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

"Earth to Hailey," Aubrey said, waving her hand in front of my face.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Don't space out yet." Aubrey giggled. "We still have a crime to solve."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "We aren't catching anyone."

"We totally are!" Skylar said.

"Are you ready to admit it was you?" I asked, in my best deadpan tone.

"Hardly," she said and took a long sip of her own latte as if she was guilty.

"Come on y'all," Aubrey said. "Let's go over the clues."

"Oh right, I forgot about all the clues we found." I rolled my eyes again.

"We found clues," Aubrey said.

Her voice trailed off like she was attempting to think up some, but I knew it was a lost cause. Doing the investigation had been fun, but I was ready to get out of this hotel, and on with our lives.

"Well, we made discoveries anyway," she said. "We know where at least four groups of ladies were between six and nine this morning. That's something."

"You mean hypothetically, we know," Skylar said. "But we don't actually know. All of these groups have so many people in them, there is no way to know that someone wasn't acting alone."

"Good point," Aubrey said.

Her frown was adorably tragic. I knew she ate this mystery stuff up, but she needed to come to her senses. We would not be the ones to break the case open.

"I wonder how long they are going to keep us here." I took another drink while looking around at the other guests. "I'm starting to wonder if they can legally hold us."

"The first people to leave will look the guiltiest." Aubrey shifted in her seat as she followed my lead in taking a long drink of coffee.

"Totally." Skylar picked her cup up.

Do people feel the need to touch their drink when they see someone else do it? I should test it out . . . how many times could I make them pick up their cups? Oh my tea, stop it Hailey. Focus on the conversation.

"I'm surprised no one has thrown a fit yet," I said. "Some of these ladies traveled pretty far to get here. I'd be so mad if I had a five-hour drive ahead of me."

"No kidding," Aubrey said.

"Oh look," Skylar said. "The staff finally found a vacuum."

"Took them long enough," Aubrey said.

We all looked over to the hall that held the vendor rooms and watched as more cats raced out of the room as soon as the vacuum turned on.

"I guess that's one way to clear out a room." I changed from my usual deadpan to an announcer voice and continued, "Come to the cat show, it will be fun and traumatizing."

The girls laughed, and I could not help but giggle at my own joke. This weekend was getting to be too much. I would be quite all right with skipping the next show or never coming again really. All the people, cats, and socializing were just a bit more than my introverted self could tolerate.

"So glad we made it out of there," Aubrey said.

"Totally," Skylar said.

We sat in silence watching the mess of cats and people disperse throughout the lobby. Most of them headed for the ballroom, as it was the only enclosed space that allowed for owners and cats to recoup from the ordeal.

"What should we do now?" I asked.

"Well," Aubrey said. "There is one more vendor room we could check out."

"Brave, are we?" I giggled.

"How bad could it be?" Aubrey asked. "The vacuum chased off most of the ruckus."

"Good point," Skylar said.

She bent down and scooped up Shadow, who stretched out in her arms then curled back up to continue sleeping.

"Guess he isn't dying to discover the excitement that is cat litter," Aubrey said with a giggle.

"He's missing out. I'm already filled with excitement," I said. "With a name like Pretty Litter, cat litter has never looked so appealing."

The girls laughed as I reached down and scratched Azure down his back, then his belly as he stretched out.

"Don't be alarmed," he transmitted. "But I think your friends are laughing at you."

"Nope," I transmitted. "They're laughing at the dirt all over your fur."

As soon as I thought it, he jumped up and had a spaz attack with his fur. Licking a small patch, then turning in a circle, and licking a bit of fur again. This overzealous cleaning routine went on for a full minute before he calmed down enough to realize I had been joking. Though, with his antics, the girls were now actually laughing at him as it was hilarious to watch him spaz about trying to get each spot clean.

"Getting me while I'm half asleep," he transmitted. "Clever girl."

I scooped him off the floor and cuddled my face into his fur as he tried to push me back with his paws.

"Like you haven't taken the same opportunity."

"Touche," he transmitted and settled into my arms.

"Is the fluff ball ready for litter?" Aubrey asked.

"Oh yeah," I said, leading them to the coffee display outside the ballroom. "He's thrilled."

"Can hardly contain my excitement," Azure transmitted.

Aubrey scratched his ears. "Don't worry bud, everyone poops."

"Shhh," I said. "He doesn't know that yet."

Aubrey gave me a look of shock, then laughed and said, "Sometimes I forget he's a cat with how you treat him. Such a baby."

I set my cup under the dispenser and Aubrey flipped the lever for me, so I did not have to set Azure down. I let out a little cheer as the cup filled. "Teamwork, makes the dreams work."

As soon as the first word came out of my mouth, Aubrey joined in with me to recite it. We fell into giggles. Having someone that could read your mind, and knew all your jokes, made life better. Skylar laughed and rolled her eyes at us as she filled up her own cup.

"You ready for litter fun, my fluffy baby," I said aloud as I cuddled Azure in deeper as we walked away from the table.

"You are officially on notice," he transmitted back.

To his dismay,