Catnip (Dunbarton Mysteries Book 1) by Valerie Tate Read Free Book Online

that
he finally had some good news. The woman there said Marmalade had stopped by
the day before. She explained that he used to be a regular visitor but he hadn’t
been around for a while. She had given him some canned salmon and he had gone
on his way. Thinking that he owed Alice Dunbar a huge apology, Chris asked
which way Marmalade had gone and continued on down the street.
    It seemed that the cat was a
popular visitor all along Glengarry Lane. Several of the other neighbors said
he used to stop by but hadn’t lately, and that they missed him and would be on
the look-out for him. When he reached the end of the block, Chris called James
and Alicia but neither of them had any more news to report.
    The next day, they put up posters
all over town, promising a substantial reward for any information, which
resulted in a series of Marmalade look-alikes (and not-so-much-alikes) being
paraded past their door, but no Marmalade.
    It had reached the point that
Chris felt he was going to have to report the situation to the APS when,
walking back home one afternoon having spent the morning checking out back
alleys along the main street, he saw an orange tail attached to a large orange
bottom flying along a fence top.
    Without stopping to think, he
took it after it, running at break-neck speed, leaping short hedges, dodging
trees and boulevard gardens, and calling “Marmalade!” at the top of his lungs.
The scandalized expressions on the faces of people he passed assured him that
he was making a spectacle of himself, but he was beyond caring. He had to keep
the cat in sight. He didn’t even know if it was Marmalade, but it was the only
lead he had.
    And then he lost him. In the
blink of an eye, the cat cut through a yard, leaped over a high fence, and was
gone.
    Abandoning the chase, Chris
collapsed against a tree, panting. He really had to get to the gym more. When
his ragged breathing had returned to normal, he turned back the way he had come
and headed for his apartment.
    He was sprawled on the sofa,
cursing life in general and orange cats in particular, when his phone rang.
    “He’s back!”
    The happy wanderer was sitting in
the middle of the kitchen floor, calmly cleaning his fur, and totally ignoring
the humans who stood in a circle looking down at him with a mixture of relief
and exasperation.
    “He just showed up at the kitchen
door and meowed to get in. He smells of fish, so we think he’s been at the
beach.”
    Remembering the tinned salmon,
Chris wasn’t so sure, but he didn’t care. A disaster had been averted.
    Despite the scare he had given
them, they decided that trying to keep Marmalade in was a mistake. The more
they kept him in, the more he was bound and determined to escape. He was used
to coming and going as he pleased and was obviously happy to return home when
he was ready. It was a risk, but one they felt they had to take.

Chapter 8
    “He’s back.”
    It was faceless conversation
spoken in sibilant whispers.
    “Not for long. You know what has
to be done.”
    “He’s just a cat.”
    “He’s not just a cat. He’s a fortune
with legs, money with a tail.”
    A resigned sigh was audible at
the other end of the line. “What if I get caught?”          
    “Don’t.”
     “But what if I do?”
    “If you do, you’re on your own.
No one can know I’m involved. I’ll deny everything.”
    “If I’m taking all the risk, I’ll
want more money.”
    “There’s no money until it’s
done.”
    Another sigh and the line went
dead.

Chapter 9
    Chris had quietly apologized to
Alice for having thought her capable of harming Marmalade and she had accepted,
but their relationship was even more strained than it had been before, and so
it was with some surprise that she greeted him at the door the following
Sunday.
    “Mr. Mallory, how nice to see
you. Please come in. Isn’t it a lovely evening?” She was smiling.
    His first reaction was suspicion.
The last time she had greeted him with a smile,