“But the coroner said time of death was around midnight. Don’t tell me she was suffering all that time.” Cat felt horrified at the possibility.

  “I don’t think so. Jessi puts Todd at their house about eleven thirty. She asked her husband to throw away the zombie outfit. I’m thinking she passed out then.” Uncle Pete took a bite of his cake.

  The room was quiet as the truth settled in. Stephen sank into a chair. “I can’t believe Harriet was killed over some stupid affair. I mean, if I’d found out about Harriet and Todd, I would have at least tried marriage counseling.”

  Deek turned and looked at Stephen. “Dude, seriously? That’s what you got out of the discussion?”

  Stephen turned red and rubbed his hands. “Don’t get me wrong. I feel bad about Harriet. I loved my wife. But I think Todd and Jessi need anger management training.”

  “At the minimum,” Uncle Pete agreed. “Anyway, that’s all I came to say. I wanted you to know what I found out since the pictures you sent and the earring put the spot light on those two. Motive is a little wonky, but the evidence is pretty clear they were in the barn. I think Covington’s going to have to replace two professors this semester.”

  The mood at dinner was subdued but light. After finding out who had killed Harriet, everyone seemed to have a weight off their shoulders. Especially Stephen. He sipped his margarita and then set it down and turned to Cat. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course.” Cat turned her attention from the discussion between Deek and Seth regarding the best snowboarding runs in the area. She had a feeling Deek was coming back to Aspen Hills in a few months for at least a long weekend.

  “I don’t want to ruin the mood or anything, but something doesn’t make sense about the murder.” Stephen passed the chips to Pixie who had nudged his arm right when he’d gotten Cat’s attention.

  “What’s troubling you?” Cat turned all her focus on Stephen. She’d had an unsettled feeling since Uncle Pete’s visit as well. Not that she thought he didn’t have the right person, but something… Maybe the same thing was bothering Stephen.

  “It’s the costume. Why would Jessi dress Harriet in her own costume? That would point the finger directly at her.” Stephen sipped his drink again. “I can understand wanting to talk to the woman your husband is sleeping with. Maybe trying to reason with her. Maybe even killing her. But all changing clothes did was point the finger right at Jessi. Everyone at the party knew what costume she was wearing.”

  Cat blinked, taking in the information. Stephen was right. Jessi wouldn’t have changed costumes, even being upset. She pulled out her phone. “That’s what’s been bothering me, too. I need to call my uncle.”

  Seth caught her arm as she stood to leave the table to make a call. “Everything okay?”

  “Everything’s fine. I just need to talk with Uncle Pete for a second.”

  Seth dropped his hand as he looked from Stephen to Cat. “Don’t be long or I’ll come looking.”

  “You’ve always got my back, don’t you?” Cat asked.

  Seth nodded. “Always.”

  Cat left the busy dining room and found a quiet hall near the bathrooms. When her uncle picked up, she told him about Stephen’s questions. “I knew something felt off when you were talking to us. I don’t think Jessi killed Harriet. I think Todd came back later that night and tried to frame his wife for the murder.”

  “That would work and we should be able to prove it as long as our city traffic cams are working. We’ll probably need to follow his trail to find where he stashed the shovel and the witch costume, but I’m assuming it’s the dumpster near the Student Union. It’s dumped twice a week. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this angle. I need to go visit with one of my suspects before I finish these charging documents.”

  Cat pocketed her phone and made her way back to the dining room. It was time to announce the Word King or Queen for the session.

  The next morning, Deek picked up the Word King mug that Stephen had won the night before. Shauna had designed the cups last month and ordered several with King and Queen in different colors. They’d given Stephen a mug last night but told him he could choose a different color if he wanted that morning. “Dude, this is sick. I can’t believe you won. Not with everything you had going on.”

  “It’s all a matter of consistency.” Stephen poured more syrup on his waffle. “Little bits here and there make the words add up. You’ll figure it out. And, I kept forgetting to update my word count on the chart in the living room.”

  “Thanks, old wise one.” Deek shook his head and turned to Cat. “Are you taking us up to Denver?”

  “No, Seth’s driving you.” Cat looked out the window. The storm hadn’t come in yet and if the weather forecast was right, he should be back in Aspen Hills before the snow started. “I wanted to have one last breakfast with you guys before you leave. It’s been a fun retreat and I hope you all got what you wanted out of your stay.”

  “More than what I expected. I thought it would be some writing and a few classes. I thought it would be more on me to get things done, but it felt like we were all invested in each other’s progress.” Pixie smiled at the group. “I didn’t feel like it was all on me.”

  “That’s the feeling you need to find when you go home. I know the three of you will continue to support each other and you have a group, so I’m not worried about my California crew. It’s the other two that need to find accountability partners.” Cat looked at Dalton and Stephen.

  “Don’t look at me. I’ve got the writer group at the bookstore.” Stephen turned to Dalton. “Are you coming to the meeting on Wednesday?”

  “You make it sound like a twelve-step group,” Dalton complained. “Yeah, I’ll be there. And I’ve decided that I’m going to tell my school advisor what I’ve been working on. They can’t help me grow if they don’t know where I want to go, right?”

