Purrfect Obsession

We snuck into the room, careful not to make a sound. From inside, snoring drifted our way. And as we moved deeper into the room, a peaceful scene greeted us: there, in the middle of the room, a man was sleeping in a big four-poster bed, a dog draped across his feet. A night light had been left on, bathing the Hallmark-type scene in a soft golden hue.

“Aww,” I said.

“How sweet,” Dooley echoed.

At this, the doggie pricked up its ears, then sniffed the air, and finally spotted us.

He made a soft gulping sound, then abruptly jumped down from the bed and scooted behind the nightstand.

So much for the rabid, cat-devouring monster we’d been dreading to encounter.

Chapter 22

Odelia was getting tired of sitting in a car waiting for a bunch of party people to finally go to bed. Not that she minded being cooped up in a small space with Chase—far from it—but she had another big day tomorrow, and she was one of those people who, when they didn’t get enough sleep, were complete and utter wrecks the next day.

“When are they finally going to bed?” she grumbled, when she saw that in one room the lights were still on. “Don’t they need to sleep?”

“They’re young. They’re free. And they probably want to get through the bag of weed Wolf provided—or maybe it was Conway Kemp. The stories tend to differ depending on the source.”

“Weed? And you approve of this?

“Hey, as long as the politicians don’t make up their minds, I’m not touching that.”

“Is that what you and Miss Blonde talked about?”

“She did ask about the laws in the state of New York regarding the recreational use of marihuana,” he said with a grin.

“And what did you tell her?”

“That marijuana is still illegal except for medical use on a strictly regulated basis. But that you won’t get arrested for smoking in public unless you’re driving a car or have a criminal record—at most you can expect a fine these days.”

“Which you’re not going to give them.”

He shrugged. “I’ve got my orders, babe. Stuff is above my pay grade.”

“Sounds like a pretty lame excuse to me.”

He laughed. “I take it you’re not a big fan of weed.”

No, she wasn’t, but that was not an argument she was prepared to get into right now. “What else did you talk about?”

“Well, about the affair Wolf and Dany were reportedly having.”

“Nothing reportedly about it. Looks like everyone knew about it, except me.”

“And Wolf’s wife. Until not so long ago she was in the dark, too.”

“So where is Mrs. Langdon?”

“Staying in town at the Star.”

The Hampton Cove Star was a boutique hotel located right on Main Street. “The Star? Why not at the manor?”

“She was at the manor at first, but my guess is that she got tired of having to watch her husband getting frisky with Dany so she relocated to the Star.”

“Have you talked to her?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact I have.”

“Oh, someone’s been a busy boy.”

“Your uncle did urge us to handle this murder business quickly and with the utmost expedience so that’s what I’m doing.”

“And? What did Mrs. Langdon have to say?”

“She didn’t exactly burst into tears when I told her about what happened to Dany.”

“Which is understandable.”

“Exactly. She admitted she’d heard the rumors, too, and that’s why she moved to the Star. She also said she was considering divorcing Wolf, and she happened to mention that Wolf was not in a situation where he could afford a divorce. It’s my understanding Mrs. Langdon is the source of much of Wolf’s wealth. Her family is extremely well-off. He isn’t.”

“Do you think she might be responsible for Dany’s death?”

“Nuh-uh. She was having lunch with a friend when Dany was killed. About a dozen guests and waitstaff can attest to that.”

“Too bad. She would have been the perfect killer.”

“Looks like we’re up,” said Chase, gesturing to the window where now the light had finally been extinguished.

“Finally. I thought they’d never go to bed.”

They got out of the car and moved stealthily towards the manor, hunched over and staying in the shadows. There was a full moon out, so they’d have to be careful not to be seen.

They arrived at the back of the house and quickly snuck inside. Odelia hoped her cats had already had a chance to talk to Wolf’s Chihuahua. If not, no harm done. They would get the necessary information some other way.

“There’s one thing I don’t get,” she whispered as they snuck up a rickety staircase, and she flicked at what she hoped was a cobweb and not a hairy rat or other animal.

