Missing in Cherry Hills Read online

  Missing in Cherry Hills

  A Cozy Cat Caper Mystery

  Book 22

  Paige Sleuth

  Copyright © 2018 Marla Bradeen (writing as Paige Sleuth)

  All rights reserved.

  Published by Marla Bradeen.

  This book or portions of it (excluding brief quotations) may not be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher/author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), actual businesses, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. If this ebook copy was not purchased by or for you, please purchase your own copy before reading. Thank you for respecting this author’s work.

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  CRASH IN CHERRY HILLS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Wow, this is some exciting birthday.” Lucy Callahan rolled her eyes as she dragged the deshedding brush down Tom’s back. “Sitting in your living room, fussing over a couple of cats like two old biddies. I hope I’m not this boring when I turn thirty-three.”

  Katherine Harper worked at untangling a snag in her cat Matty’s yellow-and-brown coat. “What, you’re not enjoying this?”

  Tom gazed up at Lucy with sleepy green eyes. The brown-and-black cat was stretched out across the length of Lucy’s thighs, and he had a look of utter contentment on his face. There was no doubt he was enjoying this, not that that came as any surprise to Kat. Since she had adopted Tom last summer, she had never known him to shun a chance to be the center of attention.

  Lucy pulled some fur out of the brush. “I’m not sure I shouldn’t be more concerned. You’re really venturing into spinster territory here.”

  Kat laughed. “Okay, so it’s not the most exciting birthday. But you have to admit, this is pretty relaxing.”

  “Spoken like a true old maid.” Lucy held up the wad of fur she’d gotten off Tom. “I have to say, I had no idea cats had this much loose hair on them.”

  “You don’t brush Tabitha?”

  “Nope. Should I?”

  “There are a lot of benefits. For one thing, it will help to reduce the number of hairballs that develop in her stomach. Any fur you manually remove can’t end up in her digestive system. It also can’t end up all over your furniture. And it’s a chance to spend some quality time with her. Brushing can be a beautiful bonding experience.”

  “A beautiful bonding experience?” Lucy snorted as she pushed her red hair away from her face using the back of her hand. “Wow, you really do sound like a hopeless cat lady.”

  “Hey, you asked.”

  “My mistake.”

  Kat peered at Matty. With her eyelids half closed and the steady thrum of a purr emanating from her little body, the tortoiseshell looked almost drunk.

  Frankly, Kat was surprised Matty hadn’t run off yet. Unlike Tom, Matty could only tolerate brushing in small doses. She tended to start squirming after a couple minutes.

  Kat smiled, wondering if the feline somehow knew it was her birthday. Maybe this was Matty’s gift to her.

  Lucy squinted at Kat. “How come you’re not out with Andrew tonight? Surely he doesn’t approve of his girlfriend turning into a crazy cat lady.”

  “Andrew had to work.” As a detective with the Cherry Hills Police Department, Andrew often kept unconventional hours. Kat was used to his unpredictable schedule, but she couldn’t completely banish her disappointment that they hadn’t been able to connect today of all days.

  Lucy plucked a few loose hairs off of Tom’s tail. “Well, at least you didn’t voluntarily decline a date with him to hang out with these two fuzzballs. Then I’d really worry about you.”

  “Need I remind you that you’re not doing anything more exciting than I am right now?”

  “Yeah, but it’s not my birthday.”

  “But it is Friday. Which compels me to ask, how come you don’t have a date tonight?”

  Lucy slumped against the back of Kat’s sofa. “I’d love to go out on a date, but I haven’t run into anybody interesting in months. You might not have noticed after snagging the last hot man in the area, but for the rest of us it’s slim pickings here in Nowheresville, Washington. It’s so bleak I’ve even thought about moving to Seattle. At least there I’d have a chance at meeting someone.”

  “I thought that guy on the second floor was interested in you.”

  “You mean Ryan Pollack, aka Mr. Desperate?”

