The Extortion Cat-astrophe: A Beatrice Young Cozy Cat Mystery (Beatrice Young Cozy Cat Mysteries Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

up.”
    They shoveled down pancakes with wild blueberries and birch syrup at Beatrice’s kitchen breakfast nook. Light streamed through the tall windows that looked over the forest. It promised to be a beautiful fall day. A sugar maple right outside the window had burst into flame and its showy leaves swayed in the breeze.
    “Nice day for a drive,” Beatrice commented.
    Matthew shot her a sharp look. “A drive where?”
    “Waitsfield?”
    He put down his fork. “What are we going to do Bee? Go around asking questions about Tony Parsons? Sounds like the easiest way to get shot.”
    “What do you think I am, an amateur? We need an excuse to go there. Something that will make us look legit. Oh wait!” She went running outside and retrieved the local paper. Sitting back at the barstool, she eagerly scanned its pages. “I was right! Waitsfield has their annual fall carnival today. We’ll just be a couple of regular tourists.”
    “Everyone knows the Ashbrook Fall Fair is way better,” Matthew said, grinning.
    “No need to be a snob. Today we put aside our allegiances in the name of Nathan.”
    “Hear, hear.”
    Beatrice’s smartphone buzzed. A text popped up from Zoe: Hunter asked me if it was okay if he could crash at my place for a while. He wants to move all his stuff in. What do you think?
    She sighed and put the phone back down. “Looks like we’re taking Zoe too.”

7
    “Everyone knows the Waitsfield Fall Carnival is nowhere near as good as Ashbrook’s Fall Fair,” Zoe complained from the backseat of he car.
    “That’s what I said,” Matthew chimed in.
    “We’re not going for the carnival. We’re going for a very specific reason that you’re not allowed to know about,” Beatrice replied.
    “See, that’s just weird,” Zoe said. “And anyway, I really should be hanging out with Hunter…”
    “No way,” Beatrice and Matthew said in unison.
    “Listen, no one without a steady job should invite themselves to live in your apartment,” Beatrice continued firmly. “And I really should be spending the day testing recipes for the Fall Fair.” Her hands clenched on the wheel. “Abigail can’t win three times in a row. I can’t let it happen.”
    “I don’t know if you’re more upset about Nate or this baking competition,” Matthew said.
    “Who’s Nate?” Zoe asked.
    “No one!” the two others said.
    “I have my priorities straight,” Beatrice hissed. “Which is exactly why I’m hijacking your day off so that we can stalk a bunch of people we don’t know at a really bad carnival.”
    Matthew snorted. “Well okay, now that we’re all on the same page.”
    “Mrrrrow!” cried Lucky mournfully from his carrier. Hamish sat alongside, still looking put out by Lucky’s discovery of the toddler toy ring.
    Beatrice tried to pretend, as she drove along, that they were going on a road trip and not on a trip to get in danger. The lonely road out to Waitsfield wound through the mountains full of blue spruce and alders. Deer sprinted across the road and they spotted a great bald eagle sitting on a huge oak tree by Stowe Lake.
    She turned on her favorite Golden Oldies radio station and hummed along. Zoe hid behind her smartphone. With her slouchy knit cap and pout she looked more like a teenager than a 23-year-old. Beatrice ignored her. She was determined to enjoy her day off, knowing that the café was in the excellent hands of her support staff.
    After about half an hour of driving, they pulled into the grounds of the Waitsfield elementary school. White tents were set up on the soccer field and the parking lot was full of cars. Beatrice immediately felt her spirit lift as she got out of the car. The air was crisp, the foliage colorful, and the scent of spiced cider and boiled corn permeated the air.
    “Oh there’s a chicken and lobster tent!” Matthew said, perking up.
    “Thinking with your stomach, as per usual,” Beatrice commented. She let the cats out of the car and shook her