Feral Attraction by Eileen Watkins

Author:Eileen Watkins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2018-07-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Five o’clock that day found me and Dawn comparing notes and nibbling on vegetarian burritos at her rustic store, Nature’s Way.

Her building, as old as mine, had started out as a different kind of feed store—for livestock. Dawn had intentionally kept that earthy atmosphere by lightly sanding the weathered oak floors and painting the rough plank walls a soft, almost transparent green. Salvaged shelves and cabinets on all sides held boxed and bagged grocery items, and the back wall featured a large, glass-front refrigerator for frozen foods, such as our microwaved burritos. An original cast-iron, wood-burning stove anchored the middle of the sales floor; around it, Dawn had created a small seating area with an overturned barrel and two old armchairs draped with paisley throws. We sat there now, our plates resting on the barrel and bottles of water on the floor, as we took stock of what we’d learned that day at The Reserve.

“We got to everyone on our list,” she noted, “because the only one you missed was Alma Gunner, and I ran into her and Joan Pennisi coming back from the walking trail. They both bitched about the ferals killing so many wild birds, though Joan admitted they’d been finding fewer dead ones since FFF set up the feeding station. Did you know that she’s Heidi Sweet’s niece and lives with her? Apparently, Heidi needs a bit of looking after.”

That figured, though the relationship between the two women was news to me. “Joan must have a lot of patience. I’d hire a full-time nurse for Heidi before I’d move in with her.”

“Well, Joan supposedly has some nursing experience. Anyhow, about Alma . . . She claimed not to have heard anything suspicious the night Sabrina died, but she also was watching television, and for part of that time was on the phone with her brother in California.”

I noted this additional info on the back of my own list. “You said Lauren also talked some trash about Sabrina?”

“She was subtle about it. I think she takes her image as board president very seriously—you know the type. But she said she felt sorry for Victor Ward. She told me that he ‘assumed responsibility’ for Sabrina after his brother died, but she’s always been ‘a trial’ to him. Don’t know if those were his words or Lauren’s.”

“Did she mean because of Sabrina’s activism? Ted and Heidi went on about that, too, saying she made trouble for a lot of people. I still think that’s an angle worth investigating.... Oh, no, you don’t!”

Tigger, Dawn’s brown tabby kitten, had crept up alongside the upended barrel where we’d parked our burritos and now attempted to steal the last bite of mine. I grabbed it just in time. I was too hungry to share, and black beans and cheese probably wouldn’t be that good for him, anyway.

“Ted Remy said cats are sneaky things,” I scolded the kitten, “and he’s absolutely right.”

With a patient smile, Dawn tore a sheet of paper from her small notepad, crumpled it up, and threw it toward the back of the store.

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