Poisoned in Cherry Hills (Cozy Cat Caper Mystery Book 3) (7 page)

Andrew took a step backward as Tasha’s door creaked open. “Move slowly, and keep your hands where I can see them.”

Tasha did as he instructed. The fight seemed to have left her body. Her shoulders were slumped as she unfolded herself from the vehicle.

“Okay, now turn around and put your hands on the roof of the car,” Andrew commanded.

Tasha set her palms on the roof. “How did you know it was me?”

“I didn’t until I saw you out here holding Kat hostage.” Andrew slipped his firearm into his shoulder holster and exchanged it for a set of handcuffs, which he wasted no time securing around Tasha’s wrists.

Confident that she was finally safe, Kat threw the passenger door open and leapt out of the car, gulping in deep breaths of air. Champ scrambled after her, barking as he tried to run to the other side of the vehicle. Kat slipped his leash around her wrist and leaned against the sedan, unsure whether she would be able to restrain him otherwise.

Andrew looked at her over the top of the car. “Backup is on its way.”

Kat nodded. Seconds later she saw two uniformed officers charging out of the station. They sprinted through the parking lot and across the street in record time.

Andrew handed over Tasha. “Read her her rights, and I’ll meet you all back inside.”

“Roger that.”

Tasha stole one last mournful glance at Champ as the officers led her away, perhaps already sensing she would never see him again. For that one second, Kat actually felt sorry for her.

Now that the immediate danger had passed, Kat realized exactly how close she’d come to joining Heidi in the morgue. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed against the car.

“Hey,” Andrew said softly, steadying her with a hand under one elbow. “You’re okay. You’re safe now.”

Kat looked up at him, feeling a surge of gratitude. “You showed up just in time.”

He grinned. “Lucky for you, I finally broke for lunch. I’ve been so swamped I didn’t have time to eat earlier.”

“You have no idea how glad I am right now for your heavy workload.”

“You can thank Chief for that. I’m taking back everything I said yesterday about him not being a slave driver.”

Kat laughed. Although she still felt weak, some of her strength was returning.

“Did you catch anything Tasha said in the car?” she asked.

“Just enough to get the gist of things.” Andrew looked around before his eyes landed on hers again. “I’ll fill in the blanks when I take your statement. Afterward, why don’t you come to Jessie’s with me? I’ll buy you a milkshake.”

She glanced at Champ, who hadn’t stopped whimpering since Tasha had disappeared into the police station. He kept pacing back and forth, his eyes fixed on the station entrance.

Kat’s heart went out to the dog. “I’d love to, but I need to attend to Champ,” she told Andrew. “He’s pretty agitated.”

“What are you going to do with him?”

“I’ll call Imogene so we can place him with a foster home.” She frowned. “Assuming Tasha won’t be able to care for him anymore, he’s now officially homeless again.”

“If you’d like, I’ll give you both a ride to Imogene’s.” Andrew regarded her, his head slanted in concern. “You don’t look like you’re in any shape to be driving at the moment.”

She couldn’t argue with him there. With the adrenaline rush rapidly wearing off, her knees felt as if they were made of jelly.

“Then I’ll take your statement and buy you that milkshake.” His eyes twinkled. “Maybe I’ll even convince Jessie to add a little shot of something to the mix.”

She smiled, holding onto his arm as she took a step forward. “How can I refuse an offer like that?”

Kat was enjoying a quiet evening at home that night when her cell phone rang. She was all set to ignore it until she glimpsed Andrew’s name on the caller ID.

“Hi,” she answered, muting the television.

“Hi, yourself,” Andrew replied. “Are you busy?”

“Right now?” Kat glanced at Matty and Tom curled up next to her on the sofa. “Not really.”

“I’d like to come over and personally thank you for solving my case,” he said. “If it weren’t for you, who knows what Tasha might have tried when I left the station this afternoon.”

His statement sent a shiver down Kat’s spine. She dreaded to think of what Tasha had planned for Andrew when she’d camped out in front of his place of employment with a gun in the front seat and a bottle of toxic cleaner in the back.

“I’m only a couple blocks from your apartment,” Andrew continued. “Mind if I stop by?”

