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“Goodbye, Precious!” called Kitty. “Remember what you promised.”

Kitty and Cleo hid in the shadows as the springer spaniel trotted into the pet shop, then darted out the back door.

Kitty held the Golden Tiger tightly.“We did it!” she whispered. “Cleo, you’re thebest guard cat a museum could ever have! You were so clever making all that noise so that Precious would worry about the curse.”

Cleo puffed out her chest.“I could tell that cat wouldn’t give the statue back easily, so I made it as noisy as possible! I couldn’t have done it without you, Kitty. I wish I had someone as kind and loyal as you helping me all the time.”

Pumpkin and Figaro ran over to join them, and Pumpkin eyed the statue worriedly.“I know the curse is just a story … but maybe we should take the Golden Tiger back to the museum as quickly as we can!”

“Well said!” Figaro yawned and stretched. “All this excitement is exhausting. Besides, my stomach is empty and I need a nice big supper.”

They climbed back up the fire escape to the roof. Running along the edge of the rooftops, they jumped from building to building. The moon rose higher in the sky and the stars glittered.

Leaping to the top of the museum, Kitty stopped for a moment to look across the city. The night wind swirled, making her cape flutter.

“Oh, no!” cried Cleo. “Stan must have discovered that the statue is missing.”

Kitty peered through the glass dome. Two men were leaning over the pedestal where the Golden Tiger had been. One was wearing a dark-blue guard uniform. The other man had a bald head that gleamed in the moonlight.

“Who’s that other man?” asked Kitty.

“That’s Mr. Martinez, the head of the museum,” Cleo told her.

“What do we do now?” cried Pumpkin. “We can’t put the statue back without them seeing us.”

Kitty frowned.“I suppose we could explain everything … but they might blame the owners of the pet shop for what Precious did, and this wasn’t their fault at all.”

Figaro twirled his jet-black whiskers.“I may have an idea! Follow me.”

They followed Figaro through an upstairs window. Their steps echoed as they climbed down the marble staircase. Ducking behind a pillar, they watched more museum staff run toward the exhibit room.

“So many people—it feels like the whole city will be here soon.” Cleo flicked her tail. “We’d better be fast!”

“This way!” Figaro scampered into the museum restaurant and stopped beside a row of mouthwatering cakes, each displayed inside a glass cake stand.

“What’s your plan, Figaro?” asked Kitty.

Figaro waved his paw at a beautiful vanilla and strawberry cake with sugar frosting.“As we cannot return the statue to its rightful place, we need to put it somewhere it will be found immediately in the morning. If we place it here, people will spot it right away. I suggest using the empty chocolate cake stand.”

Kitty looked along the row of cakes, past the lemon cake with the white icing. At the end was an empty stand labeled CHOCOLATE CAKE.

“You’re right!” Cleo nodded approvingly at Figaro. “Many visitors and staff come to have a morning coffee and a pastry, and they’ll spot the statue right away.”

She jumped up onto the counter and lifted the lid of the cake stand with her teeth.

Carefully, Kitty placed the Golden Tiger on the stand. Remembering the legend, she wondered if the statue knew her heart’s desire. She touched its paw, and for a second the tiger’s emerald eyes glowed in the dim light. Kitty smiled to herself and a tingle ran down her spine.

Cleo replaced the lid.“Quickly! We mustn’t be found here.”

Kitty paused for a moment as the others darted back to the corridor. Finding a pencil behind the counter, she scribbled a message on a waiter’s pad:

Here is the Golden Tiger, which was stolen but returned safely—thanks to Cleo, the museum cat.

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Smiling, she left the piece of paper beside the statue and ran to join the others.

By the time they reached the rooftop, the clock tower was chiming midnight.

“Thank you all so much.” Cleo bowed deeply. “Kitty, I will never forget the help you gave me. You are a true friend!”

“I’ll come and visit you when my mom and dad bring me to the museum,” promised Kitty. “They’ll love the story of how we saved the statue!”

Kitty, Pumpkin, and Figaro made their way home across the rooftops in the moonlight. Pumpkin brushed against Kitty’s legs. “Kitty, did you touch the Golden Tiger’s paw?”

Kitty smiled at the kitten.“Yes I did! Just before I left it on the cake stand.”

Pumpkin skipped around a chimney.“What’s your greatest wish? Do you think it will come true?”

“My greatest wish would be for a delicious slice of salmon cooked in a herb sauce,” Figaro put in.