Meows and Mayhem (A Kitty Beret Cafe Mystery, Book 3) by Hartman Ruth J

Author:Hartman, Ruth J.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

The café was super busy. Customers were everywhere. Maybe because it was a beautiful, sunny day that followed a few cloudy ones. Whatever the reason, I was always glad to see people walk through the door. Eyeing a woman holding Dempsey and giving him cuddles, I grinned. More people also meant more chances for kitties to find forever homes. How could someone resist how cute he looked in his yellow bumblebee costume against his orange fur?

I’d coerced Nana to hang out with me again today, hoping to at least temporarily keep her out of the melee of the village and its pointing fingers. At the moment, she stood holding court, regaling several customers with her harrowing experience of having been falsely accused of murdering Lydia.

I’d had a call from Simon early that morning. They’d investigated a mugging, but it turned out to be a false alarm. When they got to the store where it had supposedly taken place, the owner said nothing like that had happened. And while Simon had planned to stop by the café to see me, they’d gotten another emergency call. Between Lydia’s murder and the calls they were getting, crazy things were happening in our little town.

I glanced around the room. A few people I now recognized as village residents sat at nearby tables. Had they come because of the café’s family connection to Nana? Maybe trying to keep her away from the village wouldn’t work if so many of them showed up here.

She waved her arms and stomped her feet, causing her yellow flowered muumuu to billow and flap around her legs. A couple of cats batted at the hem of her muumuu, but she didn’t seem to notice. One kitten, Eddie, latched on, taking a ride when Nana paced around the table. He pounced on the fabric of her outfit. Amazing she didn’t even notice the tugging she moved around.

I contemplated going over but decided against it. It wouldn’t do any good to try to get her to stay quiet. I knew my grandmother. If I tried it, she’d talk ever louder and longer. The best course was to let her get it out of her system. Maybe then she’d calm down. With a sigh, I propped my elbows on the countertop and rested my chin on my fist as I watched, hoping the situation wouldn’t turn volatile, mortifying, or worse. Who was I kidding? It usually ended up being the or worse.

At the moment, Nana seemed occupied, and no customers needed orders filled or refilled. Maybe I could use the time constructively for something else. I reached below the counter and took out my latest sewing project, a ladybug costume for one of the cats to wear. I hadn’t decided yet who the lucky feline might be, but the colors of the fabric would complement several of our cats’ fur.

Sometimes people laughed at my dressing up the café kitties, but it did get people’s attention, causing them to want to spend more time with the cats.

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