Free Cat of the Century by Rita Mae Brown Page B

political campaigns. It’s crossed my mind that she might have gotten involved in something unsavory, as you have said, gotten the goods on a prominent public figure. Mariah is too smart to try blackmail. It would have been disguised as something else.” Inez tipped her head back, her silver curls catching what little light there was. She’d lit a cigarette, one of the three she smoked every day. “God, that tastes good.”
    “Cooper loves Dunhills, too. Terribly expensive. She can’t afford them, but I know when she treats herself, it’s the red pack. She doesn’t like menthol.”
    “Haven’t seen Cooper in a while. Remind me to bum a cig off of her. I love it. Clears out my sinuses. I shouldn’t be smoking, but …”
    “Inez, at your age, you can do as you damned well please.”
    A big grin crossed Inez’s symmetrical face. “I need to be reminded of that more often. I don’t know how long I have to live, but less than you.”
    “I hope not.” Harry smiled.
    “If only I could live forever,” Inez said wistfully. “I find this earth fascinating. I don’t want to leave.” She took another deep drag. “You’ll never know how I struggled to give up this habit. Used to smoke a pack a day when I was practicing. At this point, why bother? Your sentiments.” She nodded to Harry.
    Harry returned to the subject at hand. “Do you know the candidates or elected officials that Mariah backed?”
    “No. I’ll ask Flo. They’re at loggerheads about that, too. Flo’s Democrat. Mariah, Republican.”
    “Have they ever agreed on anything? Charity, perhaps?”
    Inez’s head perked upward slightly. “Why do you say that?”
    “They’re community leaders; leaders are always involved in some kind of charity. It’s easy to steal from charities. For instance, you create a special need, like funding wheelchairs for indigent children. And when money comes in for your wheels-for-kids, you do supply wheelchairs. With lots of publicity. You then run all your expenses through the 501(c)3 corporation, a charitable nonprofit. You can live like a king. You can also create another corporation, and the wheels-for-kids makes gifts and loans to it.”
    “How do you know about this?”
    “Had some dealings with the Brothers of Love on the mountain.”
    “Up next to Swannanoa.” Inez cited a place just to the south of Route 250, below the Skyline Drive on- and off-ramp. “It may well be one of the most interesting places in Virginia, as it was founded, in a sense, to study religions without judgment, perhaps a century ago.”
    “Right.”
    “The Brothers of Love are crooked?” Inez was shocked.
    “Some were. It’s been straightened out.”
    “I’m happy to hear that. I—well, I don’t want to get off track here. You think Mariah might have set up a charity?”
    “Just a thought.”
    “I’ll investigate. If she had, I’d think I’d know about it. Board members are merciless in pressing other board members about some special project.”
    Harry excused herself for a moment to go upstairs to the bathroom. She’d imbibed far too much tea.
    Mrs. Murphy jumped onto Inez’s lap.
“There’s blood mixed into the manure. Tucker said so.”
    Tucker, on the floor, said,
“If only you could learn what we’re saying.”
    “I still think you’re making it up.”
Pewter rolled over to her left side.
“You just want me to be jealous because I didn’t come along.”
    “Pewter, I’ve read astronomy books over Harry’s shoulder. I don’t remember learning that you are the center of the universe.”
Mrs. Murphy flashed her Cheshire cat smile.
    “Hateful fleabag,”
Pewter insulted her friend.
    “Oh la,”
Mrs. Murphy sassed, which further inflamed Pewter.
    Harry returned to the kitchen.
    Inez was enjoying her nicotine hit as the cigarette burned down. “Both Flo and Mariah are totally devoted to William Woods and both were in Kansas City at the American Royal horse show in 1984, when Skywalk and Imperator went