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“Well, that’s the last time I hold a 4F board meeting outside,” Imogene said as she slumped into the swivel chair behind the desk of her home office.
Willow lowered herself into the armchair next to the one Kat had claimed. “It certainly didn’t end the way I was expecting.”
That was an understatement, in Kat’s opinion. The police had been called shortly after the woman had come rushing out of the woods with shouts of a dead body. The body turned out to be that of Savannah Newton, a name that meant nothing to Kat but had elicited shocked gasps from Imogene and Willow. Another round of gasps had followed when they’d all learned that Savannah had not fallen victim to a devastating accident or undiagnosed health issue as everyone had initially assumed, but instead had been shot twice in the chest.
Matty was the only creature present who didn’t seem bothered by everything that had transpired at the park. She had easily transitioned from inspecting blades of grass to exploring Imogene’s home office. She probably saw no sense in dwelling over life’s tragedies, not when there were unfamiliar nooks and crannies to be checked out.
Right now Matty was busy sniffing a cardboard cat lounger in the corner. No doubt the tortoiseshell had picked up on Clover’s scent. Imogene’s big, white cat had full reign of the house, as evidenced by the various beds, scratching posts, and catnip toys scattered about. He would not be pleased by a feline intruder poking around his domain.
As if on cue, Clover let out a yowl from the other side of the closed office door. Matty froze, then slowly rotated her head around, her pupils expanding until they almost swallowed up the green of her eyes.
“Oh, you just ignore that sourpuss,” Imogene said to Matty. “He’s upset because he doesn’t like being shut out while I’m in here. I do believe he thinks he’s my boss.”
Clover released another cry, then proceeded to scratch at the door. Kat peeked over her shoulder in time to spy a fluffy white paw dotted with four perfect little pink ovals slide through the crack underneath the door.
Imogene cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “It’s your own fault you have to stay out there while we have a guest in the house, Clover! If you were a more hospitable host, I could let you and Matty mingle.”
Clover withdrew his paw. Kat waited to see what he would do next, but he grew so quiet she could hear herself breathing in the resulting silence. She counted to ten, finding the absence of sound more unsettling than Clover’s caterwauling. For all she knew the crafty feline had decided to prowl around the house and mark various items of furniture as an act of revenge against his disobedient human.
Imogene settled more deeply into her chair. “Finally, some peace.” Evidently she didn’t harbor the same fears as Kat.
Matty hopped onto the desk, sat down on a stack of empty bubble mailers, and gazed at Imogene. She seemed to understand that Imogene had gone to bat for her, and this appeared to be her way of communicating that she appreciated the effort.
Imogene scooted her chair forward so she could reach the cat, but it was clear from the furrow in her brow that her mind was elsewhere. “I don’t know about you two, but I can’t stop thinking about poor Savannah Newton.”
Willow sighed. “It’s hard to believe she’s dead. She was in one of my high school English classes not too long ago.”
“I’m sorry I never met her,” Kat said.
“Savannah was probably about ten years younger than you, Kat,” Imogene said. “Early twenties. I didn’t know her all that well, but she was dating Liam Hagen, the son of my friend Faith.” Imogene clucked her tongue. “Why, it seems like yesterday Liam was just a tot. And now he has to deal with his girlfriend’s murder.”
A soft crunching sound filled the silence that followed Imogene’s speech. Matty was wiggling around atop the bubble mailers, seemingly fascinated by how they shifted to accommodate her movements. She apparently thought the padded envelopes were some sort of ergonomic cat cushion.
Imogene tsked. “Why anyone would shoot such a vibrant young woman is beyond me. This world is incomprehensible at times.”
Kat thought her friend might be referring to more than just today’s tragedy. Imogene had been involved with animal rescue for so long she had undoubtedly seen many cruelties inflicted upon the innocent by heartless humans.
“I hope the police catch whoever did this,” Willow said, leaning back in her chair.
“You and me both,” Imogene replied.
Matty stood up and stretched. Judging by her wide yawn, the bubble mailers had lost their entertainment value. She jumped onto the floor, then resumed her inspection of the room.
Imogene drummed her fingers on the desk. “You know, I do believe Savannah Newton worked at D Place.”
“That’s the restaurant you and Colleen were talking about?” Kat asked. “The one her husband owns?”
Imogene nodded. “A couple months ago Faith mentioned something to me about Savannah getting a job there.”
Kat wondered if Colleen had heard the body recovered from the woods belonged to one of her husband’s employees. Colleen had disappeared soon after their conversation had been interrupted by that harrowing scream, but Kat didn’t know if she’d left the park or simply been lost in the crowd. It hadn’t taken long for the park to devolve into a chaotic mess, one that hadn’t cleared up until after the authorities had swarmed onto the scene and Chief Kenny, the Cherry Hills Police Department chief, had taken charge.
“You know,” Imogene said, eyeing Matty as the feline scratched at the bottom drawer of a file cabinet, “D Place isn’t all that far from the park we were in. And Kenny seems to believe Savannah was killed sometime last night.”
“You think she had just gotten off work?” Willow asked.
“I think it’s quite possible.”
Matty must have decided the effort required to break into Imogene’s files wasn’t worth it. She trotted back over to Imogene and hopped into her lap.
“What else did Chief Kenny tell you?” Kat asked Imogene. “Does he have any solid leads on who killed Savannah?”
“If he does, he didn’t share them with me. I only know that tidbit about Savannah’s time of death because I overheard Kenny saying something to one of his officers.”
