Софи Келли - Final Catcall

Praise for the New York Times Bestselling Magical Cats Mysteries

Cat Trick

“An entertaining series.”

—Fresh Fiction

“The mystery is well plotted, though the suspects aren’t all that obvious. Small-town charm and a charming cat duo make this every cat fancier’s dream.”

—The Mystery Reader

Copycat Killing

“I’ve been a huge fan of this series from the very start, and I am delighted that this new book meets my expectations and then some. . . . Cats with magic powers, a library, good friends who look out for each other, and small-town coziness come together in perfect unison. If you are a fan of Miranda James’s Cat in the Stacks Mysteries, you will want to read [this series] . ”

—MyShelf.com

“This is a really fun series and I’ve read them all. Each book improves on the last one. Being a cat lover myself, I’m looking at my cat in a whole new light.”

—Once Upon a Romance “A fun whodunit. . . . Fans will appreciate this entertaining amateur sleuth.”

—Genre Go Round Reviews “This charming series continues on a steady course as the intrepid Kathleen has two mysteries to snoop into. . . . Readers who are fans of cats and cozies will want to add this series to their must-read lists.”

— Romantic Times

Sleight of Paw

“Kelly’s appealing cozy features likable, relatable characters set in an amiable location. The author continues to build on the promise of her debut novel, carefully developing her characters and their relationships.”

— Romantic Times

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat

“A great cozy that will quickly have you anxiously waiting for the next release so you can spend more time with the people of Mayville Heights.”

—Mysteries and My Musings Blog “If you love mystery and magic, this is the book for you!”

—Debbie’s Book Blog

“This start of a new series offers an engaging cast of human characters and two appealing, magically inclined felines. Kathleen is a likable, believable heroine and the magical cats are amusing.”

— Romantic Times

Also Available from Sofie Kelly

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat

Sleight of Paw

Copycat Killing

Cat Trick

FINAL CATCALL

A MAGICAL CATS MYSTERY

SOFIE KELLY

OBSIDIAN

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 375 Hudson Street,

New York, New York 10014

USA | Canada | UK | Ireland | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa | China

penguin.com

A Penguin Random House Company

First published by Obsidian, an imprint of New American Library,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC

Copyright © Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 2013

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

OBSIDIAN and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

ISBN 978-1-10162773-0

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Contents

Praise

Also Available from Sofie Kelly

Title page

Copyright page

Acknowledgments

PROLOGUE

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I owe a debt of gratitude to many people for the success of the Magical Cats Mysteries. Thank you to all the readers who have embraced Owen, Hercules, Kathleen and everyone else in Mayville Heights. Thank you as well to my agent, Kim Lionetti, whose guidance and enthusiasm keep me on track. My editor, Jessica Wade, makes every book better and does so with unfailing good humor—and a little help from her assistant, Jesse Feldman. Thanks to both of you. Fellow writer Laura Alden can always be counted on for a pep talk and a laugh when I need one. Chief Tim Sletten, the now-retired police chief of the Red Wing, Minnesota, police department, once again answered a barrage of questions and was very gracious when I played with the facts. Any errors are mine, not his.

And as always, thank you to Patrick and Lauren, the two best things that ever happened to me.

PROLOGUE

The cats were waiting in the kitchen. I kicked off my shoes and knelt beside them. Owen immediately began sniffing the sling on my left arm. Hercules climbed up on my lap and licked my chin. I took a shaky breath against the prickle of tears I could feel about to fall. I wasn’t going to sit around on the floor crying. I was going to fix things with Marcus. I was going to keep apologizing until he listened. The problem was that when Detective Marcus Gordon was hurt, it wasn’t easy to get him to listen.

I sat on the footstool in the living room and tried his number. His cell phone went to voice mail. (He didn’t text.) There was no answer at his house, either. I heard something clatter to the floor in the kitchen. I went back out to find Owen and Hercules with the keys to my truck lying between them. “You’re not exactly subtle,” I said, bending to pick up the key ring. “Then again, if I see him in person, maybe I can get him to listen.”

Owen meowed loudly. I looked at Hercules, and after a moment’s hesitation, he gave a soft meow as well. I knew it was a bad idea to be driving one-handed, but I was past caring.

The cats followed me out to the truck, and there didn’t seem to be any reason not to let them come along. Owen looked out the passenger window while Herc sat beside me and stared out the windshield.

Marcus wasn’t down by the tents set up alongside the water beside the Riverwalk for tomorrow’s food tasting. A couple of hours earlier Maggie and I—and Hercules—had been there while the police took away a killer we’d helped catch.

“Are you all right?” Maggie had asked as we stood on the grass next to the boardwalk. She touched my shoulder, which had been twisted almost out of its socket, and I winced. “Okay, obviously you’re not.” She pulled out her cell phone.

“What are you doing?” I said. I had my good arm wrapped around Hercules. The air had gotten colder when the sun went down, but holding the little black-and-white cat was like having a portable heater.

“Calling Roma.” She shrugged. “I know you won’t go to the emergency room, and since you’re stubborn as a mule, it seems appropriate to get her to take a look at that shoulder.”

Roma was a vet, and one of my closest friends, but she also had first-aid training, so it wasn’t really that outlandish of an idea to call her. I talked quietly to Hercules until Maggie put her phone away.