Felines and Footprints Read online

  “I can’t wait to try one.” Janice smiled at them.

  Lauren detected the faintest whiff of cigarette smoke from Janice’s brown coat, just like yesterday.

  Lauren held her breath as all three ladies forked up a bite. Usually, she didn’t hover over her customers unless they wanted her to, but she was curious to observe their reactions.

  “Oh, my.” Doris’s face was wreathed in smiles after she tasted hers. “We must come here again, Virginia.”

  “We’ll see,” Virginia said, then placed the fork to her lips. “Yes, perhaps we shall,” she added after she’d swallowed the bite.

  “Definitely.” Janice ate hers a little quicker than her grandmother and great-aunt.

  “Told you so.” Zoe grinned.

  “You were right, my dear,” Doris answered.

  “We’ll leave you to it.” Lauren returned to the counter, Zoe behind her.

  A short while later, Hans came up to pay, pulling out a twenty-dollar bill from his well-thumbed wallet. “My cupcake was wonderful. And of course, so was my cappuccino.”

  “Thanks.” Lauren smiled at him. “I’m glad you enjoyed everything.” She handed him his change.

  He stuffed most of it into the tip jar that was half full with coins and the occasional bill.

  “Thanks, Hans!” Zoe’s eyes sparkled.

  They waved goodbye to him, then Lauren turned her attention to a couple of other people who had lined up to pay.

  When Doris, Virginia, and Janice strolled up to the counter, they were talking about Gavin filling in for Father Mike.

  “He is quite presentable, isn’t he?” Virginia said to Doris. “Of course, he doesn’t have Father Mike’s experience, but he dresses nicely, and speaks well.”

  “So does Father Mike,” Doris replied.

  “Yes, I suppose so,” Virginia admitted. “But I thought it was a good idea to ask Gavin about the scrapbooking group. He is supposed to look after these things in Father Mike’s absence. I really do think that twice per week is too much.”

  “What did he say?” Doris asked. “I was at the senior center when he visited you at the house.”

  “He said he would look into it, and come to the session tomorrow afternoon,” Virginia replied.

  “Are you ladies ready to pay?” Lauren asked. It was after four. She wondered if Mitch would stop by before they closed.

  “Of course,” Virginia said primly, taking out a gray wallet and pulling out a twenty-dollar bill and a ten. “This is for the total order.”

  Lauren made sure she counted out the change into Virginia’s hand, tucking the cash into the register.

  “Thank you, dear.” Doris smiled at her. “We’ll be sure to come back.”

  “Tell your friends,” Zoe said.

  “Definitely.” Janice nodded.

  “Thank you.” Virginia carefully put her change into her wallet.

  When they walked out of the café, Zoe mopped her brow dramatically.

  “Phew!”

  “I know what you mean,” Lauren said, “but Doris and Janice seem nice.”

  “Yeah. Maybe Virginia is another Ms. Tobin. She might mellow if she becomes a regular.”

  “Maybe.”

  Lauren decided to check the money in the register, that morning’s experience with the church collection fresh in her mind.

  Counting the cash, she noticed a twenty-dollar bill that looked a little different from the others. The paper was stiffer, for a start. She held it up to the light, and drew in a breath. There was no watermark.

  “What’s wrong?” Zoe sat on a stool beside her. Annie now dozed in her pink cat bed.

  “I think this is a counterfeit.” She kept her voice low.

  “No way!” Zoe hopped up and grabbed it from her. “Oh, yeah. You can see it looks weird. How long has it been in the register?”

  “I have no idea,” Lauren replied. She hadn’t gone to the bank yesterday. “Since yesterday – or today.”

  “Ooh.” Zoe tapped her cheek. “Maybe Ed took it while we were cat wrangling.”

  “I can’t ask him.” Lauren shifted uncomfortably. “Hans just paid with a twenty, and so did Virginia.”

  “It could be one of them.” Zoe’s eyes rounded. “But not Hans – unless he didn’t realize he had a counterfeit note in his wallet.”

  “The same with Virginia,” Lauren countered. “I can’t see her knowingly passing a fake twenty.”

