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

so popular with the tourists.
    “I heard she’d been going out a lot since Jimmy passed,” I commented. “She must just have been lonely.”
    “I saw her on the beach a week or two ago. She was with a guy, and she certainly didn’t look lonely, if you know what I mean.”
    “When was that exactly?” I wondered.
    Banjo appeared to be thinking about it. “It must have been the week before she turned up missing. It was late, probably around ten. There was a full moon and I decided to take a walk because Summer had turned in early with a headache. I happened across the couple, who were halfway to happyland, if you get my meaning. The only reason I knew it was Roxi for sure was because her red hair coupled with that Texas drawl made her pretty distinctive.”
    “And the guy? Do you know who it was?”
    “No. Didn’t see his face. But he had dark hair and a dark tan that showed off his white backside.”
    “Do you think either Roxi or her date saw you?”
    “I’m sure they didn’t. They were pretty distracted.”
    “Yeah, I bet. I should get going. I still have one more delivery to make and it looks like it’s going to start raining any minute.”
    Banjo looked out the window toward the darkening sky on the horizon.
    “You have a couple of hours. Maybe more. I’ve spent a lot of years on the water and I can usually call things pretty close. I’d say these clouds are just the preshow.”
    “I hope so. I’d like to get home before the worst of it hits.”
    After I left Ship Wreck I continued down the street to the Bait and Stitch. One of the last places Roxi had been seen was at the Thursday night meeting of the Mystery Lovers Book Club. The club was planning to move to Coffee Cat Books in October, but for now it continued to gather in the sewing room of the Bait and Stitch, as it had for years. It occurred to me it was possible one of the members of the book club might know something that could help identify her killer.
    “Afternoon,” I called. “I have your books.” I handed the package to Marley, who was sitting with Maggie and four other women at the quilting table, although none of them were quilting.
    “Oh, good, I’ve been anxious to start that new mystery series I ordered,” Marley said after accepting the package and taking a peek inside.
    “Tara ordered some extra copies for inventory because you recommended the author so highly,” I informed Marley.
    “I’m sure they’ll sell. The author is really good, and she writes several different series.”
    “We were just talking about our costumes for the ball on Saturday,” Maggie shared. “I’m trying to decide between my Marie Antoinette costume and my Scarlett O’Hara.”
    “I’m sure either will create quite a stir,” I assured her.
    Both gowns were low cut and Aunt Maggie had been blessed with an ample bosom.
    “Who are you going to dress as?” I asked Marley.
    “I thought I’d wear my Queen Victoria costume. Your aunt is trying to talk me into something a little more daring, but I think I’ll leave daring to her. How about you, dear? What do you plan to wear?”
    “I really have no idea,” I answered honestly.
    “The ball is next weekend,” Marley reminded me.
    “I know. I guess I’ll figure something out.”
    “So tell us,” Lillian Vale, one of the quilters, asked, “are you going to look into Roxi’s murder? Cody’s story caused quite a stir. I spoke to him earlier, and he told me that he not only sold out of the first run of the weekend edition of the paper but the second run as well. I guess he’s pretty stoked about all the new advertisers he’s managed to line up for the next couple of weeks.”
    “It seems odd to be happy about someone’s success when it’s the result of the murder of one of our own,” Marley commented. “Still, I am happy Cody is doing well. I was tickled pink when I found out he was going to start up the paper. Things just weren’t the same without it.”
    “So are you planning to