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“The place was hardly without him,” I pointed out. “He was only in jail a couple of hours.”

“Still,” said Dooley, directing an affectionate look at our resident doctor-slash-grillmeister.

“Still,” I agreed. Tex is one of those people you hardly notice are there, until they’re not there and you realize they’re actually the bedrock the whole thing is built on.

“I’m very unhappy,” Harriet announced. “Shanille played a dirty trick on us.”

“Oh, it’s all fine, twinkle toes,” muttered Brutus, examining a burger patty and, having determined, like the FDA, that it was fit for feline consumption, quickly gobbling it up.

“It’s not fine, Brutus. She said she was disbanding cat choir and just when you take your responsibility and step up to the plate, she can’t just come in and take over again. She made her bed and now she should lie in it.”

“What bed?” asked Dooley.

“Just an expression,” I murmured.

“It’s all to the good,” Brutus insisted.

And he was right. Last night Brutus had conducted his first cat choir ever, and it was safe to say it hadn’t gone well. There had been dissent in the ranks, cats had talked through his instructions, and one cat had even thrown a rock at him, like ribald pupils will when they sense the new teacher is a pushover and should be tested to the limit.

I think Brutus learned an important lesson, namely that he isn’t a born leader of singers, and that it’s a lot tougher than it looks to make a group of unruly cats behave.

So when Shanille suddenly appeared on the scene, a little shamefaced, and asked for a conference with Brutus and myself, I could tell that Brutus was secretly relieved when she apologized for her behavior and asked if she could please take up her old position again.

Brutus immediately said‘Oh, please, yes!’ and I agreed it was the best solution for all involved. Shanille, of course, was elated, and kept telling me she had no idea what had come over her, and why she’d fallen under Sharif’s spell to such an extent and become absolutely insufferable in the process. I told her not to worry, that we all go off the rails from time to time and that it was all water under the bridge as far as I was concerned.

The only one who wasn’t happy was Harriet, and it was obvious that even now, almost a day later, she was still fuming.

“I loved the performance Sharif gave last night,” said Dooley now. “He sings better than he preaches. I didn’t even fall asleep.”

“Yeah, he’s got a lovely voice,” I agreed.

Sharif, upon his arrival, had been greeted with mixed emotions by his former followers. As soon as he opened his mouth and sang his first song, however, the ice was broken and soon he was accepted by the group as one of the gang. He told us Omar had had his first meeting with Father Reilly, and they’d agreed to work together. Omar would take over the Alcoholics Anonymous group meetings and get busy with some of the other work Father Reilly was involved in. All in all, things were going back to normal.

Even Tex’s patients had all returned to the fold. After a little digging, Tex had discovered that Jaqlyn had set up a scam whereby he charged people through the nose for tests they took which were mostly unnecessary. Mrs. Baumgartner’s so-called hairline fracture? Non-existent. Just a way for Jaqlyn tomake more money, in cahoots with a shady lab technician and a crooked radiologist, who provided the bogus tests. After Odelia had revealed all, Tex had suddenly been overwhelmed by an outpouring of sympathy. Being the man that he was, though, he’d adopted a forgive and forget attitude.

“You know, I think we all learned an important lesson,” said Gran.

“And what lesson is that?” asked Odelia.

“That anyone can be a religious leader,” said Gran.

“Is that the lesson you learned?” asked Chase. “I learned another one. That I should never arrest a member of my family again, no matter what the law advises.”

“Oh, don’t be too hard on yourself, Chase,” said Tex, gleefully flinging a burger patty into Marcie and Ted Trapper’s backyard. “I don’t blame you for arresting me. In fact I can’t think of a better person to arrest me than you. I even enjoyed our interview.”

Chase winced.“I’m sorry, Tex. I really thought you lost your head and killed the guy.”

“Hey, no hard feelings,” Tex insisted.

“Want some more potato salad, Alec?” asked Marge.

“Don’t mind if I do, Marge,” said Alec, perking up.

“Then get it yourself,” said Marge harshly, and snatched the bowl away.

“Looks like Marge still hasn’t forgiven her brother,” said Dooley.

“No, looks like,” I agreed.

“Don’t be this way, Marge,” said Uncle Alec. “I was only doing my duty.”

“The only reason you were invited is because Ma told me I should,” Marge snapped. “So if you don’t want me to change my mind and kick you out, I suggest you shut up.”

“Ouch,” said Brutus.

“Ouch indeed,” I said.

“It’s all fine,” said Tex, lovingly setting a plate of scorched sausages on the table for everyone to enjoy. “We’re all friends here. Forgive and forget, eh?”

“Mh,” said Marge, not convinced.