| |
“How much farther?” Zoe asked the next day. Lauren drove through the streets of Sacramento, looking for the cat show.
“Not much,” Lauren replied for the second time in five minutes. She focused on reading the street names as she crawled along.
“There!” Zoe spotted the next street sign. “Turn right here.”
They’d left Annie at home that day. She’d been busy on a video play date with AJ, the two of them showing each other their toys, and taking turns pushing their balls with a jingly bell inside them. Lauren wished she could stay and watch the cute scene, but Zoe had practically towed her to the car.
“I’m going to talk to Jerry, and Nina, and Dana the judge,” Zoe told her as Lauren turned into a parking lot. There were tons of vehicles already and she had to cruise around looking for an empty space.
“There!” Zoe pointed to the left.
Lauren snagged the spot.
“Let’s go.” Zoe unsnapped her seat belt.
“Do you think Dana the judge is going to be here?” Lauren turned off the ignition.
“Why wouldn’t she be? She said she lives in Sacramento so this would be a convenient competition for her – and the organizers. They wouldn’t have to pay her travelling expenses.”
“You’re right.” Lauren nodded.
They headed toward the entrance. People of all ages walked through the lot to the big building, some carrying cat cages.
“We should check out the Persians first.” Zoe took charge. “Then have a peek at Toby. He was such a handsome cat, wasn’t he? And while we’re admiring him, we can ask Jerry some questions.”
Lauren looked at her cousin. “How long have you been planning all this?”
“Just since last night,” Zoe confessed. “After we got home from Mrs. Finch’s. I couldn’t sleep right away, so I decided on our plan of attack for today.”
“Why don’t I just follow your lead?” Lauren said dryly.
“That’s what I was going to suggest.” Zoe grinned.
They paid their admission fee and walked inside. The big hall was filled with rows and rows of long tables, and the tables were filled with cats in cages – and their owners standing next to them. Spectators strolled past, oohing and ahhing over the kitties. It was a much bigger version of the cat show last week.
“Burmese, Birman, Ragdoll – oh, look at this one.” Zoe stopped in front of a cream and gray fluffy cat with big blue eyes.
Lauren smiled at the woman standing next to the cage.
“Are you interested in Ragdolls?” the woman asked.
“I didn’t think I was until now,” Zoe admitted, her attention focused on the feline.
“We have a Norwegian Forest Cat at home,” Lauren explained.
“Oh, that’s a wonderful breed,” the woman enthused. “Just as good as the Ragdoll.” She chuckled.
With a last, lingering look at the Ragdoll, Zoe said goodbye to the cat – and her owner – and kept walking down the aisle.
“I wouldn’t want Annie to get jealous,” she murmured.
“No,” Lauren agreed.
“Oh – the Persians!” Zoe veered left.
Lauren followed.
“There’s Nina.” Zoe gestured to the woman they’d met at last week’s show. Today she wore gray slacks and a blue blouse.
“And Brunhilda,” Lauren pointed out.
“Hi. Lauren and Zoe, right?” Nina greeted them.
“That’s right.” Lauren smiled. “Has Brunhilda been judged yet?”
“No,” Nina replied. “But hopefully it will be soon.”
“Hi, Brunhilda,” Zoe said, to the fluffy lilac cat.
“What are you two doing here?” Nina asked. “Have you got cat show fever?”
“Something like that.” Zoe giggled. Lauren wondered if she was remembering their cover story. “We’re interested in showing Annie but we thought we’d better check out some more cat shows first.”
“I don’t know if it would be the right thing for Annie,” Lauren added. That was totally true. She hated lying.
“Your cat is such a sweet girl,” Nina said. “Please tell her that.”
“I will,” Lauren replied.
“We were just looking at the Ragdolls,” Zoe remarked. “They’re so fluffy!”
“So is Annie,” Lauren reminded her.
“Yes.” Zoe nodded.
“Did you know that Ragdolls go limp in your arms when you pick them up?” Nina said.
