Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned about this town…
It’s never just cake and coffee.
Sometimes?
It’s murder with a side of maple glaze.
CHAPTER 6
Bizzy and I finished up our conversation just as an entire slew of new guests bustles through the door of the Country Cottage Inn. And while she gets to tending to the crowd, I get lost and head right back upstairs.
I know for a fact most of the guests have already left for the day. Here’s hoping that includes both Delora the Deplorable and Savvy Rest in Peaches Sparrow.
You know what they say about curiosity and cats? Well, apparently, it applies to theme park owners, too, because here I am, standing in the Country Cottage Inn’s hallway at 10 A.M. on a Tuesday, about to commit what’s technically breaking and entering, except I live here, so maybe it’s just... entering?
Upstairs, the hallway is deserted, smelling of lemon polish and that particular old-building scent that suggests ghosts might pay rent. Sunlight filters through the lace curtains at the end of the hall, and somewhere a clock ticks with judgmental precision.
I spot the housekeeping cart abandoned halfway down the hall—the maid must be inside one of the rooms. And there, sitting on top like a gift from the universe, is a universal keycard. The kind that lets housekeeping into every single room for theirdaily cleaning rounds. Before I can talk myself out of it, I casually walk by and pocket the card. Just borrowing it. I’ll return it. Eventually. Probably.
This is a terrible idea,Chip announces from his position clutched against my chest like a furry anxiety attack.We’re going to get caught. We’re going to jail. Do they serve good food in jail? Wait, do they serve food at all? Oh no, what if they only serve dry kibble? Revolt! Abandon ship! Abandon ship!
Would you calm down?Fish hisses from her spot in my other arm, her green eyes scanning the hallway like a tiny feline surveillance system.We’re conducting an investigation, not robbing a bank. Though the principle is remarkably similar.
“Room 203,” I whisper, stopping at Delora’s door. The brass numbers gleam accusingly.
We’re all going to die,Chip moans.Or worse, we’ll get banned from the treats cabinet. Is this really worth it? What if she has the room booby-trapped? What if there’s a silent alarm? What if?—
What if you zip it for five seconds?Fish interrupts.Some of us are trying to commit crimes in peace.
The lock clicks open with a sound that seems to echo through the entire state of Maine. I slip inside, my heart hammering hard enough to power a small carousel.
Delora’s room is exactly what you’d expect from someone who organizes her disapproval alphabetically. Everything is pristine, from the perfectly aligned toiletries to the color-coordinated wardrobe visible through the open closet door. Even her shoes are arranged by heel height.
Quick, check the nightstand,Fish directs, squirming free to land silently on the carpet.That’s where humans hide their secrets. Also, medications and embarrassing romance novels with lots of man chest on the cover.
I ease open the drawer to find... a leather journal. Bingo.
Don’t read it!Chip practically shrieks.That’s private! We could go to privacy jail! Is that a thing? It sounds like a thing!
I flip it open anyway. The entries are written in perfect cursive, which probably judges my penmanship just by existing.
“September 22nd: That insufferable Janglewood woman continues to ruin everything with her pedestrian theme park. Dexter seems smitten. Must investigate her background. Surely there’s something unseemly in her past.”
Oh, she’s investigating YOU,Fish notes with amusement.How delightfully ironic.
“September 23rd: Dilly threatened me again today. Fifteen years of this torture. Sometimes I dream of silencing her permanently. Perhaps with one of those tacky rolling pins from the merchandise booth.” I straighten. “Hey, those rolling pins aren’t tacky. They’re marble, and gold, and classy! I should clobber her with one to drive home the point.”
Okay, that’s concerning what she said about Dilly,Chip whimpers.That’s very, very concerning. But what you said about her was expected from you. Can we leave now? Please? I’ll never ask for extra treats again!
You’ll ask for extra treats within the hour,Fish retorts, but she’s already heading toward the door.We’ve got what we need. Delora’s definitely got motive, and she’s been thinking about those rolling pins.
We slip back into the hallway, and I quickly lock the door behind us. Room 205 is just two doors down.
“One more,” I whisper.
No!Chip’s meow hits a frequency only dogs can hear.We’ve pushed our luck enough! The universe is going to punish us! We’re going to get caught by Bizzy or Sherlock, or worse, that terrifying housekeeper with the crazy eyes!
But I’m already unlocking Savvy’s door.
