Софи Райан - The Whole Cat Аnd Caboodle

“I’m sorry we didn’t have any of your mother’s jewelry,” I said. I glanced down at Elvis. Whatever the aggravation was, it had passed.

Grant shrugged. “It was probably gone before Fenety even got here.”

He turned to Rose and smiled. “I hope things work out for your friend.”

Rose smiled sweetly back at him. She was playing the slightly befuddled little old lady to the hilt. “I hope you find your mother’s things.” She touched her watch. “I know how I’d feel if someone stole my memories.”

I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t laugh. I knew Rose’s watch had come from a Target store in Portland.

“Oh, my goodness,” she said, still looking at her watch. “Look at the time. I need to get home.”

She looked at me for the briefest moment. I knew I was supposed to do or say something. I just had no clue what.

“Umm, if you can wait a few minutes, I’ll drive you,” I said.

Rose shook her head. “No, no, dear. You have work to do. It’s not far. I’ll be fine.” She started to hobble toward the front door.

“Mrs. Jackson, I’m on my way back to my hotel,” Grant said. “Could I drop you somewhere?”

Rose hesitated. “I don’t want to put you out.”

He smiled. “You wouldn’t.”

She hesitated just a moment longer. I was shooting warning glances at her but she was pointedly ignoring them. Then she turned that smile on. “All right. Thank you. I don’t move as fast as I used to.”

He offered his arm and Rose took it.

“Thanks again,” he said to me, and the two of them went out the door.

Charlotte walked over to me. I pulled a hand back through my hair. “What the heck was that?” I said. “Who does Rose think she is? Meryl Streep?”

Charlotte smiled. “She’s detecting. Let her go.”

“That could be Arthur Fenety’s killer.”

“He couldn’t have killed Arthur. You heard what he said. He didn’t get here until Tuesday morning.”

“And of course murderers never lie,” I said. “I shouldn’t have let her go with him.”

“Rosie’s fine.” Mr. P. was standing in the storeroom doorway. He held up his cell phone. “She called my phone. I’m on speed dial. It’s a little muffled but I can hear what they’re saying.” He smiled proudly. “She’s pumping him for information.”

I raked my hand back though my hair again and watched some long strands float down to the floor. “I’m going to be bald,” I said to Charlotte.

She smiled and reached over to brush a strand of hair off my cheek. “Don’t worry. We’ll knit you some very nice hats.”

But I did worry until Jim Grant had dropped Rose off at the medical clinic. I held out my hand. “Give me the phone,” I said to Mr. P.

“Sarah wants to talk to you,” he said, and then he handed it over.

“Hello, dear,” she said.

“Promise me you won’t do that again,” I said.

“Do what?”

“Go off with a man you don’t even know, who could be a murderer.”

She laughed. “Don’t be silly. James doesn’t have the grip strength to kill someone. Didn’t you notice what a limp handshake he has?”

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly through my nose. It didn’t help. “Rose, Arthur Fenety was poisoned, not strangled.”

“Well, I know that,” she said with just a touch of exasperation in her voice. “But that limp handshake shows weakness of character. He’s a bit of a mama’s boy. Not a killer.”

“Okay,” I said, realizing that I wasn’t getting anywhere. “Just don’t take any more rides from people you don’t know. Please.”

“All right, dear. If it will make you feel better.” She was humoring me but that was okay. “Oh, and Charlotte’s taking the rest of my shift.”

“I noticed,” I said.

“Tell her she doesn’t need to cook. I’m bringing dinner.”

“I will,” I said. I handed the phone back to Mr. P. and relayed the message to Charlotte. When I turned back around he was tucking the phone in his pocket. “Good job finding Jim Grant’s picture,” I said. “And cooking up that phone business with Rose.”

He smiled. “Thank you.” He turned to head back to the sunporch. “Oh, and I found that woman.”

“What woman?” I said.

He stopped and turned back around. “The woman you saw at Sam’s.”

“One of Arthur’s wives?” Charlotte asked.

“Her name is Grace MacIntyre. And she was a girlfriend. Not a wife.”

Charlotte looked at me. “We should talk to her before she leaves town.”

Mr. P. made a face. “I’m afraid you’re too late,” he said. He looked at his watch. “She checked out of her hotel about fifteen minutes ago. She’s on her way to the airport.”

“We have to go to the airport,” Charlotte said immediately. “We have to talk to her before she leaves town.” She looked around. “Where’s Liz?”

“I’m right here,” Liz said. She was coming down the stairs. “I was making tea.” She looked at me. “By the way, you’re almost out of tea bags.”

I was probably out of my mind, too, given what I was just about to do.

“Forget about the tea,” Charlotte said.

Liz narrowed her eyes at us. “Why?”

“Because we’re going to the airport.”

“The airport?” Liz looked even more confused. “Why?”

“Because it’s what Charlie’s Angels would do,” I said.

Chapter 15

“I’ll turn off the kettle,” Liz said, heading for the stairs.

“Would you bring my purse down, please?” Charlotte called after her.

Liz nodded and lifted a hand to show she’d heard.

“I’ll go tell Mac where we’re going,” I said. I found him outside, carrying a box full of old bottles over to the planting table by the back door, where Avery was set up with potting soil, moss and some small plants.

“What’s up?” he said, setting the box on the end of the table.

I exhaled loudly. “Rose drove off with a possible murderer who she’s certain couldn’t be one because he has a floppy handshake. She’s fine, by the way.”

“Okay,” Mac said slowly.

“Charlotte and Liz and I are going to the airport to try to catch one of Arthur Fenety’s girlfriends before she leaves town.” I shook my head. “I’m crazy, aren’t I?”

Mac smiled. “You’re kindhearted and loyal and a good friend.” He held up his thumb and index finger about a quarter of an inch apart. “And maybe just a little bit crazy.”

I laughed. “How did I get myself into this, Mac?”

“They’re family,” he said with a shrug. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of things here.”

“Seriously, how would I manage without you?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said.

I ran up to my office and grabbed my purse. When I came back down, I found Charlotte and Liz waiting by my SUV, along with Mr. P. and Elvis.

“I’m coming,” Mr. P. said. “I don’t mean to be sexist, but you three need some muscle.”

He was completely serious. I didn’t dare look at Liz because I knew I’d laugh. Mr. P. wasn’t exactly the bodyguard type. On the other hand, he’d already surprised me with his computer skills so maybe I shouldn’t judge.

I looked down at Elvis. “Why do you need to come?” The cat looked at Mr. P., then back at me.

“He’s part of my security team,” Mr. P. said. I gave the two of them a once-over—Mr. P. with his trousers up under his armpits and the cat with the scar slicing across his nose. They were the most unlikely security team I’d ever seen. And I didn’t have time to get into a long discussion about it. “Get in,” I said.

Liz rode shotgun. Charlotte, Mr. P. and Elvis climbed in the back with Elvis in the middle.

The Knox County Airport is about twenty minutes outside North Harbor. I looked at my watch when we hit the highway; if we were lucky, we might catch Grace MacIntyre before she went through security. I didn’t speed, but I kept it right at the limit all the way to the airport turnoff.