“Spies!” the little doggie barked as it vibrated from head to toe. “Evil spies spying on my human!”

  “We’re not actually spies,” I said, even though by definition of course we were exactly that. “We’re guests of your human.”

  “Guests?” said the doggie. She seemed taken aback by this denouement. “So you’re not stowaways? Illegal passengers? Dirty demons intent on wreaking havoc?”

  “No, we’re not,” I said. “We’re Odelia Kingsley’s cats. Though you may know her as Julie Henderson.”

  The doggie frowned. As far as I could tell she was a Shih Tzu, which is a very small and very hairy breed of dog. She looked nice enough, and I didn’t think she posed any threat to us. I still felt it was important to bring her onside, since she could provide us with some essential intel as to the state of mind of her human—and those evil plans Amanda was concocting.

  “Who’s Julie Henderson?” asked the doggie now. “And who is Odelia Kingsley?”

  “They’re one and the same person,” I said. “But since Odelia is undercover on this boat, trying to thwart a plot to stop Harry and Emily’s upcoming wedding, she has chosen an alias.”

  “Oh,” said the doggie, and gave this some thought. “An alias, huh? And so what is your alias, cat?”

  “My name is Max,” I said. “And this is Dooley. And we don’t use aliases, I’m afraid. We prefer to go by our own names since we’re not undercover—not like Odelia-slash-Julie, that is.”

  It all seemed very confusing to the doggie, who still hadn’t told us her name. “Okay, so let me get this straight,” she said. “Someone is trying to stop Harry and Emily’s wedding, and you are here to stop this stopper, is that correct?”

  “Um, something along those lines,” I admitted.

  “Okay, then I’m with you,” said the doggie, and seemed inordinately pleased that she had figured out the plot to stop the plot. “My name is Francine, by the way,” she said. “But everyone calls me Frankie.”

  “Well, it’s great to meet you, Frankie,” I said, and meant every word. If we were going to make a success of our mission, it was important we befriended the natives. “So we just happened to overhear your human just now, and she said something about—”

  “Why don’t I show you around?” Frankie interrupted me. “You know, show you the ropes—well, not the actual ropes, since I’m not a sailor and neither are you, but give you the grand tour of the Audrey.”

  “That would be swell,” I said. We could always get back to Amanda’s dastardly plans later, once Frankie had given us this tour.

  “Hop in,” said Frankie, and after a moment’s hesitation, we hopped into the cabin. Much to my relief Amanda had left, and been replaced by a balding man with a patrician nose and piercing blue eyes who I assumed was Steven Griffiths. He was stretched out on the couch and checking something on his phone.

  “This is my home away from home,” said Frankie proudly. “The nicest stateroom on board. Plenty of space, and all the luxury and comfort I’ve grown accustomed to. I have my own basket, of course, but in practical terms su casa es mi casa. In other words, everything in here, as far as the eye can see, is mine.”

  Since the cabin was spacious enough, that was quite an impressive statement.

  Dooley, who had been glancing through the window, now said, “So all of those boats out there, and all of those houses, they’re all yours, Frankie?”

  “Well, no, Dooley,” said Frankie with a frown.

  “But you said that everything, as far as the eye can see, is yours.”

  “I meant everything in here of course,” said Frankie.

  “Oh,” said Dooley, giving us a look of confusion.

  I approached Steven, and saw to my surprise that he was looking at a picture of Emily on his phone. And not just any picture, but the picture! The picture that had started this whole business.

  “Why is Steven looking at a picture of Emily on his phone?” I asked therefore.

  Frankie glanced over, and shrugged. “I guess he likes his future daughter-in-law? He’s a very loving man, Steven is. In fact he’s the one who gives me my daily treats.”

  “Your daily treats?” asked Dooley, perking up. Ever since we had arrived on board, we hadn’t been fed. And I was starting to experience a minor rumble in my tummy.

  “You know, he tells me to fetch something, and when I do, he gives me a treat. I don’t know why humans are so crazy about this fetching game, but you have to indulge them, you know. Otherwise they get cranky.”

