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incense. My late Uncle Karl had a dog that died, and he kept a picture of it with a little votive candle burning all the time. Maybe he had something like that going on. His wife did pass away several years ago.”
    “Maybe.” Amalia shrugged and took another sip of her tea. “The weirdest thing was that she wanted to know all these things but said her father didn’t know she was inquiring. She said she didn’t know when he’d be ready to move in, just that it would be soon.”
    “And now he’s dead,” I said thoughtfully.
    “I know. It’s so sad. If only she could have gotten him in there sooner, he’d have had medical attention as soon as it happened. He might still be alive today.”
    Not with an exploded heart , I thought. “Was his daughter living here?”
    “Yeah, that was another strange thing. When I asked her for her home address and a phone number where we could contact her, she gave the address to a rental located in, well, not a very good part of town. Do you know where all those warehouses and random mills are located? Apparently she’s living over there. Wishing Well Court trailer park. Frankly, I wasn’t sure how she was going to pay for her father’s room, but many people find ways when they need to.”
    I thought of my adventure to find Treacle. His trail had gone cold just as I was roaming through that area. Whatever was there was affecting the cats, too. This was the biggest break I could have hoped for.
    Amalia let out a big yawn. “I’m so sorry to be yawning. It isn’t the company, really, but I am beat. I think it’s your cousin’s tea. It’s like sipping a down pillow and comforter.”
    Min and I laughed. “I better take you home,” Min said. “Tonight, we’re going to the Music Box to catch Casablanca on the big screen. Cath, do you want to come with?”
    “Say yes,” Amalia said. “You’ll have fun. I’ve seen that movie at least a dozen times, and I just can’t see it enough. When the French start singing their national anthem over the Germans’… I get goose bumps talking about it.”
    I would have loved to go, but the wheels in my head were spinning.
    “You know, thank you so much for inviting me, but I can’t. I’ve got plans with my aunt and Bea that have to do with family stuff. Boring but necessary, you know.”
    “I do.” She yawned again.
    “Let’s make plans to do something together soon,” Min said, beaming with a happiness I knew was because Amalia and I had hit it off.
    I smiled back. I couldn’t tell him, but meeting Amalia was more wonderful than he could ever know. Not only had she given us a lead on the real cause of Marvin’s death, but she’d also given us a lead suspect. And quite possibly, she may have given me a tip to where Treacle might be. If there was a witch in that area, she might have my black cat.
    Even after the terrible night I’d had, I felt rejuvenated and couldn’t wait to tell Bea and Aunt Astrid what I’d found out. All I needed was Brit Clegg’s address.
    After I told them, we agreed not to talk about our new discovery at work. Once the doors were locked and the CLOSED sign hung in the door, we met at Aunt Astrid’s for a nightcap.

Wishing Well
    “ T he Wishing Well Trailer Park is huge, and it goes way back into the woods,” Bea said. “Those trailers are secluded for a reason. It’s not exactly the kind of place you want to go around asking questions.”
    “Why would Marvin’s daughter be staying there when he had a successful business and a nice house in an affluent part of town?” Aunt Astrid asked. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
    “Maybe they didn’t get along,” I said. Neither my aunt nor Bea said anything. “I’m going to go and do some looking around.” I felt the strong gust of a second wind coming over my tired body.
    Bea put her hands on her hips. “Cath, Wishing Well isn’t a safe place. You shouldn’t go by yourself. You shouldn’t go at all. Look, if we wait until tomorrow