The Case of Too Many Clues

by Cindy Vincent

  Merryweather pushed her cat-eye glasses up higher on her nose. “It’s because of the lookie-loos.”

  “Lookie-loos?” Gracie repeated. “What are those?”

  Merryweather taped a box full of antique dishes. “Whenever something bad happens and it’s big news, some people want to get a good look at it. And today people are coming into your Mom’s store so they can catch a glimpse of the scene of the crime.”

  Gracie grabbed another sheet of paper. “You mean, Garnet’s store?”

  Merryweather nodded. “That’s right, honey. They aren’t allowed to go inside. And they need a good excuse to hang around and see what’s going on. So they came down to your Mom’s antique store.”

  “Oh . . . “ Gracie said.

  Millicent brought a glass vase to the counter. “Garnet gets robbed and now we’re making out like bandits with all these sales.”

  “Don’t you feel sorry for Garnet?” Gracie asked.

  “Yes and no,” Merryweather said. “She’s not the nicest person around. In fact, you might even say she’s downright mean.”

  “Very mean,” Millicent added.

  Merryweather lined another packing box with bubble wrap. “But that doesn’t mean I’m happy that her store was robbed. Though maybe it’s the reason why someone decided to break in and steal her jewelry. Maybe she was nasty to them and they decided to get even.”

  She had barely spoken the words when Bogey caught my eye and nodded in the direction of the front door. Of course, I knew exactly what he meant. And let me tell you, if there was ever a day when no one would notice a couple of black cats sneaking out of a store, well, this was it. So I followed him as we went from dresser to cabinet, and from table to wing chair. Without anyone even seeing us at all. Then we slipped right out the front door while people stood talking to each other.

  Of course, the robbery was the only thing that anyone wanted to talk about. And we heard more and more about it as we slinked along the sidewalk to Garnet’s store. Thankfully, no one even looked down at all. And nobody seemed to notice what was going on around their feet.

  Namely, Bogey and me running by.

  Then it was just a matter of minutes before we were inside Garnet’s store again. Though I barely even recognized the place. It looked completely different from the way it had yesterday. All the cabinets were bare and all the valuable jewelry was gone! Not to mention, the glass cabinets had been smashed and little pieces of glass were everywhere.

  And I do mean everywhere!

  I almost froze in shock when I saw the whole mess.

  But I managed to stay focused, and I followed my brother as we tiptoed behind a cabinet. We had to be extra careful wherever we stepped, so we didn’t cut our paws on any bits of glass. If nothing else, at least we knew our way around this time. So we stayed low to the ground as we crept past some more cabinets. We finally stopped when we found the perfect hiding spot. One that was nicely out of sight but where we could still see what was going on.

  Right away we spotted a couple of police officers who were busy dusting for fingerprints. Then there was another one who was picking up bits of evidence from the floor. Believe me, with all those little pieces of glass around, he had plenty to choose from.

  In the meantime, our old friend, Officer Phoebe Smiley, was talking to Garnet. They were both sitting in chairs across from each other. And let me tell you, I would not have wanted to be in Officer Phoebe’s shoes for anything in the world at that moment. Because Garnet was mad. Really mad. And she was being extra nasty to Officer Phoebe.

  “The police in this town are a joke!” Garnet said as she practically shot laser beams from her eyes. “If you had been doing your job, this crime never would’ve happened. And my store never would’ve been robbed.”

  “We got here as quick as we could,” Officer Phoebe said. “We made it in five minutes.”

  “Yeah?” Garnet went on. “Well, it was long enough for the crooks to wipe me out! Just look at this place! It’s completely empty.”

  Officer Phoebe shook her head. “They were pretty fast, all right. Can you think of anyone who would want to do this to you? Do you have any enemies?”

  “Not a one!” Garnet yelled. “Everyone loves me,” she screamed.

  I felt my eyes go wide and I glanced at my brother. Because I had a pretty good idea that not very many people — or cats, either — liked her at all. In fact, I guessed she probably had lots of enemies.

  “She takes the cake,” Bogey whispered to me.

  “She took a cake?” I repeated. “Somebody’s birthday cake? That’s the meanest thing I’ve ever heard!”

