Миранда Джеймс - No Cats Allowed

Azalea nodded and retrieved a carton of heavy cream from the fridge, and I found the sugar bowl and a spoon for her. I waited until Lisa had prepared her tea to her liking and had a couple of sips before I questioned her about her dramatic claim.

“How could you be the reason that Reilly was murdered?” I asked gently. “I really don’t understand.”

Lisa stared into her tea. “I’ve been dating one of the assistant football coaches, Brent Tucker. They call him Tuck.” She smiled briefly. “Tuck the Truck, because of the way he used to barrel down the field, knocking other players out of the way.”

I did indeed know Tuck the Truck, although not personally. He had played collegiate ball at Athena, then gone on to a brief stint in the NFL before serious injuries ended his career. As I recalled, he was about six foot five and weighed nearly three hundred pounds. Not as massive as Porter Stanley, but still a big guy.

“Yes, I know who he is,” I said. “Are you afraid your boyfriend is responsible? What did he have against Reilly?”

“Brent is really protective of me, you see,” Lisa replied.

When she failed to continue, I prompted her. “And?”

Lisa paled, and her hands tightened around her mug. “I told you how Reilly accused me of lying. Well, that wasn’t the whole story.” She paused for a sip of tea. “He, well, he touched me and said he was sure everything would be okay if I cooperated with him.”

If Reilly hadn’t already been dead, I think I would have gone after him myself. I loathed men who tried to take advantage of women in such a sleazy fashion. Lisa was young enough—barely—to be my daughter, and my protective instincts came to the fore.

I took a moment to master my temper before I spoke. In the meantime, Diesel meowed and rubbed his head against Lisa’s leg in a determined fashion, and I could see that his attentions helped her keep her composure, at least for the moment.

“You told your boyfriend about what Reilly did,” I said.

Lisa nodded.

“When?”

“Last night, around nine thirty.” Lisa gazed at me, terror in her eyes. “Brent went crazy. I’d never seen him like that. He put his fist through the wall in my apartment. He swore he was going to find Reilly and rip his head off. He stormed out of the apartment. I went after him, telling him not to do anything stupid, but he wouldn’t listen. He jumped in his truck and drove off. I haven’t seen or talked to him since.” She burst into tears, and Azalea, who had been standing near the stove, came quickly to her side and bent to wrap her arms around Lisa.

After a couple of minutes, Lisa pulled away. She looked up into Azalea’s concerned face and thanked her. Azalea patted her on the shoulder and resumed her position by the stove.

“Lisa, I’m so sorry you’ve been through all this. Reilly was a despicable man for subjecting you to that.”

She nodded. “I was going to talk to HR about it when I filed my complaint. I never should have told Brent, but I had no idea he would react so violently.” Her eyes filled with tears again. “Charlie, what should I do? I’m so worried about Brent and what he may have done.”

“My best advice is to talk to the officer in charge of the investigation, Kanesha Berry,” I said. “She’s Azalea’s daughter, I don’t know whether you knew that.”

“No, I didn’t.” Lisa frowned at Azalea. “No offense, but if I had known that before, I might not have talked so freely.”

Azalea fixed Lisa with her unflinchingly forthright gaze. “I don’t go running to my daughter with every little thing I hear.” She snatched up a dishrag and marched into the laundry room.

“Oh, dear,” Lisa said, gazing after her. “I’ve offended her.” Diesel warbled loudly, and Lisa grimaced. “Sounds like he’s not happy, either.”

“Yes, you have offended her,” I said. “Diesel is reacting to the tension he feels. I understand that you’re distraught over the situation, and I repeat, my best advice is to talk to Kanesha. Right away. If your boyfriend is that violent, you might need protection from him. I’m not saying he murdered Reilly, but his reaction to what you told him concerns me.”

Lisa stared at me. “Oh my Lord, I never thought about that. I don’t think Brent would hurt me .”

“I would hope not,” I said. “I don’t think you should take any chances. He ought to understand, if he’s innocent, why you went to the sheriff’s department.”

“I don’t suppose you would go with me,” Lisa said, entreating me with her eyes. “I’m nervous about going on my own.”

“Kanesha is planning to come here at some point before too long,” I said. “Why don’t you stay here? You can talk to her here, instead of downtown. I might have to leave for a while, but Azalea will look after you.”

“I’d better apologize to her first, though,” Lisa said. “Thank you, Charlie, I will stay here if you don’t mind. I don’t feel safe now, going back to my apartment alone.”

Diesel meowed, and Lisa patted his head. “Thank you, sweet kitty.” She pushed back her chair. “I’m going to apologize.” She headed for the utility room, from whence I could hear sounds of the washing machine in operation.

Have mercy, what a mess . Another suspect in the murder, and definitely one much more convincing than poor Melba. After a moment’s thought, I pulled out my cell phone and started composing a text message to Kanesha.

Come soon as you can to my house. Have someone here who may have vital info.

I hit the Send icon and held the phone, anxiously watching the screen for a reply. I waited for two long minutes before Kanesha responded.

There in about ten.

Feeling much relief, I put the phone down on the table. Lisa walked back into the kitchen, Diesel at her heels.

“I apologized, and she accepted,” Lisa said. “I wish that deputy would get here soon.”

“I heard from her a moment ago,” I said. “She’ll be here in about ten minutes.”

“Good.” Lisa picked up her mug from the table. “Okay if I help myself to more tea?”

“Certainly.” I went to the fridge to retrieve a can of diet soda. I was in the mood for more caffeine, but I wanted it cold.

Back at the table, I regarded Lisa with concern. She appeared calm now, and I hoped she would remain that way once Kanesha arrived.

“Deputy Berry can be stern and look like she’s annoyed when you’re talking to her,” I said. “That’s simply her way. You can trust her, because she’s fair and won’t jump to conclusions. Do you understand?”

Lisa nodded. “Thanks for telling me, otherwise I might have been freaked out.” She sipped her tea. “I’m pretty nervous, actually. I’ve never had to talk to an officer of the law like this.”

“It will be okay,” I said. “Don’t hold back. Tell her everything.” I didn’t know whether it had occurred to Lisa yet that she herself could be a viable suspect in the murder. Reilly’s harassment of her could be considered a strong motive.

My phone rang, and I saw that Sean was calling. “Excuse me a moment. I need to take this.” I scooped up the phone and walked into the hallway to answer it. Diesel followed, watching me closely.

“Hi, Son, what’s the latest?”

“I’m in the office,” Sean replied. “Can you come now?”

“I need to stay home for a while,” I said. “Kanesha is on her way, and I have one of my fellow librarians here with me. She needs to talk to Kanesha, and it could be important. I can’t say anything more at the moment, but this could be a big help to Melba.”

“Okay, Dad,” he said. “I should have known you’d be a magnet for anyone involved in this mess.” He didn’t sound critical, more slightly amused. “Give me a call as soon as you’re done with Kanesha.”