The Whole Cat and Caboodle: Second Chance Cat Mystery (18 page)

I took Elvis home, fed him his supper and turned on the TV, setting the sleep timer so it would shut off when
Jeopardy!
was over. I felt a little silly but I told myself setting up the television so my cat could watch a game show wasn’t any weirder than sticking a Santa hat on his head at Christmas, and people did that all the time.

I managed to fit in a run and a shower and still get to McNamara’s on time. The ladies were sitting by the window. Rose waved when she caught sight of me. It was busy inside—a typical Friday night—and the line went all the way back to the door. I squeezed my way inside. Charlotte stood up and gestured to the empty chair at the table. She mouthed something but the only word I caught was
food
. That was enough for me. I headed over to them, dodging elbows and oversize coffee cups.

“There was no clam chowder left,” she said. “So I got you broccoli-cheese soup, and roast beef on a whole-wheat roll.”

“You’re an angel,” I said, hugging her. “I need to talk to you about something,” I whispered against her ear.

She nodded almost imperceptibly as she let me go.

I pulled out my chair and sat down, smiling across the table at everyone. “How are you?” I asked Maddie.

“I’m all right,” she said. “I heard about your trip to the airport. Thank you.”

“Anytime,” I said. I studied her face, looking for any sign that she was lying, but I couldn’t see one. And she was lying. I was sure of it. Not about killing Arthur Fenety, but about something. The timeline just didn’t work out. But I needed to talk to Charlotte before I said anything. The broccoli-cheese soup was steaming with crisp croutons and slivers of Swiss cheese on top. Charlotte had also gotten me a cup of coffee, and for a few minutes I ate and let the conversation swirl around me.

I’d eaten about half my soup when Jess walked in. She waved and walked over to us.

“Hi,” she said, reaching down to swipe the pickle off my plate.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I was hungry. I kind of lost time sewing.”

“Get something to eat and come and sit with us,” Rose urged.

Jess shifted her gaze to me.

I nodded.

“I’ll be back,” she said.

I ate a little more of my soup. Charlotte reached for the teapot. “We need more hot water,” she said.

“I’ll go,” Rose offered.

Charlotte shook her head. “Sit. You were on your feet all day.”

“So were you,” Rose said.

I pushed my chair back. “She wants an excuse to look at the cupcakes, Rose,” I said, picking up my cup. I looked at Charlotte. “I’ll come with you. I need more coffee.”

“Bring enough cupcakes to share with the class,” Liz said.

Charlotte and I joined the end of the line, which had gotten shorter in the previous five minutes. Jess was already at the counter, ordering.

“What is it?” Charlotte asked.

I made a face. “I don’t exactly know how to say this.”

“It has to do with Maddie, doesn’t it?”

I nodded. “Nick stopped by for a minute after you’d all left. He wanted to give us a heads-up that the police had found Arthur’s safe-deposit box.”

She pressed her lips together for a moment. “What was in it?”

I folded my hands around my empty coffee mug. “He couldn’t tell me, but I got the feeling they found something that belonged to Maddie.”

Charlotte’s gaze immediately went to the table. “But Maddie said she didn’t give Arthur anything.”

“I don’t think she’s being completely honest about that. Or about how long she was in the kitchen.”

Charlotte looked at me again. I could see the worry etched into her face. “I’ve been wondering about that myself. You don’t think she . . . ?”

“No. Maddie didn’t kill Arthur, but she is hiding something.” I exhaled slowly. “I think it’s time we found out what it is.”

Charlotte glanced over at the table where Rose was making room for Jess and another chair. Then she looked at me and nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said.

We went back to the table with a fresh pot of tea, half a dozen dark-chocolate cupcakes with mint green icing, and coffee for me.

I waited until they all had a fresh cup of tea before I spoke.

“I saw Nick just before I got here,” I said.

“Did he tell you anything about the investigation?” Rose asked, pausing with her cup halfway to the table.

“The police found Arthur’s safe-deposit box in a bank in Rockport.” I was watching Maddie out of the corner of my eye and I saw the color drain from her face.

Rose set down her cup “Did they find any of the jewelry that belongs to Jim Grant’s mother?”

“I don’t know what they found. Nick couldn’t tell me,” I said. I looked across the table. “Do you think there was anything of yours in that box?” I said to Maddie.

