Murder of the Cat's Meow: A Scumble River Mystery Read Online Free
Author: Denise Swanson
hunting millionaires.
“Well…” Frannie studied her white tennis shoes. “Miss Bunny, Justin, and I were all sitting around one night after the bowling alley closed and Miss Bunny was going on and on about how hard it was to meet men because she lived in a small town and was a little bit older and all.”
“And?”
“I might have mentioned Internet dating.” Frannie refused to meet Skye’s gaze.
“Oh, my Lord,” Skye moaned. Bunny loose in the virtual world was a recipe for catastrophe. “But how did you get from Bunny’s lack of dates to this?” Skye pointed to the cages and people.
“Justin possibly brought up the idea that we could start an online matchmaking site of our own, and MissBunny could have her pick of the guys who signed up,
and
we could make money, too.”
“Crap!” Skye still didn’t see how an online dating service had morphed into a cat show, but she knew the answer wouldn’t make her happy. “So Justin, as the resident computer genius, helped Bunny create a matchmaking service,” Skye guessed.
“Right.” Frannie grinned. “We decided it should specialize in people who lived in small Illinois towns and were over forty.”
“Okay…” Skye frowned. Their idea actually sounded like a good one—sort of.
“Bunny decided to name the site CupidsCatsMeow.com because
The Cat’s Meow
was her most successful Las Vegas show.” Frannie paused, as if Skye should be able to figure out the rest, but when she remained silent, the young woman continued. “Most of the people who signed up thought it was a service for single cat lovers looking to meet other single cat lovers. So we thought—what the heck.”
“What the heck?” Skye cringed. That’s why putting Bunny together with the young people was so dangerous; instead of careful consideration, all three of them leaped into the situation without considering the consequences. Not that Skye could criticize the trio, considering her own flying tackle half an hour ago.
“Uh-huh.” Frannie nodded, beaming. “Why not have a combination cat show and speed-dating weekend right here in Scumble River? We had the bowling alley to hold the events—”
“And I researched cat shows,” Justin Boward said, strolling into the office and taking over the story. “From what I read, cat shows can be held anywhere from high school gyms to five-star hotels.”
At nineteen, Justin seemed to have had reached his full height of six-two. His weight was finally catching upwith his height, though he would probably always have a slender build. He kept his nutmeg brown hair cut military short, but his new glasses no longer hid his long-lashed brown eyes. He hadn’t been an attractive teenager, but he was turning into a nice-looking young man.
“And we could charge sixty bucks per cat for the show and seventy-five dollars for the speed dating,” Frannie added. “We’d also make money from the cage rental, vendor table fee, and food and drinks.”
“Does Simon know about this?” Skye was pretty darn sure he didn’t.
“No.” Frannie’s expression was angelic. “Miss Bunny didn’t want to bother him. He’s spending the weekend with a friend in St. Louis.”
The hairs on the back of Skye’s neck stood at full attention. Was her reaction caused by the thought of what Simon would do to Bunny when he found out, or by the idea of a bunch of strangers invading Scumble River? From hard-learned experience, Skye knew for a fact that bringing in a crowd of out-of-towners nearly always resulted in murder.
CHAPTER 3
Who’ll Bell the Cat?
B ecause the event had proven to need more manpower than they had expected, Bunny, Justin, and Frannie had begged Skye to stick around and help out. Although all the trio could offer was minimum wage and free meals in return, Skye had agreed to stay. She loved cats and didn’t have any plans for the weekend. Besides, Trixie had given her a necklace engraved with the words LIFE BEGINS AT THE END OF YOUR COMFORT
“Well…” Frannie studied her white tennis shoes. “Miss Bunny, Justin, and I were all sitting around one night after the bowling alley closed and Miss Bunny was going on and on about how hard it was to meet men because she lived in a small town and was a little bit older and all.”
“And?”
“I might have mentioned Internet dating.” Frannie refused to meet Skye’s gaze.
“Oh, my Lord,” Skye moaned. Bunny loose in the virtual world was a recipe for catastrophe. “But how did you get from Bunny’s lack of dates to this?” Skye pointed to the cages and people.
“Justin possibly brought up the idea that we could start an online matchmaking site of our own, and MissBunny could have her pick of the guys who signed up,
and
we could make money, too.”
“Crap!” Skye still didn’t see how an online dating service had morphed into a cat show, but she knew the answer wouldn’t make her happy. “So Justin, as the resident computer genius, helped Bunny create a matchmaking service,” Skye guessed.
“Right.” Frannie grinned. “We decided it should specialize in people who lived in small Illinois towns and were over forty.”
“Okay…” Skye frowned. Their idea actually sounded like a good one—sort of.
“Bunny decided to name the site CupidsCatsMeow.com because
The Cat’s Meow
was her most successful Las Vegas show.” Frannie paused, as if Skye should be able to figure out the rest, but when she remained silent, the young woman continued. “Most of the people who signed up thought it was a service for single cat lovers looking to meet other single cat lovers. So we thought—what the heck.”
“What the heck?” Skye cringed. That’s why putting Bunny together with the young people was so dangerous; instead of careful consideration, all three of them leaped into the situation without considering the consequences. Not that Skye could criticize the trio, considering her own flying tackle half an hour ago.
“Uh-huh.” Frannie nodded, beaming. “Why not have a combination cat show and speed-dating weekend right here in Scumble River? We had the bowling alley to hold the events—”
“And I researched cat shows,” Justin Boward said, strolling into the office and taking over the story. “From what I read, cat shows can be held anywhere from high school gyms to five-star hotels.”
At nineteen, Justin seemed to have had reached his full height of six-two. His weight was finally catching upwith his height, though he would probably always have a slender build. He kept his nutmeg brown hair cut military short, but his new glasses no longer hid his long-lashed brown eyes. He hadn’t been an attractive teenager, but he was turning into a nice-looking young man.
“And we could charge sixty bucks per cat for the show and seventy-five dollars for the speed dating,” Frannie added. “We’d also make money from the cage rental, vendor table fee, and food and drinks.”
“Does Simon know about this?” Skye was pretty darn sure he didn’t.
“No.” Frannie’s expression was angelic. “Miss Bunny didn’t want to bother him. He’s spending the weekend with a friend in St. Louis.”
The hairs on the back of Skye’s neck stood at full attention. Was her reaction caused by the thought of what Simon would do to Bunny when he found out, or by the idea of a bunch of strangers invading Scumble River? From hard-learned experience, Skye knew for a fact that bringing in a crowd of out-of-towners nearly always resulted in murder.
CHAPTER 3
Who’ll Bell the Cat?
B ecause the event had proven to need more manpower than they had expected, Bunny, Justin, and Frannie had begged Skye to stick around and help out. Although all the trio could offer was minimum wage and free meals in return, Skye had agreed to stay. She loved cats and didn’t have any plans for the weekend. Besides, Trixie had given her a necklace engraved with the words LIFE BEGINS AT THE END OF YOUR COMFORT
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