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“Maybe you can stay here tonight?” Odelia suggested. “And then in the morning we can look for this Adeola person together?”

“I just walked out of the suite I share with Oscar, then realized I had nowhere to go, and didn’t even know where to find Adeola.” She held up her phone. “I don’t even have her number. So I asked reception, and they gave me this room number.”

“They must have misunderstood.”

Agatha stared before her, with what are usually termed unseeing eyes.“If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes…”

“Do you have kids?” asked Odelia.

Agatha nodded.“A son. Tucker. He’ll be nineteen next month.”

“Is he in Paris?”

“Yes, he is. He came to Paris with us and is also staying at the Fritz-Parlton. But I don’t want to bother him. He’s been spending time with his friends. And also, I don’t want him to be upset with his dad. Oscar may be a lousy husband, but he’s a wonderful dad.” She rubbed her temple. “Oh, this is such a mess, isn’t it? And the worst part is that I like her, you know? I always thought she was great. And a true friend. But the pictures don’t lie.” She unlocked her phone, then seemed to reconsider. “You—you’re not going to tell anyone about this, are you? I mean, if thepress found out about this, Oscar would be ruined.”

“I promise I won’t tell a soul,” said Odelia, and her words must have impressed Agatha sufficiently, for she showed her the pictures she had been referring to.

Odelia gasped.“But that’s…”

Agatha nodded.“Astra Jacobs. The woman who said she was my friend. Who promised me she would always be there for me, no matter what.”

“Where were these taken?” asked Odelia, the reporter in her coming alive.

“Looks like a parking garage,” said Agatha. “Whoever took these must have been spying on Oscar.”

“Could be a paparazzo,” said Odelia. “Who sent them?”

“Not someone I know,” said Agatha. “It said ‘From a well-wisher,’ though I’m not sure how well a wisher you are if you send these kinds of pictures to a man’s wife.” She sighed. “Though of course it’s better to know than to stay in the dark.”

“Yes, it is,” said Odelia emphatically. She wasn’t a big fan of cheaters, and clearly sympathized with the woman, rubbing her back and offering a cup of tea.

“No, that’s all right,” said Agatha with a faint smile of gratitude. “If I can just crash on your couch for the night, I’ll go look for Adeola in the morning.”

“Absolutely.”

And so it was decided: Agatha would sleep in our room tonight, and tomorrow, at the first light of day, she’d figure out her next course of action. Clearly she was in shock. A good night’s sleep would do her a world of good.

She now held out her hand, on which a big ring with an even bigger rock featured.

“Present from Oscar,” she said when she caught Odelia admiring the ring. “A gem for a gem, he called it.” She hesitated for a moment, then took it off. “I guess I’ll use it to pay my divorce lawyer now,” she added with a touch of regret.

“Just sleep on it,” Odelia suggested. “And tomorrow you’ll figure out what to do.”

She nodded.“Thanks so much, Mrs. Kingsley.”

“Odelia, please.” She smiled. “You may not have found the right Odelia, but at least you found a Odelia, which is better than none.”

“You’ve been most helpful,” said Agatha as she wiped at her eyes. “And most kind.”

Soon the room was dark and quiet again, only the rhythmic breathing of humans to be heard. And so I fell asleep once more, only to be awakened by a soft buzzing sound. From the position of the moon, which had shifted, I could tell that a couple of hours must have passed, and when I glanced up, I saw that Agatha’s phone’s display had lit up and she was reading a message on her device.

Moments later, she quietly got up from the couch, tiptoed to the door, opened it, and slipped out.

The door closed, and she was gone.

“Second thoughts?” Dooley whispered, who’d witnessed the same scene.

“Maybe,” I admitted.

“Could be her husband apologizing for what happened.”

“Could be,” I said, and yawned and stretched. I turned to my friend. “What do you say if we went exploring now, my friend?”

Dooley’s grin was something to behold.

“I thought you’d never ask!”

After all, nighttime is our time!

CHAPTER 7

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When we’re home, in the lovely little hamlet of Hampton Cove, what we like to do of an evening is to head down to the local park, where almost the entire Hampton Cove cat population gathers, and spend a pleasant night shooting the breeze and generally having a wonderful time. We like to call this gathering cat choir, but basically, and between you and me, this is merely an excuse to get together. Not unlike humans need an excuse to hang out and spend time in cinemas, theaters or concerts to take in some culture and be with other humans.

I mean, would you go to the cinema when you were the only person there? Or would you have a drink at a bar if there was no one else around and the streets were all deserted? Of course not. You want people, and life, and plenty of it.