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“This looks like a good spot.” Imogene Little shook out the blanket in her hands and spread it across the grass before plunking herself down.
“This was a great idea, Imogene,” Willow Wu said. The petite forty-something’s short, black hair bounced around her shoulders as she too dropped onto the blanket.
Katherine Harper silently agreed. So did her yellow-and-brown tortoiseshell cat Matty, if the way the feline’s green eyes were bugging out of her head accurately reflected her thoughts. When Imogene had proposed holding their Furry Friends Foster Families board meeting at a local park to take advantage of the glorious September weather, Kat knew Matty would never forgive her if she committed a sin as egregious as leaving the tortie at home. Matty loved being outside, even if such luxuries required her to suffer through the indignity of wearing a harness.
One thing the tortoiseshell did not appreciate, however, was being denied the chance to roam. Now that they had arrived at their destination, she kept kicking at Kat’s arms, eager to be set free so she could explore her surroundings.
Imogene chuckled as she watched Matty’s tantrum. “You’ve spoiled her, Kat. Hilda never let Matilda out of the apartment—not on purpose, anyway. Oh, sure, the little troublemaker had a knack for slipping through the front door when nobody was looking, but even then I don’t believe she ever made it farther than your building’s common areas.”
Kat glanced between Imogene and Willow, curious whether they wished Hilda Tinsdale were here now instead of her. When Kat had first moved back to Cherry Hills, Washington last summer, Mrs. Tinsdale had been Kat’s next-door neighbor, Furry Friends Foster Families’ longtime treasurer, and Matty’s owner. Then she had been murdered, and everything had changed. Kat hadn’t known Mrs. Tinsdale all that well, but she did know the older woman had been active in animal rescue long before Kat had been born. And while Kat had learned quite a bit during her past year serving on the 4F board, she wasn’t foolish enough to believe her limited experience was on par with the knowledge Mrs. Tinsdale had taken with her to the grave.
Matty meowed. It was an annoyed sort of meow, the type meant to communicate how exasperating it was to be in a park of this size yet remain tethered to her human. To punctuate her displeasure, she gave Kat another hard kick with her hind feet.
Kat set Matty down before the tortoiseshell shredded her arms to ribbons. Matty took a moment to marvel at actually having her paws touching the ground before she began the arduous task of sniffing every individual blade of grass within the immediate vicinity.
Kat adjusted her hold on Matty’s leash and joined Imogene and Willow on the blanket. She inhaled deeply, letting the fresh air fill her lungs. Although she had grown up in Cherry Hills and had lived here as an adult for over a year now, she couldn’t ever remember visiting this particular park. But as she took in the beauty surrounding her, she vowed to return again soon.
Willow leaned her hands behind her and tipped her face up to the sun. “We should hold more board meetings outside.”
Matty paused from inspecting her surroundings to glance at the humans. Kat was pretty sure the promise of future outdoor meetings had the tortoiseshell contemplating how she could land an official position on the board—assuming she wouldn’t be saddled with any of the work, of course.
Imogene unhooked the canvas bag she had strapped over one shoulder, stretched out her short legs, and adjusted her auburn ponytail. “Yes, well, you say that now, while the weather is nice. But come winter I don’t think any of us will want to linger out here. My old blood can’t handle the cold like it used to.”
Willow waved her off. “Please. You’re hardly old.”
“I’m over a decade older than you, and I’ve got almost twenty-five years on Kat.”
“Fifty-seven isn’t old,” Willow said. “I’ll tell you, I hope I have as much energy as you do when I’m in my fifties.”
“Hanging around those high schoolers all week would drain me of energy too.”
Willow groaned. “Tell me about it. Every summer I forget how dramatic that age group can be. Then the school year starts up again and bam! It’s like being tossed onto the set of a soap opera after spending three months on your own private island.”
Matty meowed as if to commiserate. The tortoiseshell was not a fan of drama.
Imogene pulled a notepad out of her tote bag. “All right, ladies, time to get down to work. We have a lot of rescue business to cover today. We’ll start with the positive. One of the publishers who sends Lady Fairchild review books offered to ship her a whole box of mini doggie waste bag dispensers that can be clipped to a leash. Apparently they were done up for a book launch event, but there was some printing error nobody caught until now. Lady Fairchild said we can have them, and she’s offered to chip in the cost of packaging them up and mailing them out. I figure this is a perfect opportunity to solicit an end-of-summer donation from our supporters. Nothing puts people in the spirit of giving like receiving an unexpected gift in the mail.”
“That’s fantastic,” Willow said.
“Lady Fairchild is the best,” Kat agreed.
