Kitty Cats and Crime Read online

  “I was surprised as well,” Zoe admitted.

  “People aren’t always predictable,” Mrs. Finch remarked.

  Lauren and Zoe discussed what they could do on social media to improve business, Zoe volunteering to add some more posts to their café page.

  After a pleasant evening, they said goodbye to Mrs. Finch.

  “When are you seeing Chris again?” Lauren asked as they drove home.

  “We haven’t made a date,” Zoe admitted. “He’s busy working.”

  “But he came by the café the other day,” Lauren reminded her.

  “Yeah.” Zoe smiled softly.

  They talked about trying to come up with some new cupcake flavors for the next week the rest of the way home.

  THE NEXT MORNING, LAUREN woke up determined to be positive, and enjoy her days off. They closed the café at lunchtime on Saturdays and didn’t re-open until Tuesday.

  She had a date with Mitch that night, which was another reason to put her in a good mood.

  After breakfast, the trio trooped down the hallway to the café. Ed didn’t work on Saturdays. But with the way business had been this last week, there wouldn’t have been any need for him to come in, anyway. Lauren decided to only bake two batches of treats this morning; lavender, and cinnamon swirl.

  “Good choice,” Zoe praised as she watched Lauren place the pretty cupcakes into the glass case. “I can’t believe anyone would choose his cakes over yours.”

  “Thanks.” Lauren smiled briefly.

  Even the chug chug, grr grr, sound of the cupcake truck pulling up outside didn’t bother her as much.

  “Not again,” Zoe groaned as she looked out of the window.

  “We’d better open up,” Lauren said.

  “Okay.” Zoe unbolted the front door.

  “Brrt?” Annie sauntered over to the Please Wait to be Seated sign, as if waiting for her first customer.

  “Hopefully someone will come in soon,” Lauren told her.

  “Brrp.”

  “Oh, look, it’s Claire and little Molly.” Zoe grinned as she pointed to the mother and daughter duo outside. Blonde-haired Claire pushed Molly in a stroller toward the café, then stopped, her attention caught by the pink truck.

  “Oh no,” Lauren groaned as she watched Claire approach Jason’s truck.

  “He’s not going to steal them!” Zoe raced outside.

  Lauren was a little surprised that two of their favorite customers were investigating their rival. Claire usually raved about their cupcakes and coffee, and Annie and Molly seemed fascinated with each other. Maybe she should go outside for a better look.

  “Pink!” she heard blonde toddler Molly squeal as she pointed at the truck.

  Lauren joined Zoe outside their café.

  “You can’t go over there and harangue him.” Lauren placed her hand on Zoe’s arm.

  “I guess not.” Zoe said in a disgruntled manner. “I don’t want to do anything to upset Molly.”

  “Good.” Lauren turned around to check on Annie, who stood in the doorway, watching the scene as well.

  “Cino, cino,” Molly chanted, continuing to point at Jason, dressed in jeans and a blue t-shirt, his blond hair gelled to perfection.

  “Woof!” Sweet Boy poked his black and white head above the serving hatch. He wore his red collar but not the paper sign explaining how cute he was.

  “Ooh, doggy!” Molly giggled.

  “Do you make babycinos?” Claire asked Jason.

  “No. What’s that?” He frowned.

  “It’s something Lauren and Zoe make for Molly.” She gestured to her daughter in the stroller.

  “We don’t do coffee,” he informed her, “but we have the best cupcakes you’ll ever try. Don’t we, Sweet Boy?” He turned to the French bulldog.

  “Woof!”

  “Well, I don’t know,” Claire hesitated.

  “Go on,” he urged her. “I bet your daughter would like something sweet.”

  “I want cino!”

  “They don’t have your special drink here.” Claire bent down to Molly. “Only Lauren and Zoe have that. But they have cupcakes. I’ll give you a little of mine to try.”

  “O-kay,” Molly said doubtfully.

  “I’ll try a chocolate cupcake,” Claire said.

  “Great choice.” Jason stuffed the treat into a pink paper bag and winked at her. “These are super popular.”

  “Thanks.” Claire paid and wheeled the stroller a short distance away, halfway between the truck and the café, seeming not to realize that Lauren, Zoe, and Annie were watching.

