Poisoned in Cherry Hills (Cozy Cat Caper Mystery Book 3) (2 page)

“Kat, we have a crisis,” Imogene said, swooping toward Kat not one minute after she’d found her designated seat in the dining area.

Kat stood up. “What is it?”

Willow Wu halted right behind Imogene, a pained expression distorting her Asian features. “It’s my fault for seating them together. I didn’t know they had a history between them.”

Imogene patted her hand. “How could you possibly know? Their bad blood goes back years before you moved to town.”

“Who are you talking about?” Kat asked.

“Why, Lucy Callahan and Heidi Smith, of course,” Imogene said, as if they were the only two women with a rivalry in Cherry Hills.

Willow grimaced. “I ended up assigning them to the same dinner table.”

Kat’s stomach lurched. She couldn’t imagine Lucy and Heidi’s behavior magically improving over dinner.

Imogene wrung her hands. “If only we’d noticed before I made the announcement that the dining room was opening up.”

Kat had to silently agree as she watched the mob of people filing into the room to locate their table number and place setting. Many of tonight’s guests had already shaken out their cloth napkins or sipped from the water and iced tea glasses set out at every seat.

“Did Lucy or Heidi come with anybody else?” Kat asked.

Willow nodded. “Heidi’s here with her sister, Rebecca.”

“Then why don’t Andrew and I switch places with them?” Kat suggested.

Imogene grasped Kat’s wrist as if clinging to a lifeline. “Really? You wouldn’t mind?”

Kat shook her head, wiggling out of Imogene’s grip. “Andrew’s not even here yet, and I haven’t touched my setting. I’ll just flag him over to the right table when he arrives.”

Imogene rubbed her palms together. “Oh, that would be marvelous! You’re an absolute lifesaver!”

Kat shrugged, shifting self-consciously as Imogene gazed at her with something approaching hero worship. She really didn’t think her idea was all that novel.

Imogene touched Willow’s arm. “Why don’t you go intercept Heidi and Rebecca before they settle in? I’ll lead Kat to her new table.”

Willow nodded and rushed off.

Imogene shuffled sideways, motioning for Kat to follow. “Come along.”

They pushed their way through the dining room, stopping only briefly to greet several of the other guests. Imogene seemed to know everyone in the room, which slowed down their progress despite how she tried to deflect all the attempts to engage her in conversation.

When they’d successfully maneuvered through the crowd, Imogene aimed her finger at one of the tables. “There you are. And, luckily enough, both of the Smiths’ place settings look untouched.”

Lucy, who was already seated, twisted around. “Imogene, you’re just the person I wanted to see. I need to talk to you about this.” Lucy jabbed a finger at Heidi’s name printed in scrolling font on the place setting to her left.

“That’s already been taken care of,” Imogene chirped. She rested her hand on Kat’s forearm. “Kat and her date will be switching seats with Becca and Heidi.”

Lucy exhaled. “Thank goodness. And here I thought I’d have to sit next to that man-stealer all night long. Do you know what the first thing she said to me this evening was?”

Kat’s heart sank. She had anticipated this evening being filled with pleasant conversation, but apparently that wasn’t going to happen.

Lucy folded her arms across her chest, her eyes flashing. “She had the nerve to ask where my boyfriend was, like she wanted to rub it in that I didn’t have a date. But I’ll have you know, I
chose
to come alone tonight. To tell you the truth, I’m sick of men.”

Imogene inched backward, looking between Kat and Lucy with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Well, I’ll leave you two alone to get acquainted.”

Lucy lifted her hand up and waved as Imogene scurried away.

Kat slipped into the chair originally reserved for Rebecca Smith, leaving the seat between her and Lucy for Andrew. She felt a bit guilty about her plan to use him as a conversational buffer, then exonerated herself with the reminder that
he
was the one who had opted to show up late.

But to her dismay, the empty chair between them did nothing to deter Lucy. She leaned across it and said, “Let me tell you about my last boyfriend, Kyle, and how Heidi turned him against me.” She snorted. “You’re going to love this.”

Kat swallowed and resisted the urge to look at the clock. Next time, she would think twice before she volunteered to switch places with someone else at dinner.

“So, what’d I miss?” Andrew Milhone asked Kat, sliding into the empty seat between her and Lucy.

Kat groaned. “For starters, a heated debate between your neighbor on the right and Heidi Smith.” She kept her voice low so Lucy couldn’t overhear.

