Framed in Cherry Hills (Cozy Cat Caper Mystery Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

was supposed to be the first time we met.”
    “Well, she drives like a squirrel is going to jump in front of her car at any minute,” Dan said. “She refuses to go a mile over the speed limit, and prefers coasting to a stop whenever possible.”
    “It’s been raining pretty hard,” Kat reminded him. “If she had to slam on the brakes because her car skidded out of control, that bag could have gotten knocked around.”
    Although, she had to silently admit, Dan certainly hadn’t painted the picture of a woman who enjoyed living on the edge, whether it be from defying traffic laws or using drugs.
    Imogene started moving around the room again. “This is like something out of a nightmare.”
    “Well, if you say she didn’t do it, we’ll get to the bottom of it,” Kat assured her.
    A flicker of anger flashed in Imogene’s eyes. “I’m not just saying she didn’t do it, She. Didn’t. Do. It.”
    Kat didn’t reply, unable to think of any words to calm Imogene down. Maybe she simply had to release all of her pent-up anger before she could be placated.
    Besides, something else was nagging at her. “Dan, you said Willow was pulled over because her taillights were out?” Kat asked.
    “That’s right.”
    “As in taillight s , plural?”
    “That’s what she told me,” Dan confirmed. “But she was crying so I may have misunderstood.”
    Imogene clucked her tongue. “The poor thing must be in shock.”
    “What are the odds of both of her taillights burning out at the same time?” Kat mused aloud. Although she could write off the drugs as another instance of people never really knowing one another, she couldn’t dismiss the two nonfunctioning taillights as easily. That wasn’t a matter of familiarity, just probability.
    Imogene stopped pacing. “You think that’s significant?”
    Kat shrugged. “If what you’re saying is true and somebody put those drugs there—”
    “Of course what I’m saying is true!”
    “—it’s possible they also disabled her taillights to ensure she would be pulled over and caught with those drugs in her car,” Kat concluded.
    Imogene snapped her fingers. “We’ll have to ask her if she noticed anything about her lights. When the despicable scumbag who did this broke them, he would have left glass shattered somewhere, right?”
    “Or plastic,” Kat concurred. “But that might be too obvious. If they didn’t want Willow to notice the taillights before the cops pulled her over, they might have just unscrewed the bulbs.”
    “How do you do that?” Imogene asked, looking intrigued.
    “I have no idea,” Kat admitted. “But if you can replace a taillight, there has to be a way to disable one without leaving broken plastic behind.”
    Imogene’s head bobbed, her nodding growing in momentum until Kat thought she would pull a neck muscle. “Yes, yes.”
    Kat drummed her fingers against the couch. “The question is, who would have done such a thing?”

CHAPTER FIVE
    Thankfully, Imogene calmed down enough to stop by Kat’s apartment after their visit with Dan Wu. As an added bonus, the storm had started to move on, making the drive back considerably more pleasant.
    Matty and Tom got along surprisingly well their first evening together. Imogene had warned that the introduction might take days, but when neither cat displayed any signs of hostility she could see no point in keeping them separated.
    The two cats had acted rather cautious at first, checking each other out from a safe distance. Imogene waited until she saw them both resting comfortably in the living room before she decided they should be okay. Long after Imogene had left, Kat spied them grooming each other. The licking frenzy had transitioned into a wrestling match minutes later, which Kat kept thinking might turn violent, but the duo merely seemed to enjoy chasing each other around, hiding behind furniture, and pouncing when their opponent wasn’t looking. They hadn’t engaged in any outright acts of