Cat Under Fire

9

Beverly stepped up onto Janet's deck, pulling her skirts around her, staying well away from the fallen, burned oak tree that had smashed half the deck and the rail. Looking helplessly at the plywood that had been nailed over the front door, she waited for Charlie to provide access.

Hiding an irritated smile, Charlie began to pull nails, wondering what Beverly would do if she had to get into Janet's apartment without assistance. She hoped she could work for this woman without, somewhere along the way, losing control of her temper. Their first meeting, three days before, had been strained.

Because she didn't yet have an office in which to talk with Beverly, she'd suggested meeting for coffee at the Bakery. Beverly kept the appointment, but let her know right off that meeting in a public restaurant was not the way in which she liked to conduct business. Charlie didn't know how much privacy Beverly required to discuss repair and janitorial services. Beverly had looked a mile down her nose at the little tables on the Bakery's charming covered porch; though when their tea was served she tied right into the pastries, devouring the apricot crescent rolls greedily.

Charlie pulled the last nails, slipped the two sheets of plywood out from under the police tape, and leaned them against the house. She didn't have to like Beverly Jeannot in order to work for her, and this was the biggest cleaning and repair job she'd bid on. Following Beverly up along the side of the house from the street below, she had hastily assessed the exterior damage. The smoke-stained siding would need pressure scrubbing, and that would mean covering the windows. She'd have to rent a pressure washer. It was too early on in the game to buy one- that would put her in debt for a year. The pump alone ran around eleven hundred, and the spray washer was probably more. A total of two to three thousand bucks.

Her profit from this job would go a long way toward paying for that kind of equipment-if she didn't lose her temper and blow it. Though it was more than Beverly's attitude that made her uncomfortable about this bid. She wasn't looking forward to cleaning the house where Janet Jeannot had been killed so brutally. She'd been a fan of Janet's, had admired Janet's work for years. She wasn't sure how she was going to feel, working there, where Janet had been murdered.

But that was childish, she was being childish. She couldn't help Janet; she couldn't change anything.

When she was still in art school, she had sometimes seen Janet at a gallery opening or a museum reception among a group of well-known painters. She had never had the nerve to approach the artist. Why should Janet Jeannot care that some gangling art student idolized her work?

But now she wished she had spoken to her. She hadn't learned until she moved to Molena Point three weeks ago, what a down-to-earth person Janet had been. Maybe a word of admiration, even from an art student, would have meant a little something.

Of course when she told Beverly, over coffee that day, how much she had admired Janet, she received only a haughty sniff. As if a common cleaning and repair person couldn't possibly distinguish an exciting painting from the Sunday comics. Now, following Beverly inside, she wondered if Beverly herself had appreciated Janet's work. Stepping over the burned threshold, Beverly gathered her skirts around her giving a little disgusted huff at the sour smell.

What did she expect, attar of lilies? There'd been a fire there: the white walls, the white rugs and furniture were dark from smoke, the rooms smelled of smoke and dampness, and strongly of mildew. There were drip lines running down the smoke-darkened paint where water had leaked in from the fire hoses.

"I will want all the food removed from the cupboards, and that cat stuff thrown out." Beverly directed her glance to the dusty water and food bowls on the floor by the kitchen sink. "She kept a cat, but I suppose it's dead or has found somewhere else to live.

"I want you to clean the refrigerator thoroughly, and pack up all the dishes and cookware. Those will go to the Goodwill-there's nothing here worth keeping. I want the house completely emptied except for the rugs and furniture. You will see to having those properly cleaned, so that I can sell them." Beverly stood waiting, as if to be sure that Charlie understood.

Charlie dutifully noted the details on the pad inserted in her clipboard, then picked up the wet throw rugs and carried them out to the deck. Wringing them out, she hung them over the undamaged portion of rail. She'd drop them off later for cleaning-a good professional would do a better job than she ever could with a rented steam cleaner. Straightening the rugs, looking down the hill, she admired the view. Maybe someday she'd have a place like this. She wondered where the cat was, the one that belonged to the dusty water and food bowls. That would be the white cat that Wilma had helped to search for. Wilma thought the poor thing had died in the fire; they'd found no sign of him.

She stood in the big living room for a few moments, assessing the smoke-stained walls. They'd need a heavy scrubbing before she painted. The floors would be fine with a good mopping; nothing could hurt that Mexican clay tile.