  “Oh, I know,” said Dooley. “So if I fetch something, do you think Steven will give me a treat?”

  “I doubt it,” said Frankie.

  Amanda had walked in, and Steven quickly clicked away from Emily’s picture. Very suspicious!

  “Oh, will you please get rid of those cats!” Amanda cried the moment she caught sight of us. “Why did you let them in in the first place?”

  Steven craned his neck to take us in, then said, “I didn’t let them in. They must have snuck in through the window.” He then wagged a reproachful finger at Frankie. “And you are one lousy guard dog, Frankie. Cats are trespassing on your territory and not a single bark? Shame on you!”

  “But they’re my new friends,” said Frankie. “Not trespassers.”

  “Oh, now you’re barking,” said Steven with a shake of the head. He got up. “I better kick those cats off the boat. I wonder how they got here. Must have swum out or hitched a ride with one of the crew members. They don’t look like street cats, though.”

  “They belong to Julie Henderson,” said Amanda.

  “Who?”

  “Harry’s former girlfriend. For some reason he decided to invite her to spend a couple of days on the boat with us. She’s into beavers.”

  Steven stared at his wife as if she had lost her mind. “Beavers?”

  “Beavers and cats, apparently. Natural sciences graduate.”

  “What?”

  “Oh, never mind,” said Amanda with a gesture of annoyance. She had opened the door and ushered us out, even going so far as to place a well-shod foot against my rear in a bid to precipitate my departure.

  I could have told her there was no need for violence, since I knew when I wasn’t wanted and could find my own way out, thank you very much. Frankie had joined us, and said, chipper as could be, “Let’s continue the grand tour!”

  “Okay,” I said, a little dazed after our hurried exit from the Griffiths stateroom. “So we already met Amanda and Steven, and we met Harry and Emily—how many more people are on board?”

  “Oh, plenty,” said Frankie. “Too many, in my personal opinion. Which is why I’m actually glad you guys are here. It’s impossible to talk to humans, as we all know, so now at least I have some company.”

  “We can talk to our humans,” Dooley announced.

  “Of course you can,” said Frankie with a laugh.

  “No, but it’s true,” said Dooley. “Our human Odelia can talk to us, and so can her mom and grandma.”

  “And Odelia’s daughter, too,” I added.

  Frankie stared at us. “You’re pulling my paw,” she said.

  “No, we’re not,” said Dooley. “They come from a long line of women who can talk to their cats. Dating back centuries, apparently.”

  “One of their ancestors must have been a witch of some kind,” I said. “And whatever made her capable of talking to cats must have passed down from generation to generation, since all the women in our family share the same facility. It’s very convenient, I have to say.”

  “I’ll bet it is,” said Frankie. She still didn’t look entirely convinced, which was understandable. Not many pets are in the same situation.

  We had arrived on deck—or one of the decks—and came upon a young couple. Or at least a young woman and a young man, deeply engrossed in conversation.

  “That’s Kimberly,” said Frankie. “She’s Harry’s kid sister.”

  “And is that her boyfriend?” asked Dooley.

  “Oh, no. That’s Eric. Eric Atkinson. He’s Harry’s best friend.”

  We studied the pair and I could definitely see the resemblance between Kimberly and her brother. She had the same glossy hair and the same killer good looks. But there was also a hardness to her face that reminded me of her mother.

  Eric Atkinson was a handsome raven-haired young man, and as he stood conversing with Kimberly, I couldn’t help but notice how the latter couldn’t keep her eyes off him. Which made me wonder if they were a couple, as Dooley had already suggested.

  And we were just about to move along on our tour of the boat, when Kimberly said, “We have to do something about Emily, Eric. She’s ruining everything—you can see that, can’t you? She’s evil!”

  CHAPTER 13

  “Kimberly doesn’t seem to like her future sister-in-law very much, does she, Max?” said Dooley.

  “No, she most certainly does not,” I agreed.