  “No.” Zoe shook her head. “She’d be more likely to make a citizen’s arrest if someone gave her phony money.”

  “I got that impression, too.”

  “Mitch can look into this. Didn’t he tell you he was investigating funny money?”

  “Yes. You’re right. He said he’d try to stop by today, and we’re going out for dinner tonight.”

  “Problem solved.” Zoe grinned.

  “I’ll put this in a safe place.” Lauren opened a drawer, grabbed a white envelope, and slid the phony bill inside.

  “Gotcha.” Zoe nodded.

  Thirty minutes later, Mitch strode into the cafe. In his mid-thirties, his short dark hair, straight nose, and serious dark brown eyes added up to one good-looking guy. His tall, lean, muscular frame filled out his slacks and button-down shirt nicely. Lauren’s heart fluttered when she saw him. Annie trotted up to greet him.

  “Hi,” he said, his voice deep and masculine. “Hi, Annie.”

  “Brrt.” Hi, Mitch.

  “Tell him!” Zoe opened the drawer and waved the envelope in his face. “You’ll never guess what it’s in here.”

  “Shh!” Lauren glanced around but the few remaining customers didn’t seem to take any notice.

  “Brrt?” Annie had an enquiring look on her face.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “Funny money,” Zoe stage-whispered.

  “Are you sure?”

  Lauren handed him the envelope.

  Annie watched inquisitively.

  Mitch pulled out a pair of latex gloves from his pocket and snapped them on.

  “Let’s see.” He carefully opened the envelope and peered inside, then teased out the bill. “Yes, it could be. I’ll take this down to the station and log it in as evidence.” He looked at her. “I’m sorry. You’re out a twenty.”

  “It’s okay,” she reassured him.

  “Do you have any idea who gave this to you?” Mitch placed the bill back in the envelope.

  They told him about Hans and Virginia both paying with twenties that afternoon, and Ed taking over for a while when they had to dash out and find Annie and Mrs. Snuggle.

  “I was a little distracted, and I didn’t notice anything different about the fake, until I started counting out the register,” Lauren finished.

  “It happens,” he told her.

  “Since the tip jar is nearly full now, you can pay me ten dollars less this week, to help make up the loss,” Zoe told her. “Maybe I didn’t notice it was weird when someone paid their bill.”

  “That’s not right.” Lauren’s heart was touched at her cousin’s thoughtfulness. “But I appreciate the offer. I probably accepted the money, so I’m responsible.”

  She paid Zoe and Ed a proper wage and the contents of the tip jar divided between them. Since she owned the café, she didn’t think it fair to keep a portion of the tips for herself.

  “Besides, the lemon meringues are selling well. I can make a couple of extra batches and we should make that money back in no time.”

  “We’d better go through the register now and double check there aren’t any other phonies,” Mitch advised.

  They carefully checked each bill, not just the twenties, with Zoe peering over Lauren’s shoulder, but all the rest seemed legitimate.

  “Good.” Mitch nodded. “Are we still on for dinner tonight?”

  “I definitely need to do something nice after today.” She turned to Zoe. “Are you okay for cat sitting duty tonight?”

  “Yeah.” Zoe thought for a moment. “Maybe
Chris can come over and keep me – and Annie – company. I wonder if Mrs. Snuggle will like him?”

  “That’s a great idea.” Lauren smiled. His easygoing personality was a perfect foil for Zoe’s impulsiveness.

  Zoe fished her phone out of her pocket and started texting. “He can make it, and he’ll bring burgers from Gary’s for us.”

  “Mrs. Snuggle might like to try one,” Lauren suggested.

  “Brrt!”

  “Good idea.” Zoe’s thumbs got another work-out on the keypad. “All set.” She looked up from her device a minute later, a pleased expression on her face.

  Lauren almost envied her cousin’s night in with great burgers, but she was looking forward to having Mitch to herself. A romantic dinner for just the two of them was what she needed.

  “I’ll follow up with Hans, and Ed,” he told her. “And Virginia – do you know any more about her?”

