Read Online Vanished in Cherry Hills (Cozy Cat Caper Mystery Book 4) by Paige Sleuth - Free Book Online Page B

had circled.
    Matty released the obituary in order to pounce on some of the other clippings, running around in circles as she bounced from article to article. She seemed to get a kick out of the crinkling sound created by her activity. Either that or she enjoyed shocking Tom as he watched her with rounded eyes.
    Kat glanced at Mrs. Polanski as she set the obituary on top of her makeshift pile. “Did you know Kelly Watson?”
    Mrs. Polanski shook her head. “No, I did not.”
    “You were friends with her parents?” Kat guessed.
    “No, I didn’t know them either.”
    Kat frowned. She was about to ask why Mrs. Polanski had saved the obituary in that case when she felt her gaze being drawn back to the write-up.
    Her brain tingled as she stared at the faded outline of the hand-drawn circle around the succinct summary of Kelly Watson’s short life. Her mother would have been about twenty-seven back in 1985, the same age as Kelly.
    Kat gripped the newspaper clipping in both hands and sat back down on the couch, her head spinning. Was it possible that her mother had stolen this woman’s identity? Stealing an existing identity would certainly be easier than establishing a fake social security number and everything else needed to live in the United States. She would only have to apply for a copy of the woman’s birth certificate, or have one forged, and use the dead woman’s information to obtain all the other documents she needed.
    Kat looked up at Mrs. Polanski. Her mouth had gone dry, and she had to work to get her next question out. “Did you help my mother hide out?”
    “You figured it out from the death announcement, didn’t you?” When Kat nodded, Mrs. Polanski leaned back, looking satisfied. “I knew you would. You always were a smart one.”
    Kat didn’t know what to say to that. At the moment she didn’t feel very smart. She felt as if the joke was on her.
    “It was easier than I thought it would be,” Mrs. Polanski said, fingering the edge of her shirt. “Turning Maybelle Harper into Kelly Watson, that is.”
    Kat mustered up some saliva and swallowed. “Yeah?”
    “Finding somebody willing to work fast to create the fake ID was the most difficult part. After that, I only had to lend her the money for an apartment and provide her with a good reference so Country Eats would hire her.”
    Kat took a deep breath, trying to tamp down the mix of emotions coursing through her. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”
    Mrs. Polanski spread her hands. “In front of Helen?”
    Kat’s eyes widened. “She doesn’t know?”
    Mrs. Polanski shook her head. “If she had been paying attention back then I’m sure she would have seen I was up to something. Helen knows me as well as I know her. But after the robbery she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts. So, everything I did for Maybelle stayed between her and me.”
    Kat shook the newspaper in her hand, struggling to understand. “But you gave me all these articles, hoping I put everything together.”
    Mrs. Polanski’s eyes softened. “You have a right to know about your mama. And I didn’t figure you would turn her in once you realized what name she was using. That would only jeopardize her freedom. Until Helen’s crime came to light, it wasn’t safe for Maybelle to reveal herself either.”
    Kat absorbed that. She didn’t know for sure if what Mrs. Polanski was saying was true. She didn’t figure she could keep such a huge secret from Andrew, who in turn might be duty-bound to notify Chief Kenny.
    Kat watched Matty and Tom playing with the newspaper clippings, needing a moment to corral her thoughts. She knew she should stop the cats before they made too much of a mess, but she felt paralyzed by what she’d just learned.
    “So, when are you going to call her?” Mrs. Polanski asked.
    Kat turned to face her. “I don’t have her number.”
    Mrs. Polanski flapped her hand. “She’d be easy enough to locate with directory assistance.”
    “She might