Vanished in Cherry Hills (Cozy Cat Caper Mystery Book 4) Read online

  Vanished in Cherry Hills

  A Cozy Cat Caper Mystery

  Book 4

  Paige Sleuth

  Copyright © 2015 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

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  FRAMED IN CHERRY HILLS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CHAPTER ONE

  “I want to find my mother,” Katherine Harper said.

  Andrew Milhone’s hand stilled, the mashed potatoes he had been about to shovel into his mouth freezing in front of him.

  Kat looked at a couple sitting on the other side of the restaurant to help steady herself. Her heart had revved up the moment she’d mentioned her mother, and she felt a little dizzy.

  When Andrew still hadn’t spoken after a long moment had passed, she turned back to him. “Did you hear me? I want to find my mother.”

  “I heard you.”

  She folded her hands in her lap. “I have to admit, I thought you’d be more surprised about me wanting to look for her after all these years.”

  He set down his fork. “I am surprised. I mean, I was expecting this, but I didn’t expect you to just blurt it out like that on our first date.”

  She frowned. “It’s our second date.”

  Andrew regarded her as if she’d announced she wanted to dance a jig on top of their table. “It’s our first date. I would recall if we’d been out before.”

  She gaped at him. “We went to Jessie’s Diner last week.”

  He waved his hand. “Drinking a couple milkshakes at Jessie’s doesn’t count.”

  She looked around to make sure the waitress wasn’t anywhere nearby before hunching closer and whispering, “You kissed me before we left my apartment.”

  He grinned, his adorable dimples making an appearance. “I know. It was a pretty good kiss too.”

  Kat couldn’t prevent the flush that crept up her cheeks. It was a good kiss. She couldn’t argue with him there.

  “But one kiss doesn’t turn a visit to Jessie’s into a proper date,” Andrew continued.

  Kat lifted up her wineglass and took a sip, considering his point. “No, but you footing the bill does. If it weren’t a date, we would have gone dutch.”

  “You used your employee discount,” he countered.

  “So?” He opened his mouth but she held up her hand before he could say anything. “And we’re getting off topic.”

  He pushed a hank of sandy hair off his forehead. “Right. You want to find your mother.”

  She nodded, the lighthearted intermission fading as rapidly as it had appeared. “I’ve been thinking about what you said last week, about how life is short and we only have so much time.”

  His eyes softened. “I remember.”

  She set her wineglass down, unable to hold it steady now that her hand had started shaking. “If I don’t find her now, I’m afraid I’ll never know what happened to make her abandon me. What if she dies before I get the chance to talk to her?”

  Andrew covered one of her hands with his. “Have you considered that she might not be alive?”

  Kat blanched. Although she’d given a fleeting thought to the idea, it had been too unpleasant to dwell on for very long.

  “You can’t rule out the possibility,” Andrew said softly. “Given her history.”

  Kat swallowed. “As a drug addict, you mean.”

  Andrew nodded.

  She straightened. “Well, alive or not, I feel compelled to look for her. I have so many unanswered questions about my past, questions only she can answer. Growing up in foster care, it’s like I always felt there was this huge hole in my life. She’s the only one who can even come close to filling it. I don’t want to spend forever always wondering if I should have looked for her or regretting that I never made an effort to reach out.” She knew she was rambling and cut herself off with a deep breath.

  “I don’t want to talk you out of it. I just want you to be prepared for whatever we find.”

  She nodded, knowing he wasn’t trying to be negative. As a police detective, she figured he was simply programmed to expect the worst.

  Andrew squeezed her hand. “And I definitely want to help.”

  Although Kat knew he would, hearing his words lifted a huge weight from her shoulders. Still, she had no clue how to go about looking for a woman she didn’t remember and hadn’t seen in three decades.

  “So, where do we start?” she asked, hoping Andrew would know.

  “We’ll see what information we can dig up and go from there.”

  Kat nodded, her mind churning. “I could search around on the Internet.”

  “That would be wise. I know you’re a computer whiz.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a whiz. I’m just more comfortable with them than you are.”

  He grinned. “Right.”

  Kat picked up her fork and played with it, needing to do something with her hands. “Do you think she’s still in Washington State?”

  “Kat.” Andrew looked into her eyes. “I’d just be speculating if I said anything.”

  She knew he was right, but her brain wouldn’t rest. Despite spending most of her thirty-two years trying to forget about the woman who had given her life, now that she’d made the decision to track her down she felt an urgency that hadn’t been there before.

  Kat shifted in her seat, anxious to get moving. “When do you want to begin?”

  Andrew motioned the waitress over. “As soon as I pay the bill.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Andrew walked Kat up to her apartment when they arrived back at her place. The September night was pleasant, with fall less than three weeks away. If she wasn’t itching to begin her search she would have suggested a stroll around the neighborhood.

