Cat Nap

Free Cat Nap by Claire Donally

Book: Cat Nap by Claire Donally Read Free Book Online
Authors: Claire Donally
Tags: Mystery
enemy exactly. More like a rival.
    “So what do you think I can do?” she asked.
    “Talk to her,” Will urged. “Maybe she’ll listen to you.” He rose to his feet. “She sure isn’t listening to me.”
    “I’ll see what I can do,” Sunny promised, following him to the door. She put a hand on his arm. “But Jane’s a big girl. She’s going to do whatever she wants.”
    “Oh, yeah.” Will went out. “I know.”
    Sunny returned to her desk, frowning in thought. Jane had made it pretty clear that she didn’t take Trumbull all that seriously. How could Sunny even bring the matter up?
    Well, it’s not going to be a chatty phone call,
she decided. Picking up the desk phone, she punched in her home number. Mike answered, sounding a little fuzzy, as if she’d woken him from a nap.
    “Could you call the animal hospital and make an appointment for Shadow? They have evening hours tonight. I’m afraid that will mean a quick supper, though. Soup and sandwiches sound okay?”
    *
    When she closed the office for the day, Sunny stopped off at Judson’s Market, splurging on a half pound of fresh-cooked turkey breast, some of their homemade vinegar and oil coleslaw, and the frozen low-salt minestrone soup her dad liked.
    She arrived home to a warm greeting from Shadow and a suspicious one from her father. He turned down the volume on the news as she came into the living room. “Okay, you have a seven o’clock appointment lined up,” he said. “You got off the phone pretty quickly, before I could wake up and ask any questions—what’s this appointment all about?”
    Sighing, Sunny recounted her conversation with Will. “I need a reason to go and talk with Jane, and it can’t be something like, ‘Oh, I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d drop by.’” She shrugged. “Maybe it will still sound pretty lame—”
    As if on cue, Shadow leaned down and licked his paw.
    “But it’s the best I’ve got to work with.”
    Sunny headed back to the kitchen, where she put the soup in the microwave to heat up and worked on making the turkey sandwiches. She toasted the bread, then arranged turkey slices and tomato on one side, the coleslaw on the other. A quick squeeze of honey mustard, and the sandwiches were ready.
    Mike came in and got the soup bowls while Sunny brought the sandwiches to the table. She took a spoonful of soup. Well, it was obvious why her dad liked this stuff. Unlike canned soup, the vegetables were crisp, as if they were fresh—you could really taste them.
    Mike took a sip from his glass of seltzer. “I talked with Helena about that girl in Portsmouth.”
    “Oh, you mean Martin’s receptionist, Dawn Featherstone?” Sunny said. “So what did Mrs. Martinson say about her?”
    “Well, she didn’t know anything right off the bat. But she took it on as a challenge.” His expression went a little sour. “Anything to get her mind off that damned dog. So she’s—what is it you reporters say? Working her sources?”
    Sunny chuckled. “Sounds about right.”
    “By the way, she liked Toby as a name for the pup,” Mike reported. He related some of Mrs. Martinson’s stories about new indiscretions by the puppy, so they had something to laugh about as they ate.
    By the time they’d finished and washed the plates, it was time to head over to Jane’s.
    “You gonna rub Shadow’s paw for him?” Mike asked, looking at the clock.
    Sunny shook her head. “Don’t think I can fit it in without making us late.”
    “Well, maybe if he has a little pain, that will justify your visit,” Mike suggested.
    Sunny shot Shadow a guilty look as she got out the cat carrier. “You aren’t hurting, are you?” she asked. “I’ll take care of you as soon as we get home—promise.”
    *
    Shadow was a little surprised when he saw Sunny getting out the box-to-ride-in. They were going out—in the dark and cold? But Sunny got the furry thing from his bed—not real fur, but it felt good and had lots of

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