  Kat frowned. “He didn’t seem that desperate to me.”

  “That’s because you’re taken. For us singletons it’s an entirely different story. He’s like a dog starving for attention. You know the ones, those flea-bitten mutts who haven’t had a bath in months and are just begging for someone to take them home and love them?”

  An image of six-foot-six Ryan sporting a pitiful puppy dog face popped into Kat’s head, and a fit of giggles wracked her body. Matty shot daggers at her human before crawling off of Kat’s lap and relocating to the other end of the couch. So much for their beautiful bonding experience.

  “I’m glad you find it funny,” Lucy grumbled. “I guarantee you’d think differently if you were the subject of Ryan’s misguided affections. Just ask Janice. He’s always after her too. And poor Janice lives right across the hall from Mr. Desperate. At least I’m up here on the third floor, where the only thing I can fault my neighbors with is an unhealthy obsession with cats.”

  Kat rolled her eyes at the good-natured jab. “Speaking of Janice, I wonder what happened to her. She said she’d stop by when I invited her up a few days ago.”

  “She probably changed her mind after you told her what we’d be doing.”

  “Ha ha.” Kat set Matty’s brush down and glanced at the wall clock. “Seriously though, it’s after nine. She said she’d stop by around eight-thirty.”

  “Then give her a call. Tell her if she doesn’t hurry she’ll miss out on all the excitement.”

  “All right.” Kat grabbed her cell phone off the coffee table, found Janice’s number in her contact list, and hit the button to connect the call.

  Lucy tossed Tom’s brush aside. Tom eyed it for a moment before nipping at Lucy’s fingers. Lucy spread her palm over the top of the cat’s head and gave him a playful jostle, prompting Tom to grab her wrist with both paws. He pulled her hand to his chest, then licked her fingers.

  The phone stopped ringing and voicemail picked up. Kat hung up.

  “She’s not answering,” she said.

  Lucy didn’t look up, still busy with Tom. “Maybe she’s on a date, although where she found a man in this town I have no clue.”

  “Maybe.” But Kat didn’t think so. Although she and Janice were more friendly acquaintances than friends, Kat didn’t think Janice was the type of person who would have made other plans without saying something.

  Lucy must have detected the worry in Kat’s tone. She stopped playing with Tom and wedged her hands underneath her thighs where the cat couldn’t reach them. “We could go downstairs and knock on her door,” she suggested.

  Kat rose from the sofa. “Might as well.”

  Lucy lifted Tom up until they were nose-to
-nose. In baby talk, she said, “Looks like I’m going to have to say goodbye, Mr. Tommykins.”

  Tom meowed a protest. Lucy dropped a kiss onto his head before setting him on the floor.

  Kat shoved her cell phone into her jeans pocket and grabbed her keys. Neither she nor Lucy said anything as they left the apartment.

  Their building stood three stories tall, with four units on each floor. Janice’s unit was located directly below Kat’s. And since they were only going down one floor, Kat opted to take the stairs rather than wait for the elevator.

  She pushed the stairwell door open. The first niggling twinge of dread tightened her stomach when she heard a dog’s muffled barking coming from somewhere below them. By the time she and Lucy reached the second-floor landing, it was clear the barking was coming from not too far away.

  Kat exited the stairwell, Lucy right behind her. Bubbles, Janice’s Irish setter, let out an excited woof and bounded over to them.

  An uneasy feeling gripped Kat as she petted the sleek, brown dog. Why was he out here alone?

  “Hey, Bubbles,” Lucy murmured, slanting forward so her face was level with the dog’s. “Where’s your mama?”

  Bubbles released a high-pitched sound that knotted Kat’s stomach. The knot only grew tighter when her gaze drifted down the hallway and she saw Janice’s apartment door standing wide open. She crept closer, one hand automatically reaching for her cell phone. She pulled it out and pressed the speed dial number for Andrew, leaving her finger poised over the call button.

