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“Craft club tonight,” Zoe sang out, unstacking the chairs in the café. “How’s your blanket coming along, Lauren?”
“Very slowly.” She hadn’t worked on it at all that week and now felt guilty. “Hopefully I can make some progress on it tonight.”
“And I need to start making sketches of Annie, AJ, and Mrs. Snuggle. I called Father Mike and Ed last night and they both said they were thrilled about my new mug design idea.”
“That’s great.” Lauren looked up from the register and smiled.
“Brrt!” Yes!
They finished getting the space ready.
“Don’t forget, one of us needs to deliver the cupcakes to the newspaper office.” Lauren boxed up the order and placed it to one side.
“Ten o’clock, right?” Zoe confirmed.
“Yes. I think one of us should stay and mind the café.”
“I’ll stay and you go,” Zoe suggested. “Annie and I will be in charge.” She winked at the feline.
“Brrt!”
Ms. Tobin came in after they opened, and ordered a large latte. Annie kept her company, chattering away to her, while Lauren made the coffee.
Zoe updated her on Martha’s citizen’s arrest of the pickpocket, something Ms. Tobin hadn’t heard about.
When Gus walked in a few minutes later, Annie peered over at him. Lauren wondered if she was torn between being a good hostess or wanting to continue to sit with Ms. Tobin.
He solved the problem by striding up to the counter, ignoring the Please Wait to be Seated sign.
“Can I grab a few cupcakes to go?” he asked. “I told my wife about them and she said I should bring some home today for her and Brian.”
“Of course. Which ones would you like?”
He eyed the blueberry cream, triple chocolate ganache, and Norwegian apple offerings. “How about one of each?”
Lauren nodded, boxing up the selection.
As he handed her some cash, she said, “That reminds me. We – well, Annie – found a piece of paper on the floor with what looks like a phone number.”
She dug out her phone, suddenly remembering that earlier that morning Mitch had told her he’d discovered who that phone number belonged to, but before he could say any more, his phone had buzzed, summoning him to the station. The pickpocket had decided to admit to all of his crimes, including targeting Detective Castern.
Zoe emerged from the kitchen, the doors swinging behind her. “Ed wants to know if he can get off work a few minutes earlier today because they’re short-handed at the shelter again.”
“No problem,” Lauren replied absently, finding the photo.
“I keep forgetting there’s some sort of ink splodge on the edge of that paper scrap.” Zoe peered over Lauren’s shoulder.
She showed the photo to Gus.
“It’s not my number.” He shook his head. “Can’t say I’ve seen it before.” He frowned.
“Huh.” Zoe grabbed the phone from Lauren and studied it. “I’m sure I know that number from somewhere. I’ll definitely have to think about it. I bet this could be a real clue.”
“As to who the pickpocket is?” Gus inquired, picking up the cupcake box.
“Martha arrested him yesterday.” Zoe giggled. “I hope I’m as awesome as her when I’m that age.”
“I think you will be.” Lauren smiled at her cousin.
“Really? He’s been arrested?” Gus looked surprised.
“It happened right outside here.” Zoe gestured to the sidewalk visible from the entrance door.
“And it sounds like he’s confessing to everything,” Lauren added.
“That’s good.” Gus nodded. “We don’t want any crime around here.”
“We definitely don’t,” Zoe agreed.
He waved goodbye and strode down the sidewalk.
“Oh!” Lauren made a face. “We forgot to show Claire the phone number yesterday.”
“That’s right.” Zoe tapped her cheek. “We’ll ask her when she comes in next time.”
Lauren nodded and checked her watch.
“I’ve got to deliver these cupcakes.” She patted the cardboard box.
“Go,” Zoe urged. “Annie and I have got things covered.” She glanced over at the silver-gray tabby, who was listening thoughtfully to Ms. Tobin.
“Thanks.” Lauren picked up the box and headed to the newspaper office. Her errand should only take a minute.
When she reached the cream and peach Victorian house, she entered the office and smiled at Thelma. “Here are your cupcakes.”
“Thanks.” The receptionist rose and banged on the inner door. “Cupcakes are here,” she hollered. “I need the cash to pay Lauren.”
Phil opened the door and stuck his head out.
“Thanks,” he said gruffly, handing Thelma a wad of cash. He nodded to Lauren and shut the door again.
Thelma rolled her eyes. “As I don’t know what he’s doing in there,” she muttered to herself.
