“Yes, she came twice a week to feed them and helped us out financially. In fact, she was here the morning she died,” Emma said.

That explained why Lavinia lied about the candles—she was protecting the cats. Did that also explain why Ophelia lied?

“Would Ophelia Withington be one of the opposers?” I asked.

The look on Emma’s face gave it away. “That woman! I hate to speak ill of anyone, but she was one of the worst ones. Once Pete died, it became an obsession with her. Pastor Foley discovered her skulking around the church … she isn’t a member, so I assume she was trying to figure out where we sheltered the cats. She said they got into some of the empty houses she was trying to sell and brought down property values—she wanted them all to be euthanized!”

My heart twisted as I looked at the cats. No wonder I didn’t like her. Sure, she had seemed nicer since she’d been a victim of one of Pepper’s teas, but who knew how long that would last? Besides, anyone who wanted to euthanize animals just because they brought down property values was no one to be friends with in my book. I found myself wishing, once again, that Ophelia was the killer.

Ophelia had been in town that morning, trying to find the cats. She’d provided an airtight alibi for the time of Lavinia’s murder, but what if Emma had seen someone else in town that morning? She was out and about early enough and it was worth asking.

“Emma, was there anyone else around that morning … the morning Lavinia died? Maybe someone else who was trying to uncover the cat shelter?”

Emma pressed her lips together. “The Bates family is another one of our opposers. At least, most of them are. I’ve seen that woman sniffing around in the woods trying to find the shelter, but not that morning. That morning I saw her son in that chauffeured car they come around in sometimes.”

“Which son? Derek?” I’d known both Derek and Carson since we were little kids and found it hard to believe either of them would be cat-haters.

“I think so. Yes, it was Derek. I saw him sneaking around here early in the morning around six. I avoided detection by hiding behind a tree,” Emma said proudly. “It was weird, though, because later on … about seven … I was all done with the cats and getting coffee at the cafe when I saw someone run out of the woods on the other side of the street—about a hundred feet up from the library—and jump into that fancy chauffeured car the Bates’ have. It must have been him, but I have no idea what he would have been doing all that time.”

“Maybe scouring the woods on both sides for the shelter?” Elspeth offered.