She shook her head. “No. I told you. I didn’t give Arthur anything.” Her face was very pale.

Charlotte reached across the table and laid her hand on Maddie’s. “The police are going to find out.”

Rose looked flabbergasted. “Charlotte!” she exclaimed.

Liz frowned. “What are you talking about?” she said.

Charlotte just looked at her friend and the color flooded back into Maddie’s face. Maddie’s gaze met mine across the table at me. “They’ll probably find my father’s railway watch in that box. At least I hope they do.”

“Oh, Maddie,” Rose said.

“How much money did you give him?” I asked.

“Twenty-five thousand dollars.” She looked away. “It’s true. There’s no fool like an old fool.”

“Balderdash!” Liz said. “You should be able to trust the people you love.”

“Liz is right,” I said, leaning forward and propping my forearms on the table. “You’re not a fool. You trusted the wrong person, who took advantage of that.”

“You could have told us,” Charlotte said gently.

Maddie looked up at us all again. “I was humiliated. I didn’t want anyone to know, and then once I lied I had to keep telling the same story.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “There’s something else I have to tell you, about the day Arthur died.”

“Go ahead,” Liz said. “We’re not going to judge you.”

Maddie managed a half smile. “Thank you. This is a little complicated because it involves someone else.”

“Just start at the beginning,” I said.

She nodded and took a deep breath. “I knew,” she said.

“Knew what?” Charlotte asked, although I think we knew the answer.

“I knew that Arthur was a con artist.”

“How did you find out?” I asked.

“It was after I gave him the twenty-five thousand to invest. I kept waiting for the latest financial statement to arrive and it didn’t. So I did some research into the fund.” She swallowed hard. “I should have done that in the beginning. The entire thing was a house of cards, and the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t see how Arthur could have been duped. So I did some research on him, too.”

“What did you find?” Rose asked. I could see the concern in her blue eyes.

“At first, nothing,” Maddie said. She was picking at a loose bit of skin on her index finger with her thumb. “He used different names, and most of the women he conned were too embarrassed to tell anyone. You saw the article in the paper. Then I was talking to one of the organizers of the fund-raising dinner where Arthur and I met. She asked me his name. She said she was talking to a friend of hers who thought she recognized him. And I knew. I just knew. I called the woman. Her name is Aleida Scott.” She paused, pressed her lips together and swallowed again. “I invited Arthur for lunch and the two of us were going to confront him. Together. We planned to tell him that we’d go to the police with our stories if he didn’t give the money back—not just ours, but everyone’s.”

“What went wrong?” I asked, reaching for my coffee.

Maddie continued to pick at her thumb. “At first nothing. Aleida arrived early. She seemed a little nervous but I didn’t think there was a problem. She stayed inside and I got Arthur settled on the patio. When I went back in she was gone. Her car was gone and she wasn’t answering her phone.”

Charlotte glanced at me. “That’s why it took so long to make lunch.”

Maddie nodded. “Yes. I was phoning every number I had for Aleida and checking the window to see if she’d come back.”

“She lost her nerve,” Liz said.

Maddie looked at her. “She doesn’t want her family to find out. She’s afraid they’ll make her give up her home and management of her money.”

Liz shook her head sympathetically.

“You have an alibi,” Rose said.

Maddie shook her head. “No.”

“Yes,” Rose insisted. “Did this other woman, Aleida, see you make the coffee?”

Maddie thought for a moment. “Yes. I poured her a cup and then I poured one for Arthur.”

“What did she do when you took it out to him?”

“She stood by the window and watched me. She wanted to see Arthur before she came out to the patio.”

Rose was smiling. “So, she drank the coffee after you made it and she saw you take it to Arthur—without making a detour into your garage for any pesticide. Maddie, you have an alibi.” Rose looked at me. “Sarah, am I wrong?”

“It’s not perfect,” I said, tracing the rim of my cup with one finger. “The police could argue that Arthur had a second cup of coffee after Aleida left and Maddie put the napthathion in that. But I think it’s more than enough reasonable doubt.” I turned to Maddie. “You need to tell all of this to Josh right away.”

Charlotte put both of her hands over Maddie’s. Liz pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. “You can use my phone,” she said.

