| |
Kat was exhausted when she finally left DataRightly at five o’clock that evening. She had spent most of the workday avoiding Suzanne. While everyone else in the office seemed delighted by the pregnant woman’s constant invitations to feel the moving baby, Kat didn’t share their enthusiasm. Even Will had relented eventually, although that was only because Suzanne cornered him in the break room. When she then insisted he share his opinion of the experience, he had grudgingly admitted it was okay, yet Kat noticed he spent most of the rest of the afternoon holed up in the men’s room.
Unfortunately, Kat hadn’t found a good time to approach Wendy again. She had wanted to ask the receptionist about her relationship with Zack, but every time she ventured into the lobby Suzanne popped up like a jack-in-the-box with impeccably bad timing. The last time, Kat had barely managed to duck back into the office area without having her hand forcibly seized and laid atop the pregnant woman’s abdomen. The harrowing encounter had been too close a call for her tastes. She would just have to wait until tomorrow and hope by then Suzanne’s baby had calmed down.
At least she was safe now, she consoled herself as she unlocked her apartment door. She was looking forward to the chance to unwind.
Her cell phone rang seconds after she stepped inside. She pulled it out of her pants pocket, her spirits lifting when she spied Andrew’s name on the caller ID.
“Lawson wants to see you,” he said as soon as she connected the call.
“Lawson?” Recognition slammed into her like a two-by-four to the chest. “You mean Zack Lawson?”
“One and the same.”
“Why does he want to see me?”
“No clue, but Chief says he’s been asking for you.”
“Am I even allowed to see him?”
“Chief told him if you were willing to come down here, he would be permitted to talk to you for a short while.”
Kat absorbed that. Could she really deny Zack’s request? She could still hear his claim of innocence ringing in her ears. What if he had been telling the truth? If there was even a slim chance he hadn’t killed Natalie Grimes, didn’t she owe it to him to at least hear what he had to say?
When she looked at it that way, there was no question what her answer would be. “Give me fifteen minutes to feed the cats and change into something more comfortable.”
“See you soon.”
It wasn’t until she slipped her cell phone back into her pocket that she realized Tom wasn’t waiting for her by the door.
She peered into the living room. “Tommy? Matty?”
A knot of worry twisted her stomach when she failed to spot either cat. While it wasn’t unusual for Matty to wait until she heard the sound of her evening wet food can opening before making her presence known, Tom almost always greeted her at the door.
“Hello?” Kat called out. “Where are you two?”
She strained to hear a meow or some other noise indicative of life, but there was nothing.
Ignoring the dull panic that had begun to throb in her chest, Kat hurried into the kitchen. Perhaps the animals were especially hungry today and had decided to wait for her there. But the room was empty.
She sprinted to the bedroom next. When she spied Matty and Tom sitting on top of the bed, her relief was so profound it threatened to bring her to her knees.
And then she caught sight of the slimy puddles scattered across the carpet.
Her mouth gaped open as she took in the dire state of her bedroom. “What happened in here? Did you throw up?”
Matty meowed. Tom stayed silent. It was a reversal of roles that sent a wave of unease through Kat’s system.
Her eyes zeroed in on Tom. “Did you do this, Tommy? Are you not feeling well?”
A pathetic chirp was his response. It sounded to Kat like an admission of guilt—a fact that was confirmed when his chest started undulating and an awful heaving noise emanated from his furry body.
Kat rushed over to the bed just as Tom vomited up another mess that seemed to be more saliva than food. Then he moved a couple feet away and repeated the entire, undignified act.
When he was through, Kat gently palpated his body. She didn’t feel anything abnormal, so she cupped his head between her hands and hunched forward to get a better look at his face. His normally bright green eyes seemed a little duller than usual.
It was when Tom started heaving once again that Kat knew what she had to do.
“That’s it.” She stormed across the room. “We’re going to the vet.”
Matty meowed her approval of Kat’s plan, then just as quickly slipped underneath the bed when Kat pulled a plastic cat carrier out of the closet.
Tom didn’t protest when she picked him up and guided him through the carrier door. Normally she could count on him to wrestle against her grip, splay his legs, or otherwise contort his body in any way he could think of to avoid the much-hated prison.
His easy compliance did nothing to tamp down the fear that flared inside of her.
Her hands trembled against the steering wheel as she drove them to the closest veterinary office. To her great joy, Tom let out a few halfhearted meows during the trip. They were a glimmer of his normal self, and they filled her with hope.
Even so, Kat’s heart was in her throat when she parked her car, grabbed Tom’s carrier out of the back seat, and flew into the building.
Kat knew the receptionist, having been to this office several times before with one foster animal or another. Camille Edelman stood up when she saw her enter.
“Well, hi there, Ms. Harper,” Camille said. “What’ve you got for us today?”
Kat set the carrier on the counter. “It’s my cat Tom.” Just saying the words aloud brought tears to her eyes. She was supposed to be Tom’s protector. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He was throwing up when I came home from work.”
Camille didn’t seem fazed by her announcement. She merely peered through the latticed door of the carrier with a calm eye. By now, Tom had realized where they were and had begun to complain in earnest. Somewhere in the back of her mind Kat knew his protests were a good thing, but every meow still caused her gut to tighten a little more.
