Deadly Diamond: A Murfy the Cat Mystery Read Free Page B

beginning of time has been utterly and amazingly unique.”
    –– Jenny de Vries

    CHAPTER FOUR: More Than Somewhat Involved

    Alyx had met David Hunter eight months earlier, and had not been aware of her attraction for him during an awful ordeal that had brought them together. Afterwards, he’d kept in touch by visiting Antiques & Designs once or twice a month, purchasing several items along the way, such as a painting for his home and a scale of justice sculpture for his office.
    When he mentioned to Alyx that he collected first edition books, she offered to help him locate one he said he’d had no success finding. Although books weren’t her specialty, Alyx knew a dealer in rare books. It took months to find it and when she presented the book to David a week later, he invited her to dinner to celebrate.
    Alyx denied being nervous about seeing Hunter––but I knew she was––she only made chamomile tea when she was nervous. While the tea steeped, she took off her beige linen skirt and striped green blouse that she was wearing, and slipped on her yellow terry bathrobe that was hanging from a hook behind the bathroom door. She carried her tea and the mail to the screened porch, also called the lanai. She passed through the living room, her favorite room in the house after she’d repainted the walls antique white and added colorful Oriental rugs over the original wood floor. The new patio door was flanked by two tall windows that provided much-needed light and a great view of the tropical landscaped backyard.
    Her mail was the usual assortment of bills, credit card offers, advertisements, and more credit card offers. The only item of seeming interest was a short letter and a photo of a little girl, probably from her sister in Lansing, Michigan, where Alyx grew up and most of her family still lived.
    She finished her tea, set the mail aside, and said to no one in particular, “I wonder when I’ll get to be a grandmother.”
    Misty and Pooky followed her to the bedroom to watch her get ready, and informed me that she looked perfect, wearing an antique white silk blouse, brown slacks, and brown platform sandals.
    The doorbell chimed Hunter’s arrival. She opened the door, and he presented her with a pink rose in full bloom. “For a beautiful lady,” he said.
    She breathed in its fragrant scent and her cheeks turned the color of the rose. Hunter smiled sheepishly and stepped inside at her invitation. “It’s from my garden, personally cultivated.”
    “I would never have guessed that you like to play in the dirt. Do you do general gardening or do you specialize in growing roses?”
    “I do a little gardening for relaxation regrettably, not as much as I’d like.”
    “Let me put this in water, and I’m ready to go. Would you like to sit for a minute?”
    “I’ll wait here. Your cats will keep me company,” he said, bending over to scratch my ear.
    Alyx appeared calm. Any apprehension she might have felt on her first official date with Hunter appeared to be gone, and as much as I wanted to accompany her on her date, there was no way she was going to take me with her. I trusted Hunter to keep her safe, and I was sure I’d eventually hear all about it anyway.
    As everybody knows, cats don’t talk. However, we have other ways of communicating and often do, although never in the presence of humans. So following Alyx’s departure, I had something to discuss with my housemates and we all gathered in the living room.
    Even though Pooky wasn’t interested in coming to the store with Misty and me every day, she still liked the treats that Alyx brought home from the store, and she loved hearing the stories Misty and I had to tell about our day at work. Misty bounced ahead, jumped on the couch, via the coffee table, and unable to wait any longer, relayed what had happened, embellishing the part about being stepped on, taking her time describing in detail what the man did to her. Pooky rolled her eyes and suggested