The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer (16 page)

“Hold on!” Detective Swift yelled above the din. “One person at a time.”

Everyone was silent.

“Well, how did it go?” he asked.

Jackie made a face, pretending to vomit. “It was horrible.”

“You can say that again,” Sarah said.

“It was horrible.”

Sarah giggled in spite of the dire circumstances.

“Well, what happened?”

“My dad didn't believe us.” Scott scowled.

“Yeah, he gave Klonsky back his service pin,” Jackie complained.

“Yeah, but he took it back, and he didn't tell Klonsky our names,” Sarah beamed.

“So what?” Jackie said.

“Soooo, Klonsky still doesn't have proof it was us last night.”

Jackie gave Sarah a satisfied smile. “Cool beans.”

Sarah beamed at her friend. “And…. He didn't tell Klonsky he found the murder weapon.”

Lacey leaned forward and draped her arm over the front seat. She listened to Scott tell Detective Swift about the conversation between Klonsky and his father.

In the back seat, Jackie leaned closer to Sarah and asked, “What do we do now?”

“Well
,” Sarah said, leaning close to Jackie and whispering, “I've got an idea.”

“Oh,” Jackie winked at Sarah, and then mouthed the words. “What is it?”

“Later,” Sarah whispered. She turned her attention to the front seat. “Detective Swift?”

“Yeah?”

“When the police don't have any evidence, but they know who the criminal is, what do they do?”

“Do you still think Klonsky murdered Mrs. Fedewa?”

Sarah ignored his question. “So, what do they do?”

“You still believe he killed Mrs. Fedewa?” Detective Swift glanced at Sarah in the rear view mirror as he spoke.

“Yeah.”

“You mean if there's no evidence to link him to the murder?” His eyes darted to the road in front of him and then back at Sarah.

“Yeah.”

“The only other way is to get him to confess.”

Jackie stared at Sarah. “Uh-oh.”

Sarah gave her a cocky smile.

Detective Swift drove the car into his driveway and turned off the engine. The old Chevy sputtered and knocked before it died.
Everyone poured out of the vehicle and stretched.

“You kids should let the police handle the investigation from here,” Detective Swift warned. He gave Sarah a long look. “This is a dangerous situation.”

“You're right,” Sarah agreed
.

The retired detective studied Sarah; she gave him a disarming smile, and he turned his attention to Scott.

Sarah sighed. The detective seemed satisfied his warning was enough to keep her from investigating any further. She suppressed a smile.
Good thing he doesn't know me very well.
A giggle escaped her mouth, and she covered it with her hand. Suppressing another giggle, she took a jaunty step toward her bike. Jackie and Lacey followed her. They clustered together in the driveway, while Scott and the detective talked.

“You guys, we need to read the Cat Lady's diary,” Sarah said. She sat astride her bike, ready to pedal away.

“Why?” Lacey asked.

“Because we have to find the link between her and Klonsky.”

“I thought the link was her son David,” Jackie said.

“It is, but there's more to it than that.”

“What do you mean?” Lacey asked.

“Just because Klonsky and David were friends, doesn't explain why he murdered the Cat Lady,” Sarah reasoned. “That's why we need to read her diary, to find out about their friendship.”

“Why don't we do that right now?” Jackie asked.

Lacey glanced at her watch. “It's dinnertime. Why don't we do that tomorrow?”

“How about tonight?” Sarah asked.

“I need to sleep,” Jackie said, dropping her shoulders. “Two nights of sneaking out has me whipped.”

Sarah sighed. “Okay, first thing tomorrow morning then.”

“Cool beans.”

After waving goodbye to Scott and Detective Swift, the Super Spies jumped on their bikes and rode off. At Walnut Street, Jackie split from the Cole girls and waved goodbye. Sarah watched her pedal away. The wind blew Jackie's hair back, revealing her stem-like neck and her muscles flexing as she gripped the handlebars and pushed down on her pedals.

At that moment, a wave of gratitude washed over Sarah. She was glad she had met Jackie. A truer friend couldn't be found, and she was thankful Jackie was the one helping her investigate the Cat Lady murder. The thought of the Cat Lady yanked Sarah back to reality. With her mind back on target, she increased her speed.

Lacey kept pace with Sarah as she flew toward home. Anxiety made Sarah pedal even faster. She had the sinking feeling time was running out for the Super Spies. A chilling question suddenly burst through to the surface of her mind, twisting her gut into a painful knot.
Now that Klonsky knew the chief was suspicious, what was his next move going to be?

 

Sarah woke to the sound of Lily snoring. She nudged the dog with her leg, and Lily shifted in her sleep, and then grew quiet. Snuggling deeper under her covers, Sarah tried to fall back to sleep. Instead, thoughts of the previous night danced through her brain.

Since the Super Spies agreed to take a night off from the Cat Lady mystery, Sarah decided to spend her downtime watching her all-time favorite movie, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Curling up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, she snuggled with Lily and pressed play on the remote.
She loved the characters and never tired of watching them. Her favorite was Atticus Finch. She admired him because he wasn't afraid to stand up for what he believed, even when it made him a target.

