I drove toward town, feeling uneasy. Finding Barry lying on the floor had unnerved me. Pandora put a comforting paw on my thigh and I felt my heart surge. Could it be I was really getting attached to the fur ball?

“Doesn’t it seem odd that a healthy young guy like Barry would pass out for no reason?” I said out loud, then realized no one was in the car except me and Pandora.

“Mew.” Pandora nodded her head.

“But, if someone was there, surely Barry would remember. And if they hit him to knock him out, surely he’d feel the lump on his head, wouldn’t he?”

I snuck a look at Pandora, but she merely gave me a blank stare

“And why would someone knock him out? It didn’t seem like anything was taken. All his silver was there and the books were all in the box, although he did think the leather book had been moved.”

“Mew.”

“But, who would do that?” My mind drifted back to the truck I’d seen racing down the hill. Bing’s truck.

“Probably just coincidence, right?” I turned to Pandora.

“Meow.”

“I guess it’s a mystery,” I said to Pandora. “Probably has nothing to do with Lavinia’s murder, though, and that’s what I need to focus on today.”

Pandora let out a string of meow’s and, for a second, I thought it sounded like “you never know.”

I shut my mouth and focused on the road. Not only was I getting into the bad habit of talking to my cat, but now I thought she was actually answering me. I really did need to get a social life.

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

I parked in the small parking lot behind my store since I had the box of books to lug inside. I went in through the back and dropped off the books. When I finally got to the front, I could see Cordelia, Hattie and Josiah waiting outside with coffee mugs in their hands. I rushed to open the door for them.

“I was wondering if you were going to make it today.” Josiah handed me a Styrofoam cup and I practically swooned with gratitude. The happenings out at Barry’s had made me late for my morning caffeine fix.

“Sorry,” I said in-between sips. “I had to pick up a box of books this morning and it took me longer than I expected.”

“Oh, that’s no problem,” Cordelia twittered. I noticed she and Hattie were dressed in matching polyester pantsuits—Hattie’s in lemon yellow and Cordelia’s in lime green. They wore the same exact lemon and lime colored blouses underneath the jackets.

“Well, don’t you ladies look nice,” I said.

“Thanks,” Cordelia answered for both of them. “Lavinia’s funeral is today, you know.”