“What’s that?” Chase whispered back.

“Can’t you cops access phone records and stuff like that?”

“We can, but it takes time. And besides, it’s a lot more fun sneaking around with you!”

She grinned. “You know what? This is actually the first time you’ve joined me in this part of an investigation.”

“True,” he said. “And look how much fun we’re having!”

Until then, Odelia had joined Chase for his police interviews from time to time, but he’d never joined her on her more improvised investigative outings. One technique she hadn’t introduced him to was the part played by her cats. Maybe she’d never tell him about that. He might not take it well.

They’d arrived on the second landing and were now sneaking towards Wolf’s room. She just hoped no one got it into their mind to open a door and bump into them. And just as she was thinking it, a door to their right opened and Don Stryker walked out and bumped straight into them!

He stared at her, his hair mussed up and sleep wrinkles all over his face.

Both Odelia and Chase stood frozen at the spot. Now they were in a real jam!

“Mom?” Don finally muttered. “Is that you?”

And then Odelia smelled it: the guy was totally baked!

“Yes, it’s me,” she said. “Now go back to sleep… Donny.”

“Okay, Mom.” He touched a finger to her cheek. “You look so young.” He smiled a weak smile, blinked slowly, then staggered back into his room, closing the door behind him.

“See?” said Chase. “Weed is good!”

“Yeah, right,” she said, and then they were hurrying towards the last door on the left. To her elation, it was ajar. And just as they entered, two cats came trotting out. Max and Dooley.

Max said, “The phone is on the nightstand,” and she gave him a wink before he and Dooley disappeared down the hallway.

She briefly wondered what had happened to Harriet and Brutus, then shrugged off the thought and followed Chase into Wolf’s bedroom.

Chapter 23

“I told you I’m not talking to that dog and I’m not talking to that dog!” Harriet was saying. In fact she’d rather be anywhere but there, but duty had called and Harriet wasn’t one to shirk her duties. Once on the scene, though, she’d had one of her typical change of hearts. The prospect of sitting in a crowded room and chatting with some obnoxious odoriferous canine was too much for her, and she decided to turn back and go and sit in the car. Odelia would understand, she knew. She would give her a cuddle and that would be it.

Today had already been a day of high emotion and the dog thing simply was too much! No dogs! Not on top of everything else that had happened!

Brutus, of course, didn’t understand. That was a dude for you.

“But we have to talk to the dog!” he said. “We promised!”

“No, Brutus. I’m not doing it. If you want to talk to the dog, go right ahead and do it. But I’m not going anywhere near that smelly mutt.”

“Oh, you don’t know if he’s smelly. Maybe he smells like a rose. I’ve met dogs that smelled to lavender, expensive French perfume, even licorice! Humans are crazy that way.”

She knew humans were crazy. She’d lived with them long enough. But not as crazy as Brutus, for throwing away the love they shared for a chance to sniff some skank’s butt.

“I want to be alone now, Brutus,” she said as dignified as she could.

But of course he wouldn’t listen. “I’m telling you, it’s a matter of perspective. My nose was nowhere near Darlene’s butt. It only looked that way from where you were standing.”

“You were there. Darlene was there. Enough said. Now please leave me alone.”

“I know it was a mistake for me to follow her there. I admit that,” he said, tapping his chest. “But the moment I realized my mistake, I told her! Or at least I was going to tell her.”

“You were going to tell her with your nose buried up her butt? Nice try, Brutus. I’m not buying it. Now go away.”

“It’s a matter of perspective!”

“Oh, buzz off, buster,” she said, and stalked off. This time, at least he had the decency not to follow her.

She hadn’t lied. She did want to be alone. She’d been with Brutus for so long now it was hard to imagine her life without him. She truly loved the butch cat, from the moment he’d come into her life, all bluster and big talk. She’d seen right through that, of course. She’d known instinctively that underneath all that bluster lurked a tender soul and a good heart.

