Софи Келли - Hooked On A Feline

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’m okay,” he replied just a little too quickly.

I could easily think of half a dozen things that could have been wrong in the life of someone his age. I hoped it was one of the minor ones.

“I didn’t ask if you were okay. I asked what’s wrong.” I waited.

He didn’t seem to quite know what to do with his hands. He ran them back through his hair, then tugged at the front of his shirt.

“I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

“Are you trying to convince someone to break the law or hurt themselves or another person?”

“No,” he said. “I would never do anything like that.”

“Then you’re not going to get anyone in trouble. They might get themselves in trouble but that’s on them, not on you.” My mother had used that logic on me many times. Some of them it had actually worked.

“Mrs. Anderson, the woman who died in that car accident a few months ago—is it true what I heard? That is wasn’t an accident.”

I nodded. “It looks that way.” My stomach suddenly felt like I was on a roller coaster.

“She was going home from here,” Levi continued, “after Mary’s talk, right?”

“That’s right.” I wanted to push him to get to the point, but I was afraid if I did, he’d stop talking altogether.

He rubbed his hands on his black jeans. “That day, I heard Mrs. Anderson arguing with someone. She was really angry.”

“Do you know who she was arguing with?”

He nodded. “Yeah. And the thing is, I just know that . . . that he wouldn’t have killed her.”

“So then you can’t get that person in trouble.”

He looked doubtful.

“Levi, who was it?” I asked. I had a feeling I knew the answer.

He looked down at his feet. “Johnny Rock.”

That was what I had expected him to say. “I know they argued. Johnny told me.”

Levi still looked troubled. “Did he tell you what he said to her?”

“He told me they’d had words over a business deal.”

He couldn’t seem to keep his hands still. He ran a hand over his head. He pulled at a loose thread on his shirt. “He wouldn’t have killed an old lady. I don’t want him to be in trouble because of what I heard.”

“Levi, is this something the police need to hear?” I asked.

He looked down at his feet. “I don’t know. Maybe. It’s just that Johnny said something they might take the wrong way.”

I slowly let out a breath. “I don’t think Johnny could kill anyone, either—old or not. So what did he say? ‘I wish you were dead’?” I smiled. “I’ll tell you a little secret. When I was not much younger than you are, I said that to my mother more than once when I was fighting with her. But I didn’t mean it and no one really thought I did.”

Levi almost smiled. “I can’t picture you as a teenager,” he said.

“Sometime, I’ll show you some slightly embarrassing photos from back then,” I said.

He scuffed one foot on the floor. “Okay. Johnny didn’t exactly say he wished she was dead but it was pretty close. He said, ‘When you’re dead, I will dance on your grave, old woman, and it can’t come soon enough for me.’ ”

Given how angry I knew Johnny had been at the time, the words didn’t surprise me. It also didn’t surprise me that he hadn’t volunteered that he’d said them.

“So do I need to talk to the police?” Levi asked.

“How about I tell Detective Gordon what you just told me, and if he needs to talk to you, he’ll let you know.”

His shoulders sagged with relief. “Thanks, Kathleen,” he said. “I’ll go get those boxes for you.”

Once the cartons of books were upstairs, I called Marcus and explained what Levi had told me. “I don’t think it’s a big deal,” I said. “But I thought I should let you know.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Johnny’s feelings about Leitha are pretty clear. I don’t need to talk to Levi.”

“For the record, I don’t think Johnny killed Leitha no matter what he said to her, and I’m certain he didn’t kill Mike.”

I pictured Marcus probably shaking his head at the phone. “For the record, right now I’m just going to say, ‘no comment.’ ”

Marcus showed up just after we’d closed the library. I was about to get in the truck and Harry was sweeping the back end of the parking lot. The Reading Club kids had taken some vegetables home, and there were dirt and the odd radish all over the pavement.

I waited by the truck as Marcus walked over to me. He raised one hand in hello to Harry. “Kathleen, did you by any chance talk to Johnny this afternoon?” he asked.

“If you mean, did I call and warn him that Levi had heard him telling Leitha how happy he’d be when she was dead? No.”

He had the good sense to look a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything. I just wondered if he might have come in or called for any reason. You did say he made a big donation to the computer fund.”

“I haven’t talked to Johnny at all today. Why?”

“I need to talk to Harry,” he said.

That didn’t answer my question, so I followed him across the lot. He asked Harry the same question: Had he talked to Johnny this afternoon?

Harry shook his head. “I haven’t talked to Johnny for a couple of days.” He pulled off his hat, ran a hand over his bald head and put it back on again. “More than any of the rest of us, Johnny is struggling with Mike’s death. They were close and I think Mike would have ended up going on the road with Johnny for at least part of the time, even if the rest of us didn’t.” He stopped and took a couple of deep breaths. “Mike was the reason we ended up getting together for the Last Bash. It was his idea and he nagged the rest of us until we were all in. The two of them had plans and I think Johnny’s having a hard time letting go of them.” He focused on Marcus. “No offense, but we need answers and the sooner the better.”

“I know,” Marcus said. “I’m trying to get you those answers. There are a couple of things I need to talk to Johnny about, but I haven’t been able to find him.”

“If I hear from him, I’ll tell him to call you,” Harry said.

Marcus nodded. “Thanks.”

I said good night to Harry and walked back to the truck with Marcus. “You can’t actually think Johnny killed either one of them?” I said. “He had no reason.”

“My job is to gather the evidence.”

I gave him a look.

He sighed. “The problem is, no one had a reason to want Mike dead as far as I can see. No one had a motive to kill Leitha, either. She was difficult, no question, but she was an annoyance, like a mosquito buzzing around your head, not a threat to anyone. I’m going to check Eric’s. I’ll call you later.”

I watched him drive away and then I unlocked the truck, set my messenger bag on the seat and climbed inside. When I turned to head toward Mountain Road and home, I looked out over the water and the Riverwalk and it occurred to me that I might know where Johnny was. I headed in that direction instead.

As I drove, I thought about the argument Levi had overheard between Leitha and Johnny. Those words “When you’re dead, I will dance on your grave, old woman, and it can’t come soon enough for me” didn’t sound like a threat to me. It almost sounded like Johnny had been gloating.

I thought about Lachlan, working so hard to find some justification to stop the deal for that property in Red Wing. Lachlan had said Johnny didn’t want the teen to waste his time researching the old building. That gave me an idea.

I parked in the lot where the concert stage had been set up. That night felt like such a long time ago. A man was standing by the edge of the embankment, looking out over the water, hands stuffed in his pockets.