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Chase glanced around. Obviously these chickens were being raised in excellent circumstances, and any animal control inspectors would have nothing to cavil at.

“Let’s find Grace and Fabio,” he said now.

“Can I have a word with you in private, Detective?” asked Jock.

They walked out of the shed, and Jock glanced back, a look of concern on his face.“It’s Odelia,” he said. “I’m worried about her. She barged in earlier, accusing me of mistreating my chickens, while you can see for yourself her accusations are unfounded. Then she accused me of kidnapping my wife and keeping her locked up in that shed, while there is no sign of Grace. Ithink seeing that werewolf last night—or whatever that creature was—must have brought on some sort of traumatic episode, causing her to act out now.”

But Chase wasn’t having any of this nonsense. “I saw the pictures myself, Jock. Last night this shed was overloaded with chickens, living cheek to jowl. I don’t know who warned you off, but someone clearly did. And as far as your wife is concerned, if Odelia says she saw them in that shed, she saw them in that shed. I don’t know what game you think you’re playing here, but it’s not going to work.”

Jock gave him a look of shock.“Detective! You’re not honestly accusing me of… Alec! Listen to this. Your detective is actually thinking I had something to do with my wife’s disappearance. He can’t be serious, right?”

But Alec held up his hands.“I don’t know what’s going on here, Jock, but it stinks.”

Chase sniffed. It certainly did.

Chapter 38

Odelia was taking a proverbial beating. First Grace and Fabio had disappeared. Again. And now the chickens had suddenly been redistributed. Obviously Jock had been given a heads-up about Odelia’s investigation, and had taken precautions.

“Are you sure you saw them?” asked Harriet.

“Yes, we saw them,” I said. “Both Grace and Fabio were being held in that shed.”

We all stared up at the hill where the shed was located. The door was open now, and nothing indicated anyone had ever been locked up in there.

“I don’t understand,” said Dooley. “How can they suddenly disappear?”

“Maybe you saw a mirage,” said Brutus. “It happens. You think you see something, and in actual fact it’s not there at all. Like an oasis in the desert.”

“No, we saw them,” I insisted. I couldn’t believe my keen eyesight was being questioned by my fellow cats.

“Did you really see them?” asked Odelia now, crouching down next to us.

“Yes, we saw them!” I said. “They were there.”

Odelia studied me thoughtfully. A little ways away Jock stood talking to Uncle Alec and Chase. Clearly the investigation had hit a snag, in the form of the missing abductees. And the chickens suddenly being treated humanely didn’t help Odelia’s case either.

She’d risen to her feet and stood, hands on hips, thinking hard.

“Let’s get out of here,” her uncle said now. “Nothing to see.”

“If we don’t find them now, we never will,” I said. “Jock will make them disappear for sure. And this time permanently. He can’t risk them being found. Not after this.”

Odelia nodded, to indicate she’d heard me.

“I don’t smell anything,” said Brutus, sniffing the air. “All I smell is chickens. Lots and lots of chickens.”

I wandered over in the direction of the chicken shed, and a plump chicken came waddling up to me. I recognized her as the chicken we’d had such a nice chat with the night before.

“Thank you, cat,” she said. “Our circumstances have improved considerably since your intervention.”

“I didn’t do anything,” I said. “Jock is simply covering his tracks now that he’s under investigation.”

“Whatever you did or didn’t do, we’re all grateful,” she said. “So thank you, cat.”

“Max,” I said. “My name is Max.”

“You can call me Bertha,” she said.

“I thought you didn’t have a name?”

She smiled.“I’ve decided to adopt one from now on.”

“Bertha. I like it,” I said. “It suits you.” And then I thought of something. “Did you by any chance see a man and a woman being taken out of that shed on that hill over there?”

“You mean Grace? Oh, sure. She and her friend were taken into that trailer just now.”

“They were? What trailer?”

“The yellow one over there—the big one. It’s been there ever since they started construction on the second shed.”

“Thank you so much, Bertha,” I said. “I owe you one.”

“No, you don’t. I owed you one.”

I hurried back, and was just in time to see Chase, Alec, Jock and Odelia walk up the hill, in the direction of the main house.

“Wait!” I yelled. “I know where he’s keeping Grace!”

Odelia turned back, and said,“Wait up, Uncle Alec.”

“What is it now?” asked Jock, clearly annoyed.

“She’s in that trailer over there,” I said.

Odelia stared at the trailer, a glint of hope in her eyes.

“And yes, I’m sure. Bertha saw her—one of the chickens.”

“I want that trailer checked,” said Odelia now, pointing to the trailer.

“Not again,” said Jock. “Can’t you see she’s delusional? I mean, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Alec, but clearly your niece is losing it—no offense.”

Alec hesitated.