  She tore open the bag and pinched off a small mouthful. “Here, darling.” She placed the dark brown morsel into Molly’s outstretched hand.

  Molly stuck it in her mouth and chewed. She chewed some more. Screwing up her face, she cried, “Yucky! Want Annie cake!” She spat out the half-eaten cake, little brown blobs dribbling down her chin. Her feet beat an angry rhythm on the stroller.

  Claire looked shocked at Molly’s outburst. Lauren watched her try a piece of the cupcake, frowning in concentration. After she swallowed, she shook her head.

  “You’re right, Molly. But Lauren makes the cupcakes, not Annie.”

  “No, Annie cake!” She pouted at Sweet Boy. He and Jason had been watching the scene, Jason’s face impassive.

  Lauren’s eyes widened as Sweet Boy slowly stuck his pinky-red tongue out at the toddler. Molly gasped at the same time.

  “Mommy, doggy—” but Claire had already wheeled around to face the café and apparently didn’t see Sweet Boy’s actions.

  “Did you see what Sweet Boy just did?” Zoe muttered to Lauren.

  “I must apologize.” Claire wheeled to a stop outside the café door when she saw them standing there. “I shouldn’t have tried that man’s cupcakes.”

  “We understand,” Lauren replied.

  “Molly didn’t,” Claire said ruefully.

  Lauren, Zoe, and Annie ushered in the mother and daughter, who had ceased pouting.

  “Molly wants Annie’s cupcakes,” Claire told them as they all sat down at a large table. “I told her that Lauren is the one who bakes them, but she insisted on calling them Annie cakes.”

  Lauren cast Annie a fond look. The silver-gray tabby sat next to Molly, allowing the little girl to give her gentle “fairy pats”. Molly beamed at the cat, her tantrum forgotten.

  “Actually, Annie’s helped me mix up new creations at home,” Lauren replied.

  “Annie cakes!” Molly crowed.

  “Brrt!”

  They all laughed.

  Lauren, Zoe, and Annie spent a pleasant time with Claire and Molly. Claire’s husband had been called into the office that morning to handle a sudden crisis, so she was at a loose end. For a little while they had the café to themselves, then more customers trickled in.

  “I’ll never be swayed to try that man’s cupcakes again.” Claire gestured to the bright pink truck outside. “I’m just sorry you had to see us be tempted like that.”

  “Bad doggy.” Molly pointed to the truck. Sweet Boy was still at the serving hatch, looking as sweet and innocent as could be, his tongue inside his mouth.

  “Maybe he scared her when he barked at her,” Claire said in a puzzled voice. “I thought it was just a friendly hello from him. But Molly isn’t used to dogs.”

  “But she’s used to cats.” Zoe grinned.

  They said goodbye to Claire and Molly.

  “Should we have told her that Sweet Boy stuck his tongue out at Molly?” Lauren asked her cousin.

  “Do you think she’d believe us? I wouldn’t have, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”

  CHAPTER 5

  More and more customers came in that morning, until it was almost like old times.

  “Hans!” Lauren came around the counter to greet one of their favorites.

  “Ach, hello, Lauren.” The dapper gentleman in his sixties smiled at her.

  “Are you okay?” she asked. “You haven
’t been in recently.”

  “Oh, I am fine.” He spoke to Lauren while bending down stiffly to pet Annie, who had scampered over to greet him. “I visited my daughter in Sacramento and stayed at her house. She said it would be too much for me to drive a two-hour round trip every day and perhaps she was right.” He sighed.

  “Did you have a good visit?” Lauren asked, walking beside him and Annie as the feline slowly led him to a table.

  “Ja, it was gut.” He beamed, looking a little like Santa Claus in the moment, although slimmer.

  “Hi, Hans!” Zoe zoomed over to them, an empty tray in her hands.

  “What is going on out there?” Hans pointed to the pink truck outside. “He is selling cupcakes too?”

  “Yes,” Lauren and Zoe chorused.

  “Brrt.”

  “That is no gut.” Hans sat down at the small table Annie had stopped at.

  “Brrp.” That’s right. Annie hopped up on the chair opposite Hans.

  “So far, he just seems to be getting away with it.” Lauren sighed.

