Lilian Jackson Braun - Cat 17 Who Blew The Whistle

It was the kind of nervous, rambling chatter heard in hospital waiting rooms when relatives wait for the doctor's verdict.

Finally a young woman in a white coat appeared. Qwilleran held his breath.

"Mrs. Duncan is doing very well. Would you like to see her? I'm Diane Lanspeak; I happened to be a few blocks away when they brought her in."

Qwilleran said, "I know your parents. We're all glad to have you back in Pickax."

"Thank you. I've heard a lot about you. One question: the cardiologist may recommend a catheterization. It's well to take pictures and determine exactly what the situation is. A mild heart attack is a warning. If Mrs. Duncan needs help in making a decision, who will - ?"

"I'm her nearest relative," Lynette said, "but Mr. Qwilleran is - " She turned to look at him. No more needed to be said.

In the hospital room they found Polly looking peaceful for the first time in weeks, despite the clinical atmosphere and the tubes. They exchanged a few words, Polly speaking only about the capable paramedics, the kind nurses, the wonderful Dr. Diane.

When Qwilleran returned to the barn, Celia had gone, leaving a note: "Hope everything is okay. Call me if I can help."

The Siamese, unnaturally quiet, walked about in bewilderment; they knew when Qwilleran was deeply concerned, but not why. As soon as Qwilleran sat in the twistletwig rocker to calm his anxiety, Yum Yum hopped into his lap and comforted him with small, catly gestures: an extended paw, a sympathetic purr. Koko looked on with fellow-feeling, and when Qwilleran spoke to him, he squeezed his eyes.

The gentle rocking produced some constructive ideas: Polly would recover, move into the Duncan homestead, and forget about building a house. The K Foundation would reimburse Polly for her investment and complete the building as an art center. The Pickax Arts Council had been campaigning to get the carriage house for that purpose before Celia arrived.

As Qwilleran rocked and gazed idly about the lounge area, he caught sight of a small dark object on the light tile floor. His first thought: a dead mouse! Yet it was too geometric for that, more nearly resembling a large domino. Unwilling to leave the comforting embrace of the bent willow twigs, he tried to guess what the foreign object might be, but eventually he succumbed to curiosity.

"You'll have to excuse me for a minute, sweetheart," he said to Yum Yum as he hoisted himself out of the underslung rocker.

The unidentified object was the smallest of tape recorders, and the truth struck Qwilleran with suddenness: Celia's grandson had mailed it from Illinois; the cats had stolen it from her handbag; she had been secretly recording her meetings with Tish, in spite of his admonition. That explained her graphic reports and remarkable memory for details. She had transcribed the taped dialogue into her notebook, which she then consulted so innocently at their briefings. While admiring her initiative, he frowned at her noncompliance.

Nevertheless, he lost no time in playing the tape.

-16-

Before playing Celia's secret tape, Qwilleran asked himself, Shall I embarrass her by returning it... or let her think she lost it? He set it up on the telephone desk and prepared to take notes. The first sounds were nothing but sobs and whimpers, with sympathetic murmurs and questions from Celia. Then he heard a wracked voice say:

"I can't believe it, Celia! I thought she was my friend - my best friend! But she used me! She used all of us!"

"What do you mean, Tish?"

"She was going to divert funds for Mother's treatment in Switzerland! She was I going to divert money for Eddie's condos, too. We believed her, because she was so knowledgeable and so nice! (Burst of sobs.) I even cheated so it would look as if she'd been fired. She's the one who suggested it.... Oh-h-h! She was so clever! Why I didn't I see through her scheme?"

"What was her scheme, Tish? What did I she do that was so bad?"

"It's what Eddie tried to tell me before he died. She wanted someone to do a special job for her, and he took Benno to see her."

"What kind of job? Didn't Eddie ask questions?"

"I guess not. My poor brother wasn't smart. He only went to tenth grade. And he drank too much. He ended up being an accomplice in a terrible crime." (Choking sobs.)

"Oh, dear! What kind of crime?"

(Long pause.) "Murder! When F.T. disappeared, they said he'd skipped with millions of dollars that didn't belong to him, but it was Nella who skipped. Floyd was dead!"

"Was Eddie able to tell you all this?"

"In snatches. He was gasping for breath. I had to put my ear close to his lips to hear him."

"Are you sure it's true?"

"People don't lie when they're dying, do they?"

"Maybe you're right, Tish. But how was Eddie an accomplice?"

"He helped Benno bury the body. But Nella was gone, and Benno didn't get his blood money. He wanted Eddie to pay off."

"How much? Do you know?"