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It was all food for thought, of course, and somehow it sparked an idea in my mind. It was a long shot, but at least it was something. And so I decided that when Odelia finally came home the next day, I’d tell her all about it so she could do some more digging.

I thanked Windex profusely, and the little doggie shrugged and said,“That’s what friends are for, Max.”

A warm glow spread out inside my chest. She was right. In the space of a few days, she’d gone from the devil’s brood to being a dear friend. Odd how quickly things change.

Chapter 27

The next day, Odelia came home, and was greeted by her loving husband and four cats.

I have to be honest and say that the four of us were feeling the strain of uncertainty, and were not fully at ease.

“This is it, Max,” said Brutus. “The moment of truth.”

“We can always go and live with Shelley and Gavin,” said Dooley. “Once they’re married they’ll want to share their home with us, I’m sure.”

“It’ll be fine,” said Harriet. “It’ll be just fine. Perfectly fine.” But the oddly disconcerted look in her eyes told an entirely different story.

Odelia walked in, her baby in her arms, and was both surprised and touched by the warm welcome. In her absence, Tex and Chase and Uncle Alec had been messing around upstairs, turning the guest room into a nursery. It wasn’t done yet, but Odelia was visibly pleased with this pleasant surprise. Though she did have one or two small amendments to make. The color of the walls, for one—she’s not a fan of lime green in general—and the curtains—those heavy pea-green drapes weren’t really suited for a nursery. But the baby’s crib was fine, though it would have to move into the bedroom for now, of course. All in all, the room itself was okay, as a space, but all the rest pretty much had to go.

Chase bore her criticism with fortitude and promised to take her comments on board.

And then it was time to sit down as a family, and to start our new life. The four of us were still very much in a state of suspended animation, so to speak. And as Odelia took a seat at the kitchen counter, and started nursing her baby, it took her a while to notice that we were sitting on the floor, more or less patiently, and anxiously staring up at her.

“Hey, you guys,” she said finally, after glancing in our direction once or twice. “Is everything all right?”

And then of course Dooley couldn’t contain himself any longer. “Do we have to go and live with Shelley and Gavin now, Odelia, cause if we do, you have to tell us, since they’re going off to get married soon, and might not be back for a while.”

She frowned.“Now why in heaven’s name would you go and live with Shelley and… Gavin, is it?”

Dooley nodded furiously.“Because Kingman said that babies and cats don’t mix!”

“Oh, God, not with that old story again,” said Odelia. “Look, I’m going to tell you one final time: nothing has changed. You’re my cats and you’ll always be my cats. And the fact that our family now consists of one extra member doesn’t make any difference at all.”

And to emphasize her words, just then the little one opened her mouth to give a loud sort of scream.

“Now now, Gracey,” said Odelia soothingly. “Everything is all right, sweetie.”

“Gracey?” asked Harriet. “Is that the baby’s name?”

Too late, Odelia realized her faux-pas. She took it in stride.“I guess I might as well tell you. Max, Dooley, Harriet and Brutus—meet Grace Kingsley. Grace, meet my precious fur babies. They’re the best friends any human could ever hope to meet.”

Grace Kingsley took one good look at us and started screaming the house down.

At least now we knew: we were there to stay, no matter what Kingman said.

“There’s something I need to tell you, Odelia,” I announced quietly, once Grace had decided to settle down. And so I told her about the idea I’d had concerning the case.

“Are you sure?” she asked with a look of concern.

I nodded.“Pretty much. You’ll have to check, of course.”

“I will,” she said, giving my words some further thought. “Oh, dear. If what you’re saying is true, she’ll be devastated.”

“I know, but that can’t be helped.”

“No, of course not.” She got up with some effort. “Well, I’ll tell Chase and he can get the ball rolling.”

“How do you want to play this?” I asked, watching with concern how she moved with some difficulty.

She gave me a smile.“I’ll be fine, Max. In fact we’ll all be fine now.” She gave Grace a tender kiss on the chubby cheek. “Isn’t that right, baby?”

She shouldn’t have said that, of course, for Grace obviously was just like us: she didn’t like to be disturbed when she was sleeping peacefully. Unlike us, though, she gave vent to her annoyance by opening her mouth and pretending to be a fire alarm.

The four of us quickly skedaddled, out through the pet flap and into the backyard.

Of all the contingencies we’d anticipated, the fact that we wouldn’t be able to get any sleep was one I hadn’t accounted for.