The Catnap Before Christmas Read online

  “I’m really sorry about this,” I said to Trevor. “Tracking down the person who shot a social worker in her driveway is not the relaxing getaway we talked about.”

  “It’s not a problem at all,” Trevor said. “If there is anything either of us can do to help Woody out, I think it is important to do so. It did occur to me that we might fit in some relaxation around helping Woody.”

  I leaned in just a bit. “Oh. What did you have in mind?”

  “I have a new recipe I’ve been wanting to try out. If you don’t mind being a guinea pig, I thought we could have dinner at my place.”

  “Well, I’m not sure how I feel about the guinea pig part, but I’m game. I’m sure whatever you make will be delicious. Are you still planning to take the weekend off?”

  “I am since I’d already planned to be off, and it is a slow time of the year, I figured we’d do what we could to help Woody but maybe work in some fun as well. There is a pub that recently opened down the coast that I’ve been wanting to try out. If we have time, maybe we can take a drive.”

  “Sounds fun.” I looked up when Woody returned to the room. “Well?”

  “Based on the conversation I had with Bryson’s assistant, he has three cases he is working on with Trinity. One case is a child custody case involving the maternal grandfather of seven-year-old twins and their stepdad. The biological mother named her husband as guardian of her daughters should anything happen to her, but apparently the woman’s father, the grandfather of the twins, is suing for custody.”

  “And the biological father?” I asked.

  “As far as I can tell, he is not now nor has he ever been in the picture, but I only received a brief summary and am waiting for more details about the case.”

  “Okay, what else are they working on?” I asked.

  “Trinity was working on a neglect case involving four children aged ten and under who were left alone much of the time while the parents were working or otherwise occupied. Apparently, she has tried working with the parents to rectify the situation, but two weeks ago, the oldest was trying to cook dinner for his siblings and set fire to the kitchen. Trinity and Bryson worked together to have the children removed from the home. The father was arrested after he picked them up from school without permission with the intent of taking them to stay with his brother who lives in Utah. It’s a pretty big mess.”

  “Sounds volatile enough to lead to someone going over the deep end. And the third one?” I asked.

  “The third case involves a fifteen-year-old boy named Devon Long, who has been in the foster care system since he was four. Both of his parents were sent to prison for armed robbery. The boy’s mother was released from prison early due to overcrowding and for good behavior. She has petitioned to have her son returned to her, but the foster parents are balking. When they accepted the child into their home for such a long-term assignment, they were concerned about becoming too attached, but they were told the boy’s parents would be in prison until after he turned eighteen, so having him returned to either parent wouldn’t be an issue.”

  “And now it is an issue.”

  “Exactly.”

  “So what is the plan at this point?” I asked.

  “I’m going to speak to all three parties, and I plan to track Bryson down and speak to him personally. He is going to be in court until four, so I plan to catch up with him there.”

  Wadding up my sandwich wrapper, I tossed it in the trash. “Okay. It sounds as if you have that handled. I’m going to go by the hospital again tomorrow and try to connect with Trinity. I don’t have high hopes that I will be able to, but I’m willing to try. In the meantime, if you need anything, call or text. I’ll be around, but I may not be home, so just call my cell.”

  “I will, and thanks again. I’ll let you know how my interviews with the three people of interest go. When it comes to child custody, there is always the potential for a peaceful negotiation to turn volatile.”

  I stood up to leave when an image flashed through my mind. “I had another image,” I said aloud. “It was the same man I’d seen before being shot again, but this time I noticed the setting. He was standing on the stairs in front of the courthouse.”

  Woody frowned. “Maybe I’d better head over there now.”

  “Yeah. I think you should. This image was different than the last one. This one felt as if I was seeing it in real-time.”

  The woman who manned the front poked her head in through the door of the conference room where we were still talking. “There has been a shooting at the courthouse. A man is dead. All units in the area have been dispatched to respond.”

  Woody grabbed his vest and his gun. “I’m on my way.”

