Much Ado About Felines (Whales and Tails Mystery Book 4) Read Online Free

ferry.”
    “Roxi Pettigrew’s body wasn’t found until yesterday,” I pointed out.
    “Yes, I’d heard that. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
    “I don’t suppose you might be able to offer any insight as to how Roxi ended up in her grave?”
    Bella winked at me but didn’t answer.
    I thanked her for the salve and exited the shop. The sky had continued to darken and the wind had picked up just a bit while I was speaking to Bella. Storms on the island tend to blow in and out on a regular basis, but for some reason I had a bad feeling about this particular one. Was it a portent? Probably not. While Bella and Tansy seemed tuned into the subtle vibrations of the universe, I was barely able to keep up with the clues that hit me smack-dab in the face.
    Deep in thought, I headed next door to Ship Wreck, the shop owned by the hippie couple, Banjo and Summer. The hut in which they lived sat on one of the most beautiful beaches in the area. Although they didn’t possess many modern conveniences, they seemed more content than anyone I’d ever met. Their shop carried a little bit of everything, from driftwood sculptures to homemade pottery to tie-dyed T-shirts. The sign on their door indicated that they were “open when they were open and shut when they were shut,” and that was exactly the hours they kept: random and unpredictable.
    “Afternoon, Banjo,” I said as I walked in the front door. “I brought the books Summer ordered.”
    “She’s not here right now, but I’ll be sure she gets them. How’s the new business going?”
    “Really well. I’m glad we managed to get open during the summer. I feel like it gave us a running start going into winter. I guess you heard they’ll be cutting back on the ferry schedule.”
    “Yeah, I heard. I guess it makes sense. We don’t get a lot of foot traffic during the week once the summer crowds are gone. Of course Summer and I are looking forward to the slower pace of winter. We’ve barely had a minute to catch up on our soaps or help Cody with his remodel.”
    Banjo and Summer lived just down the beach from Maggie’s neighbor, Mr. Parsons. The free-spirited couple didn’t own a television, so they tended to hang out with him to watch the old soap operas he had on tape. Cody had moved in to the third story of Mr. Parsons’s house after he moved back to the island and was in the middle of remodeling the space to meet his needs.
    “Cody will probably be busy working on the Roxi Pettigrew story for a while,” I commented.
    “Yeah, it’s an odd one all right. Gotta admire the ingenuity of the killer. Who would ever think to look in someone’s grave for their body? If the killer had done a better job replacing the sod I bet no one would ever have known what became of the woman.”
    “I guess we can rule out professional gardeners.”
    “I’m not sure I’d do that just yet,” Banjo counseled. “I heard the ground covering the grave was cut with a sod cutter. Not a lot of people have access to something like that.”
    “I’m pretty sure you can rent them. And if someone did rent one there would be a record of it. I think I’ll check into that.”
    “The killer could have rented the device on the mainland and then brought it over on the ferry,” Banjo pointed out.
    “That’s true. Maybe the possession of a sod cutter won’t turn out to be a clue at all. It’s frustrating when you think you’re on to something and then realize you really aren’t.”
    “Victory comes to those with the patience to wait,” Banjo reminded me.
    “Yeah, well, we both know I’m not the patient type. Did you know Roxi?” I asked.
    “Not well, but she did stop in here from time to time and we’d chat. Summer didn’t care for her; she was pretty aggressive in her bid for attention from the male members of the community.”
    I picked up a piece of driftwood that had been carved to resemble a pelican. It was really very good. I could see why Banjo’s creations were