Free Murder of the Cat's Meow: A Scumble River Mystery by Denise Swanson Page A

pulled over to the curb to answer it. So few people had her cell number, any call was usually an important one.
    “Hey, sugar.” Wally’s warm voice greeted her. “I hear you all had some excitement while I was gone. Are you and Bingo okay?”
    “We’re fine.” Skye knew that Quirk had been trying to reach Wally, but cell phones weren’t allowed in the testing room. “Although Mr. Cat was extremely upset with me over the indignities he had to suffer. At least until I gave him a few treats.”
    “Bingo has his priorities straight. His stomach always wins over his pride.” Wally chuckled, then turned serious. “Quirk tells me you and the three masterminds behind the weekend extravaganza were going to come up with the names of individuals who attended the bowler disco party and suspects. Are you finished with that?”
    “Sort of. We couldn’t think of anyone who might have persuaded Alexis to meet them in the basement or stay behind after the party.” Skye touched the pages sticking out of her tote bag. “But I do have the list of people with motives right here. Do you want me to bring it to the PD?” She assumed that was either where he already was or where he was headed.
    “That would be best. I just crossed into the city limits—” Wally’s voice cut out; cell phone reception in Scumble River was unreliable at best. Finally, she heard him say, “—in five minutes.”
    Frannie lived only a couple of streets over from the police station, so Skye arrived before Wally did. The redbrick building housing the PD, the city hall, and the library took up the entire corner of Maryland and Kinsman. Usually on a late Sunday afternoon the parking lot would be nearly empty, but because of the murder, several vehicles were huddled together. Skye parked her BelAir between a rusted-out pickup truck and a bright blue Prius, then went inside.
    Through the bulletproof glass, she could see Zelda Martinez sitting at the dispatcher’s desk drumming her fingers on her thigh and frowning. When she spotted Skye, her expression brightened and she jumped to her feet. Holding her index finger to her lips, Zelda motioned Skye to the locked entry separating the waiting area from the rest of the station.
    She disappeared for a second, then opened the door for Skye, and as Skye stepped over the threshold Zelda said, “Can I speak to you in private?”
    “Of course.” Skye wondered what the young woman wanted. “Where?”
    Zelda gestured for Skye to follow her down the narrow hallway that went past the interrogation/coffee room. As always, the female officer’s dark brown hair was drawn tightly back and fastened in a bun at the nape of her neck, and her face was bare of makeup. However, her usually perfectly manicured nails were bitten to the quick, and Skye could see tiny specks of the bright red polish on Zelda’s teeth. Clearly, she was extremely upset.
    When they reached the door of the women’s bathroom, Zelda looked over her shoulder and whispered, “In here.” Once they were inside, she leaned against the wall and bit at her thumbnail before finally saying, “I think I might be in trouble. I lied to Sarge.”
    “About what?” Skye tried not to imagine Quirk’s reaction to one of his rookies being dishonest with him. Even though he hadn’t been entirely candid about his own involvement in a case a couple of years ago, he didn’t tolerate deceit.
    “He asked me if I was related to one of the people at the cat show—Lola Martinez—and I said no.” Zelda worried a button on her uniform shirt. “But she’s my secondcousin. Her grandfather is my uncle. We’re not close and I haven’t talked to her in ages.”
    “So, why didn’t you tell Quirk that?” Skye asked, glancing discreetly at her watch. Wally would be wondering where she was.
    “I didn’t want him to take me off the case.” Zelda’s dark eyes glowed with fervid sincerity. “Several of the more senior officers are on vacation, so this is my chance