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Marla Vail approached her friend Tally’s hospital room. The nurse on the phone said Tally had awakened from her coma, but was she alert? How much did she comprehend about what had happened? Had the doctor told her Ken had been killed in their car accident?
Her heart thundering, she clutched the bouquet of flowers she’d bought in the gift shop downstairs. She stopped by the semi-private room where Tally had been transferred.
“Hello?” she called in a tremulous voice. She entered on wobbly knees, afraid of what she might find.
“Marla, I’m over here. Thank goodness you’ve come.” Tally gave a feeble wave from the bed near a window. Nobody occupied the space by the door.
Marla rushed in, overwhelmed at the site of her best friend sitting up in bed. She plopped the flowers down on the windowsill and hugged Tally’s thin frame. She’d thought this day would never arrive.
Stepping back, she studied Tally with moisture-filled eyes. “How are you feeling? It’s incredible to see you awake after all this time.”
Her face wan, Tally regarded Marla with a tearful smile. “I’m still getting used to the idea of being alive. The doctors said you’ve visited often and took charge of everything. They also told me about Ken.”
Marla sank onto the bedside and grasped her friend’s hand. “I’m so sorry, Tally. It’s horrible. We... Phil flew in to make arrangements. Your brother-in-law gave Ken a proper burial. We missed you being there.”
“I’ll visit his gravesite when I get out of here. It’s hard for me to comprehend that Ken is gone and I’m a widow now. In fact, I can’t remember much of what happened that night.”
“Do you want to talk about it, or is it too soon?” Marla withdrew her hand and took a deep, shaky breath. Her fears had dissipated that Tally might have recovered but with some residual deficits. Thank God she seemed normal in terms of her mental faculties. She didn’t appear to have any tremors or other neurological impairments, at least not anything overtly evident.
“First tell me about Luke. Is my baby okay?” Tally asked.
“Yes, he’s fine. Dalton and I love taking care of him. I don’t know if I’ll be able to give him back to you,” Marla said with a teasing grin. “Both of our mothers have been helping out, and we’ve found a reliable day care center. He’s been a joy.”
“I’ll be forever grateful, Marla. Now I have to raise him without his father. I don’t know how I can manage.”
“Ken had a generous life insurance policy. You won’t have to worry about the mortgage or Luke’s college fund. And once you’ve relocated your dress boutique, the income will help pay for his care.”
Tally clapped a hand to her mouth. “Holy smokes, I haven’t even thought about my business. What’s happened at the shop? The girls must have had a fit when they didn’t hear from me.”
“No problem. I’ve been consulting with your manager. Stacy has been handling things in your absence.”
“Really? But you don’t understand. The landlord gave us a deadline.”
“I know. A new owner bought the shopping center, and he’s chasing all the old tenants out. You might hate me for it, but I had to make the decision for you on whether or not to accept his termination offer.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I accepted his terms so you could get the bonus. In the meantime, I found a creative solution so you wouldn’t lose your stock. We’ll sell your dresses in my day spa lounge. There’s plenty of room, and it’ll be fun for our customers.”
“That’s kind of you, Marla. I don’t deserve your generosity.”
“Of course you do. You’re my best friend.”
Outside in the corridor, rattling noises from a cart sounded along with a nurse’s voice. It must be medication time. At least Tally’s room was relatively quiet without any beeping noises from monitors and such. Come to think of it, all of Tally’s extraneous life support lines were gone. Most of her bruises were fading, but she must be weak from lying in bed for so long. Had the doctors mentioned anything to her about rehab?
First things first, Marla told herself. Stick to the topic at hand.
“Can I tell Stacy you’re awake?” she asked. “Your manager will want to come visit.”
Tally gave a sigh. “I suppose I’ll have to reenter the world at some point, won’t I? I’m not sure I’m ready for visitors yet, though.”
“I understand. You need time to mourn your husband.”
Tally picked at the bedsheets. “That’s not all I have to process. I’m afraid I owe you a deep apology.”
“What do you mean?” Marla had an inkling, but needed to hear it from her friend.
“I hadn’t been myself before the accident. I kept things from you and withdrew from our relationship. And yet when push came to shove, you stepped in and did everything only the truest friend would do. I betrayed your trust.”