Lauren couldn’t help herself. “What is he doing?” She remembered the way he’d slammed shut the desk drawer the other day when she and Zoe had poked their heads into his inner office.
Thelma glanced around, as if expecting to see an eavesdropper, and then lowered her voice.
“Scratch cards.”
Lauren blinked.
“You know, those instant lottery cards. You scratch off the picture and it reveals whether you’ve won a prize. He promised his wife he’d stop buying them, as he never wins anything, and it’s starting to cost him a fortune, but I caught him at it again the other day.” She tsked. “He thinks I didn’t notice. That’s because I have all the makings of an investigative journalist.” She nodded to herself.
“That’s why I was so peeved when the boss hired Cee Cee to write the gossip column.” She leaned across the desk. “Did you know that she made up one item of gossip? Total fiction!”
“Really?”
“Uh-huh.” Thelma opened her desk drawer and pulled out a cutting.
“A little birdie told me echoed whispers often come to a dead end.” Her voice was dramatic. “Can you believe it?” Thelma reverted to her normal tone. “She said she felt guilty doing it, but she was up against a deadline and had space she needed to fill in. She asked me not to tell Phil.”
“Did you?” Lauren asked.
“Nope.” Thelma smirked. “It wouldn’t bother me if that came back to bite him in the you-know-where. It would show him that he shouldn’t have hired her.”
“Did you hear that Martha caught the pickpocket?”
“Indeed I did. I found out yesterday when I was at the police station for an update on the sitch. That means situation,” she told Lauren kindly. “I’m going to write a full piece about Martha apprehending him. By the time I’m finished, everyone in town will know Martha’s name and I’ll make sure Phil publishes it because otherwise—” she ran her finger across her throat.
“Otherwise?” Lauren echoed, her eyes widening.
“I’ll threaten to tell his wife about his little scratch card habit starting up again. But it won’t be a threat.”
“Oh,” Lauren said faintly. She checked the money Thelma handed her, wanting to take only the correct amount, but the receptionist insisted she take the couple of extra dollars, saying that was how much her boss wanted to pay her, and why quibble about a little more?
“I might want to make cupcake Friday a permanent thing.” Thelma plucked a triple chocolate ganache from the box and broke off a piece. “These are so good.”
“Thanks.” Lauren tucked the money into her wallet. “I hope you and Phil enjoy them.”
“If I don’t eat them all first.” Thelma chuckled. The phone rang and she picked up the receiver with a chocolatey hand.
Lauren returned to the café. Ms. Tobin had departed, but Zoe was busy steaming milk for a cappuccino. Annie escorted a customer to a small table in the middle of the room, then climbed into her basket.
“Oh, good.” Zoe grinned at her. “Can you plate two apple Danishes and a blueberry cream, please?”
“Right away boss,” she teased. Usually, Zoe called her boss.
The morning flew by, Lauren updating Zoe about Phil’s scratch card habit, Cee Cee making up the little birdie item in the gossip column, and Thelma knowing about Martha’s citizen’s arrest in snatches.
“That reminds me,” Zoe told her when they had a brief lull and sat on stools behind the counter. “I called Father Mike while you at the Gazette office, and checked with Ed. AJ and Mrs. Snuggle are coming over straight after we close today for a quick sketching session.”
Lauren looked at her blankly. “But we’ve got craft club tonight.”
“I know, but this will probably take thirty minutes or so. Still plenty of time to have a quick dinner and be punctual for Mrs. Finch.”
“Okay. Have you told Annie?”
“Brrt!” Yes! Annie called from her pink basket, sitting up straight.
Lauren smiled at her fur baby.
The afternoon was just as busy as the morning. Lauren was looking forward to relaxing at craft club, but hopefully she could manage to knit a few rows of her blanket as well.
When five o’clock arrived, Zoe was already stacking chairs on tables.
“Is this a good time?” Ed poked his head through the kitchen door. “I’ve got AJ outside.”
“Perfect.” Zoe smiled. “I’ll only be a minute.”
“You might as well start your sketching session now,” Lauren said. She’d noticed Annie’s ears pricked up at the mention of AJ.
“You’re not volunteering at the shelter tonight?” Zoe asked him.
“No.” He shook his shaggy auburn head. “Just me and AJ. Rebecca is having a girls’ night out with some friends.” He paused. “I think AJ wants to watch the princess movie again.”
“Awesome!” Zoe giggled.
