Clarice had followed my gaze, and said, “Ray Cooper and Toby Mulvaney. The two bodyguards that were shot.” She raised a whisker when I stared at a message taped beneath the men’s pictures. It read, ‘If I can’t have you—no one can!’
“What does it mean, Max?” asked Dooley, who’d just spotted the same message.
“It means that whoever lives in this room is a double murderer,” I said.
Chapter 26
It is always a tough proposition to be faced with two incompatible tasks. On the one hand I wanted to run and tell Odelia what we’d just discovered, so she could induce Chase to apprehend the killer. On the other hand, we’d arrived at the Dieber house with a job to do, namely to save Harriet from the cat-collecting and cat-distributing singer. And since I couldn’t be in two places at the same time, I had a decision to make, and a tough one to boot.
Luckily I was helped in my decision-making process by the arrival on the scene of the very cat we’d come here to save: Harriet walked into the room and gave the three of us a vicious glare.
“Did you or did you not just attack my boyfriend?” she demanded.
I had the impression she was talking to Clarice, and that impression was confirmed when Clarice replied, “If you’re talking about that obnoxious fleabag that calls himself Diego then yes, I did give him a piece of my mind. And if he wants more, he knows where to get it.”
A challenging statement, but then Clarice had the chops to back it up.
“I’ll have you know I lodged a formal complaint with the other Dieber Babes. They’ll want to have a word with you. You can’t go around cutting up cats, Clarice. You simply can’t!”
“I can and I will if a cat gives me as much grief as your Diego does,” said Clarice.
“Diego is the sweetest, most charming cat for miles around,” she challenged.
“You’re deluded if you think that cat’s charming, honey,” said Clarice.
But Harriet raised her chin. “Diego is a sweetheart, and I’ll bet that the only reason you attacked him is because he rejected you. Diego is mine, Clarice, and you have no business trying to seduce him.”
For a moment I thought Clarice was about to attack Harriet, for these were fighting words. Instead, she laughed—perhaps the first time I’d heard her utter such a musical laugh of genuine merriment. She laughed and laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks. Harriet’s eyes, meanwhile, were shooting sheets of flame. Not that it affected Clarice in the least.
“Oh, you’re funny, girl,” said Clarice finally. “Me and that scuzzball. You wish.”
“What’s so funny about that? I know you tried to seduce him. He told me so himself. And when he said no, you attacked him. Poor cat said he never saw it coming. Lost a great deal of fur and I’m not sure those scratches on his nose won’t leave a few very nasty scars.”
“I hope they do,” Clarice said. “The cat is a liar, Harriet. A big, fat liar.”
“She’s right,” I said. “Diego threatened to cut Clarice, so she cut him. That’s what happened. Isn’t that right, Dooley?”
“That’s exactly what happened,” Dooley was happy to confirm. “Diego said, ‘Get lost, Clarice, or I’ll cut you.’ Those were his exact words. He’s not a very nice cat. Not nice at all.”
“You’re the liars!” Harriet cried, stomping her paw for good measure. “You’re the big, fat liars! All of you. You, Max, are jealous of Diego because he’s a much better singer than you and because Odelia likes him best. And you, Dooley, are jealous because I’m with Diego now and that drives you crazy, just like it drives Brutus crazy. And you, Clarice, can’t stand it when a cat as attractive and charming as Diego prefers to be with me and not you. You’re all jealous and you’re all horrible, horrible cats and I never want to see you again for as long as I live!” And with these words, she took her leave, sweeping from the room like a diva.
“But Harriet!” Dooley cried.
She turned at the door, held up her paw and snapped, “Talk to the paw, Dooley!”
And then she was gone.
“Talk to the paw?” Dooley asked. “Why do I have to talk to her paw?”
“It’s an expression,” I said. “It means she doesn’t want to listen to you.”
“Oh, I’m used to that,” said Dooley. “I just didn’t see what her paw had to do with anything.”
“Oh, Dooley, Dooley,” said Clarice. “You are a sweetheart, aren’t you? Let me just say it’s her loss if she chooses Diego over you. The cat is a moron, and I don’t say that lightly.”
“Harriet is not a moron,” said Dooley, coming to Harriet’s defense even under these circumstances. “She just has a strange taste in cats, I guess.”
“That’s an understatement,” I said.
And just as we were about to walk out and return home, Brutus sailed into the room, moving at sixty miles an hour. “Where is she? I heard her voice! Where is Harriet?!”
“Tough luck, macho,” said Clarice. “Harriet and Diego are back together and she’ll scratch out the eyes of anyone who dares to come between them.” She shook her head. “That’s it,” she announced. “This is the straw that broke the camel’s back. I’m out.”
“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 T-shirts, 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.