“Really?” Zoe’s eyebrows rose.
“That’s how they got their name.”
“It was terrible what happened to Kathleen last week,” Zoe began.
“Yes.” Nina’s voice grew somber. “Even if she was guilty of bribery.”
“Do you know if she had any family?” Lauren asked. “One of our friends is looking after her cat at the moment.”
“Mrs. Snuggle Face Furry Frost?” Nina’s gaze sharpened. “Is she okay?”
“She seems to be,” Lauren said dryly.
“She might be in heat,” Zoe added.
“Oh, dear. I did hear that Kathleen had plans to breed her again – she’s had a few litters already – but that’s all I heard.”
“How much do Persian kittens sell for?” Zoe asked.
“Brunhilda’s sell for twelve hundred dollars each, and I heard that Kathleen sold hers for the same price – sometimes more if she could get it.”
“Wow.” Zoe’s eyes widened.
“Is it expensive showing Brunhilda?” Lauren asked.
“It can be,” Nina admitted. “There’s the entry fees, transport, grooming products, plus if we’re attending a show out of town there’s overnight costs as well.”
“Do you make a living from Brunhilda’s kittens?” Zoe asked.
“No.” Nina laughed. “I wish I did. Showing and breeding is a passion of mine – I’m trying to improve the Persian breed by only pairing Brunhilda up with studs from excellent bloodlines. I aim to create litters for their health and temperament first, their colors second.”
“What about Kathleen?” Lauren asked. “Did she do that?”
“I think Kathleen liked charging high prices for her kittens.” Nina’s mouth tightened for a second. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. But sometimes she used to boast about matching up Mrs. Snuggle with a stud who had the most popular color points at that time, instead of looking at the whole picture – his temperament, ancestors, health.”
They chatted to Nina for a few more minutes.
“Is Robert judging today?” Zoe asked.
“What? No. Didn’t you hear?”
“Hear what?” Lauren asked.
“He got kicked out of the judge’s circle. It happened pretty quickly. I don’t know what Dana, the other judge, did to make it happen so fast or what connections she has but we were told this morning of a last-minute substitution.”
Classical music emitted from Nina’s purse.
“Excuse me.” She pulled out her phone. “Yes?” she spoke into it.
Lauren didn’t know whether they should wave goodbye to her or wait for her conversation to end. She glanced at Zoe, who looked indecisive as well.
“I can’t talk now. You’ll have to call back later.” Nina’s tone was sharp. She ended the call and shoved the phone back into her purse. “Sorry about that.”
“I guess we should get going anyway,” Lauren said. “We didn’t mean to intrude.”
“You’re not intruding at all.” Nina smiled briefly. “I was just about to tell you before my phone rang that I saw Robert this morning.”
“Here?” Zoe’s gaze zeroed in on Nina.
“Yes. He was hanging around outside the building. I don’t know if he already knew he was disqualified or if he turned up ready to judge and that’s when the organizers told him.”
“Have you seen him since?” Lauren asked.
“No.” Nina shook her head. “I don’t even know if he was allowed to come as a regular spectator. But you could keep an eye out for him if you wanted to talk to him.” She looked at them quizzically.
“Thanks.” Zoe smiled. “Good luck with the judging.”
“Thank you.”
“Meow.” Brunhilda had been quiet until now. It sounded like she was saying thank you.
“Now all we have to do is find Robert and ask him what happened when Kathleen ran after him at our cat show last Saturday,” Zoe announced as she threaded her way down the aisle.
“Is that all?” Lauren asked wryly.
“We could crack this case wide open today!” Zoe stretched out her arms, nearly knocking the baseball cap off a heavyset man. “Oops. Sorry.”
He nodded and continued on his way toward the judging area.
“Well, that’s not Robert,” Zoe remarked.
“Unless he’s wearing a disguise,” Lauren replied, with a smile in her voice.
“No way would that be him!” Zoe tugged on Lauren’s arm. “Let’s find Robert!”
