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“Hello. Can I come in?” a woman asked from the doorway. She wore a sparkly red dress with a slit cut all the way up the side a la Jessica Rabbit. Even had the heavy purple eye shadow to match. Unlike most of the others in attendance, I’d never seen her a day in my life. I definitely would have remembered if I had.

“Yes, yes. Welcome to the Black Cat Benefit,” I said, then did jazz hands for some inexplicable reason.

Jessica Rabbit offered me her hand fingers down, like I was supposed to kiss it. I shook it awkwardly instead.

Remembering myself and my responsibility here, I smiled and pointed.“We’re starting with the auction. Just to your left in the main room. Have a nice time.”

Eventually the guests came fewer and farther between, making my post largely unnecessary. Satisfied with a job well done, I decided to check in with the auction and watch Charles in action.

I slipped in with my back pressed against the wall, and my eyes locked on him where he stood on a small podium that Cal had erected just before the party began.

He held up a dark brown fur coat and raised an eyebrow at the crowd.“Our next item is this authentic 100% mink coat. Kind of an odd choice for an animal charity event, but a luxury item nonetheless. Can I start the bidding at $200?”

The Jessica Rabbit clone clapped her hands together and told all who would hear that she had been the one to make such a generous donation to the cause.

Meanwhile, no one was bidding.

“Do I hear $200 for this beautiful coat?” Charles pressed.

People whispered to their neighbors, cleared their throats, shifted on their feet, did anything but bid.

Nan stalked over to my side and put a hand on my shoulder to get my intention.“Probably shouldn’t have approved that item, but the donor was insistent.”

I pushed my lips in a firm line and waited.

Poor Charles looked so uncomfortable up there.“How about $150? I’m sure this would retail for much higher. If not a fine gift for yourself, how about purchasing it as an investment piece. Eh?”

The sooner this moment was over, the better it would be for all of us. Maybe I should have bid on it and then sold it over eBay, giving any profits to the shelter. I was just about to speak up when someone else beat me to the punch.

“I’ll go $100,” a nasally voice said from the back corner of the room where the DJ booth was still being assembled.Max.

“Going once,” Charles sputtered. “Twice? Sold to that guy!”

People clapped politely.

Max smiled to himself and continued to work on his setup.

Charles moved on to the next item, a pastel landscape painting from one of the ladies at the local retirement home. Needless to say, far more people wanted to bid on this item than its predecessor. I remained close by as the auction continued to its end.

“Anything I can do to help get ready for the dinner?” I asked Nan, who’d stood at my side for the last half hour or so.

“Oh, yes. If you could start getting people seated on the other side. Cal and his team will add the tables in over here, and I’ll direct the wait staff in the kitchen.”

So I would be the hostess again.

I nodded, committing to the plan like a good granddaughter, then asked,“Have you seen Octo-Cat since we got started?”

“No, not really. I’d imagine he’s gone off to sulk in his room,” she said distractedly, then departed through the crowd. “See you at dinner,” she called back to me.

I would bet anything Octo-Cat was staying far away from his bedroom, given that the shelter cats had been set up there. Maybe he was hiding out in my room.

It wouldn’t hurt to check.

I returned to the foyer and made my way up our grand staircase in search of my missing feline. True, I didn’t have time to worry about his feelings, but I also wanted to make sure he was safe and not too stressed by all the visitors.

On my way through the second story hallway, the door to Octo-Cat’s bedroom swung open suddenly, causing me to stop short and suck in a surprised breath.

Max had his back to me, and he was mumbling something I couldn’t quite make out. Then he turned, slammed the door, and sniffed at me.

“Hey, it’s you. Can I have my money now?” he asked, hand out.

Weird. Generally I liked most people, but Max instantly turned me off. And the addition of the mink coat he won at auction made him look like even more of a jerk than before.

Why? I wondered.And what was he doing up here? And what possible use did he have for that fur coat?

Chapter Four

Just as I’d suspected, Octo-Cat had curled up on my bed upstairs. He’d even pushed the door closed behind him, which is where I found Paisley waiting and whining.

“Brother, brother, let me in!”

“Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin,” my cat snarked back at her. Lovely.

“That’s it,” I said, scooping up Paisley and forcing my way into the bedroom. My bedroom.

“Why are you picking on Paisley?” I demanded, giving Octo-Cat the side eye as I scratched the quivering Chihuahua between her giant triangle ears.

“I just needed some time to myself. Okay?” he said with a yawn. “It’s no big deal.”