She also knew that he probably realized he’d made a mistake by following Darlene into that clearing—or had she followed him? It was hard to say, and she wasn’t going to take either Darlene or Brutus’s word for it. They were both lying through their teeth, both for different reasons. But she found it hard to forgive him. If a tomcat strays once, he’ll stray again. It’s just the way they’re built. Max, she knew, would never stray once he gave his heart to a cat. And nor would Dooley. Until now she’d believed Brutus wouldn’t either.

That’s why the whole thing with Darlene had shocked her to the core. And now she didn’t know what to believe. All she knew was that she didn’t want to see Brutus. At least not for a while. Until she decided how to proceed.

Brutus walked off, and kicked a rock as he did. This was probably the worst day of his life. Or at least up there among them. It reminded him of the day Chase’s mother had decided to hand him off to her son. Chase’s mom hadn’t been well, and decided she couldn’t be trusted to take care of her cat. Besides, she was moving in with her sister, who wasn’t allowed to keep pets in her rent-controlled Bronx apartment. So on to Chase he went, and then lady luck had come through for him and he’d found a new home. Even better than before: a home with great humans, and three great cats who he now considered family.

It had been tough in the beginning, though. He and Max had clashed frequently. He’d had the mistaken belief at the time that only one cat could rule the home and he’d decided that he was that cat. Now he realized there didn’t have to be one cat in charge. They were all in charge. Max had opened his eyes to that, as had Dooley. And Harriet, of course.

Brutus had never known love before. Now he did. And then he’d gone and lost it.

He was such a moron, wasn’t he? And he was just kicking another rock when suddenly the ground opened up underneath him and he was falling. Fully expecting to fall into some abyss or ravine, he let out a squeal. Suddenly his fall was broken by a soft object.

“Hey, little buddy,” the soft object spoke, and looking up Brutus realized he’d been caught by a friendly giant.

Looking up even further, he saw he’d dropped off a cliff. A sort of man-made promontory that overlooked another duck pond. And by the side of that pond, a man had been sleeping off his hangover—at least judging from the powerful smell of booze on him.

Dang it! This was the third time he’d almost died today!

Chapter 24

Dooley and I snuck further into the room, adamant to talk to that dog, whether he liked it or not. And obviously he didn’t like it one bit.

“Hey, dog,” I said, in a bid to get him to come from behind the nightstand. “Nice doggie, doggie.”

“We just want to talk to you,” said Dooley.

In the bed just by our side, Wolf Langdon stirred. No matter how softly we talked, our meowing probably disturbed his slumber. We needed to do this fast, before he woke up and kicked us out of his room!

“Doggie!” I loud-whispered. “We need to ask you a few questions.”

“Yeah, it’s not as if we’re going to bite you or something,” Dooley chimed in.

We both laughed at that. Just the idea. Cats biting a dog! Ha ha.

But the Chihuahua didn’t laugh along. He probably wasn’t in on the joke.

“Look, we’re cat detectives,” I said, “And we’re trying to figure out who killed Dany Cooper.”

“Do you know who Dany Cooper was?” asked Dooley.

“I know who Dany was,” the dog said, in a scared little voice. He didn’t sound or behave like any dog I’d ever met.

“Well, she was murdered this afternoon,” I said, “so we’re trying to figure out who did it.”

“You’re not going to hurt me?” asked the doggie.

“Of course not. Why would we want to hurt you?” I said, more abruptly than I intended.

“Oh, please don’t scratch me,” said the doggie. “A cat once scratched me and I didn’t like it.”

“We’re not the scratching kind,” I assured him.

“I’m sure glad Harriet didn’t come along,” Dooley whispered. “She would have scratched him for sure.”

“Dooley, shush,” I said. Addressing the Chihuahua, I repeated, “We don’t scratch dogs, dog. Usually it’s the other way around.”

“Yeah, dogs like to bite us, for some reason,” Dooley added. “No idea why. We’re not that tasty, as far as I know.”

“I’m not going to bite you,” said the doggie. “I never bite anyone—except my bone, of course. I like to chew my bone.”

“Well, that’s all right,” I said. “You won’t bite us and we won’t scratch you. Deal?”

