Count Catula (Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery Book 9) Read Online Free PDF Page A

reality was, Cody had made it his mission in life to take care of the old man, making certain he was as happy and comfortable as possible.
    And Mr. Parsons had blossomed since Cody returned to the island. Before Cody left the Navy and moved home, Mr. Parsons had been a grumpy old man who spent most of his time alone in his house. I’d check in on him a couple of times a week, but I could never seem to penetrate his cranky demeanor. Now that Cody was a part of his life, Mr. Parsons had friends and a much better outlook.
    “He said he’s fine,” Cody informed me after he hung up the phone. “He’s going off to bed and he assures me he won’t need me until morning, so I guess I’m all yours.”
    I grinned. “Really? All mine?”
    Cody pulled me into his arms. I kissed his neck and then whispered into his ear. He picked me up and headed up the stairs.
     

Chapter 3
Tuesday, October 25
     
     
    Cody was gone when I woke the next morning. There was a note by the coffeemaker, letting me know he’d gone home to shower and change and would be back later to pick me up to take me to the store because we’d left my car there. It was still sprinkling as I let Max out for his morning romp, but the wind that had battered the area, as well as the lightning, had passed.
    I poured myself a cup of the coffee Cody had made before he left and then checked my phone for messages. There was a text from Siobhan, asking me to call her. I really should have called her the previous evening, but somehow I’d never gotten around to it.
    “Hey, Siobhan; it’s Cait.”
    “Oh, good. I’m glad we spoke before you left for the day. I heard about Amanda Lowman.”
    Not only was Siobhan living with the deputy assigned to the island but she was the mayor, so she was usually in the loop with everything that went on.
    “I’m sorry I didn’t call you. I was going to, but then it got late. Cody and I are hoping you can come over tonight for a murder board dinner party.”
    “You know I’m in.”
    “Has Finn heard about what happened?”
    “He has. He’s going to call you on his lunch break. He did want me to warn you that the deputy who’s subbing for him is a by-the-books sort of guy who won’t welcome your involvement in the investigation, so he wants you to keep a low profile until he gets back.”
    “I’ll be careful. I’m going to try to talk to Tripp today. I figure he must know what went on fifteen years ago, which might help point us in a direction.”
    “You think Amanda Lowman’s death is related to the murders back then?”
    I glanced out the window and watched as a large wave crashed onto the beach. “I think they might be related. She was on the island to investigate the murder of those two girls.”
    “I remember those murders,” Siobhan said. “I was in the same graduating class as the girls who died. It was horrible.”
    “So you knew the victims,” I realized.
    “I knew Bronwyn really well; Ruby not as much. They were really different. They had different friends and different interests. I remember thinking it was odd that they both ended up in the same place at the same time.”
    I saw Max running toward the cabin, so I opened the door to let him inside. He was soaking wet and I really should dry him off, but the fact that Siobhan knew the murder victims had sparked my interest considerably. “Do you remember having a theory as to who might have killed the girls at the time?”
    “Finn and I discussed that very thing a while back, when we were watching a movie that reminded us of the murders. Finn thought about looking into the cold case, but I’m not sure he ever had time to do it. We were able to come up with the names of people who might have held a grudge against one girl or the other, but neither of us could think of a single person who would have had it in for both of them. There was a man, Dracon Moon, who everyone thought did it, but after thinking more about it, Finn and I came to the conclusion that