“No.” Kat reflexively patted her hair into place. “Come on over.”

They disconnected, and she threw her phone onto the coffee table before flying into the bathroom. She was able to give herself a two-minute makeup refresher before Andrew rang from downstairs and she buzzed him in.

Her stomach fluttered as she waited for him to make it up to her unit. She itched to open the door so there would be no delays when he did arrive, but thought that might make her seem too anxious.

As Kat strained to detect any sounds from the hallway, Matty watched her with one eye open, clearly wondering if her human had gone bonkers. Tom had evidently decided her restless energy was good for something and ambled over for some attention.

Kat only managed one scratch between Tom’s ears before a knock on the door made her jump two feet into the air. She spun around and swung the door open.

Andrew smiled at her as he stepped inside. “Hi.”

“Hey.” She shut the door behind him.

“Hi, big guy,” Andrew said, reaching down to rub Tom, who rolled onto the floor to expose his belly.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Kat offered.

“Nah, I just wanted to stop by for a minute since I was in the neighborhood.”

“Oh.” Kat tried to push her disappointment aside.

Andrew looked up at her, a hank of hair falling onto his forehead. “I’ve been thinking about this whole poisoning thing and how close I came to being in Heidi’s seat.”

Kat wrapped her arms around herself, trying not to shudder from the reminder.

“It’s really made me reflect on how short life can be,” Andrew said, turning his attention back to Tom.

Kat swallowed, remembering Lucy Callahan’s almost identical words from that morning. Now, she felt a little bad for ever suspecting her new neighbor of killing another woman.

Andrew gave Tom one last pat before standing up and facing Kat. “Anyway, it’s gotten me thinking that we really shouldn’t waste our time here on earth.”

Kat nodded. Her insides twisted into a knot whenever she thought of how close she’d come to losing Andrew so soon after finding him again.

“You know, I was really looking forward to the benefit dinner,” he said.

“I was too,” Kat admitted.

Andrew’s gaze drifted to Matty before he refocused on Kat. “Since that meal didn’t turn out quite the way we’d planned, maybe you’d let me take you out some other time.”

Kat smiled. “I’d like that.”

“Kind of like a date,” Andrew went on, lacing his fingers together. “Except with food I’ve heard of.” His mouth quirked for a second before the expression faded away.

He’s nervous
, Kat realized with a jolt. The observation cheered her.

“I’d like that,” she said again, somewhat more confidently now that she knew her feelings weren’t entirely one-sided.

Andrew’s posture relaxed. “Okay. Good. So, does Saturday work for you?”

Kat glanced around. The television was playing some program she couldn’t even remember turning on. Her gaze alighted on Matty, who stared at her as if silently communicating that Kat would be an idiot not to accept.

Kat turned back around to face Andrew. “We could go now if you’re free. I’m not doing anything.”

His eyes sparkled. “Okay.”

Kat flicked the TV off and grabbed her purse and phone off of the coffee table. She wished she had more time to prepare for an actual date but didn’t want to keep Andrew waiting while she vacillated between outfits. Besides, knowing he was sitting in the next room would make her too nervous to master anything as complicated as a button or a zipper.

She stuffed her phone into her purse and hooked the strap over her shoulder. “I’m ready.”

Andrew frowned. “You don’t have any shoes on.”

“Oh, fiddlesticks.” Kat grabbed her sneakers off the floor and shoved them on her feet.

Andrew laughed. “I see you’re still using that expression.”

She stuck her tongue out at him as she tied her shoelaces. “You should be used to it by now.”

She had just joined Andrew by the front door when his fingers encircled her arm. The gesture caught her off guard, and she almost stumbled face-first into the wall.

“There’s just one thing I have to do before we go,” he whispered, leaning closer.

He kissed her, the act surprising her so much it knocked the wind out of her lungs. When she finally registered what was happening, she threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer, relaxing into him as she returned the kiss. Every bone in her body felt as if it were melting.

After what struck her as too short a moment, Andrew pulled back. His eyes were soft, and a smile played on his lips. “Sorry, I wasn’t planning that.”