  “Then you must do something about it,” Hans told them.

  “We’ve tried,” Zoe protested.

  “His cupcakes aren’t very good,” Lauren said in a low voice. “Zoe and I sampled them.”

  Zoe told Hans all about Molly’s reaction to the morsel she’d eaten, making the elderly German laugh.

  “But you seem quite busy right now.” He gestured to the buzzing café.

  “For the first time in days,” Lauren told him. “I think we’re going to run out of cupcakes for once.”

  “Then I must put my order in now,” Hans said. “My daughter took me to a bakery in Sacramento, but they did not have cupcakes like yours. It was all nuts and seeds – like birdseed.” He shuddered.

  They sped away to the counter to fill Hans’ order of a cappuccino and a lavender cupcake.

  “It’s a shame Ed doesn’t work Saturdays,” Zoe mused as she created a peacock on the surface of the microfoam.

  “I know,” Lauren replied. Her gaze flickered to the truck outside – no customers at all right now.

  Had Jason’s customers realized that his cakes actually didn’t taste very good as well as being far too sweet? Or was the lure of Annie greeting her customers and seating them the reason why their patrons had returned that morning? Whatever it was, Lauren decided not to question it, but to enjoy the brisk business.

  Even when they ran out of cupcakes, people still ordered coffee. Lauren smiled at her cousin, who was taking payment for an order.

  “Just like old times,” she murmured to Zoe.

  “Yep!”

  THAT AFTERNOON, LAUREN relaxed on the sofa, Annie in her lap. She needed to come up with some new cupcake ideas. So far, she and Zoe had come up with a total of ... none. Zoe had gone to fetch AJ, the kitten Ed had adopted, for a play date.

  Lauren’s thoughts drifted. What about maple pecan? Coconut cream? Maple coconut? Coconut pecan? She wrote each flavor down, even if she thought it mightn’t work.

  Although business had been good that morning, next week Jason might have another trick up his sleeve to tempt their customers back to him.

  “We’re here!” Zoe’s cheery voice roused Lauren from her thoughts.

  “Brrt!” Annie jumped off Lauren’s lap and trotted to the kitchen.

  “Hi, AJ.” Lauren greeted the eight-month-old cat. Annie had found the brown tabby Maine Coon when she had been a tiny stray scrap. Ed had instantly fallen in love with her, and taken her home with him.

  “Mew!” AJ jumped out of the carrier and greeted Annie. She had a dark brown M in the middle of her forehead and inquisitive eyes.

  “Brrt!” Annie led the way into the living room.

  “They’re so cute.” Zoe grinned as she watched the two felines chase a ball around the sofa.

  “Definitely.” Lauren smiled.

  After the playdate was over, Zoe took AJ back to Ed’s house.

  “Maybe AJ can start training as Annie’s assistant at the café,” she mused before heading out the door.

  “What does Annie think about that?” Lauren was instantly protective of her fur baby. “She’s used to being the only cat there.”

  “We’ll have to ask her and see.” Zoe grinned, not fazed at all.

  “You’ll also have to ask AJ and Ed,” Lauren pointed out.

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Zoe admitted. “Hmm.”

  Zoe left, carefully carrying the cage. AJ mewed goodbye to Annie, who answered in return.

  “What do you think of Zoe’s idea to have AJ act as your assistant at the café?” Lauren asked Annie as they headed into the living room.

  “Brrp.” I’ll think about it.

  AFTER A PLEASANT WEEKEND, including her date with Mitch, and brainstorming new flavors with Zoe, Lauren was ready to return to work on Tuesday. She’d noticed Jason’s truck on Monday, parked in front of her cottage, but she tried not to let it bother her. There didn’t seem to be as many customers at his van once again.

  She and Zoe were busy on Monday, anyway, with grocery shopping, testing her new salted caramel cupcake recipe she’d thought up, and visiting Mrs. Finch.

  “If he turns up tomorrow,” Zoe vowed that evening as they finished eating dinner, “we’ll take care of him.”

  “Yes,” Lauren agreed.

  “Brrt!”

  On Tuesday morning after breakfast, Lauren sat in the living room with Annie.

