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The pizza was a hit.
Annie kept them company during the meal, sitting next to Lauren. Mitch sat on the other side of Lauren, and Zoe and Chris sat opposite them.
“I’ve received the ME’s report.” Mitch spoke. “It looks like Kathleen was poisoned with an animal medication for anxiety.”
“No way!” Zoe’s mouth parted.
“It’s used for both cats and dogs,” Mitch continued.
“That’s – that’s—” Lauren didn’t know what to say.
“So it looks like one of the cat show suspects did it,” Mitch said. “They would probably have it on hand.” He glanced at Annie, and then at Lauren. “Does Annie take any medication like that?”
“What? No!” Lauren stared at him, her eyes wide.
“I didn’t think so, because you haven’t mentioned it, but I thought if you had some tucked away in a drawer I could have a look at it and see who prescribed it.”
“Annie goes to a specialist cat vet in Sacramento. Her name is Dr Tegan.”
“That might be a good place to start,” Mitch replied. “I’ll contact her tomorrow. Some of her patients might compete at the cat shows.”
“And one of their owners might use that medication.” Zoe nodded.
Lauren brought out the new cupcakes.
“I made these this afternoon. They’re called Showgirl cupcakes, in honor of Annie winning her class.” She smiled at the feline, still sitting at the table.
“Brrt!” Annie’s green eyes widened as she stared at the plate of pretty pink and white cupcakes.
“Tell me what you think,” Lauren urged.
“We will.” Chris enthusiastically dug into his.
Lauren enjoyed her first mouthful. She’d added raspberry extract to her vanilla cake recipe, hoping the addition of the fruit flavor would complement the visual appeal of the white vanilla frosting and the pink sugar flowers.
“I think these are better than any super vanilla cake would be,” Mitch said softly to her.
“I’m still working on that idea.” Lauren smiled at him.
“Hey.” He caught her hand in his. “I hope you didn’t think I was accusing you of anything before, when I asked if Annie used anxiety medication.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Not after the first second.”
“I’m sorry.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and drew her to him.
Zoe launched into an account of Kathleen’s next of kin turning up and Mrs. Snuggle’s reaction to her.
“I’m glad the cat is going to a good home,” Mitch remarked, his arm still around Lauren.
“Do you know who inherits Kathleen’s estate?” Lauren asked him.
“As far as we can tell, she didn’t leave a will. So it will probably go to the next of kin.”
“And we met her today.” Zoe nodded vigorously. “If she killed Kathleen, it wasn’t for Mrs. Snuggle.” She giggled. “She couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”
“We’ll definitely check into that angle,” Mitch told them, “and see if she has any of that pet medication. But I think it’s someone connected to the cat show world.”
The guys had some more cupcakes. Lauren split one with Mitch, while Zoe enjoyed another.
Mitch and Chris volunteered to do the dishes.
“I could get used to this,” Zoe declared.
“Me, too.” Lauren smiled.
“Brrt!”
Lauren, Zoe, and Annie headed to the living room.
“Maybe we can find a movie everyone agrees on,” Lauren proposed.
“Good idea.”
Annie staked her claim on the sofa, while Lauren turned on the TV and flicked through the offerings.
“Chris and I can sit here.” Zoe pointed to two comfy chairs. “And you and Mitch can have the sofa, since Annie’s already there.”
“Maybe we should think about buying another sofa,” Lauren murmured to her cousin. “That way we can all be comfy in here.”
“Deal.” Zoe grinned. “We can go halves.”
“Deal.”
“Ooh – what about this movie?” Zoe pointed to the screen. “It has crime, drama, and romance – it could be perfect!”
“I’ll go and ask the guys. They should be finished the dishes by now.” Lauren headed to the kitchen.
“I’ve just heard there’s an opening down here.” Chris’s voice. Lauren paused in the doorway. She didn’t want to eavesdrop, but ...
“Then go for it.” Mitch. “Moving to Gold Leaf Valley was the best thing I ever did.”
“You and Lauren have been together longer than me and Zoe. What if she doesn’t want me so close by if I transfer down here? Maybe us driving to and from Sacramento to see each other works for her.”
Lauren took a deep breath and entered the kitchen.
“I think you should ask Zoe what she thinks about it.” She glanced at their surprised expressions. “Sorry. I couldn’t help overhearing.”
“Do you think she’d be receptive to me moving down here?” Chris asked hopefully.
“I can’t speak for Zoe but I definitely think you should discuss it with her.” She pointed to her smiling face, wanting to be as obvious as possible.
“Thanks.” Chris nodded, looking relieved. “I’ll do that.”