Dead Men and Cats

By Aya Walksfar

The quiet, agricultural community of Shadow Island is suddenly beset by violence. A dead man and a live calico kitten are discovered floating in an old rowboat in Shallow Point Cove. Then Dan Uley's bookstore is firebombed. With a black cat.
Both men were gay.
Sheriff Johnson,Known to have harsh feelings toward gays, makes no progress in catching the culprit.
Lesbian couple and long-time residents, Megan Albright and Janie Sampson, fearing the rash of violence is not over and questioning the sheriff's effectiveness, begin investigating the crimes.
When their friend, Dan, is gruesomely murdered, they know time is running out to find his killer for there is no telling who will be the next to die.
They never thought the trail would lead to a well-liked young man that they both counted as a friend.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aya Walksfar
• Release date: Dec 29, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301019762

Aya Walksfar

Born on the wrong side of life,I learned to make myself invisible, to be so quiet that no one noticed me in the shadows. My illiterate grandfather, and nearly illiterate grandmother valued books and education; consequently, they coaxed a Carnegie Librarian to teach me to read and write by age six.When I was nine years old, my grandfather was murdered; the killer never apprehended. Writing allowed me to deal with my anger and grief by changing the ending of that particular reality: I wrote murder stories.I published my first poem and my first journalistic articles around the age of fourteen. It was a time of countrywide unrest and riots.After that, I never stopped writing--poems, articles, short stories, novels.Good Intentions (first edition), a literary novel, received the Alice B. Reader Award for Excellence in 2002.Sketch of a Murder and Street Harvest have made Amazon's Top 100 Bestseller's Lists several times.

Book preview

Other Books by Aya Walksfar

Murder Mysteries

Sketch of a Murder, Book one, Special Crimes Team

Street Harvest , Book Two, Special Crimes Team

Old Woman Gone, Book Three, Special Crimes Team

Backlash!, Book Four, Special Crimes Team

Literary Novels

Good Intentions

Run or Die

Dead Men and Cats

Aya Walksfar

Published by Wild Haven Press

Smashwords Edition

This book is a work of fiction. With the exception of recognized historical figures, the characters in this novel are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright 2014 by Aya Walksfar

Third Edition

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use this author’s material work other than for reviews, prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

Cover Art: Deva Walksfar

Dedication

To my wife of 25 years, Deva.

Thank you for being you, and for choosing me.

To my sister, Lois Dodson.

Your unwavering belief in me gives me wings to soar.

Chapter 1

On that sun-bright day in late September, Megan Albright and Janie Sampson never expected to discover a dead man and a live calico kitten floating around Shallow Point Cove in an old wooden rowboat. And, they certainly never thought it would lead to Dan Uley’s Island Bookstore being firebombed. With a black cat.

That Saturday had started out lazy with them lingering over breakfast. After their meal they drove over to Janie’s riding stables and cared for the schooling horses, the horses boarded there and their own horses.

Heading home, Megan had swung onto the gravel shoulder of the road. Let’s walk on the beach. We haven’t been here in fifty forevers.

Janie smilingly followed her life partner to the gray gravelly sand of Shallow Point Cove. A few seashells and various sizes of driftwood littered the beach, scattered by the careless hand of the incoming tides. Not much grew this close to the high tide line, not even the tough, seaside grasses.

A quarter of a mile down the beach, Megan reached down and picked up a twisted piece of bleached driftwood, carrying it along as her hands absently ran over its water-smoothed surface. She tossed the driftwood to the side and glanced over at Janie. So, what do you think? Now that it’s legal, should we run off and get married?

Janie threw her head back and laughed, that sexy, joyous laugh that was uniquely hers.

Her laugh always made Megan smile. What’s so funny?

Even after all these years, Janie’s hair was still a lustrous auburn that hung halfway down her slender back. The laugh lines bracketing her azure eyes and full lips made what might have been a plain face, with a nose that was a little too sharp, an intriguing face.

Arms linked, Janie reached over and tucked a stray strand of salt-and- pepper hair behind Megan’s ear. We’ve been together for twenty-five years and now you’re proposing to me?

Marriage hasn’t been a possibility before and, well, I just thought…. She halted mid-stride and squinted in the late afternoon sun toward the water. Is that a boat over there? She pointed at a partially submerged, driftwood tree.

Janie focused out over the placid, blue-green waters of the cove. Yes, it is. Wonder what lucky fisherman forgot to tie up securely?

Megan snorted. Whoever it was lucked out. If that tree hadn’t caught it, it would have floated out of the cove when the tide changes.

She was about to turn away and resume her conversation with Janie when a calico kitten clambered to the side of the boat and leapt for the mostly-debarked tree. Tiny feet scrambled for purchase on the slick wood. Just as the kitten appeared doomed to fall into the water, it leapt back into the boat.

Megan looked over at Janie. Lower lip caught between her not-quite-straight teeth, eyes wide, brows furrowed in worry, she drew in a breath to speak. Megan held up her hand. Don’t even say it. Smiling, she disentangled her arm from Janie’s and toed off her Adidas Cross Trainers then rolled up her navy blue sweat pants. As they hurried to the edge of the water, she grumbled good-naturedly. Darn water’s going to be cold. Don’t matter if it is sixty-five degrees today.

At the edge of the water, Janie took Megan’s shoes, and gave her a light kiss on the lips. I’ll fix supper tonight.

Megan grinned, a sly look in her dark eyes. Humph! With German Chocolate cake?

Okay, with German Chocolate cake. Happy? Now get out there before that poor baby falls in and drowns. She playfully shoved Megan’s shoulder.

Halfway out to the boat, the gravelly bottom dropped from beneath Megan’s bare feet, dumping her into waist deep water. She sucked in a sharp breath and tossed over her shoulder, Oh, man, I should’ve held out for more. This water is freezing!

Big wuss! Janie called back, laughing.

The prow of the little boat had jammed into the fork of the tree. She grabbed the weathered side with one hand and pulled. The boat gave enough for her to stretch her five-foot-ten height and look into it. Her smile vanished.

A man, dressed in faded jeans and a t-shirt, so bloody she couldn’t tell what color it had been, lay in the bottom of the boat, stuffed between the wooden slat seats. The kitten cowered next to him, dried blood streaking its side.

As Shadow Island’s lead paramedic, Megan had seen her share of dead bodies--bodies shattered by gunshots and ripped open by knifes, but never a body so brutalized as this one. She reached over and scooped the kitten up, her hand briefly skimming the man’s rubbery arm.

***

Dan Uley handed Megan her vanilla latte. What’s Johnny doing about that dead man?

She sipped her coffee then wiped the foam mustache from her upper lip with a paper napkin. What makes you think he’d tell me anything?

He shrugged as he poured