Father Mike arrived with Mrs. Snuggle, both men promising to come back in about forty minutes to pick up their felines.
“Thanks for letting me sketch them,” Zoe said, her brown eyes sparkling.
“Thank you,” Father Mike replied. “I’m sure Mrs. Snuggle will be proud to be on one of your mugs.”
“AJ too.” Ed nodded.
Lauren shooed Zoe into the cottage, along with the three cats.
“I promise I’ll come in early tomorrow to finish tidying up.” Zoe waved a hand toward the unvacuumed floor.
“I’ll fix it,” Lauren promised, already thinking that in the morning she would bake her three simplest cupcakes. She was already looking forward to tomorrow afternoon when she would be able to just relax in the cottage with Annie – and hopefully Mitch – if he wasn’t required at the station.
Lauren quickly vacuumed and took care of the few dishes remaining in the kitchen. Ed always left his workspace clean and tidy, which she appreciated.
By the time she finished, it was almost five-thirty. Time to join the sketching party.
Zoe had lined up the three cats on the pink sofa in the living room.
“That’s perfect, Mrs. Snuggle,” she praised.
The fluffy white Persian sat up straight, her head titled to one side as if she thought she was a princess.
“How’s it going?” she asked.
“I’ve already taken Annie’s portrait.” Zoe flipped through her sketch book.
Lauren smiled at her fur baby’s likeness, looking like a princess herself. It was amazing how good Zoe was at drawing.
“All she needs is a crown.”
“Brrt!” Yes!
“Meow!” Mrs. Snuggle added a little demandingly.
“I think Mrs. Snuggle just said me too,” Zoe murmured.
“I think you’re right.” Lauren tried not to giggle.
“Meow!” AJ didn’t want to be left out.
“And you also, AJ,” Zoe replied. “Now, I’ll just finish off Mrs. Snuggle’s portrait, and then I’ll start on yours.” She smiled at the Maine Coon.
“Will you have enough time?” Lauren furrowed her brow.
“It took a bit longer than I thought to get them sitting on the sofa at the same time,” Zoe whispered. “They all wanted a snack, and then AJ started playing with the jingle balls.”
The doorbell chimed.
“I hope it’s not Ed or Father Mike.” Zoe frowned. “I haven’t finished my sketches.”
“I’ll go.” Lauren hurried to open the door and blinked at the person standing on the doorstep. “Gus?”
“Hi, Lauren. Sorry to bother you.” Gus nodded. His T-shirt had a couple of oil stains on it. “I stopped by the café and it was closed, but I heard you lived next door.”
“That’s right. What can I do for you?”
“My wife and son loved the cupcakes I bought them and I wanted to get some more.”
“I’m afraid all the cupcakes and Danishes have sold out but I can set some aside for you tomorrow. We’re open until lunchtime.”
“Could you write down my order? It’s a bit of a complicated one.”
“Okay. I’ll just grab a piece of paper.” She’d left her phone in the kitchen so couldn’t make a note on it. Feeling awkward at leaving him standing on the doorstep, she said, “Would you like to come in for a second?”
“Thanks.” He stepped inside.
“Brrt?” Annie appeared behind her, her silver-gray brow wrinkled. Mrs. Snuggle and AJ appeared by their friend’s side.
“Are these all your cats?” Gus’s eyes widened.
“No, only Annie. Mrs. Snuggle and AJ are friends of hers.”
“I’m sketching them.” Zoe appeared behind the cats. “AJ, I can start on your portrait now.”
“Are you a painter?” he asked.
“No, but I’m making pottery mugs for the café and our customers,” Zoe told him enthusiastically. “I’ve already got Ms. Tobin down for my – our–” she glanced at Lauren and then the cats “–first sale.”
“I’ll have to tell my wife.” His chuckle sounded a little forced.
“Are you okay?” Lauren asked. “Would you like a glass of water?”
“Yeah, water would be good.” He followed her down the hall to the kitchen. “Hey, did you find out who that phone number belonged to? I’ve been racking my brain all day about it.”
“No, I’m afraid not.” She got out a glass and filled it up, noticing Annie still by her side. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” He took a healthy swallow and placed it on the table with a small bang. “Sorry.”
“What sort of cupcakes would you like for tomorrow?” Lauren reached for a piece of paper, which was closer to her than her phone. “I was thinking of making lemon poppy seed, lavender, and Norwegian apple.”