  “Hello?” she called out.

  The answering silence was deafening. Even Bubbles had stopped barking, as though he were paralyzed by the suspense.

  Kat steeled herself, then stepped into Janice’s apartment.

  She didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t lying in wait. She stayed alert as she conducted the briefest of walk-throughs, unsure whether she feared finding an injured Janice or a dangerous intruder more. But the place was empty.

  Kat rejoined Lucy in the corridor.

  “Did you see Janice?” Lucy asked.

  Kat shook her head. “I don’t know where she is.” But wherever their neighbor might be, Kat had a feeling she hadn’t traveled there willingly. Janice never would have left Bubbles wandering the hallway by himself.

  Kat depressed the call button and, her heart in her throat, waited for Andrew to answer.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “What are you doing?” Lucy hissed as Kat stepped back inside Janice’s apartment.

  “I’m going to take another look around while we wait for Andrew,” Kat replied.

  “Did he tell you to do that?”

  “No, but I’m sure he won’t mind.”

  Kat wasn’t actually sure of any such thing. In fact, if she had to venture a guess she would imagine Andrew would be just as dismayed as Lucy by her urge to investigate. That was why she needed to hurry. Once Andrew showed up, it was quite likely he would banish her from the second floor altogether.

  Bubbles whimpered as if he too had reservations about Kat’s plan.

  Kat gave him a reassuring pat on the head. “You stay here with Bubbles,” she said to Lucy. “We don’t want him trampling over any evidence that could tell us where Janice is.”

  Lucy’s lips puckered. “Don’t you think that applies to you too?”

  “I’m not going to touch anything.”

  Before Lucy could protest, Kat moved deeper into the apartment.

  She stood in the middle of the living room. Unlike before when she had been hunting for Janice or an intruder, now she took the time to survey her surroundings. The first thing that caught her attention was a photo of Janice and Bubbles hanging on the wall. A pretty, black woman in her twenties, the smile on Janice’s face was mesmerizing. Kat hoped she was okay.

  She forced her gaze away from the photo and continued her examination of the room. She didn’t see any evidence of a break-in. Nor did she see any tossed furniture, blood, or anything else that was immediate cause for concern. If it weren’t for Janice’s purse resting on the coffee table next to her iPhone, Kat might have thought her neighbor had merely stepped out for a minute.

  Her eyes lingered on the phone. Was there something in Janice’s call history that could lead them to her whereabouts? If someone took her, it was possible he or she had announced their intention to stop by beforehand.

  Kat stretched her hand toward the phone.

  “I thought you weren’t going to touch anything.”

  Lucy’s sharp tone stopped Kat mid-reach. She looked toward the doorway where Lucy stood with Bubbles.

  “I thought you were going to wait in the hallway,” Kat retorted.

  Lucy made a face. “I am in the hallway.”

  “You’re inside the apartment.”

  “I’m in the doorway.”

  Bubbles barked as though to scold them for bickering over something so petty when his human might be in danger. Shame filled Kat. Bubbles was right, of course—assuming she had interpreted his bark correctly.

  “I was only going to check Janice’s call history,” Kat said. “In case her kidnapper has been in contact with her. Since I don’t see any indication of forced entry, I’m guessing Janice knew whoever took her.”

  “You really think she was kidnapped?” Lucy asked.

  “It seems like the most likely scenario. I can’t see her leaving her door open if she left voluntarily, even if she was just making a trash run.”

  Lucy chewed on her lower lip. “Then I guess you’d better take a look at her phone.”

  Careful not to touch more of the phone’s surface area than she had to, Kat pressed the power button. The screen lit up, and a keypad materialized beneath a passcode request.

  “What’s Janice’s passcode?” Kat asked Lucy.

  “How should I know?”

  Kat was tempted to start punching random numbers, but the odds of stumbling upon the correct code by happenstance was slim to none. Worse yet, if Janice had one of those apps that snapped a picture whenever an incorrect passcode was input, Andrew might end up seeing photographic proof of her snooping if the police took the phone into custody. That would be embarrassing.

