Six Cats A Slayin'

“Then my advice to you is to talk to Kanesha Berry. She’s intelligent, and she’s fair. If she isn’t absolutely sure that Tammy is responsible for Gerry’s murder, then she won’t arrest her. But she needs to know about this.”

“I know,” Milton said. “Besides, somebody there might have recognized her, and for all I know, they’ve already informed Deputy Berry.”

“Yes.” I got up from the desk and placed a hand on Milton’s shoulder. I squeezed it lightly. “This is really rough, I know, and I hate that you’re having to go through all this. You’re a good man, Milton, and you deserve better.”

The look of gratitude Milton gave me touched me deeply. He looked more peaceful now. He had undoubtedly needed to unburden himself, and though I was not happy to know all the things about Tammy that I knew now, I was happy that I could help my friend by listening.

“Thank you, Charlie,” Milton said, his voice husky from emotion. “You’re a good man, too.”

“I’m going home now,” I said. “If you need to talk again, let me know.”

“Thanks, I will,” Milton said.

I looked back at him before I stepped through the door. He sat staring at the telephone on his desk. I turned and walked away, saying a prayer for him as I went.

When I left the store, I stopped beside my car while my eyes adjusted to the bright afternoon sun. Though the air chilled me, the sun was warm on my face. I took time to glance around the square, surveying the holiday decorations. The town council and the square merchants worked together every year to put up a beautiful Christmas display, and this year the square was as beautiful as ever.

Colorful metallic garlands wrapped around light poles, and oversized ornaments dangled from trees and light poles alike. Storefronts were also strung with garlands and festooned with holly. At night, multicolored lights would suffuse the square with a magical glow. In the middle of the square itself stood a stable, surrounded by the Three Wise Men, their camels, and assorted stable animals. I knew that inside the stable there stood a crèche in which the holy infant rested, while on either side of him his earthly parents knelt in prayer.

When I was a small child growing up in Athena, the displays weren’t quite so lavish, but I remembered the excitement I felt when my parents would bring me to the square on Christmas Eve. We would walk around the square and check out the displays in each store window. After we made one circuit, my father would put me on his shoulders so that I could see over the crowd of other families who had also come to enjoy the sights.

Thanks to recent events, my Christmas spirit had retreated. I had too many worries on my mind to let the joy of the season work its usual magic. Now, however, with the vista spread before me, I started to catch the spirit again. I vowed that my family would have a joyous holiday, Alex included.

A loud voice and a quick toot on a horn roused me from my daydreaming. I glanced toward the street, where I saw a man in his car trying to attract my attention.

“Are you coming or going?” he asked in an easygoing tone. “If you’re going, I could really use that parking space.”

“Sorry, yes, I’m going.” I smiled before I got in the car, thankful that he hadn’t been rude. As it was, I felt guilty enough for tying up the parking space longer than was strictly necessary. I backed out, and I saw in my rearview mirror that he moved right in. I focused on the street ahead of me.

Traffic was heavy around the square, and cars moved slowly through the four-way stops at each corner. While I waited for the cars ahead of me to move, I continued to glance around the square. Up ahead to my left I spotted the building that housed Jared Carter’s dental practice and a couple of lawyer’s offices. The young woman emerging from the building looked familiar, and as the cars began to move, I drew closer to where she stood by a parked car, talking on her phone.

She glanced my way, and I recognized her and waved. Startled, she waved back, as if by reflex, then turned away. I wondered if Jincy Bruce, Gerry’s assistant, had been consulting one of the lawyers or if she had been to see the dentist. Given the fact that Jared had possibly known the identity of Ronni Halliburton, I suspected she might have been to see Jared. She had an expression similar to one I often sported after a session with my dentist—extreme discomfort.

Was it only a simple visit to the dentist, though? Maybe Jincy knew more about this whole situation than I had thought.

That idea led me to another one. Was Jared somehow involved in Gerry Albritton’s real estate schemes?

TWENTY-FOUR

That constituted a rather big leap in logic, I told myself—going from a chance, overheard remark at the party to a connection between a prominent dentist and a secretive real estate scheme.