She took a deep breath, but the extra oxygen did nothing to slow her pounding heart. Her whole body felt close to combusting. “It’s okay.”

“Seize the moment and all that,” he said, gripping the doorknob.

Kat glanced over her shoulder as she adjusted her hold on her purse. Tom had rejoined Matty on the couch. Both cats were watching her with huge eyes, looking shell-shocked by what they’d just witnessed.

Kat shrugged at them, abnormally happy in spite of everything that had happened in the past thirty-six hours.

“So where do you want to eat?” Andrew asked.

“How about at Jessie’s?” she suggested. “I’m in the mood for an extra large milkshake.”

He smiled and held the door open for her. “Sounds good. You can never have too many milkshakes.”

As she stepped forward, she couldn’t help but think that maybe life was really just a series of accidents and tragic events that somehow worked out if you were one of the lucky ones who survived. How else would she have ended up with Matty and Tom in her life?

And now, it looked like, Kat thought with a smile, Andrew Milhone.

Thank you for visiting Cherry Hills, home of Kat and Matty! If you enjoyed their story, please consider leaving a book review on
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Please keep reading for an excerpt from Book One of the Cozy Cat Caper Mystery series,
Murder in Cherry Hills
. Thank you!

Katherine Harper knew something was wrong when she opened her front door late Tuesday morning and saw Matilda sitting outside her apartment.

Kat scrunched up her nose as she looked down at the cat. “Matty, what are you doing here? You live next door.”

Matilda stared back at her, her tail sweeping across the welcome mat.

Kat had to admit that Matty was a very striking cat. With her yellow and brown markings, white chin, and oversized green eyes, Kat thought the tortoiseshell was adorable.

But, contrary to what Matty liked to believe, she was a house cat.

Sighing, Kat brushed a brunette lock of hair away from her face before she scooped up the animal and started down the hallway to her neighbor’s unit. “You know Mrs. Tinsdale doesn’t like you out here. She fears somebody will steal you. And the landlord had a fit the last time he saw you in the common hallway. Now you’re going to be in big trouble.”

Kat shook her head, wondering why she was trying to reason with a feline. If anyone was watching, they’d assume she was desperate for companionship.

I need a boyfriend
, Kat thought. Unfortunately, securing a boyfriend was a touch more difficult than stopping by the local grocery store and adding one to her shopping cart.

Kat made it to Mrs. Tinsdale’s front door and adjusted Matilda in her arms to free one of her hands. But as she reached out to ring the doorbell, she noticed the door was already slightly ajar.

Kat froze, her pulse starting to pound. Mrs. Tinsdale never left her door open. Although Cherry Hills, Washington didn’t experience as much crime as Wenatchee, the nearest big city, leaving your front door open was still inviting trouble, even in a secured-entry building such as theirs. At the very least, nobody wanted to spend their hard-earned money running air conditioning for an entire twelve-unit apartment building in the middle of a July heat wave.

Kat looked at Matty, tempted to ask if she knew what was going on. Fortunately, she realized the ridiculousness of such a question before she voiced it aloud.

Her eyes locked back on to Mrs. Tinsdale’s door as she set the cat on the floor. Something wasn’t right about this situation, and every one of Kat’s instincts was urging her to turn around and flee. But, given that Mrs. Tinsdale could be injured and waiting for help to arrive, Kat felt she had an obligation to investigate.

Kat poked her head around the doorframe. “Mrs. Tinsdale?”

Nobody responded. For that matter, Kat didn’t hear anything at all except the hum of the air conditioner. She didn’t know if the AC would drown out the sound of a burglar climbing through a back window and down the fire escape, but, if a burglar was in the apartment, she would prefer that he duck out now. Kat didn’t care to run into anyone in the middle of committing a crime.

Stealing another peek at Matty—who watched her with that disdainful look that cats had mastered over the years—Kat pushed the door open wider.

“Mrs. Tinsdale?” Kat called out again.

She stepped over the threshold when only silence returned. Looking around, nothing struck Kat as out of place in the living room. Neither did she see Mrs. Tinsdale anywhere.

Kat moved farther into the apartment, scanning the dining area and kitchen as she circled around the coffee table. Everything looked normal in those rooms too.

