Color me frustrated. Not only had it been a long travel day, but Rosamund was giving us hardly anything to work with. That niggling feeling that we’d been set up was fast becoming a flashing yellow warning light.
“Noodle’s the only one who saw what happened, correct?”
Rosamund nodded.
“Can we try to find her?” I turned to Persephone. “Did you smell a cat?”
“The whole store smells like cat. Someone marked their territory good,” she said.
Great, the cats felt a need to defend their space. It could be because there were so many people in and out of here on a daily basis. Or because they didn’t get along.
“She says she can’t narrow it down to one spot.” I was glad I could translate Persephone’s bluntness into polite conversation. “Noodle must have some go-to spots she likes to hide.”
“Mostly in the storage room.” Rosamund motioned for us to follow her.
The dimly lit backroom contained even more Cupcake merchandise. More larger-than-life cutouts, and a sign proclaiming Get Your Capture with Cupcake Here!
“Noodies,” Rosamund called out. “Where are you?”
No answer.
Casey’s eyes widened. “Could someone have taken her, too?”
“Oh, no. She’s not famous.” Rosamund picked up the siren song of any animal—the treat container—and gave it a good rattle.
For a few anxious moments, nothing happened.
“C’mon, Noodies,” Rosamund pleaded. “You love your treats.”
Eyes glowed from between two forgotten boxes as the cat considered her options. She must have a pretty strong will to resist treats for so long. Rosamund gave the container another shake, and the brown tabby cautiously took a few steps forward, gracing us with her presence.
“There’s my girl.” Rosamund crouched down, but the cat evaded her touch. She took it in stride. Not every animal was cuddly. She reached into the container, and pulled out a few treats.
That got Persephone’s attention.
Noodles had no problem eating from her person’s hand. She crunched on the treats, and Rosamund told her what a good girl she was.
Then Noodle’s gaze snapped to Persephone.
My cat tensed in my arms before Noodle let loose with a healthy hiss.
And just like that, she disappeared behind the empty boxes again.
Rosamund shook her head. “I was afraid of that.”
“Does Noodle get along with other cats?” Casey asked. “We think she’s a very pretty girl.”
She said the last part loudly, for Noodle’s benefit. At the shelter, the animals went wild for Casey’s voice. We played recordings of her online videos when she wasn’t there.
“She doesn’t seem to like anyone these days. She used to like me, until Cupcake came to live with us. Now she spends most of her time in these boxes. I keep them here for her.”
“She’s threatened,” Persephone said. “Someone’s given her a reason to be afraid.”
The insider information I had access to, thanks to my talking cat, was invaluable. “Is she acting differently since Cupcake was taken?”
“She used to be more affectionate. But I have to be honest, I haven’t been as attentive as I should. I’m just beside myself with worry, thinking about what could have happened to Cupcake.”
“It’s been a long day for all of us. Why don’t we try to get some rest and start fresh in the morning?” I suggested. Rosamund hadn’t willingly given us a lot of information, but it was still a lot to digest.
“Great. I’ll let my brother know you’re on your way. His name is Roy. And don’t be alarmed when you get to the hotel. It’s very unique.”
Casey raised a brow. “Unique…how?”
“The Rappaport Motor Inn has also been in our family since before the Thruway.” Rosamund’s demeanor changed. She had pride in her family’s businesses. “My granddad wanted to make sure no one ever forgot our little town, even if they only stopped here on their way to something more exciting. So he came up with the idea of themed rooms, and Roy’s kept the tradition alive.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” My head was spinning. Persephone was a bundle of nerves, but after our encounter with Noodle, I didn’t feel comfortable putting her down until we got outside.
She wouldn’t be happy to learn that the harness was here to stay until we won Noodle over. It wasn’t like a tabby to be so anti-social, unless she was really unhappy with something.
Good thing I knew a thing or two about making disgruntled cats happy.
We bid Rosamund goodnight in the parking lot, and waited for her to go into the house before doing anything.
Casey let out a big sigh and turned to me from the driver’s seat. “Are all your cases this frustrating?”
“Not by a long shot. At least, not at first. Usually the person who hired me is pretty helpful. What am I saying? Only one other person has ever hired me to find something that’s gone missing.” And the sense of urgency was a little different when a missing object was at stake. This was a living, breathing creature with a heart and emotions. “This time, it feels like Rosamund expects us to work miracles without giving us anything to go on.”
“Rosamund’s so different online. I can show you the messages. She’s so friendly. And in person, she’s standoffish.”