  Bogey shook his head. “Just an expression, kid. It means she’s the worst example of something. In her case, she’s the nastiest dame around.”

  Well, he could sure say that again. I especially didn’t like the way she was talking to Officer Phoebe. Nobody deserved to be treated like that. Miss Mokie never would’ve put up with that kind of treatment. Maybe Officer Phoebe should have tried raising her hand, just like Miss Mokie raised her paw. And just like I’d learned to raise my paw when I was talking to Mitzi.

  Unfortunately, Officer Phoebe didn’t try that.

  Even so, she still managed to keep her cool. “Did you see anyone around here acting suspicious lately? In the days before you were robbed?”

  For once, Garnet was quiet. But only for a second or two.

  Then she suddenly jumped up from her chair. “Yes, there was something suspicious that happened yesterday. Gracie Abernathy ran right into one of my displays! She knocked over some jewelry and probably even scratched or dented some. She and her mother weren’t too happy when I told them they’d have to pay for any damages.”

  I could see that Officer Phoebe was really struggling to keep calm. Probably because she is our Mom’s friend, and she knows Gracie pretty well, too. Not to mention, she’s always been very nice to us cats.

  “Come now, Garnet,” she said through clenched teeth. “Do you really believe that a twelve-year-old girl could set up a jewel heist like this?”

  “Sure she could,” Garnet shot back. “She has a cell phone, doesn’t she? She could send messages to all her friends and they could help her out. She and her bunch could have robbed my store in a matter of minutes. The door to the alley was broken into, and she would know all about that door. She’s probably been by it a million times when she’s gone to work with her mother. Plus, she probably wanted to get even with me!”

  By now, I was really starting to get mad. Because I knew Gracie would never rob a jewelry store! She wouldn’t even think of doing something so awful. She sure wasn’t a crook. So how could Garnet even say such a thing?

  “I find it pretty hard to believe that a young girl would steal all your jewelry,” Officer Phoebe said. “Especially if that young girl was Gracie.”

  Garnet put her hands on her hips. “Why? Because Abigail is your friend? Maybe you should be taken off this case. Maybe you can’t be objective about it.”

  “Objective?” I whispered to Bogey.

  He tilted an ear in my direction. “Not letting your personal feelings cloud your judgment, kid.”

  I nodded. “Oh, okay.”

  “Where would Gracie even put all that jewelry?” Officer Phoebe said with a laugh.

  “Why, that’s easy!” Garnet went on, fuming even more by the minute. “She’d simply move it all to her mother’s store! Maybe they did it together. Just to get even with me!”

  “Neither one of them would steal your jewelry,” Officer Phoebe said through clenched teeth. I could tell she was finally starting to get upset.

  “I insist that we go over there and see for ourselves. Immediately!” Garnet hollered.

  Then before Officer Phoebe could say another word, Garnet jumped up from her chair. She raced right out the door and turned in the direction of our Mom’s store.

  Officer Phoebe bounced to her feet and ran after her. “You can’t search Abby’s store! Not without h
er permission!”

  I sat bolt upright and turned to my brother. “Should we go after them?”

  “Yup, kid, but first we need to check something out.” And with that, he ran around the corner of a cabinet.

  I raced after him as he zoomed past a few more cabinets and made a beeline for the back wall. To the very place where we’d found our clue the day before. Or maybe I should say, the lack of a clue. Because the empty jar with the black lid that we’d found yesterday was gone! Had the crooks taken it, too?

  Then again, maybe the crooks were the ones who had put it there in the first place. My head started to spin just thinking about it.

  “Let’s get out of here, kid,” Bogey said to me. “We know everything we need to know. Plus we got an earful. We’d better get back to the store before the fur starts to fly.”

  For once, I knew exactly what his expression meant.

  So we vamoosed right on out of there! Bogey took the lead and I raced to keep up. We ran single file and low to the ground. Just as fast as we could go. Soon we were out of that awful place and back on the sidewalk.

  Then we ran straight for our Mom’s store.

  That was, until Bogey stopped for a second or two and glanced across the street.

