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  Her mother sipped her coffee. “Well, we’ve just had a crappy week, haven’t we?”

  “Mom, I didn’t tell Uncle Pete, but I saw Charlie on campus before my tires were cut. Security saw him too and escorted him out of the area, but do you think he would do this?” Cat didn’t meet her mother’s gaze; she felt horrible even bringing it up. But she looked up when she felt her mother’s hand on the top on hers.

  “I don’t believe Charlie would do that. If anything, he was checking to see if you were okay. He says he’s been watching me and you for the last month. He got a little agitated when I asked him why, but all he says is Star Jones says something bad is happening. I guess the dog was right since Mr. Hines wound up dead in the library.” She smiled as she let her hand drop. “We have to have faith. Your uncle is looking for whoever is doing these horrible things. But we can’t just pick the easy targets, like Charlie. We have to have proof.”

  Cat wanted to remind her mother that she was probably the first easy target in the lawyer’s death, but she let it go. “More coffee?”

  She shook her head. “We better go. By the time we walk to the church, we’re going to be late to Sunday school.”

  When they got to the church, Cat paused at the bathrooms. “Go on in. I need to make a stop.”

  “Seriously, Cat. You drink too much coffee in the morning.” She pointed toward the hallway where the classrooms were located. “I’ll be in room two. If you don’t show up in five minutes, I’ll come find you.”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  Cat’s mother started to say something, then she was approached by another woman.

  “Loraine, I’m so glad to see you today. I bet after the week you’ve had you needed some solace here. Let’s go grab a chair in class.” The woman took Cat’s mom by the arm and led her down the hall. “You must come to lunch with us. I want to hear everything.”

  Cat wondered how long she could hide in the bathroom without her mom coming to find her. As she was leaving the bathroom, she heard crying. She walked toward the sound coming from the chapel. No one was supposed to be in there until ten o’clock service. According to her mother, the pastor liked to pace before his sermon. By shutting the doors, he could do it in private. Cat figured the shut door also kept people out of the cookies until the social hour after service.

  She tried the door, and it swung easily open in her hand. She peeked inside and Molly sat on one of the back pews, crying into a handkerchief.

  Cat hurried over and sat next to her. “Molly, what’s wrong? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. I just miss him so much.” She glanced sideways at Cat. “You must miss him horribly too?”

  “Miss who?” Now Cat was confused. She’d assumed Molly had been talking about Mr. Hines.

  “You don’t have to hide your relationship anymore. I figured it out.”

  “Molly, look, Michael and I are just friends. The rumors going around about us aren’t true.” Cat leaned against the pew. “Wait, are you dating Michael? Is that why you’re crying?”

  “Who’s Michael? I’m talking about Albert. As if you didn’t know.” Molly’s voice had an edge to it.

  “Wait, you think I liked Mr. Hines? I barely even knew him.”

  Molly sat up straighter. “Then why were you in his office? There’s no way you needed another copy of your contract. That was a lie.”

  She had Cat there. So to keep Molly calm, Cat nodded. “You’re right. I came to ask him to rehire my mother. She works at the library and he’d fired her.”

  “I know. And he laughed about it. He could be cruel.” Molly shook her head. “We were going to run away together. Be together forever on an island that didn’t have any extradition laws. He loved me and you killed him.”

  “Whoa, don’t go there. I did not kill him. I haven’t killed anyone.” Cat wondered if Molly could say the same. She wondered where the administration clerk had been when Mr. Hines had been murdered. “But you already know that, don’t you? Because you killed him. You couldn’t figure out a way to keep him close. So you went to the library to talk to him and it got out of hand.”

  “We’d made love in one of the offices. Afterward, he was eating some banana bread one of the librarians had left and he told me we were done. Then he asked if I wanted a slice. And boy, did I, but not a slice of that bread. After that, he just gurgled. I had to drag him to the book drop but I thought it fit his personality.”

  Molly’s eyes shown bright, and Cat wasn’t sure if Molly was here or reliving the deed. All she knew was she needed to get out of here and find Uncle Pete. Cat stood and stepped away from the pew. “Oh, Molly.”

  “He said he’d found someone else. And since you’d come into the office, I thought it was you.” She grabbed Cat’s wrist. “Don’t you understand, I loved him.”

  “Molly, let go. My mom is expecting me in Sunday school. I have to go find her.” Cat tried to wrestle her wrist out of Molly’s grasp.

  She stood and nodded toward the kitchen in the back of the hall. “Let’s go find out if they have something sharp there. I’m afraid I left the other knife with Alfred.”

  Cat planted her feet. “Sorry, I’m not feeling the need for a field trip. And what about the knife you used to slash my tires? Where’s that?”

  Molly laughed. “I guess you have all the answers, don’t you? It’s with a friend. Homeless people are always collecting things. Like knives. And when they search him, they’ll find Charlie also has Alfred’s wallet. I’ll leave this new knife in his basket as well. Sorry, Cat. I think we could have been friends. You just were always in the wrong place.”

