Free Meows, Magic & Murder by Madison Johns Page A

I’ve seen how Noah looks at you. Don’t give up all hope that you’ll find a man that’s right for you. I have a good feeling about him.”
    Instead of responding, Petunia closed the door and went to her own room. She had to admit that she was beginning to like Noah just a little, but it wasn’t the time to be thinking about that since she had to find out who killed three women in her town by way of knitting needles.
    * * *
    “Well, Melvin, what you do think about the neighborhood?”
    Melvin put his head down with that usual “I just got into trouble” look that his pit bull could pull off that bordered on laughable.
    “Besides the neighbor’s cat.”
    So far, Noah was beginning to like Petunia. It would be a real bummer if she actually turned out to be a killer, though. She had a past not much different than his, too, which was discouraging with the way she looked at Henry at the restaurant. He wasn’t sure if she hadn’t gotten over him just yet, or if it was the shock of seeing him with his wife. Olivia sure had it out for Petunia and if Noah had anything to say about it, he would do anything in his power to protect her, even from a murder charge, if need be.
    Noah thought about checking out Petunia on a law enforcement website, but he had no ability to since he currently wasn’t a member of any police department. He was sure shocked that a body had turned up on his lawn and he hoped this case would be cleared up, and soon. That sure wouldn’t look good when he ran for sheriff. Sheriff Pinkerton seemed a little too quick to pin it on Petunia, and Noah’s gut just told him that they’d have to look more into just who Helen Patterson really was when she was alive. Experience told him that would be the best place to start.
    * * *
    In the morning, Petunia took her shower and donned comfortable shoes, her not-so-comfortable jeans around the waist, and a pink, baby-doll style shirt. When she made it to the first floor, the fragrance of coffee wafted over to her. Obviously, Aunt Maxine had made it up much earlier and had started a pot.
    Petunia smiled as Aunt Maxine stood at the stove, cooking bacon. “Morning, Petunia. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to wake you up. If we don’t get over to Lucy’s early, I don’t know if we’ll be able to catch her at home, if yesterday at my shop was an indication.”
    She nodded and poured a cup of coffee, just as Pansy came whirling into the room, crashing into a chair leg.
    “What on earth, Pansy?”
    “Don’t blame me. That Merlin has been chasing me all morning.”
    Petunia snickered. “Oh, and why is he doing that?”
    “How should I know, but a guy can only get his butt sniffed so much before the fun wears off.”
    Petunia smiled as her American Bobtail strutted into the room. Pansy jumped on the table. “Please, tell him to stop.”
    She just shook her head. She didn’t have the heart to remind Pansy that in the big scheme of things, his transition from man to feline had some other drawbacks, like learning to deal with other cats, some of whom displayed more dog-like qualities, like sniffing butts. That was Merlin to a tee. He was a rescue cat that lived on the edge of Lake Forest with a pet hoarder, until animal control got involved. From the get-go, it was obvious that Merlin wasn’t an ordinary cat, with habits you’d expect to see a cat do—not that any cat was like the others, because they all have their own unique personalities. That itty bitty cat from the pet hoarder’s house was no longer small, but the largest of all her cats and quite the bully, at times.
    Petunia clapped her hands. “Merlin, leave Pansy alone.” She proceeded to go to the refrigerator and pull out a can of cat food. Merlin wasn’t the only one that raced to the food dish before she even filled the bowl. Sassy, the white Persian, and Gem, her Himalayan, also clamored over to the bowl, standing at attention. She moved away and the cats fought over the dish, nearly scattering