Fat Cat Spreads Out

FIFTEEN

As Chase walked toward her booth with two cups of steaming coffee for her and Anna, just before opening time, she passed the travel agency booth and heard sobbing from inside. She paused for a moment.

“Do you need any help?” she asked, taking one tentative step inside.

The cute short redhead blinked at Chase, tears streaming down her freckled cheeks. “My mother called just as I was leaving. Couldn’t get her calmed down.” She looked between her partner and Chase. “She’s prone to fake heart attacks. All I can do is talk to her until she thinks she’s over it.”

“Another visit to the emergency room?” asked the blonde, who had just arrived.

“No, I convinced her to see her regular doctor later today.” The redhead dashed a hand at her tears and leaned down to retrieve some pamphlets from a box. “But, somehow, it always makes me feel guilty when she does this and I don’t rush to be with her.”

“She’s manipulating you,” the tall blonde said, patting her partner’s shoulder. She wore a ring on each finger again.

“What if she does go to the hospital? I don’t want to leave you alone here.”

The blonde shrugged. “You do what you have to do, Holly. If you think you have to go to her, then . . .”

The redhead smiled and the storm seemed over.

“Will you be all right?” Chase asked. She felt like a fifth wheel, standing at their booth, learning secrets she had no business knowing.

“Thanks for being concerned.” The redhead seemed recovered. “She’s right.” She nodded at her partner. “I’ll just do what I have to do.”

“I hope your day goes well,” Chase called as she went toward her own booth with the coffee. The blonde, as usual, was wearing a lot of bling. Did that mean she really, really liked diamonds? Would she be tempted to steal a diamond collar?

Chase and Anna got a chance to gulp down most of the strong coffee before the customers started coming.

When there was a break at the Bar None booth shortly before lunchtime, Chase ran down to talk with Mike. Luckily, he had no patients in the clinic.

“I know you’re not a people doctor,” Chase began.

“I am definitely not a people doctor.” He continued putting stainless steel gizmos into the sterilizer.

“But people are mammals.”

He turned to face her. “It’s a question of licensing and legalities.”

“Like in losing your license, right?”

“Among other things.” He went back to preparing the machine, twisting dials and pushing buttons.

“But you could never lose your license from anything you told me.”

“Come on. Sit down and tell me what your problem is.” He waved her to a chair in the corner and pulled one up facing her as the autoclave began to hiss.

The glossy black cat hissed, too.

Mike chuckled. “He does that every time I run it. It annoys him, I think. Okay, what do you need?”

“It’s my houseguest, Inger.”

“Yes? Isn’t she seeing a doctor? An ob-gyn?”

“She saw someone at a clinic. I don’t know if she’ll go back—I hope so. But she needs another kind. I’m not sure exactly which kind.”

“Because?”

“She’s depressed. At least that’s what I think.”

“How is she behaving?”

“Weepy, sad, and she’s hard to get along with.” Chase gritted her teeth as she said the last part.

Mike reached over and took Chase’s hand. “Try to imagine what she’s going through. She’s alone in the world, about to have a child. She probably has no idea what to do with it once it’s born. Her parents aren’t any help at all. In fact, they’re piling on top of her problem stack, from what little you’ve told me. Wouldn’t you be a little cranky?”

“Yes, of course. But I think she’s having trouble coping and could need some professional help.”

“You might be right about that. Let me call around tonight and see if I can find someone for her to see.”

“Someone who doesn’t cost much.”

“Yes, I agree.”

As she strolled back to the booth, munching on a taco from the food court, it occurred to her that she didn’t have a good excuse anymore to see Dr. Ramos during the day, since Quincy wasn’t there. She wasn’t exactly glad that Inger was having problems, but it at least gave her a reason to visit him.

As she approached the booth, she saw Detective Olson walk inside it. She waited outside, quietly, behind the opening flap, to see what he wanted. She could see his back as he looked over the displayed wares. Anna jumped up from the chair when she spotted him.

“What’s the best?” he asked Anna.

He was there to buy dessert bars?

Anna suggested Hula Bars, of course, and pointed out the Pink Lemonade Bars and the Margarita Cheesecake. He asked for two Hula Bars and one each of the other two. He was buying treats, all right, but Chase didn’t think that’s why he was there.

“Is Ms. Oliver around?” he asked.

“She’s out for a few minutes. She’ll be right back.”

Chase moved back a step to be sure Anna couldn’t see her.

“Good,” he said. “I want to talk to you.”

Chase almost dropped her taco. Why on earth did he want to question Anna? He couldn’t believe she had anything to do with Larry Oake’s death.

“It’s come to my attention that you’re housing one of our . . . a person of interest in the Oake murder case.”

Was he about to say Elsa was a suspect?

Anna must have nodded because Chase didn’t hear an answer.

“I want to make sure,” he continued, his voice so low Chase had to strain to hear the words, “that you know to be very careful.”

“Careful about what?” Anna sounded alarmed.

“Careful in case she’s dangerous.”

“To me? Why would she be dangerous to me?”

“Let’s say that I don’t think it’s a good idea for her to be staying with you.”

“But she can’t find a hotel that will take a parrot.”

“Huh?”

Chase almost giggled. She could picture the puzzlement on his normally composed, self-assured, clean-cut face.

“Her sister brought Elsa’s parrot, Lady Jane Grey, when she came from Wisconsin.”

“Lady Jane Grey?” He seemed to drawl and sneer a bit when he repeated the name.

“I think it’s a fine name.” Anna was bristling, Chase could tell. “She’s an African Grey.”

“Uh-huh. But that’s quite an imposition on you, isn’t it?”

“Not really. I’m not there most of the day.”

“What do I owe you?” Chase heard the rustle of a paper bag.

“Oh, for the dessert bars? They’re on the house.”

It sounded like he was leaving, so Chase sauntered into the booth. Maybe she could find out if he knew about the Minskys. Detective Olson handed Anna a few bills. She tried to wave them away, but he put them on the table.

“Hi, Detective Olson. It’s good to see you. You like those Hula Bars?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t tried them yet. They look good. I’m glad you’re back.” He motioned to a uniformed policewoman standing in the midway. “Since you’re both here at the same time, it makes this easier. I’m very sorry, but we have to do this.”

Before Chase could even open her mouth to protest, the policewoman had thoroughly patted her down. Detective Olson and another policeman who had materialized out of nowhere proceeded to open and go through every box in the booth. After the woman patted Anna down, she left and the other uniform left shortly afterward. They were extremely efficient in their search. It had taken only a few minutes.

Chase caught her breath and got her mind into gear before Detective Olson could follow them out to the midway. “Wait just a minute. Am I a suspect now? Why are you searching me and Anna now?”

He paused. “We got a new anonymous tip on the valuable article that’s missing. It might still be on the fairgrounds. We’re not just searching you, we’re searching everyone. Keep your eyes open and you’ll see that.” He started to walk away again.

Chase was getting annoyed. “Wait. I want to talk to you about Karl Minsky. And his daughter.”

“Mara.”

“Yes.”

“Did you know that he quarreled with Larry Oake the morning of the murder?”

“Why do you think that?” Those dark blue eyes narrowed at her. Did he not believe her?

It was Chase’s turn to bristle. “I’m not just trying to get Dr. Ramos off the hook. I talked to Minsky and his daughter the other day. She was very upset because it happened outside the exhibition hall. She’s afraid a lot of people might have seen them, and I’ll bet she’s right.”

He looked upward for a second, considering. “I think we’ll look into that. Thanks for the information.”

After he left, Chase let her breath out. Maybe something would come of questioning the Minskys that could clear Mike. She sure hoped so.