Leann Sweeney - The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon

Meanwhile, I sat at the mosaic-tiled table in the kitchen nook and started a shopping list that included clothes for Finn as well as groceries. I hadn’t planned on restocking the fridge since I was committed to one more craft show this coming Friday. It would only be an overnight trip, but I’d wanted to delay the dreaded grocery shopping until I returned. Not now. I might be able to live on yogurt and toast and frozen meals, but not this kid.

I’d just finished writing “dog food” when I heard a quick knock at the back door. Before I could even get halfway across the kitchen, my stepdaughter, Kara, walked in and stopped in her tracks when she saw the dog.

Yoshi came to attention and barked repeatedly. Already playing watch dog, I thought. His barks sent my three cats running for cover.

“Who’s this?” Kara knelt to greet the dog. Her dark, shoulder-length hair hung loose and she wore jeans, an oatmeal-colored sweater and brown knee-high boots. Yoshi sniffed her boots and then put a paw on her knee in greeting.

“This is my house guest, Yoshi.” I made a sweeping gesture toward Finn. “He belongs to Finn.”

Finn offered a “Hey,” but didn’t make eye contact.

Once I’d introduced Kara to Finn, he said, “Mind if I lie down?”

“Is the headache back?” Maybe Finn needed a follow-up visit to a doctor sooner rather than later.

“Nah. I’m just tired,” he said.

“You’ve been through a lot. Good idea to get some rest,” I said. He had to be overwhelmed by one new person after another coming through my door.

Finn tapped his chest with his palm and said, “Yoshi, come.”

The dog raced to him and Finn opened his arms. Yoshi jumped up into them and they left for the guest room.

“He’s Tom’s stepson, huh? He looks like he could use some serious z ’s.” Kara walked to the fridge and opened it, then looked puzzled. “What? No tea?”

“Haven’t had a chance to make any more. But who told you about Finn?” I said.

“I do own the newspaper, Jillian,” she said with a smile. “Anyway, I was a little on edge after your call yesterday and I tried to reach Tom myself. He never answered his cell, but some guy at his house picked up on the landline.”

I closed my eyes. “You talked to Bob.”

“Yup. If there’s no tea, how about coffee?” She peered toward the pot and seeing there were still a few inches of coffee, got herself a mug. As she poured, she said, “Tom never mentioned any brother. I wasn’t sure I believed the guy I talked to. But he told me there’d been an accident and Tom left to go help or something. He mentioned Finn being with you two. I started to ask him more questions, but I had to hang up because Shondra was on the other line. She told me she’d heard about a wreck on her police scanner, just like Bob said.”

“He’s a half brother, by the way,” I said. “He was a secret; Finn was a secret. Tom apparently can compartmentalize his past. Kind of a guy thing, I’ve decided. But who’s Shondra?”

“Thought I told you about her. I’ve gotten so tired of listening to the police scanner spew information about fender benders or cows in the road or Jet Ski thefts, I hired her as an assistant at the paper. One of her jobs? Listen to the scanner. She’s young and just started out at the community college in communications. You’ll like her.”

“Maybe we can all have lunch one day.” What a dumb thing to say, I thought. “Will you listen to me? All sorts of bad things are happening and I’m talking about having lunch.”

“You want to share these bad things?” she said.

“I do. But only as your stepmother and friend, not as a source for a story,” I said.

Kara frowned. “You know I’ve changed since moving here from Houston. I would never expect you to be a source.”

“I didn’t think so, but I’m pretty rattled by all that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours. Tom’s had all sorts of trouble, Finn got hurt, a man was murdered.”

“Murder, huh? I was pretty sure Candace was leaving out something about the wreck. She’ll only be able to keep a murder under wraps for another few hours. This town is never far behind the truth.” She walked around the bar, into the living room and sat in her late dad’s recliner. How we both loved that chair.

I followed, settling on the sofa. Chablis was in my lap in an instant. The scary dog was gone for now and she would take full advantage. I stroked her and she began to purr.

“Finn is the reason Tom went off the radar. Talk to me about him, Jillian,” Kara said.

I explained that Finn ran away and how Tom ended up being abducted and beaten up by Nolan, who thought Tom was hiding the boy. Then I told her how, after Tom had gotten away from Nolan, he and I had found Finn walking in the direction of Tom’s house. I also mentioned Lydia’s visit last night. “She told me the driver they found in Tom’s car was Nolan Roth—the very same man who grabbed Tom and beat him up. He didn’t die in the accident. He was shot to death.”

She said, “Tell me again why this guy was in Tom’s car.”

“Tom escaped from Nolan and left everything behind—his car, his phone, his wallet—everything but the clothes on his back.”

“Wow. Bet Tom is mad at himself for letting this guy get the jump on him,” Kara said.

“You should see his poor face,” I said.

“I caught a glimpse of him at the scene yesterday when my photographer and I were there for the story. But Morris was keeping us so far away from the accident, I didn’t notice any injuries. Will he be okay?”

“He’ll be fine—or so he says. I’m more worried about Finn and any post-concussion problems. Worried about why he had blood on his shirt, too.”

“Could this kid have had something to do with the murder, then?” Kara asked.

“You know Candace,” I said. “She has to run down every lead and every bit of evidence. You ask me, Finn doesn’t have a criminal fiber in his being.”

She set her coffee on the end table beside the chair. “What you believe in your heart and what the evidence will show might be very different. No matter what, I’ll help you and Tom and Finn any way I can.”

I felt the tight muscles in my neck relax and smiled. “Thanks. Both Tom and Finn have been through the mill.”

“Are you including the arrival of his brother, Bob the Perv, as part of going through the mill ?” she said.

My eyes widened. “Wait a minute. If you’re giving him that name, you’ve met him in person,” I said.

“Oh yes. I stopped by Tom’s house this morning to talk to the house guest. Turns out, Bob’s a chatty guy. As a reporter, I do appreciate the talkative ones, but as a female, I do not appreciate him . He wouldn’t stop flirting, or making comments that he thought I might find charming. Boy, was he wrong to think I was the least bit charmed.”

“The man got on my bad side right away, too. He allowed Tom’s cat to get out and poor Dashiell nearly died.” I felt in my pocket for my phone. “Speaking of Dashiell, I need to find out how he’s doing this morning.”

“And I need to make tea. Coffee just isn’t enough.” She rose and went to the kitchen.

After I learned Dashiell was doing well and could go home anytime, I disconnected. Go home? Not yet. Not with Tom there delivering a gun to the police . I’d have to talk to him about his cat—and soon.

“Maybe you can enlighten me,” I said while Kara boiled water and filled pitchers with tea bags and cane sugar syrup. “I don’t know much about the wreck. Where did it happen?”

Kara cocked her head. “You haven’t read the paper? I am shocked and dismayed.” She smiled. “Out in the boondocks on Brown Road. Pretty nasty accident. Car hit a telephone pole. Hard to tell if the driver even braked. Of course, if the driver was already dead…”