1c8c0f371c0d914159db2df0bf94b5c6

“Shanille said that we should all focus our attention solely on developing our spiritual sides from now on—taking care of our souls and completely ignoring our attachments to the material world. Which means weekly fasts, no more daily grooming, and most definitely no pet salons, manicures, pedicures, hair styling or even… nookie.”

“Nookie?” asked Dooley, confused. “Is that like a cookie?”

“Yes, Dooley,” I said. “A nookie is a kind of cookie.”

“Oh,” he said, nodding. “But why? Doesn’t Shanille like cookies?”

Brutus shrugged.“Shanille is determined to go to extremes to show Master Sharif that she’s completely on board with Soul Science’s mission to make all cats everywhere more spiritual. She’s trying to outfollow even its most fanatic followers.”

“And Harriet didn’t agree?” I asked.

“Harriet didn’t agree,” he agreed. “She felt that Shanille was specifically targeting her with that crack about no more pet salons and no more nookie. She knows how much Harriet likes her regular visits to the salon and her, um…” He darted a quick glance at Dooley. “And her… nookies.”

“So that’s it for Soul Science,” I said. “Gran is out, and now Harriet is out, too. I’ll bet it won’t be long before the rest of cat choir follows suit, and only Shanille will be left.”

“Which means we need a new conductor for cat choir,” said Brutus. “And guess who’s decided to put in his candidacy?”

It was a tough question to answer.“Um… Missy?” I said.

“No.”

“Misty?”

“No!”

“Tigger?”

“Max, it’s me!” said Brutus. “I’m going to be cat choir’s new conductor. With Shanille gone, someone needs to step up and take responsibility, and I’ve decided that I’m the right cat for the job.”

“But you don’t know the first thing about conducting,” I pointed out.

“How hard can it be! You just wave your paw and the choir does the rest. I talked it over with Harriet last night, and she agreed wholeheartedly. ‘Go for it, Brutus,’ were her exact words. ‘You can do it, sugar plum.’”

“Don’t tell me. She made you promise to let her sing a solo every single night.”

“Well, duh. She is cat choir’s most gifted singer.”

I wouldn’t go as far as that. In fact there wasn’t a single cat in cat choir who could actually sing. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard cats caterwauling in the middle of the night, but they rarely follow a preconceived script or musical score. Andrew Lloyd Webber himself could write a catchy tuneand personally hand them the pages of sheet music and they’d simply toss it in the trash and go off script. I wasn’t going to spoil Brutus’s big moment, though, for he looked happier than I’d seen him in days.

“I don’t expect every member of cat choir to be there tonight,” said Brutus, showing he’d given the matter a measure of thought, “but eventually they’ll all come back.”

“And what if Shanille returns and demands her old job back?” I asked.

“Then we’ll put the matter to a vote. Cat choir is a democracy, not a dictatorship.”

I thought Brutus was courting trouble with his bold move, but as I said, he looked so happy I didn’t want to rain on his parade.

So instead I clapped him on the back and said,“Well, congratulations, my friend. I will watch your future career with great interest.”

And I probably would have said a lot more on the subject if not Francine Jones had suddenly burst onto the scene and bellowed,“Has anyone seen my husband? Has anyone seen Jaqlyn? He’s gone!”

Chapter 25

Odelia had been looking for Jaqlyn everywhere. She wanted a word with the man. But thus far he’d proved a tough guy to pin down. She’d caught glimpses of him throughout the afternoon, smiling and joking with some of his guests, then carrying a tray of champagne glasses, then assisting his wife in placing extra chairs for some of the elderly.

But each time she’d made a beeline for him, he’d vanished again in the proverbial puff of smoke.

“The guy is like a ghost,” she complained after she’d missed him a third time.

“You’ll catch him eventually,” said Chase, who had complete faith in her abilities as a pinner-downer of tough-to-pin-down doctors.

“Maybe you can give it a shot,” she said now. “You’re much better at catching people than I am.”

“When I see him I’ll collar him for you,” he promised. “The only question is: handcuffs or no handcuffs? What do you reckon?”

She slapped him lightly on the arm.“Wise guy. You know how important it is for me to talk to Jaqlyn.”

“Important for your newspaper, or for your dad?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Both,” she said. “I want him to tell me exactly why he’s been poaching my dad’s patients. Does he really intend to put him out of business, or have people suddenly and mysteriously gone off my dad for some reason?”

Uncle Alec had joined them, having snatched two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray. “Great stuff,” he said as he took a sip. “Whatever his faults, Jaqlyn doesn’t skimp on the goodies.”

“If he took over half my dad’s patients he can afford it,” said Odelia, glancing around for a sign of the elusive doctor.