  “No, but Martha might. They belong to the scrapbooking group that meet at the church hall.”

  “We’ve had more reports about people finding counterfeits in their registers, but it’s been mostly bigger businesses.”

  “Maybe they passed the funny money onto their customers without realizing, and now one of them has given it to us,” Zoe mused.

  “Probably.” Mitch nodded.

  He said goodbye to them, including Annie, then left for the police station.

  “It’s nearly time to close.” Zoe peered at Lauren’s watch. “What time is Mitch picking you up?”

  “Seven-thirty.”

  “Chris is coming around then.”

  The last few customers departed just before five. Zoe stacked the chairs, while Lauren vacuumed and cleaned the counter. Ed had already gone home.

  “What are you going to wear tonight?” Zoe asked.

  “My plum wrap dress.” She liked the way it flattered her curves and her light brown, shoulder length hair. It was one of Mitch’s favorite outfits as well.

  When they entered the cottage, Mrs. Snuggle was still on the sofa, but her lunch had vanished.

  “Brrt,” Annie greeted her, and began chatting.

  “Maybe she’s telling Mrs. Snuggle about burger night.” Zoe smiled at the two felines.

  “I think you’re right.” Lauren grabbed a quick shower, then took her time getting dressed. She wondered if the topic of the jewelry store Mitch had visited late last year would come up. If it didn’t, she wouldn’t force it.

  Their relationship had been serious for a while now. They’d met each other’s parents, and both meetings had gone well. If Mitch did ask her to marry him one day, she knew what her answer would be, and she suspected she knew what Annie’s would be, too.

  Just the thought of Mitch proposing made her heart pound and flutter at the same time, as crazy as that might sound.

  When the doorbell sounded, Lauren gave a little start. She’d been sitting on her bed, wrapped up in daydreams.

  “Mitch is here!” Zoe yelled. “So is Chris!”

  Lauren picked up her purse and hurried to the front door. Annie beat her to it. She’d been keeping Mrs. Snuggle company in the living room.

  “Brrt!” She looked up at the two guys on the doorstep.

  Chris was in his late twenties with even, attractive features.

  “Hi, Annie.” He smiled down at the cat. “I’ve got burgers for all of us.”

  “Brrt!” Thank you!

  “Hi Chris,” Lauren greeted him.

  “Hi. I hope you guys have a good night out.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I think we will.” Mitch smiled at his friend.

  Zoe ushered in Chris and shooed out Lauren.

  “I don’t think even Mrs. Snuggle will be able to resist a burger from Gary’s,” she joked. “Go and have a good time.”

  “Thanks.” Lauren was glad her cousin had back-up in the form of Chris. She really seemed to be taking Mrs. Snuggle’s sadness over Father Mike’s absence to heart.

  “Where are we going?” she asked Mitch when they were seated in his car. The night sky was dark with a sliver of a glowing moon.

  “I thought the bistro – unless you’d rather go somewhere else?”

  “No, I’d like to go there.” She smiled at him in the dim interior.

  The bistro was one of their go-to places. Located on the outskirts of Gold Leaf Valley, it was rustic yet elegant.

  When they arrived, they were greeted with a string of fairy lights decorating the outside of the building.

  “How pretty.” Lauren smiled.

  “Not as pretty as you,” Mitch told her in a low tone.

  “Ohh.” She knew she was blushing.

  Mitch took her hand as they walked inside. The hostess seated them right away. Half the tables were full, and the low buzz of conversation filled the air.

  Once they gave their orders – steak with mushrooms for Mitch, and baked salmon for Lauren – she gave him her full attention. He looked a little tired with the hint of faint shadows under his eyes.

  “How’s the counterfeit case going?” she kept her voice down.

  “My boss is definitely interested in one of the fake bills reaching your café. I caught Ed at home late this afternoon, but he said he didn’t notice anything when he was taking orders today. He said he feels really bad about it.”

  “He shouldn’t. I’ll tell him so tomorrow. It could have been my fault.”

  “Don’t blame yourself.” He captured her hand across the table. “These phony bills have fooled a lot of people.”