“Sounds good.” He nodded. “How about two of each?”
“Of course.” She made a note.
“Hey, Lauren!” Zoe zoomed into the kitchen along with AJ and Mrs. Snuggle. “I know who owns that phone number! Chris just texted me and I was glancing at my contacts and it’s ....”
“Don’t leave us in suspense,” Lauren teased.
“It’s the newspaper office! The Gold Leaf Valley Gazette! Remember when I called Thelma to tell her about the pickpocket?”
“Brrt.” Annie’s tone was a low warning. She bunted Lauren’s ankle.
She looked down at her fur baby, and crinkled her brow.
“And I’ve been thinking all day about that smudge on the edge of the scrap of paper.” Zoe tapped her cheek. She glanced at Lauren, and then Gus, then Lauren, then Gus, this time zeroing in on the oil stains on his T-shirt and his freshly scrubbed fingers. “I bet it’s—” Her eyes widened and she gave Lauren a frantic look.
“You bet it’s what?” Gus’s voice was suddenly menacing.
“Nothing,” Zoe said. “I have to get back to sketching AJ.” She reached her hand into her jeans’ pocket but came up empty. “I left my phone in the living room.”
Lauren made a sudden grab for her phone on the kitchen table, but Gus beat her to it.
“Not so fast.” He glowered.
“Brrt!” Annie’s fur rose. So did AJ’s and Mrs. Snuggle’s. They’d joined their friend, who stood beside Lauren.
“It was you!” Zoe pointed at him. “You killed Cee Cee!”
“Gus?” Lauren stared at him and took a step back. “Why?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“We might,” Zoe said.
“I’m sure Mitch would,” Lauren added. “Why don’t I call him and ask him to come over? I know he’d give you a fair hearing.”
“No.” Gus vigorously shook his head. “Not happening. Why do you think I killed Cee Cee? No one is going to ruin my new life, including you two.” He took a menacing step forward.
“Brrt.” It was a growl. Annie’s fur puffed up and she stared at Gus with piercing green eyes.
Mrs. Snuggle looked just as fierce, and the grumpiest Lauren had ever seen her, which was saying something.
And AJ looked like she was hangry and he was a convenient snack she wanted to eat.
“Get these cats out of here.” He flapped his hands. “Go on. Shoo.”
“They won’t leave until we tell them to.” Lauren hoped she wasn’t bluffing about AJ and Mrs. Snuggle.
“Yeah, you’re stuck with them. Just like we’re stuck with you.” Zoe glowered.
“The best thing for you to do is hand yourself in. Maybe they’ll go easy on you,” Lauren told him.
“No, they won’t. They don’t go easy on killers. And that’s what I am – thanks to Cee Cee.”
“Why don’t you tell us about it?” She hoped he would relax enough so she could grab her phone – or something to use as a weapon. Her heart hammered hard in her chest and she drew in a deep breath to try and steady herself. She glanced at Zoe, who seemed to be doing the same thing.
“It’s all her fault,” he burst out. “Why couldn’t she leave things alone – me alone?”
“What did she do?” Zoe asked.
“Cee Cee made it plain she was talking about me in the gossip column – “A little birdie told me echoed whispers often come to a dead end” – she was talking about me!”
“Umm, I don’t think she was,” Lauren said.
“Yeah, Thelma said she made that up. That’s what Lauren told me this morning.”
“No, Cee Cee didn’t.” Gus scowled. “Because I bumped into her the day after that column came out and I asked her where she got her information from, and she just tapped her nose and said, “I have my sources.” And she laughed!”
“Maybe she didn’t want you asking awkward questions,” Zoe commented.
“Thelma said Cee Cee admitted to her she made that item up because she was on a deadline and needed something else for her column,” Lauren added. “It wasn’t about you.”
“Arggh!” He clutched his head. “I was so sure she was talking about me!”
“What did you do?” Zoe asked curiously.
“Brrt,” Annie added gravely.
“I used to work in a chop shop in LA. It was the only job I could get. I have a wife, and two kids in college I try to help out. I didn’t approve of what the chop shop guys were doing, but I thought it probably didn’t matter as long as no one got hurt.”
He paused.
“Did someone get hurt?” Lauren asked.
“An eighteen-year-old boy bought one of our cars and died in a crash. I knew it was because of that car. I warned my boss that some of the parts we were using were too old to last long but he said it didn’t matter as long as the car sold. So when I heard about that boy, I quit, and my wife and I moved here.”