  Typically Kat would have been nervous about a guy accompanying her upstairs after their second—or first—date, but at the moment she couldn’t prevent the excitement that thrummed in her chest. She knew Andrew well enough to know he would be a complete gentleman. And, as much as she liked him, that was a good thing. Romance had completely fled her mind as soon as they’d started discussing her mother.

  “You might be able to find a last known address online,” Andrew was saying as they stepped out of the elevator and walked the distance to her unit. “That would give us a start.”

  “But I don’t even know her name,” Kat said, slipping her key in her door.

  Andrew’s brow furrowed. “I thought it was Maybelle Harper.”

  “Was, yes. That’s what’s written on my birth certificate, anyway. But what if she got married since then? She could be
an Obama now.”

  Andrew’s mouth twitched. “You think your mother is an Obama?”

  Kat pushed her apartment door open. “She could be.”

  Andrew followed her inside. Tom, Kat’s big, brown and black cat, ambled over to greet them. Matty, her other, more reserved yellow and brown tortoiseshell, didn’t move from her resting spot on the couch.

  “Hey, Tom,” Andrew said, crouching down to pet the friendly feline. “What do you think about finding out you’re the grandson of President Obama?”

  Kat rolled her eyes as she shut the door. “I used that as an example.”

  She tossed her purse on the coffee table before wandering over to the couch and perching next to Matty. Matty allowed her chin to be scratched, although she made sure Kat knew she was merely tolerating the attention for her human’s benefit.

  Still rubbing Tom with one hand, Andrew reached over and plucked a picture off of Kat’s coffee table. He studied it for a moment before looking up. “This is her?”

  Kat nodded, her heart beating a little faster when she caught sight of her mother captured in the thirty-year-old Polaroid. “That’s the only picture I have of her.”

  Andrew squinted at the photo. “You look like her.”

  His words surprised her. “Really?” She leaned over to peer at the photo. In it, her mother was smiling, her brown hair brushing the collar of her blouse as she struck a pose for the camera. “Other than our hair color, I don’t see a resemblance.”

  “I can see it.”

  Tom dragged himself closer to Andrew, clearly unhappy about having his rubdown curtailed by an old picture. Andrew got the hint. He tossed the photo back on the coffee table and refocused on Tom.

  “When’s the last time you saw her?” Andrew asked.

  Kat shrugged. “I must have been about two. I don’t even remember her.”

  “That would mean she left Cherry Hills around 1985.”

  “That sounds about right.” Kat jumped off the couch and rubbed her palms together. “So let’s get to work on finding her.”

  Andrew stood up. “I’m ready.”

  Kat turned on the computer in the corner of the living room while Andrew dragged one of her kitchen chairs over. Tom watched them, the longing reflected in his eyes suggesting that he hadn’t received nearly enough attention. Her heart melting, Kat went over to pick him up.

  Andrew grinned. “You’re spoiling him.”

  “I am not.” Kat kissed the top of Tom’s head as she took her seat. “You’re not spoiled, are you?” she crooned.

  Tom settled down in her lap, closed his eyes, and began purring.

  Andrew sat down, looking smug. “I believe you just proved my point.”

  Kat defiantly ran her hand down Tom’s back. “Tom is the type of cat who needs reassurance that he’s wanted.”

  “And Matty isn’t?”

  “Matty’s more independent. As far as I know, she’s never been in foster care.”

  At the mention of foster care, Andrew’s expression turned serious. “Have you thought about what you’re going to say to her?”

  Kat didn’t have to ask who he was talking about. She felt the familiar ping in her chest that appeared whenever she thought about her mother. “No.”

  Andrew studied her for a long moment. “It’s not always easy, you know,” he said, shifting in his chair. “Reconnecting with a parent, that is.”

  Kat tilted her head. “Was it easy for you?”

  Andrew lifted one shoulder. “Every time she came back, I had to get over my anger at her all over again.”

  The ache in Kat’s chest expanded. She remembered how envious she felt whenever Andrew had visitation time with one of his parents back when they’d both been in foster care together. At the time, she hadn’t really appreciated that he’d had his own issues to deal with. She only knew that his mother was around and hers wasn’t.

  Andrew propped his elbows on his knees and leaned closer. “You ever think about looking for your dad too?”

  Kat scratched the bridge of Tom’s nose as he pressed his face into her hand. “Not so much.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “For one thing, I don’t think he’s ever met me. The space for his name is blank on my birth certificate.” She shrugged. “I guess that doesn’t make him as real to me.”

  For another thing, she didn’t feel strong enough to handle the thought of reestablishing contact with two parents only to find out neither one wanted her, but Kat didn’t say this out loud. Some thoughts were just too depressing to voice.

  Andrew ran one fingertip down her arm. “Maybe your mom can tell you something about him.”

