Odelia wondered why Max and Dooley hadn’t discovered anything. Usually they were great at ferreting out those small details no one else was capable of discovering. Trivial things that could lead to a break in the case.
Her phone buzzed and she excused herself, stepping into the corridor. It was her mother. “Hey, Mom. Everything all right?”
“Did you know that you and Chase were on TV just now?”
“We were?”
“There’s an item on the Kenspeckles, and they showed you and Chase leaving the house where they’re staying. You were waving at the camera.”
She remembered passing the camera crews camping out at the gate. “Yay. I’m famous.”
“Yay.”
“So what did they say?”
“Oh, nothing special. There was a lot of speculation about those black cars. They think it’s either the Men in Black arriving or the FBI. Your grandmother thinks it’s the Men in Black. I’m going with the FBI.”
“What would the Men in Black want with the Kenspeckles?”
“Well, the newscaster is convinced the Kenspeckles are aliens, colluding with other aliens on their mother ship to colonize the planet. The other theory is that it’s the FBI, and the local police are being sidelined. So what is it?”
“It’s the FBI,” she confirmed. “We’re out. They’re in.”
“They’re all aliens!” suddenly Gran’s voice sounded over the phone. “One look at Camille is enough to know she’s preparing an alien invasion. It’s in the eyes, honey. No amount of plastic surgery can hide those alien eyes.”
“The Kenspeckles are no aliens, Gran.”
“Rubbish. The alien wears Prada. Don’t be fooled by the fancy clothes.”
“Will you give me back that phone?” Mom said. “What did you say?”
“The FBI has taken over, Mom. Our investigation is officially a bust.”
"Oh, that's too bad. Can you invite your uncle and Chase over for dinner? We have barbecue. Does Chase like his mashed potatoes with garlic?"
She did a mental head thunk. Was this a time to think about barbecue? “I don’t know, Mom. I don’t know how Chase likes his mashed potatoes.”
“Well, ask him, will you? This is important.”
Of course it was. “I’ll ask him.”
“Oh, and I’m thinking about getting a dog.”
“A dog? Why a dog? Don’t we have enough cats?”
“Yeah, but dogs are affectionate. I hardly ever see Dooley or Harriet. They’re either over at your place or out and about. Dogs stick to you like glue. I was thinking of getting myself a French Bulldog, like the one Shana Kenspeckle had? I saw him on TV—they did a rerun of some older episodes of the Kenspeckles—and he looks so cute!”
“Yeah, dogs love their owners,” Odelia admitted. “Though Kane isn’t as cute in real life as he is on TV, Mom. He’s an annoying little yapper.”
“Kane? Who’s Kane?”
“Shana Kenspeckle’s dog? The dog that’s on the show?”
“Oh, but that’s not Shana’s dog, honey. Shana’s dog was called Lil’ Pim. He died last year, remember? Been with her since she was a kid. Kane used to belong to someone in Shana’s entourage. They gifted Kane to Shana as a present when Lil’ Pim died. To soften the blow.”
Something went clickety click inside Odelia’s head, like pieces of a puzzle falling into place. A sudden surge of excitement shot through her. “Do you remember who that dog belonged to, Mom?”
“Sure, um…” Her mother’s voice trailed off. “Lemme think for a second. It’ll come to me.” There was some shuffling, then her mother’s voice called out, “Mom! Who gave Shana Kenspeckle her new dog? I’m asking your grandmother, honey,” she added, as if that wasn’t obvious already.
“Damien LeWood!” Gran yelled back.
“Not her husband, her dog! Who gave her the dog?!”
There was some muffled discussion on the other end, and then Gran took over the phone again. “Is Chase coming over for dinner, honey? We’re having barbecue.”
She gritted her teeth. “Gran, who gave Shana her new dog?”
“Ask him if he likes his mashed potatoes with garlic. I think he does, but your mother has gotten it into her head he doesn’t. Can you settle the argument? I’m right, aren’t I? I’m always right. I’ve got a mind like a steel trap.”
She heaved a deep sigh. “I’m sure Chase likes garlic.”
“See! I told you so! He looks like a garlic-loving guy to me.”
She tried to resist the urge to drag her grandmother through the phone. “Gran? The name?”
“Um… Lemme think for a minute. It’s on the tip of my tongue.”
Finally, her mother came on the line. “I just remembered, honey.”
When her mother gave her the name, Odelia’s jaw went slack.
It was the very last person she would have suspected.
Chapter 23
While Odelia and Chase were meeting with Chief Alec, Dooley and I went in search of Brutus and Harriet. It was time for an emergency meeting. I had once sworn a sacred oath that I would stand by my human, and I wasn’t going to forsake her now. It was obvious this murder investigation meant a lot to Odelia, and so far we’d let her down.
“Do you really want to interrupt them on their hot date?” Dooley asked.
“Yes, I do. Catching the Kenspeckle killer is more important than a date.”
“Not to Harriet and Brutus. They love dating. Dating is all they do.”
“I don’t care. We need to catch that killer. Dating can wait.”
“Oh, fine,” he said, though he didn’t look happy. The prospect of catching Harriet and Brutus in the act under a park bench didn’t appeal to him.
We trotted over to the park where only that morning I’d been stuck in a tree. It looked completely different during the day. Mothers were pushing baby strollers, tourists were licking ice creams, kids were kicking cans, teenagers were canoodling and senior citizens were reading the newspaper.
Most tourists were at the beach right now, soaking up the rays, but not all. Some enjoyed the peace and quiet of the park. And the shade. The north side of the park sloped down, and morphed into a stretch of sandy dunes, leading straight down to the beach. The park provided a welcome counterpoint of coolness. We passed the playground, with several toddlers playing in the sandbox, parents seated to the side to keep an eye on them.
“They could be anywhere,” Dooley said. “This place is huge.”
“Not that huge. And I’ll bet they’ve chosen a quiet spot for their date.”
“So they can have some privacy. Which we should probably give them.”
“Do you or don’t you want to find the killer?”
“Of course I want to find the killer. But I don’t see how Brutus or Harriet are going to help us find him. If we can’t solve this case, and Odelia and Chase and Uncle Alec can’t solve this case, what makes you think they can?”
“It’s the combined intelligence of the four of us that does the trick,” I told him. “It’s the power of the mastermind, Dooley. Four great minds provide a wisdom that is greater than its collective parts.”
He stared at me dumbly, and I was starting to have second thoughts about this mastermind thing. I’d seen it on the History Channel once. How big tycoons rely on the convergence of great minds to come up with great ideas. I wondered if it also worked if some of those minds weren’t as bright as others.
We headed to a denser part of the park, where Brutus and I had climbed that tree that morning. When I spotted a black tabby and a white Persian getting cozy under a bench, I knew we’d found them. “There they are.”
“You talk to them,” Dooley said, shaking his head. “I’m not doing this.”
“Hey, guys,” I said as I walked up to them, Dooley dragging his paws.
Brutus gave me his best glare. “What are you doing here?”
I told him in a few quick words what had transpired at the Kenspeckle place. It didn’t help. “That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.”
“Don’t you see?” Harriet said. “Max wants our help to solve the case.”