  Naturally, I stopped with him, though every inch of me was dying to get back to our Mom’s store. “Um . . . Bogey, don’t you think we should hurry up and get back? So we don’t get caught?”

  He tilted his head. “Hold on a second, kid. Take a look across the street and tell me what you see.”

  So I did just that. And that’s when my chin practically hit the pavement. Because there, staring right at us, was Mr. Pennypacker. He tipped his bowler hat to us and smiled.

  “It’s . . . it’s . . .” I barely managed to stammer.

  “Yup, kid,” Bogey said. “It is.”

  Now I had to wonder, what in the world was he doing there?

  Holy Catnip!

  CHAPTER 13

  Holy Mackerel!

  Shivers ran up and down my spine as we watched Mr. Pennypacker staring at us from the other side of the street. And I do mean staring! He didn’t even blink. Not once. Worst of all, for some strange reason, I couldn’t seem to look away as we watched him watching us.

  Bogey touched my shoulder. “Don’t let him rattle you, kid. Let’s get back to our Mom’s store. Garnet and Officer Phoebe are probably there already. And Garnet’s probably raising a ruckus.”

  “A ruckus?” I repeated. I was still having a hard time turning away from Mr. Pennypacker’s gaze. It was like he had hypnotized me or something.

  “Yup, kid. A ruckus. A commotion. A hullabaloo. A very big fuss with a whole lotta noise.”

  “Oh . . . that,” I said, nodding.

  And I was finally able to turn away. Then I followed Bogey as we ran around the legs of the people on the sidewalk.

  Getting back inside our Mom’s store was easy, since a customer was standing there with the door wide open. The older lady was practically frozen to the spot, just watching the “ruckus,” as Bogey had put it. So I guess I wasn’t the only one who had trouble turning away from something that had caught my attention. Then again, I had to admit, this time it was extra hard to look away. Because my brother had been right — Garnet really was raising a very big commotion. She was yelling and waving her arms and accusing Gracie of robbing her jewelry store.

  Poor Gracie was in tears. Thankfully, Merryweather had put her arm around Gracie’s shoulders and pulled her close. Like she was protecting her.

  Then our Mom planted herself solidly between Gracie and Garnet. “If you think for one moment that you’re going to get away with this, Garnet . . . accusing my daughter of a crime she couldn’t possibly commit . . . and for that matter, wouldn’t even think to commit . . . then you’re about to have much bigger problems than just a robbery! Because you’re going to have to deal with me. And my husband. And the St. Gertrude Police Department.”

  “Your daughter is a crook!” Garnet hollered. “She’s a crook and a liar!”

  Our Mom put her hands on her hips. “She certainly is not!”

  Officer Phoebe pulled out her handcuffs. “Garnet, you either calm down or I’ll have to arrest you.”

  “But I’m the victim here,” Garnet wailed. “I’m the one who was robbed.”

  “I know you are upset,” our Mom said firmly. “Now, if you will just settle down, I will allow you to look through our store. With Phoebe watching over you, of course. Then you’ll see that we did not steal your jewelry. And after that, I fully expect you to apologize to my daughter. In a very big way. Because you’re way out of line to accuse her of a crime like that.”

  “Fine. I agree,” Garnet said, practically chomping on her words.

  All the while, my heart was pounding so hard it felt like a bouncy ball inside my chest. When Bogey said Garnet would raise a ruckus, commotion or hullabaloo, well, he wasn’t kidding. I turned to my brother, thinking he’d be pretty mad about the whole situation.

  But he just arched an eyebrow and grinned. “Gotta love our Mom. She’s a real champ when it comes to protecting our family.”

  I nodded. “She sure sticks up for us all. No matter what.”

  “You got that right, kid,” Bogey said as he motioned to the scene before us. “Now it looks like we’re up. We’ve got security detail.”

  Well, he sure didn’t have to tell me twice. Without another word, we made a beeline for our Mom. Though I took a quick little jog over to Gracie first and rubbed around her legs. Just to let her know that I was sticking up for her.

  Our Mom sighed and turned to Officer Phoebe. “Would you mind being a witness, Phoebe? And watch Garnet while she looks around? That should prove to her that we don’t have her jewelry.”

