Meows, Magic & Murder (12 page)

“Whatever do you mean? What’s wrong with me?”
Petunia demanded as she stomped a foot.

“Besides that you’re a cat lady, you mean?”

“There’s nothing wrong with owning a pet or two.”

“You have more than that. I saw you put food outside just the other day.”

“That’s for the strays, or to keep the other cats in town from murdering you, Pansy. I only own three cats, not including you.”

“And about that—how many of them are real cats? For all I know, you turn everyone you don’t like into a feline.”

“Perhaps that’s your problem and why you’re now a cat. Your attitude stinks to high heaven.”

“I never planned to hurt you, I was just trying to get—”

“That’s enough,”
Petunia shouted.
“You don’t need to be so darned crude and you didn’t have to date my neighbor, Helen, who might just be related to me, after all, according to Grandfather.”

Out of the blue, Aunt Maxine brought Petunia out of her communicating with Pansy as she said, “What did your grandfather tell you, now? You should know he’s not that swift in the noggin.”

“So you say. He made perfect sense, but what I wonder about is why you don’t get along with Grandfather. He’s your brother.”

“Blood might qualify you as kin, but that doesn’t make it so when they never wanted to have anything to do with you just because of a little slip-up on my part.”

“What slip-up are you talking about here? Your granddaughter, Helen?”

Aunt Maxine picked up a napkin and daintily pressed it against her lips. “I’m not sure what you mean, Petunia.”

Ding dong
, the doorbell rang before Petunia could say anything further. She went to the door and was quite surprised to see Sheriff Pinkerton on the other side. “We have a little problem, Petunia. I need you down to the station to answer more questions.”

Petunia’s mind raced. “I don’t see why? I already told you everything I know.”

Aunt Maxine asked from behind Petunia, “What does he want?”

She whirled and said, “He wants me to come down to the police station.”

“Now, Pinkerton. I don’t appreciate you bothering my niece with your accusations. Go along and investigate elsewhere.”

“I have and it leads straight back here, just like it began.”

Petunia didn’t know what he was referring to. She just hoped that she wouldn’t really have to go to the police station. She still had to see how Lucy was doing today.

“I would, but I’m quite busy, you see, and I-I—”

“Look, you either come down there on your own steam, or I’ll find something to charge you with, like conning residents out of their hard-earned money for your potions. I just spoke to a few people who claim you’ve been hocking your potions on Craigslist.”

“I have not done that, exactly, but it’s not against the law to sell something on Craigslist or EBay that I know of.”

“Not even when it results in men losing all of their hair? That sound pretty serious to me, and you don’t even have a business license.”

How on earth did the sheriff find out about that?

“If that’s all you have on my niece, I think you had better find something more than that to haul her in.”

“Like a murder charge perhaps?”

“The sheriff is right. I should go down to the station. I’m not afraid of a few questions, especially when I’m innocent of Helen’s murder.”

Aunt Maxine pulled Petunia away from the door and whispered, “Are you sure that you want to do that, Petunia? I wouldn’t trust that sheriff from trying to pin a murder charge on you while you’re there.”

“I know, but I should act like I’m trying to cooperate, at least. Otherwise, it will make me look even more guilty.”

“So, what’s it going to be?” Sheriff Pinkerton asked.

Petunia stepped out onto the porch. “I’ll go along with you. I have nothing to hide.”

Sheriff Pinkerton nodded and led the way to his squad car. Petunia saw Noah standing outside with his dog, Melvin, and all she could do was shrug. The sheriff opened the back door and she climbed in. She looked over to her aunt now, and Pansy was pacing furiously back and forth on the porch. She knew that he must be very worried, since if she wasn’t able to come home, he’d never get a chance at becoming human—if that was at all possible.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Petunia stared out the window on her ride to the sheriff’s department. She sighed. This really wasn’t the highlight of her day, being hauled off first thing in the morning, especially when her aunt woke her up so early this morning.

