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.”

  Uncle Alec returned, reeking of cigarettes, and announced, “Look who I found lurking outside the stage door.” He stepped aside to reveal Max, Dooley and Brutus.

  “Odelia!” Max announced urgently. “You have to stop him! He’s going to kill her!”

  She clamped her teeth together and crouched down. “Who?” she whispered.

  “Nugent!” he cried. “I finally figured it out! Nugent is going to kill Regan!”

  Chapter 28

  Unfortunately, just at that moment Charlie Dieber walked onstage, to the booming roar of an ecstatic crowd, and the concert started. Whatever else Max was saying was lost on Odelia, for try as he might, he couldn’t raise his voice over the racket.

  The terrific noise caused Brutus and Dooley to hug the floor, trying to cover their ears, and Odelia searched around to see if she could catch a glimpse of Jason Nugent. But wherever the guard was, he wasn’t here, and for a moment she feared he might already have struck. But then she caught a glimpse of Regan Lightbody, on the other side of the stage. She was keeping a close eye on the proceedings, her keen gaze swiveling from Dieber, as he performed, to the crowd. More guards had been placed in front of the stage, and they had a hard time preventing crazed teens, eyes wet with tears and screaming their lungs out, from trying to mount the stage and jump Dieber. Panties and bras and other items of underwear were being pelted onstage, along with teddy bears and lots and lots of plush cats.

  Charlie took it all in stride, as he belted out his biggest hits. He seemed in his element, and Odelia had to admit he looked really cool, and his voice sounded great, too.

  And then she returned her gaze to Regan and saw to her horror that a man was sneaking up on her from behind, holding a large knife that flashed in the stage spotlights. She recognized the man as Jason Nugent. Chase had seen the same thing, and so had Uncle Alec. Ignoring the confused looks from Charlie and the members of his band, she wasted no time darting across the stage, yelling, “Regan! Regan, watch out—behind you!”

  Regan saw her coming, and frowned, instinctively going for her gun. Then, when she saw Odelia pointing, she whirled around and saw the threat. Nugent, not expecting this, tried to plunge the knife into her neck, but she managed to ward off the blow with a slashing movement of her arm, causing her gun to drop to the floor. In response, the flat-nosed bodyguard dropped the knife and brought out a handgun of his own, training it on Regan.

  Chase and Uncle Alec, who’d joined them, stopped short when they caught sight of the weapon, and held their hands up in a bid to put the guard at ease and stop the attack.

  The concert, still in full swing, drowned out any words that were spoken, but the look on Nugent’s face spoke volumes. For some reason Odelia didn’t comprehend, he wanted Regan dead. Presumably he’d meant for the attack to look like another botched assassination attempt on Dieber, and if Max hadn’t warned Odelia he might have gotten away with it, too. He still might, for he was cocking the gun now, Regan making pleading gestures.

  Nugent brought his left hand up to steady his right, and took a two-handed stance, as if he was at the gun range, aiming his weapon squarely on Regan. He yelled something, then, which sounded a lot like, “If I can’t have you, no one can!” but Odelia couldn’t be sure.

  “No!” she screamed, but knew it was too late. The man would fire and kill Regan.

  And just when she was contemplating throwing herself on top of Nugent, help suddenly descended from the skies. Three cats dropped down, claws out. Max landed on the man’s face, blocking his view, while Brutus dropped on his hands, knocking them down and causing the shot that he squeezed off to drill a hole in the stage floor. Dooley, unfortunately, missed his approach and landed on top of Uncle Alec’s head, who quickly shook him off.

  Max must have really dug in, for Nugent now dropped his gun, and tried to pry the outsized orange cat from his face. Like an alien facehugger, though, Max wasn’t budging, and hung on tight. Odelia, who didn’t want Max to suffer any harm, quickly came to his aid. It was hard to know what to do, though, for Nugent was lashing out all around himself, clearly crazed. Max was finally sent flying, and Odelia saw that the man’s already damaged visage had been upgraded with a nice set of bloodied new scratch marks. Instead of one sliced eyebrow, he now had two. Too late, she saw that Nugent made a dive for his gun.

  Sadly for him he met Chase’s fist on his way down. The hit to the temple he sustained was so considerable that he was knocked back, and landed on the floor, out for the count.

  The band, who’d finally realized something was amiss, had stopped playing. Not Charlie, though, who had his eyes closed and just kept on singing. Without the support of his musicians and especially his backing track, it soon became clear that Charlie Dieber’s voice was weak, thin and flat at best. Even the assistance of voice amplification couldn’t induce it to rise above a sad whisper. It soon became obvious to one and all: the kid couldn’t sing!

  There was a shocked silence in the crowd, but then people started booing and laughing. Dieber, opening his eyes and realizing he was singing all by himself, immediately stopped and held up a hand, displayed a wide smile and shouted, “I love you! Love you all!”

  And then he fled the stage and disappeared into the bowels of the theater.

