Meows, Magic & Murder (7 page)

“Actually, he did,” she said, indicating Noah who stood behind her.

“I think I have a table that would be perfect for you, but it’s not in the best location in the dining room. One might say it’s your regular spot since you’re always forgetting to make a reservation.” He chuckled as he led them to a small two-top that was located between the bathroom and service station where the waiters filled their drink orders.

“This will be fine. Just make sure someone knows to wait on us here.”

“Will do,” he said as he shot away.

Noah moved to pull out the chair for Petunia, but she squeezed into it before he had the chance. “You really don’t need to go to the trouble of being such a gentleman to me. I know this isn’t a date.”

Noah sat across from her with a dark look, but it only was there for a moment. “I guess not, judging from the way you looked at that man near the hostess station. Who is he?”

Petunia grimaced, making a big show out of shaking out her napkin and placing in into her lap. “That’s Henry and he’s old news.”

“Ah, as in old boyfriend?”

“Ex-fiancé, to be exact, and the woman he was with is his wife. I caught them together right before I threw his cheating, no-good behind out of my house.” She paused, swallowing the huge lump that always formed when she recalled what had happened with Henry. “They were married six months later.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Noah said. “I’m sorry for asking you all these prying questions. I just thought we could get to know each other a little better since we’re neighbors now, and our pets have gotten better acquainted.”

Petunia didn’t exactly know what he meant by the getting better acquainted, but she decided to listen to what the man had to say before passing judgment. “I hope you meant that in a gentleman type of way.”

“I have a feeling that if I meant it any other way, your Aunt Maxine might have something to say about it.”

“Well, yes and no. She’s been trying to find me a hus—I mean, man ever since I broke up with Henry.”

“I know exactly what you mean. Parents, I mean relatives, have a way of doing that.”

“And what about you? Any girlfriends or wives hiding somewhere?”

“Nope. Not anymore, anyway. I had a fiancée, too, at one time. Lisa’s been honing herself for marriage since we were teenagers, but for some reason, I just wasn’t ready to tie the knot so young. After I joined the New York City Police Department, she wasn’t all that happy. She was overly concerned that I’d be killed in the line of duty one day, leaving her a widow. Our parents were pushing us to get married and start a family. They all wanted me to give up the force and go back to college for something that would guarantee me a better-paying job, but the truth is I loved being a cop.”

“So what happened?”

“I was promoted to detective and I spent long hours away from home, and Lisa became distant. I found out later that she was seeing someone else while I was working. Carl, he worked as a stockbroker. I guess she was pursuing her dream of having a man of means for a husband and a cop just didn’t fit the bill.”

“How awful. So what did you do?”

“I tracked Carl to his home in Kingston, New York, when I was off duty. We got into an awful fight.”

“Did you beat him up?”

“No, the cops showed up before that. Later, my boss called me down to the station and I was fired since I had my service revolver with me that day in Kingston. Luckily, no charges were filed and they recorded it as a layoff so I wouldn’t be barred from being a cop again.”

“So you let your cheating fiancée ruin your life?”

“I can’t blame Lisa for what I did totally. I knew I was breaking the rules when I went to Kingston, but I was just so angry at the time that I just didn’t think straight.”

“What about Lisa?”

“She was gone by the time I made it home after my arrest. I scared her pretty bad and she left the city. My parents weren’t too happy, and they really weren’t all that supportive after I lost my job. They just kept pushing me to go back to school and I knew then that I had to pick up and leave, so here I am.”

“Planning to run for sheriff,” Petunia said. “In Lake Forest, of all places.”

“So far, it seems to be a great town. I’ve never lived in a small town before and can tell already that this one is growing on me.”

A waiter cleared his throat, setting down menus, taking their drink orders and coming back with a bottle of red wine. “Not sure it’s a good idea to drink before I’ve had something to eat.”

“I’ll bring you folks bread right away.” The waiter disappeared and brought back the bread, just like he said he would.

“Thanks,” I said. “I’d love the mushroom Alfredo with chicken.”

