A Paw-sible Theory

“Of all domestic animals, the cat is the most expressive. His face is capable of showing a wide range of expressions. His tail is a mirror of his mind. His gracefulness is surpassed only by his agility. And, along with all these, he has a sense of humor.”

––Walter Chandoha

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: The Missing Key

Alyx went straight to her bedroom when she returned. She showered and washed her hair. Dressed in lounging shorts and a T-shirt, she sat on the couch and promptly fell asleep, waking up when Susan called to see if she needed anything. She mentioned that she hadn’t had anything to eat and promised Susan that she would as soon as she got off the phone.

I trotted next to her to the kitchen with the other two following, their tails straight up. Alyx looked around and with a heavy sigh, sat at the kitchen table, across from where she usually sat. It must have been disturbing for her to be sitting there, believing that someone had tried to kill her.

She bent down to pat Misty who was rubbing against her ankles, with Pooky weaving in, out, and around the table legs.

“You all know something is wrong, don’t you? I wish you could talk and tell me what happened here Saturday. I bet you know.”

I heard a key turn in the lock at the front door. Alyx heard it too. She quickly glanced over to the desk where Maggie had put the house keys and saw there was only one key. I leaped onto the table ready to attack. Alyx took a deep breath and held it until she heard Maggie’s voice.

“Alyx, it’s me.”

“I’m in the kitchen.”

“Honey, you’re as white as a sheet. Should you be up?”

“I’m fine. You scared me half to death, is all. I saw that one of keys to the new lock was gone and I didn’t remember giving you one.”

Maggie blushed and stammered an answer. “Well...I just assumed...you wanted me to have a key. I’m sorry for the presumption.”

The keys already in her hand, Maggie started to pull off Alyx’s house key from her chain, her eyes downcast.

I realized that Alyx knew she had hurt Maggie’s feelings. “No, Maggie; I’m the one who’s sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“I should have called, but I didn’t want to wake you in case you were sleeping. I was just going to leave these, if you were. Novie sends her regards and muffins to make you smile.”

“How thoughtful of her,” she said, taking the bag from Maggie. “You want some?”

“Sure, if you sit and let me make the coffee.”

Maggie put two mugs on the table and handed Alyx a plate for the muffins. “Novie has always been nice. She was the first one on our side when we first approached the Downtown Merchants Association about staying open late. Remember?”

“Yes, I do, and she has been on our side on every issue we’ve discussed since. Do you know what she’s decided to do about selling her building?” asked Alyx.

“I think she’s getting some pressure from her husband. She says she’s still thinking about it.”

Maggie poured the coffee and sat down across from Alyx.

“Listen, Maggie, we’re partners, but more important, we’re friends, and I’m truly sorry I blew up at you and didn’t let you explain why you think we should sell and move our business.”

“I accept your apology though it’s not necessary.”

“Thank you for all your help, Maggie. I don’t know what would have happened without you here to take care of the cats, the store, and me. And one more thing I want to say is I’m glad you asked Bob to help out; it means a lot to Ethan.”

Maggie reached for a muffin and put it on a paper napkin and pushed it over. “Okay, now that’s out of the way, how are you feeling? You’ve lost a some weight; those shorts are a little loose on you.”

“I’m okay and so are the shorts as long as they don’t fall off.”

“How are you emotionally?”

Alyx didn’t answer her question directly. She broke a piece off the muffin but didn’t put it in her mouth. “Bob called this morning with information on the latest round of non-productive leads. He said the stolen purse lead didn’t pan out. The investigator working for the lawyer looked at the store’s surveillance video and there was nothing showing the purse being taken, but it did show it being returned by a store employee.”

Maggie’s eyes opened wide. “Really, that’s good isn’t it?”

“The employee was questioned and she said she found it on the floor in the produce aisle.”

“And they believed her?” Maggie asked, surprised.

“She’s a senior citizen who’s worked there several years and Bob said there was no reason not to.”

“Did Bob say anything else about the case?”

“Just that nothing came out of the other leads either. David told him that in the security video of the parking lot and store entrance, they saw Rupert Moresby enter the coffee shop next to the store right after me. They thought that would lead to something, but it turns out he’s just an opportunist and a cheat. He told David he was meeting a woman there.”

“The lawyer questioned George Lucas too. Of course, I knew he was wasting his time looking for anything on George. He’s as straight as they come,” said Maggie.

Alyx hesitated before answering. “I agree, but as far as David was concerned, everyone he talked to could have been a suspect, even you.”

Trying for a normalcy I’m sure she didn’t feel, Alyx asked, “What’s going on with the Swanson account? Were you able to find those circa 1900 pedestal sinks they wanted?”

“I’ve found two, so far, and I’m waiting to hear from two more dealers.”

“Did they agree to use reproductions if we can’t find the rest?”

“Yes, but it’s really important to them to use original materials as much as possible.”

“Did I tell you that I met the former owner, before the house went up for sale?” Alyx asked.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“She told me that she started the story about the house being haunted. She did it as an advertising gimmick. The story appeared in one of those special sections the paper puts out every so often and the ghost story became part of the history of the house. It never died and she never confessed that she made it up. Just out of curiosity, I asked her if the lie bothered her.

“She said she didn’t see why it should since no one could positively say there wasn’t a ghost in the house. She said that she did experience some strange things––little things disappearing and then reappearing in strange places and doors opening on their own. She also said that the psychic who came to investigate definitely felt a strange presence in the house. So her point was that maybe there is and maybe there isn’t. Who’s to say?”

Alyx took a bite of her muffin and smiled. “Have the new owners seen any ghosts, yet?”

Maggie laughed. “Betty told me a funny story the other day. She said she surprised her husband at work one night and practically scared him out of his skin.

He was working in the kitchen and didn’t hear her come in. All of a sudden, he saw this huge shadow on the wall. She said he froze to the spot and visibly jumped when she called his name.”

The picture of the big tattooed man jumping in fright obviously made the two women laugh.

“Maggie, I’m sorry all this has fallen on your shoulders. Hopefully, I’ll be able to come back to work tomorrow or the next day, at least for a few hours anyway.”

“You just take your time. I spoke to Charvette and Bernice and they are glad to work the extra hours.”

They finished their coffee. Maggie got up to clear the table and continued, “Those two have been so cooperative taking on extra work and more hours, I was thinking about a bonus for them at the end of year. What do you say?”

“I think that’s a great idea.”

Maggie put the cups in the dishwasher, covered the leftover muffins, and got ready to leave.

Alyx shivered and wrapped her arms around her waist. “It’s just starting to sink in that someone tried to hurt me, if not kill me, and I guess I’m feeling a little vulnerable.”

“Did something else happen today? Did Bob say something to upset you?”

“It wasn’t so much what he said, it was the memories he evoked.”

“If you want to talk about it, I have time to listen.”

“I’ve told you most of it already.”

“I’m getting older; I may have forgotten some of it, so tell me again so you can expunge it from your mind.”

“I don’t think I ever told you the details of the night Bob told me he didn’t love me anymore and wanted a divorce––the memory, and the aftermath are too painful to recall.”