57aacbcd9598439b495cce0c68035a7c

Chase was driving his police pickup, Odelia riding shotgun, her assortment of cats in the bed of the truck. Odelia had wanted to put the cats in the backseat, a place usually reserved for arrestees, but Chase had vocally demurred. Claimed he’d just cleaned up the vomit from the last drunk and disorderly he’d arrested and didn’t want to have to scrape a bunch of hairballs from the backseat now that he got it all nice and puke-free again.

Odelia shrugged.“It’s just a bad habit, Chase. Get over it.”

“No, but why does it grow worse when your cats are around? It’s almost as if you’re talking to them, and they’re talking back to you.”

She let rip a careless laugh.“Talking to my cats—you should hear yourself, Detective Kingsley. How crazy that sounds.”

He smiled.“I know it sounds crazy, but please bear with me. Isn’t it possible that those amazing powers of intuition you always claim to possess—”

“I don’tclaim to possess amazing powers of intuition. Ihave amazing powers of intuition.”

“Okay, I’ll grant you that. But isn’t it possible that those amazing powers of intuition are somehow connected to that ragtag collection of felines you surround yourself with?” He held up his hand. “I know this sounds crazy, but I’ve given it a lot of thought.”

“Have you now? That must have been quite the effort.”

He gave her a comical look.“It’s been scientifically proven that humans and their pets share a sacred bond of some kind. That they somehow influence each other. All I’m saying is that it’s possible that having those cats around has a positive influence on your ability to sniff out clues and find out stuff.”

“It’s possible,” she agreed. Little did he know how possible it really was!

He gave her a keen look.“You know what? I think I just discovered your little secret.”

She swallowed away an uncomfortable lump.“You have?”

“Sure. Those cats bring out the best in you.”

She smiled with relief.“Of course they do.”

“So when are you going to tell me how the name Maureen Cranberry came up?”

She thought quick.“I did a long and very thorough Internet search, and discovered that Maureen bought one of those vagina steamers Donna sells on her site. Maureen ended up burning her business and suing Donna for damages and extreme emotional suffering and trauma.”

“Don’t tell me. She lost?”

“She did.”

“Which makes her a great suspect in my book,” Chase grunted. “Great work, Odelia. You’re quickly becoming my favorite ace sleuth.”

She gave him a chipper smile.“Gee, thanks, Detective. That means a lot coming from you.” Little did he know that the real ace sleuth was riding in the bed of the truck, along with three other ace sleuths.

They’d arrived at Donna’s house and Odelia frowned. “Are you sure this is the right way?”

“Yeah. Turns out Maureen Cranberry is one of Donna’s neighbors. And get this. She’s a member of the same neighborhood association Alpin Carr? belongs to.” He gestured to the small monitor in the center of the console, where Mrs. Cranberry’s file had been pulled up.

Odelia squinted at the screen.“This is all gibberish, Chase. What am I looking at?”

“She was at the demonstration this morning. The one where Alpin was arrested? Officers took down the names of everyone present and Mrs. Cranberry was one of them.”

Chase pulled the car over onto the shoulder and got out. Across the street, a more modest dwelling than Donna Bruce’s majestic mansion stood, a lone mailbox announcing here lived Maureen Cranberry.

She also got out and watched as Max, Dooley, Harriet and Brutus crossed the road, making their way past the gate and onto private property. Her very own feline army, she thought with a smile.

Chase rang the bell and soon the gate slid open and they walked up the short paved driveway to the front of the house. Mrs. Cranberry opened the door and watched them arrive, her arms folded across her chest, an expression of suspicion on her face. And as they drew nearer, Odelia saw to her surprise that the woman was the spitting image of Donna Bruce. The same athletic body type, the same facial structure, and the exact same long blond hair. She could have been Donna’s sister.

Chase displayed his badge.“Detective Chase Kingsley. Hampton Cove PD. And this is Odelia Poole. Civilian consultant. We’re investigating the murder of one of your neighbors. Donna Bruce.”

The woman’s scowl deepened. “What’s Donna’s death got to do with me, Detective?”

“That’s what we’re here to find out, Mrs. Cranberry. May we come in?”

Reluctantly, the woman stepped aside to allow them inside. To Odelia’s surprise, a large picture portrait of Donna Bruce dominated the foyer, and as they passed into the parlor, the covers of every Donna Magazine that had ever been published had been framed and put up on the walls.

“You’re quite the fan, aren’t you, Mrs. Cranberry?” asked Chase, studying the setup.