“But we will,” Odelia assured her uncle. “And when we do, we want to hand him over to you, Uncle Alec—so you can charge him with the murders of Anthemia’s parents.”

  Uncle Alec looked pained. “If you hadn’t resigned, Chase,” he said, “you wouldn’t have to hand him over. You’d be able to arrest him yourself! So why don’t you drop this stubbornness and pick up your badge again, huh?” He opened his desk drawer and retrieved a badge and a gun, placing both on the desk in front of the former detective. “Here. I’m offering you your job back. Please take it, son. I need you. Hampton Cove needs you. Heck, we all need you!”

  “And what about Mick Harper?” asked Chase. “He’s got my job now, remember?”

  “Oh, will you stop obsessing over Mick for just one second? The guy doesn’t even come close to measuring up. Not to your knees, not even your toes!”

  “I still don’t understand why you gave Mick Chase’s job, Uncle Alec,” said Odelia. “That was a very mean thing to do—and not something I would have expected from you.”

  “That was my fault,” said a voice from the door.

  When they looked up, Odelia saw they had been joined by Charlene Butterwick, who must have walked in very quietly.

  “Charlene?” asked Uncle Alec. “What are you doing here?”

  “This needs to be said, Alec.” She stepped into the office and closed the door behind her. “I was under a lot of pressure—from both the council and the public. They wanted swift results after the high-profile murders of two well-known locals. Bramwell Eiderduck may not have been as famous as he once was, but people still knew him, and his friends in the area started a petition demanding justice. They leaned hard on the council—and on me personally. So when Mick made that very public arrest, they hailed him as a hero and pushed me to give him a spot on the squad.”

  “The fact that you had to give Chase the shove didn’t matter?” asked Odelia, still feeling particularly aggrieved by how things had gone. Her husband didn’t deserve any of this.

  “Alec didn’t want to do it. He said Chase was a fine detective, and that Mick had a lot of potential but still had everything to prove. So he suggested creating a second detective position. That way, he could keep Chase in his job and promote Mick at the same time. In his view, Mick could team up with Chase and learn on the job. But I said no.”

  “For budgetary reasons,” Uncle Alec murmured.

  “Exactly. We simply don’t have the budget to assign two full-time detectives to the team,” said Charlene. “I reported back to the town council and said Chase was our best option going forward, and that in due course maybe we could create a new position to reward Mick. But they wanted to move forward with putting Mick in Chase’s place, and basically left me no choice but to comply.”

  “So what you’re saying is that all of this—this whole rigmarole—was due to politics?” asked Chase.

  “Basically, yes,” said Charlene. “If I’d had the budget, I would have added Mick to the detective’s division. But unfortunately, I didn’t. So a choice had to be made, and in the end, Mick’s popularity won out against your experience and long-standing record as a terrific cop.”

  Chase shrugged. “I don’t blame you, Charlene. You did what you had to do.”

  Charlene’s face cleared. “That’s good to hear, Chase. Nothing about this was ever personal. I need you to know that.”

  Chase smiled. “No hard feelings, Charlene. I’m not the kind of guy who bears a grudge.”

  “So you will come back?” asked Uncle Alec.

  Charlene frowned. “Come back? What are you talking about?”

  “Mick didn’t show up for work this morning,” said Uncle Alec. “Didn’t call, isn’t responding to messages. And now I’m hearing that he left early to go treasure hunting with his new girlfriend. Also, Chase has just uncovered new evidence that suggests Mick coerced Brendon Hetman into a confession in exchange for getting his girlfriend off the hook.”

  “Plus, we think we’ve identified the real killer,” said Odelia. “His name is Frick Pinkerton, and he’s been dating Anthemia for months.”

  “This is all very interesting,” said Charlene, “but it doesn’t change the fact that Mick has been appointed detective with the full support of the town council. We can’t just reverse that unanimous decision because you’ve found new evidence, Odelia. There was a vote.”

