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He’d almost made it to Junetta’s trailer when a middle-aged woman with a blonde pixie cut and enough scarves to qualify as a makeshift kite stepped out from between two campers and scooped him into her arms.

“Where are you going, Mr. Tabby? You look way too fat and happy to be a stray. Maybe I should call you Mr. Tubby?” She stopped to laugh at her own joke. “You don’t want your mommy worrying about you, do you? What do you say we go find her together?”

“I’ve never been so insulted in all my life,” Octo-Cat yowled and attempted to squirm out of her arms.

“Now, now, Mr. Tubby-Tabby,” the woman said. “I’m just trying to help you.”

“I don’t need your help,” he growled as his wide amber eyes scanned the area in a panic. When he spotted me standing at the RV and attempting not to laugh, he shouted, “Angela! Help me!”

“He does not look happy,” Charles said. “Are you going to go claim him?”

“In a second,” I said, watching Octo-Cat’s pupils grow wide with terror.

The blonde woman caught me watching her and called out,“Does this chubby little guy belong to you?”

“Again with the insults!” Octo-Cat hissed. “Bah!”

“Yes, he’s mine. Thanks for grabbing him,” I said, then silently added, and for teaching him a bit of a lesson.

Chapter Eleven

“I’ll go grab another chair,” Charles said as the woman carrying Octo-Cat made her way over.

“Is that your husband?” she asked, watching Charles with a little too much interest as he left. “Because, if so… Well done, sister.”

“My boyfriend,” I corrected with an awkward smile. “And that’s my cat.”

“Lucky lady on both counts.” The woman said plopped down into Charles’s vacated seat while keeping a firm grip on Octo-Cat.

“My name’s Angie,” I offered.

“Sharon. Ahh!” Suddenly, she pulled her hand toward her face, showing off a bright scarlet scratch that now marred her pale skin.

Octo-Cat shouted a string of kitty curses and ran off to hide somewhere.

Sharon popped out of her chair to follow him, but I called her off.“Don’t worry about him. He always comes back.”

She clucked her tongue and settled back in the chair.“My Chester could sure take a lesson or two from him. What’s your little tubster’s name?”

From a distance, Octo-Cat yowled and spat even more insults at the woman. Despite my irritation, even I was starting to feel a little bad for him.

“His name is Octo-Cat, and the vet says he’s in the healthy weight range for his size. He’s actually part Maine Coon on his grandmother’s side.” At least he always said that about his lineage. I had doubts about its veracity, though. It also wasn’t exactly what the vet had said during our last visit. Octo-Cat had, in fact, crept a little above the recommended weight range—thanks, lobster rolls—but I had chosen not to share that particular tidbit with him.

Sharon shrugged and leaned back in the chair, stretching her legs straight out in front of her.“My Chessy just loves the RV life, even though he never leaves our little home on wheels. Why, I imagine he’s enjoying himself a little nap in a sunbeam right about now.”

Hmm. A regular. Perhaps she knew a thing or two about who might want Junetta dead.

“Do you and Chester come here often?” I asked conversationally.

Sharon laughed so hard she began to cough, then formed a fist and punched her chest several times.“Whoo! It’s been a long time since I heard a pickup line.”

My eyes widened.“I didn’t mean—”

“Now don’t you go taking it back. Just let me enjoy it.” She let out a happy sigh, then sat silent for a few moments before speaking again. “Chester and I have a nice little rotation, and Katahdin is part of it. Each month we hit several of our favorite parks so that we can see all our friends across the state. Of course, most folks stay put during the winter months. But not Chester and me. We’re always on the move. We’re like sharks. If we stop swimming, we die.” She laughed again, but not hard enough to send herself into another fit.

Throughout my life, I’d met few people who could talk as much as Sharon did—or with as little input from a conversational partner. So, yes, if I asked the right questions, I might be able to sneak a little of the local park gossip out of her.

“Did you notice the police car when it pulled up?” I asked, nodding toward the parked cruiser.

“Oh, yes. I most assuredly did. A couple of officers got out and marched right over to Junetta’s. Between you and me, that woman is always in some kind of trouble. She had a nasty divorce last year. That’s why she gave everything up and moved into the park permanently. Of course, that snake of an ex of hers shows up every so often begging her to take him back.”

My features pinched in sympathy.“I had no idea.”

“Well, why would you? You’re a first-time visitor, right?” She bobbed her head and grinned. “I always recognize a first-timer.”

I nodded, even though it seemed Sharon didn’t need any confirmation from me.