“No, you didn’t. You had secrets to keep. It’s understandable under the circumstances.”
“How much have you learned?”
“Pretty much everything.” Marla briefed her on what had happened. “Dalton will want to speak to you.” Her husband, a homicide detective, had been involved in the case. So had people from the state’s insurance fraud division, who might want to interview Tally.
“I’m not surprised about Darryl. When Ken told me his suspicions regarding someone in the office, he swore me to secrecy. He didn’t know who he could trust or how far this thing reached. It could have involved any one of his employees, although I’d always thought Darryl had an attitude.”
“He was being used by Liam Kelton. How did you get onto the man? I presume you didn’t suspect him initially of being a lead figure in the fraud scheme.”
Tally shifted her position. One of her pillows slid down, and Marla reached over to adjust it.
“I discovered a letter from my mother hidden in an old cookbook. It hinted at an affair she’d had before her marriage. If my father found out about it, that could be what led to their divorce. But who was this other man, and what was his relation to me? I did the math and didn’t like my conclusions. The person who wrote the letter was Liam, a married man with children.”
“So you went to Central Florida to talk about your mother?”
“Yes, and to ask him about our relationship. There was a good possibility Liam was my biological father. He treated the whole thing as a hoax meant to blackmail him or to cast scandal upon his good name.”
“That was a valid fear on his part. The man had political ambitions. If you turned out to be his daughter, the news could rock his marriage as well as his hopes for the future. He set you up as a target the night of the accident to get you out of his way.”
“I thought the crash had to do with the fraud investigation.”
“Darryl may have caused the accident, but he was acting under orders from Liam. He forced the female agent they’d captured to call Ken. Ken rushed out of the house to rescue her. You would have been home alone with Luke. But when you changed your plans, Darryl forced your car off the road. Meanwhile, you left Luke with Mrs. Phelps who was Liam’s sister. She’d been planted there to keep an eye on you and make sure you didn’t rat him out.”
Tally covered her face with her hands. “How could I have been so gullible? Mrs. Phelps might have harmed Luke.”
“Yes, but she didn’t. Mrs. Phelps regarded Luke as her nephew and wanted to raise him as her own child. She had a warped sense of entitlement and would never have hurt him.”
Marla neglected to tell Tally how Liam had threatened to drop Luke into a canal unless Dalton let him escape. It had been his sister who’d thwarted his plans for the baby’s sake.
“There’s so much I kept from you,” Tally confessed in a tearful tone. “I couldn’t stand staying home all the time with the baby. Instead of enjoying our time together, I got depressed. So I joined a ladies’ tea circle. We met in different places, and it was fun. But Rissa acted strange, and I started to get uncomfortable around her.”
“Tell me about it. I met the women when I was tracking your movements. They were all a bit weird. I liked Edie, who told me about the Safety First Alliance and their efforts to prevent children from dying in hot cars. I’ve volunteered for their organization, so at least one good thing came out of those meetups. Did you ever figure out what Rissa was doing on the side?”
“Not really. Something was going on with her, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. She invited me to a party at her house. I didn’t go and decided to cut things off with the group.”
“That was a wise decision, but we can talk more about it another time. Where do you go from here? Have the doctors mentioned rehab?” Marla didn’t want to heap too much information on Tally at once. It was best to focus on her physical recovery and the grieving process.
“I need to rebuild my strength. My muscles have wasted despite the therapy they’d done to maintain my mobility while I was unconscious. So it looks like I’ll be headed to the rehab center for a while.”
Marla gave her a gentle smile. “Don’t worry about Luke. He’s fine with us. I’ve been taking care of your mail and other household matters, so don’t even think about coming home until you’re ready.”
Tally bent her head. “How will you ever forgive me for shutting you out? I swear I’ll never keep secrets between us again.”
Marla reached over to hug her. “Hey, you’ll never get rid of me. I am here for you, now and always.”
****
After weeks of rehab, Tally had finally been discharged and allowed to go home. Marla had settled her in yesterday, giving her time to mourn Ken’s loss and to adjust to life on her own. Today she was bringing Luke to leave in his mother’s care. Tally had been thrilled to see her child during the brief visits allowed at the rehab center. Hereafter, Marla would be the visitor if she wanted to see Luke again.