  Chase was still smiling. He now got up. “It’s fine, Charlene,” he said. “I just got word that the Hampton Keys town council has invited me for an interview. And the mayor of Hampton Keys privately told me that she rates my chances of becoming their new chief of police very highly. So looks like I’ve already found myself a new job.”

  Charlene blanched slightly. “You’ll be the new chief of police for Hampton Keys?”

  Chase shrugged. “Looks that way.”

  “Which means we’ll probably move to Hampton Keys in the near future,” said Odelia, also getting up. “But keep up the good work, Uncle Alec. And when Mick finally gets in touch again, tell him he needs to go after Frick Pinkerton.”

  “Good luck, chief,” said Chase. “See you around.”

  And with those words, they both walked out.

  CHAPTER 43

  It wasn’t as easy as I had hoped to find Mick and his girlfriend. As I’ve indicated, cats perhaps aren’t as well equipped with the proper tools to pick up a person’s trail. In the end, Clarice came to the rescue—again! For her, it was a cinch to find the errant former hockey star and current star detective. Before long, we were hot on the man’s trail and found him sniffing around what looked like a rock formation.

  “Still haven’t seen any spiders,” Clarice grumbled after she had pulled off her amazing feat and Scarlett had rewarded her with a handful of kibble. “Everybody keeps talking about spiders, but as far as I can tell, there aren’t any. Tiny ones, sure, but not those juicy big ones.”

  “You’ll find them,” I told her. “If anyone can, it’s you, Clarice.”

  “Promises, promises,” she muttered.

  “Shush, will you?” said Shanille. “Mick will hear us.”

  “Where are his dogs?” asked Brutus. “I don’t see those dogs of his.”

  “Maybe he left them behind in Hampton Cove?” I suggested. I certainly hoped so—the last thing we needed was to come face-to-face with those huskies again.

  “If it’s the dogs you’re worried about,” said Clarice, “they’re over there.”

  We followed where she was pointing and discovered she was right. Positioned not thirty yards from where Mick and Smilla were inspecting that rock formation, Blizzard and Storm were lying in wait.

  Not only that, but they were looking in our direction—and I couldn’t escape the feeling that they had already seen us.

  “They know we’re here!” I cried.

  “Of course they know we’re here,” said Clarice, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And we know they’re here. So what?” Then she perked up. “Maybe they know where I can find some of those big-ass spiders. As big as a coconut!”

  And before we could stop her, she was off at a trot, walking straight up to the two huskies!

  The moment they caught sight of her, they rose to their feet and started looking around nervously, possibly for an avenue of escape.

  “They look scared,” said Brutus. “They actually look scared!”

  “Of course they look scared,” said Shanille. “And so they should be. Clarice can be pretty scary when she wants to be. And also when she doesn’t want to be,” she added after a moment’s thought.

  We watched with bated breath as the confrontation unfolded. The clash of the titans. The fight of the century. The rumble in the jungle!

  But instead, Clarice took a seat in front of the huskies and started what looked like an innocuous conversation with the two dogs who had quickly become the bane of our existence.

  “What is she doing?” asked Dooley.

  “Looks like they’re having a friendly chat,” said Kingman, who, like the rest of us, couldn’t quite believe his eyes.

  “Maybe they know where she can find those spiders,” said Dooley. “They’ve been in this forest same as we have, so maybe they know where to find them?”

  “Oh, who cares about spiders?” Brutus burst out.

  “Well, Clarice does,” Dooley pointed out.

  For a moment, nothing happened. Then Clarice turned and waved us over.

  We all stiffened. The last thing we needed was to get up close and personal with those huskies!

  “Um, I think I’m going to stay right here,” said Harriet.

  “Me too,” said Brutus.

  “I don’t mind saying hello,” said Dooley, and started off in the direction of the small gathering.

  “We can’t let him go off on his own!” said Brutus. “We have to protect him!” And so he, too, was off after Dooley.

  And since in the end there is strength in numbers, we all followed suit.

  Okay, so perhaps we’re not the most courageous cats in the world—but then there is something to be said for being cautious!