Soon after the movie started, Lacey joined her on the couch. She too became engrossed in the movie, and the two sisters enjoyed the evening together. It surprised Sarah that Lacey liked the same movie. Sarah was even more surprised when they were able to get through an evening without arguing once. In her mind, Lacey was her polar opposite. Feeling a pang of guilt, Sarah realized she'd been so busy with her own life she hadn't spent much time with her sister.
Maybe we're not so different after all.

After the movie, the two sisters talked about it. Sarah had read the book for a school assignment, and she told her sister “To Kill a Mockingbird” was the only book Harper Lee had published. Intrigued, Lacey wanted to borrow it.
A new bond was forming between them, and Sarah liked it.
We don't
go together like peanut butter and jelly, but maybe that was okay. Maybe relationships are
as unique as people are, and maybe I shouldn't expect to have the same relationship with my sister as I do with Jackie.
Satisfied that she had just uncovered a universal truth about life, Sarah fell fast asleep.

She opened her eyes when she heard the bedroom door opening. She beamed, expecting to see her sister.

“Rise and shine, sleepyhead,” Jackie crowed from the door. With a running start, she pounced on Sarah's bed. Lily dove to the floor with a yelp and rushed out the door.

Sarah protested the intrusion with a loud groan. “What are you doing here already?”

“You said to be here first thing in the morning. So here I am. You know me, I always do what I'm told,” Jackie snickered.

Sarah snorted. “You picked a fine time to follow directions.”

“Rise and shine.” Jackie pulled on Sarah's quilt.

“Who let you in?”

“Lacey did.”

“Where is she?”

“In the shower.”

Sarah heard the whine of the blow dryer and tried to pull the quilt closer around her. “It's not even light out, yet.”

“Come on. We've got to read the Cat Lady's diary.”

Those words got Sarah moving. She gave Jackie a bleary-eyed scowl before she jumped out of bed. “Just let me take a quick shower, first.”

“Sounds like a plan. I'll start breakfast.” Jackie headed toward the door.

“You haven't eaten breakfast yet?”

Jackie stopped and pivoted toward Sarah. “No, I wanted to eat with you guys.”

“Jack, you are definitely a freak.” Sarah shook her head with a smile.

“My freakiness is what you like about me.”

Sarah raised her right eyebrow and smirked at her friend. “Says who?”

“Says me.” She gave herself an emphatic thump on the chest.

“You've had way too much sleep.”

“So true. Now get in the shower, time's a'wastin'.”

Sarah stumbled toward the bathroom while Jackie dashed off to make breakfast. She met Lacey in the hallway.

“You let the beanpole in, huh?”

“Yeah, I figured I'd let her wake you up. I didn't want to put my own life in danger,” Lacey giggled.

Sarah laughed. “Jackie's making breakfast. You might want to supervise.”

Lacey snorted. “No kidding.”

After a quick shower Sarah joined the girls in the kitchen. She wanted to read the diary immediately, but the smell of pancakes caused her stomach to rumble.

“I'm starving!”

“They're almost done,” Lacey said with a smile.

“I brought the diary to read after we eat.”

“Cool beans,” Jackie crowed.

Lacey set two plates of steaming pancakes on the table, and Jackie carried her own.

“Dig in.”

Sarah scarfed down her breakfast, anxious to explore the secrets inside the Cat Lady's diary. The other two girls dug into their pancakes. For a while, the only noise in the kitchen was the sound of silverware scraping plates.

Sarah finished first and licked the syrup from her fork. She grabbed the diary and opened it. She searched the entries for anything that would put Klonsky behind bars.

“Where should we start?”

“How about the day David disappeared,” Jackie suggested.

“Umm, let's see. Yeah, here it is.” Sarah cleared her throat.

“ ‘August fifteenth. The police have searched everywhere for him.
I am so worried that I can't think straight.
Where could he be?
I've racked my brain for hours and still come up with nothing.
Doctor Mahoney wants to give me something to make me sleep.
Who wants to sleep? Where is David?'”

“So this entry was written after David disappeared,” Lacey said.

“Yep.”

“What happened the next day?” Jackie asked.

“I don't know, there's no other entries after that day.” Sarah flipped through the pages of the diary.

“Okay, go back a couple of weeks. Let's find out what was going on in the family,” Jackie suggested.

Sarah cleared her throat.
“'August first. I have finally worked up the courage to tell John we were through. He took it hard, but said he would not contact me again. I am grateful for his promise. However, I am afraid of his anger. It would devastate Russell if he knew, and it would tear my son apart. David is the reason there will be no divorce.'”

“The Cat Lady was having an affair,” Jackie said as her mouth formed a perfect O. “She must have been so unhappy.”

Sarah nodded. “Yeah, she only stayed in the marriage because of David.”

“Who's John?” Jackie asked.

Sarah wrinkled her brow. “Let's find out.” She turned the pages of the journal back a couple of weeks. “July twentieth.”

“'John and I met at the cabin again. It is so peaceful there—I can forget my problems while I'm with him. I know we cannot go on like this much longer. For just awhile, though, it is a great escape.'”