She really needed to ask Aunt Maxine outright if she was an unwed mother and gave the child up for adoption. More than one person seemed to believe that was the case. It sure seemed that if Aunt Maxine knew that Helen was her granddaughter, she’d have told Petunia something. Did Helen really show up in town with a plot to kill off her aging aunt in hopes of inheriting her fortune?

What was her Aunt Maxine hiding, if anything, and what did she do to her brother that would pit him against her enough that he’d much rather live in a nursing home as apposed to with his sister if he wasn’t able to care for himself? Was that even the case? Her grandfather certainly didn’t seem to have Alzheimer’s. Of course, he sure was in some kind of delusional state if he thought he had embarked on some type of investigation at Sunnybrook. 

The sheriff passed Henry and Olivia Brownmeyer as they were leaving the post office. From the way they stared at the passing squad car, they surely caught sight of Petunia in the backseat. Petunia then slouched down in her seat. By the time the sheriff questioned her at the station, all of Lake Forest would know she had been taken in for questioning, but Petunia knew they’d all think she was under arrest for murder. She felt already that the shadow of guilt was on her since Jeremy had dated both Helen and her. Small towns were just like that, too, despite not knowing exactly what was going on inside the investigation. Petunia wasn’t sure either, but she’d certainly find out now.

Petunia sniffled then as she felt herself ready to sneeze, clamping both hands over her nose. For a moment, she hoped that it had passed. Surely since she hadn’t been sneezing bubbles lately, it had passed. The potion had worn off, but it really couldn’t haven been one at all since she certainly never added anything to her tea that would be considered any kind of concoction. No, she told herself. She simply refused to believe that even if she sneezed precisely at this moment, bubbles would appear.

She sat upright and bobbed her head a bit as the sensations in her nose built and resulted in a tiny sneeze, hardly worth mentioning. Her eyes widened as the backseat was overtaken by bubbles. She snuck a glance and, not seeing the sheriff looking her way or into his mirror, she proceeded to start popping bubbles. She jumped on the seat now, popping the remaining bubbles that she hadn’t already when the sheriff hit the brakes. Petunia fell forward into the screen that divided the front seat for the back one.

“What on earth are you doing back there?” Sheriff Pinkerton blubbered.

“Oh, there was a mosquito back here. I was just trying to smash the little bugger.”

“Well, stop it and get your seatbelt back on.”

“Is it really necessary to go all the way to the station? Why not just question me at my house?”

“Because that’s not how I handle questioning suspects.”

“Oh, you mean you just want it all captured on camera, is that right? I get it now.” Petunia slid back on the seat and put her seatbelt on. “Onward, James,” she said. In response, the sheriff’s eyes narrowed, but he then faced the front and his car was once again moving.

Oh, great. Thanks to that sneeze, the sheriff now must think she’s a candidate for the loony bin. Petunia thought that, too, since she communicated with Pansy regularly. 

When the sheriff pulled into the department, at least he did so in the parking garage, which at least would conceal Petunia’s arrival. The car door was opened and Petunia strutted her way toward the door with complete confidence that she’d only be here half an hour, tops. What could the sheriff possibly ask her that he hadn’t already?

Deputies and office personnel alike stared at Petunia as she walked past with the sheriff. She narrowed her eyes slightly as if to say,
‘Why the hell are you being so judgment?’
Petunia was simply here for questioning and that was all.

She was ushered through a door and motioned to a seat. Before Petunia sat, she asked, “Can I use the bathroom first? You hardly gave me enough time to do that before you insisted that I come down here today.”

“Fine,” the sheriff grumbled. He then took her to the bathroom as he said, “Hurry up. I don’t have all day.”

Petunia went into the bathroom where a female deputy stood, washing her hands. She merely nodded at the deputy on her way to the stall. After she used the bathroom, the deputy was still there at the sink, washing her hands, or acting like it.

“You sure wash your hands a long time.”

“You’re Petunia Patterson, right?”

“Yes, how do you know?”

“You might not remember me, but we went to high school together. I’m Natalie Cartwright.”

Petunia washed her hands, staring at Natalie for a moment. Natalie’s brown hair was cut into a pixie and she was stocky, but in a muscular way. She must work out quite a bit from the look of her arms. She had more muscles than most men she knew. “Oh, I remember you now. You were in my chemistry class, I believe.”

