Casey and Brooke thought I should get lucky. Or at least, wear Lucky. They’d brought the contents of their entire closets to Helping Paws, but the LBD was the clear winner.
“We should come with you.” Brooke frowned and walked around me in a circle, tapping her finger against her chin as Casey draped a scarf around my neck. The only thing harder than finding out who took the Bournaise was making me feel comfortable in this dangerously low-cut dress. It was a far cry from my usual big T-shirts and leggings. “Maybe Persephone can talk to us, too. She could have a connection with shelter workers.”
“You would’ve heard her when she was here. She’s not exactly shy.”
“We didn’t get to spend any time with her before you brought her back to Margaret,” Casey countered.
“The party is invite-only. I wish I could bring you. Going to a party where I don’t know anyone is like one of those dreams where you show up at work naked.”
“You know Henry.”
“Right. But he’s probably got connections in the art world, and he won’t want to have a clueless barnacle stuck to him.”
“He did ask you on another date.” Casey waggled her eyebrows. “Isn’t the point of this party to sell paintings? I’d think she’d want as many people there as possible.”
“Margaret wanted to cancel. She’s not sure she wants to sell any of the paintings anymore.”
“What if it’s an inside job? Margaret pretended the painting was stolen so she doesn’t have to sell it?” Brooke handed me a long necklace. “Loop this around your neck. You won’t be so self-conscious about your cleavage all night.”
I groaned and sat down, tugging at the hem of the dress. I wasn’t ready for Lucky. I must have a pair of nice black pants and a dressy shirt in my closet that still fit. “She’s still mourning Bellamy. This can’t be easy for her.”
“But the cat,” Brooke said. “If she packed her up in that awful box and just left her here…Ugh. Make sure you bring her home with you.”
“She loves her cat.” So there went that theory. “Maybe I should just leave well enough alone. I did my job. I reunited Persephone with her owner.”
“Can Persephone talk to Margaret?” Casey asked.
“No. She seemed flabbergasted by my claim and we never had a chance to talk about it.”
“You can’t abandon Persephone.” Brooke picked up one of the cats we’d let out of the kennel for the afternoon. We liked to give the animals as much freedom as we could. It kept them social, and prospective adopters loved seeing them free. “Imagine if you found the only person you could communicate with, and then, just like that, you never saw them again.”
“Not sure Margaret’s looking to do joint custody.”
Casey sat next to me, and another cat jumped into her lap. “What would you do with the reward money?”
“Put it into the shelter. Persephone says these kitties have a taste for tuna. Maybe buy a few outfits so I don’t have to keep borrowing your clothes when I want to look nice.”
“For your dates.” Brooke grinned.
“For whatever.”
“So you’re doing this for Persephone, and all our animals. You can’t let them down. You have to go tonight,” Casey said.
“You don’t want to let Henry down, either.” Brooke waggled her brows at me.
“No. I’m hoping that maybe Sully will be there too.”
“Wait, who? Did you go on another date without telling us?”
“No.” I laughed. “He’s Margaret’s handyman. I tried to get him to come fix something here but he wouldn’t come out this far.” I thought he might have been the one to bring Persephone here, but he’d acted like New Hampshire was closer to Mars than Boston, and I scratched that possibility off the list. “It’s a long shot, because everyone says he’s not into art, but I feel like he’d have a unique perspective.”
“I have a feeling I’ll be starving by the time we’re done getting everyone settled for the night. If Brooke and I were to say, have dinner in the Back Bay, would you like a ride to the party?” Casey proposed.
“That way you won’t get nervous when it takes forever to get there and park because of the strike, so you can be relaxed when you’re looking for clues. And when we’re done, we can do a little window shopping. Something tells me things look different from the other side of the glass.”
“You’ll never get a reservation for a Saturday night.”
“We can eat at the bar.”
“Fine, you can come.” I let my head fall back in defeat and the ladies high-fived.
“When this is over, you have to promise to wear some of those new clothes out with us,” Brooke said. “There’s never a dull moment with you, Addie.”
“First time I’ve ever heard that.”
“Stop underestimating yourself,” she said. “You always tell us how boring and awkward you are, but you’re about to solve a major art heist and you might have scored Henry the Hottie in the process.”
“When you put it that way, I do sound pretty awesome.” I laughed.
“I finally worked on my course last night, and I plan to ask my students to make a list of everything they do well or enjoy doing, even if they’re awful at it. You need to do that, Addie. You do amazing things for the animals at Helping Paws, and you gave us jobs. We were nervous too, but you made us believe in ourselves. That’s talent. And what if Persephone’s not the only cat you can talk to?”
“I’d love to get her back in here to talk to some of our residents to see what we’re missing.” I scratched the head of the kitty in Casey’s lap. I was rewarded with an audible purr. But no words. “It might help us place more of the animals, or at least make cuter, more accurate adoption ads for them.”
Brooke and Casey had started making social media posts that looked like dating profiles for our animals, and adoption requests skyrocketed. The problem was, once we placed an animal, there was always someone else who needed that kennel. Especially in a no-kill shelter.
“I’ll talk to Margaret.”
“Are you sure this is invite-only?” Brooke whistled as our car crawled past the gallery while she looked for a place to park. “There’s a line to get in.”
“I thought if we came early, I’d have a chance to talk to Persephone and come up with a plan before the rest of the guests arrived.” My heart sank. Now I’d have to get creative.
“Maybe we can run interference for you. Our reservations aren’t until eight-thirty.” Casey considered the line as she waited for the light to change. “We can come in like clueless tourists and make a lowball offer on one of the featured paintings. The patrons will be aghast, and no one will notice you’re talking to a cat.”
“I’ll text you if I need you.” But I had to be honest with myself—all possibilities were on the table tonight. The ladies might be my secret weapon after all. “I can get out here.”
“Are you sure?” Brooke asked.
“I’m wearing a dress called Lucky and co-conspiring with a cat. I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.” I took a deep breath and gripped the door handle. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do tonight, ladies.”
Casey rolled down the window and called after me. “Stop underestimating yourself, Addie. You’ve got this.”