"I'm in here," Beverly called imperiously.

Out of sight, Charlie stuck out her tongue, then moved obediently toward the bedroom.

This room was huge, too, and so bright it took her breath. It would make a wonderful studio. She'd kill for that view down the hills. Beverly stood beside the unmade bed, shuffling through a tangle of scrapbooks scattered across the rumpled sheets. The sheets were streaked with black dirt, too, and when she looked more closely she realized they were pawprints.

So Janet's cat had survived, had been in the house-or some cat had. Must have slipped in through the charred hole under the front door. Beverly seemed not to see the prints or was ignoring them, caring nothing about the cat.

Before she left, Charlie thought, she'd put out fresh water, food if she could find any, maybe leave the bowls under the entry deck where Beverly wouldn't notice.

"I'll want her clothes boxed up for charity. She had no valuable jewelry, only junk. Please look through the closet and dresser now, so you will know how many containers you will require. I will want a complete and detailed list for tax purposes." Beverly flipped through each album, left them in an untidy pile, and turned to inspecting the bookshelves, moving books and glancing behind them. It occurred to Charlie to wonder if Beverly Jeannot really ought to be in there. Maybe she hadn't any more right to be in this house than the general public, until the police cordon was removed and the trial was finished.

Opening the dresser drawers, she found them half-empty. Not as if Janet's clothes had been removed, rather as if Janet hadn't had much, as if perhaps the artist saw no need for an abundance of clothing. Her few jeans and sweatshirts lay neatly folded. There was one nice sweater, in a plastic storage bag, a dozen pairs of socks, two pairs of panty hose. Janet had worn plain cotton panties. She didn't seem overly fond of brassieres-she had only one.

Beverly, preoccupied and intent, moved from the bookshelves to the desk, opening drawers, shuffling through the contents. Charlie watched her, then checked the closet It was half-empty, too. Janet must have unpacked from her San Francisco trip before she went to bed. There was a small, empty suitcase on the top shelf beside a folded garment bag. The clothes on the chair must be what she took off that night, as if she'd been too tired to put them away. The closet contained a wide, transparent storage bag with three dress-up outfits: a beige silk suit, a print dress, and a gold, low-cut cocktail dress. Two more pairs of jeans hung neatly beside a second windbreaker and some cotton shirts. This completed the wardrobe. She heard Beverly pick up the phone and punch in a number, listened to her asking for Police Captain Harper.

She could imagine how that imperious tone would go over if she used it on Harper.

She had met Max Harper only once, but she knew enough about him from Clyde to know the dry, lean man didn't tolerate being patronized. What cop did? Listening, she returned to the dresser and pretended to inventory jeans and sweatshirts.

Beverly must have pull, in spite of her rudeness, because within seconds she had Harper on the line.

Though likely it wasn't pull at all but Beverly's connection to Janet. For all she knew, Beverly herself might be suspect in some way.

"Captain Harper, the man you sent up here to search this house has left an unacceptable mess. I can't imagine why he would do this-he has pulled nearly all the books off the shelves for no apparent reason, has, in fact, trashed the entire bedroom."

Charlie didn't see anything trashed. She could imagine the chief of police raising an amused eyebrow, puffing away on a cigarette while Beverly ranted.

"What do you mean, I'm not allowed in the house? This is my house now. Have you forgotten that Janet left the house to me? Surely your police rules apply simply to the general public. I don't…"

Abruptly Beverly stopped talking, was quiet for some minutes, then, "Captain Harper, I came up here on legitimate business. I would remind you that I don't live in Molena Point, and that my time here is limited. I came up here to assess the interior damage and to arrange for much-needed repairs-once you have released the premises. I'm sure you know that much of the damage was caused by your police officers and city firemen. I am, in fact, facing monumental cleaning and repair costs, thanks to you city workers."

There was another long silence, then Beverly gave a sharp huff of exasperation and hung up, banging the receiver. Charlie pretended to be absorbed in noting the number of moving boxes she'd want. She paced off the size of the rooms in preparation for ordering paint, then went down to the Mercedes to retrieve a box of paint chips from her canvas tote. Beverly wanted a perfect match to the existing white walls. This seemed a needless expense, to have the paint specially mixed, when the woman was going to sell the house. Particularly when she was in such a hurry.

But what does a simple cleaning person know?

