Blackmail in Cherry Hills Read online

  Imogene tapped her cell phone screen. “I suspect the business address she lists here doubles as her home address. It’s in a neighborhood next to Sunset Park.” She set the phone in her lap and turned toward Kat, an alarming glint in her eye. “That’s not too far from here.”

  “Do you really think it’s wise to stop by this late in the evening?” Imogene was clearly still riled up after talking to Keave, and Kat feared a confrontation with a bona fide breeder of purebred cats might cause her friend to snap.

  “Late?” Imogene scoffed. “It’s still daylight out. Besides, there’s no time like the present.” As if to prove her point, she started the SUV and backed out of her parking spot so rapidly Kat’s shoulder banged against the passenger window.

  Kat stifled a sigh as she made sure her seat belt was fastened. She wouldn’t doubt this would be another ride with Imogene’s foot mashed down on the accelerator.

  The drive unfolded exactly as Kat had feared. But within no time they were swerving into the driveway of a sprawling, single-story house. If anything good could be said about Imogene’s recent bout of speeding, at least it meant Kat didn’t have to white-knuckle any one journey for too long.

  They got out of the SUV and headed up the driveway to the front porch. Spanning the entire length of the house, the screened-in porch was outfitted with a handful of potted plants and several Adirondack chairs. It looked like the perfect place to relax on a cool spring morning.

  They climbed the three wooden steps leading up to the porch and let themselves inside the unlocked screen door. When they made it to the house door, Imogene did the honors of ringing the bell.

  A thirtyish, raven-haired woman answered. She gave them a smile. “Hello. May I help you?”

  “We’re here to see Bianca Bradley,” Imogene said.

  “That’s me.” Bianca’s brow furrowed. “Did we have an appointment?”

  Imogene shook her head. “No. No appointment.”

  “Oh, well, if you’re here about the kittens, they’re not ready to meet anyone yet. I don’t allow visits until they’re vaccinated.”

  “We’re not here to visit any kittens.” Imogene spat the word out as if it were an obscenity. “I’m Imogene Little.”

  Bianca’s sharp inhalation of breath cut through the air.

  “From your reaction, I presume you know who I am,” Imogene said.

  “I know who you are.” Bianca paused. “I can’t say I know why you’re here though.”

  “Are you aware the Cherry Hills town council voted down the breeder ban during last night’s meeting?”

  Bianca shifted her feet. “I might have read something about that in this morning’s Cherry Hills Courant.”

  Imogene regarded her. “It’s odd, but I don’t recall seeing you at any of the council meetings.”

  Bianca brushed her bangs back from her forehead. “Politics isn’t really my thing.”

  “But the outcome of that vote affects you directly. It seems to me you would have wanted to show up at least once to voice your opinion. It’s no secret you had a vested interest in seeing the ban defeated.”

  “Well, I can’t deny that.” Bianca gave Imogene a halfhearted smile. “No offense, of course.”

  Imogene set her hands on her hips. “Trust me, I don’t care one whit about your opinion of me or my rescue efforts.”

  Bianca swayed backward. Imogene’s fierceness seemed to have taken her aback. Truth be told, Kat was rather surprised herself. Imogene was usually polite and pleasant.

  “I must say,” Imogene went on, “if I were in your shoes I wouldn’t have missed a single meeting. Politics aside, if that ban had passed it would have had a serious negative impact on your breeding operation. Or did you already know the ban would be voted down?”

  Bianca shrugged. “Well, it all worked out despite my absence.”

  Before Imogene could press the issue, a small, nearly hairless cat came skidding up to the door. Mostly gray with some darker collar rings staining the skin around his neck, he had a thin, bony tail and two long whiskers growing amid a smattering of stubby ones. He meowed up at them before rubbing his almost-bald head against Bianca’s leg.

  Bianca scooped him up. “Hey, baby boy.” To Imogene and Kat, she said, “This is Loki.”

  “What breed is that?” Kat asked.

  “He’s a Devon Rex.”

  Imogene straightened. “I thought you bred Siberians.”