Andrew stole a glance at Lucy before spinning back around. He hunched closer and adopted Kat’s same conspiratorial tone. “What were they arguing about?”

“Men.”

He grinned. “There just aren’t enough of us to go around, huh?”

Kat made a face. “According to Imogene, they’ve been fighting over guys for years.”

“In that case, maybe they’ll put on another performance before the night is over.”

Kat certainly hoped not, but, judging from the way Andrew’s eyes had lit up, he wasn’t opposed to personally witnessing a catfight any more than the other males in attendance. She would have expected better from a member of the Cherry Hills Police Department. Hadn’t he seen enough scuffles during his ten years on the force to have grown tired of them by now?

Andrew set one hand on Kat’s knee. “You look nice, by the way.”

The heat from his palm shot up her leg and zipped through every cell in her body like an electric current. All thoughts of Lucy and Heidi dissipated into the air surrounding them. “Thank you.” She took in his crisp gray, button-down shirt and black slacks. “So do you.”

“You didn’t see me an hour ago. I could have arrived a little earlier, but felt compelled to shower and change so nobody would mistake me for one of your homeless dogs.”

“You looked that bad, huh?”

He smirked. “I refuse to answer that.”

“What happened to you anyway?”

Andrew pulled his hand away and reached for the iced tea in front of him. “I got held up at work.”

Kat adjusted her dress. Her knee was still tingling where Andrew had rested his hand. “Anything serious?”

“Nah, just some paperwork related to a case we closed recently. Chief wanted my final report filed by the end of the day.”

“He sounds like a real slave driver.”

Andrew laughed. “Not really. He basically just didn’t want to be held liable when the pile of papers on my desk finally toppled over and ended up suffocating one of the other officers.”

The sound of Andrew’s amusement was infectious, and Kat couldn’t prevent her own giggle from escaping.

Andrew looked her up and down, his penetrating blue eyes sending a little tremor through her body. “If I had known how amazing you look, I would have pulled the fire alarm so Chief would have no choice but to let me leave early.”

The compliment caused Kat to blush. She slipped her hands into her lap, resisting the temptation to push back a lock of sandy hair that had fallen over Andrew’s forehead.

Andrew coughed and surveyed the room. “Did you order already?”

Kat nodded, eyeing one of the servers distributing entrées. “You missed the soup and salad, but I told them to bring you a main course.”

“What did you choose for me?”

“The cassava with sofrito.”

“Sounds good.”

The corners of her mouth twitched. “You have no idea what that is, do you?”

“Nope,” he agreed cheerfully. “But I’ll find out when it gets here.”

She laughed. It still amazed her that she hadn’t devoted much thought to Andrew during the past fifteen years. After they’d graduated from high school and parted ways, she supposed she was so anxious to get out of Cherry Hills that she hadn’t considered what she might be leaving behind in the process. Since her return to town a month ago, she hadn’t been able to think about anything but what a good catch her old childhood friend was.

She only wished she knew whether her feelings were mutual.

“Hey,” Lucy piped up from Andrew’s other side. “You’re a cop, aren’t you?”

“That’s me.” Andrew held out his hand. “Andrew Milhone.”

“Lucy.” She scooted closer to him as they shook hands. “Tell me, Andrew Milhone, why isn’t it illegal when a tramp steals another woman’s boyfriend?”

Kat stilled when she caught sight of the coy smile that Lucy flashed at Andrew. Was she hitting on him? What had happened to her being sick of men?

“Probably a matter of budget constraints.” Andrew chuckled. “You know how big a force we’d need if breaking hearts was deemed a punishable offense?”

Lucy tapped her chin, as though seriously reflecting on his comment. “True enough.” She dropped her elbows on the table. “But there should still be a law against certain behavior. I mean, we live in a civilized society, ya know?”

“Well, I can tell you that kidnapping a potential love interest against their will is illegal.”

Kat frowned, wondering if she were misreading Andrew’s playful tone. The thought of him flirting back with Lucy Callahan twisted her insides into a knot. She pretended to adjust her napkin in her lap to mask her discomfort.

Lucy leaned closer and propped her chin on her hands. “If your department is open to suggestions, I have a few ideas on what you could do to lower the crime rate in Cherry Hills. As this town gets bigger, safety concerns will only increase.”

Andrew rotated sideways to give her his undivided attention. “I’m all ears.”

