And wait was exactly what I had to do, for as I made my way to the street, I found my passage blocked by a stocky, burly black cat with evil green eyes. Brutus!
“Snooping around, are we, Max?” he asked in a sneering manner. At that moment he suddenly reminded me of Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter’s nemesis.
Oh, God. This was exactly what I needed right now. Not!
“Step aside, Brutus,” I told the cat. “This is none of your business.”
But Brutus didn’t make a move to let me pass. Instead, he walked right up to me and got in my face. “If anyone is getting involved in stuff that isn’t his business, it’s you, Max. I saw you, you know, spying on Chief Alec and Chase. So that’s how you do things in this town, huh? You’re Odelia Poole’s personal spy. I knew there was a reason she was always getting the best scoops. And now I know her secret. Wait till I tell Chase all about this!”
A chill suddenly settled around the base of my spine.“How are you going to do that, Brutus? You can’t talk to your human like I can talk to mine.”
Oh, crap. Had I just said that? Bad Max!
He grinned evilly, like Bruce the shark from that fish movie Odelia likes to watch when she’s babysitting one of her cousins.
“So youcan talk to humans,” he said slowly. “I thought as much. I only arrived yesterday, but already I’ve heard the rumors this Odelia Poole person is a little… shall we say weird? And now you’ve confirmed my suspicions.”
“Well, you still can’t do anything with that information,” I challenged him. My claws were itching to get a piece of his fur, but I restrained myself. I may be big, but that doesn’t mean I’m all lean muscle like Brutus and Chase. My bulk mainly consists of, um, well, love handles. Lots and lots of love handles.
“Maybe I can’t talk to my human,” he conceded, “but I can make your life a lot more difficult. I can prevent you from snooping around and listening to conversations that aren’t intended for your spying ears.”
Horrified, I cried,“You can’t do that!”
“Oh, yes, I can,” he said, that nasty grin still firmly in place. He reared up to his full height, puffing up his chest like the nasty bully he was. “Listen up, Max. From now on the police station is off limits to you and your buddies.”
“What?! You have no right!”
“Oh, yes, I do. Chase Kingsley is the law in this town now, which, by extension, makes me the law, too. So I can do whatever I want and there’s not a thing you can do about it.”
“It doesn’t work like that! It’s not because your human is a cop that you’re also one. That’s just crazy talk!”
“I can assure you that’s exactly how it works, Max,” he grunted.
“No, it’s not. Harriet’s human is a doctor. That doesn’t make her capable of performing brain surgery, does it? And, and…” I cast around wildly. “Dooley’s human is this town’s biggest gossip. That doesn’t mean he’s a gossip, too. Oh, wait, actually it does. Dooley is a pretty big gossip. But that’s neither here nor there. You’re not a cop, Brutus. Cats simply can’t be cops!”
“Well, you can’t, obviously,” he scoffed. “You’re not trained to uphold the law. I, on the other hand, am. Chase used to be the NYPD’s biggest and baddest detective, and I learned a lot from watching him in action.”
“That’s just a load of—”
“Hey!” Brutus yelled, holding up a warning paw, claws extended. “Watch it, pal. You want me to arrest you for contempt of cop? No? Didn’t think so!”
“Contempt of cop? That’s not even a thing!”
“I’m sure it is,” he assured me, giving his nose a lick.
“Well, I’m sure it’s not. You’re simply making this up on the spot.”
I tried to sidestep the overbearing cat, but he got in my face again, and hissed,“You’re not trespassing again, Max. This is your final warning.”
“Oh? And what are you going to do about it?” I challenged him, my tail rearing up and puffing up while I arched my back menacingly.
“Don’t make me fight you, Max,” he said in a low, menacing voice. “You don’t want me to hurt you. I’m warning you.”
I backed down. What? Have you ever stared into the slitted eyes of the meanest, biggest, nastiest cat you’ve ever seen? Let me tell you, it’s scary!
“This was your final warning, Max,” he growled, and casually displayed three sets of razor-sharp claws and gave me a mock punch on the shoulder.
I gulped. Those claws looked very sharp indeed. So I decided not to get into a fight with this cat. I needed to figure out how to deal with him, but brute force wasn’t exactly my forte. That was obviously his department.
“Have it your way, Brutus,” I finally said.
“Always,” he said with a smug smile. “That’s something you will learn soon, Max. You and those other furballs that inhabit this stupid town.”
“Hampton Cove is not a stupid town!”
He merely grinned, and stalked off in the direction of the police station, presumably to find out what I’d found out.
Still shaking from the adrenaline rushing through my veins, I started heading for theHampton Cove Gazette. Boy, did I have news for Odelia.
Chapter 4
Before going to the office, Odelia decided to pass by her dad’s practice first. She wanted to check on Gran, who’d been feeling a little under the weather lately. She passed into the waiting room. As usual, there were already half a dozen patients patiently waiting to be called into her father’s examination room. Tex Poole had been Hampton Cove’s oneand only doctor for over thirty years, and was well-respected and well-liked by all.
She nodded a greeting to the small crowd, and quickly walked up to the reception desk, and was relieved to find the wizened old woman seated behind it, reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose, her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she deftly handled the phone and the appointments book.
“Gran,” she said happily. “I’m so glad to see you’re okay.”
“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” asked the white-haired old lady crustily.
“Well, I heard you were feeling a little under the weather last night.”
The old lady lifted her chin.“Who told you that? That kind of information is strictly confidential. That’s between my physician and me.”
“Well, your physician is my dad,” she said. “So…”
“That doesn’t give him the right to go blabbing about my private affairs,” Gran grumbled. “I’ll have a word with that man.”
Odelia laughed.“He didn’t blab about anything, Gran. Mom told me last night you weren’t feeling well after dinner, so you went to bed early.”
“Nonsense. I’ve never felt better and don’t let anyone tell you different.”
“I’m just glad to see you’re fine.” The last thing she wanted was to get into a fight with the feisty old lady, especially in front of half a dozen townies.
“I just had an upset tummy, that’s all. Nothing to get all worked up about.”
Odelia stared at her.“You don’t think it was my dessert, do you?”
She was the one who’d made dessert last night. Even though she lived alone, she still went home for dinner with her family most nights. It didn’t make much sense to cook for herself when she was just one person. She and Mom took turns cooking, with Gran chipping in from time to time. Last night had been Mom’s turn. She’d made grilled tuna, Odelia providing dessert.
But Gran waved her hand.“Don’t even think about it. That dessert was perfectly fine. I simply love chocolate pudding. Now state your business.”
She smiled.“Just checking up on you, Gran.”
“This is a doctor’s office, young lady, and we’ve got a lot of sick people waiting, so if you’re not sick or dying, please move along. No dillydallying.”
“Sure thing, Gran,” she said with a laugh. “Have a nice day.”
“Oh, I most definitely will,” Gran said, then hollered, “Next!”
She passed into the street feeling better already. The old lady might be feisty, but she was also vulnerable at her age, and she was glad to know she was fine. Next stop was the newspaper, and she’d just walked into her own small office when Max came tripping up.