Ник Сайнт - Purrfect Murder

“I see.” Tex toyed with the note for a moment, then said, “You know what? I’m going to do you a favor, Chase. I’m not going to give you a prescription. Instead I’m going to start a new rumor.”

“You’re going to do what?” asked Chase, his jaw dropping.

Tex chuckled. “This town is one big rumor mill, son. Everyone knows everyone around here, and people make it their business to butt into other people’s business all the time. Rumors travel so fast sometimes they overtake you on your way home. It’s happened that something happened to me on my way home and by the time I got there my wife already knew all about it!”

Chase still stared at him. “I don’t get it.”

“That’s because you’re not a Hampton Covian. Yet. I’m going to start the rumor that you were framed in this Malka Putin business, and that you’re a damn fine cop. I’m going to make it so that you’ll be treated like a genuine hero before I’m through, Chase. As it is, people down here don’t like the mayor of New York or his wife much anyway. Trust me, you’re going to come out of this smelling of roses. This community is going to embrace you as one of their own, and you’ll be able to do your job as a police officer just fine.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Doc?”

The doctor displayed a toothy grin. “I’m going to say more. I’m going to say this is one of the best damn ideas I’ve ever had. And I’m going to add this will do you a hell of a lot more good than those damn pills, son. I’m sure before long you’ll feel right at home in this community. Hampton Covians are a weird bunch. They can be hostile to outsiders, even though this is a tourist town. They don’t easily take to strangers, but once they do, you’ll find they’re the warmest, kindest people you could ever hope to meet.” He gave the other man a smile that warmed my heart, and I could hear Dooley utter a sigh.

Chase nodded. “If you think this will work…”

“Leave it to me. My daughter happens to be a reporter for the Hampton Cove Gazette and one of the best gossips this town has ever known. She takes after her grandmother that way. There’s not a single rumor she’s not aware of, and plenty she’s instigated herself. I don’t know how she does it, but she always seems to know everything about everybody and often before anyone else does. If she takes up your case, your worries are over, son.”

Chase looked thoughtful. “Your daughter, is she blond with green eyes?”

“That’s her. Have you met?”

He grimaced. “We have, and I’m afraid we got off on the wrong foot.”

“Nonsense,” said Tex. “No one can get off on the wrong foot with Odelia. She’s sweet as a kitten. Whatever little trouble you had will go away once you’ve sat down for dinner together. You are still coming to dinner, right?”

“Um…”

“Excellent. My wife told me how she told her brother to invite you.”

Chase rose, looking thoughtful. He appeared on the verge of saying something, but then decided against it. “Thanks, Doc. Thanks for listening.”

“Of course,” Tex said, clapping the other man on his broad back and leading him out. “Trust me, before long you and Odelia will get along great.”

Chase’s eyes darkened at the mention of the reporter, and I had the distinct impression he wasn’t as fond of her as Tex would have liked. Which was probably a good thing, as I didn’t want the two of them hooking up. Still, the conversation had definitely made me see Chase in a whole new light. The guy wasn’t so bad after all. The only thing I now held against him was his lousy taste in cats, but that wasn’t something he could be faulted for. Humans are easily deceived, especially the ones who can’t communicate with us.

Dooley and I shared a look. “That changes everything, doesn’t it?” I said.

“Sure does,” Dooley agreed.

“Just goes to show you can’t believe everything you read in the paper.”

“I knew he was a good guy. I just knew it.”

“No, you didn’t. You thought he was bad news. We all did.”

“Well, it still doesn’t make the prospect of Brutus coming to live with us any better,” Dooley said as we hopped down from the windowsill and started padding toward the front of the building again.

“Didn’t you hear the guy? He and Odelia hate each other’s guts.”

“Oh. Right. So that’s a good thing, huh?”

“That’s a great thing. It’s probably one of those instant enmities.”

“Instant enemas?”

I heaved a sigh. “What’s with the poo fixation?”

“Huh?”

“Enmity, not enema. It’s like instant attraction but the other way around.”

He still looked puzzled. “Uh-huh.”

“It happens. And a good thing, too.”

We walked on in silence for a few minutes, then Dooley asked, “Are you sure about those enemas? Chase Kingsley didn’t strike me as constipated.”

I rolled my eyes heavenward. God, please kill me now.

Chapter 9

Odelia quickly made her way over to the No Spring Chicks restaurant. She walked in and immediately crossed to the kitchen, where she knew she’d find Aissa. Even though the restaurant was doing great, and Aissa nor Marissa had to slave behind the stove anymore but now had a chef to do the heavy lifting, Aissa still liked to stick around keeping an eye on things. At this time she could usually be found experimenting with new recipes and adding those to the menu, while Marissa was holed up in the small office in the back, going over the books. She was the money person, while Aissa was more the creative and culinary genius.

She found Aissa in the big walk-in freezer, instructing the delivery man where to stash the fresh produce. She looked up when Odelia entered.

“Hey, hon,” she said. “If you’re here for a reservation I’m sorry to say we’re fully booked tonight. Though I could always squeeze you in around eleven, if you’re up for a later dinner.”

“That’s all right. I’m having dinner at my parents’ place tonight.”

“Nothing beats a home-cooked meal,” said Aissa blithely as she wiped her hands on her apron and stepped out of the freezer. She was a stickler for detail, which was one of the reasons No Spring Chicks was such a hit.

A short plump woman with a black bob, she reminded Odelia of the women manning the cafeteria counter at Hampton Cove High, who’d always been ready to ladle extra gravy onto her hash browns and provide her with an extra dollop of creamy mashed potatoes.

“So what can I do for you?” asked Aissa, and then her eyes fell on the notebook Odelia was clutching in her hand. “Oh, official business, huh?” Her eyes lit up. “You’re doing another story on No Spring Chicks? That’s great! Last time you did one, our reservations tripled, so keep it coming, hon.”

“Well, actually I’m doing a piece on the murder of Paulo Frey,” she said.

The smile instantly vanished from Aissa’s face as if wiped away with a squeegee. “Yeah, I heard about that. Found him in the crapper, huh?”

She grimaced. “I take it he wasn’t your favorite person in the world?”

“Not really. In fact it’s safe to say Marissa and I kinda hated the guy.”

At least she wasn’t holding back, Odelia thought. “And why was that?”

Aissa led her through the kitchen and into the restaurant, where they took a seat at a table near the window. The place was still empty, as preparations for lunch were yet to begin. “Well, I actually liked the guy at first. When I heard he took the Writer’s Lodge, Marissa and I were excited. We’d both been reading him for years. I mean, he wrote some great books.”

“I know. I’ve read some of his stuff. The guy could write a mean thriller.”