The Cat Who Knew A Cardinal: Lilian Jackson Braun

This was a cute book about a journalist in a small town of "Pick ax" in Moose County. He likes to play detective and believes his cat Koko can mysteriously solves crimes. Qwill is living in an apple barn that he just had renovated into a home when the local theater club drops by to check out his house. They stay until 3 in the morning. Koko stares out the window alerting Qwill that a car is still there- he goes out to investigate and finds the Principal of the local school, Hilary VanBrook, shot in the back of the head. He had played the Cardinal in the play Henry III which the theater group had been working on. Koko was also intrigued by a cardinal (bird) who would visit the barn daily. Qwill meets a man, Steve O'Hare, who tries to sell him a horse barn. Steve then shoots Koko's cardinal for sport. Koko becomes obsessed with a rabbit typeset. We learn Koko was trying to tell Qwill that Steve O'Hare killed the Cardinal (Hilary VanBrook)