  Books by Kathi Daley

  Come for the murder, stay for the romance

  Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:

  Halloween Hijinks

  The Trouble With Turkeys

  Christmas Crazy

  Cupid’s Curse

  Big Bunny Bump-off

  Beach Blanket Barbie

  Maui Madness

  Derby Divas

  Haunted Hamlet

  Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies

  Christmas Cozy

  Alaskan Alliance

  Matrimony Meltdown

  Soul Surrender

  Heavenly Honeymoon

  Hopscotch Homicide

  Ghostly Graveyard

  Santa Sleuth

  Shamrock Shenanigans

  Kitten Kaboodle

  Costume Catastrophe

  Candy Cane Caper

  Holiday Hangover

  Easter Escapade

  Camp Carter

  Trick or Treason

  Reindeer Roundup

  Hippity Hoppity Homicide

  Firework Fiasco

  Henderson House

  Holiday Hostage

  Lunacy Lake

  Celtic Christmas – December 2019

  Zimmerman Academy The New Normal

  Zimmerman Academy New Beginnings

  Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook

  Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery:

  Pumpkins in Paradise

  Snowmen in Paradise

  Bikinis in Paradise

  Christmas in Paradise

  Puppies in Paradise

  Halloween in Paradise

  Treasure in Paradise

  Fireworks in Paradise

  Beaches in Paradise

  Thanksgiving in Paradise

  Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:

  Romeow and Juliet

  The Mad Catter

  Grimm’s Furry Tail

  Much Ado About Felines

  Legend of Tabby Hollow

  Cat of Christmas Past

  A Tale of Two Tabbies

  The Great Catsby

  Count Catula

  The Cat of Christmas Present

  A Winter’s Tail

  The Taming of the Tabby

  Frankencat

  The Cat of Christmas Future

  Farewell to Felines

  A Whisker in Time

  The Catsgiving Feast

  A Whale of a Tail

  The Catnap Before Christmas

  Writers’ Retreat Mystery:

  First Case

  Second Look

  Third Strike

  Fourth Victim

  Fifth Night

  Sixth Cabin

  Seventh Chapter

  Eighth Witness

  Ninth Grave

  Rescue Alaska Mystery:

  Finding Justice

  Finding Answers

  Finding Courage

  Finding Christmas

  Finding Shelter – Early 2020

  A Tess and Tilly Mystery:

  The Christmas Letter

  The Valentine Mystery

  The Mother’s Day Mishap

  The Halloween House

  The Thanksgiving Trip

  The Saint Paddy’s Promise

  The Halloween Haunting

  The Christma
s Clause – November 2019

  The Inn at Holiday Bay:

  Boxes in the Basement

  Letters in the Library

  Message in the Mantel

  Answers in the Attic

  Haunting in the Hallway

  Pilgrim in the Parlor

  Note in the Nutcracker – December 2019

  A Cat in the Attic Mystery:

  The Curse of Hollister House

  The Mystery before Christmas - November 2019

  The Hathaway Sisters:

  Harper

  Harlow

  Hayden – Early 2020

  Haunting by the Sea:

  Homecoming by the Sea

  Secrets by the Sea

  Missing by the Sea

  Betrayal by the Sea

  Thanksgiving by the Sea – October 2019

  Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery:

  Murder at Dolphin Bay

  Murder at Sunrise Beach

  Murder at the Witching Hour

  Murder at Christmas

  Murder at Turtle Cove

  Murder at Water’s Edge

  Murder at Midnight

  Murder at Pope Investigations

  Seacliff High Mystery:

  The Secret

  The Curse

  The Relic

  The Conspiracy

  The Grudge

  The Shadow

  The Haunting

  Road to Christmas Romance:

  Road to Christmas Past

  USA Today best-selling author Kathi Daley lives in beautiful Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken. When she isn’t writing, she likes spending time hiking the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home. She has authored more than a hundred books in eleven series, including Zoe Donovan Cozy Mysteries, Whales and Tails Island Mysteries, Tess and Tilly Cozy Mysteries, Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mysteries, Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Series, Inn at Holiday Bay Cozy Mysteries, Writers’ Retreat Southern Seashore Mysteries, Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mysteries, Haunting by the Sea Paranormal Mysteries, Family Ties Mystery Romances, and Seacliff High Teen Mysteries. Find out more about her books at www.kathidaley.com

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