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We all got out and approached the industrial structure. Entering the place, we found the entrance strewn with plenty of rubble, and as we proceeded deeper into the heart of the factory, it soon became clear that several people had selected it as their home. Mattresses had been placed on the concrete floor, and someone had even started a fire. The fire was out now, fortunately, but if this went on they might as well set fire to the whole building… which frankly speaking might not be such a bad idea, as an old eyesore like this could only have one purpose: to be torn down to make room for new housing.

As Odelia went in one direction and Chase in another, Dooley and I decided to simply wander around, and let our intuition be our guide. Our intuition has served us well in the past, you see, and I hoped it would serve us well this time. And soon I picked up the scent of food being broiled or boiled, and so naturally we proceeded in that direction.

“I think I’m hungry, Max,” said my friend.

“You think you’re hungry or you are hungry?” I asked as I studied our surroundings. The factory might have been deserted, but some of the old machinery had been left in place. I even saw several wheelbarrows piled up in a corner. Odd that a wheelbarrow factory would go bust, I thought. Who doesn’t like a nice shiny wheelbarrow?

And then we spotted him: a man cooking something on a portable gas stove. When he saw us, he frowned.“Shoo,” he said, and picked up a rock and threw it in our direction!

“Do you think this is Edwardo, Max?” I asked Dooley.

“I don’t know, Dooley,” I said, “but if it is, and he did steal four thousand five hundred dollars from his friend, he’s not spending it on a gourmet meal.”

Suddenly, Chase appeared on the other side of the cavernous space and called out,“Police. Have you seen Edwardo Yuhas, sir?”

The man cursed under his breath, and immediately got up and started running in our direction.

Now I know that when a large man runs in your direction the first instinct is to flee, and I must confess I experienced a momentary temptation to do just that, but then I steeled myself to the task, and instead of running away from the danger, actually ran toward it! Though I think the rock-throwing might have had something to do with this as well. And so as my path crossed with that of the man, he sort of tripped over me and fell to the concrete floor. Moments later, Chase was upon him, and held him down.

“Hey, you can’t do that!” the man cried. “This is police brutality!”

“Relax, buddy,” said Chase. “I just want to know where I can find Edwardo Yuhas, that’s all—hold on, you’re Edwardo Yuhas, aren’t you?” he said, checking the man’s credentials.

“And what if I am?” said the man, who had a large head, and an even larger body.

Odelia, attracted by the noise, now also come running up, and helped Chase to go through the man’s pockets. When she extracted a nice wad of cash from his coat pocket, all crisp new bills, she smiled.

“Now where does a man with no fixed abode come into such a nice sum of money, Mr. Yuhas?” asked Chase, still holding the man down.

“I’m not telling you a thing, cop,” said Mr. Yuhas.

“Did you hurt yourself, Max?” asked Dooley solicitously.

“No, I’m fine,” I said. I’d survived a run-in with Brutus last night, so running into Mr. Yuhas was starting to feel like my regular shtick.

“Here’s more,” said Odelia, who’d opened the man’s backpack and now showed us a plastic bag with more money inside.

“Hey, that’s Rosa’s plastic bag,” I said.

Odelia showed Edwardo the plastic bag with the money.“I think you have some explaining to do, buddy,” she said.

“I found that,” said Edwardo. “I found it on the street. So finders keepers, you know.”

“Of course you did,” said Chase, and hauled the man to his feet, then supplied him with a nice pair of handcuffs, and read him his rights.

Chapter 13

The ride to the precinct was an awkward one, for Dooley and I had to share the backseat with this cuffed criminal. Especially the fact that he kept throwing very nasty glances in my direction unnerved me a great deal. I guess he was still upset that I’d tripped him up, and presumably blamed me for his capture.

Once arrived, I felt relieved when Chase removed the man from the car, and escorted him into the police station, to interrogate him in the proper circumstances, and get his statement down on paper. Signed, sealed and delivered—another crime solved.

Unfortunately, and in spite of my natural curiosity, cats aren’t allowed into the interview rooms, and so we were dependent on Odelia to supply us with the information as to the conclusion of the interview. And since Odelia isn’t an actual cop, she wasn’t allowed to sit in on the interview either. She was, however, allowed to follow along from the next room, where a one-way mirror offers a very nice view of the interrogation.