Ник Сайнт - Purrfect Crime

“I can see that,” said Dad, nodding. “She had a reputation for being difficult and demanding.”

“I hope you catch the culprit, honey,” said Gran. “Donna was my hero. I wouldn’t know what to do without some of the stuff she advised on her website.”

Odelia remembered the jade eggs and thought Gran could have done without them with no trouble at all. Then again, maybe Dad was right. If Gran really wanted to buy all this stuff, and he didn’t mind funding her Donna fixation, who was she to stop her?

Picking up her two cats, she left the doctor’s office and set foot for the police station. She was meeting with her uncle and Chase to discuss the case and this time she wanted Max and Dooley to be present when she did. Chase might think it a little strange when she brought two cats to the meeting but so be it. He would just have to get used to the fact that she was a crazy cat lady, as he’d told her on more than one occasion.

Chapter 17

“So how did your sleuthing session with Harriet and Brutus go?” she asked as they were walking down the street, en route to the police station.

“Terrible,” Max sighed. “We now know everything about Justin Bieber’s tattoos and Blac Chyna’s favorite designers. We even know how many nannies Rumi and Sir Carter have—”

“Rumi and Sir Carter?”

“Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s twins,” said Dooley knowingly. “They’re very cute.”

“—but we still don’t know a thing about who killed Donna Bruce,” Max finished. “Oh, but we did find out she had a boyfriend with a tiny wee-wee. His name is—”

“Dexter Valdès. Yes, Donna’s ex-husband told us about him. He looks like a great suspect.”

“What about the ex-husband?” asked Max. “I thought he did it?”

“He has a solid alibi. He was with the boys. Sweetums and Honeychild.”

“Of course he was.”

Odelia looked down, noticing that Max’s breath was a little labored. “Are you all right down there, honey? Do you want me to carry you?”

“No, I’m fine,” said Max, holding up a paw. “Never felt better.”

But judging from the way he walked, he was having trouble with his weight. He lumbered, his step not as graceful as it used to be. It frankly worried her. “Don’t eat Cat Snax anymore, Max,” she urged. “That stuff’s full of sugar. It’s not good for you.”

“I know,” he said. “It’s just that I’m hungry all the time.”

“Drink more water,” Dooley advised. “Whenever I’m hungry and I don’t feel like eating, I just drink a lot of water—really fill up my tummy. And then I’m not hungry anymore.”

“That’s the worst advice I’ve ever heard,” Max grumbled. “Drink more water. I’m hungry, Dooley, not thirsty.”

“But if your stomach is full, you won’t be hungry. And water doesn’t have any calories, or does it?”

“No, it doesn’t,” Odelia assured him. “Listen to Dooley, Max. Whenever you get hungry, just drink more. Maybe you’ll be able to handle your cravings that way.”

Max gave her a dubious look. It was obvious he wasn’t buying it.

They arrived at the police station and she entered, holding the door for the cats. Usually the feline duo snuck around the back and lounged on Chief Alec’s windowsill. Today she wanted them to be present in the room, though. She hoped they could help find out what was going on.

“Hey, I don’t think we were ever in here,” said Dooley, looking around excitedly.

“Yeah, almost like being invited to visit the Queen of England,” said Max.

They passed Dolores and set foot for her uncle’s office. She entered without knocking, as usual, and took a seat across the desk from the Chief, who sat discussing the case with Chase.

“I see you brought your feline little friends,” said Uncle Alec amiably as he glanced down at Max and Dooley. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I found them wandering down the street and figured I’d better take them along, in case they got lost again,” she said.

Uncle Alec nodded. He’d gotten the message. Chase, however, seemed surprised. “You’re awfully protective of those cats, aren’t you? Can’t they find their own way home? I always thought cats had some kind of homing instinct?”

“They do,” said Odelia, “but Max has been having some medical issues. He needs to be watched closely.”

“Medical issues, huh?” asked Max with an offended look at Odelia. “So now all of a sudden I’m an invalid? Thanks for nothing.”

She smiled down at the spreading ginger cat. “You’re welcome, Max.”

“Mh? What was that?” asked Chase.

“Oh, I was just talking to myself.”

“She does that a lot,” Uncle Alec explained. “Even as a child she was always talking to herself. Drove us crazy.”

“Did she now?” asked Chase, darting a curious look down at Max and Dooley.

“So what did your dad have to say?” asked Uncle Alec, getting down to business.

“He said that whoever murdered Donna knew what they were doing. They used enough bees to make sure the attack would be deadly, even if Donna proved not to be allergic to bee stings.”

“So we’re dealing with a professional,” Chase grunted. “First time I’ve ever heard of bees being used as a murder weapon.”

“People underestimate how many bees it takes to kill a person,” said Odelia. “Stings from bees might be very painful, but they are rarely deadly.”

“So do you think we should look at beekeepers?” asked Chase.

“I doubt it,” said Uncle Alec. “No beekeeper would sacrifice his precious bees for this kind of thing. It’s hard enough to keep them alive, with bees dying out at a troubling rate and beekeepers losing large percentages of their hives. It’s a huge investment in both monetary terms and time-wise.”

“So we’re looking for someone who wanted Donna dead and knew a thing or two about bees.”

“Stands to reason that the person who stole the hives would have suffered a few bee stings in the process,” Uncle Alec said thoughtfully. “So that’s one other thing to look into.”

“What about the boyfriend?” asked Odelia. “Any sign of this Dexter Valdès yet?”

“So far nothing,” said Uncle Alec. “We did find out he still lives in town, but he wasn’t home when we sent some officers by to pick him up. But don’t worry. We’ll find him soon enough. I put out an APB for his arrest.”

Just then, there was a loud altercation in the hallway, and when Odelia got up to take a closer look, she saw that two officers were bringing in a handsome-looking man who was the spitting image of Ricky Martin, only two decades younger. He was handcuffed and shouting at the officers.

“Dexter Valdès,” said one of the officers, panting slightly from the exertion of subduing the man. “We picked him up at Pier’s Pont. Bar fight.”

“I hate Donna!” the man suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs. “I hate Donna and I’m glad she’s dead!”

Chapter 18

It was the first time we got to sit in on a police interrogation and I was adamant to make the most of it. I was hungry, though, so first I needed a snack. So when no one was watching, I snuck into Chief Alec’s office and quickly found what I was looking for. While I was in there before I’d noticed the chief kept a half-eaten meatball sub in his bottom drawer. The scent had been driving me crazy.

“Max! What are you doing?!” Dooley shouted from the door.

“I’m foraging! What does it look like I’m doing?!”

“But you can’t! You promised Odelia you would stick to your diet!”

“I lied, okay? I can’t stand it anymore, Dooley. I’m not like you. I can’t fill my stomach with water and pretend I’m not hungry! I’m starving!”