Trudy is my sister.” She brushed a few strands of hair from her face, obviously trying to decide what to reveal. “I’m trying to find her.”
Her direct words were like a kick to his gut. Deep down, he’d hoped Trudy had gone home. Now he knew that wasn’t the case.
“So this whole ‘talk to the dead’ thing is a ruse?”
She nodded. “Pretty much. I needed access to the wealthier planters’ homes. I needed a reason to be invited in. I have to find my sister—and people will talk to a psychic medium when they won’t talk to anyone else. Just so you know, I haven’t taken a penny in fees.”
“That’s a pretty nice car for someone who has no way to make a living.”
She sighed. “I know. I’m a writer and songwriter. I rented the car. I had to play the part.” She shook her head but not before he saw the tears welling in her eyes. “I was desperate and I came up with the best plan I could.”
“Maybe you should have simply asked me.”
She met his gaze. “I couldn’t. I suspected you.”
Man, she wasn’t one to pull her punches. And he liked that. He completely understood her lack of trust. He’d been Trudy’s boss. The last place she’d been seen, to his knowledge, was her desk at Long Agricultural Products. No wonder he was high on the suspect list of people who might be involved in foul play.
“Do you still suspect me?”
“Yes.” She didn’t blink.
“Yet you were willing to get in a vehicle with me?” He was growing more and more amused. And impressed.
“I studied martial arts.”
That statement made him step back. “Really?”
“Yes. I’ve studied for years. I practice with some musician friends who are also in law enforcement.”
He sat down at the table to study her more closely. “So what do you think happened to your sister?”
“I don’t really know. She came to Sunflower County to date some man she met on a dating website. He said he owned ‘a vast tract of property’ that he planted in cotton and other crops. Or at least that’s the story she gave me. I should have been suspicious, but Trudy sometimes gets herself into scrapes where it’s better for me to handle it than call the law.”
“She never told you his name?”
Tabitha bit her lip. “No. She knew I’d get my cop friends to check him out. I raised Trudy, and I made her toe the line. She still acts like I’m her mother and she’s trying to escape me.”
“She’s how old? Twenty-four?”
Tabitha nodded. “Yes, twenty-four going on fourteen when it comes to her rebellious streak.”
“Did she send a photo of this guy, the name of his farm, anything? I know all the farmers who run large tracts of land. There are two who are single, but this guy may have lied about his marital status.”
“I’ve thought of all of that too. I could wring Trudy’s neck. Being so secretive and determined to make her own decisions—now look what’s happened. Can you tell me about her last day at work?”
“You think her disappearance is linked to Long Agricultural?”
“Trudy had fallen in with a group of people in New Orleans. They were young, radical looking, and reeked of secrets. Trudy always stopped talking on the phone when I walked up, but I did overhear Trudy say something about finances and farming.”
“So she came to the Delta with an interest in farming?” Roger had to think back. As far as he could remember, it had been a normal early spring day. “We’d planted some of the fields with a new type of cotton.” His eyebrows lifted. “Trudy had helped with the research on the new plants. She’d been skeptical about the crop. She said it looked like trouble down the road.”
“Meaning what?”
“The company that produced the strain of cotton could come back and demand a lot more money for seeds in future years. The claims that the cotton was resistant to certain pests might result in an overgrowth of fungus or root rot or a lot of other complications. Trudy had done her research. These new crops—they sound great in the beginning—can develop a long list of issues. Trudy was very astute at pinpointing problems with certain seeds and companies. She could see through the lies and P.R. She was very smart.”
“She has a great bullshit detector,” Tabitha said, and Roger was surprised again at her willingness to speak the truth.
“Surely if this man she was dating was full of it, she’d have figured it out.” Roger pointed out the obvious.
“Which could be the very thing that got her in a pinch.”
Roger hadn’t thought of it that way. “Okay, so how do you want to approach this?”
Tabitha took a deep breath.
It went against Tabitha’s nature to trust a man, but sitting across the kitchen table from Roger Long, she realized she needed help and Roger was offering it. She didn’t have to trust him a hundred percent, but she had to let him help her. Time was slipping away, and it wasn’t like she had a choice. He’d busted her red-handed. The only thing she could do was come clean and hope he was the employer he seemed to be—and not some sicko.
