Black Cat Benefit by Molly Fitz

Author:Molly Fitz [Fitz, Molly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Whiskered Mysteries

6

“Everyone listen up!” Bonnie shouted, cupping both hands around her mouth like a megaphone. “This girl right here has an announcement to make.”

Well, so much for being subtle.

I cleared my throat and stepped forward. “Yes, the 5k has been cancelled, due to an approaching storm. Sorry. I know a lot of you were looking forward to it, but better safe than sorry. Right, guys?”

“So what now?” a thin man in an ill-fitting suit called from his seat at one of the middle dining tables. “I gathered a lot of pledges for that race.”

“Um, I guess we’ll just go straight to the next part of the evening.” Shoot. I hadn’t quite thought this one through. “The formal ball. Yay!”

Bonnie clapped her hands over her head. “Yay!”

“But what about our pledges? Can we at least get a rain check?” that same man whined at me.

“Rain check,” I parroted enthusiastically as I pointed to him. “Definitely! We’ll call everyone once we have a new date.”

“But what about—?”

“She’ll let you know when she knows, all right?” Bonnie barked at him, and the disappointed runner reddened under her intense gaze.

“Yes, I promise I will,” I confirmed with a grin. Bonnie may have a harsh way about her, but she was definitely coming in handy right about now. “Until then, enjoy the rest of your dinners.”

“And don’t forget to submit your guesses for the murder mystery theater door prize,” Mr. Gable added, striding over from the other side of the house to lend his support. He then whispered into my hair, “I’ve updated your nan on the situation at hand.”

Once again I was grateful for his help, but he’d only been outside for a moment. How did he know?

Mr. Gable grabbed his phone from his pants pocket and wiggled it at me. “Charles caught me up on the key facts.”

I nodded my thanks. “Keep an eye on things down here for me?”

“I knew you’d find a way to investigate before the night was through. I just didn’t expect it to be so soon.” He smiled and patted me on the shoulder. “I’ll keep the guests from wandering around outside. Go get ’em, girl.”

I jogged up the stairs, not quite sure where I was headed until I got there—Octo-Cat’s bedroom, the place where the shelter volunteers had set up the adoptable animals. Also the place where I’d seen our deceased DJ exiting on less than pleasant circumstances.

Who could he have been arguing with? Time to ask some questions. See if I could help rush things along for Officer Bouchard.

“Hello,” I called to announce myself as I swept into the room with a newfound determination.

“Hello,” a blonde girl wearing her hair in a Princess Leia-like configuration greeted me. She wore a simple nylon dress that looked amazing on her. My guess was she didn’t have much money to buy clothes, but she knew how to work with what she had. Suddenly I felt subconscious in my borrowed dress and gloves. She studied me with a curious expression as if she knew me from somewhere but didn’t quite know where.

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