  “I’m going to call Mitch to let him know I’m making his favorite vanilla cupcakes today, as well as salted caramel,” Lauren told her. She picked up the cell phone and showed it to the feline.

  “Brrt,” Annie replied, looking at the device with interest.

  “I press this button here.” Lauren showed Annie the numbered button that she’d programmed for Mitch.

  Annie had already used Lauren’s cell phone – she’d called AJ a few months ago, and when Lauren was sick at home with a cold, the feline had worked the video app so they could check in on Zoe taking care of the café.

  “Hi, Lauren,” Mitch’s deep, masculine voice came out of the phone.

  “Brrt,” Annie said to him.

  “Hi, Annie.” He sounded surprised to be greeted by her.

  “We’re both here,” Lauren told him, stifling a giggle.

  She told him about her cupcake plans for the morning, to which he replied he’d try to stop by later that day to grab a vanilla cupcake, and one of her new salted caramels.

  “Brrt,” Annie spoke into the phone as Lauren said goodbye to him.

  “Bye, Annie.” Mitch chuckled, before Lauren ended the call.

  “And now we have to go to work.” Lauren pocketed her phone and rose from the sofa. So did Annie.

  The trio had just opened up the café when the familiar chug chug, grr grr filtered through from the street.

  “Brrt!” Annie looked annoyed as she sat up in her cat bed.

  “I know, Annie,” Lauren sympathized.

  “I’m calling the town council right now.” Zoe dug her phone out of her jeans pocket. “That way, smirky Jason won’t know we’re reporting him.”

  “Good idea.” Lauren smiled at her.

  “I have to leave a message.” Zoe tsked.

  Ed rattled pastry tins in the kitchen. She was glad he was here – on Saturday people had been disappointed there weren’t any of his pastries to choose from, although their regulars knew he didn’t work on the weekends.

  “Let’s hope we get as many customers as we did on Saturday morning.” Lauren attempted to be positive.

  She looked at her new cupcake creation in the glass case.

  The batter was caramel flavored, with made from scratch creamy caramel frosting, and a ribbon of not too sweet caramel sauce swirled around the peaks of the frosting. It was topped off with a small chocolate heart as well as a few sprinkles of high-quality sea salt. She couldn’t wait until one of her favorite customers tried it.

  “Wait until everyone tri
es your new salted caramel.” Zoe grinned. “I put two away for us for later – and one for Mitch.”

  “Good thinking.” Lauren was proud of her new creation and it was something that she hadn’t seen listed at Jason’s truck.

  Zoe’s phone buzzed, and she answered it as Lauren unbolted the entrance door.

  “Oh, pooh,” she said as she ended the call. “The permit officer is busy at another location right now and can’t come and kick Jason off our turf.”

  “When can he get here?” Lauren frowned as she spied a man grabbing a pink bag from Jason and walking along the sidewalk.

  “Maybe this afternoon.” Zoe sounded downcast.

  “I’m going to see what sort of cupcakes he has today,” Lauren told her. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “Okay.” Zoe sounded distracted.

  Lauren told herself she shouldn’t go out there to take a look, but she couldn’t help herself. It was only to double check that Jason wasn’t selling salted caramel cupcakes.

  Lauren approached the truck.

  “Don’t worry, man,” she heard Jason, although she couldn’t see him at the serving hatch. If it wasn’t for his voice, she would have thought that the truck was deserted. “I paid her back last night.”

  “Good.” Another male voice. Was it Jason’s friend Scott, who had helped out last week? “She really needs the money, Jase.”

  “I understand,” Jason replied. “But there’s no need to worry. We’ve made good money last week with these cupcakes. I told you this was an amazing idea.”

  “Yeah.” Scott didn’t sound so convinced. “But you said yourself takings were down the last couple of days.”

  “If that brat hadn’t had a temper tantrum in front of the truck on Saturday, I would have sold out again.” Jason sounded angry. “Stupid toddler.”

  “I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose.” Scott sounded surprised at his pal’s tone.

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m sure we’ll sell all this stuff today. I can’t believe all I have to do is chuck on some shiny silver balls and all the rest and these ladies lap it up.” He chuckled.

  “I don’t think Jessica liked your first batch of cupcakes.” Scott said.