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“The seatbelt sign is switched off and you can now move freely about,” a sonorous voice boomed through the intercom.

I glanced around as everyone got up and deposited us to the floor.

“Max?” said Dooley.

“Uh-huh?”

“We’re alive!”

I laughed.“Whoo-hoo!”

“You guys!” Harriet cried. “We’re on our way to England!”

“Yes, we are!” I said, relieved to have survived the ordeal.

“We’re going to meet the Queen!” she yipped.

I didn’t know about that, but whoever we were going to meet, it was definitely better than meeting our maker!

Chapter 7

Odelia was checking the shaky footage again of the incident that had led them to board a private jet and fly head over heels to England.

They were well underway, the cats had all settled down on the plush pillows Angela or Mr. C. Looney had been so good to provide, and a flight attendant had brought out snacks for them to nibble on.

Once again she watched as Tessa stood smiling in front of the wall of Newtmore House, as Prince Dante’s voice warned her to watch out! Moments later, Tessa jumped clear of the stone ball that would have crushed her.

“Tessa and Dante were in charge of the annual Summer Show,” Angela explained. “Some kind of county fair, with a bouncy castle for the kids and a band and lots of great food. Ticket sale proceeds go to charity and Tessa especially had spent a lot of time turning it into a success, which it was.”

Odelia replayed the footage. The ball impacted the ground with such force that a dull thud could be heard, followed by Dante rushing in and helping Tessa up.

“If Dante hadn’t yelled for her to jump, she would have been crushed,” said Angela with a grim twist of the lips.

“And you still think he might be behind this,” said Odelia. “That doesn’t make sense, Angela.”

“It does. The way I see it, they just had this big fight over the kind of people he likes to hang out with. Bunch of losers, if you ask me, but he seems reluctant to remove them from his life. Putting Tessa in harm’s way and being the one to save her life would have shifted the balance of powerin the relationship to him.”

“That seems far-fetched.”

Angela threw up her arms.“I don’t know what to think here, okay?”

Odelia studied the fleeting image of the figure on the roof. Unfortunately it was impossible to make out features or even size or gender. Just a dark blob, moving away the moment the camera caught him or her.

“Whoever this is, they took an awfully big risk,” said Odelia.

“I’m sure they were wearing a disguise—a cloak or something.”

“I take it Dante never saw this video?”

“No, he hasn’t.”

“How determined are you to keep this from getting out?” asked Chase.

“Tessa wants to keep it quiet, and I agree. If word got out there was an attempt on her life, all hell would break loose.”

“So maybe that’s a good thing? I mean, someone could have seen something.”

But Angela shook her head.“We want to keep it under wraps. Tessa is not popular as it is, and this would only incite more hatred and all sorts of nastiness. What she’s most afraid of is that a bunch of copycats will pop up and act out other assassination scenarios, this time with fatal consequences.”

“I can’t believe the English people would tolerate that kind of behavior,” said Odelia. “She is married to one of their most popular royals, isn’t she?”

“Oh, I guess she’s popular enough with the people,” Angela agreed. “But she’s hated by the tabloids. They’d twist this into something else entirely.”

“Like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know. They’d probably claim she set this up herself. As a publicity stunt. A way to get attention.”

“No way.”

“Oh, yes. They’re vicious like that.”

“That’s just terrible,” said Odelia.

She couldn’t imagine having to live like that—being openly hated and despised with such intensity and relentlessness. “At least the other royals are there to support her,” she said. And when Angela gave her a dubious look, she said, “They do support her, don’t they?”

“Not really. Her sister-in-law isn’t exactly taken with her, and as far as the rest of the family is concerned—they’re all a bunch of pretty cold fish, if you ask me. They’re not very big on warmth and human affection.”

They all stared at Angela, even the cats.

“Like I said,” Tess’s mother continued with a shrug, “the better policy here is not to trust anyone. Which is exactly what’s keeping Tessa safe right now.”

“So you think they will try again?” asked Odelia.

Angela’s face turned grave. “Oh, they already have.”

“Oh, my God,” said Odelia, bringing a distraught hand to her face.