  Chapter 29

  They were in Dieber’s dressing room, Odelia, Chase, and Roulston’s crew. Uncle Alec had arrested Jason Nugent and taken him into police custody. Regan Lightbody, meanwhile, had a hard time coming to grips with what had just happened. Her tough demeanor had crumpled, and her face was tear-stained. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her sleeve.

  “I knew he liked me. I just didn’t know he was obsessed with me,” she told Odelia.

  Dieber had hit the shower and returned now, dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie. The concert, after hitting that unfortunate snag, had soon started up again, and since Charlie acted as if nothing had happened, soon his Bediebers had put the vocal mishap out of their minds as a one-time anomaly in an otherwise super show, and had resumed screaming.

  “Great show,” Charlie was saying to no one in particular. He sank down onto a couch and closed his eyes. “Best show ever, dudes.”

  “Is it true that Nugent shot Ray and Toby?” asked Regan, hugging herself.

  “Yes, it’s true,” said Odelia. “He figured that if he could just get rid of them, you might turn to him as the next best thing. When that didn’t happen, he decided to kill you, too, and make it look like someone was coming after Charlie and you got in the way.”

  “I never saw him that way. I considered him a friend. A colleague. Nothing more.”

  Roulston wrapped her into an embrace, and Odelia turned to Chase, who was shaking his head. “How the hell did you know?” he asked. “And how the hell did your cats save Regan? I just don’t get it.”

  She smiled. “They must have crawled up into the stage rafters when they realized what was happening, and decided to jump on top of Nugent to try and stop him.”

  “Those cats of yours are something else, Odelia, let me tell you that.”

  “Yes, they are.”

  “And your hunches? I’m never making fun of you again. Ever.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.”

  “Oh, please do. I mean, you should have been a cop, babe. You’re aces.”

  “Thanks,” she said, greatly touched. “I’m just glad we managed to save Regan.”

  There was a commotion at the door, and a girl burst in, followed by a woman with a clipboard and headphones. The girl was blushing and giggling and grinning like crazy the moment she caught sight of Charlie.

  “Hey, Bedieber!” he said, getting up. “Come on in. Have I got a surprise for you!”

  The girl proceeded into the dressing room. She looked all of thirteen years old and was dressed in a Dieber tank top, pink bra, ultra-short skirt and not much more.

  “If I were that girl’s mother…” Odelia muttered.

  “Yeah, but you’re not,” Chase said. “So shush, Poole.”

  She grumbled something as she watched the same assistant who’d ushered the girl in hand Dieber a large box. When he opened the box, she saw to her surprise that it contained none other than… Diego! The cat looked a little annoyed at having been stuck inside a box.

  “Isn’t that my mother’s cat?” asked Chase, sounding as surprised as she was.

  “It is.”

  “Do you like cats?” Dieber asked the girl, who nodded eagerly, her cheeks flushed.

  “I love cats!” she squeaked. All that screaming had clearly affected her vocal cords.

  “Here you go,” said the singer, and handed her Diego. “Take good care of him.”

  “Oh, I will, Charlie!” she squealed, eagerly grabbing the cat. “I’ll love him and cherish him and keep him forever! I’ll feed him the best food and give him cuddles and huggies all day long!”

  Odelia studied the girl for a moment. “Do you really like cats?”

  “Oh, do I? I love cats! We’ve got twelve of them at the mansion.”

  “The mansion?”

  “My father is the owner of Feline’s Gold. My family lives in Southampton.”

  “Feline’s Gold? The cat food company? The one that produces Cat Snax?”

  She nodded enthusiastically. “I love cats. Almost as much as I love Charlie.”

  Diego gave Odelia a wink and a grin. “Sorry to leave you, babe, but looks like I just found myself a better deal.”

  “Now wait a minute,” Chase said, stepping forward.

  “It’s all right, Chase,” said Odelia, placing a hand on his arm.

  He frowned. “But that’s Diego.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be very happy with this girl,” she said. “What’s your name, honey?”

  “Kitty Nala.”

  “I’m sure Diego will be very happy with Kitty Nala.”

  Diego was still grinning. “Keep that hairy ape away from me, Odelia. I just hit the jackpot! Woo-hoo!”

  Odelia leaned in, and whispered into his ear, “See you around, Diego.”

  “Fat chance,” he replied. “I’m heading for cat paradise, babes! Adios!”

  She stepped back, also smiling, and waved as Kitty Nala left the dressing room with Diego clutched in her arms. Some problems have a way of taking care of themselves, she thought. And this was one problem she was glad she didn’t have to solve.

  Dieber’s assistant walked up again and delivered a second box to the singer.

  “I want to give you a small token of my appreciation,” he said, fixing Odelia with a sultry stare. “Turns out you saved the day. And even though they weren’t trying to kill me—which came as a great surprise, and a slight disappointment—I still want to thank you.”

  “That’s all right,” she said. “Just doing my duty.”

  Chase leaned in, and whispered, “You even sound like a cop.”

