our dinner from the Butters when I got back and eaten most of it. I felt obliged to give therest of it to Teezle, and now they seem to have settled in for the evening.’
‘Well, that’s what they think! Just follow my lead, but hang on to Teezle – I need to have a quick word with her before she goes.’ Hettie acted swiftly, pulling the TV plug out of the socket to cut short Teezle and Bruiser’s backing vocals to I Will Survive and bring the impromptu party to an end. ‘Sorry about that,’ she said, ‘but we’ve a very important client calling in on us this evening and I’m afraid you’ll have to make yourselves scarce.’
Tilly marvelled at Hettie’s ingenuity and played her part by scurrying around collecting the empty plates, folding her blanket and fetching Teezle’s coat. Bruiser stretched and yawned.
‘Well, I s’pose I’d better make a move. ’Spect it’s a cold old night out there, and I’d better find me a bit o’ shelter afore the frost settles.’
Hettie spotted the paraffin can by the door. ‘No need for that, Bruiser. You can stay in our shed for as long as you like. There are cushions and blankets and we picked up some paraffin for the old stove – you’ll be snug in there.’ Hettie was doing her best to sound hospitable but inside she was seething; after the day she’d had, the last thing she needed was an overweight post-cat and a stray from her past clogging up the fireside.
Bruiser sprang from Hettie’s chair and followedher out into the backyard, keen to be settled in for the night. Hettie returned minutes later as Teezle Makepeace was about to leave.
‘Before you go, Teezle, I need your help. Miss Spitforce mentioned that she had a sister and a niece – we need to get in touch with them. I don’t suppose they’re on your post round?’
Teezle’s face lit up at the thought of assisting in the investigation. ‘I know where her sister lives, but they don’t get on.’
Hettie sighed. ‘Well, maybe when she knows Mavis is dead they’ll get on better.’ It seemed an odd thing to say but it had been a long day and Hettie’s reasoning was more accurate than she could have hoped.
Teezle wasn’t sure whether she should laugh or not, but Tilly came to the rescue. ‘Shall I jot down the address?’
‘We should phone her tonight,’ Hettie said. ‘The sooner she knows, the better.’
Teezle shook her head. ‘No chance of that. She’s hardly got enough to feed herself, let alone afford a telephone. She lives in one of those tiny flats at the bottom of Cheapcuts Lane – number 7.’
Hettie sighed again. ‘Well, it’ll have to wait for the morning. I’ll call round on my way to Miss Spitforce’s. There’s a lot to be done there, and I don’t want anyone disturbing the crime scene until I’ve gathered all the evidence. I think the sister should betold, though – unless of course she knows already.’
There was a silence as the three cats looked at each other. Tilly broke the spell by reaching for her notepad and jotting down the address. Keen for Teezle to be on her way, Hettie hesitated over asking any more questions – and if she was honest, the biggest question was what was for dinner now that Teezle and Bruiser had made short work of the Butters’ best steak pies – but the case had to be solved, and the post-cat was perfectly placed to supply local information.
‘Before you go, Teezle, tell me what you know about Miss Spitforce. Was she well-liked in the community?’
Teezle thought for a moment. ‘Well, she was always nice to me. I think some cats found her a bit scary because she was clever and always reading difficult books with long words. She liked doing those family history things, and she made big charts tracing who belonged to whom. She often had one on the go when I stopped in for a chat. She did them for her friends, I think.’
‘Did you notice any particular family names in her research?’ asked Hettie, not sure whether this was an
‘Well, that’s what they think! Just follow my lead, but hang on to Teezle – I need to have a quick word with her before she goes.’ Hettie acted swiftly, pulling the TV plug out of the socket to cut short Teezle and Bruiser’s backing vocals to I Will Survive and bring the impromptu party to an end. ‘Sorry about that,’ she said, ‘but we’ve a very important client calling in on us this evening and I’m afraid you’ll have to make yourselves scarce.’
Tilly marvelled at Hettie’s ingenuity and played her part by scurrying around collecting the empty plates, folding her blanket and fetching Teezle’s coat. Bruiser stretched and yawned.
‘Well, I s’pose I’d better make a move. ’Spect it’s a cold old night out there, and I’d better find me a bit o’ shelter afore the frost settles.’
Hettie spotted the paraffin can by the door. ‘No need for that, Bruiser. You can stay in our shed for as long as you like. There are cushions and blankets and we picked up some paraffin for the old stove – you’ll be snug in there.’ Hettie was doing her best to sound hospitable but inside she was seething; after the day she’d had, the last thing she needed was an overweight post-cat and a stray from her past clogging up the fireside.
Bruiser sprang from Hettie’s chair and followedher out into the backyard, keen to be settled in for the night. Hettie returned minutes later as Teezle Makepeace was about to leave.
‘Before you go, Teezle, I need your help. Miss Spitforce mentioned that she had a sister and a niece – we need to get in touch with them. I don’t suppose they’re on your post round?’
Teezle’s face lit up at the thought of assisting in the investigation. ‘I know where her sister lives, but they don’t get on.’
Hettie sighed. ‘Well, maybe when she knows Mavis is dead they’ll get on better.’ It seemed an odd thing to say but it had been a long day and Hettie’s reasoning was more accurate than she could have hoped.
Teezle wasn’t sure whether she should laugh or not, but Tilly came to the rescue. ‘Shall I jot down the address?’
‘We should phone her tonight,’ Hettie said. ‘The sooner she knows, the better.’
Teezle shook her head. ‘No chance of that. She’s hardly got enough to feed herself, let alone afford a telephone. She lives in one of those tiny flats at the bottom of Cheapcuts Lane – number 7.’
Hettie sighed again. ‘Well, it’ll have to wait for the morning. I’ll call round on my way to Miss Spitforce’s. There’s a lot to be done there, and I don’t want anyone disturbing the crime scene until I’ve gathered all the evidence. I think the sister should betold, though – unless of course she knows already.’
There was a silence as the three cats looked at each other. Tilly broke the spell by reaching for her notepad and jotting down the address. Keen for Teezle to be on her way, Hettie hesitated over asking any more questions – and if she was honest, the biggest question was what was for dinner now that Teezle and Bruiser had made short work of the Butters’ best steak pies – but the case had to be solved, and the post-cat was perfectly placed to supply local information.
‘Before you go, Teezle, tell me what you know about Miss Spitforce. Was she well-liked in the community?’
Teezle thought for a moment. ‘Well, she was always nice to me. I think some cats found her a bit scary because she was clever and always reading difficult books with long words. She liked doing those family history things, and she made big charts tracing who belonged to whom. She often had one on the go when I stopped in for a chat. She did them for her friends, I think.’
‘Did you notice any particular family names in her research?’ asked Hettie, not sure whether this was an
Similar Books