Kat gritted her teeth and sat on her hands so she wouldn’t be tempted to tug on Andrew’s sleeve like a petulant child. She wished now that she
had
taken the seat right next to Lucy.

Lucy sat up straighter. “Okay, so, CHPD can only employ so many officers, right? That means it’s really up to us citizens to do our part. What I’ve been thinking is . . .”

Kat slumped in her seat as Lucy began the start of a long speech about recruiting the public to form neighborhood watch associations. From the way she batted her eyelashes every so often, Kat suspected she’d only brought up the proposal in the hopes that she and Andrew could join the same group, giving her an excuse to see him regularly.

Kat sighed, mentally berating herself for being so uncharitable. Naturally Lucy wouldn’t see anything wrong with chatting up the handsome, single man occupying the chair next to her. When they’d been talking before his arrival, Kat had deliberately emphasized that she and Andrew were just two good friends out to show their support for homeless animals. She hadn’t brought up her attraction to him, fearful that Lucy might let something slip to Andrew himself.

Now, though, Kat was starting to regret that strategy. Maybe if she’d dropped even a tiny hint about her romantic interest in Andrew, Lucy wouldn’t be hoarding all of his attention.

A piercing scream penetrated Kat’s thoughts and nearly caused her to lose all bladder control. Beside her, Lucy and Andrew abruptly stopped talking, both of their heads whipping toward the source of the scream.

Kat spun around a split second after they did. An older, chestnut-haired woman was standing by one of the tables, her hands clamped over her mouth.

The room had fallen completely silent. Everyone was too busy staring at the woman to continue with their own conversations. Several people had started to approach her, concern etched across their faces.

Among the people moving closer, Kat spotted Imogene. When she arrived at the source of the commotion, she crouched down, disappearing for a few seconds before jumping back up.

“We need a doctor,” she yelled.

A man Kat recognized as a local veterinarian stepped forward. “What’s the problem?”

The woman who had screamed dropped her hands to her sides, exposing her ashen face. She didn’t raise her voice, but she didn’t have to. Kat could hear her clearly in the eerie silence of the dining room.

“Heidi Smith collapsed. I—I think she might be dead.”

Although Andrew had yet to return to their table, Kat had already heard the rumors making the rounds. As quiet as the room had been earlier, now it seemed as though everyone were chattering.

The veterinarian who had rushed forward to assist had verified that Heidi was indeed dead. Nobody was quite sure what had happened yet, but the speculations ranged from her having a heart attack to someone deliberately taking her life. Andrew had joined the fray soon afterward, perhaps already suspecting his services as police detective would be required.

No one could leave until the police determined exactly what was going on, and the forced confinement had generated a buzz of anxiety. Despite the instructions they’d been given, nobody wanted to remain seated next to someone who might have killed a woman. Almost equally disturbing, they were all going to be interviewed as potential witnesses.

Kat snuck a peek at Lucy Callahan, who kept craning her neck to get a better view of the activity across the room. Kat couldn’t help but remember the redhead’s angry scowl as she’d faced down Heidi earlier. Could the two women really dislike each other so much that one would murder the other? The idea turned Kat’s stomach.

“Can you see what’s happening?” Lucy asked.

Kat shook her head, hoping to deter a lengthy conversation by remaining mute.

Lucy practically climbed on top of her seat for a better view. “I’m sure Andrew will fill us in when he comes back.”

Kat flinched at Lucy’s use of Andrew’s first name. Although, she reasoned, her familiarity only made sense. After all, the two had met before the dining room had become a potential crime scene and Andrew had morphed into Detective Milhone of the Cherry Hills Police Department.

Lucy straightened. “He’s coming this way.”

Kat scanned the area, her heart beating a little faster when she saw that Andrew was indeed headed toward them. He halted next to their table, his face grim.

“You all are up next,” he said, glancing at the five people seated around the table in turn. “I’ll be escorting you one at a time to another room so I or one of my colleagues can interview you in private. Once we’ve captured your statement, you’re free to leave.”

“Can you give us an update?” Lucy said, practically bouncing in her seat. “What’s going on?”

Andrew’s mouth thinned. “Heidi didn’t make it. Right now, we’re suspecting foul play. Our best guess at this time is that she was poisoned, but we’ve expedited some samples to the lab for confirmation.”

Lucy’s mouth dropped open. Kat couldn’t tell whether she found the news shocking or exciting.