“That sounds great, make that two,” Noah said. He sampled the wine, slicing the bread and handing a slice to Petunia. “So, besides Aunt Petunia, do you have any other family members who live in Lake Forest?”

Petunia swallowed hard, taking a drink with a shaky hand. “I did, but she’s all I have now in town. My grandfather lives in a nursing home in Bear Paw.” When Noah gave her a strange look, she went on to explain. “My parents died when I was twelve. Aunt Maxine basically raised me since that time.”

“Oh, wow. I’m sorry.”

Petunia frowned. “Thanks. They died in a car accident near Detroit. I was going to go with them, but at the last minute Aunt Maxine insisted that I stay home. She also told them not to go, too, even going so far to tell them she had a terrible dream that something dreadful would happen to them. My dad insisted that they go anyway, although he did relent and let me stay with Aunt Maxine. My dad didn’t believe in the same things that Aunt Maxine does, but he never lived with a witch, either.”

“So we’re talking Anastasia Cuza, here?”

“Yes, my aunt’s parents also died in a car accident. Aunt Maxine believes our family is cursed.”

“Either that or your family was just touched with an unfortunate chain of events that just happened to lead to their deaths.”

“Car accidents, to be exact. That’s why I don’t own a car.”

“If you don’t have a car, how do you get around town?”

“I have a bicycle that I use, but since I live in town, most businesses are within walking distance.”

“You took a ride on my motorcycle, though.”

“Yes, because motorcycles don’t scare me, just driving a car does. I about had an anxiety attack when Aunt Maxine insisted that I drive her home earlier.”

“I can’t even image not owning a car, or driving. For me, it relaxes me. What’s the worst that could happen in a town such as this? It only has one traffic light.”

“You should never say something like that. Something bad can always happen.”

“Okay, so besides being superstitious about driving a car, what other fears do you have?”

“I won’t walk under a ladder, I throw spilled salt over my right shoulder, and I always put on my right sock first.” When Noah’s eyes widened slightly, she asked, “Why are you looking at me like that. Don’t you have any superstitions?”

“Black cats creep me out, which is why Melvin wasn’t the only one at my house freaked out when your cat, Pansy, got inside.”

“Technically, Pansy has a white spot and isn’t officially an all-black cat.”

“I also don’t care for spiders, and if I ever see one again I’ll call you over to kill it for me,” Noah winked.

“You can’t be serious. What a big baby. Spiders are harmless, or most of them in Michigan are. I’ll admit they are creepy looking, but so useful for catching bugs.”

“I was kidding about the spider thing, but I loved to see how big your eyes became when I said it. But snakes are another matter.”

“I guess things that slither never bugged me much since most of the men I’ve dated closely resembled snakes anyway.”

Noah laughed. “I’m so glad I invited you to dinner. This is one of the best conversations I think I’ve ever had with a woman.”

“Now, you don’t need to make fun of me, Noah. I’m quite sure you’ve had plenty of interesting conversations, way better than this. Men that look like you don’t usually have problems finding women to talk to, either.”

Noah leaned back in his chair. “Is that right?”

He wasn’t able to say anything further since their food was brought, and Petunia began to dig in since she was beyond starved. She didn’t know what had come over her. She’d actually begun to sound like she was flirting with Noah, and that’s the last thing she needed to be doing since she had a case to investigate.

When they had finished eating, Petunia frowned when she spotted Olivia making her way to the bathroom. She glanced at her wine glass and hoped that she’d just pass by quietly on her way to the bathroom, but no such luck.

“Petunia, is that you? Did you beg them in the kitchen to give you a table again?”

She tried her best not to let the woman goad her, but instead, Noah said, “Actually I did, since it was my fault I didn’t make a reservation.”

“Why would a good-looking man like you want to be hanging around the likes of her?” Olivia asked with a sneer on her face.

“Because I have better taste than Henry has, obviously. Petunia is both intelligent and beautiful, whereas you happen to be just meh. I could find ten women as shallow as you quite easily.”

Olivia opened then closed her mouth, strutting to the bathroom without another word. “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her not have some kind of comeback before.” It felt great to hear Noah say that she was beautiful, but she was quite sure he didn’t really mean it. Petunia didn’t think herself beautiful at all. She hated her auburn hair, for one, and suffered being called Red by her now-cat Pansy, once-man Jeremy.