“Yes, we were partners because nobody would pick me or you.” She laughed. “Funny how everyone back in high school thought you were a witch because of your aunt, but she certainly didn’t teach you much, if that was true. You kept blowing things up, or causing quite the stink, enough to drive the class to the gym until it cleared up.”

Petunia grimaced, recalling those days. She certainly wasn’t popular at all. She didn’t really fit in with anyone since everyone ostracized her because of what people thought her aunt was, but things changed when, in her senior year, she began dating Henry, and from that time forward they spent most of their time together, like most dating couples do.

“Yes, I’m not any good at making potions. I’m just a screw-up, I suppose, and now I’m here being questioned in a murder investigation.”

“I heard about that. Hopefully, things work out for you.”

“Thanks, but I’d better get back out there. The sheriff is waiting to question me. I just hope that this won’t take too, long.”

“Don’t let him rattle you. He’s just trying to solve the case.” She smiled.

Petunia was perplexed why this deputy was being so friendly to her. She had barely remembered her from high school, after all.

“If you’re really a witch like everyone says, you could easily turn them into a—”

“Cat,” Petunia interjected and then bit her fist.

“No,” she chuckled. “I was thinking more like a puff of smoke.”

Petunia grabbed the handle of the door now. “If I was a witch for real, I would have done that to half my teachers back in high school.” She then went out the door, not comfortable with that conversation at all. For a split second, Petunia thought she might be on to her. Of course, that wouldn’t be possible. How would anyone think even a witch could do turn anyone into a cat. She still was shocked herself, but she was no witch—or was she? She really needed to have a heart to heart with her aunt, and soon.

When she joined the sheriff, he glanced at his watch and then said, “You sure were in there long enough.”

Petunia put her hands on her hips now as she arched a brow. “Sorry.”

“Come along. It’s not like I have all day.”

Petunia followed the sheriff to
that
door to where she knew must be the interrogation room. When she walked inside, she frowned as the room only had a small table with a chair on either side and more chairs along the walls. There was also a window near the ceiling that helped lighten the room.
Much too far to climb out of
, thought Petunia.

As she pulled out the chair on the far side of the table, she exclaimed, “What, no doughnuts? In those cop shows, they always ply people with sweets to soften them up so they confess to a crime.”

His brow shot up. “Oh, are you planning to confess today? Because if you are, I’d be happy to fetch some doughnuts from Nelson’s Bakery.”

She sat down in a huff. “Well, no.”

“Didn’t think I’d get that lucky.”

The door opened and Petunia glanced up, eyeing the same woman that she’d just spoken to in the bathroom, the deputy, Natalie Cartwright.

“Good, you’re here. Deputy Cartwright will be sitting in today while I question you.”

“What? You don’t have one of those see-through windows for someone to watch on the other side, detailing the questioning?”

“No, not in the budget.” Sheriff Pinkerton eased his bulk down on a chair opposite her now. “Look, this isn’t a formal questioning. So relax, but I do have a few questions for you.”

Petunia ignored the deputy, even though she did wonder why she’d spoken to her in the ladies’ room. She never even asked her anything that could incriminate her now. “Shoot, sheriff—or, I mean, ask away.”

The sheriff opened a folder he had hidden out of view, tucked under his arm. He spread it out, showing Petunia a photo of Jeremy. “Do you recognize this man?”

Petunia would have rolled her eyes if she was less a woman, and right now it was a losing battle not to act irritated. “Really, Sheriff? Fine, I’ll play along. That’s Jeremy Walters, as you know.”

“And you don’t know his whereabouts?”

“No, I told you that when you came to my house the day I found Helen’s body.”

“Just checking to see if there have been any more developments since I spoke to you the last time.”

Petunia wanted to shout,
‘The last time I saw Jeremy he was a cat and quite peeved that you made me come down to the station,’
but instead, she smiled and said, “No.”

“Okay, no need to go through that one then. I’ve already established that both you and Helen dated Jeremy, too.”