by Nic Saint
“The Feds,” Chase said. “Camille doesn’t waste any time.”
“So we’re officially through?”
“Yes, we are,” Chase said, his hands tight on the steering wheel.
“Can they do that? Just… swoop in and take over?”
“Afraid so.” He glanced over. “It’s out of our hands now, Poole.”
“Pity we didn’t catch the killer,” Dooley said.
“Pity indeed.”
“What’s that?” Chase asked.
“Pity we didn’t catch the killer.”
“Yeah, damn shame.”
“Uncle Alec won’t like this.”
“He doesn’t have to like it. This time tomorrow the Kenspeckles will be gone, I’m pretty sure never to return. So it’s none of our business anymore.”
She settled back in her seat. Yep. This was the end, all right. The. End.
Chapter 22
“This is a nightmare,” said Uncle Alec, worrying the few remaining strands of wispy gray hair on his head until they stood on end.
Odelia and Chase were ensconced in the Chief’s office, discussing the unexpected turn their investigation had taken. A turn down the tubes.
“I talked to the FBI agent in charge. He told me to hand over any evidence we’ve managed to collect and they’ll take it from here.”
“Is he going to allow the Kenspeckles to fly out of here?” asked Odelia.
“Looks like. Camille wants her family safe and sound in that gated community where they all live. She’s hired the best muscle in LA to protect them from the terrorists she thinks are gunning for them. Ex-special forces.”
“I tried to explain we’re not dealing with terrorists here,” Chase said. “But Camille shot me down. She’s convinced her family is under attack.”
“I don’t understand,” Odelia said. “Why isn’t the FBI on the same page? They can’t possibly believe this was the work of some terrorist cell?”
“They’re convinced the killer somehow managed to outsmart Boa’s security team, and snuck in and killed Shana. It doesn’t help that I can’t offer them a suspect at this point. And arresting and being forced to release Dion Dread didn’t exactly boost my credibility. Plus it infuriated the family.”
“So what about the chloroform?” asked Odelia.
“What about it?”
“Don’t terrorists usually plant a big bomb and blow up the whole place? Why sneak in, drug the entire household and target only one person? That doesn’t sound like the work of a terrorist.”
“Try telling them that. I’m done explaining to the Feds how to do their job.”
“Did you tell them the note was an obvious fake?” asked Chase.
The Chief raised his hands and dropped them on the desk. “I’m the local moron here, guys. I’m a joke to these people. They don’t listen to me.”
“With the Kenspeckles gone so is our chance of finding the killer,” Odelia said. Uncle Alec was right. This was a nightmare scenario, and the worst part was that they were exactly nowhere in their investigation. They’d talked to all the principals and so far she didn’t have a single clue to the killer’s identity.
“I don’t know,” said Chase. “You’d almost think Camille doesn’t want her daughter’s killer found.”
"I'm sure she does," said the Chief, "but she doesn't trust you or me."
“When are they leaving?” Odelia asked.
“As soon as they’re ready. They’re packing up as we speak. The Feds will move them out in a motorcade, put them on a private jet and ship them off.”
“I wonder if they’re going to film this whole charade,” said Odelia.
“Of course they will,” said Chase. “This is all going to be on the show.”
“Yeah, this will probably be the number one show of the season.”
Odelia wondered why Max and Dooley hadn’t discovered anything. Usually they were great at ferreting out those small details no one else was capable of discovering. Trivial things that could lead to a break in the case.
Her phone buzzed and she excused herself, stepping into the corridor. It was her mother. “Hey, Mom. Everything all right?”
“Did you know that you and Chase were on TV just now?”
“We were?”
“There’s an item on the Kenspeckles, and they showed you and Chase leaving the house where they’re staying. You were waving at the camera.”
She remembered passing the camera crews camping out at the gate. “Yay. I’m famous.”
“Yay.”
“So what did they say?”
“Oh, nothing special. There was a lot of speculation about those black cars. They think it’s either the Men in Black arriving or the FBI. Your grandmother thinks it’s the Men in Black. I’m going with the FBI.”
