MERRY MISCHIEF and MAYHEM: A Ravenwood Cove Cozy Mystery (book 16) by Carolyn L. Dean

Author:Carolyn L. Dean [Dean, Carolyn L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Freeform Publishing
Published: 2022-11-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

“Okay, so old copies of the Ravenwood Tide have only been put into digital from microfiche a few years ago,” Lisa said, squinting at the screen on her laptop, “and we don’t have it up on the internet for public viewing yet. You’re looking for what, exactly?”

“But it’s all in the public domain, though, right?” James asked. He was petting Lisa’s black-and-white kitty Moski and trying to dissuade one of her other cats, Finn, from jumping into his lap at the same time. “I need to be sure there’s no question about needing a warrant or any sort of permission to access this. If we find the killer and it goes to trial, I have to be sure every T is crossed and every I is dotted.”

“Yep, it’s all public,” Lisa said as she adjusted her glasses, then looked over at Amanda, who was playing with baby Katie on the sofa in Lisa’s book-lined living room. Her little Craftsman-style house suited her perfectly, with plenty of niches to show off souvenirs she’d gathered in her travels and a tranquil edge-of-Ravenwood-Cove setting with huge trees and barely visible neighbors. Only Amanda knew her dear friend got lonely sometimes and perhaps would welcome someone else in her quiet, book-loving, little world.

Katie was squealing as she opened and closed her pudgy fists. She started toddling after Finn, who darted away to find a safe place to hide from the unpredictable energy of the little girl.

“Amanda, be careful!” Lisa instantly warned. “Finn could scratch her, you know.”

“Oh, I know,” Amanda said, her eyes watching her young daughter’s every move. “I’ve told her and I know she understands, but she’s going to have to learn not all kitties are as easygoing as Oscar. I won’t let her hurt Finn, I promise.”

Seemingly satisfied, Lisa shifted back in her chair and looked at James. “Okay, so let’s get down to business. What are you looking for, exactly?”

James leaned forward, still cradling the cat. “See if you can find any mention of Boss Greeley or concrete. Maybe something about remodeling at Patsy Sussman’s shop. It would help if you could also search for Patsy’s name, Judd Finkel’s name, and...” He scratched at his temple for a moment. “Well, I’m not sure, exactly. Look for Norman Sussman, too, okay?”

“Okey-dokey,” Lisa said, clicking the mouse as she began. “I can search for that. Anything for the sheriff’s department.” She glanced over at her happy cat on James’ lap. Moski’s eyes were closed in satisfaction, probably partly due to him getting the new, warm lap instead of Finn, and Lisa could hear him purring quietly. “You go home with cat fur on your clothes, your lab’s going to smell it and know you’ve been cheating on him.”

James grinned. “Then Benson’s just going to have to suck it up. He’s gotten used to Oscar ruling the roost at the Inn, so he’d better be fine with me petting other cats.”

As Lisa was typing in search words and clicking through the results, Amanda pulled Katie onto her lap and handed her favorite stuffed elephant, Ebie, to her.

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