Fluffy, Flip Flops, and Foul Play: A Cozy Magic Midlife Mystery (Silver Circle Cat Rescue Mysteries Book 7) by Leanne Leeds

Author:Leanne Leeds [Leeds, Leanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Badchen
Published: 2024-05-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Landon pulled the truck around back, and we hopped out, ready to head inside the shelter and grab a quick bite for lunch. As we approached the back door, it swung open, revealing Josie and Charlie striding out to meet us.

“Well, well, look who it is,” Josie said, arching an eyebrow as she eyed us up and down with a smirk playing on her lips. “We were just about to send out a search party of cats to sniff you out.”

Landon blinked, his brow furrowing in confusion as he glanced between Josie and Charlie. “Since breakfast?” He let out a half-chuckle, shaking his head. “What, did you two take a wrong turn on your way to court and end up here by mistake? Don’t you have actual paying clients to torment?”

“Believe it or not,” Charlie said, “this is about a case. One that we just realized you two might have a vested interest in, as a matter of fact.”

My curiosity piqued as they ushered us inside, and we all made our way through the café toward my office.

“You remember when I was arguing with Bobby Daggett on the phone a few days ago?” she asked over her shoulder.

I nodded, recalling the heated back and forth we had overheard at her office amid the tussle over environmental protections. “The golden-cheeked warblers at Rosa’s place, right?”

“Exactly.” Josie settled into one of the chairs facing my desk as Charlie closed the door behind us. “We’ve been going round and round with those TPI scoundrels over their plans to bulldoze everything on Rosa’s lot—restaurant and all—despite my injunctions to preserve the land and trees where the endangered warblers nest.”

A grimace twisted my features as memories of Rosa’s warm, welcoming eatery at the center of Tablerock resurfaced with a pang. The thought of the establishment becoming just another casualty in Town Prosperity Investments’ relentless pursuit of “progress” left an acrid taste in my mouth.

“They can do it since Rosa sold the property to them outright,” Josie continued, “but they needed to submit a revised proposal outlining protections for the nesting areas before getting permits. I made them hit pause, but I didn’t stop anything for long.” She reached into her briefcase and withdrew a thick manila folder, slapping it onto my desk with a resigned thud. “Anyway, this is their newest attempt at placating the environmental review board so they can proceed.”

“Okay.” I glanced at the innocuous folder. “I’m guessing you don’t find their revised proposal satisfactory?”

“Oh, I’m sure their plan is woefully inadequate—which is why they’ll be tied up in court for the foreseeable future if they try ramming it through.” A sly smile teased at the corner of Josie’s lips. “But that’s not the interesting part. When I was reviewing their proposal earlier, I noticed something intriguing buried in the appendixes.”

She leaned forward, leveling me with a pointed look.

“One of the listed property owners for Rosa’s land is Boris Stemple.”

“Boris who?”

Charlie picked up the folder and cleared his throat, drawing my gaze to the folder in his hands.

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