The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon: A Cats in Trouble Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page A

bothers me, Jilly.”
    I grabbed a Miller Lite from the fridge door, and held out the can. Looking up to meet his gaze, I felt tears begin to flow. “I was frantic. You didn’t call me and I was sure something was wrong and I—”
    He pressed his index finger to my lips. “I’ll tell you everything, but if you don’t mind, there’s something I need first.” He took me in his arms, the icy can of beer the only thing separating us.
    His kiss was exactly what we both needed.

Four
     
    Tom’s kiss reassured me that whatever happened to him had nothing to do with the two of us. After I found one of my late husband’s old Texas A&M T-shirts for Tom to replace his torn and bloody shirt, we settled on the couch. He let out a sigh before slugging down probably half his beer. I’d already finished off a much-needed glass of sweet tea while he’d changed shirts. Once we sat down, cats immediately arrived and planted themselves in their usual spots. Syrah sat on the sofa top behind Tom and me, Chablis climbed into my lap and Merlot settled next to my hip.
    “I don’t know what to ask first,” I said. “Start with the cuts and bruises, maybe. Or your car. I didn’t see the Prius in the driveway. Where is your car?”
    “If I start with the car, it would almost be like telling you the punch line of a joke first. But let me assure you, this was no joke,” he said. “Somebody will be damn sorry once I get home and use every tool in my technology box to get answers to what the heck is going on with those crazy jerks.”
    “Crazy jerks?” I said. “What crazy jerks?”
    “People I used to know. People I thought I’d never see again.” His jaw muscles tightened and those blue eyes darkened.
    People from his past. The past he’d refused to talk about since I’d known him. I said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this angry.”
    “Oh, I am more than angry. But anger is wasted energy. Maybe talking about this with you will straighten everything out in my head and help me get rid of the anger.” He chugged the rest of his beer and set the empty can on the coffee table. He reached over Merlot and took my hand. His fierce grip was cold and wet from the beer and I shivered a little. He went on. “I’ve been pretty good in the past at keeping stuff locked away in a corner of my mind, but there’s a couple of things I should have shared. Problems. It’s time, I guess.”
    “Go for it.” I turned a little more on the sofa, tucking a leg underneath me. Merlot squeaked his displeasure but moved to accommodate me. He knew I was stressed and wanted to be as close as possible. Sort of like Tom, I thought.
    He smiled briefly. Then his eyes seemed to focus beyond me, as if he were remembering. A few seconds passed before he spoke. “I was married once to a woman named Hilary. You’d think a cop would know a liar right off the bat, but I was stupid in love.”
    A small voice in the back of my head was asking, A wife? This is big. Bigger than I imagined. “How many years ago?” I said softly.
    “The marriage or the divorce?” He didn’t meet my gaze.
    “Either, both. It doesn’t matter.” I squeezed his hand. “If you start talking and keep going, the telling might get easier.”
    He met my gaze. “You are nothing like her and that is so good.” He took a deep breath. “Okay, here goes. I met her while I was still on the force in North Carolina. I’d moved around a lot. Been on several different police forces. See, I followed my mother. Felt like I had to protect her from herself. She’d marry every man she’d meet, get tired of the husband of the month and move on after the divorce. Did that five times. The last man was actually decent, though. Helped her get sober, gave her a good life and then he up and died. The only time she didn’t run off, and the guy dies.” Tom shook his head.
    “All this happened in North Carolina, then?” I asked.
    “Yes.”
    “But,” I said, “she’s been with Ed now