  “Exactly.” Cat leaned back and sipped her coffee. Another retreat in the books and they’d helped solve a murder as well. Talk about multi-tasking.

  After the guests left, Cat took the last tray of plates into the kitchen. “All cleared out. What else do you want me to do? I can strip the beds.”

  Shauna was boxing up cookies and other treats. “Actually, that’s on Monday’s list. Why don’t you run this box of treats over to your uncle? That way we get the leftovers out of the house and I don’t eat all of them.”

  “Are you sure? I got some words in early so I can help if you need me.” Cat looked around the almost clean kitchen. Shauna had already started a load in the dishwasher and besides the tray Cat had just brought in, there wasn’t much evidence that a retreat had even happened this last week.

  “Please. With closing up this case, Pete called to say he wouldn’t be at dinner tonight. So I thought he’d appreciate some sugar to keep him going.” Shauna pushed the box into Cat’s hands. “Besides, this way you get a walk in before the snow hits later this evening.”

  “Sound good to me.” Cat set the box down and went to grab a coat from the hooks by the door. “Are you sure you don’t want to come? You’ve been stuck in the house for the last week too.”

  “Actually, I’m thinking about taking Snow over to the arena later today. Especially since we’re not doing family meal tonight. I’ve asked Seth to bring home a couple of those take and bake pizzas from that place we love in Denver.” She glanced at her watch. “You better get going, I told your uncle you’d be there soon.”

  Cat put on her coat and then grabbed the box. “Okay, you’re missing out. But I get it if you’d rather spend time with your horse than me for a bit.”

  Shauna laughed and Cat made her way outside. The chill was there, not freezing, but she could tell the seasons had decided to change. Winter had arrived and would be bringing presents like snow and ice soon to change the outside to a magical white wonderland. It was one of the things she loved about living in Colorado. They had all four seasons.

  When she got to the station, a young woman she’d never met before sat at the reception desk. “Hi, I’m Cat Latimer and…”

  “You must be looking for your uncle. I’m sorry, Chief Edwards was called into a meeting just a few minutes ago. I’m Dolly. I’m the temp.” The woman came around the desk and held out her hands to take the box. “He said you were bringing him some treats. I’ll put them on his desk. The man eats too much junk, but at least this won’t be full of stuff like what he gets out of the vending machines. I bet his girlfriend is going to have a fit when she comes to visit.”

  Cat liked Dolly. She seemed to have a healthy attachment to Uncle Pete as her boss not like Penelope. “Make sure you grab a few of the cookies. Shauna has to be the best baker in Aspen Hills.”

  Dolly laughed. “I think my mom would argue that point, but I’ll try the cookies and let you know. Have a great day. The storm is supposed to dump five inches tonight. Can you believe it?”

  After she left the station, she decided to walk through the older section of town. She loved the big houses that, like hers, used to be part of the college. The past presidents and college deans were built houses to live in when the college was first founded. Now, over the years, the college had sold off the houses and they’d been remodeled and updated. But it still felt like she was walking in the past.

  When she passed by Dante Cornelio’s house, she could see from the black cars parked in front that her friend—or Michael’s friend, really—was in residence. Uncle Pete and Seth didn’t like her talking to Dante, mostly because of his status with the family that founded Covington. Being friends with a mob boss was problematic. But she liked his quick wit and he was the last tie to Michael that she had. Marrying Michael had been a mistake, but she had loved the man once. It was a part of her life she couldn’t just forget.

  As if she’d conjured him, Dante came up the street. He was dressed in a long wool coat and a wool hat. A red scarf was the only break in the black that covered him from head to toe. She’d never seen him wear color, especially not red. Dante was also the only man she’d never seen in jeans. She’d seen pictures of him and Michael when they were in college, and he’d worn jeans then. But in person, he was always dressed like he had an important business meeting in ten minutes.

  “Dante, nice to see you.” She stopped and looked up into that handsome face. Women fell for him fast, mostly because he looked like a dark god. But lately, Cat had seen worry and pain in the perfect face and blue eyes. The new responsibilities in his family business didn’t seem to be settling well on him. “You look tired.”

  “You, on the other hand, look refreshed. And on a Sunday after your writing retreat finishes up. You must thrive on the energy.” He squeezed her arms in a friendly half hug.

  “Actually, the retreat drains all the life out of me. It’s like a literary vampire that sucks my energy. Next week I’ll sleep in late and try to not think about anything important.” She blinked as she realized she was having a talk with Seth about their relationship tomorrow. Maybe that hadn’t been the best planning. “So are you just out for a walk?”

  “Actually, I just came from your house. I left the paperwork on the last of the estate distribution along with a check for you from Michael’s share of the Denver building.” He paused a minute. “You are no longer tied to the family business at all.”

  “Please tell me you gave most of it away. I don’t want dirty money.” Cat saw his wince at her word choice, but she didn’t blame Dante for getting Michael into this problem. That had been his brother. A brother that had run the family but was now deceased. A role that Dante had taken after the death. “I’m sorry if that hurts, but I just can’t.”

