Kitty Cats and Kitsch, page 13
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Are there any happy cards in that deck?” I never expected a case to be easy, but I always thought they’d have a happy ending. That I’d reunite the person who hired me with what—or who—they were looking for and their lives would go on like I was never here.
My client had to deal with the aftermath, while I went on to the next case.
There was no doubt that our presence in Rappaport had caused major ripples. Not everyone was rooting for us to find Cupcake. I couldn’t even tell if Marnie wanted us to succeed.
Why?
“The deck never lies,” Marnie said. “There are no bad cards. Whatever you’re about to uncover would have come to light, eventually. You’re speeding up the process, and that could be a good thing—especially for Cupcake. Otherwise, this person might have been able to sweep their deception under the proverbial rug.”
“Will we solve the case soon?”
She flipped over another card. Three women clinking glasses together. No matter what the message was, it reminded me of Casey, Brooke, and me. We were going home soon.
“There will be a celebration, but the other cards suggest someone getting hurt.”
“Thank you for doing this for us.” I closed my lunch container. “Are there any questions I can answer for you about my relationship with Persephone?”
She smiled. “I don’t have to. I can feel the energy between you. It’s charged. You have a pathway open that most people ignore. You didn’t ignore it, though. That’s why you were drawn to work with animals.”
“That makes perfect sense,” Casey said. “Addie’s amazing with the animals at the shelter.”
“You have the pathway, too,” Marnie said. “Your gift might not be the same as Addie’s, but you have a special connection to animals. If you can develop it, you’ll help many.”
Casey’s face lit up. “Oh. I like that.”
“The animals at the shelter love her, and Noodle’s taken a liking to her. I don’t think he likes Rosamund very much.”
“Rosamund has a good heart, but many of her pathways are closed.” Marnie closed her eyes for a long blink. “I’m afraid I’ve said too much.”
“No! You’ve been so helpful.” My head was swimming as I processed this information. After all, there was a good chance the person who looked so distraught in that nine card represented me. I could be totally wrong about everything, and the people behind Cupcake’s disappearance might be the ones toasting my failure.
But I did have a connection to animals, and I had a feeling we were closer to Cupcake than anyone anticipated.
The clerk waved to us, strawberry shake in hand, as we headed out of The Raven Moon. Even though Marnie’s reading featured some gloom and doom, I felt lighter.
I turned on the Magic Fingers for Persephone when we got back to the hotel. She stretched out, digging her claws into the bedspread while her little body shook back and forth.
“I can’t sit on the bed when it’s shaking. It’s too weird.” Casey paced in my room. “Let’s talk about the reading. Marnie thinks we’ll uncover a bombshell when we find Cupcake.”
“That’s one way of looking at it.” The Magic Fingers stopped, but Persephone was still purring. Best fifty cents I’d spent all day. “Tonight we actually get Roy one-on-one. Every time we talk to him, I feel like he catches us off guard. I’d like it if we were in control of the situation tonight.”
Casey took a seat at the end of the bed. “What do you suggest?”
“I think we should treat it like a date.”
She scrunched up her nose. “Ugh. No. And Addie, you’re taken.”
“He’s not interested in me. He totally softens when he talks to you.” The plan was risky, but if it worked, Cupcake could be home and safe before we knew it. “So maybe it’s time to bust out Lucky Junior and show him the ropes.”
“Giving him the wrong idea might backfire.”
“You turn every head in this town. And it’s not because you’re with the talking cat lady.” This would be a nearly impossible sell. “We won’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with. We’ll just look nice and attempt to have a polite conversation. Laugh at his jokes, if he has any. See if we can get him to loosen up a bit. Say a little more than he intended. How am I the one giving you dating advice for a fake date?”
She laughed. “Because we’ve landed in bizarro town. Fine, we treat it like a date. I can’t imagine it will be the worst one I’ve ever been on. But it might make the top ten. We need a code word. In case things get out of hand and we need to get out of there ASAP.”
“Magic Fingers.” It was the first thing that came to mind.
“That might give him the wrong idea. I’m sure he’s got a souped-up version of it in the honeymoon suite.” Casey stuck her tongue out. “What about… the Red Sox? Chances are slim Roy would bring them up.”
“I think Henry’s headed to a game tonight.” Which meant we didn’t have plans for a video chat.
“Perfect. If one of us mentions the game, then we know it’s time to get out of there.” Casey rose from the bed. “If this is a date, then I need to get into date mode. Makeup, hair…I draw the line at cute underwear though. I’m wearing granny panties that will never go near Roy’s hot tub.”
That meant I had to get ready too. My routine was much more streamlined than Casey’s, which meant I had a minute to try to catch Henry before he headed out to the game.
“This isn’t a bad time?” I asked. He was dressed in a baseball jersey and cap. Every time I thought he couldn’t get more adorable, he proved me wrong.
“No, I’m glad you caught me. I was worried about you.”
“Things got a little out of hand last night.”
“I heard. Some of my students told me that Persephone went missing, and I hadn’t heard from you last night.”
“That was a false story, sort of.” Wait a minute. “Why did they bring it up?”