She shut off the engine and emerged into the balmy spring air. In her trunk, she’d put some of the baby items she had borrowed from Tally’s house. Dalton would bring the rest over later. Emptiness frayed her heartstrings as she unfastened Luke from his car seat.
How she’d miss him! She’d enjoyed watching his cute facial expressions and hugging his soft body. She’d miss his gurgles and coos as she fussed over him at his daily bath. For one last time, she kissed the soft spot on his temple and sniffed his baby essence. How could she let him go?
Nonetheless, it was her duty to deliver him to his mother. For months, she had prayed her caretaker role would be temporary and Tally would regain her senses. Now that the moment had arrived, Marla clung to Luke.
Even as she embraced him, the front door flung open and Tally rushed outside.
“Luke, my baby! You’re home!” Tally took him from Marla’s outstretched arms and held him close. “Oh God, Marla, what would I have done without you? You’re my savior. I owe you and Dalton an eternal debt.”
“Nonsense; you owe us nothing. We’re honored you chose us to look after your son. We’ve loved caring for Luke. It’s hard to leave him.” Marla’s voice hitched, and she blinked rapidly as moisture tipped her lashes.
Be happy for your friend, she admonished herself. Don’t show her how much this hurts.
“You’re welcome to come over anytime,” Tally said. “No more secrets between us, and no formalities either.”
“I know. Let me get the car seat and then I’ll join you in the house.” She turned away so Tally wouldn’t see her eyes glistening. Happy and sad at the same time, she unfastened the device from the back of the car.
Luke wailed as the distance between them grew farther. The sound shot darts into her heart. He’d become familiar with Marla’s face and now would have to readjust to his mother.
Carrying the seat in one hand and the diaper bag in another, she followed Tally into the house. She plopped the items on the floor in the foyer.
“I’m in the kitchen,” Tally called.
Marla sauntered inside, pleased to see Tally bustling around like normal. She’d fastened her blond hair into a ponytail. In the rehab center, Tally was finally able to get a proper hair wash. Marla would like to get her into the salon for a good conditioning treatment and a trim.
“I’ve put Luke down for a nap,” Tally said. “He may be too excited to sleep, but we’ll have a few minutes. Would you like a cup of coffee? I went food shopping this morning and bought some chocolate chip cookies if you want one.”
“Still the chocolate addict, are you?” Marla’s throat constricted. She’d feared her friend might never be the same. Thank the Lord for giving Tally back her life.
“I need to satisfy my sweet tooth,” Tally replied. “Maybe it’ll give me some energy. I get tired so quickly.”
“That’s to be expected after the ordeal you’ve been through. You’ll regain your strength. The housekeeper I hired will be arriving soon. She’ll fix your dinner while you tend to Luke. Dalton has vetted her, so her credentials check out. Do you want me to stay until she comes?”
“No, thanks. You’ve done so much already. I don’t want to take up too much of your time.” Tally poured her a cup of coffee from the coffeemaker carafe and put a carton of cream on the table. “It seems so odd here without Ken. I can’t believe he isn’t coming home.”
“When you’re ready, Dalton can help you sort through his things if you wish. But take one step at a time, or you’ll feel overwhelmed.”
Marla should write down a list of all the items she and Dalton had accomplished in Tally’s absence. They’d already taken care of insurance, credit cards, and billing. But Tally would have to contact those companies so their correspondence reverted back to her address. And she’d need to switch the household accounts into her name. But these matters could wait until later.
“Thanks for keeping up with the mail,” Tally said as though reading her mind. “That’s a chore in itself.”
“Everything will get done. Remember that Dalton and I are available whenever you need us.”
“I know, and I love you. You’re like a sister to me.” Tally hugged her before they broke apart and took seats at the kitchen table.
Marla took a sip of coffee to ease her tight throat. An inner glow filled her. She had her friend back. Together, they’d face whatever life threw at them next.
Unfortunately, life threw a curveball their way before Marla could even finish her drink. A loud knock sounded in the foyer.
Hearing Luke begin to wail, she stood. “I’ll get it. You take care of the baby,” she told Tally. Marla hastened to the front door. After a glance through the peephole, she opened the door to face an elderly woman with white hair.