  The moment we approached the two dogs and Clarice, the strangest thing happened: instead of sneering and making faces at us, they actually seemed… benign. As if they’d gone through a sort of reversal that had turned them from rough brutes into dogs one could reason with.

  “Hello, Minnie,” said Blizzard, a tremor in his voice.

  I now noticed for the first time that they hadn’t actually been focused on us at all—but on Minnie, who was right behind us.

  “Hello, Blizzard,” said Minnie. “How are things?”

  “Things… are good,” said Blizzard, a catch in his voice.

  “Hello, Minnie,” said Storm, also looking quite bashful—which was a nice change of pace for the dog. “How are things with you?”

  “Things are fine with me, Storm,” said Minnie politely. “And you?”

  “Fine, fine,” said Storm. “Things are fine.”

  For a moment, no one spoke. Then Clarice piped up. “They haven’t seen any spiders either,” she announced. “They even told me there probably aren’t any spiders here of that description.”

  “This isn’t the Amazon rainforest,” Blizzard pointed out. “So we don’t have spiders like that in this part of the world.” He gave Clarice a nervous look. “Are you very hungry, Clarice?”

  “I’m hungry,” said Clarice, causing both Blizzard and Storm to take a step back—just in case she attacked them. “I’m not going to eat you,” said Clarice with a grin. “I’m not that desperate. Though I have been known to snack on dog meat once or twice. Like I told my friends here, dog meat is pretty tasty, albeit a little chewy.”

  The look of horror on Blizzard’s, Storm’s, and even Minnie’s faces was something to behold.

  “You ate a dog!” Minnie cried, aghast.

  “He was already dead when I found him,” Clarice said. “Roadkill, you know. But still fresh. The maggots hadn’t gotten to him yet.”

  I think it’s safe to say we all suffered the same retching reaction—which just goes to show that cats and dogs are not so different after all!

  “Okay, so what are you guys doing here?” I asked. “I thought Mick was supposed to be working today?”

  “Oh, he is working,” said Blizzard.

  “He is working hard,” said Storm.

  “Looking for treasure,” said Blizzard.

  “Ooh, what a coincidence,” said Minnie. “We’re also looking for treasure. You don’t think it’s the same treasure, do you?”

  Blizzard grinned nervously. “If I find the treasure, I’m going to give you a piece, Minnie.”

  “And if I find the treasure, I’m going to give two pieces to you,” said Storm.

  “I’ll give three pieces,” said Blizzard, giving his fellow huskie a dirty look.

  “And I’ll give her four pieces!” said Storm.

  “Guys, guys!” said Minnie with a laugh. “You don’t have to get into a fight on my account. I’m not interested in that treasure at all.”

  “You’re not?” asked Storm. “But why?”

  “Yeah, why, Minnie?” asked Blizzard, and he actually looked a little disappointed. “Everybody likes treasure, don’t they?”

  “Not me,” Minnie assured them. “All I care about is those pugs. I want them to find a new home. That’s the only reason Ida and I agreed to come on this trip. We want to get enough money together to get the pugs rehomed.”

  “That’s… a very noble sentiment,” said Blizzard.

  “Very noble indeed,” Storm agreed.

  “Anything we can do to help you with that, Minnie?” asked Blizzard.

  “Anything at all,” Storm added. “Whatever you need, Minnie.”

  “Is it just my impression, Max,” Dooley whispered, “or are Blizzard and Storm in love with Minnie, maybe?”

  “I think there’s a fair chance that’s the case, Dooley,” I whispered back.

  “It’s funny,” he said. “They’re suddenly a whole lot less threatening, aren’t they?”

  “Love soothes the most vicious beast.”

  Love certainly had soothed these two beasts, because they were practically crawling all over one another to appeal to Minnie Mouse.

  “If you could tell us where the treasure is,” said Minnie, “then our humans will take it and make sure it’s put to good use.”

  Blizzard and Storm shared a look.

  “The thing is,” said Blizzard, “Mick also wants that treasure.”

  “He needs the money, you see,” said Storm. “That whole scandal and then his divorce cleaned him out. He doesn’t have anything left.”

