A Purrfect Alibi

Twenty-Five

Millie skidded to a halt in the kitchen and we all piled in behind her. The door banged shut, leaving the cats outside. They wasted no time in meowing their displeasure and I opened it to let them in. The five of us stood around catching our breath.

“What’s your plan?” I asked Millie.

“I do think we need to proceed with caution. We could be dealing with a killer,” Millie said.

“Maybe we should call Seth,” Mom suggested.

Millie pressed her lips together. “No time for that, if Esther is the killer we need to act fast. Victor is planning something and I’m sure Esther means to stop him.”

Meooow. Nero blinked up at us as if contributing to the conversation.

I looked down at him. “I know you like her, but this is bigger than cat treats.”

Nero seemed affronted. He yowled, turned his back end toward us and flicked his tail at me.

Millie frowned at him. “Anyway. I’m sure she is still in the house, probably waiting to make a move on Victor. I think the key is to catch her alone.”

“Good plan. Even if she tries something, it is three against one.” I pointed to Mom, Millie and then myself.

“And two cats,” Mom added.

“Right,” Millie said. “I think we should get her to show us what was in that envelope and potentially use that to get a confession. I have Seth on speed dial so we can call him in once we have solid evidence.”

“Good thinking. We wouldn’t want to call him prematurely lest we ruin our reputation,” Mom said.

Millie nodded. “We have to be very careful about our credibility. We’ve called him in on a few false leads before. Won’t make that mistake again.”

They were worried about their credibility? I was more worried about another murder at the guesthouse.

Millie put her fingers to her lips with a shushing noise. Someone was rustling around in the butler’s pantry. We crept over to see Gail looking out the window.

Gail turned to us. “Shh… he’s out there. I saw him.”

“Who?” Mom asked, ducking down and then peeking up over the countertop to look out the window.

“Victor.” From the tone of Gail’s voice, she might as well have been telling us the devil was out there. I guess she did see him as such. I really hoped he was the killer, he seemed like a jerk, but the evidence we had pointed to Esther.

“What’s he doing?” Millie asked.

“Getting ready for his fake talk with Jed, I assume. He called in that reporter,” Gail whispered.

Anita Pendragon was out there too? I leaned closer to the glass but it was dark out and I couldn’t see a thing.

“Tonight is Victor’s last chance. I heard Anita saying the movie producer called her about the story. Nothing sensational has happened, so he’s moving on. Victor will have to up his game.” Gail turned to us, her eyes deadly serious and maybe a little crazy. “He may do something drastic. Maybe even murder.”

“You think he’s the killer?” Mom asked.

Gail turned back to the window and murmured, “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

Mom, Millie and I exchanged looks. Should we try to follow him?

“Here he comes!” Gail whispered as I saw a figure emerge from the shadows and head toward the back foyer.

We all ducked.

“What do you think he’s up to?” Mom whispered.

“Not sure.” Gail peeked up over the counter. “He must be setting things up for his big chance. Anita is out there too. I saw another shadowy figure over by the conservatory and it wasn’t Victor.”

The door to the foyer opened and we heard someone slip in. Sounded like they were trying to be quiet. Gail turned to us. “Are you going to catch him?”

Millie thought about that. “If he’s the killer we will. But first things first, these things must be done in a methodical manner. Do you know where Esther is?”

Gail cocked her ear toward the ceiling. We could hear Victor going up the stairs. The second-floor landing creaked but he kept going. Was he going to the attic? I’d locked the door, hadn’t I?

Gail didn’t look away from the ceiling as she spoke. “Esther’s in the front parlor gazing into that crystal ball of hers.”

Millie jerked her head in the direction of the front parlor and said, “Come on, ladies. We have no time to waste!”

Esther was in the front parlor just as Gail had said. She was seated at the oak table next to the window, her gaze fixated on the crystal ball, which was practically glowing atop the purple velvet cloth she’d laid on the table’s surface. I wondered if the cloth was part of her act or if she’d done that so as not to scratch the antique table. If it was the latter, I made a note to make sure to let her know I appreciated that… after we got a confession out of her, of course.

The cats were already there. They must have come in when we were talking to Gail. Marlowe was curled up on Esther’s lap and Nero was sitting on the corner of the table, his gaze fixed out the window.