Returning from the car, she looked up at the house with a stab of longing, dreaming how it would be to have that lovely apartment. The studio above could be rebuilt, with plenty of space for tool storage and building supplies, maybe room left over for a small rental.

Sure, just whip out the checkbook and plunk down half a million or maybe more, and it's mine. Molena Point property was incredibly expensive.

Back in the house again, she sorted through paint chips, India Ivory, Rich Almond, Pagan White, Winter Snow, Narcissus. She chose Pale Bone, matching it to a little patch of wall down behind the couch that seemed to have escaped smoke damage.

But when she checked the color with Beverly, Beverly huffed and had to try a dozen samples. She returned to the Pale Bone as if she had just discovered it. In a few minutes she was back in the bedroom. Charlie could hear her still rummaging, heard her open the closet door, heard the hangers slide, heard her unzip the suitcase, zip it up again. Whatever the woman was looking for, she hadn't found it yet.

Well at least the police knew she was there. If Harper didn't want her nosing around, he'd send a squad car.

In the kitchen cupboard she found a supply of cat kibble and a dozen small cans of gourmet cat food. Reluctant to move the bowls on the floor and generate questions, she dug out an aluminum pie tin and a chipped china bowl. Filling the bowl with water, she carried it all outside, poured kibble into the pie tin, placed it and the kibble box and bowl of water just under the deck. She could see, down the hill, the house she was now working on, just a few blocks south. She could run up to this house easily to replenish the food and water. If the cat did come back, she could see if it was hurt and take care of it.

Returning to the bedroom, she startled Beverly. The woman turned abruptly from the empty bookshelves. Having pulled off all the remaining books, she looked cross and frustrated.

"When you get Janet's clothes packed, get them off at once to the Junior League or the Goodwill, then take these albums and scrapbooks to her agent. It is the Aronson Gallery, on San Carlos."

Charlie nodded and held her tongue.

"Any of Janet's sketches, or sketchbooks-or any journals, are to be given to me. Pack them carefully in a large, suitably flat box. Don't fold the sketches, please. Anything drawn or written by Janet's hand must come to me. Bring them to my motel. Don't leave them in the house while you are working.

"The bedding and towels can go with the clothes and kitchen things. In short, everything to charity except albums, scrapbooks, diaries, or journals, and any remaining artwork. And of course the rugs and furniture, which I will sell."

For a woman whose sister had died so recently, and so horribly, Beverly Jeannot was maintaining a remarkable strength of spirit. Charlie pretended to take notes, but they weren't needed. Beverly's sharp instructions had etched themselves on each individual brain cell.

"You understand that you cannot start any work until the police legally remove the barrier," Beverly said. "I have no idea how long this trial will take. Once it ends, beginning the day it ends, when the premises are released, I want the work started immediately and done with dispatch. The living room cleaned and painted, the outside of the house scrubbed, the windows washed. The remains of the studio fire must be removed and the area swept clean so the builders can start, and the entire yard must be cleaned and raked." She looked Charlie over. "How long will that require? I hope no more than two or three days. Can you assure me that you have sufficient crew to handle the job expeditiously? If you cannot, I would like to know at once."

"My crews will be on the job the moment the police allow us to enter. I'll do the bid this evening, fax it to your motel. Will that be satisfactory?"

No other repair and cleaning service would put their jobs on hold in this way-a customer waited his turn. She wouldn't make this arrangement either, to be available at any time without notice, if she wasn't just getting started.

She hadn't told Beverly how short a time she'd been in business, and Beverly hadn't asked. She reminded herself again that she had better not lose her sense of humor. She prayed that she'd be able to find additional help for the job. One fifty-year-old, addle-brained cleaning lady and one male handyman of questionable skills were not going to cut it.

Under the bed, the cats glanced at each other. There was only one place Beverly hadn't searched. Her footsteps tapping across the tile were bold and solid.

She stopped beside the bed, her shoes inches from Dulcie's nose. Thick ankles in thick, pale stockings, burgundy high heels with wide straps across the instep. The springs squeaked and one burgundy foot disappeared upward, then the other, as Beverly climbed to kneel on the bed.

She had already pulled all the books out. Now a dry, sliding sound suggested that she was running her hand down the wall, maybe pressing along the moving shelf beneath which Janet had kept her tissues and clock and the missing journal. The springs complained as she shifted her weight.