“I heard you were taking care of Tally’s affairs after her accident, and I recognized your car in the driveway. You have to help me,” said the lady with a frantic expression.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“I’m one of Tally’s neighbors. I understand you’ve a reputation for solving crimes. Thanks to your efforts, the police discovered who hurt Tally and her husband. Poor thing to lose her man that way. Now my guy is missing. I can’t find Mr. Stanton anywhere.”
“What do you mean?” Did the woman really address her spouse in that formal manner?
“I went out on some errands. When I got back, he was gone. I don’t know how he could have slipped out of the house on his own.”
Marla gave her a sharp glance. She wanted to learn more, but Luke had quieted, and she didn’t dare risk waking the baby by asking this person inside. Besides, it wasn’t her house. She didn’t have that right.
However, Marla couldn’t turn the woman away. Her natural inclination was to help people, so she stepped outside and shut the door behind her. The first order of business was to determine if this lady was legit or a scam artist preying on folks in the community.
“Which house is yours?” she asked.
The lady pointed down the street. “I’m at number, um...” A momentary confusion showed on her face. “It’s that beige house with the white columns. I have the fake flowers planted in front. What’s the point of real ones when you have to water and fertilize them and replant in the spring?”
Marla remembered driving by that house and noting the artificial plants. It struck her as strange that someone wouldn’t use natural landscaping elements.
“My name is Marla,” she told the visitor. “What’s yours?”
The woman’s face fell. “How thoughtless of me. I’m Betsy Stanton. I’ve been so worried that I forgot the social niceties. Mr. Stanton tends to wander the neighborhood when he gets out, but usually he ends up back home. I can’t imagine what’s happened to him this time.”
Marla knew about the Silver Alert for old people who had cognitive deficits, but maybe that wouldn’t be necessary in this case if they could find the man. He might still be in the area.
“What does Mr. Stanton look like?” Marla asked, peering up and down the street. All appeared calm in suburbia with manicured lawns and rows of single-story ranch houses lining the street. Not even a lawn cutter or repairman was in sight this sunny afternoon, although she heard the drone of a mower from farther away.
A tear leaked down Betsy’s cheek. “He’s a big guy. I know he’s a bit on the heavy side, but he has too good of an appetite. He’s got a sneaky disposition and tends to bring back souvenirs that you wouldn’t want to see on your front stoop.”
Oh great, we’ve got a missing old man who steals from his neighbors.
“You’re admitting that he has escaped the house on other occasions, then? What’s the longest amount of time he’s been gone?”
“Once he got out after lunch and didn’t come back until that evening. He knows where his next meal is coming from, the sly minx.”
“But he’s only been away now for an hour or so?”
“Oh no, child. He’s been gone since early this morning.”
Heck, lady, why didn’t you say so earlier? “Have you thought about notifying the police?”
“I’d rather not cause a ruckus. People might object to Mr. Stanton, you see, and they’d make me send him away. He doesn’t mean any harm when he takes things.”
“Your husband has Alzheimer’s Disease? How long has he been ill?”
“Are you losing your marbles, child? Mr. Stanton is my cat.”
Marla gaped at her. All this fuss was for the woman’s pet?
Nonetheless, she’d promised to help, and now she was committed. “From the way you spoke about him, I just assumed—”
Betsy’s wrinkled face took on a pained expression. “My husband’s been gone for six years now. This stray cat kept coming to my house. He had no collar or other means of identification. That’s when I realized my Tom must have sent him to watch over me.”
“And so you adopted him?”
“That’s right. Tom’s playful spirit lives inside of him. That’s why I named him Mr. Stanton. He’s my only companion now. I’ll be beside myself if anything bad has happened.”
“Let me tell Tally what’s going on, and then I’ll follow you home. You can show me where you saw him last.”
“Thanks so much, child. I knew you’d be the right person to ask.”
Tally, preparing a bottle for Luke in the kitchen, verified the woman’s story. “Poor lady, she’s been alone since her husband died. You think she’d move to be near her children, but she seems entrenched in that house. I don’t see her outside too often and have wondered if she had someone to look in on her.”