“Some people are more comfortable behind the screen.” It definitely made me bolder in my nightly video chats with Henry. Since I was on the road again, those were back. I was glad night had fallen while we’d talked to Rosamund. Casey would notice that my cheeks had warmed.
Focus, Addie. Cupcake didn’t have time for me to be waxing romantic.
“We should definitely take a look at her online messages to you,” I added. “Compare and contrast what she said online to what she tells us in person.”
“Maybe Roy will be more willing to share with us. She says no one knows Cupcake is missing, but I find that hard to believe.” Casey pulled onto the road. The hotel was close by. Without all our travel gear, we could’ve walked there.
The Rappaport Motor Inn still had its original neon sign, with a flashing red arrow pointing to the office. From the outside, everything looked like it had been meticulously maintained, and the parking lot was pretty full. A pool with a slide and night lighting sat proudly in the middle of the property.
“Is that a tiki bar?” Casey asked.
“Looks like it.”
“What’s a tiki bar?” Persephone asked. I hadn’t bothered to put her back into the carrier for such a short trip, and she sat in my lap. I hadn’t removed her harness, so we didn’t have to have that argument again.
“A place that probably doesn’t serve tuna.” I laughed. “We’ll have to find out what kind of fish is popular around here.”
“Yes, we do.”
Casey opened the car door. “Let’s check in. I’m dying to see what rooms we get. They’re all different themes.”
The lobby was mid-century modern, clean and bright with more neon.
“Hi, we were told to ask for Roy Rappaport when we checked in,” I said to the lady at the desk. “Can you tell him Addie Dawson is here?”
She nodded and returned with a middle-aged man with almost black hair, styled with a lot of gel, and a big mustache. He’d be handsome if he didn’t try so hard.
“Ms. Dawson,” he said as he offered his hand. “It’s not often we get a celebrity guest.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Persephone is pretty popular,” Casey added.
Roy’s gaze slid to Casey, and his eyes lit up. “And you are?”
“Casey Burton. I’m Persephone’s social media manager.”
“Well, Ms. Burton, I must say you’re doing a very fine job of representing your cat.”
He held onto her hand a little too long, but Casey was no stranger to stage-five clingers. She gracefully withdrew from the handshake, while keeping a camera-worthy smile on her face.
“This is Persephone,” I said to make some of the ick factor go away. “Spy Kitty. She’ll help us find your sister’s cat.”
Roy startled, like he’d forgotten everyone in the room who wasn’t Casey. “Right, the cat.”
“When was the last time you saw Cupcake?” I asked. I hadn’t planned on questioning him tonight, but I wanted to see what he’d say when I caught him off guard.
“It’s been a while,” he said. “Maybe Easter? Roz insists on hosting the family get-togethers because she lives at our parents’ house. Thinks that’s the only way to keep our traditions alive.”
“Have you had any unusual guests lately?” I wasn’t sure if the Rappaport Motor Inn was the only hotel in town, but proximity to the store would make it convenient for an out-of-towner to stay here before they swiped Cupcake.
His gaze was fixed on Casey again. “None as pretty as you.”
“We’ve done a lot of traveling today, and we’re anxious to get to our rooms,” Casey said. She was handling this way better than I would have.
“Our investigation starts first thing in the morning.”
Roy stepped behind the desk and pulled two diamond-shaped keychains off the holder. They were teal and as long as my palm. “Let me show you to your rooms.”
Casey and I shared a look before following him into the parking lot.
“I’m sure you saw the pool when you drove in. You’ll find a brochure in your room with the event schedule. We have some fun themed parties during the week, and the bar stays open until ten. There’s a place to grab coffee and a quick breakfast in the morning before you head out right here.” He motioned to a little café. “There are a few great restaurants in town, and they all deliver.”
“Oh, Addie might never leave if that’s the case.” Casey laughed.
He turned to her. “What would it take to get you to stay?”
“A lot more than great takeout.”
There was no way to politely fill the awkward silence that followed that exchange. Roy stopped in front of two rooms. They had brightly colored plastic chairs in front of them, flanked by pots overflowing with petunias.
He held up the keys. “Casey, you’ll be staying in the Venice suite. And Addie, you’ll be staying in the Canyon suite.”
“Thank you.” I reached for both keys and gave Casey hers. The room number had been embossed into the plastic.
Roy grinned at Casey. “I live in the honeymoon suite. There’s a hot tub by the bed. Holler if you need anything.”