  “I do.” Bianca stroked Loki’s side. “This little guy didn’t come from one of my litters. During last year’s cat show in Oaks, Pennsylvania I got to know a woman who breeds a few of the hairless cats. We started talking, and it turns out she couldn’t get anyone to take Loki. Nobody wanted him because of his tabby markings.”

  A weight settled in Kat’s chest. She wondered exactly how a cat was supposed to look in order to be deemed good enough for a home.

  “He might not be of show quality, but he has a great personality,” Bianca said. “He’s still fairly young, and he’s got energy like you wouldn’t believe. He’s a complete nut.”

  A striking long-haired cat sporting a coat rich with brown, black, and white hues came trotting into view. She stopped and sat down when she reached the porch. Cocking her head to one side, she wrapped her fluffy tail around her paws and studied the newcomers with arresting green eyes.

  “Why, hello there,” Kat said, bending down with her hand outstretched.

  The cat emitted a trill but didn’t make any move to approach.

  “That’s Leva,” Bianca said. “Short for Koroleva, or queen in Russian. She’s shy.”

  “She’s gorgeous,” Kat said.

  “Thank you. She’s a Siberian, born from one of my mama cats. Unfortunately, she ended up contracting a viral eye infection, so I had to separate her from her littermates fairly early on. After that I decided to keep her myself rather than adopting her out.”

  Loki flipped himself sideways, forcing Bianca to loosen her hold on his body. Once he had all four paws on the ground, he arched his back and hopped sideways toward Leva. She swatted at him, a simple gesture that soon had the two rambunctious felines scampering back into the house, Loki in hot pursuit of Leva.

  Bianca smiled. “They’re both very playful. It’s fun to watch them together.”

  Imogene’s lip curled. She looked less than amused. “They’re two of the lucky ones. They’ve never known the inside of a shelter.”

  Bianca’s smile faded. “I can’t argue with you there.”

  “Which leads me to why we’re here.” Imogene tilted her chin up. “Don’t you think every animal deserves the chance to find a loving home?”

  Bianca hesitated before saying, “I do.”

  “Then you shouldn’t be selling your kittens in Keave Ohana’s pet store.”

  Bianca dropped her eyes. Loki and Leva had returned, and the felines were now wrestling on the porch floor. Loki had Leva in a headlock and was trying to bite one of her ears, but Leva kept managing to slide out of the way.

  “What about people who show cats?” Bianca said, daring to peek at Imogene from beneath lowered lashes. “To obtain a purebred with a pedigree, rescue is not an option.”

  “The ban would have applied to pet stores only. People who show don’t shop for animals in stores. Pet store patrons are looking for companion animals. And every kitten you sell to a casual pet owner is one less rescue who gets to finally have a home.”

  “Not necessarily,” Bianca said. “Some people are allergic to regular cats. Without my Siberians and other hypoallergenic breeds filling the gap, they wouldn’t be able to have cats at all.”

  A car pulled into the driveway next to Imogene’s SUV. A handsome man around Bianca’s age stepped out of the driver’s seat. He smiled when he saw them.

  “Hello,” he said, ascending the porch steps and letting himself inside the screen door. “I didn’t realize Bianca had company.” He looked at Bianca. “Should I come back later?”

  “No, please
stay.” Bianca scooted closer to him, looking relieved to have an ally present. “This is my boyfriend, Randy.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Kat said.

  Loki and Leva stopped their tousling to greet Randy. Loki weaved between Randy’s ankles, a loud purr emanating from his little body. Leva sat down by Randy’s feet and peered expectantly up at him.

  He laughed as he reached down to pet the felines, his dirty-blond hair falling over his forehead. “How are you two boogers doing? Have you been behaving for your mama?”

  Leva trilled a response, her back arching beneath his touch.

  “Are you into breeding cats too?” Imogene asked Randy.

  If Randy noticed her frosty tone, he didn’t let on. “I’m not,” he replied. “That’s all on Bianca.”

  Bianca tightened her hold around Randy’s waist. “But Randy is very supportive of what I do.”

  “I see.” Imogene pried open the screen door. “Well, I’ll leave you two to enjoy your evening. Too-da-loo.”