“I thought you wanted to speak with Jerry as well. And wish Toby good luck in the Siberian Forest class.”
“Oh, yeah.” Zoe nodded vigorously; her pixie cut bangs hitting her temple. “We’ll do that, too.”
Zoe led the way through the maze of aisles. They breezed past British Shorthairs, and Turkish Vans, until they came to the Siberian Forest Cats.
“Oh, look, there’s Toby!” Zoe zipped over to the Siberian.
“Hi, Jerry.” Lauren smiled as they stood in front of Toby’s cage. She admired Toby’s apricot colored coat.
“Hi, Toby,” Zoe crooned, gazing at the big cat. He sat in his cage looking calm and at ease.
“Hi.” Jerry smiled at them. He wore a gray-checked shirt and smartly pressed jeans.
“Have you competed yet?” Lauren asked.
“Not yet.” Jerry shook his head. “Hopefully it won’t be long, though.”
“That’s what Nina said,” Zoe remarked.
“You’ve seen Nina today?” he queried.
“That’s right,” Lauren replied. “We were over at the Persians a few minutes ago.”
“Have you got any news about Mrs. Snuggle Face Furry Frost – Kathleen’s cat?” Jerry asked. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine,” Lauren replied. “Our friend is looking after her.”
“He’s taking very good care of her,” Zoe added, “while Mitch is searching for Kathleen’s next of kin.”
“Mitch? Oh, your boyfriend.” Jerry nodded at Lauren.
“That’s right.” She was sure she could feel a little heat in her cheeks.
“So, what are you two doing here?” Jerry asked. He peered around them as if expecting to see something – or someone. “Did you bring Annie? Is she competing today?”
“No,” Lauren replied.
“But we thought it was a good idea to check out some more shows,” Zoe added. “Just in case we decide to show Annie.”
“Like I said last week, I think Annie will do very well at cat shows, including bigger ones like today,” Jerry remarked.
“Mrrowp.” Toby sounded like he agreed.
“Is Dana judging today?” Zoe asked.
“Yes.” Jerry nodded. “Her name is on the schedule, although I haven’t seen her yet.”
“Nina told us Robert isn’t allowed to judge today.”
“Yeah, he got kicked out,” Zoe added.
Jerry’s eyebrows rose. “Well, I hadn’t heard it quite like that but we were all told this morning he wouldn’t be judging this show. There was a last-minute substitution.”
“Who’s taking his place?” Lauren asked.
“I don’t know his name.” Jerry shrugged. “I haven’t come across him before as a judge, but I’ve seen Dana hanging out with him at other shows. They seem pretty tight.”
They chatted to him for a few more minutes, then said goodbye, wishing Toby good luck once more.
“Huh,” Zoe said thoughtfully once they were out of earshot. “What if Dana got Robert kicked out today so she could put her own friend in as the judge instead?”
“Why would she do that?” Lauren asked.
“Because ... because ...” Zoe screwed up her face for a moment. “I don’t know,” she finally admitted with a sigh.
“Do you really think Kathleen was bribing the judges?” Lauren asked after a moment. “Or do you think it’s something Dana made up last week?”
“You mean she staged that scene at our little cat show just to get Robert kicked out of the judging?” Zoe stopped in her tracks, her eyes rounded.
“It was just a thought,” Lauren said.
“But why would she do that? Why would she want a friend of hers to take Robert’s place?”
“Maybe she doesn’t like Robert?” Lauren suggested. “Maybe her friend wanted to be a judge and Dana said she’d help him?”
“Ooh, he could be her boyfriend or she wants him to be, so she’s doing this as a special favor for him!” Zoe looked thrilled at her reasoning. “Yeah, I bet that’s it.”
“If that’s true, then she’s gone to a lot of trouble to make it happen,” Lauren pointed out.
“And falsely accused Kathleen of bribery,” Zoe added, her tone growing somber. “That’s not nice.”
