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“I’m sure you’ll handle yourself magnificently,” said Angela, and rubbed Odelia’s arm encouragingly. She paused. “Look, I can see that you’re skeptical about this. So let me show you something.” She took out her phone. “I told you the only witnesses were Dante and a little girl, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“The girl just happened to be filming when that stone ball dropped down.” She held up the phone and everyone gathered around to watch. “Look closely.”

Odelia looked closely. The shaky footage showed Tessa, standing in front of a gray stone wall. Suddenly, she looked up, then immediately jumped to the left. Moments later, a large solid object dropped down and the camera panned up. On the wall right over Tessa’s head, a dark figure could fleetingly be seen. One second he was there, the next he was gone.

“Oh, my God,” said Marge.

“Right?” said Angela.

“Did Tessa show this to Dante?”

“She wanted to, but I told her not to. If he’s in cahoots with this stone-pusher, he won’t be happy that his little scheme was thwarted, not to mention that his associate was caught on film. Better to wait and see what he’s up to next. If he’s behind this whole thing, we want to catch himred-handed.”

“What about the girl?”

“Tessa told her not to mention the incident to anyone.”

“Oh, dear,” said Marge. “This is terrible, Angela. Tessa must be terrified.”

“Honey, why do you think I want to get over there lickety-split? My little girl is all alone, not a single ally in her corner. Well, except for her cousin.”

“Her cousin?” asked Odelia.

“Yeah, her real cousin. Nesbit spent his gap year in London, fell in love and married the girl of his dreams a couple of years ago. He’s a cop, and Tessa managed to get him assigned to her security detail. We’re hoping he’ll keep her safe until we arrive.”

What a story, Odelia thought. Poor Tessa. And poor Angela. Now she understood why they were so keen for reinforcements to arrive.

Angela glanced over to the bed.“So those are your famous cats, huh?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call us famous,” said Max, though he was already swelling with pride.

“You write about them all the time,” Angela explained, “so I almost feel like I know them.”

“They’re quite the sleuthhounds,” said Gran. “Or should I say sleuthcats?”

Angela didn’t laugh. Instead, she gave them all a grave look.

“My daughter is in mortal danger,” she said. “Please promise me you’ll do whatever you can to catch this maniac.”

Odelia placed her hand on the woman’s arm and noticed a distinct tremor. She felt for Angela. As a mother it was terrible to have to watch from thousands of miles away what happened to your daughter in a different land—a different world. “I promise I’ll do my absolute level best,” she said.

“Thank you,” said Angela with a grateful smile. “Now let’s go. The jet is fueled and ready to whisk us away to the land of fish and chips.”

Max pricked up his ears.“Fish?”

Odelia smiled. She’d been worried about her cats going on such a long trip, but somehow she had a feeling everything was going to be just fine.

Chapter 5

I hadn’t known what to expect when Odelia told us we were flying to a different continent by airplane. I mean, I’ve seen plenty of planes on TV, and they always seem very enjoyable. You sit together in a cozy space with a slew of pleasant fellow travelers, are served delicious food by smiling flight attendants, and if you’re lucky you get to fall in love with Meg Ryan. If you’re unlucky you end up sitting next to a psychopath who threatens to kill your dad if you don’t do exactly what he says, but Gran had assured us this was rare, and only happens in Hollywood movies featuring Rachel McAdams.

I, for one, had always been curious about flying, even if the prospect of spending long hours in what basically amounts to a steel tube gave me pause. Then again, I’d always known that day would never come, as Odelia is basically a homebody, and so are Gran, Marge and the rest of the fam.

They like Hampton Cove, where they’re born and raised, and don’t venture too far from the homestead and definitely not to other continents. So now that the day had actually come, I greeted it with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. Anticipation at the chance of being seated next to Meg Ryan’s cat, trepidation at the prospect of spending the flight in the company of Passenger 57 with Wesley Snipes nowhere in sight, if you catch my drift.

As we were driven to the airport by a very kind and buff individual in a Range Rover, Odelia and Chase and Gran made pleasant conversation throughout. They peppered Angela with questions, ranging from her daughter’s diet and workout plan to the place where Tessa and Dante had settled down. Apparently this was some sort of cottage on the outskirts of London, close to a castle. Newtmore Cottage, if I understood correctly.