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mournful.
    “Yes, I’m afraid so.”
    I watched the girl as she looked toward the barn. “And the cats?”
    “The cats are safe.”
    The girl let out a breath. “That’s good. When I got here and they were gone I was afraid something bad had happened to them.”
    “Why would you think that?” I wondered.
    “Edna told me there were bad people who were trying to take the cats away from her. She was worried about what might happen to them if the bad people got their way.”
    I was momentarily taken aback when I realized Nona, Aspen, and I were most likely the bad people the girl was referring to. “I run a shelter in town,” I assured the girl. “We made sure they were all tucked in nice and comfy.”
    “I know who you are. You’re Zoe.”
    “That’s right. What’s your name?”
    “Shawna Brighton.”
    “So how do you know my name is Zoe?”
    “My friend Tucker told me about you. He said sometimes you pay him if he finds lost animals.”
    “Yeah, sometimes Tucker helps me out. Do you know him from school?”
    “No, I’m homeschooled, but one of Tucker’s aunts lives next to me. He comes and stays with her sometimes and we hang out. Can I come to see the cats at the shelter?”
    “Maybe this afternoon, if it’s okay with your mother. Did you come to see the cats yesterday?”
    “No. My mom made me go to Bryton Lake with her for the weekend and we didn’t get back until late last night.”
    “When was the last time you came by to play with the cats?”
    “Last week.”
    “Can you be more specific?”
    “I guess it was Wednesday. No, not Wednesday; Thursday. I remember Tucker was here on Thursday and we came together.” Shawna looked down the road. “I better go. My mom doesn’t like me to talk to strangers. If she finds out that I’ve been talking to you, I’ll get a whippin’ for sure.”
    I looked at Ellie after Shawna had taken off down the street. “A whipping?”
    Ellie shrugged.
    “Let’s take a walk around the property and then we can head next door to see if Tilly is home,” I suggested. I stood in the drive and looked toward Edna’s house. It wasn’t a bad place as houses went. Two stories with green shutters, it actually had quite a bit of curb appeal in spite of the fact that it was somewhat weathered and Edna had done absolutely nothing to the natural landscape.
    The barn where the cats had been housed was perhaps fifty yards south of the house. It was white as well, and from the outside it looked like any other barn in the area. If you didn’t know any better, you would assume it was used for horses or other livestock; it was only after you entered the interior of the building that you realized the space was designed to house the dozens of cats Edna bred.
    Ellie received a phone call shortly after we arrived so I looked around the property, then went alone to Tilly’s. Unlike Edna’s house, which could use a bit of TLC, Tilly’s house, as well as the surrounding acreage, was immaculate. I rang the bell and waited on the front porch. The drive was devoid of automobiles, but I was sure I could hear the sound of a television coming from the back of the house.
    “Can I help you?” a nicely dressed woman asked after answering the door.
    “Hi, my name is Zoe Donovan.”
    “Oh, I know who you are. You’re the shelter owner who’s trying to shut down the cat factory next door.”
    A cat factory was an interesting way to refer to Edna’s enterprise, but I supposed it was accurate. “Yes, I own the animal shelter in town. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.”
    “About the cats?”
    “Actually, about Edna’s murder.”
    Tilly squinted and tightened her lips. I was expecting a flat-out refusal when she opened the door and invited me in. Her home was as immaculate on the inside as it was on the outside, so I asked Charlie to wait for me on the porch.
    “Can I get you a cold beverage?” Tilly offered.
    “No. I’ll just keep you a minute. Your home is