Esther looked up at us, her eyes cloudy as if she were somewhere else entirely. Slowly her gaze cleared and her face registered surprise.

“Oh, hello.” Her voice sounded uncertain. I suppose it was a bit intimidating to look up and see the three of us looming over her.

Mew. Nero blinked at us. I sensed disapproval in his demeanor. Marlowe let out a snore from the comfort of Esther’s lap. I envied Marlowe’s ability to lapse into a catnap quickly and at any time, she was clearly oblivious to the gravity of the situation.

“Hi, Esther.” Millie’s tone was friendly as she sat down across from her.

“Would you like a reading?” Esther waved her hands over the crystal ball.

“No. We’d actually like to talk to you about something much more important.”

“Oh?” Esther’s gaze flicked between the three of us. “Yes. Those ghostly noises we heard earlier.”

Millie sat back in her chair and studied Esther.

“Those were dreadful, weren’t they?” Esther shivered.

“We think whoever is responsible must have hidden a device outside on the grounds,” Millie said.

“Oh? I hadn’t thought much about that.” Esther was a good liar. She really did look as if she hadn’t thought much about it. “I suppose they did. My guess is it was Victor.”

Millie drummed her fingers on the table, the sound muted by the purple cloth. “Maybe, but you were also seen outside in a very odd place.”

Meow! Marlowe stirred in Esther’s lap and something crinkled. The envelope from the bank? I looked over but she had a flowy caftan on that hid whatever was crinkling.

Marlowe glared at Millie, then stretched and jumped up onto the table next to Nero and followed his gaze out the window.

“Me?” Esther averted her gaze, focusing on the crystal ball. “I have no idea what you mean.”

Millie glanced up at me with a triumphant look. Esther was clearly lying and to Millie that meant she was the guilty party.

Mom leaned over the table. “Give it up, Esther. We know you’re hiding something.”

Mew! Nero’s tone held a warning, but it wasn’t directed at my mother. His gaze was steady out the window and… wait… someone was out there! I leaned forward to get a better look.

“I’m not hiding anything!” Esther was indignant.

“No? Then explain what you were doing in the outhouse!” Millie demanded.

“I had my reasons, which are none of your business,” Esther said quietly.

Outside something was moving. A shadow. I leaned even closer. It was Anita Pendragon! I could make out the shape of her hair and it looked like she was wearing a trench coat. Rather dramatic if you ask me. What in the world was she up to?

Muffled creaking came from above. With a sinking sensation, I realized that I had left the door unlocked. Had Victor really gone into the attic and if so, what was he doing?

“I think you have way too many secrets.” Millie leaned across the table. “Is one of those secrets the fact that you killed Madame Zenda?”

“What? No. I did not kill her.” Esther’s hands fell from the table to her lap.

“Well then, you won’t mind explaining why you lied about being at the antiques store,” Millie said.

“And what you purchased while you were there,” Mom added.

“Or what is in that envelope that you got from the bank.” I nodded toward her lap.

More crinkling. We had her now, she seemed rather nervous, her eyes darting to the crystal ball as if seeking advice from it.

“It’s not anything to do with the murder. Well, at least not Madame Zenda’s murder.” She clutched the envelope to her chest.

“Let us see it, then.” Mom grabbed a corner and tugged.

Esther tugged back. “It’s just information from the bank.”

“Good. Then you won’t mind if we look at it.” Mom tugged harder and Esther pulled back harder.

Something fell from Esther’s lap to the floor and rolled under the table. The hardwood floors in the guesthouse were quite old and things had sagged a bit. Anything that fell on the floor eventually rolled to the middle. Nero and Marlowe were on it like alley cats on mice, their paws batting it to and fro.

I was hoping to see an old buckle, but no dice. It was a pen. I picked it up. It had a modern pen tip, but looked quite old, similar to the one I’d seen in the picture at the bank where Jed was signing something. Esther must have had Agnes Withington retrofit it.

“Aha!” Millie pointed at the pen.

“So you were at the antiques store,” Mom said.

“So what if I was?” Esther tugged the envelope back into her possession.

“You lied about it and that means that you have something to hide,” Millie said.

“I didn’t have anything to hide. Agnes didn’t want me to tell anyone.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I gave her a reading.” Esther gestured toward the crystal ball. “Some people are funny about that. We traded services, I did a reading and she made an old fountain pen I had from my mother into a more useable product.”