Maddie shook her head. “You don’t understand. I talked to Aleida. She still doesn’t want her family to find out.” Her voice was edged with anxiety. “She won’t vouch for me. I have an alibi that won’t be one.”

“Then we’ll go talk to her and change her mind,” Rose said.

Liz looked at her across the table. “It’s not that simple, Rose.”

“It’s not that complicated, either,” she said. “This woman knows Maddie didn’t kill Arthur but she’s keeping quiet because she doesn’t want to look foolish. If she really understood what’s at stake she’d go to the police. So it’s up to us to explain it to her.”

I leaned against my chair. Rose did make it sound simple.

“Maddie, is it possible that Aleida put something in Arthur’s coffee?” I asked.

Maddie shook her head. “No. She didn’t touch it, and when I came back in, her car was gone.”

Rose pushed back her chair and stood up. “Who’s coming with me?” she asked.

Charlotte reached a hand across the table. “Sit down, Rose. You don’t even know where the woman lives.”

In some perverse cosmic coincidence, the door to the sandwich shop opened then and Alfred Peterson walked in. A look of triumph gleamed in Rose’s blue eyes.

“Alfred will find her,” she said.

Maddie reached out and caught her arm. “You can’t do this, Rose,” she said. “You can’t make Aleida talk to the police. She’s afraid of what her family will do.”

Rose brushed off Maddie’s hand. “I understand what you’re saying,” she said. “But that doesn’t change anything. You going to prison for something you didn’t do is a lot worse than your friend looking like an old fool to her family.” She looked around the table at the rest of us. “Maybe the rest of you are willing to stand back and do nothing but I’m not.”

I knew that determined look in her eye and that shoulders-squared stance.

“Drew Barrymore wouldn’t sit around and do nothing,” she said. And then she tossed her hair, or she would have if she’d actually had enough hair to toss.

Jess leaned sideways. “Drew Barrymore?” she whispered in my ear.

“Charlie’s Angels. It’s a long story,” I said, rubbing the knot that had suddenly tightened in my left shoulder.

Rose made her way around the table and headed for the door of the sandwich shop. Mr. P. smiled when he caught sight of her. She grabbed his arm. “Alfred, I need your help,” she said without stopping, pulling him along toward the door.

Jess twisted in her seat, one hand on the back of my chair, to watch the little drama being played out behind us. “What’s she doing?” she asked.

I picked up my coffee cup. “Wait for it,” I said softly.

Mr. P. looked a little startled but he was nothing if not game—and totally smitten with Rose. “All right,” he said.

A few feet from the entrance Rose slowed down. “In case you’re not paying attention—and none of you seem to be—this is where you all come after me.”

I pushed back my chair and stood up. “And there you go,” I said to Jess.

She grinned back at me. “This is better than HBO.”

Liz lifted a hand. “Rose, don’t get your panties in a bunch,” she said. She turned to Maddie. “She’s like a dog with a bone. She
will
find this woman and end up on her doorstep. It’s worth asking her one more time to help you. So let us go with you.”

Charlotte nodded.

Maddie looked up at me.

I pointed over my shoulder with one finger. “Do you really think she’s going to give up?” I asked.

“I’m not,” Rose said. She wouldn’t turn around.

I could almost see Maddie’s thoughts as she weighed her loyalty to Aleida Scott against the possibility that she could spend the rest of her life in jail, mixed with Rose’s monumental stubborn streak.

“All right,” she said.

I smiled at her, and Liz and Charlotte exchanged satisfied looks. Even Jess looked pleased.

“Well, let’s get this show on the road,” Rose said.

I turned to look at her, “Hang on, Drew Barrymore,” I said. I looked back at Maddie. “Do you want to call Aleida first?”

She traced the edge of the table with one finger. “She won’t talk to me.”

“Then I guess we’re going to see her,” I said.

“Oh, goody. Road trip,” Jess said. She stood up, stretched and started gathering our dishes.

“You’re coming with us?” I asked.

She grinned and handed me my cup so I could drink the last mouthful of coffee. “There’s no way I’m staying behind.”

I drained my coffee and handed the mug back to her. “Maddie, where are we going?” I asked.

“Rockport,” she said.

Half an hour, maybe forty minutes, depending on where Aleida lived in the small resort town.

Jess headed for the counter with the loaded tray. Rose and Mr. P. had their heads together. I was guessing that she was filling him in.