  She sighed as the phone faded to black, then shifted her attention to Janice’s purse. Using her pinkie finger, she pulled the top open and peered inside.

  “What do you see?” Lucy asked.

  “Sunglasses, a wallet, a pack of gum.” Kat’s heart gave a little leap. “And a flight itinerary.”

  “A flight itinerary? You mean Janice is going somewhere?”

  “Yeah.” Kat angled her head to read the text without removing the page. “It looks like she plans to visit Los Angeles next week.”

  Lucy’s jaw dropped. “No way.”

  “Way. Her name’s printed right on here. Janice Yolonda Moseley.”

  “And she’s going to L.A.? Why wouldn’t she tell me?”

  “Maybe she planned to tell you tonight.”

  Lucy didn’t respond, but judging from the way the sides of her mouth had bunched up, she wasn’t happy about being kept in the dark. Clearly Lucy was much closer to Janice than Kat.

  Bubbles nudged Lucy’s hand with his nose. Lucy absently petted his head, still looking troubled by Kat’s discovery.

  Kat refocused on the printout. “Hey, get this. Janice is flying first class.”

  “What?” Lucy’s head snapped up. “Are you joking? Isn’t first class, like, crazy expensive?”

  “I can’t see the price without taking the itinerary out. Maybe she found a special deal online.”

  “Ahem.”

  Kat spun around so quickly she knocked Janice’s purse onto the floor. Andrew Milhone stood in the doorway just behind Lucy and Bubbles, a stern expression on his face.

  “Andrew.” Kat jumped away from the coffee table and folded her hands behind her back, heat creeping up her cheeks.

  “Kat.” His tone made the word sound like an admonishment. But his voice
was softer when he added, “Lucy.”

  Lucy grinned. “Hi, Andrew.”

  Bubbles gazed up at Andrew, his tail wagging. He seemed happy to have CHPD present and ready to assist.

  Larry, the live-in building manager and landlord, stepped into view. Light danced off of the stocky man’s bald head as he clapped one hand on Andrew’s shoulder. “Found this guy standing outside the main entrance. He said you called him, Kat?”

  Kat nodded. “Janice is missing.”

  “Missing, eh?” Larry craned his neck to see into the apartment as if he thought Kat might have merely overlooked Janice sitting on the couch.

  Bubbles whined and pressed closer to Andrew.

  Andrew gave Bubbles a brief pat on the head before getting down to business. “I need to make sure the apartment is clear.”

  “It’s clear,” Kat said. “I already checked.”

  Andrew didn’t look pleased by her initiative. No doubt he was picturing her coming face-to-face with a dangerous criminal. “Even so.”

  Kat didn’t argue. Instead, she watched as he eased past Lucy and started making his way toward the short hallway that led to Janice’s bedroom and bathroom.

  “Police,” he called out, blowing his sandy hair out of his eyes. “Anybody here?”

  The only response was an agitated bark from Bubbles. Lucy slipped her fingers underneath the dog’s collar to keep him from following Andrew.

  Andrew disappeared down the hallway only to return a moment later. He performed a quick inspection of the kitchen, then came to stand beside Kat. “Is everything as you two found it?”

  Kat bobbed her head. “I didn’t touch anything.”

  He surveyed the living room with a cool, assessing gaze. “You knocked her bag over.”

  “That was an accident. It happened to be unzipped, so I took a little peek, and then you showed up and startled me . . .” Kat trailed off with a swallow.

  “You see anything noteworthy?”

  Kat relaxed a little. Apparently he was going to let her off the hook for disturbing the purse. “Yeah. Janice is planning to go to L.A. next week.”

  “There you go,” Larry piped up, clapping his hands together as if the case had just been solved. “She must have gotten the bug and skipped out a few days early.”