Kat was exhausted when she finally made it back to her apartment. She took off her shoes, changed into her pajamas, and crawled right into bed with Matty and Tom. Normally she could count on Tom at least to greet her at the door, but she had evidently returned home too late even for him. But the cats did snuggle up to her once she got situated under the covers, earning themselves a few tired pats.
They didn’t stay long. Despite how she could barely keep her eyes open, Kat couldn’t fall sleep. Every few seconds she tried another position, much to the animals’ dismay. Matty only put up with several minutes of Kat’s restlessness before stalking off. Tom didn’t leave, but he did give up on trying to get comfortable alongside Kat’s leg. He eventually relocated to the bottom of the mattress, making sure Kat was aware of his sacrifice by letting out a discontented grunt.
When it finally came, sleep brought Kat no relief. She was plagued by nightmares involving John’s splayed feet, women with voices made of radio static, and an evil-looking scarf that could tie itself into knots. She woke up drenched in sweat.
Kat gulped down air as she flicked on the light. Tom lifted his head, squinting at the sudden brightness.
“Sorry, Tom.” Kat reached over and dragged him closer. “I’m not very good company right now, am I?”
But Tom seemed to have forgiven her. He closed his eyes and started purring as he nestled against Kat’s side.
Kat checked the alarm clock, surprised to note she’d managed to sleep for four solid hours. Unfortunately, she didn’t feel rested at all. If anything, she felt even more exhausted now than she had the night before.
She stroked Tom’s head, her eyes lingering on the clock’s radio dial. Would Eli be hosting his and John’s talk show by himself this time Monday morning? He had been unabashedly excited about the prospect of operating solo when she’d talked to him.
Her thoughts turned to John’s widow. Marta Sykes hadn’t looked as though she were enjoying herself the night before. Kat couldn’t blame her, what with all the other women hanging around her husband. But did Marta resent John for attracting so much attention, or did she accept his popularity as part of his job?
Whatever the answer, Kat found it hard to picture Marta strangling anyone, let alone a man. She had no muscle tone and looked as if she hadn’t eaten a substantial meal in days.
Kat flexed her fingers, remembering Eli’s strong grip when they’d shaken hands. Eli, on the other hand, was more than physically capable of choking someone.
Tom interrupted her thoughts with a head bump and a meow.
Kat rubbed him between the ears. “Are you as troubled by this murder as I am?” she asked.
Tom closed his eyes and purred louder.
Kat smirked. “I guess not.”
Her cell phone rang. Doing her best not to disturb Tom, she stretched toward the nightstand and scooped it up. An unknown number flashed on the screen.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Hi, Kat? This is Sally. I’m not sure if you remember me, but we met last night.”
“Sally?”
“We chatted by the cats. You told me to call if I decided to take one.”
“Oh, right.” Kat had a vague memory of the tall blonde, but after everything that had happened since they’d spoken she was having a hard time recalling their conversation.
“I don’t remember his name, but the one I looked at had a coat with these brown and orange stripes in it. And he has these really pretty black markings around his mouth and eyes.”
“That would be Sundae,” Kat said.
“Oh, good. You know which cat I’m talking about then.”
“Yes, and he hasn’t been adopted yet.”
“Could you drop him off at the Cherry Hills Hotel? My sister and I are there until this afternoon. Then we head back to Kennewick.”
Kat sat up a little straighter, prompting Tom to stretch out across her legs in an attempt to pin her down. “Well, there are some forms to fill out. And I’ll want to talk to you a little, to make sure you’d be a good match.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize it was so complicated.”
“It’s not, really. I’ll tell you what, let me check with the foster family caring for him to make sure they’re home. If I can pick up Sundae before the hotel’s check-out time, I’ll bring him by and we can discuss all the details then.”
“Okay. You can call me at this number when you know.”
“I’ll get back to you soon, Sally,” Kat promised.
As soon as she set her phone down, Matty hopped onto the mattress. The expression on the tortoiseshell’s face made it clear she wasn’t happy about her human taking calls before breakfast had been served.
Kat bent forward to ruffle the hungry feline’s fur. “You and Tom are next on my agenda.”
Matty communicated her approval by licking Kat’s fingers.
Kat’s spirits were light when she headed for the kitchen, Matty and Tom weaving between her ankles. She hoped Sundae’s adoption went through. He had too much personality not to have a home of his own.
She popped open a can of whitefish and began dishing the contents out into two plastic bowls. She would have to remember to grab a spare cat carrier from Imogene’s in case Sally needed it for the car ride home. Lucky for Sundae, Sally hadn’t already left town last night.
The spoon stilled in Kat’s hand. Why hadn’t Sally left town last night? Now that she thought about it, Kat didn’t recall seeing her after the police had arrived. Assuming she left around the time John had died, she could have gotten back to Kennewick at a decent hour, but instead she’d booked a hotel room.
Unless Sally’s sister was the reason she had stayed overnight, Kat considered. Sally had made it clear she was only at the auction because of Zoe. She hadn’t seemed too interested in John herself, but was that because she wasn’t the type to fawn over celebrities, or did she actively dislike him?
Matty jumped on the counter to see what the holdup was. When she spotted the unmoving spoon, she nudged Kat’s hand with her nose.
“Sorry,” Kat said, scrambling into action. She finished dishing out the food and set the bowls on the floor. Matty flew off the counter and sprinted toward her half as if she hadn’t eaten in weeks.
Kat’s mind drifted back to Sally. She might not know what the blonde thought of John Sykes, but Sally’s interest in Sundae gave her the perfect opportunity to find out.