“She thinks her husband’s spirit inhabits her cat.”
“It’s a cute creature, although a bit too plump. I suspect she feeds it too much.”
“So you’ve seen Mr. Stanton around the neighborhood?”
“That’s right. I left a pair of socks once on our front porch, and one of them disappeared. I suspect he took it. That cat likes to bring things home that don’t belong to him. Maybe if you locate where he stashes his treasure, you might find him.”
“Good idea. I’ll see what I can do for Mrs. Stanton, and then I’ll unload the rest of the baby’s things from my car trunk.” Marla grabbed her purse and hastened back outside to where Betsy paced the driveway. The woman looked frail in a pair of loose-fitting pants, a blousy top, and worn loafers. Was she still able to drive to get groceries?
That’s none of my business. Focus on finding the cat, and then finish your chores here.
“Show me your house and where you last saw Mr. Stanton,” Marla said.
They proceeded down the street. “He was in the den playing with a plush toy shaped like a mouse. The doors were all locked, and I don’t keep any windows open. When I went out, I was careful to watch for him. He’s been known to escape when I open the door a crack.”
“When you came home, did you notice his absence right away?”
“I figured he was sleeping in another room. He has his favorite haunts in the house, like all pets do. I went around from room-to-room looking for him but didn’t see him anywhere.”
“Could he have slipped outside through the garage door when you came home?”
“No, I’m especially careful when I come or go from the place.”
“And you said the longest he’s been gone before was several hours?”
“That’s right, and he always shows up again on my doorstep. Mr. Stanton would never leave me alone for so long. I don’t have one of those pet doors on my screened patio, either.”
“Do you have an alarm system? You could leave the alert sound on for whenever a zone is opened.”
“I turn it off during the day. Besides, Mr. Stanton can’t twist a door knob by himself, although he’s pretty good about pushing at the door if I leave one the slightest bit open.”
“Do you have any children?” Marla asked, keeping pace with the woman who walked briskly for someone her age. Maybe Betsy was younger than she looked. Loneliness could age a person’s appearance.
“My kids live up north. I have a daughter in Maryland and a son in Atlanta. Linda wants me to move nearby, but how can I give up my house? I’ve lived in Florida over forty years.”
“Have you thought about downsizing into a senior community? They have lots of activities, and you’d make friends.” Or maybe assisted living? Marla thought but didn’t say aloud.
“I’m fine where I am,” Betsy stated with conviction.
Marla knew it was hard for the elderly to give up their familiar surroundings to move near their children. Loss of independence was a fear of many people in their later years. It wasn’t easy to change environments at any age, but more so for folks to give up a home they’d lived in for decades. And usually, they were forced to downsize at a time when their faculties were failing.
She shot a glance at the older woman. Despite her resolve not to get involved, Marla wondered if she ate properly. Did she have any friends, or had they died off or moved away? How often did her children check up on her or come to visit?
It wasn’t her place to question the woman’s life, she reminded herself. She was only coming along to locate the missing cat, and even this excursion would steal valuable time from her schedule.
Marla sniffed the aroma of freshly mowed grass as they neared Betsy’s modest house. “Looks like your lawn was just cut,” she said.
“The landscapers were here this morning. They do a lot of lawns in the neighborhood, so they seem to be here forever. I had to go out on some errands, thank goodness. I can’t stand the racket they make with those hedge trimmers and blower machines.”
“I know what you mean, and it always seems like they’re right outside your window.”
Betsy unlocked the front door to her home and ushered Marla inside. A vinegary scent and a gleaming tile floor made her wonder if Betsy had cleaning help or did the housework herself.
“Show me the last place you saw Mr. Stanton,” Marla directed the older woman.
Betsy led her to a room set up as a study. Pet toys were strewn across the carpet, with a scratching post off to one side. “He was in here the last time I saw him. As you can see, there’s nowhere he can hide. Come with me into the family room. That’s where he likes to sleep.”
They passed the kitchen, which appeared clean with no dirty dishes in sight, to a cozy room at the opposite end of the house from the bedrooms. Here Betsy pointed to a pet bed nestled in a corner.