Kat wasn’t surprised. Imogene and Chief Kenny might be close friends—or even more than close friends, if Kat’s hunch was correct—but Kat knew from her own experience dating a CHPD detective that the force as a whole preferred to limit the information they shared with civilians. And while she could understand their reasons, that didn’t mean she had to like it.
“Dan and I ate at D Place once,” Willow said, referring to her husband. “And I have to tell you, it didn’t strike me as all that savory an establishment.”
“They do seem to cater to a rougher sort of crowd,” Imogene agreed.
Kat sat up. “Maybe one of their patrons waited for Savannah to leave work last night, then lured her into the park.”
Willow said, “I hate the thought, but it seems like a definite possibility.”
Imogene fingered a tuft of Matty’s fur. “I could call Colleen and ask whether Savannah was at D Place yesterday.”
“You should,” Willow said as Kat nodded her agreement.
Imogene had to relocate Matty to the floor in order to reach her tote bag. Matty stood there for a second, looking miffed. When she finally recovered she lifted her tail into the air and sauntered off, aiming a haughty sniff over her shoulder. But unfortunately for Matty, Imogene didn’t notice the attitude. She was too busy tapping cell phone buttons.
“Hi, Colleen? It’s Imogene Little.” Imogene pressed her cell phone against her ear and swiveled sideways until Kat could only view her in profile. “Yes, horrendous. It certainly put a damper on my afternoon. . . . Well, I can’t fault your precious doggie for being so upset. And I don’t blame you one iota for wanting to get him back to the safety of your home. The park turned into a madhouse.”
Kat felt an ache in her chest as she recalled how desperate Colleen’s Springer Spaniel had been to get into the woods. She had naively assumed a squirrel or some other species of woodland creature had caught his attention, but now it occurred to her that the poor thing might have actually been trying to alert the humans to Savannah’s death.
Imogene shifted her cell phone to her other ear. “I heard Savannah Newton worked for you and Declan, and I wanted to say how terribly sorry I am for your loss. . . . You’re welcome. When is the last time you saw Savannah, anyway?” Imogene swiveled toward Kat and Willow and bobbed her head as she continued to listen to whatever Colleen was saying. “Well, that makes complete sense. The police will be very interested to know that. And I’m sure Kenny will be contacting you soon. . . . You too. Bye now.”
Kat hunched forward as Imogene dropped her cell phone onto the desk. “So? What did she say?”
“Savannah Newton was indeed at D Place last night,” Imogene announced.
“Then it’s possible one of the bar’s customers killed her,” Kat mused.
“Right now, anything’s possible.”
Willow rose to her feet. “Well, if we’re done talking business, I should get going. I’m still trying to get into the swing of things now that the school year has started up again, and I have to review my lesson plan for the week.”
“Business can wait,” Imogene said. “My concentration is shot, and there’s nothing on the agenda that can’t be put off until our next get-together.”
“What about the end-of-summer fundraising drive?” Kat gestured toward the stack of bubble mailers on the desk. “Do you need help getting those packages assembled?”
“If you’d care to assist I won’t protest,” Imogene replied. “Perhaps we could work on it tomorrow, after we’re done with Junie Tennant’s home inspection.”
“Sounds good,” Kat said.
Willow reached for the doorknob. “I’ll see you both later.”
Before Kat could say goodbye, Clover rocketed into the room. Kat’s stomach clenched. She had completely forgotten about the big, white cat.
Clover made a beeline for Matty. With a squeak of surprise, the tortoiseshell darted around several scratching posts before sprinting toward the center of the room. Her convoluted path slowed Clover down some but not enough. With the white cat gaining on her and no other escape route in sight, Matty scrambled onto Imogene’s lap and then the desk, sending papers and bubble mailers scattering in all directions.
Kat jumped into the fray and, by some miracle, managed to grab hold of the tortoiseshell before she could take off again. Matty let out a wail of protest, then aimed a spiteful hiss in Clover’s direction.
Imogene leaped out of her chair. “Clover! You behave yourself.”
Clover halted his pursuit, but Kat didn’t think Imogene’s words had anything to do with that. Right now Matty was perched on Kat’s shoulder and pretty much inaccessible to any creature under four feet tall.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Willow rushed over and grabbed hold of Clover. “I didn’t even think to look for him before I opened the door.”
Willow tried to lift up the cat, but Clover didn’t intend to be outmuscled. He squirmed until Willow had no choice but to let him go, then he ducked underneath the desk. His quick movements prompted Matty to dig her claws into Kat’s skin as she secured her foothold.
Imogene herded them toward the door. “C’mon, ladies. I do believe it will be easier for all of us to leave than to try to catch Clover.”
“Good idea,” Willow said, scurrying after Imogene.
Kat could only manage a nod of assent. As long as Matty kept her claws buried in Kat’s shoulder, Kat didn’t think she could speak without crying out in pain.
Imogene slipped out the door first, followed by Willow and then Kat and Matty. As soon as Kat cleared the threshold, Imogene slammed the door shut, prompting a howl from Clover.
Imogene laughed. “Oh, Clover. You are such a crybaby.”
Clover responded by pawing at the door.
Matty growled, but she seemed to realize she was safe now. Much to Kat’s relief, the tortoiseshell retracted her claws and jumped onto the floor.
“Next time Matty joins us for a 4F board meeting, I’ll make sure to check outside the door before opening it,” Willow said.
Imogene flicked her wrist. “Don’t worry about it. No one was harmed, and a little excitement does the soul good.”
Kat wasn’t sure she agreed with that. As she rubbed her throbbing shoulder, she couldn’t help thinking she’d had enough excitement this afternoon to last her the rest of the year.