  “Maybe.” Kat straightened. “But first we have to find her.”

  Andrew jutted his chin toward the computer monitor, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “Then get to work.”

  Kat positioned her fingers over the keyboard, careful not to disturb Tom. Tom settled deeper into her lap. All the attention appeared to have put him in a kitty coma.

  Matty, on the other hand, was wide-awake. As soon as the clack of Kat’s typing reached her ears, she trotted over and jumped on top of the desk, heading straight for the keyboard.

  Kat paused to gently push her away. “Not now, Matty.”

  The look on the feline’s face told Kat exactly what she thought of taking orders. Then, as if to prove her authority in this household, Matty took two steps forward and planted her rear end smack-dab in the center of the keyboard.

  Kat groaned. “Matty.”

  “I’ll hold her,” Andrew offered, standing up.

  He scooped Matty off the desk and cradled her next to his chest. Matty struggled against him until he reclaimed his seat and set her in his lap. She glared at him for a second, then curled up and let him pet her, evidently deciding to make the most of her forced relocation.

  Kat smiled. “Now who’s spoiling whom?”

  Andrew smirked. “I’m doing this for you. Now get to work.”

  Kat obeyed by pulling up Google and typing in her mother’s name. Just seeing the words ‘Maybelle Harper’ written out caused her stomach to flutter. Part of her couldn’t believe she was really doing this. She was actually going to find her mother.

  Kat had done a few cursory searches over the years, never turning up anything before she gave up. The part of her that feared her mother wouldn’t want to see her long-lost daughter seemed to have a knack for talking her out of looking too seriously.

  This time felt different. She’d never dragged another person into her search efforts before. Even if Andrew was a fellow foster-care survivor and she knew he wouldn’t pressure her if she changed her mind, somehow looping him in made backing out no longer seem like an option.

  But after fifteen minutes of different Google searches that brought back nothing but dead ends, Kat was ready to give up for a reason other than fear.

  “I can’t find anything,” she said, pounding on the keyboard to release some of her frustration.

  Matty, evidently viewing her venting as an invitation, jumped off Andrew’s lap and tiptoed over to the keyboard. She sat down on the space bar and peered at Kat, a smug look on her face as her tail swept over the keys.

  Andrew set his hand on Kat’s shoulder. “You could be right about her changing her name.”

  Kat flopped back into her chair, all of her earlier enthusiasm draining away. Right now, she didn’t even care if Matty locked up her computer. “If she changed her name, how do I even begin to find her?”

  “We could start by checking marriage records,” Andrew suggested. “Those things are online nowadays.”

  Kat gripped the mouse, clinging to the slim hope he’d given her. “That’s a good idea.”

  Matty shifted slightly, causing four different windows to spring up on the monitor behind her. Kat set her hands on Matty’s haunches and pulled her to where she couldn’t do any damage. She still recalled the last time Matty had ‘helped’ her on the computer. She had needed to perfo
rm a cold reboot.

  “We might try the social media sites too,” Andrew said. “Sometimes women list their maiden names with their Facebook profiles.”

  Kat nodded, letting go of Matty so she could pet Tom as he adjusted positions in her lap. Why hadn’t she thought to check Facebook?

  Andrew’s lips thinned. “I hate to even bring this up, but we might want to look into death records too.”

  Kat’s hand froze, prompting Tom to nudge it with his nose. She started stroking him again, but barely felt his fur gliding under her fingers.

  “If your mother died, there should be a record of it somewhere,” Andrew said.

  Although Kat didn’t want to entertain that possibility, she knew she had to. “I didn’t find her obituary online. At least, I didn’t find any obituaries linked to a Maybelle Harper.”

  “She might not have had an obituary.”

  A stone settled in Kat’s stomach as she absorbed the implications of his words. What he meant, of course, was that perhaps nobody had cared enough about her mother to honor her memory with a printed tribute.

  Andrew coughed. “But that’s all speculation. We don’t really know anything for sure, and we won’t until we track down where she went after you last saw her in ’85.”

  “Still, you’re right,” Kat said, unable to hide the glum tone in her voice. “She could be dead. I have to prepare myself for that.”

  Andrew didn’t say anything. He just rested one palm on her knee.

  Matty stood up and crept closer to the edge of the desk. When she reached her destination, she hunched forward and swatted at the mouse cord.

  Watching how little it took to keep Matty happy cheered Kat somewhat. She took hold of the mouse again, shaking it for Matty’s benefit. “First, I’m going to look up those public records you mentioned.”

  “Okay.”

  Kat worked in silence for a long time. The only sounds in the room came from the keyboard clacking and Tom and Matty purring. Tom didn’t even seem to care that Kat had stopped petting him. He seemed perfectly content just to be snuggled up next to his human. Meanwhile, the weight of the feline’s body in her lap kept Kat calm and focused.