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“He’s not my prince, babe,” said Chase with a wide grin. “Though I have to say that catching the guy is going to give me a lot of satisfaction. In fact I can’t wait.”

CHAPTER 32

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Because it was his hotel, and his guest, Barney had to give his permission for the operation to proceed as Chase had planned. It took a lot of arguing on Chase’s part, but finally he managed to convince the manager that it couldn’t hurt to take a closer look at the Prince.

“But under no circumstances can Prince Durkavic find out that he is being watched,” said Barney. “If he sees you, abort immediately, is that understood?”

“He won’t see me,” said Chase. “Trust me, Barney. I’ve done this kind of thing before.”

The manager still looked profoundly ill at ease with Chase’s plans. “Imagine if this gets out. My reputation will be ruined! The Parlton family will be outraged!”

“Not if your prince turns out to be a thief,” Chase pointed out.

“Impossible,” Barney snapped. “Blood will tell,Monsieur Kingsley, and royal blood does not engage in such nefarious activities. He is our most honored guest!”

“Yes, well, I have a hunch. And I’m telling you there’s something fishy about that guy.”

“Well, now is your chance to prove it. But be careful!”

And so the long vigil began.

Dooley and I had received our own strict instructions: we were to take up position on the roof, along with Marion, and make sure we covered the entire space. Chase had also outfitted me with a panic button, which I was to press when I caught sight of the burglar. He’d sourced it from Barney. Odelia, meanwhile, was going to sit tight in the room across from the Prince’s suite, and Chase himself was keeping an eye out from the balcony next to the Prince’s balcony, in case the athletic royal took that avenue to commence his nocturnal poaching trip.

“It is impossible,” Barney kept muttering. “Simply out of the question!” But he still agreed to put two of his security people nearby, to nab the man in case he proved to be the burglar, and instructed his security cameras to be closely monitored.

And so it was that Dooley and I found ourselves on the roof again for a third consecutive night, along with Marion.

“Marion?” Dooley asked shyly.

“Yes, Dooley?” Marion said, as she kept a keen eye on all goings-on, which at that moment weren’t any.

“So… are you Mr. Marion, Mrs. Marion, Miss Marion or Mx. Marion?”

She frowned.“Come again?”

“Well, we met a woman this afternoon who said she wasn’t a woman and she wasn’t a man. She was, in fact, neither. And Max explained to me how some people don’t feel comfortable being a man or a woman but are in fact something… else. So now I was wondering if you were also something else, you know?”

She laughed.“No, I’m just a regular pussycat, Dooley.Mademoiselle Marion, if you will.”

“Oh. And your boyfriend? Is he a mix or a mister?”

“No, he’s not a mix, either. He isMonsieur B?bel.”

“Oh, okay.” It was hard to tell whether he was disappointed or not, but I guess it didn’t really matter much.

“He’s coming home tomorrow, you know. Can’t wait to see him again. One week may not sound like much, but it’s too long as far as I’m concerned,” said Marion, showing us her romantic streak for once.

Dooley nodded seriously.“Yes, I can see that,” he said. “I couldn’t imagine Max being away from home for such a long time either.”

“Oh,” said Marion, looking from me to Dooley. “So you two… are an item?”

“No!” I said with a laugh. “Just friends.”

“What is an item?” asked Dooley.

“A couple,” I said.

Dooley’s eyes went wide. “Why would Max and I be a couple? We’re both misters.”

“Sometimes misters can be a couple, too, Dooley,” I said.

He stared at me.“I don’t understand.”

“It’s true,” said Marion. “Men can be with men, and women with women.”

“Huh,” said Dooley, and he looked slightly stunned at this revelation.

“It’s a fascinating world out there, isn’t it, Dooley?” said Marion with a wink in my direction.

“I guess so,” said my friend, as he processed this information. It was proving to be a fascinating day for him, full of new and exciting facts. I could see his mind buzzing. When we got home, he was sure to tell Harriet and Brutus all about it.

But the time for idle and pleasant stakeout conversation was at an end, for a dark figure was stalking across the roof, coming from the direction of the entrance to the staff wing. Marion saw him first, and hunkered down, lowering her voice.“He’s here! Look! Over there!”

“Chase was right!” I said. “He said he’d come out again and he did!”

The figure was slowly making his way across the roof, glancing left and right as he did, and proceeding in the direction of the side of the roof, where he could easily lower himself onto any of the balconies on that side, and gain entrance to the rooms of the well-paying and well-heeled guests.

“We better give them the sign,” I said, and pressed the panic button. It would sound an alarm on Chase’s phone, so he’d know something was going down.