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“I think it’s doubtful that a mayor would also be a butcher on the side.”

“We can’t leave Odelia in her hour of need, Max. That woman needs us.”

“She does. She really does.”

“If we leave now, it’s like kicking a dog. Even though I don’t like most dogs—except Fifi and Rufus, of course—I would never kick them.”

“Me, neither.”

“Also because if I did they’d come after me.”

“There’s that, too,” I allowed.

And so it was decided: we wouldn’t leave Odelia when she was so obviously at a low ebb. Which of course raised another issue: how to walk back on our promise we were moving out without losing face? Especially since we’d walked out in such a dramatic fashion.

“We can always tell her that Charlene didn’t want us,” Dooley suggested.

“One phone call to Charlene would prove that to be a lie,” I explained.

“Or… we could say that Harriet and Brutus begged us not to leave?”

“They would never corroborate our story, especially since we were supposed to leave together.”

“So… what do we say, Max? Without looking silly?”

I sighed.“I think we’ll have to bite the bullet and tell her the truth.”

“What is the truth?”

“That we’re very unhappy about this whole Boggle situation, but that we feel that we can’t leave our human to face this situation all by herself.”

And we would have walked back in, our story ready to go, when another stretch limo suddenly drew up at the curb, another blacked-out window rolled down, and this time it was none other than Opal whose famous face appeared. She, too, was wearing a pair of oversized sunglasses as she directed her attention at us.“Hey, you guys over there. Yes, you. Is this where Odelia Poole lives?”

“Odelia Kingsley,” I said. “And yes, she does live here.”

“Max, it’s Opal!” Dooley loud-whispered.

“I know!” I whispered back.

“I have no idea what you’re saying,” Opal complained. But then she opened the car door and a small ginger cat hopped out. It was Prunella, Opal’s sweetheart.

“Hey, fellas!” she cried, clearly happy to meet us again. We’d met Opal and Prunella in LA, when the family had flown out there to assist Opal with the small matter of someone trying to get her killed. We even stayed at her house that time.

“Oh, hey, Prunella,” I said.

“Okay, I think this must be the place,” said Opal, and also stepped out of the car and then up to the front door. When she rang the bell, this time Chase appeared. The big guy seemed momentarily stunned to find the well-known talk-show hostess on the welcome mat, but then a sunny smile creased his face.

“Opal Harvey as I live and breathe,” he said. “So nice to see you again.”

“Same,” said Opal curtly, then glanced beyond him. “Is Odelia in? I need to have a word.”

“Absolutely,” said Chase, and disappeared indoors with this latest guest.

The door closed, and Prunella lamented,“She forgot about me! Can you believe that? She totally forgot about me!”

“It’s fine, Prunella,” said Dooley. “It happens to us all the time. Isn’t that right, Max?”

“Especially lately,” I muttered. “And I have a feeling it’s only going to get worse.”

CHAPTER 23

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I have to say that the place was rocking: the Boggles were there, of course, John and Janine, with Tessa and Dante now added to the mix and also Opal Harvey. And right in the middle of it all was Odelia, looking a little overwrought. Chase was by her side, darting an occasional anxious glance in his wife’s direction, presumably worried that she might collapse under the strain.

“So I was thinking that this is the perfect time to sit you down for an exclusive interview, John,” Opal was saying. “Especially with all that’s been going on across the pond, this might give you an opportunity to put the record straight as far as your legacy is concerned.”

“My legacy,” John murmured approvingly, degusting the words with relish.

“You’re pretty famous over here, too, you know, and people want to hear your side of the story.”

“Absolutely, absolutely.”

“It will give you a chance to tell the world about your body of work.”

“Yes, yes, I would like that,” said John, folding his hands on top of his own sizable frame. “I would like that very much.”

“And it will kick-start your new career,” Tessa pointed out.

This had John look up in surprise.“New career? What’s wrong with my old career?”

“Darling, that part of our life is over,” said Janine gently. “You have to start thinking about the next chapter.”

“You’ll move to the States, of course,” said Tessa. “Plenty of opportunities.”

“You could launch yourself on the speaking circuit,” said Opal. “If you play your cards right you could be a multimillionaire in a few short years. People pay plenty of money to listen to a man with your experience. A world leader. An icon. A legend.”

“Leader, icon, legend,” John murmured as his eyes twinkled excitedly.

“See?” said Janine. “What did I tell you? Instead of hanging on to that silly job of yours running that silly country and taking crap from a bunch of ungrateful people we should be following the money and living life in the lap of luxury.”