  Cat felt Molly pulling her toward the kitchen. Then she saw the doors open and a dog ran into the chapel and bit Molly on the leg, dragging her away from Cat. “What the hell?”

  “You can’t say that in here, Miss Catherine. We’re in the house of the Lord.” Charlie grabbed Molly by the arms and held her. “Sit, please, Star Jones.”

  The dog followed his direction. Then, all of a sudden, the room filled with people, including her uncle. He took Molly from Charlie and put her in handcuffs. After he handed the woman over to another officer to take to the station, he turned toward Cat. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m overwhelmed.” She leaned down and petted Star Jones who sat by her feet watching her. He licked her hand. “Thanks for the help, boy.”

  The dog whined and looked at Charlie.

  “He says you are most welcome.” Charlie looked around. “We probably should go. Church is going to start soon.”

  “Charlie,” her mom said, “why don’t you stay. You and Star Jones can sit in this last pew with me.” She took his arm and led him to a place close to the door. “This way, if Star Jones needs to go out before the service is over, you can use that door and come back in when he’s done.”

  “You think they would let him stay with me?” Charlie blinked tears out of his eyes.

  Loraine glanced at Cat and then back at Charlie. “He saved Cat’s life today. I think he’s a hero. Heroes are always welcome.”

  Uncle Pete asked Cat to come to the station with him to give a statement. She went over to where her mom sat, waiting for the service to start. “I’m leaving with Uncle Pete.”

  Mom stood and gave her a long hug. “I love you.”

  Cat squeezed her. “I’ll come over to the house after I’m done. We can make fried chicken for dinner.” She rubbed Star Jones on the head.

  “Your uncle is coming by too. I’ll have Charlie and Star Jones with me. They’re going to stay with Pete for a while.” Loraine glanced over and exchanged glances with her brother. “I think they’ve been on the street for too long. We need to get them settled into the community.”

  Cat met her uncle in the vestibule where he was talking to the pastor. When they finished, he took her arm and led her outside. She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I hear you’re getting a roommate.”

  “We’ll see how it goes. Pastor Ted knows some counselors and
we’ll see if we can bring Charlie back to the real world.” He unlocked his Challenger. “You were solid in there. Very calm even when she tried to pull you to the kitchen.”

  “You were watching?” Cat sat in the passenger seat and put on her seat belt. “How did you know?”

  “Your mother went looking for you after five minutes like she promised. Then she called me. The pastor and I were watching on the security cameras, trying to see if she’d say enough for us to get her for more than just slashing your bike tires and trashing your office. The fingerprint results came back.” He started the car.

  “She could have killed me.” Cat rubbed her wrist that still hurt from Molly’s grip.

  He shrugged. “I took a chance she didn’t have a gun. And that you weren’t stupid enough to talk yourself into trouble. I just didn’t expect Charlie to do an end run and try to save you with his dog. That guy has no fear.”

  “Why was he here anyway?”

  Her uncle grinned. “He likes to go into the chapel before church and get coffee and cookies. The pastor has been watching him for the last month. He leaves money out too, but Charlie never takes it. Just the coffee and cookies. And dog biscuits.”

  “I’m going to buy Star Jones a big box of bones tomorrow.” She relaxed into the seat. “It’s finally over, isn’t it?”

  “It’s been a hard week.”

  9

  A few days later, Cat and her mother sat at the Morning Bean, drinking coffee and eating cinnamon rolls. Cat had a class at ten and her mother had to open the library at the same time, so they’d met early for a chat.

  “I’m glad you called, Cat. I feel like we’ve gotten on each other’s nerves the last week or so and I wanted to clear the air.” Loraine sipped her coffee. “I appreciate you coming by more often this month, but I know your father put you up to it. I’m an adult woman. I can be alone for more than twenty minutes without freaking out.”

  Cat grinned and finished the bite of cinnamon roll she’d just taken. “Point taken. I think Dad just didn’t want you to be bored or lonely while he was gone.”

  “He’ll be back this weekend, so consider your babysitting duties done as of today.” Loraine pulled her sweater closer. “I’ve definitely not been bored. Last week was horrible. All the ups and downs. At least one good thing came of this whole thing.”

  Cat knew she was talking about Charlie. Uncle Pete had taken the week off to help get Charlie situated in a new apartment. He found a nephew that lived in Denver that gave him more information including Charlie’s medical history. Apparently, Charlie had been missing for months from his Denver life. When Uncle Pete had asked him if he wanted to go back, Charlie had insisted that Aspen Hills was his new home. So they were making it so.

  “You know I love visiting with you.” Cat focused on her cinnamon roll. She loved her mother, her parents actually, even Uncle Pete. But sometimes, living in the same small town you grew up in made it hard to make your own decisions and actually grow up. “I just wish you’d stop giving me advice on everything I do.”