They heard the movable panel rattle. Heard her suck in her breath, heard the shelf slide open.

They listened to her rummaging among the contents, but soon she closed the little niche again and eased herself down and off the bed.

When Beverly began to pull the sheets off, Dulcie snatched the diary in her teeth and they slipped out behind her, staying between the comforter and the wall. As she tugged at the bedding, jerking sheets and comforter onto the rug, they fled, streaking for the closet.

They peered out, ready to run again.

But she didn't turn, hadn't seen them. They watched her shake the bedclothes, drop them on the rug, then roll the bed away from the wall. As she searched behind it, her posterior bulged in the plum-colored skirt. At last she straightened up, brushed dust from her suit, and returned empty-handed to the living room.

The cats did not leave their shelter until they heard the front door close, heard the lock slide home, heard Charlie nailing up the plywood.

When an engine started down below they left the closet, trotted to the window, and watched Beverly drive away. Charlie left directly behind her, the Mercedes softly purring.

The apartment was still again, empty.

Crouching together on the rug with the diary lying between them, they pawed it open to the last pages.

Here were entries about the de Young opening, notes which Janet must have made only days before she died. Ironic that Kendrick is on the museum board which is giving me two awards. A jury with Kendrick on it wouldn't even have hung my work, so I guess he didn't have any say in the matter, it's the jury that decides, bless them.

She had tucked a clipping between the pages, a group photo of the board, taken a week before the opening. She had drawn beside Mahl's picture an owl that looked so like Mahl, Dulcie rolled over laughing. The dowdy bird had Mahl's hunched shoulders, Mahl's beaklike nose. Its eyes closely resembled Mahl's round, rimless glasses.

In the photo Mahl had his suit coat off and was holding a piece of clay sculpture, his white shirt cuff revealing, where it had pulled back, an expensive-looking watch, heavy and ostentatious.

Joe stared at it. "What kind of man would wear a watch decorated with cupids and those heavy wings sticking out. Pretty pretentious, for someone who's supposed to have the tastes of an artist."

"Where did you learn about the tastes of an artist?"

"Not from Clyde, you can bet."

The last entry in Janet's diary had been made the night before she died, a one-line comment which perhaps she had written just before she went to sleep.

Lovely night at the de Young. Two awards. Euphoria. All perfect. Except K. was there.

Behind that page she had tucked a newspaper review of the exhibit, her hotel bill, a charge slip for gas, and a plain slip of paper with some numbers jotted on it.

"Could be the van's mileage," Joe said. "For her tax records. Mileage when she left, and again when she got home." Janet had crossed out the beginning mileage and penciled in a new one, two hundred miles larger.

"Guess she wrote the original number wrong, then corrected it-put a three hundred where she should have had a five."

"She must have been in a hurry," Dulcie said. "What should we do with the diary? We can't let Beverly-or the police-come back and find it."

"We have to get it to the police, Dulcie. It could be evidence."

"But there are personal things in here. She wouldn't want this read in court."

"We don't have any choice, if it's evidence. And there are things in here about Rob Lake."

She laid a soft paw on the pages, on Janet's small, neat handwriting. "Would they read it out loud in court? If the papers get hold of this, they'll print everything-all the things she said about Mahl." She licked her chest, smoothing her fur. "Janet wouldn't want this made public, plastered all over the newspaper."

"It belongs with the police. Max Harper won't let the papers have it."

"Detective Marritt would, behind Harper's back."

"You think Harper would let anything happen behind his back?"

"Marritt messed up the investigation, didn't he?"

Joe sighed. "You're not really sure of that. We'll hide it for tonight, until we decide what to do." He rose and headed for the kitchen.

Pawing open the lower cupboard doors, he prowled among the pans until he found a supply of plastic grocery bags rolled neatly and stuffed in an empty coffee can.

Within minutes they had bagged the diary to protect it from the damp and rain, and had dragged it outside and hidden it beneath the deck, pushing it deeper under than the bowls which Charlie had left for the white cat.

"That was nice of her," Dulcie said. "I guess Charlie believes in the white cat."

"I didn't say I don't believe in him. I just think he's- Oh, what the hell. Maybe he'll show up and eat the damned kibble."

She gave him a long green stare, but then she snuggled close. "Come on, let's go con that old Mrs. Blankenship, see what we can find out."