  You always read these stories about sisters-in-law becoming BFFs but that clearly wasn’t going to happen any time soon in this case, if Kimberly’s words were any indication.

  “She’s trying to come between you and my brother,” Kimberly continued, speaking in hushed tones and darting anxious glances around, as if afraid she might be overheard.

  “I have much the same impression,” Eric agreed, and he didn’t look happy about it. “Harry hasn’t been the same since he met Emily. We used to go out all the time and have fun, but ever since he got with her he’s changed. And not for the best. Almost as if his old friends don’t matter or even exist anymore. As if…” He shook his head. “As if he simply doesn’t want us around.”

  “You’re not the first one who’s told me this,” said Kimberly. “In fact when Harry told me he had invited you and Chloe I was surprised, since I figured he might make a clean break and cut you both off.”

  “Harry and I have been friends since kindergarten,” Eric lamented. “If he were to cut me off…” He choked a little and seemed to tear up. “If he cuts me off I know it’s not him that’s behind it. It’s Emily.”

  “Oh, I know it is,” Harry’s sister confirmed. “She’s the one who’s putting him up to this. Making him ditch his old crowd. She wants him all to herself, and it’s only going to get worse.”

  “Worse?” said Eric. “How can it possibly get worse?”

  “Trust me, the moment those two are married, Emily is going to dig her claws in deep, and she’s going to make Harry cut all ties with his old crew—and that includes you and Chloe.”

  “Oh, God. I should have seen this coming,” said Eric, as he gripped the railing a little tighter. “The moment I first laid eyes on that girl I should have seen the signs. But she seemed so nice, so kind and friendly. I just didn’t have a clue.”

  “None of us did. Well, maybe my mom. She’s the only one who saw through the facade,” said Kimberly. “She saw the real Emily underneath all of that smily, ‘Oh, look at me I’m so sweet and cute and wholesome!’ nonsense. She told me to watch out for Emily, and at first I didn’t believe her, but now I do. She’s the worst thing that could have happened to my brother. The absolute worst.”

  “But we have to do something,” said Eric. “We can’t just let her take over his life like this. I’m his best friend, Kim. I mean, if I don’t stop this, it’s going to be too late. And I will have lost my friend.”

  “I know. And trust me, you’re not the only one who feels that way.” She glanced left and right, then lowered her voice even more. “I’m working on a solution for the Emily problem, Eric. A solution that will hopefully get her out of our lives once and for all.”

  “A solution? What solution?” asked Eric, much interested.

  “I can’t tell you right now, but it’s going to fix things in a big way.”

  “But what is it? You know you can trust me, Kim.”

  But just then, a third person arrived on the scene. She was a dark-haired beauty, and judging from the way she pressed a kiss to Eric’s lips, I figured this was his actual girlfriend.

  “What are you two whispering about?” this newcomer asked.

  “Nothing important, Chloe,” said Kim, immediately taking a step back from Eric. The two of them had been standing very close.

  “Kim says she’s working on a solution to get rid of Emily,” said Eric.

  Chloe’s attention was immediately drawn. “You are? Hey, that’s great. What is it?”

  “She won’t tell me,” said Eric as he quirked an amused smile. “But she says it will fix things in a big way.”

  “I really don’t want to get into the details right now,” said Kim, shooting Eric a reproachful glance, as if to say: why are you blabbing about my secret? “But let’s just say it’ll get her out of our lives once and for all.”

  “Oh, I hope you’re right,” said Chloe. “Every time I see that stupid face of hers I want to throw up. She’s just the absolute worst, isn’t she?”

  “She is,” Kim agreed.

  “And to think me and Raffaella were best friends, and ever since Harry met Emily not only did he break up with her, but he also told me I couldn’t be friends with her anymore. Can you believe that? The nerve!”

  “I liked Raffaella,” Kim agreed. “She was great.”

  “Raffaella had class, she had style,” said Chloe.

  “She was one of us,” Eric added. “One of the gang.”

  “There is no more gang,” said Chloe. “Emily is making sure of that. Pretty soon Harry will get rid of Eric and me, and that will be the end of that.”

