The Counterfeiter-Catching Cat: A Beatrice Young Cozy Cat Mystery (Beatrice Young Cozy Cat Mysteries Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

fact that she was Sally Ann’s only child and a highly prized one at that. She had a pink canopy bed with a matching comforter and pillows, pink flowery wallpaper, and a collection of stuffed elephants sitting on a shelf. Perfumes and cosmetics crowded the top of her dresser and the mirror above it had photos of her and Jordan stuffed around the edges.
    Sally Ann sighed as she looked at the photographs. “Amy hasn’t been sleeping here since I moved Jordan downstairs. But I keep it neat and tidy anyway.”
    “Would anything of Jordan’s be in here?” the sheriff asked as he peered in the closet. He looked entirely out of place in that overly pink and precious room.
    “No, sir. He cleared out all his stuff when I told him to move to the basement.”
    The sheriff looked in the drawers and under the bed but to Beatrice’s eye, nothing was to be found but Amy’s copious number of clothes and cosmetics. Hamish and Lucky had given up their search after a quick tour of the room and sat by the door, looking like two impatient children ready to go home.
    His job done, the sheriff thanked Sally Ann and promised to contact her as soon as possible. Beatrice gave her a big hug and then headed back to her pickup truck with the cats trotting hot on her heels.
    “I have a strange feeling about that basement,” Beatrice said as the sheriff got into his truck. “Feels like there could have been more stuff in there but someone took it out and then scrubbed the place clean.”
    Roy leveled a serious look at her. “Perhaps. There was definitely a strange smell in there. And I don’t like that all of Jordan’s stuff was gone. Could be he decided to take off. But if cleaned the place first, he must have had something to hide.”
    “You think he disappeared on purpose?”
    The sheriff put his keys in the ignition. “Could be. Yet why would he leave Amy if she was supposed to be his one true love?” He shook his salt and pepper head gravely. “I have too many questions and too few answers for my liking.”
    Beatrice then remembered Hamish’s strange behavior that morning. “You don’t think Jordan was up to anything illegal?” she blurted out. She told Roy all about the fake bill, how she had confirmed it was counterfeit, and that she had warned Zoe and the other staff to be on the lookout for more fakes.
    Roy pursed his lips. “We can’t jump to any conclusions. A counterfeiting scheme is a serious offence.”
    “I’m just putting two and two together. Why was there that ink stain? Why was the place cleaned out? And why did it smell faintly of ink and paper? I think it’s time to take things very seriously. Even get a team in there to test for evidence.”
    The sheriff nodded slowly. “I hate to say you’re right, Bee, but things don’t look good. To tell you the truth, I’ve had other reports recently of counterfeit bills being circulated in town. I’ll call my boss and see if he can spare anyone.”
    Beatrice smiled. “Thanks for listening, Jacob. And for taking me with you to Sally Ann’s. I’d better get back to the café but call me when you talk to Amy? I want to hear her side of things.”
    The sheriff drove off, looking mighty serious. Beatrice got the cats in the car and buckled in. Though she felt anxious about the new clues they had uncovered she also felt a secret sense of satisfaction. She knew that if she was the most stubborn woman in all of Ashbrook, Jacob Roy had to be the most stubborn man. Yet, somehow, they had managed to work together for a change.

4
    The earthy scent of coffee and the tantalizing smell of fresh-baked pastries hit Beatrice as she entered her café. Even after thirty years, her heart still swelled with pride whenever she saw the result of her hard work.
    The Cozy Cat Café was exactly what she had always dreamed of. The walls were exposed brick and the floor was covered in sturdy wide planks of wood. A long, rustic farmer’s table took up one part of the room, while cozy