"He does miss her," I told him. "But I am glad that he's happy enough during the day. At night he still curls up with her old scarf.”
“That’s good, you wouldn't want him to be all sad."
"How are you?" I asked him.
"Getting used to it. She's not the first person I lost. I always thought I'd be the first to go. But then again..." He sighed. "I hope you're not scared. Alone in the house." His heavily veined hands shook.
Why was he asking? Was it only concern, or something else? "I've got the cat," I said. "And an alarm. And I've got self-defense weapons."
I didn’t mind gossip about my ability to protect myself getting around.
To be honest, those weapons consisted only of a can of pepper spray—which I didn’t dare carry outdoors because the wind could change quickly—and a couple of heavy books that I intended to throw at any intruder.
"So, you're not too shaken up about living next door to..." He lowered his voice. "A crime scene."
I faked a chuckle.
"I have absolute faith in the local police," I said. “Also, I have no idea why I should be worried about Jake's death. Don't get me wrong, it's terrible, and I am so, so sorry for him, but asit seems to me, it was a personal matter. And not like, you know, burglaries getting out of hand. And anyway, I don't have any valuables in the house."
"That's true," he said. "I only want you to know that if there's anything you need. And my boy Sam is pretty handy, so let me know, OK?"
He pushed himself off the bench and leaned heavily on his cane.
"Thanks," I said. "I'll keep it in mind." He’d already reached the road when I realized he hadn’t mentioned the police visiting me, or the fact that my aunt’s body was scheduled for an autopsy. It was hard to imagine the local grapevine missing out on this juicy bit, even if it was only an hour old. The police car outside my house would have been impossible to miss.
But why had Jimmy kept mum? Was he involved somehow and doing his best to uncover what I knew or suspected? Was his concern for me a clever attempt to scare me away? The more I thought about this, the less I liked it.
Cosmo came bounding back.
"Ready to move on, buddy?" I asked him.
He meowed.
"Great."
I picked up a couple of pastries fromSweet Surprise.
If there was a little coolness in the way the shop assistant served me, it was hardly noticeable.
I had tied Cosmo's leash to a post outside so he could listen in a little bit more without having to come in. As much as he seemed to be loved, not everybody appreciated a cat in a place where they served food.
With a cardboard box filled with muffins and macarons, I headed towards TheBlue MoonInn.
I took the back door and knocked.
At this time, Reina and Harper should be busy at the back. I was right. Harper opened so fast I barely had time to figure out all my questions.
"Come on in," she said. "Coffee is ready."
"How did you know?"
She rolled her eyes at me. "Not much of a sleuth, are you? Just kidding. We've been expecting you ever since we heard about Detective Stone heading your way."
"I see."
"It's going to be fine." Reina pushed her out of the way.
"Yeah. Actually, I thought I'd be more upset," I said. "But somehow, I think my aunt wouldn't mind. She believed in, onwards and upwards.."
