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

arranged for her to stay, but the woman I spoke to told me Amanda had canceled her reservation and she didn’t know where she’d ended up. I hoped you could help me.”
    I hesitated. If Amanda Lowman had canceled the reservation her PA had made for her at the Pelican Bay Inn and instead had been staying in a dive motel without bothering to inform her, she must not have wanted Rayleen Colby to know where she was. Why would she do that?
    “Do you think it odd that Ms. Lowman changed her lodging without telling you about it?”
    The woman didn’t answer right away. I knew she was still on the line because I could hear her breathing. Finally, she said, “Yes, I think it’s odd, but Amanda has been acting strangely lately, so I guess I’m not surprised.”
    “Strangely?”
    “Distracted. There have been times when I’ve been speaking to her and she’s exhibited absolutely no emotion, even if the topic of the conversation was something that should have initiated an emotion of some sort. Then there’ve been other times when she seemed engaged and interested and a lot more like her old self.”
    I remembered thinking the author had been a lot different on the phone when I’d arranged for her to come to the island than she had when she showed up last evening.
    “Do you know where I can find her?” the assistant asked again.
    “I’m not a hundred percent sure where she is at this very minute, but I’m pretty sure I can track her down this afternoon if it’s important to do so.” That much was true. I didn’t know where she was at that exact moment in time and I was fairly certain I could find out where they’d taken her body if I was so inclined. “Would you like me to pass a message along to her?”
    “Please just tell her to call me. It’s very important. Tell her the suspicion she had about one of the people she went to speak to turned out to be true. She really could be in danger if she doesn’t know this.”
    “What person? What suspicion?”
    “I really shouldn’t say.”
    “Look, I’m sorry. I haven’t been completely honest with you. I do know why she hasn’t returned your calls. She’s dead.”
    “Oh, God,” Rayleen Colby groaned before she hung up.
    I looked at the phone in my hand. We’d definitely been disconnected. I tried calling back, but the call went straight to voice mail.
    “Strange,” I mumbled.
    I hung up the phone and returned to the front of the store, which was completely empty by this point except for Tara, who was wiping down the counter. I filled her in on the conversation I’d just had.
    “That is weird,” Tara agreed. “I wonder if there’s more going on here than we even suspect.”
    “I don’t know.” I bit my lip. “I sure would like to know why Amanda Lowman canceled her reservation at the Inn and decided to stay at the motel instead. And I’d be even more interested to know why she hadn’t informed her PA of the change.”
    “Yeah, and why did the PA hang up on you? It seems like an odd response even if you had just delivered disturbing news.”
    “Hopefully she’ll call back after she has a chance to pull herself together. In the meantime, I’m going to go see Tripp if you can handle things around here.”
    “I think the worst of the crowd has come and gone.”
    “I shouldn’t be too long.”
     
    Tripp lived on the water, just outside of Harthaven, in a house on a large lot with its own boat dock that had been in his family for three generations. He’d been retired for quite some time, but he definitely would have been the resident deputy at the time of the original Vampire Murders, so I hoped he’d have some insight as to what had occurred and how it might relate to the murder the previous evening. I’d called earlier to set up the appointment and fill him in on the fact that Finn was off the island until Friday.
    Tripp opened the door and greeted me before I had a chance to ring the bell. “Right on time. Come on in. Can I get you some