Free PAWSitively Sinister (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 11) by Patricia Fry

another more lucrative job in the out-of-doors—as a gardener at a private home. She said they dated a few times after he left the company. But this one night, she waited for him at their usual meeting place and he didn’t’ show up. She tried to call, and later went to his apartment to see if he was okay. His landlord said he left one day and didn’t come back. She never heard from him again.”
    Savannah drove quietly for a moment, then said, “Well, I guess he could have just been ditching her… didn’t have good dating manners.”
    “Yeah, but then why did his personal papers show up in that pit at the mansion?” Suzette asked. She shook her head. “Something’s just not right. It doesn’t make sense.”
    As Savannah pulled the car into the library parking lot, she said, “Gosh, we have a lot of questions, don’t we? I hope we can discover at least some of the answers here today.”
    Suzette nodded. “Hey, we’re lucky that rain stopped. It sure poured last night, didn’t it?”
    “Yeah, Michael and Arthur went out and covered the pit with a tarp. They didn’t want water running in.”
    “Why? Do they think there are more documents in there?”
    I don’t know,” Savannah said as she placed the baby in the stroller. She chuckled. “They seem to have some sort of fixation with that hole out there, don’t they?”
    The two women, the baby in tow, found a suitable corner table inside the spacious library where they could spread out documents related to the mansion and some of its residents. While Suzette viewed old newspapers on microfilm, Savannah skimmed through books, articles, and essays in the local history section. They had quite a pile of photocopies and notes by the time Lily woke up, two hours later. Lifting her from the stroller, Savannah said, “She needs to be changed… probably wants to stretch her legs. Shall we take her out to the lobby? Then maybe we can walk somewhere and get a bite to eat. If she’ll allow us, we can come back for another hour or so.”
    Suzette pondered the suggestion. “Sounds good, only… ”
    “Only what?”
    “Well, I’m onto some interesting stuff, actually.” She looked up at Savannah. “Hey, would you mind if I stay for a while? I kinda hate to lose my place.”
    Savannah nodded. “Sure, if you want. I’ll bring you a sandwich.”
    “Yes, do that. I can sit in the lobby and eat while you do more research.”
    “What are you working on, anyway?” Savannah asked.
    “It appears that one former madam of the mansion was a seer.”
    “A what?” Savannah asked, pulling Lily back from the table, where she had been reaching for a pen.
    “Well, she billed herself as a healer and she did some sort of readings at the mansion. Look, she ran ads in the newspapers in the seventies and early eighties.”
    “No kidding?” Savannah tilted her head. “Hey, the seventies and eighties… that’s about the time Miriam lived there. That must have been her grandmother. What was her name?”
    “Uh… Madam Randall.”
    “Yes, that’s Miriam’s grandmother. A seer, huh?” She peered across the table at Suzette. “You found the juicy stuff. So did she invite people in for séances and things like that?”
    “I think so.” Suzette thumbed through the copies she’d made and read, “‘Healing, channeling, speak to the dead.’ So yeah, séances. Seems like they were group activities.”
    “What’s channeling?” Savannah asked.
    Suzette chuckled. “I’m not sure. I think it’s where someone talks to people on the other side.”
    “Isn’t that what they do at a séance?” Savannah asked.
    Suzette shrugged. “Yeah. Maybe Rochelle can clue us in as to the terminology.” She then explained, “Let’s see, she refers to herself as a healer of spiritual health. And the ads say, ‘Communicate with your deceased loved ones.’”
    Savannah raised her eyebrows. “Interesting. That place seems to have been through the gamut.” She spoke more softly now,