Read Online The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon: A Cats in Trouble Mystery by Leann Sweeney - Free Book Online

wait.”
    “Okay. Cool,” Finn said. But I read disappointment in his eyes.
    Meanwhile, neither of my fur kids had moved. Syrah and Merlot would not be dissuaded from their vigil at the utility room door, not by offers of catnip or cat food or treats. They’d settled into what I called the “meatloaf position”—hunched up like I’d just patted them into a football-size oven-ready meal. They kept their intense stares on Yoshi, resting patiently like cats tend to do while watching prey—and waiting for their chance. I decided to leave the animals to sort this out. My interference might make them more nervous than they already were.
    I said, “I’ll bet Yoshi is hungry. But I don’t have any dog food.”
    “No problem,” Finn said. “I have some in my backpack.” He’d set his pack on the floor by his stool at the breakfast bar and now he went to get it.
    The minute Finn got the food out and released Yoshi with an “okay,” the dog came racing by the cats. Syrah took a swipe at him and Merlot stood and arched his back. Yoshi ignored them and ran to Finn’s side. The dog barked repeatedly, but his eyes were focused on the food.
    “I’ll get a bowl,” I said.
    Finn set the baggie of dog food on the counter and held out his arms. The dog jumped up into them and started licking the kid’s face. What a bond those two had. From what I’d learned from Tom about Finn’s mother and latest stepfather, he probably needed his dog as much as I needed my cats.
    Before I could even retrieve the bowl from the cupboard, Syrah leaped onto the counter, his whiskers and nose in action. A cat’s sense of smell is nowhere near that of a dog’s, but it’s still about fourteen or fifteen times stronger than a human’s. Syrah approached the kibble as if all things edible in this house needed his inspection and approval. He was the alpha around here, after all.
    Then Syrah spotted the backpack and withdrew a few steps as if surprised by this strange new object. But his whiskers kept twitching. Syrah liked anything remotely resembling a bag or a box and I was sure he was contemplating whether this was a safe item to thoroughly explore—like, climb right inside and explore.
    By the time I poured the food into the bowl, Merlot had joined Syrah in his fascination with the backpack. Their focus made me remember the gun, the one Tom put in his safe back at his house. Seemed like a long time ago. Heck, this day seemed like it had lasted a hundred years. Did Finn really have no idea where the gun came from? Might as well ask.
    “Do you remember anything about the gun?” I said.
    Finn shook his head vehemently. “Not my gun. No way. I hate guns. But Nolan sure had enough of them. My preferred weapon is a sword in a video game.”
    I nodded. “When was the last time you looked inside your pack?”
    He squinted, as if trying to imagine when he might have done this. “Besides just now? I fed Yoshi last night. I can’t remember any time today—but there’s a lot about today I don’t remember.”
    “You didn’t see the gun last night, wherever you spent the night?” I asked. “Gosh, where did you spend the night?”
    “This guy let me and Yoshi crash in his truck. But I never saw any gun. Something like that kinda grabs your attention, you know?” I detected strain in his voice, perhaps born of impatience with my questions.
    Yoshi reacted by licking Finn’s face again.
    “Yes, they certainly do. Sorry if I’ve upset you,” I said. “You’ve been through enough and I want you to know I’m your friend. At least we know someone put the gun in your pack between last night and when we picked you up.”
    “Yeah. Makes sense. Whatever screwed up my brain happened today. You didn’t upset me, by the way. I’m just mad at myself ’cause I can’t remember.” He stroked Yoshi but didn’t look at me.
    “Which is not your fault.” I handed him the bowl of kibble Yoshi was staring at intently.
    “Maybe it is. Maybe I did