Free 4 Cupids Curse by Kathi Daley Page B

guess.” I knew Zak was right , but I was still disappointed we didn’t have a better turnout.
    “I’ll come by the Zoo to see you in the morning, since I won’t be able to see you tonight.”
    “You won’t be seeing me tonight? You just got home. I thought we’d do something together.”
    “It’s Thursday.”
    “So?”
    “You have book club on Thursdays.”
    “I could skip.” I was trying for a deep, sultry voice.
    “Are you getting a cold? You sound a little raspy.”
    “No, I’m fine.” So much for sultry.
    “You know I’d love to see you tonight , but I really do have a lot of work to catch up on, and doing a computer search for your victim is going to put me even further behind. I really should stay home and work, and you should go to book club as planned.”
    “I could come by after,” I offered.
    “I’ll probably work late. Let’s just get together tomorrow.”
    “Yeah, okay ,” I said with a sigh.
    After I hung up , I decided to check all the doors and windows before setting the alarm and closing up for the day. I was fairly certain that whoever had killed Trent had simply come in through the front door, which he’d most likely left unlocked when he arrived, but the incident had left me with a temporary feeling of vulnerability. After confirming that the windows, doggy doors, and outside exits were all secure, I headed toward the larger cages in the wildlife wing of the facility. Although this part of the Zoo was still taped off, I found I couldn’t quite make myself leave without checking the exits in this hallway as well.
    I flipped on lights as I worked my way down the hall. The first room was a smaller enclosure with an indoor /outdoor area that had been specifically designed with raccoons in mind, of which we usually have several at any given time. Beyond the raccoon enclosure was a medium-size cage where we kept coyotes or the occasional bobcat, and beyond that were two large enclosures designed to accommodate the bears we seemed prone to attract.
    As I reached for the light switch after checking to make sure everything was locked , I noticed that one of the branches of the artificial tree we had built in the middle of the room for the cubs to climb on was bent at an odd angle. I stepped into the room for a closer look and noticed something peeking out from under the artificial turf. I bent down and pulled back the flooring to discover a brass button much like the one I’d seen on the man in Rosie’s earlier in the week. The longer I studied the button, the more certain I was that it belonged to the man who I’d already decided was linked to my evil “stepwitch” in a dark and sinister way.
     
    As I did on most Thursdays, I met with the eight members of the senior-center book club to discuss the latest in literary entertainment. Most people didn’t understand why I chose to hang out with this particular set of geriatrics because the generation gap was more of a gorge, but in my opinion, the depth of experience and insights of the group members more than made up for the difference in our ages.
    “Wasn’t sure you’d be here .” Pappy kissed my cheek as I sat down next to him.
    I shrugged. “Zak had work to do and I’d read the book , so I figured why not.”
    “How was the opening?”
    “It was a bust,” I admitted. “We did manage to acquire one new guest: a hamster named Squeaky. I’m pretty sure Jeremy is going to keep him, though. The little guy is really cute, and Jeremy spent most of the day playing with him.”
    “ Sorry to hear you didn’t have a better turnout. I suppose folks might have been put off by the body that was found in your cage. Any word on who might have killed that nice young man?”
    “ Not officially. I found a button in the cage while I was locking up,” I informed him. “I’m certain it belonged to a man I ran into at Rosie’s. I took the button to Salinger, who said he’d look into it.”
    “You’re t alking about the man who