Джанет Кантрелл - Fat Cat At Large

Chase had wondered if Ted had told his mother about that.

“And Torvald?”

“Ted may have known about that fight, too.”

“Did Torvald attack you? Throw anything at you?”

“No, nothing like that. But I think Ted saw me leave his car.”

“So you think that Ted . . . killed them?”

“No, not Ted! Well, maybe. Do you think he did?”

“Why are you telling me this? Shouldn’t you talk to the police?”

“You seem to have the ear of the handsome detective. Can you find out if anyone knows anything about where Ted was when they were both murdered?”

“Mrs. Naughtly, have you talked to your son about this?”

Of course, if her son were a murderer, voicing her suspicions might seal his fate. Chase changed tactics.

“It would be better for you to talk to the police yourself. Lay out everything you know. Let them gather the evidence and find out what’s going on.”

Doris didn’t answer. She took another sip of water. Her hands seemed steadier now. The storm outside had subsided and reverted back to being the gentle rain it had been for the past several hours of the evening.

“Don’t you think that’s best?” Chase urged.

“I can’t throw suspicion onto my own son.”

That would be one consideration, Chase thought. The other would be that, if her own son were out murdering people, it would be good to get him stopped.

“So you’re afraid Ted might have actually killed his own father? And Torvald?”

Doris raised her head and frowned. “I’m so confused.”

She wasn’t the only one.

“I think both you and Ted should be very careful, just in case you become the targets of this killer. You’re all connected in some way.” They should be careful, that is, if they weren’t murderers themselves. Chase had a hard time seeing ultra-feminine Doris or shifty-thief Ted as murderers, but what did she know? No one knew why either one of the victims had been killed, let alone who had killed them.

Doris eventually left, a little more sober than when she had arrived. The rain quit entirely and Doris was able to get to her car without getting any wetter than she’d been when she entered the back door of the shop.

Chase got ready for bed but lay awake for a short time wondering about Elinda, the angry young nephew, Doris—and Ted.

• • •

Chase was sorested by Wednesday morning, she made an early trip by car to pick up some flour and sugar. She’d noticed they were a little low and the regular delivery wouldn’t come for another few days. Anna was arriving as she returned.

As Anna and Chase walked together from their cars toward the shop, Chase saw Vi waiting outside the door. The weather had suddenly turned warm and sunshiny. Chase knew this was an aberration and wouldn’t be likely to last this time of year. It was almost too warm to wear a sweater, let alone a jacket. Chase shed hers as soon as she got inside.

“You’re here early,” Anna said to Vi, who followed Chase through the door into the kitchen. Today Vi wore a lilac sateen blouse with designer cloth-covered buttons. Her brown eyes picked up a bit of purple tint from the fabric.

“My rattletrap car broke down. I got a ride here, but my ride had to drop me off early.”

“Oh my. I’m so sorry,” said Anna, touching Vi’s arm. “Will you be able to get it fixed?”

Vi shrugged. “I haven’t called anybody. I can get rides for now.”

“Do you want me to call a mechanic to look at it?”

“You don’t need to do that. I don’t want you to go to any fuss. I’ll be okay.”

Vi didn’t seem very concerned that she had no transportation. If it had been her BMW that broke down, Chase wondered if she would be more concerned. But, since the BMW had been repossessed, maybe she was putting on a show of not caring about this car. Or maybe she’d decided to actually not care about them anymore. Buying what she couldn’t afford had gotten her into trouble. Or maybe she was being brave, or trying to take care of herself.

Chase ran upstairs to tend to Quincy. He complained loudly about his breakfast being late, but forgave his mistress when she dished out the homemade treat he liked so much. As Chase watched her pet daintily chomp his food, she wondered who Vi had gotten a ride from. Shaun? Had he merely been chauffeuring Vi last night and not tailing Chase, after all?

TWENTY-SIX

Downstairs, Chase got a call from Laci saying that she’d seen her doctor again, but wasn’t cleared to work yet.

The morning flew by, with a steady stream of customers, although there weren’t many at a time.

“You never told me exactly why Detective Olson decided to detain you,” Anna said. As usual at this time of day, she was stirring a batch of batter. Chase had been getting a head start on the midmonth payroll and was taking an iced-tea break in the kitchen. It was almost lunchtime. She would spell Vi in the front pretty soon.

Chase hadn’t told Anna about the evidence against her. It seemed like blaming poor old Hilda, like telling on her, but she decided she wanted Anna’s opinion.

“You remember the older woman who lives across from Gabe Naughtly’s condo?” Chase said. “The one who had Quincy last week?”

Anna nodded, concentrating on her bowl. She stuck it under the beaters and turned the mixer on.

Chase raised her voice to be heard over the whirring. “She told the detective that she saw me quite a bit before I said I was there.”

“At the condo, you mean?”

“Yes. She said I was there after Doris and Torvald left, around four thirty, hours before I was really there. And she says that I had blood on my clothes.”

“She’s sure she saw you?”

“She said she saw ‘that nice girl from the Bar None’ leave the condo with blood on her clothing. Come into the office. I want to ask you something.”

Anna switched off the mixer and followed Chase.

As soon as Chase closed the door and Anna sat in the desk chair, Vi called to them and knocked on the door.

“Can someone watch the front? I have an emergency.”

So much for discussing Hilda with Anna. They both returned to the kitchen.

Vi clutched her tote bag to her chest and looked as worried as Chase had ever seen her. “Is there something we can do?”

“No. It’s a family thing. I just found out. It won’t take long. Maybe an hour. There aren’t any customers right now.”

Anna went to Vi, put her hand on Vi’s sateen sleeve, and nodded. “It’s nearly time for your lunch break. You can take it now. We’ll be fine.”

Vi scurried out the back door.

“I wonder where she’s going,” Chase said. “She doesn’t have a car. That reminds me. I told you that Mike saw another person in the car with Shaun last night, but I didn’t mention that I think it might have been Vi.”

“That makes sense.” Anna started pouring batter onto a baking pan. “They seem to have gotten to know each other. You said they were talking outside the other day.”

Chase grimaced. “I don’t think that’s a good thing, but I guess it’s lucky he’s giving her transportation.”

“We should have found out exactly where her car is. I could have someone go out and look at it. Do you think it’s at her home?”

Chase recalled that Vi lived in an expensive part of town, near Lake Calhoun. “If it is, I’ll bet it seems strange, that beat-up old car, in that neighborhood.”

“One of us ought to get out front. I said she could leave, so I’ll go.” Anna untied her apron and draped it over a stool. Chase shook her head after Anna left, and hung it on the proper hook.

Mike called as soon as she returned to the office. Quincy jumped softly into her lap when she sat at the computer.