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“Looks like your dad dated the kid’s mom at some point and she ended up pregnant and had his baby.” He held up his hands. “That’s all I know.”

“My dad… has a son,” she said, highly taken aback by this unexpected piece of news. “I wonder how Mom is taking this.”

“Knowing my sister, not well,” said her uncle, who was still making no indication of having said his bit. “And in other news, your grandmother is going to start patrolling the streets at night, looking for that so-called cat killer.”

“That’s great,” said Odelia, nodding. “I hope she catches the guy.”

“Yeah, well, all I know is that when Vesta is out and about, trouble usually follows her around like a newborn pup.” He got up. “Oh, and that dog you were asking about? I think I found just the one.”

“You did? Hey, that’s great!”

“Yeah, he’s a bit long in the tooth maybe, but by all accounts he used to be a fine police dog when he was still on active duty.”

Her face fell.“You’re getting me a retired dog?”

“Of course. What did you expect? That you were getting an active dog? Those are all spoken for, honey. But Rambo is a mighty fine specimen, so your cats will be absolutely safe.” Her uncle flashed her a quick grin. “And he’s had all his shots, too.”

And with these words, he left the office, giving the doorframe a rap as he went.

A retired police dog to guard her cats, Grandma Muffin patrolling the streets and, most importantly, a stepbrother. No wonder her uncle felt the need to drop by in person.

She picked up her phone and called her mom but the call went straight to voicemail. So instead she called her grandmother, who picked up at the first ring.

“What do you want?” growled the older lady.

“Is it true that I have a stepbrother?” she asked.

Gran chuckled loudly.“Yeah, you do. And he’s something else, too.”

“That bad, huh?”

“No, that good. The perfect son! Very polite, very nice, and not too bad-looking either. Though he should probably do something about his ears, and that’s exactly what I told him.”

“His ears?”

“Yeah, you’ll see. When are you coming home to meet your new brother?”

Her heart sank.“How is Mom taking it?”

“What do you think?”

“I’m guessing… not good?”

“You’re guessing right. If I were in your father’s shoes right now I’d want to be zapped up by Captain Kirk and taken aboard the Starship Enterprise to the far side of the galaxy.”

“That bad, huh.”

“Better get over here before she commits involuntary manslaughter is all I’m saying.”

And as she disconnected, Odelia wondered where this new brother of hers had suddenly sprung from. Mom’s worst nightmare, probably.

Chapter 13

When Charlene returned to her office she was surprised that the two businessmen trying to sell her on the idea of a new shopping mall for Hampton Cove were still there.

She’d thought for sure they would have left by now.

Imelda, her secretary, made her aware of their presence when she said, in an exaggerated whisper,“They refused to leave! Said they preferred to await your return rather than reschedule!”

If she hadn’t been in the mood to discuss the development of a shopping mall project before, she certainly wasn’t now, after learning about the tragic death of her uncle. But she’d long ago accepted that a public servant wasn’t always in control of their agenda, and that compromises would have to be made along the way.

So she waltzed into her office to find the same two gentlemen still seated at her desk, as if they hadn’t moved a muscle. The only difference was that they’d brought out their model, and had placed it right on top of her desk.

She stared at the thing now, and had to admit that it looked pretty neat indeed.

“Ah, Madam Mayor,” said Mr. Blatch, still rocking that incredible tan of his, and those shiny white teeth. “We were hoping you’d come back.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” she said. “A family emergency.”

“We absolutely understand,” said Mr. Dawson, who was the more soft-spoken and reticent of the twosome. “I hope the news wasn’t too bad?”

“My uncle died,” she blurted out. “Fell into an empty pool and cracked his skull.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” said Mr. Blatch, his smile faltering.

“Terrible tragedy, I’m sure,” said his colleague, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

There was a moment’s silence after that—a respectable silence, Charlene liked to think, but the moment she opened her mouth to speak, both men’s smiles returned and they proudly pointed to the model. “This is what she will look like,” said Mr. Blatch.

“A gem, don’t you think?” said Mr. Dawson.

“A jewel in Hampton Cove’s crown.”

“It looks pretty… impressive,” she had to admit. And then she noticed the name written above the mall entrance: The Butterwick Mall.

“Do you like the name? We can always change it,” said Mr. Dawson.

“How about the Charlene Shopping Center?” said Mr. Blatch.

“Or the Butterwick Galleria.”

“Has a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you agree, Madam Mayor?”

She smiled. She’d been in politics long enough to know when she was being played. “Look, I don’t care about the name. I just want what’s best for this town,” she said.