A Twist In The Tail

‘I thought she was never going to get the hint with that computer,’ Marlowe said from her spot on the couch where she was curled up and washing behind her ears.

Nero jumped up onto his favorite chair, stretched and then curled into a ball. ‘Thankfully she finally did. I thought she would never figure out the message I was trying to send with the recipes.’

‘Yeah, but you have to admit that was a hard one and she did finally associate the recipes with the partial review that the police found and that led her to looking on the computer.’

‘I suppose, it’s just that she is so slow on the uptake.’ Nero tucked his face into his tail. ‘I think she’ll come around though. She has potential. I guess we still need to work on our communication. At least now she talks out loud to us.’

‘Lucky thing too because she uncovered a few more clues from her conversation with Stella Dumont.’

‘But can we trust the information?’ Nero asked. ‘Stella Dumont isn’t exactly a pillar of society.’

‘True, but I happen to know that Tina was not in her room late at night three nights ago.’

Nero jerked his head up and looked at Marlowe. ‘The night of the murder?’

Marlowe sighed. ‘No, I said three nights ago. Two nights before the murder.’

‘Hmmm. I wonder if that is related… but why wouldn’t she be in her room?’

‘You got me. What about the rumor of her affair with Charles? Maybe they snuck off somewhere to be away from prying eyes?’

‘Could be, the humans’ love habits are strange and disturbing,’ Nero said.

‘You can say that again.’

‘We should pay close attention to her.’ Nero looked out the window to see a Budget rental car pull up with the Weatherbys inside. ‘And let’s not forget the Weatherbys. Clearly they were up to something on that cliff.’

‘Do you really think so? They are birdwatchers. And they’re kind of old to be getting up to murder. If you ask me, they seem like the least likely suspects.’

Nero looked at Marlowe sharply. ‘Never underestimate the older ones. Look at Millie, she can do anything that people half her age can do. And she’s smarter than most of them too.’

‘I suppose you’re right. Sorry.’ Marlowe said. ‘We should be sure to follow all leads anyway. That’s what you taught me.’

Nero turned back to the window, a feeling of self-satisfaction washing over him. The young cat really did pay attention to him. He watched the elderly couple getting out of the car. They didn’t look so elderly from here. In fact, they looked kind of spry. Cameras dangled from their necks as they hopped out of the car and practically sprinted to the front door, their heads bent conspiratorially together. ‘Yes indeed, we will need to watch the Weatherbys closely. Sometimes it is the least likely suspect that is the culprit.’

Ten

The next morning, I slid the brunch egg dish casserole into the oven an hour before breakfast. It was piping hot and smelling fabulous when the guests arrived in the dining room. Breakfast was punctuated by the clink of forks on plates and the rustle of the breeze coming through the window. They talked in hushed tones. At least they were all there. No one had defected in the middle of the night to a different hotel.

I hovered near the mahogany buffet where I’d laid out Millie’s breakfast quiche, orange juice that I’d juiced myself in my Jack Lalanne juicer, English muffins, a fruit bowl and, of course, coffee.

I was impatient for the guests to eat quickly and go. Mom and Millie would be here soon and I was eager to fill them in on the bad review and make a plan to visit the Mariner.

Today, Tina sat with the Weatherbys. They were still mothering her after yesterday’s tragedy. Here they were, taking care of Tina out of the goodness of their hearts not knowing she could be the killer! At the very least she was sneaky, having had an affair with Charles and being seen creeping around his room. Funny though, she didn’t look like a killer with her innocent wide gaze and perfect complexion.

As I studied Tina, she daintily bit a teeny tiny morsel of the muffin. Was that how she stayed so thin? I glanced down at my waistline, which I liked to refer to as voluptuous. I wasn’t fat, but I certainly wasn’t thin. I was probably going to stay this size, because I doubted I could nibble an English muffin like Tina was doing.

She hadn’t touched the rest of her food, either. Maybe if she had she wouldn’t be so pale and wan looking. Was her appearance due to the stress of hiding that she was the killer, or was she just upset her lover had died? I still couldn’t believe Tina would have the know how to sabotage the stairs at the crime scene, as Mike had suggested.

Stella on the other hand…

‘I say, Josie, you’ve really outdone yourself.’ Ava was sitting at the table next to the Weatherbys and Tina. She held up a forkful of the quiche and nodded at me.

‘Thanks.’ I didn’t feel the need to mention that it was actually Millie who had made it.

The Weatherbys stood, patting their mouths with the white linen napkins that matched the tablecloth. ‘Yes, quite delicious today.’