The Scariest Tail (A Wonder Cats Mystery Book 4) Read Online Free PDF

been seen before. Cath, bring your laptop to my house and check on the Internet to see if you notice any similarities in any of the stories online or if you think they’re mostly fiction. Bea, you can help me look through the library and see if we can find any references to children with black eyes. That is where I suggest we start.” Aunt Astrid pushed her wild, flowing locks back behind her shoulder and straightened her back.
    “So meet at your house. Will there be food there?” I asked.
    “Maybe we should order some Chinese food?” Bea suggested.
    “Count me in.” I grabbed a rag and got to work, cleaning up the empty tables and washing the dishes.
    I was surprised the rest of the afternoon went by smoothly and without any crisis or incident. Plenty of our regular customers came in, including my friend Min and his sweetheart Amalia.
    “Hey, Cath!” She waved excitedly as she walked in. “I gotta ask you a favor.”
    “Okay.” I looked her up and down suspiciously. “Step into my office.” We took a couple of steps away from the counter as Min gave me a happy wave and talked with Bea. “What can I do for you?”
    “Min mentioned to me that you were a really fantastic artist,” she said.
    I shook my head, a little surprised. I had loved to draw in high school, and I wasn’t bad at it, but I’d never thought I was fantastic. I kept most of my artistic endeavors to myself. Only Treacle knew that I kept a sketchpad under my bed, and that was only because he was one of my favorite subjects.
    “I’ve been known to dabble. Why?”
    She looked around at Min then back at me, putting her hand up as if whispering a secret.
    “Min’s birthday is coming up.”
    “Holy moly! You’re right. I completely forgot. Thanks for reminding me.”
    “Hey, no biggie,” she said. “But what I wanted to ask you was if you thought you could draw a picture for Min’s birthday. I’ll pay you, of course. And I’ll take care of putting it in a frame. But I think it would be an awesome gift to give him. We can even make it from both of us.”
    “Well, I think I could if you give me a picture to draw from. And I’d never take any money from you for it. That is out of the question.”
    “I’ve got a picture already. I was hoping you’d say yes.” She giggled joyfully as she dug in her purse, which was the size of a small suitcase. She pulled out an envelope to hand to me, and she was practically bouncing with excitement. I tucked it into my back pocket just as Min was sauntering over, holding two to-go cups of Bea’s fabulous tea with lavender-infused honey.
    “What are you two talking about?” he asked, leaning in to give me a peck on the cheek.
    “Nothing,” Amalia said. “Just plotting world domination one coffee shop at a time. You want in?”
    “Is that all?” Min asked.
    “That and where to get some really tasty barbeque ribs.”
    I couldn’t help but laugh. Amalia came up with the oddest things to say, but she was the only person I knew who could get away with saying them and sound totally sane.
    “What are you guys doing tonight?” I asked, waiting to hear the details of some horribly romantic plan that included champagne and rose petals and violins.
    “I’ve actually got to catch a red-eye to New York tonight,” Min said. “I have a meeting with some board members for I can’t even remember what. So this tea is about it, then I’ll be on my way.”
    “I’ve got a double shift at the nursing home, so I’m going to work and then recuperate for another two days.”
    “It’s tough having to work for a living, isn’t it?” I asked.
    “Yeah, if only we knew someone who could pay all our bills and buy all our groceries for us all the time,” Amalia said with such a hysterically funny serious face that I thought I was going to bust a gut.
    “They should pay just to be our friends,” I added.
    “Right?” She looked up at Min and started to laugh.
    “I think I might start paying to keep you