His cheeks pinked. “I might have mentioned that I knew Spy Kitty. And his person.”
“You did?” Adorable.
“It’s not easy to convince teenagers that you might still have a shred of cool left.” He chuckled. “And they’re more internet savvy than I am. I was hoping maybe they’d leak a detail about Cupcake’s disappearance that we couldn’t find on our own.”
“I like the way you think.” Henry never ceased to amaze me. “It’s true, we couldn’t find Persephone for a few minutes, but only because she got spooked by the pinball machine. Problem is, someone saw what happened, leaked the story, and we found a ransom note on our door.”
His mouth dropped. “Same style as the ones sent to Rosamund?”
I nodded.
“What did it say?”
“That next time, Persephone would really be missing. Which kept me up all night—”
“You could’ve called me. I wish you did.”
“I didn’t want to wake you when you had to teach all day.” No need to mention the smashed window at Rosamund’s store. “I’m pretty sure I know who has Cupcake.”
“And they know you’re hot on the trail. Did you go to the police with the ransom note?”
“Well, the police could be involved.”
Henry rubbed his hand over his face. “You might be in over your head this time.”
“I’m always in over my head. But so far, it’s worked out.” Henry had been an instrumental part of every investigation so far. He knew something about everything, and gave me a different way of looking at things. “At first, I thought Rosamund had given up too easily, but after spending time in this town, I understand why. If we leave without finding Cupcake, nothing will get better for anyone. We had another reading with Marnie today. The cards were pretty heavy on deception and things being tough, but there was also a celebration card. We’ll find Cupcake.”
He pursed his lips. “You have incredible instincts when it comes to animals.”
“That’s what Marnie said.”
“You have a gift with people too. They open up to you. Tell you things they wouldn’t tell other people. That could be dangerous, if you know too much.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“We look way too cute to meet up with Roy.” Casey smoothed the front of Lucky Junior and turned around in front of my full-length mirror. “Are you sure this is the right thing to do?”
“No.” I laughed. “I think we might have to get some more fish after we’re done with our meeting. Someone just turned up her nose at wet food.”
“Persephone,” Casey scolded. “That used to be a treat at Helping Paws before we met you. There are kitties that never get wet food. You shouldn’t waste it.”
“Fine.” Persephone huffed and ate a few bites.
Casey turned to me. “Marnie said Cupcake was afraid he’d let his mom down. What do you think that meant?”
“He could be talking about the catnapping. But maybe he’d felt that way before he was stolen? But why?”
“I don’t track Persephone’s stats online, because the account is more for fun. But I do track my personal accounts. A lot of people measure their worth by the number of followers they have, or how much money they’re bringing in. Cupcake is Rosamund’s big moneymaker.” Casey tapped her finger on her chin. “Maybe it wasn’t enough.” She gasped. “Do you think she could’ve staged this whole thing as a publicity stunt? That would definitely warrant the backstabbing tarot card. Or—what if it was staged to make us look bad? A case Spy Kitty couldn’t crack?”
“How are our numbers compared to hers?”
“Cupcake has millions of followers.” Casey didn’t even have to look. “We’re holding our own, but our account is new. Like I said, I don’t track it, but we’re growing fast.”
“Rosamund doesn’t seem like the type who’d do that.”
“No, but we’ve met a few people here who would.” Casey crossed her arms in front of her chest. “And we’re going on a fake date with one of them tonight.”
So Casey had come to the same conclusion I had. “Let’s get Roy talking about himself. And his sister. I have a feeling that he knows a lot more than he’s letting on.”
Casey peeked out the window. “He’s not at the bar anymore. Should we head over there?”
“Let’s meet him at the honeymoon suite.”
She scrunched up her face. “That could send the wrong idea.”
“I want Persephone to get a chance to smell the room. She’s picking up on a cat scent every time he’s around. If it gets stronger in the room, then maybe she can connect it to the store.”
“Good thinking.” Casey steeled herself. “Let’s do it.”
The motor inn was quiet as it transitioned into nighttime. Only a couple families remained at the pool, older kids laughing as they cannonballed each other. The front desk clerk was checking in a new arrival. Totally business as usual.
But we couldn’t let our guard down.
“Which one’s the honeymoon suite?”
“I’d assume it’s the room on the end,” Casey motioned to the building. “It’s got a fenced-in yard, and the nicest car in the lot is parked in front of it.”
“It’s worth a try.” My heart pounded as we approached the room. The spaces between the room doors were pretty uniform, but this room was definitely bigger. It had probably been intended for the owner to use as a living quarters. Or as Roy liked to call it, the honeymoon suite.
I pushed my shoulders back and knocked on the door. No answer.
“Might not be the right room,” Casey said softly. “Why would he live here? Wouldn’t he have a house?”
I shrugged and knocked again.
This time, the door cracked open, but whoever was on the other side didn’t release the chain lock.
All that was visible was Roy’s eye and mustache.
“I was hoping you ladies would bring your bathing suits.” He shut the door enough to release the chain and then opened it. He was wearing a short-sleeved button-down shirt with a palm tree pattern on it, khakis, and his signature smirk.