“But if Dana made up the bribery charge, then why did Nina and Jerry believe it?” Lauren posed the question.
“And why was Kathleen poisoned if she was innocent? Huh.”
They walked around the perimeter of the large space, watching an American Bobtail get judged, its tail extremely short. Zoe suddenly clutched her arm.
“Look! There’s Dana!”
“And it appears she’s judging the—”
“Persians!” Zoe’s eyes widened as she stared at Lauren.
They inched toward that section of the judging area. Dana dangled a cat toy in front of the fluffy cat, who pounced on it.
“I think Annie’s pouncing was better,” Zoe whispered.
“Me, too.” Lauren didn’t think she was biased.
Next, it was Brunhilda’s turn.
“She seems such a sweet cat,” Lauren mused as Dana ran her hands over the Persian’s coat.
“She does,” Zoe agreed. “Her personality seems totally different to Mrs. Snuggle’s.”
“I hope Father Mike’s okay.”
“And he hasn’t been scratched again.” Zoe tsked. “Hey, there’s Robert! Over there!”
Lauren looked in the direction Zoe tilted her head. It was Robert, the disgraced judge, and he stood on the opposite side of the room.
“Let’s go!” Zoe weaved her way through the small group of spectators.
Lauren cast a backward glance at Brunhilda, pouncing athletically on the dangling toy. She hoped she won.
“What are we going to say to him?” Lauren asked, right behind her cousin.
“I’ll think of something.” Zoe picked up her pace through the buzzing crowd, until they suddenly stood in front of him.
“Hi.” Zoe smiled at him.
“Who are you?” Robert frowned at her.
“I’m Zoe. I was at the cat show last week in Gold Leaf Valley.”
“Oh – that.” There was a sneer in his voice.
“We heard you were disqualified from today’s show,” Lauren said, not liking his tone at all.
“Just a little misunderstanding.” His eyes narrowed. “What do you want? Did Dana send you? I’m entitled to be here as a spectator, just like everyone else. I paid my admission fee.”
“We haven’t spoken to Dana today,” Lauren told him.
“Yeah. We were wondering why you were here, that was all. We saw Dana accuse you of corruption last week.”
“That’s going to be all cleared up,” Robert informed them. “Dana had no proof. And now Kathleen is dead, so there is no one to corroborate the accusation.”
Zoe drew in a breath. “So you do accept bribes! Did you kill Kathleen as well?”
“Zoe,” Lauren warned. They were in a public place with a large crowd, but still ... there was something about this man that Lauren didn’t like – or trust.
“You don’t know that,” Robert replied. His face scrunched in anger. “And no, I didn’t kill Kathleen.”
“What did she say to you when she ran after you in the hall last week?” Zoe asked.
Robert looked puzzled.
“When Dana accused you two of bribery and corruption,” Lauren tried to jog his memory.
“I didn’t see her. After Dana accused us, I stormed off and went home after that detective questioned me.”
He must mean Mitch.
“But Kathleen ran after you.” Zoe frowned.
“Well if she did, she didn’t catch me.”
While Zoe absorbed that piece of information, Lauren asked, “Do you know who the judge is, who’s taking your place?”
“Some pet of Dana’s, no doubt.” The sneer was back in his voice. “She can’t keep a husband, you know, so she’s probably looking for number three.”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say.” Zoe chided.
“What do I care?” He shrugged. “Once I get this false accusation cleared up, I’ll do everything I can to get Dana kicked off the circuit. Then we’ll see how she likes that.”
Lauren flicked her cousin a glance and turned away. Zoe followed her.
“I do not like that man,” Zoe declared once they were a safe distance away.
“Me either,” Lauren replied. “And I don’t think we should ask him any more questions.”
Zoe hesitated. “Agreed,” she finally said. She shook herself, as if to be rid of any suggestion of him. “Okay, next stop Dana.”
“Are you sure you want to keep sleuthing?” Lauren asked. She looked at her practical white wristwatch, surprised to see it was almost lunchtime.
