Free 1 Odds and Ends by Audrey Claire

is,” she whispered. “Oh, dear, where’s a weapon when I need one?”
    Lou had owned a gun collection, which he kept locked in a case in the study. She had thought she might sell his precious guns and spend the money. However, she had been informed that virtually every piece in the house was sold and accounted for. If she dared try to remove anything that was not on the solicitor’s list, she would be arrested.
    “Of all the humiliating…” Her list had been short. Well, more than could fit in her current apartment, but still woefully lacking.
    Margot stopped by the bathroom, and Odds yowled. “At a time like this?”
    “I’m not using it,” she snapped. “Just wait there.”
    She left the cat in the hallway and returned from the bathroom seconds later. He stared up at her. “What’s that?”
    Margot felt her face burn and was glad it was dark in the apartment. Then she recalled Odds could see as clear as day. She squared her shoulders and started for the front door again. At least she had remembered to lock it.
    “Are you really taking a plunger?” he had to ask.
    “Be quiet before I plunge you!”
    “Where did you even get it?”
    Margot stopped creeping and stood straight, losing her patience. Her back ached anyway, and she was glad to stretch it out. This midnight sneaking about didn’t agree with her. “If you must know, I added it to my list for Kenny. He brought it back for me.”
    “Why?”
    She grumbled. “Because I wanted to practice using it. That’s why. Now be quiet. No more questions.”
    Margot made it to the front door and pressed her ear to the panels. No sounds reached her. She sucked in a breath, raised her weapon, and threw the first lock. The chain rattled too much, and she winced. Then she undid the next and the next. Three in all, the chain, the deadbolt, and the doorknob lock. Surely, that was overkill. She gulped thinking another word might have been better.
    When she stepped into the hallway to find it empty, Margot grew braver. Her heart was still pumping at an accelerated rate, but she determined she could do this. Something brushed her leg, and she almost screamed until she remembered Odds. The darn cat did that on purpose.
    Odds ran ahead and stopped at the door next to hers. Since his little head disappeared, she assumed the door lay open. Fear that any second someone would come out made her freeze, but Odds turned to look at her as if to taunt, “Chicken?”
    She didn’t hear the word in her head, but she knew he was thinking it. Other people had ordinary pets. Her first ever had to be this bad little scamp.
    Margot reached the door and paused to breathe deep a few more times. Then slowly, she leaned around the doorframe. All feeling left her legs, and she started to sink toward the floor.
    Jimmy was back. The police had not found him after he disappeared, and here he was in the empty apartment with something on the floor that looked suspiciously like a body! Margot must have made a sound because Jimmy froze, his back to her. She was still sliding and unable to catch herself.
    Odds, who was under her, took exception to her landing on him, and he swiped a claw toward her chin. Margot refused to receive another wound from him and jerked away. She tumbled backward and rolled over to land on her nose. She moaned.
    “Who’s out there?” Jimmy called.
    Oh no, he was going to catch her. She struggled to her knees, sharply aware of the creaking in the left and the twinge in the right. Odds let out a yowl and jetted away from her straight into the empty apartment where Jimmy was.
    “You stupid cat,” he roared, and from the thumping, she assumed he chased Odds around the room.
    Margot pushed up to her feet and held onto the wall until she straightened. She started to hurry into her apartment but stopped. She couldn’t leave Odds after he had distracted Jimmy for her.
    When she turned back, she noticed the plunger on the floor where she had dropped it. She scooped it up as