The Cat, The Professor And The Poison

Thirty-three

Tom still had trouble driving even six weeks after the double murders in Mercy had been solved. But he could hold kittens while I drove down Robin West’s bumpy driveway. Jack was waiting on the porch for our arrival and actually started jumping up and down with excitement before we even got out of the car.

The two cats that had come to Robin’s barn had been scanned and examined a few weeks earlier. Shawn convinced Robin that grown outdoor cats such as the ones that had shown up on her farm might do better to remain outdoor cats.

She was ready to give up on the idea of an indoor cat completely. But when Jack found out I had kittens that needed good homes-which I let slip accidentally on purpose-he did not stop asking his mother about them. She liked cats, so that wasn’t the issue. She worried about the mess in her house-the cat hair, the litter and the possibility of damage to her furniture. So I worked on her pretty hard, telling her Jack needed the responsibility, not to mention the chance at having two great friends. She finally caved.

Jack had come to my house and chosen the two tabbies, and that’s what we dropped off with him. I don’t think I’d ever seen a happier kid. He didn’t even seem to notice when we left.

But there were two more kittens that needed a home, and off we went on our second mission-the trip to Candace’s apartment building. We weren’t taking the kittens to Candace, however. She wasn’t home enough, she said.

Even though I’d tried to convince Kara that she could stay with me, she’d rented an apartment in Candace’s building. I could understand that. She needed her own space. I carried the kittens because Tom had to practically hop up the small stoop and limp down the hall that led to Kara’s new apartment. She and Tom had spent time together in the last six weeks. She was working for him while he was off his feet. Tom said she was a quick study and could now install an alarm almost as well as he could.

I knocked on her door, and she answered right away. I held out the kittens, and she smiled from ear to ear.

“They are so precious,” she said, taking them from me.

She let us in-her apartment was almost as bare as Candace’s, but she at least had a few easy chairs and a sofa. Tom hopped over and sat down on the sofa.

I pulled out a quilt from my big shoulder bag, exactly like the one I’d also given to Jack’s new babies. She sat in one of the chairs, the quilt on her lap, and the kittens immediately sat down and looked up at her with their cute little whiskers twitching. The calico looked more like Wiggins every day, and the orange and white one was a real clown.

“I talked to Evan just yesterday,” Kara said, not taking her eyes off the kittens. “He is so glad to have Dame Wiggins with him. It eases the pain a little to have something of his father’s. He really loved his dad, even though he knows he was a troubled man.”

I sat next to Tom. “He didn’t deserve to be murdered, and I hope this book you’re writing will address that. Is that why you decided to stay in Mercy? To write the book?” I asked. I’d been afraid to ask that question ever since Kara told me she was staying, but Tom had encouraged me to ask.

“I needed a job, and I found it here, but I also need family. That’s you, Jillian. You’re the reason I’m staying.”

I smiled and felt tears sting behind my eyes. “Wow. Thank you. That means so much to me.” I never thought I’d have children, but now I had a daughter, one who had so much of John in her.

Tom turned and gave me an “I told you so” look.

“And I also needed an investment,” she said. “I’ve been clinging to what Dad left me like it would keep me connected to him,” she said. “But that’s crazy. He would have wanted me to do something with all that money.”

“What’s the investment plan?” I asked, blinking enough to stave off the tears.

“The farm,” she said. “Professor VanKleet’s farm. Evan will benefit from the sale, and he needs the money for school. And I saw potential there. But that house has to go. It was too darn creepy, and falling down to boot. You want to help me design a little house where these two little kids can keep me company?” She wiggled her finger in front of the kittens, and one of them batted at it.

“I guess I could,” I said.

“You know you could,” Tom said. “You’ve got style. Share it with Kara.” He reached over and lifted my chin and gave me a small kiss.

“Keep it clean, you two,” Kara said with a laugh.

There was a knock on the door, and Kara called, “Come in.”

Candace walked in carrying a brown bag. She was wearing her uniform. “Hey, everyone.” She saw the kittens, came over and picked one up. She held the calico up to her face. “Aren’t you the cutest thing?” She rubbed her nose against the kitten and then gave it back to Kara. “Did you tell them your plan?”

Kara said, “I did. And they don’t want me to leave town on the next train.”

“There are no trains in Mercy, but you knew that,” Candace said.

“Just good people.” Then I added, “And family.”

Candace pulled a bottle of champagne out of her bag. “I’m officially off duty, so this is okay.”

I smiled. “Time for a celebration. New homes for kittens, and a new home for Kara.”

Tom reached for my hand, and I tried again not to cry at the thought of how lucky I was to have these three people and my three wonderful cats in my life.