Murder in Cherry Hills (A Cozy Cat Caper Mystery Book 1) by Paige Sleuth Page B

approaching from the other end of her apartment building’s third-floor corridor. She hadn’t seen him since they were teenagers, and whatever he’d been doing during their years apart, he looked good. He’d always stood six inches taller than her five-and-a-half-foot frame and still kept his sandy hair styled in a way that made it prone to falling over his forehead, but his shoulders were broader and his jaw more chiseled.
    “Andrew?” she asked, unsure whether to believe her eyes. Although they’d both grown up in Cherry Hills, Kat had left as soon as she could and figured Andrew had done the same. When they were kids—both of them tired of the foster system they’d been thrust into—they had often talked about escaping from this place.
    The hundred-watt smile she was all too familiar with was aimed straight at her as he closed the distance between them. She was pleased to note that he hadn’t outgrown his dimples.
    When he came close enough, he enveloped her in a hug. The gesture startled her at first—considering they hadn’t seen each other in fifteen years—but she soon relaxed into him as his touch evoked pleasant old memories. Perhaps the best thing she could say about her childhood was getting to spend part of it with Andrew Milhone.
    Andrew pulled back from their embrace and held Kat at arm’s length. “What the heck are you doing in Cherry Hills?”
    She shrugged, feeling self-conscious under his scrutiny. “I moved back a few weeks ago.”
    He tilted his head. “Moved back? I thought you vowed never to return to this place.”
    “I did,” Kat said. She held her tongue as she looked around. She knew Andrew wanted her to elaborate, but she didn’t feel comfortable explaining herself with so many strangers around. Between the crime-scene technicians processing Mrs. Tinsdale’s apartment and the nosy neighbors crowding behind the yellow caution tape the police had strung up to keep the public away, too many people were liable to eavesdrop on their conversation.
    Andrew seemed to sense her hesitation and didn’t press for details. She was grateful for that. Even when they were kids, he had always had an uncanny knack for reading her perfectly. Of all the other foster kids she’d come in contact with while in the system, her fondest memories were those that included Andrew.
    Andrew coughed, jarring Kat from her internal reminiscence. “This probably goes without saying, but I’m with the force now.”
    Kat eyed him up and down. “Why aren’t you in uniform?”
    “I’m a plainclothes detective.”
    Kat couldn’t think of a response, too distracted by how appealing he looked in slacks and a button-down shirt. She’d never seen him dressed nice when they were kids, and didn’t know whether to attribute the attraction she felt toward him now to his outfit or how well he’d matured in the past decade and a half.
    “I entered the academy after community college,” Andrew went on.
    Kat forced her eyes back up to Andrew’s. “How long have you been a cop?”
    “Ten years now, a detective for almost two.” He frowned, his eyes darting around. “But this will be my first homicide.”
    Kat couldn’t say she was surprised. Cherry Hills didn’t get much crime, let alone violent offenses. It made sense that Mrs. Tinsdale’s case would be Andrew’s first experience with a murder.
    At least he wasn’t working alone, Kat reasoned, taking in all the uniforms milling around. She wouldn’t doubt that every officer in town was here. Cherry Hills didn’t have a big force, so a felony of this magnitude would naturally command the entire department’s attention.
    Andrew cleared his throat. “So, you found her, huh?”
    Kat nodded. “With Matty’s help.”
    “Matty?”
    Kat opened her mouth to reply, but her tongue froze when Andrew pulled a small notebook and pen out of his breast pocket. She hadn’t realized that this chat was official in nature. Him suddenly adopting the role of