Kitty Cats and Kitsch, page 2
And I worried that I was bringing Persephone somewhere dangerous. If one famous cat was taken, there was nothing to stop them from coming back for Persephone…
“When was the last time you talked to Rosamund?” I asked. Casey had set up the details of this trip, and I felt a little out of the loop, but she had great instincts. She always picked up on things I missed.
“This morning. I let her know our trip was on schedule, and that we’d see her tonight.”
“Has she been looking for Cupcake?” In theory, I understood why she didn’t want to go public with the cat’s disappearance. But every moment was precious, and our chances of finding him got slimmer with every day.
“She’s canvassed the neighborhood, but she’s convinced the cat was stolen, so he could literally be anywhere.”
“He could’ve gotten out while the thieves were looking for something else.”
“She says nothing else was taken.”
“Did you put an alert on Cupcake’s name?”
“Yes,” she groaned. “But all I’m getting is cupcake recipes. And cat memes. I can only imagine how frustrating this is for Rosamund. What’s our plan of action?”
“I like to talk to the people first, get a feel for the space and the situation, and let Persephone investigate before I come up with anything solid.”
“So we don’t have a plan.”
I laughed. “If we did, it would get blown to bits the minute we put it into place. The name of the game is going with the flow.”
“Whoa, look at this place.” Casey’s mouth gaped as we drove along the two-lane highway. Retro buildings lined the roadside, with old-fashioned neon lighting glowing in the twilight. A diner hosted a hot rod night, and a brightly lit arrow announced a drive-in theater. “This is so cool.”
The GPS announced that we were approaching The Don’t Forget Me Shop, Rosamund’s store and Cupcake’s home base. It was the only store on the street that wasn’t lit up.
The one-story, white building had a giant cut out of Cupcake in the window, proclaiming it was the only place to get official merchandise. A marquee warned us the store was closed for renovations.
Rosamund hadn’t mentioned that in any of our calls.
“Ready to get out?” I asked Persephone. In the low light of the evening, all I could see of her in her carrier was her eyes.
“Did we come to see Benson?”
“Not this time. We’re working with someone new. Rosamund. Her cat, Cupcake is missing.” I almost said you know Cupcake, like Persephone understood that we posted pictures of our pets online, and people went wild for them. She would think that was a weird human thing, and I had to agree. “She’s got another cat, who saw what happened. Her name is Noodle.”
“You want me to talk to her.”
“I do.”
Persephone recoiled, hair standing straight on end. “Not the leash again.”
“It’s a busy road, and there’s a cat thief on the loose. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“Fine,” she huffed, and peered out of the open car door. “As long as no one sees me.”
That was a promise I couldn’t keep, but I was anxious to meet Rosamund.
Casey waited for us in front of the car. “This place has a weird vibe,” she muttered.
“It’s only because the store is closed, and it feels dark and empty.” At least, that was my line until Casey could say I told you so.
“There’s a house behind the shop, and that’s where Rosamund asked us to meet her.” Casey cautiously ventured around the building. There was a white cottage with its front porch light on, and red flowers overflowing from planter buckets.
“This looks more promising.”
Casey hummed in approval and stopped in front of the door. She might have been the point person, but I was the one with the talking cat. I steeled myself before knocking.
“Casey! Addie! And this must be Persephone.” Rosamund crouched down to greet Persephone before the humans she’d brought with her were able to complete the formal introductions. I wasn’t offended. Some people were more comfortable with animals than humans, and I proudly counted myself among their ranks.
“Thank you for choosing us to help you find Cupcake,” I said, but Rosamund wasn’t paying any attention to me.
“It’s so nice to meet you in person.” She roughed between Persephone’s ears, and it didn’t take her long to find the spot.
“Did you tell her about that?” I whispered to Casey.
“I might have posted a video about it online because she’s so darn cute when someone finds the spot,” she said.
Persephone’s eyes were closed in purring bliss, and she leaned against Rosamund’s leg. It wouldn’t be long until she turned into a little puddle of goo. Stranger danger was a totally foreign concept to my cat.
Casey and I stood in the doorway awkwardly while Rosamund loved on Persephone. It didn’t take her too long to hit Persephone’s limit, and she snapped out of her purring trance and wound herself between my legs.
“Does this lady have catfish?”
I laughed. “You’ll get treats soon enough.”
“I’m so jealous that you can actually talk to your cat.” Rosamund stood and smoothed out her clothes. She appeared to be in her fifties, with graying hair that fell just below her shoulders and a very kind face. But those eyes…this wasn’t the first time she’d had something taken from her. “Does anyone know she’s here?”
“Our coworkers at the shelter,” I said each word carefully. “Our family and friends.”
Rosamund nodded. “I wouldn’t want the thief coming for Persephone next.”
Chapter Three
A chill went down my spine. My cynical inner voice had spent a lot of time considering this could be a trap…mostly between the hours of two and four in the morning. But I’d chalked it up to nerves. I was still new at this, and had to convince myself that a lot more had gone right in my partnership with Persephone than had gone wrong.
