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“So what’s all this about you two breaking into Charlene’s house?” he asked once the two women were seated in front of his desk.

“We weren’t breaking in,” said Vesta, tilting her chin. “We were merely responding to a report about a man breaking in and so we decided this was just the kind of job the neighborhood watch is designed for.”

“Exactly!” said Scarlett.

Chase arched an eyebrow.“You were caught trying to break into a second-story window,” he reminded the twosome.

“We were just trying to ascertain whether the burglars had gained access to the property that way,” said Vesta stiffly.

“It’s what the neighborhood watch does,” said Scarlett. “Rescue the helpless! Raise the hopeless!”

“I think that’s Captain America, hon,” said Vesta.

Chase cleared his throat and placed his phone on the desk, then pressed play on a video displaying the entire scene from the moment Vesta and Scarlett had arrived carrying a large stick, to the moment they’d been arrested and carted off in handcuffs.

For a moment, silence reigned, then Vesta grumbled,“Damn nosy parkers with their damn smartphones. What happened to privacy?”

“Yeah, and the right not to be filmed?” asked Scarlett.

“I think you should sue the person that shot this video,” said Vesta, tapping the desk.

“Yeah, I think we should file charges, Vesta.”

“Look,” said Chase, leaning back. “I get that you’re worried about the Chief,” he said, “and trust me, I am, too. But this is not the way to find him, all right?”

“But Chase—Charlene’s got him!” Vesta cried. “I’m sure of it. She invented this whole home invasion story and in the meantime she’s got my son locked up in the basement!”

“Unless she cut him up into little pieces and stuffed him in her freezer,” said Scarlett.

“Impossible,” said Chase. “And you know why? Because Odelia’s cats spent the night at that house, and they didn’t find anything. Not a trace of your son.”

“Cats aren’t infallible,” said Vesta. “They could have missed something.”

“Also, Harriet and Brutus talked to a dog that lives across the street, and he distinctly remembers three men taking Alec out of the house at the time Charlene says they did. He also offered a very good description of one of the men and of the van they were driving.”

This had Vesta and Scarlett stumped for a moment, then Vesta frowned and said,“These men were probably working for Charlene.”

“Oh, my God!” said Chase, and dragged his hands through his hair. “Look, Charlene is the victim here, okay? She had nothing to do with this. And if you would just stop barking up the wrong tree, maybe you could actually do something useful for a change and actually help me find your son!”

Vesta gave him a rueful look, and so did Scarlett.“Okay, fine,” Vesta said finally. “So what do you think happened?”

“I don’t know, but something really weird is going on. I talked to Barry Billong, and he claims a couple of heavies cornered him at work and threatened to break his legs if he didn’t propose to Sarah—and Barry had already proposed marriage to another girl.”

“I know. He’s been cheating on Francine with Sarah for months now,” said Scarlett.

“And vice versa,” Vesta pointed out.

“So maybe these men did both Sarah and Francine a favor.”

“Maybe,” said Chase. “But Barry’s story unfortunately isn’t unique, and I’m not just talking about Alec’s kidnapping. People left and right have been winning stuff, or seeing their wildest dreams come true, and it just doesn’t add up. Also, I just got a report from the Bridgeport Chief of Police that a valuable model train was stolen from a local collector. He called me because the collector saw that very locomotive appear in a news story.” He showed Vesta and Scarlett pictures of the locomotive in question.

“I don’t get it,” said Vesta. “What are you babbling about, Chase? Just spit it out.”

“The same locomotive that was stolen a couple of nights ago turned up last night in the possession of Dan Goory. He claims it arrived on his doorstep. And now I have the unfortunate task of telling him he’ll have to hand it back, as it concerns a stolen item.”

“So a model train got stolen and turns up in Dan Goory’s hands, and Barry Billong was threatened to have his legs broken if he doesn’t propose to your officer Sarah Flunk,” Vesta summed up the state of affairs. “What has all that got to do with my son?”

“Probably nothing,” said Chase, “only your son and Charlene paid a visit to Madame Solange a couple of days before he got snatched, and so did Dan and so did Sarah.”

“Huh,” said Vesta. “Yeah, looks like you’re onto something there, Chase.”

“I know,” said the cop. “But what?”

Just then, Chase’s phone chimed and he saw that Odelia was trying to reach him. “Hey, babe,” he said. “If you’re worried about your grandmother, I’ve got her right here.”

“That’s great. Listen, there’s something going on with my mom. I lost her for a while back at the fair, after we paid a visit together to Madame Solange, and the cats found her wandering in the fields and now she’s acting really weird.”

“Weird, how?”