  Phoebe frowned. “Of course, Abby. But you have nothing to prove. Everyone in town knows you and Gracie would never rob a jewelry store.”

  “Thanks,” our Mom told her. “But this way there’ll never be any question about it.”

  So off they went. Officer Phoebe followed Garnet as she searched through antique china hutches and dressers and shelves. Of course, Bogey and I tagged along, too. And believe me, we kept a close eye on her.

  A very close eye.

  Needless to say, Garnet wasn’t especially happy about Bogey and me being there. In fact, she got upset whenever she turned to see Bogey staring at her from the top of a bookcase or a dresser. Or when she caught me sitting right next to her on a chair or a stool.

  “Can’t you call off the dogs?” she demanded of Officer Phoebe. “Maybe lock them up somewhere?”

  “Dogs?” I meowed to my brother. “I don’t see any dogs. Doesn’t she know we’re cats?”

  He grinned and meowed back. “Just an expression, kid. She thinks we’re coming on a little strong.”

  I crinkled my brow. “Are we?”

  “Absolutely,” Bogey meowed and scooted a little closer to Garnet. “Just like any good cat detective would.”

  “Make them stop all that meowing!” Garnet hollered.

  Officer Phoebe laughed and petted me on the head. “I wouldn’t dream of telling Buckley and Bogey what to do. They’re Abby’s cats. And believe me, they have minds of their own.”

  Garnet squinted at me and sneered. “Oh, I believe it, all right.”

  In the meantime, our Mom’s store became even more packed with people. It seemed like everyone who had been out on the sidewalk now decided to come inside and shop. Probably so they’d have a front-row view in case Garnet caused another ruckus. And all those people also started to buy things. Lots and lots of things. Before long, our Mom, Millicent, Merryweather, and Gracie were so busy they could barely keep up with it all.

  Bogey and I stayed on the job, too. As we trotted along behind Garnet and Officer Phoebe, we heard people in the crowd talking.

  “Do you think that little girl robbed the jewelry store?” one man asked.

  “How could that be?” his wife answered. �
�She’s just a child.”

  “Maybe that’s her disguise,” someone else suggested. “If so, it’s a good one. No one would ever suspect a child of such a complicated crime.”

  “I’ve known Abigail and Gracie and Mike for years,” another lady added. “They are good, upstanding citizens of St. Gertrude.”

  Then several other people chimed in with things like, “That’s right,” and “I agree.”

  At least most of the people in town knew better than to believe something bad about our family. And much to my amazement, Garnet herself even came around. She raced back to our Mom and Gracie right after she’d finished searching.

  Then Garnet burst into tears. “I’m so sorry Abigail. And Gracie. I don’t know what came over me. I guess I was just upset about the robbery. I never should have said the things I said.” She tilted her head back and cried and cried and cried.

  Really loud.

  Bogey squinted his eyes. “Seems a bit thick, doesn’t it, kid?”

  I nodded. “Like she’s trying to make everyone feel sorry for her. Even though she was so mean to Gracie and our Mom.”

  And let me tell you, people sure did feel sorry for her. Someone jumped in with some tissues so Garnet could blow her nose. Someone else patted her hand, and our Mom even gave her a hug. Finally, Garnet reached over and hugged Gracie, too.

  All the while, I caught a glimpse of Mr. Pennypacker walking around our store with his bowler hat in his hands.

  For some reason, I shivered again. Then I scooted closer to my brother.

  Not long after that, Garnet blew her nose one last time and smiled a shaky smile. She seemed to be feeling better when she walked out of our store with a whole bunch of people around her. People who were all saying really nice, cheerful things to her.

  But nobody was saying things like that to poor Gracie, and she still looked pretty close to tears. So I ran over and stretched up her side. She picked me up and held me tight, and I gave her a kiss on the nose. But this time she didn’t even giggle. Instead, she just put her face in my fur.

  “Oh, Buckley,” she whispered. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my whole life. How could anyone think I would rob a jewelry store? If Garnet hadn’t searched our store, she would have accused me of committing a crime. A really bad crime.”