Софи Келли - A Case Of Cat And Mouse

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Marcus brought wonton soup and egg rolls for supper. He was determined to master chopsticks and refused to use a fork. Owen and Hercules happily sat on either side of him and dealt with the fallout.

After Marcus left for a hockey training session I washed the kitchen floor and swept the porch while it dried. I was at the table going over the latest notes for Eugenie, when there was a knock at my door. I was surprised to discover Russell, of all people, standing on my back step.

“Hey, Kathleen,” he said. “I hope it’s okay that I stopped by without calling. I wanted to see your cats.” He held out a foil pan. “I brought food to make up for my gaucheness.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “C’mon in. I was just working on some stuff for Eugenie.”

Owen and Hercules, who had disappeared to who knew where when Marcus left, were now sitting side by side in front of the refrigerator.

Russell smiled at them. “Hercules is the black-and-white cat and Owen is the tabby, right?”

I nodded.

“And they don’t like to be touched.”

“Only by me,” I said.

“I don’t like to be rubbed the wrong way either, guys,” Russell stage-whispered.

He took a seat at the table and the boys moved to sit beside his chair. It seemed they recognized a kindred soul.

I took the top off the foil pan.

“Ham and cheese rolls,” Russell said. Two furry heads swiveled in unison toward me. “Don’t worry, I didn’t make them. Caroline did.”

“Will you have one with me?” I asked.

Russell smiled. “That’s kind of why I brought four.”

“Coffee or tea?”

“Tea, if it’s not too much trouble,” he said. “I’ve been spending a lot of time with Eugenie.”

I opened the cupboard door. “Well, you can tell her I have a teapot and a tea cozy.”

He grasped the lapels of his gray sweater and sat upright in the chair. “This is my suitably impressed face.”

I made the tea and poured us each a cup. Caroline’s ham and cheese rolls were delicious. We each had one and I pretended not to see Russell sneak a bite to the boys.

Once there was nothing left but crumbs on my plate I pulled both feet up so I was sitting cross-legged and smiled at Russell. “I know a bribe when I see it—and eat it. You didn’t just come by to meet Hercules and Owen. What’s going on?”

“I lied to the police.”

I sighed. Apparently the first time hadn’t been enough. “What about?”

He studied the top of the table for a moment. “I let Eugenie use me as an alibi.”

“So the two of you weren’t together all evening when Kassie was killed?”

He shook his head. His spiky hair looked like little porcupine quills.

“Russell, you’re not just Eugenie’s alibi. She’s yours.”

He traced along the metal edge of the table with his index finger. “I have a real one.” He looked up at me. “The police have been back asking more questions. I suck at lying.”

“Start at the beginning,” I said. “And by the way, being a terrible liar isn’t a bad thing. So why did you cover for Eugenie in the first place?”

He looked at me like the answer was obvious. “Because it was Eugenie, Kathleen. She’s my friend.” He took a breath and let it out. “I overheard her and Kassie fighting, the day before Kassie . . . died. I’ve never seen Eugenie so angry. She doesn’t get angry. I was afraid . . .” He didn’t finish the sentence.

I raked a hand back through my hair. I didn’t believe Eugenie had killed Kassie. “What did the two of them argue about?”

“Eugenie didn’t like how Kassie had been bullying Kate and Caroline. It wasn’t just the little cracks on camera. She took digs at both of them every time she was around them.” He hesitated. “Eugenie threatened to have Kassie replaced.”

“But we both know she couldn’t do that.”

Russell shrugged. At his feet Owen and Hercules seemed to be taking in everything he said. “I’m not so sure, Kathleen,” he said. “I heard her say if it came down to her or Kassie that Elias would pick her. I don’t know what she meant by that.”

“How did Kassie react?”

“She didn’t act like she felt threatened at all. She said, ‘You’re not getting rid of me that easily.’ Then Eugenie came back and said, ‘Child, if you knew more about me, you wouldn’t be nearly so smug.’” He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “I have to talk to Eugenie about all of this first. Will you come with me?”

I nodded. “I will, but there’s something I need to know first. What’s your real alibi?”

A tiny smile tugged at his lips. “I was doing hot yoga with Stacey.”

I dropped my feet to the floor and stood up. “Did you know Maggie teaches yoga classes? I’m sure she’d love to let the two of you try one.”

Russell started to laugh. “ Hot yoga, Kathleen.”

“I know what that is,” I said. “The temperature and humidity of the room are raised so everyone sweats a lot.”

He was still grinning. “In this case it wasn’t the room that was hot,” he said. He licked the end of his index finger, touched it briefly to his shoulder and made a sizzling sound.

I got what he meant then. I remembered the tiny paper heart I’d noticed Stacey wearing on a chain around her neck. I should have made the connection the moment I had seen it.

“So if you were Eugenie’s alibi, who was Stacey’s?” I asked. This was all so convoluted. I thought about what my mother always said about telling the truth: “ Tell the truth. It’s easier to remember .”

Russell smiled down at the cats. “The thing is, Stacey’s the kind of person who’s always kind of in the background helping out—probably because she’s a kindergarten teacher and she does that all day. Anyway, people tend not to pay a lot of attention to where she is or isn’t. But if you ask they’ll say, ‘Sure, Stacey was there.’ She got to Eric’s ahead of Eugenie and me and when the two of us left no one really paid attention. A couple of people said she was there all night and so we just left it at that.”

Marcus had said that eyewitness testimony wasn’t always infallible. I could see why he felt that way.

“I know it seems like Stacey has it all together, but lying like this just makes her anxiety worse. I don’t want to hang Eugenie out to dry, but I think I have to tell the truth.”

We needed to talk to Eugenie now and clear things up. “Do you know where Eugenie is?” I asked.

Russell frowned. “As far as I know a bunch of them were going out to Fern’s to try the pie. They might still be there. I can text Norman and find out.”

“I think that would be a good idea.”

I leaned against the counter while Russell texted the PA and waited for his reply. “They’re still there,” he said, looking up from the phone.

“Let’s go,” I said. I slid my feet into shoes, pulled on a sweater and grabbed my wallet and keys. “I’ll follow you,” I said to Russell.

He leaned forward and smiled at Owen and Hercules. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, fur dudes,” he said.

Hercules bobbed his head and Owen meowed. They seemed to feel the same way.

Peggy was behind the counter when we got to Fern’s. She smiled when we walked in. “Sit anywhere, Kathleen,” she said.

We took a booth beside the table of people from the show. Caroline smiled and gave a little wave, which I returned. Charles was deep in conversation with one of the camera operators.

Peggy came over to us.

“Just coffee for me,” I said, “And it probably should be decaf.”

“What kind of pie has everyone been having?” Russell asked, peering over at the table next to us.