“She most certainly is. Next item.” Imogene consulted her list. “I’ve received an adoption application for Griffin. A woman named Junie Tennant is interested in him.”
Kat’s heart swelled as she pictured the little tuxedo cat in her head. “I’m so glad. Griffin is such a wonderful cat. He’s going to make a great pet for someone.”
“He is definitely a sweet soul.” Imogene looked between Kat and Willow. “Would one of you like to perform the home inspection with me? It’s scheduled for ten a.m. tomorrow morning.”
Kat raised her hand. “I can go.”
Matty’s ears pricked. Evidently the tortoiseshell was keen to attend as well if it meant another opportunity to be outside. Kat would wait until tomorrow to break it to the feline that she wasn’t invited.
“Marvelous,” Imogene said. “I’ll pick you up at nine-thirty tomorrow. I still have several references to check between now and then, but I can do that later today.”
“Why don’t you call them now?” Willow suggested.
Imogene puckered her lips. “Then you two are going to be sitting around while I chat on the phone.”
Kat tilted her face toward the sky, basking in the afternoon warmth. “I’m not complaining.”
Willow grinned. “Me neither.”
“All right, if you insist.” Imogene fished her cell phone out of her bag and began tapping at the screen.
While Imogene busied herself with her reference checks, Kat looked around. They weren’t the only ones taking advantage of one of the last few Saturday afternoons remaining this summer. The park was filled with people running, picnicking, and playing Frisbee. A smattering of children were squealing in delight as they embarked upon a spirited game of tag or something equally ambitious. A medium-sized dog barked at them from the sidelines, his tail wagging. Surprisingly, the activity didn’t seem to bother Matty all that much. She kept a wary eye on the goings-on, but most of her attention was focused on chattering at birds and exploring her immediate surroundings. What Matty thought she might find, Kat wasn’t sure, but she kept her fingers crossed that the tortoiseshell didn’t chase any bugs in their direction.
A musical ringtone sounded from a moderate distance away. A middle-aged woman dressed in jean shorts and a black tank top stopped her stroll along the park’s paved walking trail and looked at the cell phone in her hand. She had to struggle to maintain her hold on the brown-and-white Springer Spaniel beside her. He kept barking and pulling on his leash as he tried to chase after something he’d spotted in the woods next to the trail.
Imogene frowned at her phone, then at the woman. “Colleen O’Connor?” she called out. “Is that you?”
The woman squinted in their direction. “Imogene?” She waggled her phone in front of her. “Are you calling me?”
“I was.” Imogene tapped her cell phone screen.
Colleen’s own cell phone stopped mid-ring before going completely silent. She slipped the phone into the front pocket of her shorts and headed in their direction, her strawberry blond ponytail swinging behind her. The dog protested, still intent on veering off course, but as soon as he saw Matty his floppy brown ears lifted away from his head and he forgot all about whatever it was he’d spotted in the woods.
“What were you calling me for?” Colleen asked Imogene.
Imogene rose from the blanket. She was short enough that even standing she had to look up to meet Colleen’s eye. “Junie Tennant is interested in adopting a cat from 4F, my rescue organization. She listed you as one of her references.”
From Colleen’s raised eyebrows, Kat figured this was the first she was hearing about being listed as a reference. Maybe it had slipped Junie’s mind to mention it. Or maybe Junie didn’t figure 4F would actually bother to call her references. If that was the case, she didn’t know Imogene Little. Imogene took her role as 4F president and animal guardian very seriously. She would never turn a living creature over to someone she hadn’t thoroughly vetted beforehand.
“What can you tell me about Junie’s character?” Imogene asked.
“She seems responsible enough, but I only know her because she waitresses at D Place.” Colleen looked at Kat and Willow. “That’s my husband Declan’s bar.”
Imogene frowned. “I wonder why she would list you as a reference then and not Declan.”
“Well, I do see her, since I’m often in the back office working on the books.” Colleen lifted one shoulder. “Maybe she thought I would give her a better reference than Declan would.”
Kat could tell Imogene found Colleen’s comment troubling. She kept running one finger around the edge of her cell phone, the furrow in her brow sinking deeper and deeper.
“She seems to be an okay worker, if that helps,” Colleen said. “Declan’s never complain—”
Their conversation was interrupted when a scream echoed through the park. Matty dropped low to the ground, her ears flattening against her skull and her fur lifting away from her body. The Springer Spaniel let out a single, sharp bark. Time froze as everyone in the vicinity stopped what they were doing and tried to figure out what had happened.
A woman came tearing out of the woods. When she reached the walking trail and noticed she had the attention of no fewer than a dozen people, she began frantically pointing behind her.
“Woman,” she choked out. “In the woods. Oh, my. She’s dead!”