“He doesn’t look like he needs to be rushed right in,” Camille announced. “Have a seat, and I’ll get you in a room to see Dr. Mark as soon as possible.”
Unsure of her ability to speak without sobbing, Kat gave her a nod of acknowledgment before turning around to find a spot to wait.
She nearly did a double take when she spied Kim Tannenbaum, Suzanne Ryan’s boss, sitting in one of the corner chairs. A short, chubby, fifty-something with perfectly smooth skin the color of fresh snow and naturally blond hair she regularly dyed to include a thick streak of hot pink, Kim was hard to miss.
“Kim,” Kat said, walking over to her.
Kim looked up from her phone. “Kat Harper!” she exclaimed in her soft Texas twang. “Howdy howdy.” She glanced at the carrier. “Is everything all right with your kitty?”
“I don’t know.” Kat slumped into the plastic chair next to Kim and set the carrier on her lap. “He threw up when I got home from work today, and judging by the state of my bedroom he’s been at it for a while. I’m really worried about him.”
Kim drew her face close to the carrier, prompting a self-righteous wail from Tom. “He doesn’t sound too bad off. Why, he probably just snacked on something he shouldn’t have and will be back to his normal self soon enough.”
“I hope so.”
“I’m sure he’ll be right as rain before you can holler ‘Go Cowboys!’” Kim chuckled as she leaned back in her seat. “I once had a cat who ate everything he could sink his purty little teeth into, no matter how much havoc it wreaked on his delicate digestive system. You wouldn’t believe how many vet visits we racked up together.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.” Kim smiled as she gave Kat a pat on the knee. “So, fancy running into you here.”
“Especially since you’re supposed to be on vacation.”
“Staycation,” Kim corrected. “I had to use up some leave time before the end of the year, but I hate to travel. So, here I am.”
Kat nodded at the soft-sided carrier bag on the floor in front of Kim’s feet. “Is everything okay with your wee one?”
“Peachy keen.” Kim gave the top of the bag a pat, prompting a meow to emerge from within. “It’s just time for Countess Burgess’s annual shots.”
At the mention of shots, Tom let loose with a yowl. His utterance riled up Countess Burgess, who responded with an anguished cry of her own. Pretty soon, both cats were trying to outdo the other in a cacophony of caterwauling.
Tom’s obvious unhappiness unleashed another torrent of guilt within Kat, and the tears she had managed to tamp down so far threatened to emerge once more.
Kim must have noticed. She set her palm on Kat’s arm. “You look a little ill yourself. Are you feeling okay?”
Kat collapsed against the back of the chair. “Since you asked, no. I feel like this is all my fault.”
“Of course you do. It’s because you’ve got a good heart.”
Kim’s kindness only served to lodge the lump in Kat’s throat more firmly in place.
“It’s more than that,” Kat managed to choke out. “It’s my duty to keep Tom safe. And yet, I must have left something toxic out. What if he got into it right after I went to work this morning? What if he’s been suffering this entire time?”
“Don’t fret,” Kim said. “Fretting never got no one nowhere. And I’d be much more worried about him if he weren’t making such a stink.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right. And yet . . .”
“And yet you can’t shake the guilt,” Kim filled in.
Kat nodded.
“Well, that’s only natural,” Kim said. “He’s your baby, and you don’t want to see him in pain. But trust me, he’ll be okay.” She shifted sideways, her eyes gleaming. “Now, tell me about all the drama I’ve been missing.”
Kat blinked at her. “Drama?”
“At DataRightly. Maura texted me about the new guy getting arrested.”
“Oh, that.”
“Yes, that.” Kim gave Kat a playful swat. “This is why I hate taking time off. I miss out on all the gossip.”
“You’re not missing out on much,” Kat told her. “You probably know as much as we do.”
Kim made a face. “I still can’t believe Suzanne hired someone without my buy-in. She and I are going to be having some words when I get back later this week.”
Kat frowned. “She said you didn’t want to be bothered.”
“Nope. I made it very clear in a long, detailed email that not only could she reach out to me about work stuff, but that I expected her to keep me involved with any major decisions that needed to be made in my absence.” Kim looked around the veterinary lobby with a rueful grin. “After all, it’s not as if I have exciting plans I can’t tear myself away from.”
Kat’s brain churned. Could Suzanne have deliberately gone behind Kim’s back to hire Zack Lawson? But why would she do that? Did she have an ulterior motive for wanting Zack to have that job?
“Ms. Harper,” Camille said from across the room. “Dr. Mark is free to see you now.”
Kim gave Kat a warm smile. “There you go. Time to get your fur baby all patched up. You mark my words. He’ll be back to his normal little self in no time.”
As Kat stood up, it hit her why Kim had shifted the conversation to Zack. Kim had been trying to distract her from Tom’s plight.
A rush of gratitude surged through her then. After all, Kim’s plan had succeeded. All Kat could think about as she followed Camille into the examination room was why Suzanne Ryan had been so determined to bring Zack Lawson into the DataRightly fold.
