Read Online Murder and a Song (A Pattie Lansbury Cat Cozy Mystery Series Book 2) by Nancy C. Davis - Free Book Online

“It’s
you,” he said, recognising Pattie from when she’d visited the tent after Daryl
Hardy’s death. “I … I need your help. 
Please, take me to the police station. 
I need to be somewhere safe!”

Chapter 17

    They flagged down one of the local
taxis, who sped them to the police station. 
Outside, Elliott said his goodbyes. “You don’t need me in there,
Patricia.  I’ll wish you goodnight, and
good luck!”

                “Thank
you for the company, Elliott,” Pattie said softly. “I’m very grateful.”

                “Maybe
I’ll get a chance to see you tomorrow. 
Sunday’s my one day off, but I can’t say the same for consulting
detectives right now!  Goodnight,
Patricia.”

                “Goodnight.”

                Pattie
took Timothy Jeffries into the station and sat him down as they waited for D.C.
Downey to appear.  He arrived very soon,
not wearing his uniform jacket but with his shirt creased and his sleeves
rolled up.  The man looked fit to
collapse from exhaustion, but he greeted Pattie with a smile and signed in
their new guest.

                Once
they’d arranged some hot drinks and pulled some snacks out of the vending
machine, they sat Timothy down in the station’s break room.  It was a lot more comfortable than the
interview room, with soft couches and windows, which Pattie opened to let in
some cool air.

                “Okay,
Mister Jeffries,” said D.C. Downey. “Why don’t you tell us what this is all
about?”

                The
first time Pattie had seen Timothy had been at the tent, when he’d sat in the
back of the van by himself.  She’d had
the impression that he wasn’t fully part of the gang, but he’d soon come to
their defence when the questions turned to alibis.  He’d initially struck Pattie as timid, and
his display in the woods hadn’t changed her mind, but now that he was calmer
she wondered how terrorised he would have to be to change moods so drastically.

                “It’s
Toby and James,” he said, taking a gulp of tea to soothe his throat. “They’ve
gone mad.  I don’t know what’s gotten
into them.”

                “It
was they who were chasing you in the woods?” asked Pattie.

                Tim
nodded. “It’s all been so weird since Harry … Well, that was shock enough.  Then we had to go through the arrest and
questioning – I know that those two have been through it all before with other
problems, but it’s the first time I’ve ever been in a police station.  I’ve been pretty stressed out.  When we were let go this afternoon, I thought
we’d all just pack up and go home.  I
waited at the tent but the other two didn’t show up, so after a couple of hours
I went to look for them.”

                “And?”
prompted D.C. Downey.

                “I
couldn’t believe they’d gone to one of the stages.  None of us were hardly in a party mood.  Something made me think to look in the van,
so I opened it up and there they both were, sat in the back staring at this box
with a cat in it.  I saw its tail and
heard the meowing.  I could see that they
were shocked to see me; maybe they thought they’d locked the van, I don’t know
… I asked what they were up to, and they just flipped out.  Toby jumped out and grabbed me, and James
climbed down too and shut the van doors, maybe so the cat wouldn’t escape … But
I managed to get free from Toby and backed off. 
At first I couldn’t believe it; I thought it must have been some stupid
joke, but I saw the look in their eyes. 
They looked like they wanted to kill me, I swear!  They came for me and I just ran, and they
chased me through the campsite and didn’t let up for a second, and I ended up
in the woods … and that’s when I ran into you,” Tim said, nodding at Pattie.

                D.C.
Downey rubbed his