Free The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon: A Cats in Trouble Mystery by Leann Sweeney Page A

too. I know Tom owns a Glock, not a revolver. The fatal injury came from a much smaller caliber weapon than a Glock. Maybe a .38.” She raised her chin. “Seen my fair share of gunshot wounds, so I know what I’m talking about.”
    I could feel the blood drain from my cheeks. I thought again about the gun found in Finn’s backpack. Was it a .38? I swallowed hard. “He was shot? How horrible.”
    “News flash, Jillian. Murder is horrible.”
    Despite the sarcasm, Lydia was finally giving out information. If she kept telling me things she probably shouldn’t be saying, then maybe I wouldn’t have to answer more questions. I didn’t want to offer anything else. Nothing. I felt protective, not only toward Tom, but toward Finn, too.
    Finn. Why did I feel so protective? But I knew the answer. The kid was hurt, vulnerable and Tom cared about him. Still, I couldn’t stop the questions now filling my head.
    I began to string the day’s events together. When we picked Finn up on the side of the road, he seemed dazed and was obviously injured. Could the bump on his head have come from being in a car accident? Perhaps. So, did Nolan drive the Prius to Mercy and find Finn on the road before we did? Did Nolan pick him up and the car crashed? Maybe when Finn pulled a gun on him? I shook my head to free myself of these thoughts. No. Finn couldn’t have done such a thing. After our conversation and seeing him interact with his beloved dog, I trusted this kid wasn’t holding back. He didn’t know where the gun had come from—of that much I was certain. Or at least, he couldn’t remember. Could he have forgotten he killed someone, though? Perhaps in self-defense? I wanted to scrub such a thought from my mind, but I couldn’t. The gun could have belonged to Nolan Roth, there could have been a struggle and—
    “What’s going on, Jillian? I can tell your wheels are turning,” Lydia said.
    I blinked several times, determined not to dwell on possible scenarios before I had all the facts. “I—I’m simply tired and I’m picturing my nice, comfy bed. I drove back here this morning from the craft shows and—”
    “Oh, right,” she said with a sarcastic smile. “You’re a businesswoman . How does making those cat blankets, or whatever it is you do, give you enough money to keep you in this nice house?”
    I wasn’t about to tell her that when John died, he left me enough to live comfortably even if I never made another cat quilt in my life. It was none of her business and, besides, mentioning John’s name in her presence seemed… wrong . “Sorry, I’m not sure what my financial status has to do with why you came here tonight.”
    “Just always wanted to ask how you maintain this comfortable lifestyle. You’re saying you were gone part of today? What part?” she said.
    Where was she going with this? “Why do you need to know?”
    “You say you were out of town and yet you were with Tom when Candace called him,” Lydia said. “Do you always head straight for him when you come home? Because I’m certain he wasn’t waiting here for you.”
    What would she do if she knew he actually was waiting here for me earlier today? I wasn’t about to offer that piece of information and set her off. Did she even realize we were at Tom’s house when the call came? Did she know anything about Bob? I decided it wasn’t my responsibility to enlighten her about anything. If I mentioned Finn, Tom’s being kidnapped, or the gun, I was certain Lydia would take the information, twist it and end up making Tom, Candace and probably the police chief pretty darn angry.
    No, I would call Candace the minute I got Lydia out of here and tell her what I knew.
    Get her to leave, Jillian, I told myself. Finn might wake up and walk out here, or Yoshi might start barking.
    But she seemed settled in, even comfortable, so I said, “Do you think Tom will be free to go soon? It’s getting really late.”
    Her demeanor changed abruptly. “If