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ôI found a dead mouse this morning,ö Dooley announced. ôI put it on OdeliaÆs pillow but she wasnÆt happy.ö

ôThis mouse,ö said Harriet, perking up, ôwas it bludgeoned to death? Poisoned with some obscure poison? Its throat cut? Shot at close range? Or even garroted, maybe?ö

ôNone of the above,ö I said. ôIt probably died of old age.ö

Harriet sank back down again.ôOh,ö she said, quickly losing interest.

ôI donÆt get it,ö said Brutus. ôUsually youÆre knee-deep in some murder investigation, Max. So whatÆs going on, huh? Why isnÆt there some hot suspect youÆre pursuing?ö

ôBecause it isnÆt every day that a murder is committed in this town, Brutus,ö I said. ôAnd a good thing, too. Imagine that people got murdered left, right and center every moment of every day. Hampton Cove would be homicide central and would become uninhabitable.ö

ôTell me thereÆs some case youÆre working on, Max,ö Harriet pleaded. ôAnything!ö

ôNope,ö I said, also resuming a restful position on the lawn. ôNothing at all.ö And actually I liked it that way. I know that people think IÆm some kind of feline sleuth or something, and that IÆm not happy until I can sink my teeth into a case, but in fact that couldnÆt be further from the truth. All I want is to lead a quiet and peaceful life. Eat some kibble, take a nap, spend some time with my friends, eat some kibble, take another napà

In other words: the circle of life.

ôLook, I know weÆve been giving you a hard time,ö Brutus piped up. ôTrying to compete with you and all of that stuff. But IÆm here to tell you that from now on weÆll be good.ö

I frowned at the cat.ôWhat are you talking about?ö

ôIÆm offering you a truce, Max! LetÆs work together, eh?ö

ôI thought we were working together.ö

ôI thought so, too, but itÆs clear to me that youÆre holding out on us.ö He gave me a keen look. ôWhat are you working on right now? A shooting? A stabbing? A hanging? What?!ö

ôNothing!ö I said. ôIÆm not working on anything right now!ö

ôOh, donÆt be like that, Max,ö said Harriet. ôJust tell us!ö

ôYeah, talk to us, buddy. I promise weÆll collaborate.ö

ôAll IÆm working on right now is a nap scheme.ö

ôA nap scheme?ö

ôYes. IÆve been feeling a little weak lately, and itÆs left me wondering if IÆm getting enough sleep. So now IÆm wondering where to squeeze in another couple of hours.ö

Harriet shared a look of concern with her mate.ôHeÆs holding out on us,ö was BrutusÆs conclusion.

ôIÆm not holding out on you!ö

ôLook, Max,ö said Brutus. ôI get it. YouÆre smart. YouÆre clever. In fact youÆre probably some kind of genius. I donÆt know how you do it, cause you donÆt look like a genius. In fact you look more like a big orange blob.ö

ôBlorange blob,ö I muttered.

ôSo youÆve got a brain like Einstein inside a blorange blob body. It happens. I canÆt explain it, but itÆs probably one of those things. Like Cherry Coke or deep-fried butter on a stick. In other words: an anomaly. But IÆm here to tell you that from now on you can count on me and Harriet to do your legwork for you.ö

ôWhat are you talking about?ö I asked.

ôLikeJake and the Fatman? IÆll be Jake and youÆre the Fatman.ö He grinned. ôOr in your case more like the Fatcat.ö

ôI donÆt get it,ö I said, frowning.

He sighed.ôAll great detectives have a loony sidekick,ö he said, gesturing to Dooley, ôbut they also have a team of dicks who hunt down clues, spy on suspects and generally get busy with the rough stuff. And thatÆs where Harriet and I come in: weÆll be your dicks. So you better start talking, buddy, cause this offer is a time-limited one. WeÆre going to help you nail the perp, but only if you put your cards on the table and do it right now.ö

He gave me a warning look that spoke volumes.

Unfortunately, as appealing as his offer was, I had no case to offer him, and when I told him as much, he made a disgusted gesture with his paw.ôYou got a lot to learn, Maxie baby,ö he said finally. ôFor one thing, detective work is a team sport, not a solo venture. So if you donÆt get wise soon, this?ö he said, gesturing between us, ôis over before it started.ö

And so he and Harriet took their leave, presumably to go look for some hot case to pursue, and left me and Dooley to think about their words.

ôAm I a loony sidekick, Max?ö asked Dooley finally.

ôOf course not, buddy,ö I said.

ôIÆm not?ö asked Dooley, alarmed. ôWhy not?ö

I stared at him.ôYou want to be my loony sidekick?ö

ôOf course!ö

ôOkay, then I guess you are.ö

The smile he gave me was something to behold.ôThanks, Max. So maybe thatÆs my USP?ö

ôOf course, Dooley,ö I said, hoping I could finally get some nap time in now.

Chapter 6

As it turned out, my nap time was cut short when Odelia decided she needed us on an assignment in town. It wasnÆt a murder case, or even any kind of case. In fact it was just the kind of thing Odelia is good at: covering an event that is of interest to the general public. Or in other words: the people who buy theHampton Cove Gazette and in so doing pay her bills.