“I broke into your offices last night and found Trudy’s calendar. She was meeting a woman named Lisa East on the day she disappeared.”
“Lisa East?” Roger stood abruptly.
“Do you know her?”
Now it was his turn to look away, clearly deciding how much he should reveal. He faced her. “I dated her for a while. We broke it off about two months ago. I didn’t realize she and Trudy had become friendly.”
“Maybe they weren’t friends. Could there be another reason they were meeting?”
Roger swallowed. “Yes. It could be the strain of cotton. Lisa works for a chemical company that created the new cotton I planted. As I said, Trudy wasn’t a fan of that particular strain. She thought I’d regret trying it.”
“What about this Lisa? Is she…dangerous?” Tabitha felt the pressure squeezing her lungs, a sure sign that her worries had grounding in reality.
“She’s a beautiful woman, but…”
“But what?”
“She’s volatile. And she’s really devoted to DayZ Seed and Chemicals. She was furious with me when I didn’t instantly agree to plant all of my fields with their newly developed strain of cotton. That’s one of the reasons we broke up. She was just too pushy about it.”
“How volatile?” Tabitha tried to keep her voice from shaking.
“Enough that I stopped seeing her. She was terribly angry with me. When she finally calmed down, I’d had enough of the drama.”
“Did she do anything…dangerous?”
Roger didn’t look away. “Someone slashed my truck tires while I was in a local blues club. I can’t prove it was her.”
“But you think she did it.”
“I do.”
“Did you report it to the police?”
“No, I didn’t.” He shrugged. “I’ve known the sheriff, Coleman Peters, my whole life. I didn’t want to go tattling to the sheriff like a school boy who got pushed down on the playground. I realize now, I should have reported it, just so there was a record of it. If Lisa did this thing, people should be aware of it. If she didn’t, I shouldn’t feel that she did.”
“Okay, I think we need to talk to Lisa. Or I do. This may be something I should do on my own.”
“I agree.” He found a pen and paper and wrote down an address. “That’s her home address and the address of DayZ Seed. She’s one of their top salespeople so she travels around Mississippi and Arkansas selling their products.”
“Do you have any idea who my sister was dating?”
“She never said in front of me, but we can ask around the office. Trudy was friendly. People liked her. It’s possible she mentioned her beau to some of the other employees. There are several young women working there she might have palled up with. We can go there now.”
“Thank you, Roger.”
“I’ve been worried about Trudy. I should have reported her missing, but you know, she’d only been with me a few months. I was planning on promoting her, but she disappeared. I was disappointed and I suppose a little angry.”
“Oh, you and me both,” Tabitha said. “I’d like to skin her hide, and I may when I get my hands on her.”
Roger finally smiled, and Tabitha realized it changed his entire demeanor. He was a handsome man when he wasn’t scowling. He’d proven to be unexpectedly helpful. She could only hope she wasn’t making a bone-headed mistake, a la Trudy, by allowing him to help her.
Getting outside the Prince Albert is a snap. The staff doesn’t even seem to notice me, and if they do, they smile. No one is interested in reporting a black cat on the loose. And that revolving door. It’s a death trap, but convenient! Now I’m on the street and just in time for my rendezvous with my mirror image, Pluto. I must be accurate and admit that Pluto has about four pounds on me because he is “the beloved pet” at the local café. In fact, that’s where we’re meeting. He swears the owner of the café will provide delicacies fit for a king.
In my regular work day I accompany Tammy to the Book Basket in Wetumpka and indulge in a few yum-yums her customers bring to tempt my appetite. I also find myself involved in cases all around the country. My skills as a detective are growing, and I do like to stay busy. Mental acuity comes from use of the brain. Or as Tammy’s romantic other, Aiden Waters, would say—use it or lose it. Rather catchy, don’t you think?
Millie’s Café is not far from the Sweetheart Drive-thru and I spy a fine black kitty hanging around the back of the café. It’s Pluto, and he yowls a greeting. We have much to catch up on.
He is true to his word, and the attractive Millie, lover of movie gossip and scandal as Pluto describes her, takes us into the office of her business and gives us two plates of tempting tuna in a delicate broth. She is quite the cook. I need this recipe for Tammy. The whole time she is stroking our fur and running on about how Sarah Booth would be very upset to see Pluto so far from Dahlia House and gamboling around town by himself. She asks about the dog—who I hope is not lurking about. Millie warns Pluto that she will drive him home herself and make sure he stays there. Really? Humans always underestimate us. Pluto stays at Dahlia House because it makes Sarah Booth happy and because he wants to. Otherwise, he’d be on the lam. Cats have certain expectations…and they are met, or else.
