“What happened?” I asked. My heart was pounding. I couldn’t let Diana Diamond die on my watch.
Val shrugged. She looked so helpless. “She’d woken up a couple of days ago, but she was very weak. She didn’t remember much of the last episode. But today, she’s slipped back into unconsciousness. That’s all we know.”
Lindsay was gone. I imagined that she went to be with Diana, but her absence didn’t calm my nerves.
“What should we do?” Kenzie asked.
Val shook her head and pulled her sweater closer to her body. “We wait for word. Until then, I don’t see much work getting done. If anyone needs me or wants to talk, I’ll be in my office, getting some loose ends tied up.”
Everyone mumbled their plans and started to walk away.
Chloe growled in our general direction.
In simpler times, minutes ago, when I was busy daydreaming about having my own show, I forgot to unwrap Persephone.
“We hoped Chloe wouldn’t mind that we borrowed her blanket. It started raining pretty hard when we got to the park, and I’d left the stroller in the tent.” I didn’t mention the part where I got escorted off set. The fewer people who knew about that, the better.
Rrruffff.
“You’ll get it back,” Persephone said. “I’m not stealing it from you.”
The Dane had some definite anxiety.
“Is Chloe adopted?” I asked.
George furrowed his brow at the non sequitur. “She is. I got her from a rescue.”
“Thank you, on behalf of all the great dogs in my shelter still waiting for a home. I’d love to have a playdate with Chloe. Not today, of course. I know she doesn’t like Persephone, but I’ve been able to make some progress with the animals I’ve worked with in the past, and I’d love to see if I could renew Chloe’s faith in cats.”
He looked down at his dog. “What do you say, old girl?”
“I won’t swipe at you. Some cats have no manners.” Persephone let out a huff. “Not everyone can get their point across without being rude.”
Chloe cocked her head at the bundle of cat in my arms, but she didn’t bark or growl.
“She doesn’t want us near her guy,” Persephone said.
“Is she okay with you?”
“I am if she is.” George startled me by answering my question for Persephone. “Now, I promised this girl some of the city’s best hot dogs.”
Kenzie lifted the bag. “I’ve got them.”
Strange, I thought, as the three of them disappeared behind a trailer. They didn’t seem overly concerned about Diana’s condition. Val had gone back to work, but I could understand that—when bad things happened at the shelter, keeping myself busy was usually the best course of action.
Persephone and I were alone in the middle of the Parking Lot Potluck set. My head was spinning. I was concerned about Diana, and not being able to do anything made me feel totally helpless. I was far from a medical professional, but I’d like to think there was something I could do.
And there was. I could head back to the hotel, make sure my cat was warm and dry, and get to work on this case.
George had agreed to a playdate, but I wasn’t sure Chloe was on board yet.
My hands were shaking as I grasped the wheel of my rental car. Luckily, it was the same model I drove at home, only much newer with updated gadgets. Persephone’s stroller was in the trunk, and she rode shotgun on the heated passenger’s seat.
“This hot seat is nice.” She stretched out, shedding the dog blanket and relishing the warmth.
“It is.” I wasn’t in the market for a new car, but this was riding in style.
The reporters gathered outside the hotel got loud when they saw me approach with the stroller.
“Ms. Dawson!” one of them called out. “Can you comment on Diana Diamond’s condition?”
News of her setback had been made public. “I’m hoping for her quick recovery.”
Picking up my pace, I didn’t even breathe until we were safely off the elevator and in our room. I put Persephone on the bed and lay down beside her.
Her face was over mine. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.”
“Maybe you’re just hungry. I know I am.”
I needed that laugh. “I’m sure that’s not helping matters. But you’re still soaked.”
“Yeah. I don’t like it.”
“Okay, let’s get you nice and warm.” I picked her up and brought her into the bathroom, placing her on the counter. The blow dryer hung from the wall in a little bag. I checked the settings and got to work.
Persephone rumbled in approval. “That feels good.”
I could probably be considered an expert at this. We blow-dried many a cat at the shelter, especially the older and more fragile ones in the winter. It had to be a low setting, and I had to keep the dryer moving so it wouldn’t burn her. But there was nothing better than a warm, fluffy cat.
Our lunch bag was still in the stroller. I was pleased to discover it hadn’t gone totally cold. I cut up Persephone’s salmon dogs and gave her a little cat food to go with it. Usually, we ate pretty extravagantly on our crime-solving trips, but our job with a cooking show was the exception so far.
I fixed my own plate and picked up my phone to find several frantic messages from Casey.
Addie, please check in. What happened when we got cut off?
I’m freaking out. I saw the news about Diana.
Proof of life check, or Brooke and I are getting on a plane.
I sent her a picture of Persephone thoroughly enjoying her salmon dogs. I’m okay. There was a misunderstanding about my credentials. Sorted now. At hotel. Waiting for word about Diana.
Typing dots appeared almost immediately after I sent it. Were you there when it happened?
No. She’s still at the hospital.
Be careful. I’ll keep an eye on social media and let you know if anything big happens.
I was getting much more comfortable using the heart emoji.
My stomach growled at the sight of my neglected lunch. Even semi-warm, the hot dogs with cream cheese were delicious. Everyone at the shelter was trying this at our next cookout. In New Hampshire, as long as the snow didn’t cover the grill, we used it.
Giving up on time zone math regarding Henry’s schedule, I texted him. Are you around?
Yeah, I’ve got a break between classes.
Could you video chat?
Sure. Let me go out to my car.
The concept of Henry with a car was still a little foreign to me, but I let out a sigh of relief when his face popped onto my screen, live from said vehicle.
“Am I ever glad to see you.”
“You’ve only been gone two days.” He gave me that lopsided grin that made my insides do funny things. “How’s the case going?”
“Complicated. I can’t tell if they really want me here or not. At first, I wasn’t approved to talk to anyone but Chloe the dog, and I got escorted off set in the middle of my investigation by an overzealous security guard. Have you heard the news about Diana?”
He shook his head. “What happened?”
“She suffered a setback today. Whoever poisoned her and Sig used oleander—"
“Whoa. That’s old school.”
“I know. It seemed like something that might be in your wheelhouse.”
“I could talk to some of the history professors.” Henry was my secret weapon on every case. He knew a little something about everything, or at least looked at it from a perspective I never thought about. “How are you holding up?”
“The shock hasn’t worn off yet. I didn’t let myself believe Diana was in such bad shape.” I drew in a shaky breath. “But I got some really good information today. I just have to figure out how someone slipped oleander into one of the dishes, when it can’t be detected anywhere.”
“What about the dog?”
“It’s touch and go with Chloe. George says it’s because she had a bad run-in with a cat, but she’s very protective of him.”
Henry raised his brows, and his glasses slipped down his nose. “Do you think he did it?”
“I’m not making any assumptions until I talk to everyone and make sure it’s safe for Persephone to continue on this case. If someone slipped Sig and Diana oleander without a trace, they could do it again.”