“He’ll lie on his cushion there and lick his paws before he naps. I thought he might be in here but his bed was empty. I searched everywhere, including the bathroom where I keep his litter box.”
“May I take a look around?” Maybe the cat had hidden in a closet or on top of a piece of furniture where it was difficult for Betsy to search.
“Be my guest. Don’t mind the mess in my bedroom. Mr. Stanton must have been chasing a lizard in there to have upset everything that way.”
Marla’s brow wrinkled as she went from room to room searching hidden corners, inside closets, and on top of bookcases. She discovered a layer of dust, lots of photo albums, and fancy dresses in plastic bags that probably hadn’t been worn in decades. The woman’s children would have a tough task sorting through these items someday, unless they helped their mother now.
It’s not your affair, Marla. Let it go. You’re only here to find the cat.
Marla stopped at the entrance to the master bedroom, her jaw dropping at the sight that greeted her. The dresser and both nightstands had been emptied. The drawers lay askew on the ground, their contents strewn across the carpet.
In the adjacent master closet, purses and shoeboxes lay on the ground. So did an unlatched jewelry box. Betsy’s footsteps sounded from behind. Marla’s heart thumped as she whirled to face the woman.
“Your room has been ransacked. Somebody must have broken in.”
“Oh no, child. Mr. Stanton got into my things. He can be rambunctious, you know.”
“A cat wouldn’t cause this level of destruction. Nor could he pull out your drawers and dump them on the floor.” Reentering the bedroom, Marla pointed to the disarray.
Betsy’s gaze clouded in confusion. “I don’t understand. No one could have gotten inside. I keep everything locked.”
“Maybe your cat got out the same way this person came in.” Marla strode into the bathroom and tested the cabana door. It felt secure. Back in the bedroom, she eyed the narrow windows behind the bed. A crook couldn’t fit in that way. Nonetheless, she tried to open them and they wouldn’t budge.
Her gaze swung to the drapes in front of a pair of doors leading to the patio. One of them was swaying, but the air-conditioning wasn’t blasting at the moment.
“Do you always keep these curtains closed?” she asked.
“Those glass doors face west, so the sun streams in here every afternoon. I keep the drapes shut to cut down on the heat. I’d replaced the doors with hurricane impact ones after the storm last year. The men had a hard job installing them. It’s wonderful how they cut down on the noise from outside.”
Marla opened both sets of drapes. The doors appeared to be securely closed. “If they’re like my hurricane impact French doors at home, you lift the handle to secure the pins, right?” She tested the one on the left, and it held fast. But when she touched the handle on the other side, the entire mechanism came off in her hand. A hole remained in the door that swung open at her touch.
“Well, there’s your means of entry,” she said in a wry voice. She let the handle drop. It hung there, supported by the piece on the exterior.
“Those idiots,” Betsy exclaimed. “I knew they didn’t know how to install the damn thing. I had to buy the hardware separately from the doors. I’m always testing them after my housekeeper leaves to makes sure she didn’t leave anything open. I must have loosened the screws in this one. It was never right from the beginning.”
“Your intruder may have gone around the house looking for an opening and had a lucky day.” Marla peered outside. The outer screen patio door hung open to the backyard.
“I would have heard someone, unless they came in while I was out on my errands. Then again, the noise from the lawn service might have covered up any drilling the thieves did to loosen the bolts. That is, if it wasn’t my fault for breaking the lock.”
“Maybe Mr. Stanton heard the noise and came back here to investigate. Can you tell if anything is missing, like your jewelry or other valuables?”
“I don’t care about my stuff. I want to find my cat.”
“We’ll look for him, but please check to see what might have been taken. It’ll help the police determine who robbed you.”
Was it someone who’d been watching the house, waiting for the woman to leave? Marla’s pulse accelerated as she resisted the urge to summon her husband. This wouldn’t fall under his purveyance. Dalton dealt in homicides, not burglaries.
“You’ll have to call a locksmith, but not until the police dust for fingerprints,” she advised Betsy.
“Will the cops help us look for Mr. Stanton?” Betsy said with a forlorn look on her face.
Realization dawned. Mr. Stanton wasn’t the only one who was lost. Betsy needed help. She seemed to waiver between clarity and confusion. The woman shouldn’t be living here alone.