“But why Gold Leaf Valley?” Zoe asked.
“I found an old workshop that was cheap to rent and after the hustle and bustle of LA, it was nice to live somewhere a lot slower. And I was the only mechanic here. So I decided to set up my own shop, do honest work and charge reasonable prices. And it was going really well. We even applied to foster a kid, and they gave us Brian. He’s a good boy. I was trying to atone for what happened in LA.”
“Did your wife know about the chop shop?” Lauren asked.
“No.” He shook his head. “She would have told me to quit in a heartbeat.”
“You phoned in that red hot lead that got Thelma and Phil out of the office!” Zoe pointed a finger at him.
“Yeah,” he admitted. “I wrote the Gazette’s phone number on a piece of paper and used a payphone to call them so they couldn’t trace it. Then I put the piece of paper back in my wallet.” He scowled. “It must have fallen out of there when I was in your café and your cat—” he looked at all three cats still examining him “—cats found it. And then you two had to go poking your nose in asking everyone who the number belonged to, and then you worked out just now that it was a grease smudge on the edge of the paper.”
“But nobody saw you in the newspaper office,” Lauren said, desperate to keep him talking. What were they going to do? His arms looked strong and muscular from years of fixing cars. And Cee Cee hadn’t stood a chance with him.
“I got lucky. I was hoping Cee Cee was there on her own. If she wasn’t, I was going to say I wanted to put my ad in for an extra few weeks. I told her that her boss Phil had an envelope for me in his office, and I followed her in there and—” he mimed wrapping a cord around someone’s neck.
Lauren paled. So did Zoe.
“And now it’s your turn.” He took a step toward them, his eyes narrowing.
Annie’s hackles rose. So did AJ’s and Mrs. Snuggle’s.
She cast a sideways glance at Zoe, then down at Annie, AJ, and Mrs. Snuggle. Spying the three food bowls near her feet, an idea began to form.
Looking down at the bowl, and then at the cats, she hoped the felines would pick up on her silent idea. Would Mrs. Snuggle remember that she had once attacked a man’s ankles?
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Zoe doing the same thing, and her spirits lifted. Surely the five of them could foil Gus?
“Brrt!” Annie darted toward Gus. So did AJ and Mrs. Snuggle.
“Shoo!” He shifted his feet and flapped his hands.
AJ pushed one of the bowls toward him, and Annie and Mrs. Snuggle dashed behind him and attacked the back of his ankles.
“Ow! Stop!” He stumbled toward the bowl AJ had conveniently placed before him. Lauren and Zoe stuck out their feet. “Arrgh!” He tripped and fell, his face landing in one of the bowls. A faint smear of gravy decorated his cheek when he managed to lift his head.
“Brrt!” Annie pounced on his back with a thud. So did AJ and Mrs. Snuggle.
“You girls are awesome!” Zoe’s eyes lit up. She turned to Lauren. “I’ll keep an eye on him and you call Mitch.”
Lauren had already snatched up her phone with shaking fingers and speed-dialed him. While she spoke to her husband, she spied Zoe lifting the grill pan from the stove and holding it menacingly over Gus’s head.
“One move from you and ...” Zoe mimed hitting him on the head.
“Get them off,” Gus pleaded. “They’re really hurting me!”
“By sitting on a strong man like you?” Zoe eyed him skeptically. “Not a chance. You’ll try to kill us – again.”
Lauren finished her call and glanced at the cats, noticing how proudly each large feline sat on Gus’s back – so straight and tall, and not giving him a chance to move.
“Thank you.” She grasped the corner of the table to steady herself. “All of you.”
“Brrt!” You’re welcome!
“Meow!” AJ replied.
“Meow!” Mrs. Snuggle added.
It sounded like they were saying, “You’re welcome” as well.
Mitch and uniformed officers arrived at the same time as Father Mike and Ed.
The three cats kept a watchful eye on Gus until he was in handcuffs. Then Mrs. Snuggle ran to Father Mike and demanded to be picked up, and AJ dashed to Ed and leapt up on him.
Lauren sank onto a chair and cuddled Annie.
“Are you okay?” Mitch sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her.
“I am.” She smiled. “Thanks to Annie, AJ, and Mrs. Snuggle.”
“Hey, don’t forget me,” Zoe teased. “I helped trip him over too, and threatened him with the grill pan.”
“Brrt!”