  “The end of an era,” her boyfriend agreed.

  They all glanced into the distance for a moment, presumably filled with thoughts of this bygone era, which must have been a lot of fun, by the sound of it. Then Kim took her leave and it was just Eric and Chloe—and three pet witnesses, of course, to whom they paid absolutely no attention at all.

  The moment Kim’s back was turned, Chloe said, “What was that all about?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The plan to get rid of Emily!”

  “No idea. She wouldn’t say.”

  “I’ll bet there is no plan,” said Chloe. “I’ll bet she just wanted to get your attention.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t act like you don’t know.”

  “Know what?” asked Eric innocently.

  “That she’s got the hots for you, of course!”

  “Nonsense. Kim is Harry’s kid sister. Nothing more.”

  “Oh, but she wants there to be a lot more. And if you haven’t noticed, you’re an idiot, Eric Atkinson. That girl wants you bad.”

  “I very much doubt that,” said Eric with a smile. “And anyway, even if she did, I’m sure it’s all very innocent.”

  “I just hope she really does have a plan, and isn’t about to make a gigantic fool of herself and create a big mess for all of us. The last thing we need right now is to antagonize Harry. If he realizes that we all hate his fiancée, he might turn against us, and then Emily will have accomplished exactly what she wants.”

  “I know,” said Eric. “I’ve tried to talk to him, but it’s difficult.”

  “He’s so blind!”

  “He is. It’s infuriating.”

  They both thought for a moment about ways and means to get rid of their friend’s fiancée, then Chloe said, “You better have another chat with Kim. Tell her to drop whatever she’s doing. It’s too risky.”

  “And then what? Do you have a better idea to get rid of Emily?”

  “Maybe I have,” said Chloe mysteriously. “Maybe I’m already putting all the elements in place to do just that.” She touched her fingers to her boyfriend’s arm, as he studied her intently.

  “Be careful, Chloe,” he warned her. “Emily isn’t stupid.”

  “I know she isn’t stupid, but then neither are we.” Her expression hardened. “She should have thought of that before she started plotting to get rid of us. Two can play that game, Eric.”

  “Just make sure Harry doesn’t find out,” he warned.

  “Oh, trust me, he won’t,” she said with a sly grin.

  Eric suddenly looked up. “Speak of the devil,” he said in a low voice. And as we all glanced in the direction he was looking, we saw that Harry was coming our way.

  “I’ll let you boys have a chat,” said Chloe, and quickly removed herself from the scene.

  “Okay, so let me get this straight,” I said. “Eric is Harry’s best friend, but he hates Emily. And Chloe is Eric’s girlfriend, and she also hates Emily. And Kim, who’s Harry’s sister, also hates Emily!”

  “They all seem to hate Emily,” Dooley said sadly. “And they’re all planning to get rid of her.”

  “That’s humans for you,” said Frankie. “They love to make everything so very complicated.”

  “Did you know about this, Frankie?” I asked.

  “Oh, absolutely,” said Frankie. “Emily isn’t exactly universally loved by the members of Harry’s family or even his circle of friends. But that hasn’t stopped him from proposing to her, and from wanting to marry her. I guess he hopes that once they’re married things will settle down, and they’ll accept his bride and welcome her into their hearts and homes.”

  “Judging from the conversation we just witnessed that isn’t about to happen any time soon,” I said.

  Harry and his friend were leaning against the railing, and allowing a light sea breeze to ruffle their hair.

  “What did you and Chloe and my sister talk about?” asked Harry. “It’s just that you all seemed very serious just now.”

  “Oh, nothing special,” said Eric. “Just Kim having trouble with one of her male admirers again.”

  Harry grinned. “Who would have thought my kid sister would have admirers? I definitely didn’t.”

  “She’s turning into quite the looker,” said Eric. “So it’s only natural she would attract the attention of a lot of guys. She’s eighteen now, Harry. And she may still be your kid sister but she’s not a kid anymore.”