  “And his paycheck as a detective really disappointed him,” Storm added. “When he got the money, he literally yelled, ‘Is that it? I can’t even pay my dry-cleaning bill with this!’”

  “His girlfriend probably also needs the money, right?” said Harriet. “She looks like she does,” she added when Blizzard turned those icy blue eyes on her.

  “She has her own reasons for wanting to find the treasure,” Storm explained. “She wants to get even with her dad or something. Some kind of family feud, if I understand correctly.”

  “Her father is responsible for getting our humans the wrong map,” I pointed out.

  “Yeah, I don’t know if that’s true,” said Storm. “The ins and outs of this whole treasure hunt escape me.”

  “It’s all very complicated,” Blizzard agreed. He sighed. “Look, I have a feeling we all got off on the wrong paw here, you guys.”

  “Yeah, we came on a little strong,” said Storm.

  “A little strong?” Brutus cried. “You bullied us out of the park!”

  “We may have gone overboard a little,” Blizzard acknowledged. “But you have to understand—we’re both new in town, and we felt like we needed to make our mark.”

  “Yeah, and you all stick together like one big gang, so we immediately felt like a couple of outsiders.”

  “Except for Minnie here,” Storm chimed in, “we didn’t get a lot of love from the local pet community. So we did what we always do in these circumstances: we fought back.”

  “But we can see now that we probably should have handled things a little differently.”

  “Truce?” asked Storm.

  “Truce,” Kingman was quick to respond.

  “Not so fast!” Shanille cried. “I’m the one you kicked out of the park. Me and my choir. And I don’t think you should be forgiven so easily.”

  “We’re sorry,” said Blizzard, hanging his head.

  “Oh, it’s all right, you guys,” said Minnie. “I’ve known Blizzard and Storm for a while now, and I can vouch for them. They’re great.”

  “How long have you known them?” I asked.

  “Oh, years,” said Minnie. “They used to come to Hampton Cove all the time, didn’t you? We used to hang out at the dog park down the road from Ida. Mick’s ex-wife’s sister lives in that area, and they used to visit—mostly in the summer, but also for Christmas and Thanksgiving.”

  “Fun times,” said Blizzard with a smile.

  “The best,” Storm added with a goofy grin.

  And so we discovered that even the worst dogs in the world… may not be the worst dogs in the world after all. Who knew?

  CHAPTER 44

  The rock formation Mick and Smilla had been checking out had now attracted the attention of our humans, with Gran leading the charge. And since she and her fellow Neighborhood Watch members outnumbered Mick and Smilla five to two, they decided to go for broke. With a blood-curdling yell, they rushed the former hockey star and his influencer girlfriend!

  Mick, who’d faced plenty of high-pressure plays in his career, didn’t flinch. He held his ground, eyes fixed on the advancing players. And the moment Wilbur and Father Reilly closed in, he stepped into their line, executed a perfectly timed block tackle, and swept them both off their stride.

  This gave Gran, Scarlett, and Ida pause, and they retreated to regroup and refine their strategy.

  “Let the hostages go!” Gran cried after a moment.

  “What hostages?” asked Mick.

  “Those two old men on the ground!” Gran yelled back.

  “They’re not hostages,” said Mick. “They’re casualties of war!”

  “We better get rid of this bunch of old farts,” said Smilla. “And soon!”

  “I’m not worried,” said Mick. “They’re just a bunch of innocent pensioners.”

  “We heard that!” Gran returned.

  “For your information, we’re not ‘just a bunch of innocent pensioners!’” Scarlett yelled. “We’re the Neighborhood Watch, and you stole our map!”

  “We didn’t steal anything,” said Mick. “We got that map fair and square from Smilla’s dad! Isn’t that right, Smilla?”

  “Let’s go,” Smilla hissed. “We’re wasting time here!”

  “Okay, I’m leaving now,” said Mick. “Don’t follow us, or you’ll be sorry, all right? I don’t like hitting old people, but I will if I have to.”