Casey gave me a look I knew well. We’d shared it often when someone we got a bad feeling about came into the shelter to adopt one of our animals. With Persephone on board, we could let them down easy. Sorry, no matches today. Persephone doesn’t think anyone’s a good fit.
“Please, come in.” Rosamund startled, like something spooked her. If I had hackles, they’d be on high alert. “Actually, why don’t we go to the shop? You can see Cupcake’s headquarters.”
“Where’s Noodle?” I asked. We were depending on Rosamund’s not famous cat to be instrumental in helping us find Cupcake. “I’d love for Persephone to meet her.”
“She’s at the shop.” Rosamund motioned for us to follow her.
“This is strange,” Casey mouthed to me as Rosamund unlocked the door to the shop.
I nodded. Rosamund didn’t have the same easy, welcoming vibe as my earlier clients. But we did have people like her come into the shelter. Shy, awkward people, who came alive in the presence of an animal.
The lights flickered as they came to life. The store was jam-packed in a way that drew me in. I automatically wandered down an aisle full of road trip-themed merchandise.
“It’s not much, but it’s my family legacy,” Rosamund said. “Before they finished the interstate, this was one of the main routes to get to Niagara Falls. People included Rappaport on their vacation itineraries as a can’t-miss stop. Now, they just drive by.”
“I love this little town. Everything looks so cute. If this hadn’t been our destination, I would’ve insisted we stop here.” Casey had gravitated toward the Cupcake display. It was an entire aisle, facing the front window. There were Cupcake figurines, plushies, keychains, mugs, posters, bags—if there was something Rosamund hadn’t put her cat’s image on, it hadn’t been invented yet. “Addie, we need to make some of this stuff for Persephone. We could start a gift shop at the shelter. All proceeds going toward Helping Paws, of course.”
It wasn’t a bad idea. “I think we’ll need a bigger shelter if we go that route.”
“We do our best to keep people interested.” Rosamund picked up one of the Cupcake plushies and sighed before hugging it against her chest. “The return to the past was my brother’s idea. He owns the hotel you’ll be staying at. He’s also the mayor. So, what he says goes.”
“What does he think about Cupcake?”
“He says it’s silly that so many people get excited about a cat. But he always neglects to mention how many people Cupcake brings into town. They spend money here. First at my shop, but then they have lunch, do a little shopping, and maybe stay at his hotel.”
“Not silly at all.” I wouldn’t add her brother to our suspect list, yet, but I’d keep an eye on him. “What do the other people in town think of Cupcake?”
“They all love her. It’s me they have the problem with.” Rosamund chuckled sadly, and put the plushie back on the shelf. “It’s not easy to live in the same town for your whole life. Especially when your family built this town. All eyes are on us. And some of them want to see me fail.”
“Why is that?” I moved back to my hometown after a short stint in Boston, so I understood the unique challenges of living in the place where you grew up.
She shook her head sadly. “Small town politics. My family’s run this store for over eighty years. And it might end with me. In the last couple of years, Cupcake has kept this store open. I’m afraid that I’ve become reliant on the money he brings in. We have a healthy mail-order business, and of course, people who come to meet Cupcake in person.”
I looked around the store. “What do you have planned for renovations?”
“Oh, there aren’t any. I didn’t want to explain to people why they couldn’t see Cupcake right now.”
I raised a brow. “Does anyone know he’s missing?”
“Only my brother, because I had to tell him why I was booking two rooms with an open checkout date for people I’d never met. He thinks you’re here to steal my money.”
“Is there anyone who might want to see Cupcake gone?” I asked.
“I can’t imagine why anyone would hold a grudge against a cat.”
“Is there anyone holding a grudge against you?” Casey asked. She had a way of making it sound gentle. “We all get haters online, but has anyone made it personal?”
“There’s Marnie, with her psychic shop.” Rosamund made air quotes. “She took some online course to learn how to read tarot cards and now calls herself a witch. She had the audacity to buy the billboard right outside my store, trying to steal my customers away.”
“But you don’t sell anything like that.” I didn’t quite see the connection. “Do you believe that Persephone can talk to me?”
Rosamund sighed. “I’m willing to try anything to save my business.”
“Is there anyone else we should talk to, besides Marnie? Anyone who would find satisfaction in seeing these renovations go on forever?” Casey asked.
“I think someone took Cupcake to use him as a stud. I’ve had many offers to breed him, people who wanted to split the profits of the kittens with me. The money was tempting, but I said no.”
“All the cats at Helping Paws thank you. Do you know of any local catteries?”
“No. And they wouldn’t be able to sell the kittens around here without me knowing. It’s a small town, and everyone talks. I have a feeling Cupcake is long gone.” A sob hiccupped in her throat, and Casey rubbed her arm.
I was really glad she was here. This looked like it might be a complicated case.
“Cupcake might not be here, but in my experience, the thief has stayed close to home. Is there anyone else you suggest we talk to about Cupcake’s disappearance?”
“They’ll tell everyone she’s gone. I’ll be ruined.”
I had to get real with her. “We’ve looked for many missing animals as part of our shelter work. People need to know he’s missing, so they can be on the lookout for him. All those extra sets of eyes and ears work wonders. You brought us here to find him. To get people to tell us about Cupcake, we have to tell them why we’re asking.”