“We’ll search for your cat after the cops get here, okay? We can ask them if there have been other burglaries in the area. Have you had any repairmen in the house recently? Maybe there’s a pattern in the neighborhood.”
Betsy wrung her hands. “All I care about is finding Mr. Stanton. He’s very protective of me. He snarls and shows his claws when anyone comes near who isn’t familiar to him.”
“Please take a look around and see what the thief might have stolen. That will help determine if this was an act of opportunity or something more.”
“All right.” Betsy’s shoulders slumped as she rummaged through her belongings. A shout of dismay from the closet brought Marla to her side.
“My costume jewelry is still here, but my good stuff is gone. Damn thieves found my hiding spot.”
“We definitely have to call the police. They’ll want a description of your items. Then I’ll help look for Mr. Stanton.” She hoped the creature wasn’t lying limp outside somewhere, kicked by the bad guy. Was it one person or a team who worked together?
While they waited in the living room, Marla sent a text to her husband informing him what was going on. How did she get stuck in these situations? Why couldn’t she live a peaceful life without dead bodies popping up or neighbors in distress seeking her out?
The first responder was an officer she knew from the police department’s annual barbecue. In his forties, he had a paunch and a receding hairline. Marla stated her role, her observations, and her intent to steer clear of this investigation other than helping to locate the woman’s cat.
“We didn’t touch the patio door handle on the outside or the screen door, so you might want to dust those for prints. Also the drawer knobs in the bedroom and the jewelry box,” she suggested. “The backyard might have footprints. We haven’t gone out there.”
Maybe she should search the rear of the house. The cat might be hiding there, but she dare not disrupt the crime scene. She could let herself out through the front door instead to scour the perimeter for the missing feline.
“I doubt we’ll find anything,” the officer said, shaking his head. “This same M.O. has been seen at other houses in the area. We know it has to be someone familiar to the residents. We’ve examined video footage from the front gate, and nobody unknown has shown up on the feed.”
“Could the thieves be coming from one of the canals behind the houses?”
“It’s possible, but they’d have to come by boat that way, and it would preclude taking anything too large. They seem to target jewelry and electronics.”
Standing next to a painting on the wall that was a reproduction from an old master, Marla tapped the officer’s arm. “It’s a good thing Betsy wasn’t home when the intruders came inside, assuming that’s when they made their hit. Do you suspect it’s a single person or a team effort?”
“We’re not sure, ma’am. They seem to know when people go out, though.”
“Betsy didn’t even recognize that she’d been robbed. She attributed this mess to her missing cat. I’m concerned about her living alone. Perhaps her children should be notified that she needs more oversight?”
“As a friend, you might want to speak to them. We’re here to deal with the break-in. You’ll need to call a locksmith to secure this door when we finish.” Before Marla could protest that she had just met the woman, he tipped his head to her and turned away as backup arrived.
Marla returned to Betsy, who sat in the living room. “The police will want to interview you. I’ll call a locksmith before I search for your cat. Where does he put the things he drags home? Does he leave them outside? Are they dead rats or lizards and such?” She wrinkled her nose at the thought.
“He prefers stuff like clothing, rags, pet toys, hair bands, anything accessible from someone’s yard or open patio. He’s even dragged home a pair of swim goggles.”
“What do you do with these things? Try to find the owners?”
Betsy gave a rueful chuckle. “My neighbors know his habits. They’ll let me know when something goes missing.”
“Are any of them resentful enough to want to get back at you?”
“I doubt it. Mr. Stanton hides his loot under the lounge chair on the patio. He thinks I don’t notice.”
“Okay. Let me have a look around. I might go talk to your neighbors as well.”
“Take some treats along in case you find him. He can be wary of strangers,” Betsy suggested. “I’ll go and get you a handful.”
Soon Marla had completed a search inside the house and around the back patio. The fat gray cat was nowhere to be found. Marla proceeded to knock on neighbors’ doors. She asked if they’d seen Mr. Stanton and also inquired about strangers in the neighborhood without mentioning the break-in. Her efforts yielded little in the way of new information.
Scratching her head, she stood on the sidewalk while a warm breeze stirred the hairs on her arms. A sweet floral scent from a flowering bush drifted her way.