“Um, okay,” he said, then reluctantly came crawling out from behind the nightstand.

He looked funny, with his big ears and his short body. His tail was down and he still looked pretty scared.

It was a novel experience. No dog had ever been afraid of me before.

“So what do you know about Dany Cooper?” I asked.

“She was nice. And my master liked her a lot. And I do mean a lot.”

“How do you know?”

“Well, they were putting their lips together a lot, and they spent an awful lot of time naked in bed together.”

Dooley and I were silent for a beat, then Dooley said, “Yeah, I guess they did like each other a lot.”

“Do you think your master could have something to do with Dany’s death?”

“Like what?”

“Like maybe he killed her?”

The dog cocked his head and stared at me. “I don’t get it.”

He didn’t strike me as the sharpest dog in the shed, so I repeated the question. “Did Wolf kill Dany?”

“But why would he kill her? He kept telling her he loved her. He’d also bought her a big ring and he said he was going to marry her as soon as his wife signed off on the divorce.”

“Divorce? Wolf was getting a divorce?”

“Sure. At least that’s what he told Dany. I don’t think he told Emily, though.”

“Emily?”

“Wolf’s wife. She’s very sweet. She was here, and then she wasn’t. I don’t think she liked it that Wolf spent so much time with Dany, even though he said he didn’t.” He shook his little head. “Humans are weird.”

“Tell me about it,” I said with a sigh.

“Anyway, Wolf loved Dany, so he would never hurt her. Besides, I was sitting next to him the whole time, so if he had killed her, don’t you think I would have noticed?”

So there went that particular theory. “I guess so.”

“This is just so sad. Dany always gave me lots of cuddles and kisses. I liked her.”

I suppressed a shiver. Who would want to kiss and cuddle a dog? Now that I was this close to him, I discovered Harriet was right. Dogs did smell. Some type of musky odor. Yuck.

“So exactly where were you when Dany was killed?” I heard Dooley ask. I was already moving back to the door, writing the interview off as a huge waste of time.

“I was right there. I actually saw her getting killed.”

“Wait, what?” I said, turning back.

“Yeah, it wasn’t pleasant,” said the dog. “This human stood chatting with her, then suddenly they made a move and her face went all weird, and then she dropped down.”

“Doggie,” I said intently.

“You don’t have to keep calling me doggie,” said the doggie. “I have a name, you know, and it’s Ringo.”

“Ringo. Listen to me. This is very important. Who was that person?”

“I don’t know. I think it was a man, judging from his posture, though I can’t be sure. He had his back turned to me so I couldn’t see his face. All I know is that he was wearing—”

“A yellow parka. Yeah, we know.”

“If you knew already, why do you ask?” he said indignantly.

So maybe dogs are not so dumb after all.

“You never saw his face?” I asked, just to make sure.

“No, I didn’t. But I can tell you who did. Mr. Owl.”

“Mr. Owl,” I said dubiously.

“Yeah. He always sits in that tree. I’ve seen him every time. He’s very friendly, too. Always greets me with a nod and a kind word. He was in that tree today, so he must have seen the whole thing. You talk to Mr. Owl and he’ll tell you who killed Dany.”

I held out my paw and Ringo winced, probably expecting me to scratch him. Instead, I patted him on the shoulder. “Ringo. You have given us a vital clue.”

“I have?” he said.

“You sure have. You may even have solved Dany’s murder.”

A smile slowly crept up Ringo’s narrow face, and his big ears distended even wider, giving him an owlish look. “I like that,” he said. “It’s not nice when people kill other people, especially when they’re sweet and kind, like Dany Cooper.”

“You’re absolutely right. And we’re going to make sure the killer won’t get away with it.”

“Our human’s boyfriend is a cop,” Dooley explained. “So we tell our human who the killer is, and Chase makes sure he goes to prison.”

“Wait, you can talk to your human? And they understand what you’re saying?”

“She does. She’s one of those rare humans who understand cat language.”

Ringo cast a hopeful look at his inert human. “Boy, oh, boy. How I wish Wolf could understand me. The stories I would tell him!”