  She suddenly remembered what Gavin had been doing in Father Mike’s study that morning. So much had happened today, and that incident now seemed a long time ago.

  “Hmm,” Mitch said thoughtfully when she finished telling him. “That is interesting. Did you notice anything out of place at the parsonage?”

  “No, but Zoe and I have only been there a few times. I don’t know if I would notice if anything was awry.”

  “He could have been doing exactly what he said he was – picking up the church collection money. You said Father Mike left a note for him with the bank account details.”

  “Yes,” Lauren replied slowly. “You don’t think he could have had anything to do with the counterfeit money, do you? Like swapping a fake bill from the collection money with one of his own, and passing the counterfeit at a store, so the church wouldn’t lose out when he deposited the collection at the bank, and the teller spotted the phony bill?”

  “Has Gavin come into the café?”

  “No.” She shook her head.

  “So he couldn’t have passed the fake twenty there.”

  “Forget it. It was a silly idea.”

  “None of your ideas are silly. Maybe he did do what you suggested. If he’d heard about counterfeit bills being passed in the area, and he knew what he was looking for, he could have swapped a phony twenty with his own money, and then spent the fake money at a store. Even if that bill didn’t end up at your café, it could be in another business’s register right now.

  “Don’t worry,” he continued. “I’m going to make sure I catch whoever’s doing this.”

  “I know you will.” She relished the feel of her hand in his larger one. Mitch was a great detective. “What about Detective Castern? Is he on a different case?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “Someone is stealing motorhomes in the area, between here and Sacramento. He’s been tasked with that.”

  Detective Castern did not get along with Mitch – or anyone else, it seemed. Lauren was glad he was on a different case, and it sounded like he might be out in the field a lot as well.

  As they ate their entrees, they discussed their plans for the weekend.

  “When is Father Mike getting back from Florida?”

  “Late afternoon on Saturday. He said he wants to take the Sunday service as usual.”

  “So you or Zoe will need to cat sit Saturday afternoon.”

  “Yes.” She hadn’t thought of that.

  “Why don
’t I come over and keep you and Annie company?”

  “That would be great. Father Mike said he’d pick up Mrs. Snuggle on the way home from the airport.”

  “We could order pizza for dinner,” he suggested.

  “What about inviting Zoe and Chris as well? We could turn it into a double date, and you know they both love pizza.”

  “Yeah.” He chuckled. “If it’s okay with you.”

  “It is.” The four of them regularly double dated now, and it seemed the perfect solution to looking after Mrs. Snuggle.

  “I’m sorry I’ve been busy with work lately,” he apologized.

  “It’s okay.” She understood, just how he seemed to understand that the café took up a lot of her time.

  “What about Sunday? We could have lunch at the winery – maybe inside their café if the weather isn’t good.”

  “I’d like that,” she replied. Having lunch in the vineyard gardens had become one of their regular places as well. “But maybe Zoe and I should go to church in the morning. When Father Mike told us he was taking a sermon writing workshop this week, I felt guilty because I haven’t attended much lately.”

  “I understand.” He held her hand across the table again. “Why don’t I come with you?”

  “Really?” Mitch’s church attendance was more sporadic than hers.

  “Yeah, I’d like to.” His dark brown eyes looked at her with warmth and love.

  “Okay.” Her voice was a little breathless.

  She wondered if now he was going to mention being at the jewelry store a few months ago, but nothing more was said.

  When Mitch drove her home, he kissed her goodnight tenderly on the porch.

  “Would you like to stay over?” she asked, hoping his answer would be yes. He kept a few things in one of her dresser drawers.

  “I’d love to.” He hesitated. “But I’ve got an early start in the morning.” He checked his watch in the warm porch light Zoe must have put on for them. “It’s later than I thought.”

  “It is?”

  He showed her his complicated watch face, which included a calendar and compass.

  “Eleven?”

  “Yeah.” He chuckled.

  The time had flown by that evening.

  “I’ll stop by the café tomorrow,” he promised, kissing her once more.

  “I hope so.” She reached up and met his lips one final time.