Джанет Кантрелл - Fat Cat At Large

Visions of dogs on IVs and redheads with spiky hair danced in her head as she lay with Quincy tucked in beside her, still wrapped in the beach towel.

So Jasmine was the widow of his college friend. It didn’t mean she wasn’t something more.

THIRTY-SIX

Wednesday morning she had to open the shop. Technically, she didn’t have to, because Anna would have done it for her, but she felt the need to do something. She hadn’t accomplished anything for the last two days, except worry about Quincy. The shop would at least give her something else to occupy her mind.

She put him on soft towels in his crate and set it in the corner of the kitchen where she could keep an eye on him. Mike had sedated him so that the IV would stay in place until he was fully hydrated and until he had had enough antibiotics. The vet had promised to come by at noon to check on him.

What a relief if was, not having to put him into the emergency vet hospital! Not to mention how nice it was not to have to pay the extra expense of boarding him there. There were definite advantages to dating a vet when you owned a cat, as Anna, The All Wise, had noted.

Chase hoped a health inspector wouldn’t come by today when they had a furry animal in the kitchen. That would not be good. But she couldn’t leave him in the office. She just couldn’t. She turned her eyes aside and pretended not to notice when Anna slipped a bit of crumbled topping into his crate. Quincy gave it a lethargic sniff and a halfhearted lick, but he was too dopey to actually eat it.

The shop was bustling and kept both women busy. At about ten o’clock, Chase ran to answer the phone in the office. It was Laci Carlson.

“How are you? Are you feeling any better?”

“Yes, much.” She sounded bright and chipper. “The doctor told me yesterday that I could go back to work! Isn’t that wonderful?”

She had picked the right day. Vi was slammed, almost overwhelmed, in the front. “Yes, it is. Can you come in today?”

“I’m all dressed. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

She made it in five.

Vi frowned at Laci. “You again?” was her greeting.

“Vi,” Chase said, pulling her aside and huddling near the swinging doors with both of them. “You will work with Laci. Laci, you will work with Violet. We need both of you. I don’t need you quarreling. One of you work behind the counter and the other cover the floor. Stay away from each other. I don’t want to hear any bickering.”

“I’ll take the floor.” Vi flounced away and Laci took her position at the cash register, looking relieved to not have to be near Vi.

Chase felt like a junior high school principal, lecturing these two grown women. Well, barely grown, but out of high school anyway, and old enough to act responsibly on the job. How could she have forgotten how awful it was to have them working together? Chase would have to do something. She and Anna couldn’t keep employing both of them. She realized Anna was right about that. They could work separate days, but there were times when two people were needed in front. She shoved that worry down below her concern for Quincy, and for herself.

When she reentered the kitchen, Anna was standing in the middle of the room, fuming.

“I really need to find my blue marble rolling pin.”

The office phone trilled again and Chase went to get it. This time it was Detective Olson.

“I may need your help,” he said, not sounding as unfriendly as he sometimes did. “The last time we spoke, you mentioned, very briefly, that you saw something blue by Ms. Bjorn’s head.”

“Yes, I remember. There was a button and . . . something blue.” And suddenly, she got a clear mental picture of it. Something blue. Blue marble.

“Do you recall what it was?”

She stiffened and hesitated a split second before she told the lie. “No, I didn’t get that good a look at it. Just something . . . blue.” She knew he wanted her to tell him she had recognized it, Anna’s favorite rolling pin. He couldn’t know that it was from the Bar None, though. Could he?

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” she told him and hung up.

Slowly, she trudged into the kitchen. Anna still stood with her hands on her hips, fuming.

“Anna, I saw something next to Hilda Bjorn after she was attacked. It was blue.”

“Blue? How big was it?”

“About eight inches long. It looked very much like your missing rolling pin.”

Anna’s mouth dropped open. “No, that can’t be right.” She shook her head. “How would it get there?”

“I have no idea. But if it is yours, if it came from our kitchen . . .” A cold weight settled into Chase’s stomach. “If it’s from our kitchen, they’ll think I did it.”

Anna’s mouth stayed open. “No. No, you did not do that. I know you wouldn’t bash in an old woman’s head.”

The cold in her stomach crawled up her spine. It sounded to her like Anna was trying to convince herself. Did she think Chase could attack someone with a piece of heavy marble?

“You know what’s crazy?” said Anna. “I can’t even find my green marble rolling pin. Someone is stealing rolling pins.”

Loud voices sounded from the front. Laci and Vi again.

Feeling so weary she could barely walk, Chase made her way to the front to referee.

“You’re doing this on purpose to make me lose my temper!” Vi shouted at the cringing Laci.

Both of them were behind the counter. There were a half-dozen customers in the shop, all standing motionless, watching the scene.

Vi grabbed Laci’s hair. “The twenties go on top of the checks!” She tugged and Laci’s intricate updo came unraveled, shedding bobby pins. “You’re a complete idiot!” She shook Laci’s head, still holding on to her hair.

Laci flushed crimson and grabbed the front of Vi’s pastel blue satin blouse. “I am not an idiot!” Laci shouted and ripped Vi’s blouse open. Buttons flew to the floor.

“Quit that!” Chase roused herself and jumped between them, too late. The customers had all fled. Chase grabbed Vi and pried her fingers out of Laci’s hair. By then Anna had arrived and pinned Laci’s arms to her sides. Laci struggled against Anna, her face growing redder and redder. Vi panted from exertion.

“That’s enough.” Chase kept her grip tight as Vi tried to shake herself loose. “You’re both fired.”

Vi and Laci both grew still.

Vi recovered first. “Fired? How can you fire me?”

“Easy,” said Chase. “I can’t take this anymore. You’ve driven all the customers away. We can’t afford that.”

“I’m your best salesperson. You can’t run this place without me.” Vi held her blouse together and pouted.

“Watch me,” said Chase. “Get your purse and go. Now.”

Anna was trying to catch her eye, but Chase angled her sightline away to avoid looking at her.

“Laci, you, too,” Chase said.

Vi snatched her purse from under the counter and stalked out, holding her head high in defiance. She looked regal, even with a ripped blouse, leaving in disgrace.

Laci, however, began to tremble. Tears coursed down her cheeks from her huge sky-blue eyes.

“Oh, sweetie,” Anna said and folded the girl in her arms. Laci stood and sobbed for a good three minutes while Chase watched helplessly. Anna was falling for Laci’s drama and undermining Chase, darn her, when Anna had wanted to get rid of Laci all along.

They had always worked as a team. They needed to work that way. If they were going to pull against each other, fight each other, the partnership just wouldn’t work.

Chase threw up her hands and stalked to the kitchen, leaving Anna consoling Laci. Chase poured herself the last cup from the coffeemaker and sat on a stool. It wasn’t noon yet and she had almost single-handedly consumed an entire pot of coffee. No wonder her hand shook when she lifted the cup.