Now that Millie has returned to her duties in the café, Pluto and I can catch up. I fill him in on Vesta’s appearance at Long Hall and he is greatly relieved the little marmalade feline has been taken in and is okay. I assure him she is living large while we find her human.
I also bring him up to speed on the arrival of Trudy’s sister who is also investigating her disappearance. Lisa East is our best lead. Pluto is not familiar with her, but he suggests a trip to the local courthouse where he claims a law officer will assist us. Really? I’m not holding my breath, and if I end up in some pound because of this, I will exact revenge. But we do need biped help to find Lisa East’s address. That much I agree with, so it’s off to the courthouse we go.
We both hate to upset Millie, who will be worried, but there’s no help for it. When the door to the office opens, we shoot out and through the dining area to the front door. A helpful human holds it open just as Millie comes after us crying for us to stop. There will be hell to pay for Pluto when his humans return. I am a stranger in this burg, and today, that’s a good thing. I must admit that if Tammy were calling my name I would think twice before ignoring her. There are some things that really set a human’s hair on fire!
As Pluto promised, we’re welcomed into the sheriff’s office by a deputy with the name Budgie. Pluto has told me how the two deputies help Sarah Booth and her partner Tinkie solve their cases. And how accommodating the law officers are to cats. They have been made aware of our superior skills. This is a promising beginning. He treats Pluto as his equal and he seems willing to pay attention when we play charades with him. He has guessed the East part of her name. Now for the Lisa. This is a bit harder. Pluto’s approach is…unique. He is rolling on the desk moaning. Then tapping the computer keyboard. I’m fascinated. I know what he’s trying to say, but will this Budgie creature? Yes, he’s getting it…
Budgie has made it to moaning and Mona—now to get to Lisa. This truly is an exercise in teaching humans to communicate on a higher level.
“Mona!” Budgie shouts! And Pluto and I jump about and praise him with our antics.
“Mona East?” Budgie guesses.
The door opens and a tall, lanky deputy comes into the room and questions our behavior. The minute Budgie tells him Mona East, Deputy DeWayne Dattilo corrects him.
“You’re thinking Lisa East. She’s a sales rep for DayZ Seed and Chemicals.”
Pluto and I dance around DeWayne’s shins, giving him rubs and lots of purring trills. When he asks what we want with Lisa, we know we have him hooked. When he suggests to Budgie that he drive us out to Lisa’s house, we are beside ourselves with glee. If only all bipeds were as eager to learn as these two, my work would be greatly simplified.
Budgie is amused at the suggestion, but willing to take us, and we are off.
One advantage to working with the local law is that they have access to addresses, criminal histories, cell phones, and best of all, sirens. Pluto flips the switch for the siren and Budgie gives him a roll of his eyes, but lets it sing.
Lisa East lives at a small cottage on a side street of Zinnia. It’s a lovely little place, shaded by a huge magnolia. I sense danger. The front door is ajar. It could be Lisa forgot to shut it firmly on her way to work, but this doesn’t bode well.
Budgie lets us out of the car while he walks to the porch and raps on the door. No answer. And something is smelling a lot like decomp. Terrible for humans but even worse for the keen olfactory senses of a cat.
Budgie asks us to stay back and we oblige. We are savvy detectives, but we are also furry and we could contaminate a crime scene. We don’t have long to wait. Budgie puts in a call to the sheriff’s office and the coroner. Someone is dead, and I’m pretty sure it’s Lisa East. This puts a dire spin on the whole disappearance of Trudy.
And here comes a big dually pickup driven by that officious human male Roger Long with Tabitha as a passenger. Strange that they would end up here. Tabitha spots me right off and does a double take at Pluto. I’ll never be able to convey Pluto’s name to her. Thank goodness Budgie steps in and takes care of such things—and holds Tabitha and Roger back from the crime scene. Tabitha is very upset. Pluto goes to comfort her, and that’s a good thing. I want to snoop around the back of the cottage. See what’s what.