Murder of the Cat's Meow: A Scumble River Mystery by Denise Swanson

Bunny?”
    “On this matter, I would say ninety-nine percent. She’s a surprisingly good businesswoman.”
    “According to the crime scene techs, there were no fingerprints on the weapon.” Wally made a wry face. “They’ll get back to us with anything else, although since it’s a public place, I’m not holding out much hope.”
    “And I probably messed up any prints on the utility closet door.” Skye shook her head regretfully. “If only I hadn’t been juggling a smelly cat, I might have been more observant and not disturbed the scene.”
    “Or the body might not have been discovered until it started to decompose,” Wally said in an attempt to reassure her. “If the weapon was wiped clean, you can bet that the knob and everything else was, too.”
    “That’s true.” Skye brightened, then said, “Oh, before I forget, here’s the list of people with motives for killing Alexis. And there’s one more possibility. Ivan Quigley, the guy she was matched with during the speed-dating event.” Skye explained what she had learned from Frannie and Justin at the café.
    “Let me take a look at the others.” Wally flipped through the paper-clipped pages. “Geez! The vic was sure disliked by a lot of people.” He added, “This confirms Quirk’s impression from what everyone was saying at the brunch. No one had a kind word for Alexis.”
    “Ah.” Skye crossed her legs. “I was sort of wondering why Quirk allowed Bunny to continue with the awards ceremony.” She swung her foot. “Now, I’m guessing he had his officers mingle to overhear the gossip.”
    “That, and to see if anyone who was supposed to be there didn’t show up.”
    “Right.” Skye let her loafer dangle from her toe. “Anyone AWOL?”
    “Elijah Jacobsen.”
    “Shoot. Considering his altercation with Alexis yesterday, his absence doesn’t look good.” Skye was strangely fond of Elijah, but she had been afraid the odd man might turn out to be the killer. “Maybe his cat didn’t make it into the final round and that’s why he didn’t bother to come to the brunch.”
    A knock on the door distracted Wally before he could respond to Skye’s suggestion, and he shouted, “Come in.”
    Quirk flung the door open and announced, “I sent a couple of officers to the address Bunny gave me for Jacobsen. The ex-doc has flown the coop.”

CHAPTER 8

Crazier Than John Smith’s Cat
    “H ow do you know Jacobsen’s gone?” Wally stood up and strode over to the sergeant. “Is it possible he’s just not home?”
    “His sister lives with him,” Quirk reported. “She said he wasn’t there when she got up this morning, but he left her a message.”
    Shoot!
Skye held her breath. Elijah’s disappearance made him a prime suspect. Could there be any other explanation, except the obvious one, for his abrupt departure? She stared at Quirk, waiting for him to reveal the contents of the note.
    Finally, after handing a piece of paper sealed in an evidence bag to Wally, the sergeant summarized what it said. “He tells his sister to take care of Princess and the other cats. God told him that in order to cleanse his soul, he should go into the wilderness for forty days. If he survives, he’ll be back then.”
    “Son of a—” Wally glanced at Skye and cut himself off, then turned to Quirk. “Put an all-points bulletin out on Jacobsen, get a warrant to search his house, and bring his sister in for questioning.”
    “Yes, sir.” Quirk touched his forehead in a half salute.“I’m on it.” He spun on his heel and hurried out of the office.
    Once the sergeant was gone, Skye asked, “Does Elijah live in Scumble River?”
    “No. He lives within the Brooklyn city limits.” Wally handed Skye the evidence-bagged note, then sat back down behind his desk. “Why?”
    “I was wondering about jurisdictional issues,” Skye explained as she examined the letter.
    “As long as the judge who issues a warrant presides over the county in which it’s executed,