Kitty Litter Killer Read Online Free PDF Page B

fireplace, lined with bookcases on both sides, filled mostly with the latest fiction.
    A single picture graced the mantel. I went over to look more closely, trying not to step on Mr. Lee, who was no longer wrapped around my ankles but still hanging close by.
    “Your wedding?” I pointed at a picture of Hayley in a gown next to a man who looked to be thirty years her senior.
    “Yes. That’s Leighton.” She picked up the picture.
    “Did you get married outside?”
    “Yes.” She set down the photo. “At a botanical garden. We haven’t been married long.”
    “Where are you from?” I asked.
    “New York City.”
    In the picture, Hayley was smiling and holding on to Leighton’s hand.
    “Your wedding gown was amazing,” I said. “My best friend is getting married in a little more than two weeks.”
    “Really? How exciting. To be in love and have the whole world in front of you.” Hayley’s eyes sparkled for a moment. Then her gaze became unfocused, and she chewed her bottom lip. Finally, she blinked and stared clearly at me. “Does she live around here?”
    I nodded. “Yes. Her name is Abbie Grenville.”
    “Do you mean that author person?”
    “That’s the one.”
    “Mommy, can we see the kittens now, please?” Sammie whispered.
    Poor thing. She was trying so hard to behave even though she was nearly vibrating in her excitement.
    “Oh sure, honey,” Hayley said, taking her hand again. “We’ll look at them right now.” She glanced at me over her shoulder. “I think I saw your friend this weekend at the fall festival.”
    “Yes, she had a book signing there. I was there early, helping her set up.”
    “We were there right around lunch. I was going to look at her book, but Leighton was impatient to leave. He has to eat at regular times. And he only eats certain things.”
    I followed Hayley through a large gourmet kitchen complete with black granite countertops and cherry cabinets. She opened another door at the far end, revealing a long hallway. I happened to look down at the floor and noticed that Mr. Lee had disappeared.
    “I’m getting lost,” Sammie mumbled.
    Hayley laughed. I understood. This was a lot of house.
    Walking down the hall, we passed a room on the left that looked to be a man’s study, traditionally decorated in hunter green. Sunlight streamed in through large leaded windows. Two walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Several display cabinets filled with guns lined a third wall.
    “Your husband’s office?”
    “Yes,” Hayley said.
    “Does your husband hunt?” I asked.
    “Yes. He’s even been on safaris.” Hayley gave an exaggerated shiver.
    I wasn’t paying much attention to her. All I could think about was how Max would love a study like this.
    “Ggggg.” Chris bobbed up and down in my arms, pointing with his chubby finger. I realized he was telling me that Hayley and Sammie were walking away. I hurried after them as they turned into a room on the right, a large laundry room.
    The room was amazing. A woman’s dream. Wallpaper with climbing vines decorated the walls. A top-of-the-line washer and dryer were surrounded by built-in shelves and cupboards. There was even a phone/intercom system on the wall. A silky-looking Siamese cat perched on the edge of the dryer next to an open box containing several of Jaylene’s Kitty Kollers. The cardboard looked like it had been caught in a tape explosion. Jaylene must have been in a frenzy the day she mailed that one out.
    Sammie was squatting on the floor next to a terry-lined basket that held five kittens. “Mommy, look,” she said.
    I had to admit the almost-all-white kittens were adorable.
    “Cacacacaca,” Chris yelled in my ear as he tried to throw himself from my arms onto the floor. I’d probably be diagnosed with child-induced hearing loss later in life.
    “Will the kittens stay white?” I gasped as I tried to hang on to my hefty son.
    “No. They’ll start developing gray points soon.” Hayley