“Yes.” Zoe nodded. “Let’s go!”
They headed toward the judging area, but the Persian class seemed to be finished, and now a cat without any apparent hair was being put through its paces.
“I think that’s a Sphynx,” Lauren said.
“I wonder if Brunhilda won?” Zoe’s eyes lit up. “Let’s go and see!”
They hurried over to Nina and Brunhilda. A dark blue ribbon was attached to her cage.
“Congratulations!” Zoe grinned at the Persian.
“Yes, congratulations,” Lauren said to Nina.
“Thank you.” Nina looked pleased. “I always knew Brunhilda was a winner – and now everyone will know!”
“Do you know where Dana is?” Zoe asked curiously.
“Why?” Nina asked. “Maybe I can help you instead.”
“I was thinking of becoming a judge,” Zoe said hastily, “and I wanted to find out more about what qualifications I would need.”
“Yes, maybe it’s best if you talk to Dana about that,” Nina replied. “I think she was going to take a break after judging the Persians. So she might be in the bathroom or outside.”
“Thanks.”
They waved goodbye to Nina and Brunhilda.
A growl sounded nearby.
“That’s my stomach.” Zoe patted her red T-shirt.
“Maybe we can grab lunch somewhere.” Lauren scanned the room. “There’s Dana!”
“Where?” Zoe stood on tip toes and followed the direction of Lauren’s gaze. “Oh, yeah!”
Dana stood near the sign that pointed to the bathroom.
“Let’s question her!” Zoe charged ahead.
Dana looked at them quizzically as they approached her.
“Hi,” Zoe said brightly, spinning to a stop. “We met last week at the show in Gold Leaf Valley.”
“Oh, yes, I remember.” Dana smiled. She wore beige culottes and an elegant rose blouse. “Are you showing your cat today?”
“No,” Lauren replied.
“We’re just getting a feel for things,” Zoe added. “Just in case we do decide that Annie should compete.”
“That’s a wise decision.” Dana nodded. “Some newbies to this world don’t have a clue what they’re doing and then complain when their cat doesn’t win their first competition.”
“So it looks like you got Robert kicked off the judging panel,” Zoe dove in.
“Yes.” Dana looked smugly satisfied. “It’s about time that weasel got his comeuppance.” She noticed their startled faces. “Sorry. But I’ve suspected him of corruption for a while now and when I overheard him and Kathleen last week, I wasn’t going to let him – or her – get away with it.”
“Who do you think killed Kathleen?” Zoe asked.
“I thought it was a heart attack.” Dana looked shocked.
“No.” Lauren spoke. “It seems that she ingested something before she died.” Mitch hadn’t told her not to say anything about the cause of death before they left for today’s show. But he was still waiting for more information from the ME.
“That’s terrible.” Dana’s sympathy appeared sincere. “Who would do something like that?”
“That’s what we want to know,” Zoe told her.
“It was probably Robert.” Dana’s mouth tightened.
“Really?” Lauren furrowed her brow.
A cat’s meow echoed through the large room.
“I wouldn’t put anything past that weasel.”
“Who’s taking his place today for the judging?” Zoe asked.
“A great guy called Kaiden,” Dana replied, blushing. “He’s judged smaller shows, and I think he’s ready to move up.”
Dana’s name was suddenly called through the loudspeaker.
“Oops, I must be running late.” She glanced at her silver wristwatch. “I am.”
“I’m sorry we held you up,” Lauren said.
“No problem.” She flicked a smile at them. “I’ll keep a look out for your gorgeous cat in the show ring.”
They watched her hurry to the judging area.
“Maybe Robert was telling the truth,” Zoe mused, “about Dana getting rid of him so she could put a friend of hers on the judging panel.”
“Maybe,” Lauren replied thoughtfully. “But if Robert is guilty of corruption, then Dana getting him kicked out of the show is hardly a crime.”
“I guess not.” Zoe sighed.