Andrew’s eyes didn’t leave Lucy. “Why don’t I start with you? You seemed to have known the victim better than most everybody else here.”

“Sure.” Lucy scrambled to stand up.

Kat leaned back in her seat and fanned herself with one hand as Andrew led Lucy away. She closed her eyes to block out the dizzying swarm of activity around her but still couldn’t prevent the slightly nauseated feeling that had been building in her gut for the past twenty minutes.

Figuring she had enough time to splash some water on her face before Andrew returned to take her away for questioning, Kat slipped her purse strap over her shoulder, stood up, and made her way toward the restrooms.

Crossing the hotel corridor, Kat flung the bathroom door open and strode inside. But before she could reach the sink, the sight of Champ standing guard by the garbage can stopped her short.

The Labrador’s ears pricked, and he rushed forward to look up her dress again. However, this time Kat was expecting the ambush and managed to turn away in time.

As she stroked Champ, Kat heard the unmistakeable sound of someone retching from behind the closed stall door. She wasn’t surprised that the shock of this evening’s turn of events had made at least one person sick. Kat’s own stomach wouldn’t stop roiling either.

The toilet flushed and the door banged open. Tasha Taylor stepped out, halting when she saw Kat. “Oh, you startled me,” she said, gripping her clutch purse close to her chest. “I didn’t realize anybody else was in here.”

Kat’s heart pinched in sympathy as she took in Tasha’s pale face and the mascara trails streaking down her cheeks. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. No. Not really.” Tasha leaned against the side of the stall, pressing her hand against her stomach. “This whole thing with Heidi is just really upsetting.”

“Did you know her?”

Tasha sucked in a breath as she bobbed her head.

“It’s terrible what happened.”

“Yes.” Tasha stumbled over to the sink and rinsed out her mouth.

Champ whimpered and trotted over to Tasha. He pressed the top of his head into her palm as if sensing her need for comfort. After a moment, she rubbed his ears.

Watching the two interacting with such affection would have infused Kat with cheer under normal circumstances, but her heart was too heavy at the moment.

“I’m guessing he’s in here because you decided to adopt him,” she said.

Tasha glanced at the dog. “Yeah, I couldn’t resist.”

“You won’t regret it,” Kat assured her.

Tasha bent over to grab Champ’s leash. When she straightened, her eyes were red and watery, as though she were on the verge of crying again. “Well, I should be heading home. After talking to the police, I’m beat.”

“Okay,” Kat said. “I enjoyed meeting you, despite how things turned out.”

Tasha grabbed a paper towel and swiped at her tear-stained face before depositing the towel in the garbage and taking a giant step toward the door. “Bye.”

As soon as Tasha left, Kat approached the sink and turned on the tap. Dipping her fingers under the stream of cool water, she patted some onto her face, feeling instantly better. When she finished, she leaned against the counter, in no rush to return to the dining room. The silence of the bathroom made it easier for her to think about Heidi.

The more she considered it, the less likely it seemed that Lucy could be responsible for what had happened. Although there certainly was no love lost between the two women, Lucy hadn’t left their table since Kat had sat down. How could she have poisoned Heidi if she hadn’t been anywhere near her food?

Kat couldn’t dismiss the possibility that Lucy had an accomplice, but she hadn’t seen her informing any potential partner-in-crime of Heidi’s seat change. She supposed Lucy could have surreptitiously sent a text message, but that still left the question of who could be working with the woman. The rivalry between Lucy and Heidi had struck her as more of a one-on-one conflict.

Kat sighed. She should leave the investigating to Andrew, she told herself.

And she should get back to her table before Andrew began to wonder if she’d snuck off.

After studying herself in the mirror to make sure she looked presentable, Kat yanked a paper towel out of the dispenser and dried her hands. When she went to toss the sheet, something poking out from underneath one of the wadded-up towels in the garbage can caught her eye. She reached down and picked it up. It appeared to be a small vial.

Kat turned it around in her fingers, her heart beating a little faster. The vial was clearly empty and there wasn’t any label to indicate what it had held, but her mind had already turned in a sinister direction. She could easily picture this tiny container holding enough poison to kill a woman.

The possibility sent a shiver down Kat’s spine.

Careful not to touch more of the vial’s surface area than she needed to, Kat wrapped it in a clean paper towel and slipped it into her purse. She would turn it over to Andrew when it was her turn to be questioned. Then, she vowed, she would step back and let him handle the difficult part of determining who had killed Heidi.