Taking a deep breath, she rotated toward the hallway.

A shadow flashed on the wall, causing Kat’s stomach to leap into her throat. She whipped around, noting that Matty had followed her into the apartment unit. Her shoulders dropped three inches.

“You scared me,” she scolded. Then, remembering how silly Mrs. Tinsdale always sounded when she talked to the cat, Kat spun around and refocused on her mission.

Kat moved down the short hallway and glanced into the first room. The unoccupied bedroom appeared to be ready and waiting for Mrs. Tinsdale’s next guest. The duvet looked freshly laundered and put Kat’s own rumpled sheets and unmade bed to shame. The only off-putting touch was the patch of fur smeared across the decorative pillows piled near the top of the mattress. Matty clearly thought the guest bed looked as inviting as Kat did.

The door on the other side of the hallway led to a small bathroom. Peering inside, Kat didn’t see anything amiss there either.

She turned her attention to the closed door of what had to be the master bedroom. Assuming Mrs. Tinsdale was inside her apartment, that was the only place left where she could be.

Kat swallowed as she crept toward the end of the hallway. As much as she prayed that Mrs. Tinsdale had just popped out to do a little grocery shopping, she knew her neighbor would never have left Matty free to wander the building while she was away. Kat knew something was seriously wrong, no matter how badly she wanted to find a safe explanation for the open front door.

Kat paused when she made it to her destination. She gripped the doorknob, glancing back at Matty as if seeking the cat’s permission to enter. Matty’s eyes were huge as she stared back at her from the other end of the hall.

Kat positioned her ear closer to the door. “Mrs. Tinsdale?” she called again—fruitlessly, as she already knew there would be no response.

Left with no other options, Kat turned the doorknob. The hinges creaked as she slowly pushed the door open. She dreaded what she would find, but it wasn’t until she saw the disarray in the bedroom that she realized she was holding her breath.

The rumpled bedspread dangled halfway off the mattress. She didn’t know for sure if the mussed-up comforter had resulted from a scuffle or if Mrs. Tinsdale had simply not finished making the bed after waking up this morning, but she suspected the former. Mrs. Tinsdale struck her as the type to keep her living quarters neat and organized. Making the bed was likely one of the first things she did after waking up in the morning.

Kat’s eyes veered toward the floor, where a lamp was smashed next to the nightstand. The disorder—and what it implied—made her woozy. She leaned against the doorframe for support, envying Matty and her position in the hallway. If Kat had her own way, she would plant herself outside as well, then wait for someone else to deal with this.

But she knew she couldn’t turn around and walk away. Even if she and Mrs. Tinsdale hadn’t known each other well, she couldn’t leave a woman in potential peril simply to make things easier on herself.

Kat opened the door the rest of the way, searching the room for Mrs. Tinsdale herself. That was when she spotted the foot sticking out of the connected bathroom. The foot lay motionless on the floor, the ankle twisted at an unnatural angle.

Kat’s heart was thumping so hard now she feared she might collapse without the support of the doorframe to keep her upright. She would need all her strength to make it from this side of the bedroom to the bathroom.

Her legs shaking, Kat clutched the side of the bureau, but she pulled her hands back as soon as they made contact. Too late, she figured it would be better not to touch anything. If it turned out that Mrs. Tinsdale’s bedroom was a crime scene, Kat didn’t want to leave any more evidence of her presence here than she already had.

Mustering up what remained of her internal strength, Kat somehow made it to the bathroom without leaning on anything. She had to smother a scream when she caught sight of Mrs. Tinsdale’s face staring vacantly at the ceiling. Kat didn’t need to check for a pulse or other vital signs. Anyone could see the woman was dead.

Dashing out of the bedroom with her stomach threatening to reject the breakfast she had savored only thirty minutes ago, Kat scooped up Matty on her way out of the apartment and rushed back to her own unit to call the police.

*  *  *

The book is available on
Amazon
.

Books in the Cozy Cat Caper Mystery series:

Book 1:
Murder in Cherry Hills

Book 2:
Framed in Cherry Hills

Book 3:
Poisoned in Cherry Hills