“What would the Men in Black want with the Kenspeckles?”
“Well, the newscaster is convinced the Kenspeckles are aliens, colluding with other aliens on their mother ship to colonize the planet. The other theory is that it’s the FBI, and the local police are being sidelined. So what is it?”
“It’s the FBI,” she confirmed. “We’re out. They’re in.”
“They’re all aliens!” suddenly Gran’s voice sounded over the phone. “One look at Camille is enough to know she’s preparing an alien invasion. It’s in the eyes, honey. No amount of plastic surgery can hide those alien eyes.”
“The Kenspeckles are no aliens, Gran.”
“Rubbish. The alien wears Prada. Don’t be fooled by the fancy clothes.”
“Will you give me back that phone?” Mom said. “What did you say?”
“The FBI has taken over, Mom. Our investigation is officially a bust.”
"Oh, that's too bad. Can you invite your uncle and Chase over for dinner? We have barbecue. Does Chase like his mashed potatoes with garlic?"
She did a mental head thunk. Was this a time to think about barbecue? “I don’t know, Mom. I don’t know how Chase likes his mashed potatoes.”
“Well, ask him, will you? This is important.”
Of course it was. “I’ll ask him.”
“Oh, and I’m thinking about getting a dog.”
“A dog? Why a dog? Don’t we have enough cats?”
“Yeah, but dogs are affectionate. I hardly ever see Dooley or Harriet. They’re either over at your place or out and about. Dogs stick to you like glue. I was thinking of getting myself a French Bulldog, like the one Shana Kenspeckle had? I saw him on TV—they did a rerun of some older episodes of the Kenspeckles—and he looks so cute!”
“Yeah, dogs love their owners,” Odelia admitted. “Though Kane isn’t as cute in real life as he is on TV, Mom. He’s an annoying little yapper.”
“Kane? Who’s Kane?”
“Shana Kenspeckle’s dog? The dog that’s on the show?”
“Oh, but that’s not Shana’s dog, honey. Shana’s dog was called Lil’ Pim. He died last year, remember? Been with her since she was a kid. Kane used to belong to someone in Shana’s entourage. They gifted Kane to Shana as a present when Lil’ Pim died. To soften the blow.”
Something went clickety click inside Odelia’s head, like pieces of a puzzle falling into place. A sudden surge of excitement shot through her. “Do you remember who that dog belonged to, Mom?”
“Sure, um…” Her mother’s voice trailed off. “Lemme think for a second. It’ll come to me.” There was some shuffling, then her mother’s voice called out, “Mom! Who gave Shana Kenspeckle her new dog? I’m asking your grandmother, honey,” she added, as if that wasn’t obvious already.
“Damien LeWood!” Gran yelled back.
“Not her husband, her dog! Who gave her the dog?!”
There was some muffled discussion on the other end, and then Gran took over the phone again. “Is Chase coming over for dinner, honey? We’re having barbecue.”
She gritted her teeth. “Gran, who gave Shana her new dog?”
“Ask him if he likes his mashed potatoes with gar
lic. I think he does, but your mother has gotten it into her head he doesn’t. Can you settle the argument? I’m right, aren’t I? I’m always right. I’ve got a mind like a steel trap.”
She heaved a deep sigh. “I’m sure Chase likes garlic.”
“See! I told you so! He looks like a garlic-loving guy to me.”
She tried to resist the urge to drag her grandmother through the phone. “Gran? The name?”
“Um… Lemme think for a minute. It’s on the tip of my tongue.”
Finally, her mother came on the line. “I just remembered, honey.”
When her mother gave her the name, Odelia’s jaw went slack.
It was the very last person she would have suspected.
Chapter 23
While Odelia and Chase were meeting with Chief Alec, Dooley and I went in search of Brutus and Harriet. It was time for an emergency meeting. I had once sworn a sacred oath that I would stand by my human, and I wasn’t going to forsake her now. It was obvious this murder investigation meant a lot to Odelia, and so far we’d let her down.
