Purrfect Roast: A Dragon Cozy Mystery by Verena DeLuca (the giving tree read aloud TXT) 📗

Azure and Shadow both chuckled, and transmitted in unison, "Exactly."

"Jinx," Azure transmitted.

Hearing him transmit it instantly after their transmission made me giggle and warmed my heart. Never would I have guessed he would pick up on jinxing.

"What?" Shadow transmitted.

"Nothing," Azure transmitted, grumbling something about me and malarkey in barely audible growls.

Causing me to giggle harder.

"If that doesn't prove how well we're bonding nothing will," I transmitted.

Azure transmitted an eye roll, and it took everything in me to keep my laughter under control.

"Aww," Aubrey said. "They look so cute curled up."

I gave a small yelp, her voice startled me. I had not noticed them walking up. Glad for the distraction, I stood and stretched.

"Yeah," I said. "They had a big lunch."

"Totally," Skylar said. "I feel like I'm going to pop. I ate way too much."

"Me too," I laughed. "I have enough motivation to head upstairs and take a nap, and that's about it."

"Oh look," Aubrey said, looking at the cops. "They're interviewing people. Should we sneak over to hear what they say?"

"No way," I said. "Probably best that we stay back. Don't want them looking closely at us."

I looked at Skylar, hoping she would pick up on what I was trying to say. She winked in agreement.

I did not want cops looking into tribe drama too deeply. Would they believe we knew so much about each other because of having the cat show in common? I doubted it. But at this point, I was positive that a protector was guilty. Whoever stole the trophies was a real idiot and ruined the weekend for the rest of us.

"When do you think they'll question us?" Aubrey asked.

"If," Skylar said.

"What?"

"If they question us," Skylar said. "They totally could find the thief before our turn."

We broke out in laughter. If we had learned anything this year, it was that cops did not solve cases with the ease shown on tv. There were no snazzy detectives coming to piece the clues together. It really was up to us to solve it. Hopefully, the other tribes were doing the same, trying to figure it out before the cops started digging into our personal affairs.

"Of course, it all begins to fall apart my first year," I laughed. "But I think we'll solve it before they get to us."

"Totally!" Skylar put her hand out for us to do a group high-five, like we were some sort of sports team.

Aubrey and I chuckled, and put our hands in. "To solving this case!"

A few of the other ladies at the tables near us looked over, but I just picked up my coffee cup and ignored the glances.

"We should probably leave before we draw more attention to ourselves," I suggested.

"Where to next?" Skylar asked.

"Pool?" Aubrey asked. "We could sit down in the sun while we think."

"Sounds great to me," I said. "I'm close to frozen. You'd think we were in the artic with what they have the AC set on."

"You're not alone," Skylar laughed. "I know two kitties who are going to love laying in the sun."

I pick Azure up and he rolled into my arms. The option to be carried to the pool, rather than walk, was worth the cuddles he would have to endure along the way. Shadow, on the other hand, looked eager to be held by Skylar.

"Why don't you like to snuggle like Shadow?" I transmitted.

He attempted to twist his body until I helped him prop himself up so his front paws were on my shoulder and he could look behind me. I snuggled into his fur as he groaned in disagreement with the affection. While it was a groan in my mind, he audibly meowed the softest noise of disagreement.

"Have you seen me?" Azure transmitted. "This fur isn't all for show, you know. Cuddling creates a heat box I'm not willing to deal with, unless necessary."

"Oh right," I transmitted. "And eating too much means it's vital to your survival to cuddle. Got it. I will be over feeding you from now on."

"As if you wouldn't jump at the offer to be carried."

"Touché," I transmitted.

Food comas counteracted the coffee, prevented my quick witty retorts.

Note to self: don't overeat when I have to be on top of my game.

CHAPTER NINE

Sunday, May 17th, 12:45 PM

The sunbathed concrete of the pool area felt great as it burned off the AC that clung to me chilling my bones. The warmth was like a blanket wrapping me up in its comfy embrace. I was a Texas girl through and through—give me a warm sun, over chilly rain, any day. Or worse snow! How anyone managed to survive in the snows up north, I would never understand.

While Skylar and I had not taken full advantage of the hotel pool, the weekend weather had been pleasant. Cool nights and warm days, with low humidity, made May the perfect vacation month if one was planning a trip to central Texas.

After a few minutes outside, Azure jumped out of my arms—no doubt because our body heat conspired against him. I instinctively brushed the black fur off my shirt and realized mid-stroke there was no fur because it was a glamour, not a real cat. Seeing all these cats for the weekend was going to my head.

"Hey," Aubrey whispered. "Aren't those the ladies from the ballroom who were playing cards?"

I scanned the tables around the pool, not pausing on any person in particular. A few people were reading poolside, while others enjoyed the sun. But she was correct, the only large group of women in the area was tribe Cyrillic from San Antonio. They seemed to be in peak vacation mode, sprawled across the furthest corner of the rectangular pool area. The perfect opportunity to learn something about them and their morning whereabouts.

"Careful," Azure transmitted. "Veronica is known for having an explosive personality."

"What should we do?" Skylar asked.

"How explosive?" I transmitted. "Is she going to become violent?"

"Hard to