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The smile that flitted up the hotel manager’s lips was genuine and heartfelt. “Oh, yes,” he said. “Amalia, Natalie and Penney are in town to shoot a new series of their show.”

“And Astra? Is she also joining?” The lady’s green eyes had gone wide and expectant. “Have they finally… reconciled?”

“I’m afraid not,” said Barnabas, who keenly felt this lovely young woman’s pain. “Regrettably the fact that they’re here at the same time, in the same place, is nothing but a serendipitous coincidence, nothing more.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” said Mrs. Kingsley with a little sigh of disappointment. “Oh, well.” She bore the news bravely. “Maybe they’ll change their minds.”

“One can only hope,” said Barnabas, in full agreement.

“Who are these women?” asked Mr. Kingsley, and Barnabas’s smile was wiped from his face as with a squeegee. But then it was back. Your consummate hospitality professional doesn’t let the lack of familiarity with the best television show since time immemorial stand in the way of his years oftraining.

“The cast ofHearts& Roses,” he explained.

“Only the best show that was ever made,” the man’s wife explained.

But it was clear from the police officer’s demeanor that he couldn’t care less about a show that had inspired fan clubs, conferences and launched a million memes.

Then again, if a man spends his life submerged in the criminal underbelly of society, he probably doesn’t have the bandwidth to take in the finer things of life.

In that sense Chase Kingsley was more to be pitied than censored. And so Barnabas, as he handed over the couple’s keys, directed a smile of commiseration at the man’s wife, which she reciprocated by a grin of appreciation. Wherever two fans ofHearts& Roses shall meet, they’ll always be connected by the bonds of fandom and love for the best show that was ever created—now and forever.

CHAPTER 2

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It isn’t every day that one is invited to join one’s humans on what can only be described as a second honeymoon, even though technically of course it wasn’t. Chase had been invited to go to this police conference—something organized by Europol or Interpol or some other Pol—and it was one of those offers one can’t refuse: five days in Paris, all expenses paid? No, sir, I don’t think so. Are you kidding? Of course I’ll go! And then when it became clear he could bring a plus-one at a diminished rate, it didn’t take long for my humans to decide they could use a couple of days in Paristo enjoy time away from the business of their home.

You see, lately our cozy little home had become infested with all kinds of people dropping in unannounced. It had started with a politician, quickly followed by a prince and his influencer wife, and topped off with a talk show host. And since Odelia was still recovering from giving birth to an entirely new human being—a tough proposition for any body, it’s safe to say—she was looking forward to a couple of days of relaxation, especially since the hotel these Pol people had chosen was the Fritz-Parlton, by all accounts not some shabby shack in the woods but one of the jewels in Paris’s crown, as far as hotels are concerned.

The only problem was that they could reasonably only bring along two of their cats, not all four, and so it was that Dooley and I now found ourselves in the lobby of one of the finest hotels in Paris, tucked safely inside our respective pet carriers.

“When do you think they’re going to let us out of here, Max?” asked Dooley.

“Soon, Dooley, soon,” I said, even though I had no idea either. But reason told me we couldn’t remain locked up in these cages indefinitely. At some point they had to release us, right? Right?

“I wish you a very pleasant stay in Paris,madame,monsieur,” the manager type kind of person was saying. Then he seemed to reconsider, for he added, in a sort of undertone, “You are a police officer, sir?”

“Yes, that’s right,” said Chase.

“And you are an investigative reporter,madame?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m aninvestigative reporter,” Odelia protested, modesty itself as usual.

“My wife is the best investigative reporter in our hometown,” said Chase, not stinting on the praise. “And she’s assisted the police on numerous investigations as a civilian consultant. In my opinion she’s simply the best at what she does.”

“Oh, well,” said Odelia. “I share my ideas with the police from time to time.”

“You’ve knocked it out of the park many times, babe,” said Chase. “You and your—”

I think he was going to say‘cats’ but just in time remembered that most people would look askance at a police officer who engaged the services of a feline, so he swallowed his words.

There was a pregnant pause of a few seconds, then the manager went on,“The thing is,Monsieur Kingsley,Madame Kingsley, that this fine?tablissement of which I am the proud manager has been faced with a crisis of the highest order.” He lowered his voice even more, looked left and right, then practically whispered, “We’re being targeted by a cat burglar!Un chat cambrioleur!”