  “Here,” said Charlie, handing her the big box. “From me to you, babe.”

  She opened the box and to her surprise found Harriet staring up at her piteously.

  The Persian gave a pleading little mewl, then said, “Please take me home, Odelia.”

  Odelia placed the box on the floor and pressed her lips together, fury lancing through her. “Charlie Dieber! You can’t gift me a cat that you stole from me in the first place!”

  “Oh, dear,” said the pop star, closing his eyes. “Here we go again.”

  “This is Harriet! This is my cat!”

  “How am I supposed to know who belongs to who?” the star asked with a shrug.

  “You’re the worst cat person I’ve ever met in my entire life!” she screamed, her cheeks reddening and her fists clenching and unclenching. “And you’re a lousy singer!”

  “Hey, now don’t you go and get personal,” he said, darting worried glances at her fists. He then directed a beseeching look at Chase, hoping the large cop would intervene, just like he had the last time Odelia had flown off the handle. But Chase merely smiled and folded his arms across his chest, clearly prepared to sit this one out.

  “If you steal one more cat!” she shouted, wagging a finger in the kid’s face. “One more cat, I swear to God!”

  “Okay, all right! Jeezus. What’s with you and cats? They’re just a bunch of stupid animals.”

  She hauled off and slapped the singer so hard across the cheek the sound echoed around the dressing room. Charlie’s personal assistant was there, Roulston was there, and so were Regan and the rest of the security guards. None of them interfered when Odelia gave the spoiled brat a slap across the face that he would remember for a long time to come.

  “She hit me!” he cried, touching his cheek. “Do something! Arrest her! She hit me!”

  But instead of arresting her, they all smiled and then walked out. On his way out, Roulston leaned into Odelia and murmured, “Been wanting to do that for a very long time.”

  Odelia picked up her cat and, after firing off a look that could kill and making the singer wilt, she walked out. To her great satisfaction the imprint of her hand was nicely outlined on Charlie’s face. A small gift from her to him. A token of her lack of appreciation.

  Epilogue

  After the crazy week we’d had, it was great to see things finally return to normal. To celebrate the conclusion of the Charlie Dieber case—although in actual fact it had turned out to be the Regan Lightbody case, and Charlie Dieber didn’t feature into the affair at all, much to the singer’s dismay—Tex decided to organize one of his fabled barbecues, and so the whole family gathered in Tex and Marge’s backyard that night, to enjoy a nice dinner.

  Brutus, Dooley and I had taken up our usual perch on the porch swing, where we had an excellent overview of the proceedings, and Odelia had set out some delicious treats for us—the same meat the humans snacked on, only ours was fully raw, of course.

  Why humans want to ruin their food by cooking it is beyond me. Then again, a lot of the things humans do is a cause for head-scratching. Though I usually try not to let the revolting scent of their cooking or grilling interfere with my own enjoyment of the feast.

  Harriet, who’d been in seclusion inside the house, finally walked out and joined us.

  At first things were a little awkward between us. The last words she’d spoken still rankled. ‘I never want to see you again for as long as I live’ is one of those statements it’s a little hard to walk back on. She was still alive, and she was seeing us right now, so…

  She cleared her throat. “Look, you guys. I owe you an apology. I mean…” She cast an apologetic look at Brutus, her former boyfriend. “I guess Diego fooled me.”

  “Not for the first time,” Brutus couldn’t help but point out.

  I placed a paw on his leg. “Don’t be petty, Brutus. Let’s hear what she has to say.”

  “Yeah, the joke is on me, isn’t it?” Harriet said bitterly. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…” She sighed, directing a searching look into the distance, beyond the cloud of thick, black smoke wafting up from Tex’s barbecue, a clear indication he was torching his sausages again. “I thought he’d changed his ways, you know,” she said. “He told me he was now a different, better cat. That I brought out the best in him. I guess Diego’s best was not all that good to begin with. When I heard how happy he was to go and live with that Kitty Nala person, and that he didn’t even give a single thought to me—as if I didn’t even exist…”

  She brought a distraught paw to her quivering lip, and tears glistened in her eyes.

  It was obvious that she hadn’t fully recovered from the terrible episode yet.

  “I heard everything, you know. I was in my box but I could hear the whole thing.”

  “Oh, sweetness,” said Brutus, sidling closer to her. “Forget about that cat. He isn’t worth a single tear.”

  “I know,” she said, nodding hard, then turned her tear-streaked face up to Brutus. “You’re so nice to me, Brutus. Why are you so nice?”

  “Because I care about you, babycheeks. You’re my girl. You’ll always be my girl.”

  “Oh, Brutus.”

  “There, there. Now lemme dry those tears. Everything is gonna be all right.”

  “Oh, honey bucket. I missed you.”

  “I missed you too, buttercup.”

  “Oh, booksie-bug.”

  “Oh, snooksie-tootsie-wootsie.”

  “I’m gonna be sick,” Dooley announced, making a face.

  I grinned. “Looks like things are back to normal on the home front, buddy.”