Rosamund cast her gaze downward. The way she saw it, she could lose her cat forever, or kiss her pride goodbye. I didn’t envy her.
“Okay, we can tell people that he’s gone,” she said softly.
It was a giant step forward.
“Imagine yourself as the star of a mystery novel, and your famous cat is missing,” Casey said. “Who do you think could be involved besides Marnie?”
“Scott. My ex. He didn’t think I should get another cat, and he’s fought me tooth and nail at every town council meeting because I think his arcade diner is an abomination.” She shook her head with disgust. “He’s not taking the legacy of this town seriously.”
I couldn’t lie, an arcade diner sounded pretty amazing. “Is that why he’s your ex?”
She scoffed. “There are a lot of reasons. The man refuses to grow up.”
“Anyone else we should talk to?” The list was short, and neither option seemed to fit the motive. “Does Cupcake have any online haters?”
The fact that someone would take perfectly good time out of their day to hate on a cat they saw on social media boggled my mind, but it happened. People sent some really gross messages to the Spy Kitty account. I’d asked Casey not to show them to me anymore, but if I was solving crimes with Persephone, and going to unfamiliar places, I needed to be aware of any potential pitfalls.
“Maybe we should look into the online comments?” Casey suggested. “See if anyone’s left any clues that they know Cupcake is missing.”
“I’ve always filmed more footage than I could possibly use. I’ve been able to keep posting content without any interruption. No one outside of town would know anything was different.”
My heart sank. The cat had been gone too long for no one to be looking for him, and Rosamund was too concerned with protecting her reputation. This wouldn’t be an easy case.
“So if there is anything that suggests things are amiss with Cupcake, we can consider that a big red arrow,” Casey said. Bringing her was the best decision ever. She could concentrate on the online angle, and I’d handle the town. And the cat.
Speaking of cats, Persephone reappeared and wrapped herself around my legs. I picked her up.
“This place smells old. Like dust. And things that haven’t moved in a while,” she said.
I wouldn’t repeat that.
“Did you meet Noodle?”
“What’s a Noodle?” she asked.
“The kitty.” I looked at Rosamund. “I’d like to meet Noodle. And introduce her to Persephone.”
“That might be easier said than done. Noodle hides when people come into the store.”
Chapter Four
Color me frustrated. Not only had it been a long travel day, but Rosamund was giving us hardly anything to work with. That niggling feeling that we’d been set up was fast becoming a flashing yellow warning light.
“Noodle’s the only one who saw what happened, correct?”
Rosamund nodded.
“Can we try to find her?” I turned to Persephone. “Did you smell a cat?”
“The whole store smells like cat. Someone marked their territory good,” she said.
Great, the cats felt a need to defend their space. It could be because there were so many people in and out of here on a daily basis. Or because they didn’t get along.
“She says she can’t narrow it down to one spot.” I was glad I could translate Persephone’s bluntness into polite conversation. “Noodle must have some go-to spots she likes to hide.”
“Mostly in the storage room.” Rosamund motioned for us to follow her.
The dimly lit backroom contained even more Cupcake merchandise. More larger-than-life cutouts, and a sign proclaiming Get Your Capture with Cupcake Here!
“Noodies,” Rosamund called out. “Where are you?”
No answer.
Casey’s eyes widened. “Could someone have taken her, too?”
“Oh, no. She’s not famous.” Rosamund picked up the siren song of any animal—the treat container—and gave it a good rattle.
For a few anxious moments, nothing happened.
“C’mon, Noodies,” Rosamund pleaded. “You love your treats.”
Eyes glowed from between two forgotten boxes as the cat considered her options. She must have a pretty strong will to resist treats for so long. Rosamund gave the container another shake, and the brown tabby cautiously took a few steps forward, gracing us with her presence.
“There’s my girl.” Rosamund crouched down, but the cat evaded her touch. She took it in stride. Not every animal was cuddly. She reached into the container, and pulled out a few treats.
That got Persephone’s attention.
Noodles had no problem eating from her person’s hand. She crunched on the treats, and Rosamund told her what a good girl she was.
Then Noodle’s gaze snapped to Persephone.
My cat tensed in my arms before Noodle let loose with a healthy hiss.
And just like that, she disappeared behind the empty boxes again.
Rosamund shook her head. “I was afraid of that.”
“Does Noodle get along with other cats?” Casey asked. “We think she’s a very pretty girl.”
She said the last part loudly, for Noodle’s benefit. At the shelter, the animals went wild for Casey’s voice. We played recordings of her online videos when she wasn’t there.
“She doesn’t seem to like anyone these days. She used to like me, until Cupcake came to live with us. Now she spends most of her time in these boxes. I keep them here for her.”
“She’s threatened,” Persephone said. “Someone’s given her a reason to be afraid.”
The insider information I had access to, thanks to my talking cat, was invaluable. “Is she acting differently since Cupcake was taken?”
“She used to be more affectionate. But I have to be honest, I haven’t been as attentive as I should. I’m just beside myself with worry, thinking about what could have happened to Cupcake.”
