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“So first I followed your Grandma Muffin around for a while. She and Scarlett Canyon are on a mission to prove that Charlene Butterwick is trying to blackmail your Uncle Alec into wedlock.”

“Old news,” said Harriet. “Uncle Alec was kidnapped, and the wedding was announced because the kidnappers demanded it.”

“Oh,” said the fly, slightly taken aback. “Okay. Well, so then I buzzed back to the house and one of your other humans has just won the lottery—only there’s something really strange going on, as they received the winning ticket in the mail.”

“The mail?” I asked with a frown. “You’re right. That is weird.”

“I thought so, too,” said Norm, clearly happy that at least this bit of news was news to us, too. “So then suddenly a television crew showed up on their doorstep, and seemed to know all about their big win, and claimed Madame Solange had predicted it.”

“See?” said Harriet. “We need to pay a visit to Madame Solange. Maybe she’ll help us win the lottery, too.”

“And that’s not all,” said Norm, who was turning out to be a regular fine little sleuth. “Just before I left, Chase got a phone call from a woman named Dolores, claiming that Gran has been arrested, along with Scarlett, for trying to break into Town Hall.”

“What?!” I said, greatly surprised.

“Yeah,” said Norm with satisfaction. “And also, Gran and Scarlett now think that Charlene killed Uncle Alec.”

“Oh, my God,” Harriet muttered.

“That sounds so like Gran,” said Brutus with a chuckle.

“But if Gran and Scarlett are in jail,” said Dooley, his eyes wide and fearful, “that means they won’t be able to hear us through our bugs. Which means…”

“That we’re stuck in here forever,” I finished his sentence.

“Oh, nonsense,” said Norm. “I managed to sneak in just fine, so you guys will be able to sneak out of here, too.”

We all perked up at this.“Where?” I asked. “Where did you sneak in, Norm?”

And Norm, proud as a peacock, buzzed off and led the way. Soon he took us into the kitchen, and before our very eyes, he flew straight into a ventilation grid located right above the kitchen window. Its holes were a perfect fit for a half-an-inch fly. Not such a good fit for a twenty-pound cat, though.

And so we were back to square one—and still stuck in our gilded cage!

I was starting to feel like one of those contestants on Big Brother, only we couldn’t even get voted out of the house!

Chapter 20

“What were you thinking, Ma?” said Marge, not very pleased with her mother’s latest stunt. They’d managed to bail both her and Scarlett out of jail, but that didn’t mean they were out of the woods yet.

“I was thinking that Charlene Butterwick is blackmailing Alec, that’s what I was thinking,” said Gran as she rubbed her back, sore from spending the past hour in the slammer.

“You should really invest in some nicer accommodations,” said Scarlett, addressing the duty sergeant who was busy drawing up the release papers. “Maybe a nice sofa, and a television. This is the twenty-first century, you know, not the middle ages.”

They were still at the police station, waiting for the final hurdles to be passed before Gran and her friend were free again.“You should be glad they’re releasing you now,” said Odelia, like her mother very unhappy with her grandmother’s shenanigans. Not least of all because she hated spending the night at the police station and not in her warm bed at home. “They could have easily kept you here until you appeared in front of the judge.”

“Oh, nonsense,” said Gran, waving an irritable hand. “All we did was try to make sure my son doesn’t get caught in a loveless marriage with a manipulative bride. And since when is that a crime?”

“It’s a crime when it involves breaking into Town Hall in the middle of the night,” said Chase, not unreasonably. He’d been most instrumental in securing the two elderly ladies’ early release, but so far they hadn’t exactly shown him any gratitude, only a lot of lip.

“Look, it’s pretty obvious that Charlene’s got something on my son,” said Gran now. “Or else he wouldn’t rush into this marriage without bothering to tell his mother first.”

Odelia shared a look with her own mother, and her dad, too.“I think we better tell her,” she said now. “Before she gets into any more trouble.”

“Tell me what?” said Gran. Then stomped an irritable foot. “I knew it! I knew there was something you weren’t telling me! She’s pregnant, isn’t she? And that’s why they’re going ahead with this shotgun wedding!”

“Ma, you better sit down,” said Odelia’s mother as she led her mom to a nearby bench.

“Oh, it’s that bad, huh?” said Gran, giving her daughter a worried look. “What is it? Did Alec kill someone and Charlene found out about it and now she’s blackmailing him?”

“No!” said Mom, rolling her eyes. “Why do you always have to assume the worst?”

“Because I know my son, and I know he’s probably got a lot of bodies buried all over the place. Buried them and threw away the keys.”

“What keys? What bodies!” Mom cried.

“Ask him—he knows,” said Gran, giving Chase a pointed look.