I looked at the pen in my hand. “And you didn’t buy an old buckle?”

“No.” She sat straighter in her chair. “Now, if you are done interrogating me, I have much to do before Victor puts on his little show.”

“I bet you do.” Millie nodded knowingly. “Like making sure he doesn’t have a chance to do it at all!”

“You have it all wrong!” Esther’s voice quivered slightly.

Meow!

Nero and Marlowe scrambled up onto the table as another shadow passed. We were all looking out the window when creaking from overhead drew our attention to the ceiling. Mom seized the opportunity to reach over and grab the envelope, Esther tried to snatch it back, but she didn’t quite make it and the contents spilled out over the antique Persian rug.

I snatched up the papers. Surely this was the clue to it all? But it wasn’t, it was exactly as Esther had said—just old papers about the bank.

Esther shot up from her chair and shoved her hand in my face. “Give those back, they’re nothing to you.”

“Still feigning innocence. You might as well confess now. Josie will prove you’re the killer with what is on those papers.” Mom looked back at me with the utmost confidence. “Won’t you, Josie?”

I barely glanced up at my mother. I was too busy trying to figure out just what it was about the papers that tugged at my memory.

The first paper was the early history of the bank. It was a photocopy of an old piece of paper where someone had scrawled in blotchy ink a timeline of the first several months. I looked up at the top to see a date. I guess that must have been a diary of some sort, written by the bank’s founder, Thomas Remington, judging by the signature at the bottom. It detailed the money he’d used to start the bank and the small building he’d rented from which to do business.

“Well?” Millie looked at me expectantly.

“I’m not sure. This is a photocopy of an old journal from when the bank was founded.” I glanced over at Esther. She seemed resigned now, sitting back in her seat, no longer trying to get the papers back. Apparently she was too dignified to run now that we were about to prove why she’d kill Madame Zenda. If only I could figure out what this paper had to do with her plan and tie it into the murder…

I handed the paper to Millie and looked at the next one. It was a list of old coins similar to the ones I’d seen at the bank display. It was also in Thomas Remington’s hand and there was quite an extensive list. The bank sold antique coins, but I doubted they would part with any of the original coins Thomas had brought. Did the coins somehow figure into the murder?

“Ha! Look at that. I guess old Thomas Remington had perfect timing.” Millie glanced up from the first paper as I handed her the second.

“Why is that?” Mom had come to stand behind Millie and was looking over her shoulder. Esther was still seated but now she was looking into her crystal ball as if mesmerized. The cats were sitting on the table watching us.

I was barely listening to Mom and Millie’s conversation, my brain busy trying to make sense of all this as I scanned the third sheet, which appeared to be an accounting of old Remington family heirlooms and their value. It was almost like a receipt.

“Well, he opened the bank the same year Jedediah Biddeford was determined to be missing in Europe. He would have been out of a job if he hadn’t done that.” Millie reached for the next sheet and I handed it over.

The final sheet was the etching of the Oyster Cove guesthouse with Jed. He was wearing the shoes with the buckle. His wife stood next to him and children and staff to the side. Now why did that keep cropping up? I looked up at Esther, our eyes locking. Suddenly I knew what Esther had been up to. We’d made a huge mistake.

Millie snatched the last piece of paper out of my hand, pointed to it and addressed Esther. “Now there! This proves you’re the killer!”

“Yeah!” Mom agreed, then frowned and looked at me. “Err… could you explain just how it does that?”

“It doesn’t—”

Thunk!

A heavy onyx bookend toppled to the floor from the second shelf of the bookcase cutting off my words. Good thing it landed on the rug, might have made a dent in the floor otherwise.

“What?” Millie wore an expression of quizzical disappointment.

Meooo!

Merooolow!

Meruuuus!

The cats screeched as they bolted into the hallway. I could hear their footsteps racing up the stairs.

Realizing they were headed to the attic, I shot out of my seat. “I know who killed Madame Zenda and it wasn’t Esther. We better hurry or there may be another murder!”

We’d reached the doorway when the lights went out, stopping us cold. That was odd, there was no storm, why would the power go out?

Of course! It was the killer. We’d left our flashlights in the kitchen. Did we have time to get them?

And that’s when we heard the scream.