The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon: A Cats in Trouble Mystery

Praise for the Novels
of Leann Sweeney

The Cats in Trouble Mysteries

The Cat, the Lady and the Liar

“A lighthearted, fun cozy starring an engaging cast of characters… Feline frolic fans will enjoy.”

—The Best Reviews

“Tightly plotted, with likable characters, and filled with cat trivia, this entertaining mystery will become a favorite for cozy and cat lovers alike.”

—The Conscious Cat

The Cat, the Professor and the Poison

“A fun, entertaining story… the mystery will keep the reader guessing and the conclusion is satisfying and will leave readers looking forward to Jillian’s next adventure. I enjoyed this story so much.”

—Fresh Fiction

“Sure to please the cat and cozy fans of the world.… After reading the first book, I just knew I was going to fall in love with this series and have.”

—Feathered Quill Book Reviews

“The characters and [the] friends Jillian makes along the way and the care she gives to the cats she encounters will make her a fast favorite.”

—The Mystery Reader

The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse

“A solid start to a cozy mystery series.”

—CA Reviews

“The first installment of what promises to be a delightful cozy series.… Leann Sweeney presents readers with a solid mystery that kept this reader guessing through all of the plot twists and turns. Plenty of cat trivia adds to the richness of the narrative… highly recommended!”

—The Romance Readers Connection

“The cats are entertaining four-legged assistants.… Kitty lovers will enjoy the feline trivia.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Great fun for cat lovers… a lot of hometown charm.”

—The Mystery Reader

“Fans will enjoy her amateur sleuth investigation.”

—The Best Reviews

“[Leann Sweeney’s] brand-new series about adorable cats that just can’t stay out of trouble is bound to be a hit!”

—Fantastic Fiction

“Sweet but not syrupy, sharply written and brimming with heart.”

—Cozy Library

The Yellow Rose Mysteries

“As Texas as a Dr Pepper–swigging armadillo at the Alamo. A rip-roaring read!”

—Carolyn Hart, author of
Death Walked In

“Full of emotions! Anger, sadness, fear, happiness, laughter, joy, and tears… they are all there, and you will feel them along with the characters in this book!”

—Armchair Interviews

“An intriguing puzzle [that] has buried layers that must be uncovered.”

—
Rendezvous

“I adore this series.”

—Roundtable Reviews

“A welcome new voice in mystery fiction.”

—Jeff Abbott, national bestselling author of
Collision

“A dandy debut… will leave mystery fans eager to read more about Abby Rose.”

—Bill Crider, author of
Of All Sad Worlds

“
Pick Your Poison
goes down sweet.”

—Rick Riordan,
New York Times
bestselling and
Edgar® Award–winning author of
The Battle of the Labyrinth

“A witty down-home Texas mystery… [a] fine tale.”

—
Midwest Book Review

Other Novels by Leann Sweeney

The Cats in Trouble Mysteries

The Cat, the Lady and the Liar
The Cat, the Professor and the Poison
The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse

The Yellow Rose Mysteries

Pushing Up Bluebonnets
Shoot from the Lip
Dead Giveaway
A Wedding to Die For
Pick Your Poison

T
HE
C
AT, THE
W
IFE
AND THE
W
EAPON

A C
ATS IN
T
ROUBLE
M
YSTERY

L
EANN
S
WEENEY

AN OBSIDIAN MYSTERY

OBSIDIAN

Published by New American Library, a division of

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,

New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,

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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:

80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

First published by Obsidian, an imprint of New American Library,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

First Printing, April 2012

10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1

ISBN: 978-1-101-58010-3

Copyright © Leann Sweeney, 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

OBSIDIAN and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Printed in the United States of America

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

ALWAYS LEARNING

PEARSON

This book is for Morgan Elizabeth.

Acknowledgments

A book is a journey never traveled alone. Without the help of my husband, Mike, my writer’s group—Kay, Dean, Amy, Bob, Laura, Heather and Millie—as well as Susie, Charlie, Isabella, Enzo and Curry, I would have been very lonely. A special thank-you to the “cozies,” wonderful readers on the cozyarmchair Yahoo group, as well as all the other readers I’ve met through Facebook. My three kitties and my wonderful dog have been beside me as I typed every word. Lorraine and Jennifer, you have wrapped your arms around me and helped me through so much. Thank you. My agent, Carol, I thank you, too; and Claire, I could never thank you enough for your support. Lastly, a special shout-out to my two friends waiting on the Rainbow Bridge. My beautiful Himalayan, Indigo, and my tuxedo cat, Archie Goodwin, are right there. Rest in peace, dear, dear friends. You’re forever in my heart.

“It always gives me a shiver when I see a cat seeing what I can’t see.”

—E
LEANOR
F
ARJEON

Table of Contents

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-one

Twenty-two

Twenty-three

Twenty-four

Twenty-five

Twenty-six

Twenty-seven