Since she was becoming uncomfortable with Noah’s small talk, she decided to change the subject back to the mystery at hand. Plus, she wanted him to know that she wasn’t guilty of the crime. She’d have to come up with some kind of story concerning Jeremy since she just couldn’t tell Noah that she had turned him into a cat. He might just call the men in white coats to take her to the nearest mental institution, which she really thought she needed at times since Pansy had begun to communicate with her telepathically.

Olivia passed by on her way back to her table, and Petunia had to stop herself from sticking her foot out to trip her up. So intent was she on thinking about it that a crash was heard as Olivia fell face forward on the floor, tripping over a wrinkle in the rug.

Petunia tried not to laugh, but a snort came out anyway.

Olivia was helped up and she glared over at Petunia. “You did that, you little witch. I know you did.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I didn’t do anything. You’re just clumsy.”

“Everyone in town knows what you and your Aunt Maxine are. You’re the witches of Lake Forest.”

Petunia straightened her back. “You’re mistaken, Olivia. I’m sorry if I laughed when you fell, but I kinda felt like karma paid you a visit.”

Olivia didn’t stick around. She didn’t walk, but ran back to her table.

Jeremy raised a brow. “This sure is some town. I had no clue that dinner would wind up like this.” He frowned. “Of course, I hope that I also don’t continue to find bodies in my yard.”

Petunia’s smile faded. Here he goes, digging deeper into what happened today.

“That was awful and I sure hope the sheriff doesn’t single me out in his investigation since he still has me on his radar for Jeremy’s disappearance.”

“Who was this Jeremy, anyway?”

“He was a man I dated once. Helen Patterson was also seeing him, but it has been a few months since Jeremy disappeared. I’m not quite sure how the sheriff plans to connect those two cases. I wasn’t mad that Jeremy was seeing Helen and I’d certainly not wait two months if I was some kind of sick killer and I did it in a jealous fit.”

“I see. Well, I can understand as a former cop why you’d be a suspect, but since I’ve gotten to know you a little better, I’d say you don’t seem like you could harm a flea. Anyone who has four cats can’t be all bad. When Pansy got into my house, you came right over to get him back. Of course, that’s how we ended up finding that body, too.”

“So what do you think I should do here? Pay the sheriff a visit?”

“If you’re really innocent, I’d make him come to you. I’d be happy to help you clear your name if and when you’re arrested, but a murderer would be awfully addle-brained to kill someone so close to home, and leave the body out in the open like that.”

“Cora, Helen’s neighbor, told me that a 1970 black Camaro with racing stripes was over at Helen’s the night before she died. If we find that car, we might be one step closer to finding the killer. But since you’ll be running for sheriff soon, it might not be the best of ideas to start poking around in an ongoing investigation.”

“Let me worry about that.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Petunia hopped off Noah’s motorcycle and wobbled home since she’d had way too much wine on an empty stomach. She rattled her key in the lock, and when she swung the door open, a light was turned on. Petunia clutched a hand over her heart. “Aunt Maxine, what on earth?”

“What on earth, indeed. You left that beast in my shop and he made quite the mess. My shop smells like a potpourri shop now, with all the tea and herbs on the floor.”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t know Pansy had stowed away in my purse. I had no idea he’d cause any damage, I swear. I’ll come to the shop tomorrow morning and clean up the mess.”

“That won’t be necessary, and that’s why I’m here besides bringing the cat back. Lucy Winters dropped by and just wouldn’t quit yapping about how you gave her salve for her aching legs, and then she single-handedly cleaned my entire shop, like from top to bottom. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her move so fast, or anyone else that I know of.”

Petunia sank into a chair, and wanted to give Pansy a real talking to, except that he was fast asleep. “Well, so the salve works. I’m shocked, really, but she might have used too much. When I dropped it off, I told her to cool it and that it was too strong to be using the way she was globbing it on.”

Aunt Maxine sighed. “Wasn’t that the salve you were supposed to be making for me and my aching knees?”