“Only our best attire for a meeting with the mayor,” I said. “Did we catch you at a bad time?”
“No, I just expected to meet you at the bar.” He tensed when Persephone sniffed his leg. “In twenty minutes?”
“What can we say? We were so excited we couldn’t wait.” Casey smiled at him. “And I thought you said you had a hot tub.”
His lips parted. The ball was in our court. “I do.”
“Is it right in the room? How does that work? Doesn’t it make the carpet weird?”
I had to purse my lips together not to laugh.
He shook his head. “It’s actually in the yard, right outside the bedroom. Sometimes the pool gets too hectic, and I like to come back here and relax. Look at the stars.”
“They’re so prominent here. Not like at home. We can barely see them. Maybe we could hang out in the yard and chat? Unless you had other plans?”
He stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He pulled a key out of his pocket—his was still attached to the giant diamond-shaped keychain—and made sure the door was locked, securing it with a tug.
“This way, ladies.” He motioned for us to follow him.
The yard had an outdoor couch, a fire pit, and the infamous hot tub. It was covered, which hopefully meant he didn’t intend to use it tonight.
“This is pretty. So many plants.” There were pink and purple flowers in pots and flowering vines.
“I want the Rappaport Motor Inn to feel like a getaway,” he said. “Eventually, I’ll be renting out the honeymoon suite again.”
“How come you’re not now?”
“It’s a transitional space for me.” He crossed one leg over the other as he took a seat in the chair. Casey and I settled on the couch, and I let Persephone off her leash so she could investigate the yard. I was nervous, having her free on Roy’s turf. But it was fenced and small enough that I could keep an eye on her. “The hotel had fallen on hard times before I took it over. It needed a ton of work to get it into the shape it is today. I decided to reinvest in the business before I took money out.”
“You’ve done a nice job,” Casey said. “Were the rooms always so unique?”
“Rappaport used to be a popular spot to stop on the way to Niagara Falls, or for people who wanted to explore the country. But once the Thruway was built, they passed us by. We had to give them a reason to stop. They can stay in a generic, forgettable hotel room anywhere in America. But there’s only one Rappaport Motor Inn.”
“Does the hotel draw people to town?”
He nodded proudly. “People seek it out after they see the rooms on the internet. Social media has been big for us. Some make special trips here, and business owners in town have created other one-of-a-kind experiences to encourage them to stay longer than a night. The New Wave Diner and The Raven Moon can’t be found anywhere else.”
“And Cupcake. He draws his fair share of fans,” Casey added.
Roy chuckled. “Yes, and Cupcake.”
“What was Rosamund’s shop like, before Cupcake was famous?” I asked.
“Exactly like it’s been all our lives. My sister is very traditional. I always tell her, Mom and Dad aren’t here to ground her if she does something they wouldn’t like.”
“But she’s keeping the history of the town alive. That seems important to everyone I’ve talked to. All of you were born and raised here, and very proud of Rappaport.”
“She’s missed out on some opportunities that would’ve made all of us money. Blocked others. As you know, my sister isn’t always the easiest person to work with.”
Casey leaned forward, and Roy’s gaze was glued to her cleavage. Lucky Junior was coming in hot. “Can you tell us about those opportunities?”
“She’s had offers to sell the land. Even I’ve offered to buy it. Knock down that building that’s held together by patchwork at this point. There are many weekends I can’t accommodate all the room requests. I’d love to do something with vintage campers, or for people who have RVs.”
“Glamping,” Casey said.
Roy’s face lit up. “Yes, glamping. It even has a fancy name. I offered to relocate the Don’t Forget Me shop, just up the road a bit near The Raven Moon. Our family owns the land that shop is on too. But Roz won’t do it.”
That was interesting. “Have you considered building up there?”
“I have, but it’s not big enough to accommodate what I really want to do, and real estate on the state highway is getting gobbled up. I’m getting priced out of my own town.” He shook his head, and stretched. “Would you ladies like a drink? I don’t have a full bar here, but I have everything I need to make a mean margarita.”
“That sounds great. On the rocks, please,” Casey said.
“I’ll take one, too.” But I had no plans of touching it.
Roy disappeared into the honeymoon suite. But he left the door to the room open a crack. I made a kissing noise to get Persephone’s attention and pointed at the door. “Get in there.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Shoo! Get out of here!”
Persephone darted out of the honeymoon suite and jumped into my lap.
Roy appeared at the door. His face was hard and angry. “I thought you kept your cat on a leash.”
“She doesn’t like it, and we’re in a fenced-in yard.”
“There’s a reason we don’t usually allow pets here,” he grumbled and turned back into the room.
“Good work.” I patted Persephone to get her to calm down. Her heart was pounding. “Did you get a chance to sniff anything before he freaked out?”
“There’s a cat in there. In the bathroom. Clawing at the door to get out.”
“Do you think it’s Cupcake?”
Casey’s mouth dropped, but I couldn’t tell her anything because Roy returned, carrying a small tray with three drinks on it.
“It could be,” Persephone said.