“Do you really want to interrupt them on their hot date?” Dooley asked.
“Yes, I do. Catching the Kenspeckle killer is more important than a date.”
“Not to Harriet and Brutus. They love dating. Dating is all they do.”
“I don’t care. We need to catch that killer. Dating can wait.”
“Oh, fine,” he said, though he didn’t look happy. The prospect of catching Harriet and Brutus in the act under a park bench didn’t appeal to him.
We trotted over to the park where only that morning I’d been stuck in a tree. It looked completely different during the day. Mothers were pushing baby strollers, tourists were licking ice creams, kids were kicking cans, teenagers were canoodling and senior citizens were reading the newspaper.
Most tourists were at the beach right now, soaking up the rays, but not all. Some enjoyed the peace and quiet of the park. And the shade. The north side of the park sloped down, and morphed into a stretch of sandy dunes, leading straight down to the beach. The park provided a welcome counterpoint of coolness. We passed the playground, with several toddlers playing in the sandbox, parents seated to the side to keep an eye on them.
“They could be anywhere,” Dooley said. “This place is huge.”
“Not that huge. And I’ll bet they’ve chosen a quiet spot for their date.”
“So they can have some privacy. Which we should probably give them.”
“Do you or don’t you want to find the killer?”
“Of course I want to find the killer. But I don’t see how Brutus or Harriet are going to help us find him. If we can’t solve this case, and Odelia and Chase and Uncle Alec can’t solve this case, what makes you think they can?”
“It’s the combined intelligence of the four of us that does the trick,” I told him. “It’s the power of the mastermind, Dooley. Four great minds provide a wisdom that is greater than its collective parts.”
He stared at me dumbly, and I was starting to have second thoughts about this mastermind thing. I’d seen it on the History Channel once. How big tycoons rely on the convergence of great minds to come up with great ideas. I wondered if it also worked if some of those minds weren’t as bright as others.
We headed to a denser part of the park, where Brutus and I had climbed that tree that morning. When I spotted a black tabby and a white Persian getting cozy under a bench, I knew we’d found them. “There they are.”
“You talk to them,” Dooley said, shaking his head. “I’m not doing this.”
“Hey, guys,” I said as I walked up to them, Dooley dragging his paws.
Brutus gave me his best glare. “What are you doing here?”
I told him in a few quick words what had transpired at the Kenspeckle place. It didn’t help. “That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.”
“Don’t you see?” Harriet said. “Max wants our help to solve the case.”
“You want my help?” asked Brutus, and he seemed genuinely surprised. “I thought you didn’t need my help. Not after what happened yesterday.”
“Well, it turns out I do need your help, Brutus,” I said reluctantly.
A grin spread across his features. “You’re admitting you can’t do this without me?”
“That’s… pretty much what I just said, yes.”
The grin spread. “Just humor me, Max, and repeat that, will you?”
I rolled my eyes. Oh, God. He was back to his old obnoxious self. "Brutus, I need your help solving this case. I can't seem to do it without you."
“Like music to my ears. Tell me again, only this time act like you mean it.”
Now it was my turn to glare at him. “Are you going to help or not?”
“You know what? I’ll think about it. Let me get back to you.”
“Oh, sugar plum. Don’t be mean to Maxie. He’s your friend now.”
Brutus gave me a slap on the back. “Just messing with you, Maxie, baby. We’re tree top buddies. We climbed a tree and survived. We’re buds now!”
“Oh, you guys,” said Harriet excitedly. “We’re a team! It’s what I’ve always wanted! We’re best friends! The fearless foursome to the rescue!”
“Whoopee,” Dooley muttered.
I didn’t know what was worse: being Brutus’s enemy or his buddy. We might have bonded to a certain extent up there in that tree, but that didn’t mean we were bosom buddies now. Spend some time staring death in the face with another cat, and you’ll start to feel a strange connection. It’s not friendship, exactly. It’s… complicated. Probably something only a shrink would understand. Still, I needed his help. We needed to figure this out.
