Ник Сайнт - Purrfectly Hidden. Purrfect Kill. Purrfect Boy Toy

“Besides, the conference is at the same hotel,” said Chase. “And Opal lives on the other side of town.”

“A very big town, I might add,” said Uncle Alec, clicking his seatbelt buckle into place.

“Yeah, it would take us forever to get across town. LA is notoriously congested.”

“And we might as well mingle with the other conference attendees,” Alec said.

“But we could meet for dinner,” said Chase. “You could all come to the hotel.”

“Let’s see what Opal wants from me first,” said Odelia. “For all I know she’ll send me on a wild-goose chase to hunt down some missing relative or something.”

“You think that’s why she asked you?”

“I have absolutely no idea!” she said, throwing up her arms. It was mildly frustrating not to know what she was getting herself into. Then again, this was Opal. It wouldn’t be something fishy or illegal. Or would it?

“Whatever it is, text me the moment you know about your plans, all right?”

“Of course.” She wondered, not for the first time, why Opal had hired her, and not one of the no doubt hundreds of perfectly capable and professional private detectives in the LA area. Then again, all in good time. She simply had to trust Opal’s judgment.

Mom turned. “Who is this kid sitting next to your grandmother?” she asked.

“And how old is he?” asked Uncle Alec.

“He looks about twelve,” said Tex, joining the conversation.

“His name is Hank and he’s Gran’s new boyfriend,” said Odelia. “That’s all I know.”

“Her boyfriend!” said Marge with a gasp of shock. “No way!”

“He’s of age, though, right?” said Uncle Alec, who looked genuinely worried. “They’re not going to arrest my mother for hooking up with some pimply teenager, right?”

“He doesn’t have pimples,” said Marge. “Not as far as I can tell. Nice, clear skin. What?” she asked when they all stared at her. “I’m just saying he has very nice skin.”

“He’s young, Marge,” said Tex. “We had skin like that when we were young, remember?”

“No, I don’t,” she said sadly.

“He’s young but not too young, though, right?” said Alec, still worried about his mother’s reputation.

They all turned to look at the couple. Odelia had to admit Hank did look as if he belonged in school. “Um… I’m sure Gran knows what she’s doing,” she said finally.

“Check his passport,” said Tex. “Just go over there and discreetly check his passport.”

“Too late,” Odelia said, pointing to the ceiling, where the intercom was spitting out another message from the pilot, and where the ‘fasten seatbelts’ sign was still on.

“Hank,” said Uncle Alec, shaking his head. “Where does she find them?”

“At the stud farm,” Tex muttered dryly, which elicited a snicker from Marge and a suppressed guffaw from Chase.

And then the plane suddenly banked left, and they were descending fast.

Chapter 5

When we finally walked off the plane, I was feeling a little groggy from all the emotions we’d gone through. But at least we hadn’t crash-landed on a desert island, and been forced to spend the rest of our lives talking to a ball on a stick like Tom Hanks. Two stretch limos stood waiting for us on the tarmac, and when the door of the first limo opened, who would emerge but the queen of daytime talk shows herself!

“Opal!” Harriet cried, who was a big fan.

“Opal!” Gran screamed, who was an even bigger fan.

“Opal!” all the others gasped, as they suddenly came face to face with one of the best-known faces in America.

Opal, wearing thick horn-rimmed glasses, opened her arms and was smiling a wide, radiant smile. She was wearing a kaftan, the sort of dress only she could get away with.

Even though I was pretty sure the hug Opal hoped to dispense was intended for Odelia, Gran jostled her granddaughter out of the way, then threw herself into Opal’s arms.

“I’m your biggest fan!” she gushed.

Opal produced a loud chuckle. I had a feeling this kind of thing happened to her all the time.

“This kind of thing probably happens to her all the time,” said Harriet, voicing my exact thought. She looked a little shaky. Like the rest of us, she thought the fact that the captain’s name was Mayday was a lousy joke.

Dooley, who was shaking even more than Harriet, his teeth chattering audibly, said, “I’m never setting paw on a plane again, Max. No, I mean it this time. It’s scary!”

“It is scary,” I agreed, and then suddenly found myself being lifted into the air and pressed to an outrageously ample bosom.

“And who do we have here?” asked Opal, then held me aloft, which is a tough feat to accomplish, as I’m not the lightest cat in the world. She managed it without flinching, though. “What a cutie-pie!” she cried. “What an absolute sweetie!” And then pressed me to her bosom once more. For a moment I experienced nothing but softness and warmth, and my heart melted, then I was down on the tarmac again, watching how one after the other Dooley, Harriet and Brutus were undergoing the same treatment.

“What an adorable bunch!” said Opal, clearly a cat lover through and through.

“They are,” said a proud Odelia.

“Can I just say that you’re a personal hero of mine?” said Marge, a hand to her heart.

“Oh, that’s so sweet,” said Opal smoothly. “But you know who should be your greatest hero? You, my darling! Yes, you!”

Marge grinned like a bashful teenager, her cheeks flushed.

“And you, too,” said Opal, pointing to Tex. “Who are you, by the way?”

“This is my husband Tex,” said Marge, feeling compelled to make the introductions as Tex seemed to have lost the capacity for speech. “Odelia’s dad. And this is my brother Alec. And that’s Chase, Odelia’s boyfriend. They’re policemen, here for a conference.”

Opal’s face darkened, and the smile vanished, just as overhead the sun suddenly plunged behind a cloud. “I hope you didn’t tell them,” she said, addressing Odelia.

“I couldn’t tell them anything as I don’t know anything,” said Odelia. “Why did you send for me, exactly?”

“In the car,” said Opal, her eyes turning shifty as she took in her surroundings.

Dooley glanced around, and so did I, but as far as I could tell, apart from the present company, there was no one else around.

“The cops ride in the other limo,” said Opal, and her tone brooked no contest, so Chase and Uncle Alec dutifully got into the second limo. “You’re with me,” said Opal, and disappeared into the first limo.

“I guess… we’ll ride with you?” said Marge.

“No, you heard the lady,” said Gran. “Cops in the second limo.”

“But… I’m not a cop,” said Marge.

“You’re a cop’s sister, which is just as bad. Now scoot!”

And Marge being Marge, she scooted, along with Tex, and joined her brother and Chase in the second limo.

Gran, meanwhile, had already disappeared into the first limo. She might be a cop’s mother but wasn’t going to let the chance of riding in a limo with Opal pass her by. And as we all hopped in, I saw she’d taken a seat right next to Opal, her new best friend.

Hank, whom everyone seemed to have forgotten about, filed in next to Gran, and Odelia and the rest of us all took a seat across from the threesome. The door was slammed shut by an unseen hand, presumably belonging to the driver, and then the car was easing into motion, driving so quietly it was almost as if we were flying across the tarmac.

“So what’s this all about?” asked Gran, wasting no time.

Opal’s face had taken on an expression of concern, and she now pressed a button, causing the partition that divided us from the driver to travel down, blocking whoever was on the other side from seeing us—or hearing us, I imagined. Mysterious!