  “I know your feelings. The only source of the money in the check I left was for Michael’s initial investment plus his share of the actual increase in valuation of the property. I hope you put it away and replace that roof next year. These old houses, they tend to have a lot of upkeep. I would hate to see Warm Springs Resort look less than perfect.” Dante had replaced the wince with a smile. “Anyway, it’s all there and Michael’s estate is now closed. I’m sorry for your loss.”

  She put a gloved hand on his chest over his heart. “I’m sorry for your loss as well. I know you loved Michael as a brother.”

  Dante blinked back tears, which surprised Cat. “He was more than a brother.”

  Then he stepped around her and headed to his house. “Nice to see you, Catherine.”

  The moment was over. Cat wondered if she’d ever see Dante again. She’d made it clear months ago that she wasn’t interested in a relationship. That she and Seth were serious this time. And yet, now that it was possible that they weren’t, Dante had moved on.

  Which was for the best.

  When Cat got home, she noticed the flowers on the kitchen desk. Shauna was folding laundry. “Hey, the secret admirer strikes again?”

  Shauna blushed and nodded to the table. “You have an envelope.”

  “Yeah, I saw Dante on my way back. He said he dropped it off.” Cat pushed the envelope to the middle of the table, then poured herself a cup of coffee. “Michael’s estate is finally settled. There’s check in there. I’m going to put it in an account for the house. Just in case we need something.”

  “That seems logical.” Shauna folded the last towel, then set the basket on the floor. “So how much is it?”

  “I have no idea. Dante suggested putting it away for a roof. So probably a few thousand at least.” Cat laid her head on the table. “I can’t believe it’s over. My life with Michael has been tied up in a bow and put into that envelope.”

  “Your life with Michael was over when the divorce went through,” Shauna reminded her. “This is just the aftershocks. Like getting the house.”

  “Tomorrow, I’ll see if I’ve still got a life with Seth.” She didn’t lift her head from the table. She didn’t want to see Shauna’s reaction.

  “Cat, I live with the two of you. If anyone can make a relationship work in this crazy world, it’s you guys. Just talk to him about how you’re feeling. Just take a step.” Shauna sipped her tea. “Relationships don’t make sense until they do.”

  Cat lifted her head and saw the flowers. Flowers that someone in Shauna’s life had brought her. Her eyes blinked. Wait, Shauna had gotten flowers at the same time as Dante had dropped off the paperwork? And she’d been insistent that Cat take the treats to Uncle Pete. Almost throwing her out the door when she’d checked her watch for the time.

  She turned and looked at Shauna who had dropped her gaze. “No. You’re not.”

  “I’m not what?” Shauna stood and picked up the laundry basket. “I need to put these away before the next load is dry.”

  “Your secret admirer is Dante?” When the words came out, it made sense. The red scarf on the black outfit. She’d never seen Dante with more than a grey scarf. But red matched Shauna’s hair. He might be a little older, but so had Keven been. Everything fit. “Oh my goodness. When did that happen?”

  Shauna’s face bloomed as red as her hair and she hurried to the door. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Cat sat in the kitchen for a long time after Shauna had left. She was happy for her friend. A little nervous because of who Dante was, but the match made sense. It wouldn’t be an easy relationship, but Shauna was an adult. There was good in Dante, he just needed to figure out what he wanted. A life outside the family or one with someone who loved him for who he could be. Like the match between her and Seth.

  Relationships never make sense until they do.

  Cat went upstairs to her office to finish the book. She was close now. And there wasn’t any angst around for her to worry about besides writing The End. Life at 700 Warm Springs Drive was good.

  RECIPE

  Vanilla Gooey Butter Cake

  Hi Readers –

  Shauna’s a baker and that’s my favorite part of cooking as well. Baking the cookies, the cakes, the pies, and even bread. But I’m more rustic than delicate in my food preparations. As I’m getting ready to move from the St. Louis area to Tennessee, I wanted to give you one more St. Louis tradition – Gooey Butter Cake. I’ve done this in chocolate for Christmas, but this vanilla version will be perfect for a summer cookout, or a spring get together.

  Lynn

  * * *

  Vanilla Gooey Butter Cake

  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

  Mix together – Beat for one minute.

  1 white cake mix

  ½ cup of melted butter

  Two eggs

  Press mixture into a greased 13x9 pan.

  In a clean bowl, beat 8 oz of softened cream cheese until fluffy

  Then add –

  ½ tsp vanilla

  2 eggs

  3 cups of powdered sugar

  Gently cover the top of the cake mix in the pan with this topping.

  Bake for 40-45 minutes.

  Cool and then sprinkle ½ cup of powdered sugar over the top before serving.

  * * *

  Looking for more Cat Latimer? You can buy the series in digital, audio, or print format at your favorite retailer.

  THE CAT LATIMER MYSTERIES

  A STORY TO KILL

  Fatality by Firelight

  Of Murder and Men

  Slay in Character

  Sconed to Death

  A Field Guide to Homicide