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But soon the speeches were over, and champagne flowed with some abundance, and much laughter soon filled the air, which made Dooley visibly relax.

Chase’s granddad then came to sit on the floor right next to us, and Dooley recognized him from an encounter we’d once had with the man, in which we’d rightly or wrongly assumed that he was, in fact, Santa Claus.

“I hear you guys saved the day again?” he said as he gave me a neck massage I very much needed at that point. “So I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.” Then he leaned in, his white beard bristling quietly. “And if you can do me this one big favor? Please keep an eyeon my grandson for me. I know he’s a big boy now, and I know he thinks he can take care of himself, but you never know.”

I looked the white-bearded man in the eye and said,“We will keep your son safe, Mr. Kingsley. You can count on us.”

He smiled.“I didn’t understand what you just said, Max, but I think you made this grandfather’s heart a little lighter.”

“Why don’t you come and live with us?” Dooley suggested. “Odelia has a spare bedroom, and so has Marge.”

But of course Chase’s granddad is one of those rare people who can’t talk to cats, or understand them. Still, I think he managed to grasp Dooley’s meaning, for suddenly he said, “You know? One of these days I just might pay you all a visit. And who knows? I might even find myself looking for a place of my ownin your peaceful Hampton Cove. The big city is all fine and dandy for young people, but at my age she sometimes gets to be a little too hectic for my taste, and I’m thinking I just might enjoy the quiet life.”

And as he returned to his seat, Brutus grunted,“If he really thinks life in Hampton Cove is peaceful and quiet, he’s got another thing coming.”

“Max!” suddenly Dooley tooted in my ear.

“Mh?” I said as I eyed the piece of fish Tex had just thrown in my direction and tried to decide whether to approve it for feline consumption or not.

“I just had a great idea!”

“Uh-oh,” said Harriet.

“Chase’s granddad can come and stay with us, and then he and Gran can get to know each other a little better and then they can start dating and then they can get…married!”

I think he spoke for all of us when Brutus sighed and said,“Oh, Dooley…”

32. PURRFECT DECEIT

Chapter 1

We were in Odelia’s office doing what we do best: having a refreshing nap. Not that napping is all we do, mind you. Sometimes we doze, and sometimes we even sleep. Dooley and I occupied one corner of the office, Harriet and Brutus another. Recently a sort of disagreement had broken out between the two factions that make up Odelia’s cat contingent and I can only blame The Wedding for this frankly embarrassing fracas.

A wedding had taken place in Las Vegas, and Odelia and Chase Kingsley had officially been declared husband and wife. It had been one of those shotgun weddings, though fortunately no shotguns had featured into the thing, and a good thing, too, I should say.

The moment we returned from Vegas however, two things happened that caused a kind of rift: first off, a great number of people who’d heard through the grapevine about the wedding were vocally displeased, and didn’t mind expressing this displeasure to one and all. As Odelia’s cats we more or less bore the brunt of this displeasure, as our fellow felines in the local community turned to us to tell of their annoyance with the way the whole thing had gone down, and this naturally weighed on all of our minds.

Harriet, fed up with all this criticism, which she felt she didn’t deserve, figured Dooley and I were mostly to blame, as we should have used our influence to discourage Odelia from going through with her plan, even though at the time Harriet had thought it was a great idea—something she’d since conveniently forgotten, I might add.

And then there was the second dispute that soured things to some extent.

“The stork, Max!” said Dooley. “It’s the stork! I can see him! Quick, let’s catch him before he takes off again!”

I looked in the direction indicated but unfortunately didn’t see any sign of said stork.

“Um… I’m afraid I don’t see any stork, Dooley,” I said therefore.

He stared at the window, through which a sliver of blue sky was visible.“Oh,” he said finally. “I thought I saw it. Must have been some other bird.”

“Will you please shut up about your stork,” Harriet yelled from her side of the room.

“Yeah, some of us are trying to take a quiet nap,” Brutus chimed in.

“I’m sorry,” said Dooley. “It’s just that… you know how important it is, you guys. And I think we should all be on the lookout for that stork twenty-four seven.”

“You be on the lookout,” said Harriet. “Brutus and I have better things to do.”

“We could take shifts,” Dooley suggested, turning a hopeful face to me. “I could watch out while you take a nap, and you could watch out while I take a nap. And vice versa?”