“But you’re not a camel, Clarice,” said Dooley. “Are you?”
She smiled and gave his cheek a tender stroke—no claws involved. “See you around, Dooley. And you, Max and Brutus. And if you see Diego, kick him in the rear from me, will you? Don’t hold back.” She held up her paw and dropped something. “Clarice out.”
After she’d stalked from the room, tail held high and head up, we stared at the item she’d dropped. It was a piece of Diego’s fur that must have gotten stuck in her claws.
“What a cat,” said Dooley admiringly. “What. A. Cat.”
“Is it true what she said about Harriet?” asked Brutus, a pained expression on his face. “Is she back together with Diego?”
“Yes, it’s true,” I said. “She was in here ready to pick a fight with Clarice over Diego, accusing her of trying to steal him from her. Nonsense, of course, but Harriet bought it.”
Brutus plunked down on his haunches, a haunted look in his eyes.“That’s it. I’m out, too. This is the end, you guys. I’m done fighting.”
“Good,” I said.
“Why is that good?”
“Because we’ve got something to show you,” I said, and led him into the bathroom.
Chapter 27
It was late in the afternoon when Odelia pulled up to the arts center in downtown Hampton Cove. The Seabreeze Music Center was usually reserved for local artists showcasing their talents, the occasional concert, ballet or musical performance, but today hosted perhaps the biggest star of the moment. Charlie Dieber was preparing to go on tour again, to promote his upcoming album, and had picked the Seabreeze for a tryout slash surprise gig. The venue chosen, he’d dropped clues on his social media accounts, and W-AWOL5 had also been spreading the word in the days since his appearance on their show.
When Odelia learned about the show from her uncle Alec, a tightness had spread across her chest, and she knew she had to be there to ward off whatever that little voice inside her head kept telling her. Not that the little voice was particularly intelligible, or even made any sense to her, but she knew something was wrong, and she had to try and stop it.
So she’d called Chase, who agreed to meet her at the Seabreeze, and now she stood scuffing her toe on the pavement and biting her lip as she waited for the cop to show up.
Dozens of highly excitable girls stood giggling and gibbering animatedly, all wearing Charlie Dieber Tshirts, Charlie Dieber caps and some of them even sporting Charlie Dieber temp tattoos on their cheeks. One girl, who couldn’t have been older than twelve, started singing ‘Will You Love Me Forever?’ and the rest quickly chimed in. It was one of Charlie’s biggest hits, but for some reason it annoyed the heck out of Odelia now. She’d been such a big fan, but since she’d taken a peek behind the curtain and gotten a good look at the kid hiding there, she’d lost all respect. She felt like Dorothy, only Charlie was even worse than the Wizard.
Chase arrived and darted a curious glance at the dozens of kids now singing another Dieber hit.‘I want to be your boyfriend, will you be my girlfriend, baby?’ they were yelling.
“I knew you were a fan, babe. I just didn’t know you were such a big fan,” Chase said with a grin. “Are you sure this is your crowd? You seem kinda old to be a Bedieber.”
“Ha ha. Very funny. We’re here on official police business, Chase. Not as fans.”
“Official police business, huh? And you’re not even a cop.”
“You’re the cop. I’m just here to make sure you arrest the right people.”
Uncle Alec also joined them, looking slightly out of breath.“Damn. I had to park a mile away. This Dieber kid is popular.”
“You figured that out now?” asked Chase, clapping his superior officer on the back.
“Yeah, I had no idea,” Alec said, extracting a big white handkerchief from his pants pocket and wiping his brow. “Now what’s all this about a security threat?” he asked.
“I don’t think Toby committed suicide,” Odelia said.
“You told me already. And I’m telling you he did. Gunpowder residue on his hand, position of the body, fingerprints on the gun. He did it, Odelia. He killed Ray Cooper and then he killed himself when he realized you were onto him and he wasn’t getting away with it.”
She was shaking her head.“I don’t buy it. I just…”
Chase and her uncle exchanged a glance.“Those hunches again, huh?” asked Alec.
“I thought you told Chase I was always right?”
“Yeah, but that was before you decided to ignore solid evidence. Did, um…”
“Did what?”
He darted a quick look at Chase.“Did one of your informants tell you something?”
“No. Not this time. This time I’m trusting my own gut.”
This didn’t seem to inspire her uncle with a great deal of confidence. If her cats gave her inside information from the feline world, he was fully on board. Now? Not so much.
But finally he shrugged.“You know? I’ve never been to a Dieber concert before.” He frowned at the braying crowd of teenagers. “I’ll bet it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
“Look at it this way, Chief,” said Chase. “It’ll help you stay young.”
“Or deaf,” he grumbled as he covered his ears.
The doors to the center opened, and the braying intensified, turning into a roar. As one girl, the troupe stormed the door, and practically flattened the man who’d opened it.
Once inside, Odelia was surprised to find the theater as big as it was. It had been ages since she’d been in here, last time for a Christmas show, and she hardly remembered.
They walked on through to the front, and proceeded to climb up to the stage, which was loaded with equipment ranging from guitars, synths, drum set, amplifiers, and even a baby grand piano, where, presumably, Dieber would play‘Girlfriend,’ his breakthrough hit.
They were met backstage by Carlos Roulston, who gave them a curious look.
“When I got your phone call I honestly thought it was a prank,” he said.
“Better safe than sorry,” said Chief Alec.
“So there’s been a threat? Is it credible?”
“Very credible,” said Chase as he shot a look at Odelia.
Roulston nodded.“I hired some extra people so we should have everything covered. Appreciate the heads-up. Let’s just hope your source was wrong and things go smoothly.”
He walked off, barking some orders into his phone, and Odelia, Chase and her uncle watched from the wings as people milled about, and the theater quickly filled up.
“Looks like a full house,” Chase commented. “The kid’s a real draw.”
“Did this ‘hunch’ of yours tell you where the threat will be coming from?” asked Uncle Alec, who appeared very unhappy to be there. He truly wasn’t a pop concert fan.
“Not exactly,” she admitted. “I just…”
“Have a feeling,” he completed the sentence. “At least tell us if Dieber is the target.”
“I don’t know,” she said helplessly. “Him or someone in his entourage.”
“Right,” said Uncle Alec dubiously. “Look, I need a smoke. Be right back.”
“I didn’t know he started smoking again,” she said as she watched her uncle’s retreating broad back.
“He smoked before?”
“Oh, yes. After Aunt Ginny died he started smoking like a chimney. My mom finally convinced him to quit. Dad helped by showing him some X-rays of lung cancer patients.”
“He’s not a big smoker. A couple of cigarettes a day. At least he doesn’t smoke in the house.”
“How’s that working out for you, living with Alec?”
“It’s great. We’re like a comedy duo.”
She smiled.“So who’s Lucy and who’s Desi?”
Chase grinned.“I’m definitely not Lucy, I can tell you that.”