Leann Sweeney - The Cat, The Professor and the Poison

He sounds almost robotic at times. Like this is all scripted and he’s a bad actor. Remember that, Jillian.

He was looking down at me. “Thanks for leaving the door open, but don’t get comfortable thinking your security system will stop me. I’m prepared for anything.”

He walked past me, and seconds later I heard the back door slam.

The adrenaline rush created by this… this shock wore off at once. My legs began to shake as if I’d been soaked in another rainstorm.

Syrah bounded from his spot on the other side of the living room and came to my side. He rubbed his head against my shoulder. Soon Merlot joined us, his coat so puffed out, he looked like a Pomeranian that had just been groomed. Even Chablis arrived to see what was going on, looking wary as she sniffed the air. But petting them with my hands bound wasn’t very comfortable. The zip tie was brutally tight.

I leaned back against the sofa, every ounce of energy drained. But I held back the tears that threatened again, thinking how that man would pay for coming into my house and terrorizing me and my cats.

When I heard Kara call out, “Jillian, your back door isn’t locked,” I felt my shoulders slump with relief. I’d been sitting with my back against the bottom of the sofa for thirty minutes.

“Um, I need a little help in here, Kara,” I called. I turned my head, and over the back of the couch I saw her put several grocery bags on the counter.

“Where are-oh my God.” She hurried around the dining room table and knelt by my side, joining Merlot and Syrah. “Who did this?”

“Wish I knew. Can you grab some shears from my sewing room? I am so very tired of these nasty plastic bracelets.”

She left and a few seconds later returned and snipped off the restraints.

“Thank you,” I said, rubbing my wrists.

She rested a gentle hand on my cheek and looked me in the eyes. “We need to call the police.”

I pointed out the remnants of my cell phone. “Can I use yours?”

“I’ll call 911. You’re probably too shaken up to dial right now,” Kara said.

“No, let me give you Candace’s number. Everyone is busy in town with another crime.”

“Another crime? What is going on in Mercy?” she said. Then she dialed the number I spieled off.

I was actually relieved she did the calling. Candace must have answered, because Kara explained how she’d found me. Then she disconnected and looked at me. “She’s on her way.”

I let out a long sigh of relief.

While we waited, we sat on the couch and I told Kara what had happened, spilling out words as if getting rid of them would also rid me of the memory of that horrible man. But I began to realize that her interested expression was… well… almost too keen. Was she making mental notes for whatever she planned to write about the current crime wave in Mercy, South Carolina?

When I finished telling my story, she stood, picked the zip ties up off the floor and said, “You’d better give me a key and the alarm code. Your door needs to stay locked at all times.” She started toward the kitchen.

“Where are you going with those?” I started after her.

“To throw them out,” she said.

“Candace will want them.” I held out my hand.

She gave them to me. “That’s true. Meanwhile, I better put the groceries away.”

The doorbell rang, and I hurried to answer while Kara continued on into the kitchen. Merlot and Syrah lingered just outside the foyer.

I opened the front door, and Candace immediately wrapped her arms around me. Rain was still falling, and her hug got me wet again, but I didn’t care. And this time the tears could not be stopped.

Then over her shoulder I saw Chief Mike Baca standing on the stoop holding an umbrella.

I pulled away from Candace, swiping at my tears. “Sorry. Come on in.”

“Glad to see you’re okay,” Chief Baca said.

“Thanks, but I’m fine.” Liar, liar. For some reason, I felt embarrassed about him seeing me like this. But being manhandled and threatened had created a vulnerability I apparently didn’t know how to deal with.

Candace removed her slicker. “What should I do with this?”

I handed her the zip ties. “We can trade. He used those on my feet and hands.” I took her slicker and the chief’s umbrella and hung them on the hall tree.

I was grateful for Candace’s arm around my shoulders as Syrah and Merlot led us into the living room. My boys sat in front of the entertainment center as if waiting for the show to begin. A lot friendlier show than the last one.

Candace produced a plastic baggie from one of her uniform pockets and dropped in the zip ties. She then held the bag up for inspection. “You would have gotten out of these eventually. Cheap hardware-store variety.”

Chief Baca said, “We don’t use them. They break.”

“Coulda fooled me,” I said.

Kara wandered into the living room, and I introduced her to Baca and Candace.

“Where were you when all this happened?” Candace asked her.

“I had a meeting with Tom, and then I went to the supermarket,” she said. “I felt so awful finding Jillian all tied up like that.”

Baca said, “Your stepmother is a strong woman.”

“Yeah, strong,” Candace said. “But still upset. Can you get her some sweet tea, um… what’s your name again? Kara?”

“Sure.” Kara started back the way she came.

Candace added, “I could use some myself. How about you, Chief?”

“Nothing for me, thanks.” Baca’s gaze followed Kara’s backside.

Oh brother. He’s my age. Too old for her; that’s for sure. And I could tell Candace didn’t seem too thrilled to meet Kara. I needed to keep us all on track.

I said, “You two have more important things to do right now than listen to me. The guy came to warn me, and he did a good job.” I sat on the couch and tucked my feet beneath me. Despite my protest to the contrary, I was still grateful for their presence.

“Warn you about what?” Baca said.

“Jillian’s apparently messing in someone’s business, or that’s what the guy told her,” Kara said. She gave Candace and me our glasses and then sat in her father’s chair.

“She also looked scared to death when she answered the door,” Candace said.

“Oh, she’s better now. You should have seen her earlier,” Kara said.

The heat of a blush warmed my cheeks. “It’s in the past and I’m fine.”

“Let me just say, the information you provided earlier concerning Rufus Bowen might help connect the two murders,” Baca said. “Thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome, but of course I had to tell you about my talk with him. Should have done it the night before.” Maybe Candace was right about the chief changing his tune concerning me. He did seem friendly and was perhaps trying to set things right between us after last fall’s murder investigation.

“Did you say two murders?” Kara asked Baca.

“We can’t discuss an ongoing investigation, right, Chief?” Candace said quickly. She’d cocked her head, and she was glaring at Baca. I expected her to add another “Right?” but the look she gave him was enough.

His turn to go red in the face. “That would be correct. I thought Candace would be the best officer to come and take your statement about this intruder. If we need to call the paramedics or take you to an emergency room, then-”

“No. I don’t need medical attention. I’m just kind of angry about this guy getting in here, terrorizing my cats and just… I don’t know.”

“That’s a normal reaction.” Candace pulled out her notebook so I could give my second statement of the day. “Tell us everything you can remember.”

With one cat in my lap and one beside me, I related how I came out of the bedroom and saw the man sitting in my living room. I told them everything I’d told Kara: about the leather boots, his pale eyes, the citrus smell and how he slipped into robot speech every once in a while. As I finished my story, I said, “Whoever he is, he’s had practice with those zip ties. I hardly had a chance to blink, and they were on.”