Donally, Claire - Cat Nap (A SUNNY & SHADOW MYSTERY)

He tried to burn the feeling off the same way he would excess energy, playing the running game where he started in the kitchen, raced down the hall, caromed off the archway into the living room, and landed by the couch. The only problem was, it wasn’t the same when he wasn’t landing on Sunny. So he’d been especially glad to see her, even though she came home late.

When he went after her plate the fourth time, she tore off a piece of what was between the bread—huh, it turned out to be egg, which he ate even though he really wasn’t interested. He just wanted to be nice to Sunny.

As she finished the sandwich, he finally got a paw on the plate and shoved it across her thigh. Then, when she went to pick it up, he swarmed over her arm and into her lap.

Halfway there, he paused for an instant, distracted. Was that Gentle Hands he smelled on her arm? Why was Sunny seeing her? His paw felt fine. To prove it, he reached out and gave Sunny’s leg a good smack. No pain at all.

He swirled around in her lap and arranged himself comfortably. He certainly hadn’t expected to find traces of Gentle Hands tonight. That was the interesting thing about two-legs. You never knew what they got up to once they left the house.

10

Sunny finally gotloose from a surprisingly clingy Shadow to get hold of Jane Rigsdale on the phone. When she passed along Will’s advice about a lawyer, Jane almost instinctively resisted. “Doesn’t getting a lawyer make me look guilty?”

“Has not having a lawyer made you look more innocent to Trumbull and Fitch?” Sunny asked.

Jane didn’t have an answer for that.

“Look, Jane, you’re a smart person,” Sunny told her. “But you haven’t been at your best dealing with the police. You need someone who understands the system, and that means a lawyer. Don’t take my word for it. Will is an experienced cop. He’s been around for people being questioned, and if he thinks you should have a lawyer with you, you probably should.”

“I—I’ll think about it,” Jane finally said. “You say Will gave you a card?”

Sunny read off the name and information on the card while Jane wrote it down. Then they wished each other a good night.

Hanging up the phone, Sunny looked down at Shadow, who had sat at her feet during the conversation. “Well, that’s the best I could do,” she told the cat. “The rest is up to Jane. If she’s as smart as I think she is, she’ll call that guy soon.”

They went back to the living room to watch some television. Around nine o’clock, a car pulled up in the driveway and then drove off. Seconds later, Mike opened the door.

“Before you ask,” he said, “Zack Judson gave me a lift, and I had soup and half a sandwich for supper.”

“That all sounds pretty good,’” Sunny replied. “But what I was going to ask was why you had to go flying off on such short notice.”

Mike looked at her in surprise. “I figured you would know—or at least be able to read between the lines. The sheriff has been using this Rigsdale case to bash at Will. We had to firm up his support when some folks began wavering.”

“Politics,” Sunny said in disgust. “I should have known it.”

“That crowd up in Levett has pretty much had it their own way for years.” Mike went into his standard rant about the lousy state of local government.

“Well, Levett is the county seat,” Sunny pointed out. “Do you really think your Kittery Harbor crowd would do a better job if you got to run things?”

“Be hard to do worse,” he grumped. “Besides, somebody had to stand up to those guys.”

“But Will is the one being bashed.”

Mike made a helpless gesture. “You know I like Will.”

“Yeah,” Sunny said. “So do I.”

“Maybe not in the same way.” Her dad tried out a smile, but it fell flat. “Will went into this with his eyes open. He has his own reasons to dislike Frank Nesbit.”

“That’s true,” Sunny had to admit.

“And it’s this stupid case in Portsmouth that’s hurting him,” Mike said. “Once that’s cleaned up—”

“Just don’t expect me to whip out my trusty magnifying glass and solve everything,” Sunny warned.

Right, that mocking voice from the back of her head chimed in. Just because you dug up a couple of clues doesn’t mean you’re investigating anything. Yup. Sure.

From the look on Mike’s face, she wondered if he had a little voice in his head saying something similar. But he only shrugged. “If there’s one thing I think you’ve learned in life, it’s not to bite off more than you can chew.”

Sunny felt a little better as he turned back to put his coat away in the hall closet. Then she heard him add under his breath, “At least I hope so.”

*

After a Thursdaywith all sorts of visitors bringing all sorts of news, Friday was kind of a letdown. Sunny tried not to think of it that way. “Maybe what I need is just a normal business day,” she told herself. She had a bit more activity, helping out with weekend plans for eager shoppers and even more eager romantic couples. At least no snowstorms threatened.

Around three o’clock, when things seemed to be quieting down, Ollie Barnstable called. “Nothing urgent going on in the office, is there?” he asked. “I’m thinking of spending the weekend down here in New York. Guy I know thinks he can score some orchestra seats for—”

Sunny really didn’t want to hear what smash hit he was going to see, probably at bargain prices. She was saved when the other line rang.

“Can you hold for a second?” she asked. “It might be one of the shopping packages.”

She switched over to hear Jane talking a bit too fast. “I did it.”

“Did what?” Sunny said, hoping this wasn’t going to turn into a dramatic confession.

“I called that guy—the lawyer, Phillips. He’s been following the case and agreed to meet with me tomorrow. The thing is, he’s working on another big case and wants to see me around six o’clock.” Jane finally paused for a second. “I hate to ask—would you mind coming with me?”

“That didn’t work out so well the last time,” Sunny reminded her.

“But that’s part of it. You’re a witness . . . and you’d be backup. I think I kind of need that,” Jane admitted.

Sunny sighed. “Okay. We’ll make some kind of a plan. But I’ve got to get off now. I left my boss on the other line.”

She got back to Ollie, who apparently was engaged in conversation with somebody else. “Oh, Sunny. Yeah. Look, I may stretch this trip even longer. Don’t expect me back until Tuesday, maybe Wednesday. Call me if anything comes up.” He cut the connection almost before he finished the sentence.

Lucky you , thought Sunny. The rest of the day was the same old, same old. Sunny locked the door right on schedule and headed home. She even had time to take care of Shadow’s oil massage before tackling the job of cooking supper.

“I’m going to miss this,” she told the cat as she kneaded the oil around the pads on his paw. It had turned into a nice little ritual. Whenever she got out the bottle of oil, he’d come right over and present his paw. Just like the way he’d do it with Jane, she thought, looking into the cat’s odd, gold-flecked eyes. Maybe he’s starting to trust me.

“Are we having supper soon, or is the whole night going to go toward pet physical therapy?” Mike asked, coming into the kitchen. “Because there are human beings around here who are sort of hungry.”

“I’ll be starting in a minute, Dad,” Sunny told him. “And, yes,” she went on as he opened his mouth, “I’ll wash my hands first.”

They watched a couple of Mike’s favorite programs on the TV, but Sunny didn’t pay much attention, playing with Shadow. As soon as the news came on, she stood up, yawning. “I’ll hear about the weather tomorrow,” she said, heading up to her bedroom. “I want to get up a little early.”