“All right,” I admitted. “We’re all friends now. Happy?”
Harriet made funny little sounds, and she looked so excited she was about to spontaneously self-combust. She pressed her paws together. “Very happy.”
“So what do you want us to do?” asked Brutus. “And make it snappy, cause Harriet and I have those dinner reservations at The Hungry Pipe.”
“Dinner is hours away,” said Dooley. “And it’s not a reservation if you’re going to eat leftovers on the roof of some dumb old restaurant.”
“Hey, I’ll have you know The Hungry Pipe is the place to be right now. And it is a reservation if your buddy can get you the best veal in town.”
“All right, all right,” I said, holding up my paws. “Let’s not get into all that. We have a murder to solve, you guys, so we better get cracking.”
“I think the dog did it,” Harriet said decidedly.
“Kane? How do you figure that? Dogs don’t swing meat cleavers with deadly force, or take out people with chloroform.”
“No, but that dog was awfully quiet when the killer was doing his business. So the way I see it is that at the very least he’s an accomplice.”
“She’s right,” said Brutus. “That dog knows something. I mean, he’s been barking up a storm, snapping at the heels of anyone in sight. So why wasn’t he barking when someone killed his human? That doesn’t make sense.”
“You’re right,” I said, and suddenly that little tidbit of information dropped down from my memory banks and into the right slot. My face lit up with the light of intelligence, or at least I think it did. “Brutus! Harriet! You’re brilliant! You just solved this case!”
“Huh?” asked Brutus.
“What?” asked Harriet.
“What are you talking about, Max?” asked Dooley.
“I know who did it! Kane told us!”
“He did? I don’t remember,” said Dooley.
“Neither did I. It was just one of those offhand comments. I didn’t even pay attention to it at the time. But now I see he gave us the killer.” I slapped Brutus and Harriet on the backs. “You solved the murder, you guys!”
Brutus puffed up his chest. “Of course I did.” He paused. “So who is it?”
Chapter 24
Odelia and Chase sto
od outside the police station, watching as the motorcade slowly passed along Main Street. It stopped in the middle of the street. After a moment’s delay, five Escalades parked on the side of the road.
“I wonder what’s going on,” said Odelia.
“Looks like they’ve decided to put in a little shopping,” said Chase.
Odelia looked back when her uncle came out of the station.
“And? Any luck?” she asked.
“Nope. I talked to the guy in charge. I told him everything you told me, but he insists it’s all circumstantial evidence. It didn’t change his mind.”
“Too bad we didn’t know sooner,” said Chase. “Where did this sudden brainwave of yours come from, anyway, Poole?”
She shrugged. “Just a hunch.”
He eyed her curiously. “You’ve got some great hunches, Poole.”
“That’s Odelia for you,” said the Chief. “She’s always had an uncanny intuition when it comes to crime solving. Remember that time you figured out where Sonny Start had buried the body of his neighbor’s Rottweiler? Everybody said the dog had run off, but you knew Sonny had poisoned him.”
She shared a look of understanding with her uncle. He knew her cats had found the Rottweiler, not her. She watched now as Max and Dooley came trotting up. They looked excited. “We know who the killer is!” Max cried.
She crouched down. “So? Who is it? Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“Kane told us that first day. Only I completely forgot.”
“Well, I think I know who the killer is, too. So let’s hear it.” When he gave her the name, she nodded. “Yep, that’s what I thought.”
He looked surprised. “How did you find out?”
“Thanks to you guys. You told me Kane didn’t bark when the killer struck. And then my mother told me who gave Kane to Shana.”
She rose, and saw that Chase was eyeing her wearily. “Talking to your cats again, Poole?”
“They like it when I talk cat.”
“You sound so funny when you do that. You make these little cat sounds. Makes you sound almost like a real cat. It’s the damnedest thing.”
