CHAPTER
six 
AT HOME, WE settled in the living room. Nimbus lay like a little gray cloud on my lime green IKEA sofa, where I sat beside her. Marshmallow paced back and forth before me.
“Spill it,” I said to him. “You knew the frequency was too high. How?”
He sighed. “We were kept by the same ‘master’—as he referred to himself. He also went by Edgar, a self-given nickname inspired by his favorite author.”
My heart sank a little. “You have an owner?”
“If that’s what you call someone who found me on the streets and then locked me up tight.”
“Where is he now?”
Marshmallow twitched his nose. “Probably living in the same stinky cigar-smelling house.”
I pivoted toward Nimbus and admired her sleek fur. When I’d first spotted her, she’d been dirty and had a lingering scent Marshmallow had picked up on. “Was it smoke that you smelled on her that first day?”
Marshmallow dipped his head. “Yeah. Cheap cigars. I thought it might be a coincidence, but when I asked for her name, I figured it out.”
“You never told it to me. What did he call her?”
“EFV2.” He paused. “I was EFV1. Enhanced Feline Version One.”
I pointed to Nimbus’s back. “What kind of chip did Edgar put in her?”
“I think it’s a high-frequency emitter. Meant to enhance mental capabilities. He wanted to get rich off his invention and was making a prototype of it right before I escaped.”
I pointed to Nimbus. “Are you saying she can talk, too?”
Marshmallow trained his gaze on me. “Can you hear anything from her?”
I concentrated for a few seconds but shook my head. “Then again, I’m not her owner. Isn’t that how it works?”
“Who knows?” Marshmallow said. “Even without a loving connection, I could project a few words to my old captor just by sheer talent. But it might take more compatibility between pet and owner to really make a conversation happen.”
I smiled wide at him. “You mean, we can communicate to one another because we have a strong loving bond.”
Marshmallow gave me a sideways glance. “Eh. You’re all right for a two-legger.”
That was about as much of a compliment as I was going to get. I turned my attention to Nimbus, stroking her head. “Well, I’m glad the both of you got away from that mad scientist. I wonder how Nimbus ended up at Roosevelt Elementary. Can you ask her?”
“Sure.” He purred at the kitten on the couch, and she whimpered back.
“Nimbus walked for a very, very long time,” Marshmallow told me.
“The poor girl.” I stroked her some more. “How long had she been hiding on school grounds?”
Marshmallow relayed my question and then translated. “For five sunsets.”
“And why was she under Helen’s car the other day?”
Marshmallow and Nimbus exchanged meows. Swishing his tail in the air, Marshmallow said, “She was worried about the nice lady who’d fed her before. Wanted to keep an eye on her.”
I raised my eyebrows at Marshmallow. “How come?”
“Nimbus thought Helen smelled funny that afternoon.”
I gripped the arm of my sofa. “Did she see something suspicious?”
My cat purred to Nimbus, and the kitten hid behind a throw pillow.
Marshmallow sighed. “She doesn’t seem to want to talk about it.”
I could see her shaking behind the pillow, so I started singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in a gentle voice. Succumbing to the lullaby, she soon fell asleep on the couch.
I heard the knock at my door around nine in the evening. At first, my heart leapt with joy. Maybe Josh was visiting me. Then I remembered he’d mentioned needing to work late over the next couple of days.
After looking through the peephole, I groaned but swung open the door. “Detective Brown, what are you doing here?”
The cop held a black take-out box with the Cheesecake Factory logo stamped on it. “Happened to be in the neighborhood and thought I’d check in on you.”
“I doubt this is a social visit.” I pursed my lips. “The last time you came to my apartment, you had a search warrant.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Bygones.”
Narrowing my eyes, I said, “I’ve never known you to stop working.”
“Okay, you’re right. This visit is related to the case.” He glanced at the inner courtyard of my apartment complex. “It’s probably better if you invited me inside to discuss things in private.”
Not many people used the courtyard, especially with the nippy February weather, but it was better not to chance it. Other residents might walk by to go to the laundry room and hear our conversation. I let the detective in and brought him to the dining area.
“Have a seat.” I motioned to the particleboard dining table. “I’m not the hostess with the mostest like my sister. I don’t have any drinks or snacks to offer, sorry.” I knew I didn’t sound very sorry.
“But I do.” Detective Brown placed the box in front of me.
I shook my head.
“You’re not hungry?” he said.
He flipped open the lid, and I had to tamp down my delight upon seeing velvety cheesecake topped with glazed strawberries and a fluffy mound of whipped cream.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t take bribes.”
“Fine.” Detective Brown steepled his fingers together. “But I need to get some facts from you to make sure I can close this case. Let’s retrace your steps the day you saw your sister. How long were you at the school?”
I gave him the approximate time range.
“And did you meet up with your sister right away?”
I closed the lid on the take-out container to block the temptation. “Pretty much. I met her in the school office.”
“I see. Was anybody else around?”
I nodded. “Principal Lewis came out of his office and chatted with me while I was waiting.”
Detective Brown’s thin lips flattened. “Then there was a period of time when you weren’t with Alice.”
“I don’t understand. Helen died of natural causes. She had stomach issues.”
Detective Brown rubbed his buzz cut hair. “We haven’t fully determined anything yet. Still waiting for the autopsy.”
“What exactly are you trying to get out of me?”
His cold blue eyes assessed me. “I have respect for the work you did on the pet breeder case, Mimi, but I have to level with you. Your sister was the last person to have seen the victim alive.”
Which meant Alice was now on the detective’s radar. After all, who else had been around that afternoon? I remembered spotting only three cars in the lot: Alice’s, Helen’s, and the principal’s—and I’d just vouched for part of his time.
I slammed my hand down on the table. Startled mewls came from the living room.
Detective Brown didn’t flinch at my violence, but he did turn his head to peek at the couch. “Did you get another cat?”
“I’m temporarily taking care of a kitten.”
He plodded over to the living room and examined Nimbus. “You found this cat at the school.”
How had he known?
“When we searched Helen Reed’s classroom, gray cat hairs were found,” he said. “I need to take this kitten into custody.”
“Sorry, Detective. I already gave her a bath, so there won’t be any evidence on her.”
His gaze locked on the kitty. “I need to get this cat’s health checked to make sure it’s not harboring anything contagious.”
“Sudden death by cat?” I gave an exasperated sigh. “I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous. Plus, she’s already been seen by my vet.”
“I need to use proper police contacts in this investigation. You know, animals can carry all kinds of diseases.” He put on some forensic gloves and scooped up Nimbus. She startled in his arms.
I reached for the kitten but stopped myself short. Detective Brown might call it obstruction of justice if I prevented him from taking the cat.
Meanwhile, Marshmallow purred at Nimbus to calm her down.
I bit my lip. “How long will you need her?”
“I’ll have her back ASAP if she’s not sick.”
After I said a reluctant goodbye to Nimbus and an enthusiastic good riddance to the detective, I stared at the closed front door.
“Do you think Detective Brown will take good care of Nimbus?” I said. “He doesn’t own any pets and might not know what to do.”
Marshmallow preened himself. “Cats are extremely independent. I’m only worried about one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You want to clear Alice’s name, right?” He looked at me with his intelligent eyes.
“Of course I do.”
“Well, you just let that cop walk off with an eyewitness to the crime.”
I gulped and felt sick looking at the cheesecake the detective had left. I’d definitely lost my appetite.