  “Knowing you were in the room with that woman, it scared me. And besides, I don’t give you advice on everything.” Her mother reached over to adjust Cat’s necklace, then stilled her hand. “Okay, maybe it’s hard for a mother to realize her child had grown up without her noticing. You’re an amazing woman, Catherine. I don’t tell you that enough.”

  Cat grabbed her mother’s hand and squeezed. “Now, was that so hard? I promise I won’t get overly upset when you make comments or buy me a dress I might not wear until I actually have a real job.”

  “Don’t you have to dress up now when you’re teaching classes? I just assumed you’d be required to dress professionally.” Her mom held up her hand. “And I didn’t mean that in a negative manner.”

  “Actually, jeans and a nice sweater or shirt is all they require. I can’t wear logo t-shirts that express my viewpoints.” She stopped as she noticed someone stopping at their table and looked up at Michael.

  “Or t-shirts with statements on them at all. I wore a ‘Ski Colorado’ t-shirt my first week as a TA and got a stern talking to about the need to show an appropriate respect for my position. Of course, I did my graduate work in Boston.” He smiled and reached out a hand to Cat’s mother. “Good morning, Mrs. Gibson. I’m Michael Latimer. Your daughter is an amazing student and instructor.”

  “Mr. Latimer.” Loraine shook his hand. “Actually, my daughter is amazing at a lot more than that. We’ve just been talking about her next placement when she graduates. I’m hoping she chooses to work at a college in a warmer state like Florida or California. Her father and I have been looking at a retirement move out of Aspen Hills.”

  Michael blinked at the news but he took it in stride. “Any college would be lucky to have Catherine join their faculty. I’ll leave you to enjoy your breakfast.”

  “Michael.” Cat paused, not wanting to contradict her mother, but she really wanted to work at Covington. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  After he left, Loraine didn’t say anything, but her lips were pressed together in a hard line. Finally, Cat couldn’t stand the silence. “He was just being nice.”

  Heat flashed in her mother’s eyes. She took a sip, then set the cup on the table. “I know I keep saying this, but you don’t realize you’re playing with fire when you even consider dating someone from Covington.”

  “He’s just a friend,” Cat said for what seemed like the millionth time.

  Her mom’s gaze softened, and she studied her daughter. “Cat, he isn’t interested in being your friend. He’s in love with you. I can see that. And if you can’t, well, maybe you are still in love with Seth. Call him. Get this silly fight over with. I need to go open the library. See you Sunday for dinner.”

  Her mother’s advice echoed in her head all during her class and followed her home where she tried to read her assigned manuscripts before class. Was Mom right? Was Michael in love with her?

  She set down the manuscript and picked up her phone. When the call was answered, she asked, “Do you want to come over tonight for dinner? I think we need to talk. I’m not much of a cook, but I know how to order like a pro.”

  “After meeting your mom today, I wasn’t sure I’d hear from you again. She doesn’t like me at all.” Michael laughed and the sound eased Cat’s worry. “Why don’t I bring the food? I’ll make you my one pot clam fettuccine. You like Italian food?”

  “It’s one of my favorites.” Cat hung up the phone and went back to reading. It was time for a new life. One where she didn’t pine over Seth twenty-four seven. She just hoped her mother would forgive her sooner or later.

  Recipe Time:

  Michael’s One Pot Spaghetti and Clam Sauce

  * * *

  I found this recipe on line one day and thought, this can’t work. One night, I was doing dinner alone as the cowboy was out of town and I tried my version of the recipe. It was awesome. And, it’s even better warmed up for lunch the next day.

  Here’s my version.

  Lynn

  * * *

  Heat a large fry pan, with deep sides – over medium heat.

  Add –

  2 Tbsp. olive oil

  ½ chopped onion

  1 tsp minced garlic

  1 cup sliced mushrooms

  Cook 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent and mushrooms browned.

  Then add a can of chopped clams (including the juice.)

  Add two cups of water (or chicken broth)

  Then add 2-4 servings of spaghetti. Break in half and make sure the pasta is under water.

  Cook for 10-15 minutes more – adding more liquid before the pan runs dry.

  I like to add a cup of milk during the last minutes of cooking to make the sauce creamier.

  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

  When the sauce is set and the pasta cooked, serve with garlic bread and a green salad.

  More Cat Latimer -

  Looking for more Cat Latimer? Yo
u can buy the first six books in digital, audio, or print format at your favorite retailer.

  The Cat Latimer Mysteries

  A Story to Kill

  Fatality by Firelight

  Of Murder and Men

  Slay in Character

  Sconed to Death

  A Field Guide to Homicide

  * * *

  And coming soon

  A Killer Christmas Wish (Fall 2021)

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  Legal bits

  Body in the Book Drop: A Cat Latimer Novella by Lynn Cahoon

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  Published by Lynn Cahoon

  www.lynncahoon.com

  Copyright © 2021 Lynn Cahoon

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  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact: [email protected]

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  Cover by Earthly Charms

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  ISBN: B08XPQMQW3 (ebook)