Maddie had gotten to her feet, but she still looked very uncertain. I was a little worried that her kind heart was getting in the way.

“Maddie, I think you should stay here,” I said.

She looked surprised. “Why?”

“Because you already tried to convince Aleida to help you. I don’t want her to feel like she’s being ambushed. If we go without you we’re just concerned friends.”

Charlotte put her arm around Maddie’s shoulders. “I think that’s a good idea,” she said. She looked at me. “I’m going to stay here, too.”

I nodded. “I’ll keep Rose in check,” I said.

Maddie reached out and caught my hand. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she said. There was a glint of unshed tears in her eyes.

“You don’t have to thank me,” I said quietly. Our eyes met and after a moment she nodded.

Charlotte came around the table and hugged me. “I love you, sweetie,” she said.

“Love you, too,” I said, giving her an extra squeeze. “I’ll call you when there’s anything to share.”

I walked over to Rose and Mr. P. “Are you coming with us?” I asked him.

“Absolutely, my dear,” he said. “You may need tech support—or muscle.”

Rose gave him an encouraging smile.

“Good to have you along,” I said.

Liz rode shotgun. “Are you sure you want to sit back there?” she turned to ask Jess.

“Oh yeah,” Jess said. “I have a feeling the backseat is where all the fun conversation is going to happen.” She looked from Liz to me. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Liz said.

Maddie had written down Aleida’s address. I showed it to Liz. “Highway?” I asked.

She nodded. “I know where it is. I’ll give you directions once we get to the turnoff.”

The conversation in the backseat certainly was . . . interesting. Rose explained how Avery had dubbed them Charlie’s Angels and they debated who was who. Then Mr. P. shared some of his more colorful computer hacking stories.

“The police are going to arrive at the shop one of these days, cut off my Wi-Fi and throw me in jail, aren’t they?” I said quietly to Liz.

She shot a quick glance over her shoulder. “There’s a good chance of it,” she said. Then she grinned. “Don’t worry. We’ll take your case. We’ll even give you the family rate.”

“That’s so comforting,” I said dryly.

Liz gave clear, concise directions and we turned onto Aleida Scott’s street about forty minutes after we’d left McNamara’s. She lived in a medium-size gray bungalow with black shutters and a deep purple front door. There was a maple tree with buttery yellow leaves near the edge of the driveway.

“How are we going to do this?” Liz asked, shifting in her seat to look into the backseat. “We can’t all go. That really would be an ambush.”

“Sarah and I will go talk to her,” Rose said.

Liz gave her a look.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Rose said, frowning at her friend. “I’m not going to attack the woman. I just want her to understand what’s at stake.” She turned to me. “Please.”

“Let Rose and me give it a try,” I said.

Now I was the one getting a look from Liz. I waited.

“All right,” she said. “Go ahead.”

Good luck,
Jess mouthed. I saw Mr. P. give Rose’s arm a quick pat.

Rose and I got out of the SUV and started up Aleida Scott’s driveway.

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked.

“You know Maddie didn’t kill Arthur,” Rose said. “You know she’s not capable of anything like that.”

“Of course I do,” I said.

Her eyes met mine. For once there was no sign of her stubborn streak or her mischievous sense of humor. For the first time I saw fear. “I think you should talk to this woman. I think you, better than any of us, can convince her to help Maddie.”

I wanted to say no. I wanted to tell Rose that she would be a lot better at convincing Aleida Scott to help Maddie. But I didn’t. I could see a hint of fear in her gaze, but I could also see her complete faith in me. All of them—Rose, Liz, Charlotte, my grandmother—they had always been my cheering section. If Rose thought I could do this, then I would.

We rang the doorbell and waited. I hoped the fact that there were no cars in the driveway meant Aleida Scott was home alone.

She opened the door and gave us a polite smile. Before either Rose or I could speak she held up a hand. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m not interested in changing my religion.”

“We’re not trying to convert you,” Rose said. “We’re friends of Madeline Hamilton.”

She blanched.

“Please give us two minutes,” I said. “That’s all. Then we’ll go.”

I kept my eyes fixed on her face. “All right,” she said. “You’d better come inside.” She stepped back and we stepped inside.