If she were a cat spooked by an intruder, where would she go? Would she hide in the bushes or the hedge bordering the lawn? Or better yet, did the cat have a hiding place outside that Betsy didn’t know about?
Narrowing her eyes, she trod carefully over the grass, peering at every single item and piece of shrubbery surrounding Betsy’s house. A coiled garden hose revealed no evidence. Nor did a cluster of overturned ceramic pots that must have once held live plants.
Ready to give up, she’d turned toward the front lawn when a flash of red caught her eye. Wait, had she looked behind that air-conditioning unit that sat on a slab of concrete? A gap separated it from the house.
“Mr. Stanton?” Marla called, approaching the narrow space with cautious stealth.
A low growl met her ears.
Omigod, there he was. The cat sat on a red piece of cloth and scratched at a tennis ball. He was surrounded by a collection including hair scrunchies, socks, gardening gloves, chewed pencils, and a torn dollar bill. Oh, no. Was that a man’s watch gleaming at her from the pile? She spied beaded necklaces, a woman’s ring, and a couple of key chains among the items. The thieves weren’t the only ones roaming the neighborhood.
Mr. Stanton focused his sly gaze on her as she neared. His back arched, and he hissed at her.
“Hey, I’m a friend,” she said in a soothing tone. “Your mama sent me to find you. Look, I have treats.” Marla extended her hand carefully. In her palm rested the tidbits Betsy had given her.
The cat tilted its head at the word treats. It took a bit more coaxing, but Mr. Stanton gave in to temptation and snatched the food from her hand. When he’d finished chewing, she gave him a tentative stroke on his fur.
“Good boy. How about if I take you to Mama now?”
She’d just lifted him into her arms when she noticed the item he’d been sitting on. It was a baseball cap with a logo saying Roy’s Lawn Service.
Could these be the grass cutters who were here recently? If so, how did Mr. Stanton obtain one of their hats?
A sudden suspicion crossed her mind. She hastened indoors and deposited the cat into Betsy’s joyous embrace. Then she turned to the lead police officer.
“See if their truck is still in the neighborhood,” she urged the man, handing him the red head gear. “The cat got this from somewhere. Maybe he followed the intruders out of the house.”
Marla proved to be right. While she remained to make Betsy a pot of tea to celebrate the return of her pet, the cop returned.
“We didn’t even need to get a warrant to search their vehicle. We waited until they finished their current job and opened the truck to load in their equipment. Inside was a stash of valuables they’d stolen from people’s homes. I also noted a supply of those logo hats. One of the guys must have dropped his cap along the way, and the cat grabbed it.”
“Clever creature,” Marla said, admiring the feline’s resourcefulness.
“Their lawn service was the perfect cover for a quick B&E,” the officer continued. “We were able to recover most of the recent stolen goods, including your friend’s valuables.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m glad we found the crooks and the missing cat.”
“I knew I could count on you,” Betsy stated, entering the room with Mr. Stanton clutched to her chest. “You always solve the crime.”
“I certainly didn’t expect to find one on my visit to Tally,” Marla replied. “She’ll be happy to learn Mr. Stanton is back home again. You should bring him over for a visit.” Both women could benefit from the company.
Pleased with the outcome of her efforts, Marla took her leave. At Tally’s house, she stopped by to share the good news and to unload the rest of Luke’s equipment from her car trunk.
“You’re a marvel,” Tally said with a chuckle. “And yes, I’ll be sure to look in on Betsy periodically to make sure she’s okay. If she doesn’t care to move near her children, I’ll encourage her to notify them that she needs closer supervision. Perhaps they’ll hire someone from those caregiving services for seniors.”
“That would be great. She’s a sweet lady who must be lonely with only her cat for company. She’d appreciate your visits and would love to see Luke.”
Tally regarded her with a twinkle in her blue eyes. “I know what you’re doing, my friend. We’ll be fine. All of us.”
Marla’s heart lightened, and she departed to go about her own business. She’d brought two people together and had solved an issue in the neighborhood. Her true calling of helping others had reasserted itself. She wasn’t losing anything in giving Luke back to his mother. She was regaining her life and her purpose.
Onward and upward to better times ahead.