The Cat, the Mill and the Murder: A Cats in Trouble Mystery
Read The Cat, the Mill and the Murder: A Cats in Trouble Mystery Online
Authors: Leann Sweeney
Praise for the National Bestselling
Cats in Trouble Mystery Series
The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon
“A light and easy cozy mystery that strikes a nice balance between the murder mystery and the intricacy of human relationships…. The South Carolina setting teems with Southern hospitality, the scenes [are] action-packed, and there is romance and humor, as well. I give this book four paws up!”
—MyShelf.com
“[An] amusing and enthralling regional amateur sleuth tale starring an eccentric cast led by the likable, peacemaking heroine.”
—Genre Go Round Reviews
The Cat, the Lady and the Liar
“A lighthearted, fun cozy starring an engaging cast of characters…. Feline frolic fans will enjoy.”
—The Best Reviews
“Tightly plotted, with likable characters, and filled with cat trivia, this entertaining mystery will become a favorite for cozy and cat lovers alike.”
—The Conscious Cat
The Cat, the Professor and the Poison
“A fun, entertaining story…the mystery will keep the reader guessing, and the conclusion is satisfying and will leave readers looking forward to Jillian’s next adventure. I enjoyed this story so much.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Sure to please the cat and cozy fans of the world…. After reading the first book, I just knew I was going to fall in love with this series and [I] have.”
—Feathered Quill Book Reviews
“The characters and friends Jillian makes along the way, and the care she gives to the cats she encounters, will make her a fast favorite.”
—The Mystery Reader
The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse
“A solid start to a cozy mystery series.”
—CA Reviews
“The first installment of what promises to be a delightful cozy series…. Leann Sweeney presents readers with a solid mystery that kept this reader guessing through all of the plot twists and turns. Plenty of cat trivia adds to the richness of the narrative…highly recommended!”
—The Romance Readers Connection
“The cats are entertaining four-legged assistants…[and] kitty lovers will enjoy the feline trivia.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Great fun for cat lovers…a lot of hometown charm.”
—The Mystery Reader
“Fans will enjoy her amateur sleuth investigation.”
—The Best Reviews
“[Leann Sweeney’s] brand-new series about adorable cats that just can’t stay out of trouble is bound to be a hit!”
—Fantastic Fiction
“Sweet but not syrupy, sharply written, and brimming with heart.”
—Cozy Library
Praise for the Yellow Rose Mysteries
“As Texas as a Dr Pepper–swigging armadillo at the Alamo. A rip-roaring read!”
—Carolyn Hart, national bestselling author of
Death Comes Silently
“
Pick Your Poison
goes down sweet.”
—Rick Riordan,
New York Times
bestselling and Edgar
®
Award–winning author
“Full of emotions! Anger, sadness, fear, happiness, laughter, joy, and tears…they are all there, and you will feel them along with the characters in this book!”
—Armchair Interviews
“A welcome new voice in mystery fiction.”
—Jeff Abbott, national bestselling author of
Collision
Other Novels by Leann Sweeney
The Cats in Trouble Mysteries
The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon
The Cat, the Lady and the Liar
The Cat, the Professor and the Poison
The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse
The Yellow Rose Mysteries
Pushing Up Bluebonnets
Shoot from the Lip
Dead Giveaway
A Wedding to Die For
Pick Your Poison
T
HE
C
AT
,
THE
M
ILL
AND THE
M
URDER
A C
ATS IN
T
ROUBLE
M
YSTERY
L
EANN
S
WEENEY
OBSIDIAN
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
New York, New York 10014, USA
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
For more information about the Penguin Group visit penguin.com.
First published by Obsidian, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Copyright © Leann Sweeney, 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
OBSIDIAN and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-101-60968-2
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
This book is dedicated to my own three amigos,
who left me for the Rainbow Bridge in the last year and
a half. Indigo, Archie and Agatha, I miss your
inspiration and I will hold you in my heart forever.
Acknowledgments
This book came to life with the help of many friends, both of the human and feline variety. I would like to thank my writers group—Kay, Bob, Amy, Laura, Dean, Heather, Millie, Charlie, Susie, Isabella and Curry. My online support comes from dear friends Lorraine and Jenn as well as the many followers of the Cozy Chicks blog—www.cozychicksblog.com—and the other Cozy Chicks: Kate, Maggie, Deb, Heather and Julie. The cozyarmchair friends on Yahoo are always there for me, as well as my dear husband and my fur friends, Rosie the Labradoodle and Wexford the Ragdoll cat. Many thanks to my agent, Carol Mann, and my editor, Claire. Each and every one of you makes me a better writer.
If you stared deep into a cat’s eyes, you would be able to see into the world of spirits.
E
NGLISH PROVERB
Excerpt from
The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse
Dustin Gray, the young man charged with taking Shawn Cuddahee and me into the abandoned Lorraine Stanley Textile Mill, put a key into the padlock on the metal gate. Dark clouds hung low, hovering above the three-story building on this cold January morning.
Chain-link fencing surrounded the entire ten-acre property, in many places topped with anti-climbing spikes. In other spots on the fence, time and neglect had taken their toll. It would have been easy to scale had I been a teenager looking to get into trouble. But I’m Jillian Hart, in my mid-forties and not inclined to climb anything other than the occasional ladder when one of my three cats accidentally sneaks outside and ends up on the roof.
While Dustin struggled with the rusty lock, Shawn and I stared at the caution sign posted on the hurricane fencing. He started reading the words aloud and I followed along: “‘Cleanup project in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control,’” he whispered. The admonition talked about a contract number and finished with the promise that “soil and groundwater will be tested for hazardous substances.”
I’d once stopped here to take pictures of the burnt-orange brick mill, maybe a few months back, and this
sign had been added since that time.
Hazardous substances, huh?
I wondered about the feral cats inside the mill—the cats who were the reason Shawn and I accompanied structural engineer Dustin Gray this morning. Were the cats sick? Would we find the bodies of those who hadn’t survived living around toxins from fabric dyes that had leaked into the groundwater? I couldn’t stand to even think about such a thing, so I turned my gaze back to the building.