Her living room was a warm, welcoming space with a caramel-colored sofa and two black leather chairs. The floors were oak and there was some beautiful artwork on the walls. Aleida didn’t invite us to sit down.

“I can’t help Madeline,” she said. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can say that will make a difference with the police.”

I felt Rose stiffen beside me. I swallowed, hoping the words I was about to say would be enough. “Mrs. Scott, when I was five years old my father was hit on his way home by a car that crossed the center line. His car went down an embankment and a tree sliced through the windshield. He died before my mother, my grandmother and I got to the hospital.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“He didn’t die alone, surrounded by strangers and machines, because Maddie was there. She was a nurse in that hospital. It was the end of her shift but when she heard about the accident she went down to the emergency room and she stayed with my father.”

Rose reached over and took my hand and the warmth of hers reminded me that I could do this.

“She held his hand and he didn’t die all alone. He died knowing that somebody cared about him.” I worked to keep my voice steady. “That’s the kind of person Maddie Hamilton is. That’s how
I
know she didn’t kill Arthur Fenety.
You
know because you were in her house. What I know doesn’t mean anything to the police. What you know will.”

The silence seemed to go on forever, even though it was maybe half a minute.

“You don’t know what you’re asking,” she said at last.

“Yes, we do,” Rose said. “That’s why Maddie hasn’t told the police or even her lawyer about you. I know exactly what we’re asking. Please think about what you’re asking her to do if she keeps your secret.”

Aleida looked around her living room. “I’ve spent forty-one years in this house,” she said. She turned her gaze to Rose. “Do you have a house?”

Rose shook her head. “Not anymore. I live in an apartment at Legacy Place. It was my daughter’s idea.”

“Do you like it?” Aleida asked.

Rose shook her head. “No, I don’t. All my neighbors do is talk about their ailments and what store has prune juice on sale this week. But I love my daughter and I know she loves me.”

Aleida sighed. She looked at me. “You’re right. Madeline is a good person.”

I nodded.

“If it’s not too late and you can get her lawyer on the phone, I’ll talk to him.”

I had to swallow a couple of times before I could answer her because I could suddenly feel the press of tears at the back of my throat. “Thank you,” I finally managed to get out.

Rose and Aleida had stepped into the living room. I pulled out my phone and punched in Josh’s cell number.

“Hi, Sarah,” he said when he answered.

I explained quickly about Aleida and then I put her on the phone. She repeated pretty much the same story that Maddie had told us at the sandwich shop.

Rose took both of my hands in hers and grinned at me. “You did it, my darling girl,” she said.

I smiled back at her. “I think you did it,” I said.

She tossed her head, because she couldn’t really toss her hair. “Drew Barrymore would be so proud,” she said.

Josh arranged to meet Aleida in person the next morning at eleven o’clock. She handed my phone back to me. “I’ll be there. I give you my word.”

“We know that,” Rose said. “Would you have time for lunch afterward?’

“I think I’d like that,” she said.

I smiled at her. “
Thank you
doesn’t seem like enough.”

“Thank you for showing me that I needed to do the right thing,” she said.

We said good night and headed for the SUV. Once we were on the sidewalk, Rose grinned and gave the car a big thumbs-up. Jess and Mr. P. high-fived and Liz nodded approvingly.

“She’s going to talk to the police?” Liz asked as I slid onto the seat.

“She’s already talked to Josh,” I said.

“What did you say?” Jess asked.

“We just reminded her what a good person Maddie is,” Rose said.

We headed back to North Harbor, with Rose making plans for a party to celebrate the charges being dropped against Maddie.

“Slow down a little,” I warned. “It may not happen right away.”

“Horse pucks,” she said. “They don’t have a case now.”

I left Liz at her house and headed for Legacy Place to drop off Rose and Mr. P.

“Are you headed home or do you want to come have a cup of coffee?” I asked Jess.

“Coffee sounds good,” she said. “Do you have any cookies?”

Cookies. This was getting embarrassing. I’d forgotten to get groceries again. I made a face. “Sorry.”

Jess grinned. “Not a problem,” she said, holding up a bag from the sandwich shop.

“When did you get those?” I asked.

“When you were telling everyone to use the washroom before we hit the road.”

“She always does that,” Rose said, unfastening her seat belt. “I’ll see you in the morning,” she said to me.