“Go back a few more weeks,” Lacey instructed.

Sarah glanced at her sister, a smile spread across her face. She could tell Lacey was engrossed in the story.

“Okay.” She turned the pages.

“'July fifth. It is the day after the Fourth of July party. No one could tell. I feel like I have a large red A on my blouse. I hope Russell never finds out about this. He would never understand.'”

“The poor Cat Lady,” Lacey said as her eyes welled with tears.

“We still don't know who John is.”

Sarah felt sorry for the Cat Lady stuck in an unhappy marriage. The only reason she stayed in the marriage was because of her son, and then he vanished.
Major bad karma for the Cat Lady.
Sarah felt tears prickle in her eyes, and she blinked rapidly to keep them at bay.

“Go further back,” Jackie said.

“'June second. I have finally given in to John's aggressive advances. Afterwards, I felt horribly guilty, but at the same time it felt so good to be wanted.
Sadly, the good feelings overpowered my guilt. I am sure I will see him again. He has pursued me for months and has been quite relentless—he wants us to run away together. It is such a wonderful fantasy, to run away from problems, and then the reality of the situation comes crashing in. How will this effect Lonny and David I wonder? What would happen if they ever found out? The Klonskys
have been such good friends, I fear this could destroy the friendship. Especially since I will never leave Russell. He is David's father, and I will not break up our family. In time, John will see I am right.'”

“The Cat Lady had an affair with John Klonsky!” Sarah's jaw dropped.

“That must be Lonny's dad!” Jackie said.

Sarah's heart skipped a beat. An affair with John Klonsky! She knew they had found a huge piece of the puzzle. Staring at Jackie and Lacey, she saw a mixture of shock and dismay dance across their faces.

“I bet a million dollars John Klonsky didn't take it too well when the Cat Lady told him it was over,” Sarah said. She still couldn't believe it. Shock ran through her body as she grappled with this new information. “This is the link we've been looking for.”

Jackie stared at Sarah and nodded. “You're right.”

“We have to find out everything we can about the K
lo
nskys and the Fedewas.”

“How are we going to do that?” Lacey asked.

“We have to go back to the library and talk to Mrs. Parker.”

“Why?” Lacey asked.

“Where else are we going to get the information?” Sarah picked up her plate and silverware and put them in the dishwasher.

Jackie walked her plate over to the dishwasher and handed it to Sarah. “Let's get our bikes and go down there, right now.”

Just then, Uncle Walt shuffled into the kitchen wearing his bathrobe. His wispy hair was standing on end. He stared at the girls with a bleary-eyed expression.

“Morning, girls.”

“Morning,” they responded.

“Boy, this is a surprise to see all of you up so early. Especially during summer vacation.” He stopped in front of the refrigerator, opened the door, and pulled out a pitcher of juice. “What's gotten you girls out of bed so early?”

“We're being detectives,” Sarah said with a wide smile.

“You don't say?” he asked, walking to the cupboard and searching for a glass.

“Yes, we're on our way to the library right now.”

“Going to the library during summer vacation. I like the sound of that.” He poured juice into a glass and took a sip.

“See ya, Uncle Walt.”

“Bye.”

The girls rushed out the door, and hopped on their bikes.

The day was already hot.
Sarah stood on her pedals and glided through the streets of Harrisburg with the wind in her hair. She enjoyed the movement of the air as it cooled her skin. It felt wonderful, a nice reprieve from the suffocating humidity.

She heard the sounds of the neighborhood as it awoke. The slamming of screen doors and yells of children as they played outside before the day grew too tropical.

Taking in the neighborhood as she pedaled, Sarah couldn't help but think about the Cat Lady and her tragic life.
Did she have mornings like this? Watching David run through a sprinkler, or taking him for ice cream?
Tears filled her eyes.
What right did anyone have to take that away from her?

A spark of anger started in her belly, then traveled through her body until it consumed her. She clenched her teeth to keep from screaming. Gripping her handlebars, Sarah took several deep breaths, hoping to calm the raging fire inside.
Klonsky
. The fire whispered.

The girls parked their bikes in the library bike rack just as Mrs. Parker unlocked the doors for the day.

“Perfect timing,” Jackie giggled.

“Looks like we're the only ones here,” Lacey said.

“Does that surprise you?” Jackie asked.

Sarah giggled in spite of the smoldering fire inside. “You'd be surprised, Jack, how many people come to the library during summer vacation.”

“You mean you're not the only one?”

“Nope.”

“I don't believe it.”

“Believe it, beanpole.”

Jackie and Lacey followed Sarah up the stairs. Her nerve endings prickled with anticipation; she knew they were close to putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. Opening the door, they found Mrs. Parker at her desk.

“Mrs. Parker,” Sarah called out from the door.

“Shhh. You're supposed to be quiet in the library.” Mrs. Parker put her hands on her hips in protest.

“There isn't anyone else here.”

Mrs. Parker shook her head. “How can I help you girls?”

“We're still investigating the Fedewa murder,” Sarah started.

“Yeah, and we need to find out everything we can about the Fedewas and the Klonskys,” Jackie blurted out.