  Kat followed after her friend, well aware of Bianca’s and Randy’s eyes boring holes into their backs as the screen door slapped shut behind them.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Do you think Bianca Bradley might be the person who sent Maya that note?” Kat asked Imogene.

  Across the table, Imogene rubbed her finger up and down her water glass, appearing to ponder over Kat’s question. After leaving Bianca’s they had decided to stop by Jessie’s Diner for dinner. Kat was happy to note Imogene seemed much calmer now than she had at any other point in the past twenty-four hours. She had even managed to stay under the speed limit during the drive to the restaurant.

  “Bianca certainly has motive,” Imogene said.

  “She does,” Kat agreed. “But she seemed rather timid to me. Did you see the way she clung to Randy? She doesn’t strike me as the type of person who would have the guts to leave someone a blackmail note.”

  “You don’t have to be particularly bold to sneak around delivering anonymous threats to people.” Imogene leaned back in her booth seat. “But if you ask me, Keave’s a more likely culprit. He has a lot more to lose than Bianca. Bianca can easily find people looking to buy purebred kittens, whether or not The Bark and Meow chooses to advertise for her. Keave, on the other hand, would have needed to restructure his entire business if the ban had passed.”

  “That’s true. There’s one thing I can’t figure out though.”

  “What’s that?”

  They were temporarily distracted when the waitress delivered the vegan burgers they had ordered. The sight and smell of the thick, nut-based patty peppered with carrots, zucchini, and other delicious vegetables and dripping in Jessie’s tangy aioli sauce set Kat’s mouth to watering. Her taste buds came alive the moment she bit into the creation, and she nearly melted into her seat from the pure pleasure of being able to enjoy something this tasty.

  Imogene waited until they had devoured half of their meals before hunching over the table again. “You were saying?”

  Kat looked around the restaurant, partly to make sure nobody could overhear what she was about to say and partly to buy herself time to finish chewing the food in her mouth. When she was satisfied they were alone, she swallowed and said, “How would either Bianca or Keave know about Maya’s past? Maya claims she left her old business behind when she moved to Cherry Hills. I don’t get the impression she’s ever discussed what she used to do with anyone here. Her husband doesn’t even know. So unless Keave or Bianca knew her before she relocated, I don’t see how they could be aware of her former life as an escort.”

  Imogene tapped one fingernail against the tabletop. “I suppose they could have hired a private investigator.”

  Kat considered that as she popped a french fry into her mouth. How could she determine if that was what had happened? Private investigators probably weren’t inclined to discuss their clients or their cases with just anyone, hence the word ‘private’ in their title.

  The bell tied to the restaurant’s front door jingled. Kat glanced toward the entrance in time to see a stout, balding man of about sixty years of age walking through the door.

  Kat recognized Norman van der Veer from the Cherry Hills council meetings. Whenever she saw him, her eyes automatically drifted to his awful comb-over. He had grown out the few wispy gray strands he had left and styled them in a spiral atop his head. It always reminded Kat of an anemic bird’s nest.

  “Well, well, well,” Norman said with a smirk. He sauntered over to their booth. “Look who it is.”

  His eyes were focused on Imogene rather than Kat, and from the way Imogene stiffened Kat was pretty sure her friend wasn’t happy to see the town council member. Her expression had soured in a way that Kat didn’t think had anything to do with her food.

  Imogene slapped her half-eaten burger down on her plate. “What are you doing here, Norman?”

  Norman grabbed a chair from the empty table next to them, positioned it at the end of their booth, and straddled the seat. “Is that any way to greet one of your esteemed elected officials?”

  Imogene glared at him. “I don’t recall inviting you to join us.”

  “Then I’ll overlook your rudeness.” He nodded at Imogene’s meal. “After all that lip service you’ve been doing about saving animals these past couple months, it seems the least you could do is forgo the meat and order a salad. Or does your do-gooder nature only apply when you’re not required to make a personal sacrifice?”

  “This is a vegan nut patty.”

  “Sounds absolutely scrumptious. Please, don’t let me stop you from enjoying such ambrosia from the heavens.”

