way.
Sam walked past Maggie without saying a word. The other deputy, the one who had stayed behind to help Sam, stepped up to her and Joanne, and said, “If you ladies wouldn’t mind waiting outside.”
Maggie was about to protest, but Joanne plopped Mr. Tumnus in her arms and gave her a shove.
“Certainly,” she said. “We’ll be on the front porch.”
“Thanks, ma’am,” the deputy said. He looked relieved when Maggie was led out the door, and she figured he had been dreading a tongue lashing from her. She could have reassured him that her beef was only with his boss, but she didn’t.
Once outside, Joanne retrieved the cat carrier from the stand-alone one-car garage that Claire used primarily as astorage shed. When she returned, Maggie gently put Mr. Tumnus in through the hatch on the top. He yowled, but seeing that they weren’t letting him out, he turned his back on them and began to lick his front paw.
A shadow passed across the front window. Maggie turned and glared at what she assumed was Sam Collins going through all of Claire’s belongings.
“What do you suppose they’re looking for?” Joanne asked. She had pulled her long ponytail over her shoulder and was twining the ends around her finger. Maggie had noticed that Joanne always did this when she was nervous.
“At a guess, I would say something that links her to the murder,” Maggie said. “Probably proof that she’s been in contact with him.”
“Do you think she has?” Joanne asked.
Maggie didn’t answer, not wanting to voice out loud what she knew. When Joanne glanced at her, she gave a small nod. Joanne pursed her lips as if that confirmed what she thought, too.
Maggie sank into one of the two lounge chairs on Claire’s front porch. She wished she had her glass of wine or, even better, a fat slice of Ginger’s pound cake.
“What do we do now?” Joanne asked.
“Now we wait,” Maggie said.
Chapter 14
For two hours they sat outside Claire’s small bungalow. After the first half hour, Maggie took the cat carrier back into the house and let Mr. Tumnus out.
When Sam gave her an inquiring look, she said, “I really don’t think he’ll bother your investigation.”
She shut the door before Sam could respond.
When they were finally allowed back in, it took all of Maggie’s self-control not to ask if they’d found anything. She knew Sam wouldn’t tell her, and it would just invite another uncomfortable scene between them.
She had to admit that, for all their searching, both Sam and his deputy had left the house looking surprisingly untouched. While she appreciated that, she was still so irritated by the entire situation that she couldn’t trust herself to do more than nod at them when they left. She left it to Joanne to finesse the situation, which she did admirably. Togetherthey packed up the remaining cake and cold cuts, storing them in the fridge for when Claire returned home. Then Maggie packed up Mr. Tumnus’s favorite toys and food and put him back in his carrier and headed for home.
“Auntie Maggie!” a small voice chirped at the side of Maggie’s bed the next morning. “Look what I found.”
She glanced over the side to see Josh in his train pajamas, holding a very put-upon gray tabby around the middle. She smiled at the cuteness of the new friends, even though the sight of the cat reminded her of Claire’s predicament. She pushed aside the bedclothes and slid her feet to the floor.
“You’ve met Mr. Tumnus,” she said. “We’d better get him some breakfast.”
She led the way out of her room to the kitchen. Josh helped her feed the cat, who cleaned his bowl and then stretched and headed toward the sun room at the back of the house.
“Is that coffee I smell?” Sandy asked as she joined Maggie in the kitchen.
“Sorry, did we wake you?” Maggie asked.
“No, Mr. Tumnus managed that with a well-placed pounce on my bed.”
Maggie smiled, taking in Sandy’s sleep-tossed hair and puffy eyes.
Sam walked past Maggie without saying a word. The other deputy, the one who had stayed behind to help Sam, stepped up to her and Joanne, and said, “If you ladies wouldn’t mind waiting outside.”
Maggie was about to protest, but Joanne plopped Mr. Tumnus in her arms and gave her a shove.
“Certainly,” she said. “We’ll be on the front porch.”
“Thanks, ma’am,” the deputy said. He looked relieved when Maggie was led out the door, and she figured he had been dreading a tongue lashing from her. She could have reassured him that her beef was only with his boss, but she didn’t.
Once outside, Joanne retrieved the cat carrier from the stand-alone one-car garage that Claire used primarily as astorage shed. When she returned, Maggie gently put Mr. Tumnus in through the hatch on the top. He yowled, but seeing that they weren’t letting him out, he turned his back on them and began to lick his front paw.
A shadow passed across the front window. Maggie turned and glared at what she assumed was Sam Collins going through all of Claire’s belongings.
“What do you suppose they’re looking for?” Joanne asked. She had pulled her long ponytail over her shoulder and was twining the ends around her finger. Maggie had noticed that Joanne always did this when she was nervous.
“At a guess, I would say something that links her to the murder,” Maggie said. “Probably proof that she’s been in contact with him.”
“Do you think she has?” Joanne asked.
Maggie didn’t answer, not wanting to voice out loud what she knew. When Joanne glanced at her, she gave a small nod. Joanne pursed her lips as if that confirmed what she thought, too.
Maggie sank into one of the two lounge chairs on Claire’s front porch. She wished she had her glass of wine or, even better, a fat slice of Ginger’s pound cake.
“What do we do now?” Joanne asked.
“Now we wait,” Maggie said.
Chapter 14
For two hours they sat outside Claire’s small bungalow. After the first half hour, Maggie took the cat carrier back into the house and let Mr. Tumnus out.
When Sam gave her an inquiring look, she said, “I really don’t think he’ll bother your investigation.”
She shut the door before Sam could respond.
When they were finally allowed back in, it took all of Maggie’s self-control not to ask if they’d found anything. She knew Sam wouldn’t tell her, and it would just invite another uncomfortable scene between them.
She had to admit that, for all their searching, both Sam and his deputy had left the house looking surprisingly untouched. While she appreciated that, she was still so irritated by the entire situation that she couldn’t trust herself to do more than nod at them when they left. She left it to Joanne to finesse the situation, which she did admirably. Togetherthey packed up the remaining cake and cold cuts, storing them in the fridge for when Claire returned home. Then Maggie packed up Mr. Tumnus’s favorite toys and food and put him back in his carrier and headed for home.
“Auntie Maggie!” a small voice chirped at the side of Maggie’s bed the next morning. “Look what I found.”
She glanced over the side to see Josh in his train pajamas, holding a very put-upon gray tabby around the middle. She smiled at the cuteness of the new friends, even though the sight of the cat reminded her of Claire’s predicament. She pushed aside the bedclothes and slid her feet to the floor.
“You’ve met Mr. Tumnus,” she said. “We’d better get him some breakfast.”
She led the way out of her room to the kitchen. Josh helped her feed the cat, who cleaned his bowl and then stretched and headed toward the sun room at the back of the house.
“Is that coffee I smell?” Sandy asked as she joined Maggie in the kitchen.
“Sorry, did we wake you?” Maggie asked.
“No, Mr. Tumnus managed that with a well-placed pounce on my bed.”
Maggie smiled, taking in Sandy’s sleep-tossed hair and puffy eyes.
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