Misty Hollow Cat Detective (Darcy Sweet Mystery) (A Smudge the Cat Mystery Book 1) Read Online Free

got a letter in the mail recently.  It informed him that a survey the town paid for determined his property would be a prime location for a new cell tower to be set up.  Not long after that, your bank sent him that foreclosure notice."
    Darcy was using a lot of big words for my poor cat brain.  Foreclosure.  What was that?
    "I don't get the connection," Fillmore said.
    "I do," Darcy answered stiffly.  "Cell towers are big money in this area.  The companies that rent land for those towers pay thousands of dollars a month to homeowners, sometimes."
    Fillmore looked more uncomfortable, pulling at his collar.  "So?  That would be a windfall for Benson.  Good for him."
    "It would be," Darcy agreed, "except he doesn't want to do it.  This is the third or fourth letter he’s gotten about the tower.  He's said no each time.  Doesn't the bank handle the financing for town surveys?"
    "Uh, sure we do."  Fillmore checked his watch.  "I really have other things to get to, Darcy.  Can we…?"
    Darcy stood up, and with just a look forced Fillmore back into his seat.  "No.  We can't do this later.  Tell me, Fillmore, does the bank know you foreclosed on Benson's property?  Do they know you made an anonymous bid to buy it out from under him?"
    Fillmore's eyes went wide, and I could see sweat bead up on his forehead.  "There's no way you could know that I did that!  That bid was sealed!"
    Darcy smiled down at him.  "I didn't know.  Until you just admitted to it.  It looks to me like you falsely defaulted on Benson's mortgage so you could get his property, then get the money from the cell tower company for yourself.  Since you're the loan officer, Benson would only be dealing with you, so who would know, right?"
    Fillmore didn't speak.  He squeaked.  Like a mouse.
    "Well," Darcy said.  "Everyone's going to know now.  I'm going to the branch manager with this.  I'm betting you'll be fired before the day is out.  Oh, and my sister Grace wants to talk to you.  You know, the police detective?"
    I purred.  I couldn't help it.  I was just so proud of Darcy.  Fillmore jumped out of his seat like a dog had bit his tail and started picking things up off his desk randomly before making a beeline for the front door of the bank.  He mumbled something about taking an early lunch break.
    Darcy, true to her word, went right over to a door with a frosted glass window and the words "Bank Manager" on it.  I knew Twistypaws would be all right now.  She and Benson wouldn't have to move.  It sounded like Benson would make a lot of money, too, if he'd let this cell tower t hing go on his property.
    Oh well.  Money isn't everything, I guess.
    Crawling out carefully again, I left Darcy to take care of everything.  I had something else to do.
     
    ***
     
    It was late afternoon when I finally found this Sue Fisher person again.  By then, Darcy had found her first.  I felt a little miffed about that but I guess humans can sniff out their own kind easier than us cats can.
    "So, " Darcy was saying.  "Let's go find that diary of yours."
    Sue shrugged.  "It's gone.  I know it's gone, Darcy.  What a rotten way to start my first day on the job with you."
    "Don't worry about it," Darcy said with a warm smile.  "I'm sure we'll find it."
    I knew they would.  I was going to make sure of it.
    I was crouched around the corner of a building and they didn't see me until I bolted right out in front of them, across their path, and into the park across the street.  Sue took a step back but Darcy only laughed.  "That's Smudge.  He ends up everywhere.  I never can figure out how he does it."
    Into the park I ran, right to Corvin's tree.  I needed some height to make this work.  Up the tree I climbed, paw after paw, kind of jumping my way up the rough bark until I could make it into the lower branches, then up even higher.
    It wasn't long before Corvin came out, chest all puffed out and wings flapping.  "Caw!  No no no!  Mine!  My