Ник Сайнт - Purrfect Advice. Purrfect Passion. A Purrfect Gnomeful

Dooley looked horrified. “Butterflies in my tummy! But how did they get in there, Max? And how do I get them out?!”

I decided not to elucidate. I’d only get myself into more trouble than it was worth. We bumped into Harriet and Brutus, then, in front of The Velvet Box, the jewelry store, and I could see Samantha’s shapely form as she sat in the window display, keeping an eye on things.

“What did Samantha say?” I asked.

“I think we’ve got a winner, Max,” said Harriet. “Samantha said she saw a man fitting Kirk’s description walk into the store a couple of days ago, arm in arm with a blond woman.”

“That sounds promising,” I agreed. “And?”

“Well, she wanted him to buy her a ring, and they looked at a couple, but he was undecided and said he’d come back and then they left. The woman didn’t look happy, Samantha said.”

“Any idea who this woman might be?”

Brutus nodded. “All she knows is that the woman is staying at the Hampton Cove Star, or at least she assumes she does, as they walked out of the store and then walked into the Star and she thinks she saw the woman stroll down Main Street yesterday, arm in arm with another woman.”

“So this woman is blond and… any other distinguishing features?” I asked.

“Nothing special. She was very pretty,” said Harriet. “Her friend had a tattoo, though. A small dolphin on the side of her neck.”

“So now we’re looking for a woman with blond hair, who’s staying at the Star, and who’s friends with a woman with a tattoo of a dolphin,” I summed up this latest haul. “Well done, Harriet and Brutus,” I said warmly. “This might just be the clue we need to catch this killer.”

Harriet and Brutus were both beaming, and suddenly Harriet blurted out, “I’m Chloe, by the way. I’m the one who’s been writing the pet advice column, not Shanille.”

I blinked at this unexpected admission, then smiled. “Thanks for telling us, Harriet. So it was you who called me obnoxious.”

“And me dumb,” said Dooley.

“Yeah, that wasn’t a very nice thing to say. But I misunderstood the question! I thought you were making fun of me. And you, too, Dooley. And that’s why I lashed out. It’s only when you explained to me what you both meant that I repented, and wrote those new answers. Can you ever forgive me?”

“Of course,” I said. “And for what it’s worth, I think you’re a wonderful advice columnist. In fact I think you’re even better than Gabi.”

“I read all your answers,” said Dooley, “and I think they’re simply wonderful—every last one of them.”

“Thanks, you guys,” she said. “I know I should have told you sooner, but I was afraid of what you would say.”

“Is that what you asked Gabi? The secret question you wouldn’t tell us?” I asked, recollecting her early response to Gabi’s column.

“Yeah. I asked her if cats can write advice columns, too, and she said of course they can, and so I figured why not give it a try, you know? Be the first cat in history that enters the advice column world.”

“I would have told you but Harriet told me not to,” said Brutus.

“Well, now that you know, I want to ask you not to tell a soul, all right?” said Harriet. “Only you guys know, and Odelia, and no one else, please.”

“Of course,” I said. “My lips are sealed.”

Dooley stared at me. “No, they’re not. They’re still moving.”

“Just an expression, Dooley,” I said with a smile. “Just an expression.”

And as we went in search of Odelia, to tell her the good news about Kirk’s latest girlfriend, Dooley said, “Kingman is in love with you, Harriet. Or at least he’s in love with Chloe, who he still thinks is Shanille. And he thinks that everything you write is actually written for him, and filled with secret or not-so-secret messages.”

“Well, let him think so,” said Harriet. “Maybe a new romance will come out of this. Which is what Chloe is all about, isn’t it? Spreading sweetness and light?”

“And love,” added Brutus. “Don’t forget about love.”

“How could I forget, my love muffin,” said Harriet, and pressed a kiss to Brutus’s lips.

“Oh, snuggle pooh,” said Brutus.

“Oh, wuggle bear.”

Dooley and I shared a glance. Here we go again, the glance said. Chloe or not, Harriet would always be Harriet. And maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing, either.

Chapter 33

Odelia and Chase hadn’t had much luck so far. None of the restaurants they’d visited remembered seeing a man answering to Kirk Weaver’s description in the last week, and neither had any of the bars or coffee shops. So when Odelia saw her four cats walking down the sidewalk looking excited and happy, she immediately perked up.

“I think they’ve got something,” she told Chase, grabbing his arm.

“Who got what?” he asked, then dropped his gaze to the pavement and got her drift. “Oh, of course.”

“Max,” she said as she crouched down. “Tell me some good news. I could use it right now.”

“Harriet, please tell Odelia what you discovered,” said Max.

“Well, a couple of days ago The Velvet Box had Kirk and a blond woman come in to look at rings. And a couple of days later the same blond woman walked by the store arm in arm with a dark-haired woman with a dolphin tattoo on the side of her neck, and Samantha is pretty sure the blond woman is staying at the Star, so what do you think?”

Odelia laughed, but then got up, as she didn’t want to be seen talking to her cats like a madwoman. “Very good,” she said under her breath as a passerby gave her a strange look. “I think you just blew this case wide open again.”

“Where did she blow the case, Max?” Odelia heard Dooley ask his friends, but she was already darting across the street, followed by Chase, as she honed in on the Hampton Cove Star, the town’s most popular hotel. “We’re looking for a blond woman who’s friends with a dark-haired woman with a dolphin tattoo,” she announced.

“I’m sure we’ll find her in no time,” Chase said dryly. “I mean, how many blond women could there possibly be staying at the Star?”

Only one, she hoped, though it wasn’t likely. They walked in, and headed straight for the front desk, where the desk clerk, a gangly teen, stood checking his phone, a bored expression on his face.

“Hi,” said Chase, producing his badge. “Can you help us out, buddy?”

“Depends,” the pimple-faced youth said, looking annoyed at the interruption.

“We’re looking for a blond woman,” said Odelia, a little out of breath.

“And she’s friends with a dark-haired woman with a dolphin tattoo,” said Chase added. “If that helps.”

“It doesn’t,” said the kid. “Do you have a name for me?”

“No, we don’t,” said Odelia. “But I mean, seriously, how many blond women could possibly be staying at the hotel, right?” She laughed.

The kid didn’t even crack a smile. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a little more specific. I need at least a surname.”

“Well, I don’t have a surname to give you. Only a description.”

“Not much of a description, though, is it?”

“Look, who knows the people staying here? Like… members of your housekeeping staff, maybe?”

“You want me to ask the cleaners if they happened to see a blond hair on one of the pillowcases in the last couple of days or so?” he suggested with a smirk.

Odelia suppressed a sudden impulse to grab the kid by the neck and squeeze.

“Don’t you have photo ID in that computer of yours?” asked Chase. “Can’t you scroll through it to look for any blondes?”

“First off, if you think I’ll let you sniff through our computer, think again. There are laws, you know. Privacy and stuff? And secondly, have you ever heard of hair dye? Blond today, brunette tomorrow?”