Fat Cat Spreads Out

SIXTEEN

Chase picked up the money Detective Olson had left on the table and added it to their cash box.

“That was nice of him to pay, wasn’t it, Charity, after I said I would give them to him?” Anna must have gotten over the parrot insults and the pat-down and search quickly. “So what are you thinking?”

“I think that it’s very possible Karl Minsky is the one who killed Larry Oake.”

A shadow fell across the table. The bulky form of Karl Minsky inched into the booth.

“You’d better watch your mouth, young lady,” he snarled at Chase.

Her initial reaction was to cower, but she squashed the impulse and stood as tall as her five-foot-five frame would let her.

He came closer and loomed over her, at least a foot taller. His menacing scowl hit her in her clenched stomach, but she wouldn’t let him know that.

“You were eavesdropping on me and Mara?”

“No. But you were eavesdropping just now. Does the detective know you were there?”

“He never saw me.”

Chase wondered about that. The man was hard to miss. “If you didn’t harm Mr. Oake, then you have nothing to worry about.”

“Except busybodies like you poking their noses into my affairs and stirring things up.” He shook his meaty fist inches from her nose. “I’m warning you.” Then he stomped off down the midway toward the butter sculpture building.

“I think you’d better tell Detective Olson about this, too,” Anna said. “That man is threatening you.”

“I think I will. But Karl Minsky has to get far, far away first.”

Chase waited until an influx of dessert bar buyers had bought their fill, then she poked her head out of the booth and looked up and down the midway to make sure Karl Minsky wasn’t anywhere in sight. It would be hard to miss him if he were there. His daughter, though, would be easier to overlook. Chase looked carefully. No, Mara wasn’t around. She stepped to the back of the booth and called Detective Olson. He didn’t answer. All that preparation for nothing! She left a message that she had new information for him and went back to working the booth.

As the end of the day approached, Anna started fidgeting.

“Everything okay, Anna?” Chase asked.

“Sure. Hunky-dory.”

As she said it, though, the worry lines didn’t leave her brow.

“Say, if you don’t mind, I’ll do the baking tonight,” Anna said.

“I don’t mind, but I’ll be happy to help out.”

“No, don’t bother. I can do it.”

Chase knew she could, but why didn’t she want help?

After they closed up and got everything packed to go, Anna took the leftovers and the cash box and rushed out. Chase was chatting with the travel agents next door when Anna left. The short one’s mother hadn’t had another crisis, and she was in a cheerful mood. Chase wondered what her relationship with her own mother would be like today if she hadn’t died so young. A lot of time had gone by and the pain of losing her parents had faded. In fact, some days she didn’t think about them at all. But when grown children didn’t get along with their own parents, it made her sad, made her wish hers were still alive.

Chase stepped back into the booth to check that everything was wrapped up. There was Anna’s cell phone on the table. Chase reached to pick it up just as it rang, nearly sending her through the roof of the tent. Her nerves were on edge all the time here, knowing a murderer might be lurking anywhere.

“Yes?” The light was too dim for her to check the number.

“Anna?” said the voice on the phone.

She was almost certain it was Bill Shandy. “No. Is this Bill?” He said it was. “Anna left her phone in our booth. I’ll take it to her, since she’s baking tonight.”

“That’s what I’m calling about. Tell her I’ll be a little late. Not too bad, maybe a half an hour.”

Late for what? Chase wondered. Was the pet shop owner helping her bake? Maybe the man had hidden talents. Bill had given Anna an engagement ring in September, thrilling Anna, Chase, and Julie. Chase thought he was a catch and a good match for Anna. Every time her eye caught the sparkle of Anna’s diamond, it cheered her heart.

As Chase walked to her car, she pulled her jacket close. A colder front must be coming through, she thought. Fall was progressing toward winter in Minnesota.

The temperature kept dropping perceptibly from the time she left the tent to the time she reached her car, and the wind whipped her hair into her face. She spat out a strand, scooted into the driver’s seat of her Ford Fusion, started the engine, and cranked up the heat.

Halfway to the dessert bar shop, Chase realized that she didn’t know if Anna was going home first or to the shop. She called the shop, but there was no answer. Maybe Anna was going past her own house first. Chase would swing by there to make sure she had her phone. It wasn’t that far out of her way. She took the next left and circled the block to turn around.

A few miles later, Anna’s phone rang again. This time it was Julie.

“Jules? This is Chase. Anna forgot her phone. Is she home yet?”

“I don’t think she’s coming here. She told me she would go straight to the kitchen.” Julie’s voice sounded strained.

“Are you cold?”

“Yes. I’m in the backyard so those women won’t hear me.”

“Elsa and her sister?”

“Yes, Elsie and Ellie. Stupid, confusing nicknames. I can’t ever remember which is which. Chase, I’m not sure I want to be alone with them. Can you come over and keep me company?”

“Well, Inger is at my place right now.”

“Oh, right. I forgot. Why don’t you bring her? Pick up Chinese or something.”

“Why don’t you want to be alone with them?”

“I don’t know. It’s a feeling I get. For one thing, they’re expecting me to cook for them.”

“Really? They should be taking Anna out to dinner.”

This time Chase slowed, let traffic pass her by, then swung out and made a U-turn, heading back to her place.

Anna wasn’t in the kitchen downstairs, but Inger was pacing the living room floor in the apartment upstairs. Quincy crouched at the edge of the seat on the stuffed chair, swiveling his head to keep track of Inger’s movements, looking uneasy about this unsettled person in his space.

“Where have you been?” Inger demanded when she saw Chase.

“I’ve been at the fair, you know that. I’m not that much later than usual. I had to . . . make a few turns on my way home.”

“Turns?”

“We’re going to Anna’s house for dinner. You need to get your coat on.”

“I’m awfully hungry.” The woman was whining. Chase wondered if her parents had been looking for a reason to kick her out. No, that was extremely uncharitable. The poor gal was probably beside herself with worry about her future. And was probably also pretty darn hungry.

Chase put a cheese sandwich together and slipped some carrot sticks in a plastic bag.

“Here, eat this on the way. It’ll tide you over.”

Inger regarded the offering in Chase’s outstretched hand with suspicion, or maybe distaste, pursing her small mouth like a pouting child.

“Do you like cheese? Carrots?”

“I guess so.”

Chase swallowed a retort that had to do with thanking people and being gracious. Her situation must be getting to her, Chase thought. Or maybe there’s a bit of her parents in her? Did pregnancy give women mood swings? This wasn’t like her, at all, but Chase didn’t know how much more of the bad behavior she wanted to take. After giving Quincy his din dins, they trundled down the stairs and headed for Chase’s car to drive to Anna’s house. She still hadn’t shown up at the Bar None.