Chapter 7 #2
“I’ve never seen a winged cat before.”
Her shoulders visibly relaxed, and I knew I’d made the right choice not to push the topic. “I saw one once,” she said.
I tried to be attentive as she told the story of when she met the winged cat, but my mind kept drifting from the kiss to her interpretation of what happened.
I pulled up next to the shelter and realized it was well past normal business hours.
But there was a light on inside, so Jane and I went to the front porch and tried the door, and seeing that it wasn’t locked, we went inside.
Nobody waited at the front counter. We stood there for a few moments debating whether we should go looking for someone before Terence came to the front, pushing his dark hair out of his face.
“Oh, hello Jane, hello Charles. And who is this sweet creature?”
He held his arms out, and Jane gently handed him the winged cat. “My sister told me that Jeanine had a cat, so we swung by her house to check on him,” Jane said in her soft, musical voice. “We found him there, but he didn’t have any food or water.”
The cat meowed plaintively as if to corroborate our story, and Terence clicked his tongue. He pulled the skin between the cat’s wings and frowned when it didn’t spring back quickly. Pulling a little flashlight from his pocket, Terence checked the cat’s eyes and finally his gums.
“He’s a little dehydrated. I’d like to give him an IV and keep him overnight.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
“I’m glad you were open. We were worried that nobody would be here at 9:00 at night.”
“Normally we wouldn’t be, but we’re having a staff meeting. There’s a lot to process after what happened, and we’re going to talk it out.”
“That’s a great idea,” I said.
The front door chimed and Brittany moved into the room, graceful in a way only a dryad could be. She held a drink carrier with three cups in it. “Tea’s here,” she announced cheerfully and greeted us. She tossed her head and I could swear the movement of her golden hair sounded like rustling leaves.
Herb came in from the back and Brittany handed him a cup and a croissant.
“Thank you, dear,” he said.
She smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry I don’t have any tea for you. I wasn’t expecting anyone else.”
“We’re fine,” I said. “We were just about to leave.”
Herb went into the meeting room and Terence followed, still holding the winged cat. Brittany turned as though to join them. “I don’t want to keep you from your meeting,” I said. “But I did want to ask…”
I faltered, not knowing quite how to broach the topic. Luckily, Jane stepped in. “We wanted to ask about the future of the shelter. With Jeanine gone, will the land be secure?”
I couldn’t keep the corner of my mouth from turning up. Jane was good at this.
Brittany’s sigh sounded like wind rushing through leaves. “I don’t know. She hadn’t made the sale yet the night she died. That was the purpose of our meeting—we were begging her not to sell the land.”
“Was she receptive to that idea?” I asked.
Brittany shook her head. “I wish I could tell you she was, that would certainly make the three of us look less guilty. But she refused to even consider it. To be honest, I’m not sure why she agreed to meet with us at all. She certainly wasn’t interested in listening to what we had to say.”
“Do you think Herb or Terence—”
Brittany cut in before I could finish the question. “None of us would have killed her.” Her tone turned businesslike. “I don’t want to keep the others waiting. I’ll have Terence call you tomorrow to update you on the progress of the winged cat.”
We thanked her and went back to my car. Jane’s friendly chatter ensured that there wouldn’t be any awkward silences on the ride home, and I did my best to keep the conversation cheerful and flowing.
The second I braked in front of her house, she was out of the car.
“Thank you!” she called, shutting the door.
My thoughts swirled all the way back to Netherfield.
The kiss had been amazing and she’d seemed to like it.
To like me. But when I’d declared my feelings for her, she hadn’t believed me.
And why would she? I’d already had two chances with her and both times I’d blown it by leaving town.
My heart sank. Of course she didn’t believe that I loved her.
I would need to show her that I meant it. That I wasn’t leaving again and that she could trust me to stay and to love her right. Jane needed me to prove that I could be slower, steady, consistent.
I could do that. My heart felt lighter as I walked through the door and Jaro met me in the entry. He was eager to see me, but didn’t jump. He simply licked my hand and led me through the hall as though he were the butler.
I told him all about dinner with the Bennets and the investigation afterward.
And the kiss. He listened attentively, and I felt my hope rising.
In time, I would earn back Jane’s trust. I’d tried to tell her I loved her with words, but now was time for action.
Starting with clearing her of suspicion for this murder.