  Imogene pushed her plate away. “Oddly enough, I’ve lost my appetite.”

  Kat had pretty much lost her appetite too. Norman’s mocking tone had turned her stomach. She had never seen this side of the councilman before, and it disturbed her. During the town meetings she had attended he had never failed to act polite and courteous, if a bit dismissive.

  Although, come to think of it, he had always seemed extra dismissive of Imogene. Kat had assumed his attitude resulted from his opposition to her proposed breeder ban, but maybe that wasn’t the case at all. Maybe there was some history between them that went beyond Imogene’s recent efforts.

  “I had an interesting conversation with Keave Ohana just now,” Norman said, peering at Imogene down the bridge of his nose. “He informs me you barged into his store earlier raving like a lunatic.”

  Imogene flushed. “I did no such thing. I merely wanted to appeal to him to reconsider his stance on allowing purebred animals in his store.”

  “It sure didn’t sound that way when I spoke with him.”

  Imogene flapped her hand across the table. “Kat was there. She’ll tell you.”

  Kat jerked in her seat. She hadn’t expected to be dragged into their verbal sparring match.

  But Norman didn’t seem interested in Kat’s opinion. He barely flicked her a glance before refocusing on Imogene. “You can’t go around Cherry Hills harassing people whenever something doesn’t go your way.”

  “Is there an ordinance against that?” Imogene demanded. “I don’t recall the town council voting on it.”

  “You need an ordinance to tell you how to behave in polite society?”

  “It seems some of us do.”

  Norman leaned back. “Well, now I know where you got your name, Ms. Little. Or would Ms. Petty be more accurate?”

  Imogene didn’t respond, but her red face and flared nostrils left no doubt she was silently smoldering. Kat could feel the food she’d eaten hardening in her stomach. She wished she hadn’t agreed to this stop. How quickly a meal out could turn unpleasant.

  Norman knocked his knuckles on the table. “My advice to you, Ms. Little, is to leave Mr. Ohana alone. He’s welcome to run his business however he sees fit, and he doesn’t need your approval to do so.”

  Imogene snorted. “That’s rich, coming from the man who instructed Keave to threaten t
o close up shop if my ban passed.”

  “I can assure you, I don’t have the foggiest idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh really? Keave claims you encouraged him to tell everyone he would shut down his store and leave town if the council voted yes on the breeder ban.”

  “I always encourage my constituents to voice their opinions. That’s what good leaders do. And Mr. Ohana especially is a respected local business owner. Of course I would want him to tell the town council how some silly ban would affect him personally.”

  Imogene shot daggers at him with her eyes. “Or maybe you were hoping he would sway the other members into voting the way you wanted so you wouldn’t have to blackmail them.”

  Norman arched his eyebrows. “Are you accusing me of buying my fellow council members’ votes?”

  “Did you?”

  Norman clucked his tongue. “Why, Ms. Little, you are a much sorer loser than I originally gave you credit for. You should know I take my position on the Cherry Hills council very seriously. I adhere to the highest ethical standards, and I would never resort to anything as unsavory as blackmail.”

  “We’ll see about that.” Imogene yanked her plate back toward her, sending a handful of french fries skittering across the table. “Now, if you’ll excuse yourself, I have a burger to eat.”

  Norman stood up without another word. As he returned his borrowed chair to its rightful table, he gave Kat a nod. He didn’t bother to extend the same courtesy to Imogene.

  Somehow, Kat wasn’t surprised.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “That slimy Norman van der Veer just gets my goat,” Imogene fumed as she stomped into Kat’s apartment.

  Kat closed the door behind them. “He wasn’t very pleasant at Jessie’s, that’s for sure.”

  “That arrogant creep would make a rattlesnake seem cuddly.”

  “How long have you known him?”

  “Too long. He’s lived here all his life, just like I have. I keep hoping he’ll move away, but no such luck yet. Fortunately we travel in different circles, and it’s not too difficult to stay away from him. These past few town hall meetings have been the first ones I’ve attended since Norman was elected to the council.” Imogene threw her hands up. “Lord knows who voted for him. It surely wasn’t me.”