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“I’m practical and I’m ambitious,” Gran countered. “When has it ever been crazy to have ambitions for one’s own flesh and blood? Huh? Tell me that, you wise-ass!”

“Look, for the last time, Uncle Alec doesn’t want to run for mayor. Being chief of police is what he loves to do, and he’s damn good at it, too.”

“Odelia is right, you know,” said Father Reilly, nodding. “Alec loves being chief of police, and if it were up to him he’d wear that chief’s cap until the day he dies.”

“Fools and morons!” Gran cried. “I’m surrounded by fools and morons! Well, that’s it. I’m out of here.” And with these words she stalked off in the direction of her little red Peugeot—actually Marge’s little red Peugeot—got in, and drove off in a cloud of smoke.

Odelia and Father Reilly stood coughing as they watched her drive off in a huff.

“I think that’s the end of the litter revolution,” said Father Reilly with a distinct sense of relief.

“I’m so sorry, father. My grandmother should never have dragged you into this mess.”

“Oh, I’m not sorry, Odelia,” said the priest as he took off his glasses and polished them. “In fact I’m glad. It gave me an excuse to get out of my church and mingle with my flock. You know, I probably should have done this a long time ago.”

“Try to sell dog owners on litter boxes?”

He smiled.“No, get out and about a little more. Spend some time with these fine folk. For instance, I didn’t know that people clung so tightly to these old superstitions.”

“Superstitions?”

“Well, take Victor Ball. He claims that he saw a werewolf last night. And I would never have known this if Vesta hadn’t dragged me out here to talk about her litter scheme. Which just goes to show I’ve spent too much time hoping people would come to me, while I should have gone out to them instead.”

Odelia was frowning.“Werewolves?”

“Oh, yes. And he wasn’t to be deterred. Even when I told him the real monster he should be fighting is the devil that lurks at the bottom of the bottle. Luckily I managed to convince him to join our weekly AA meetings. Another life saved. Oh, could you please give me a lift into town? I’d be so very much obliged.”

“It’s true, you know,” said Harriet once they were in the car and driving back to Hampton Cove. “This Victor Ball guy seemed determined that he saw this werewolf.”

“Yes, he did,” Brutus confirmed.

“And his dog seemed to think so, too,” said Shanille.

Odelia couldn’t very well strike up a conversation with her cats, or else Father Reilly would soon be inviting her to his weekly AA meetings, too, but she nodded her acknowledgment in the rearview mirror.

“That dog also told us that the next-door neighbor heard a terrible scream last night,” Harriet continued.

“That could have been Victor,” said Brutus.

“I’m not so sure,” said Harriet. “I’m starting to think there’s something to these stories. That there really is a presence out here in these woods, roaming around at night.”

Werewolves, thought Odelia with a shiver. How was that even possible?

“Your grandmother means well, Odelia,” said Father Reilly now. “She wants people to clean up after their dogs, but she needs to realize it’s hard to make people change their ways. The only thing that works is the stick and the carrot. You fine people when they leave their doggie’s doo on the street, and you reward them when they clean it up by distributing free baggies. It’s a crude way of doing things but I can assure you it works.”

“So no more trying to convince them to buy litter boxes?” she asked with a smile.

“It was a long shot, I fully realize that,” he said, “but I thought it was an idea worth pursuing. And in the process I managed to bury the hatchet with your grandmother. She’s a formidable woman, but prone to overexcitement. She does get carried away.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” she said with a laugh. “I just hope she hasn’t jeopardized my uncle’s chances of remaining chief of police.”

“And why is that?” asked Father Reilly curiously.

“Well, the Mayor wants him to take early retirement, and for Chase Kingsley to take over as chief.”

“Ooh, that would devastate Alec. He loves that job. And what reason did the Mayor give? Isn’t Alec giving satisfaction in his job anymore?”

“I have no idea. The Mayor says he wants a breath of fresh air, and that Alec has been chief for far too long, so…”

“Unwise,” said the priest, shaking his head. “This tendency of doing away with experience in favor of youth. Youth has many qualities, but we mustn’t forget to honor and appreciate experience, too. And Alec has been the best chief this town has ever known. And I would know, as I’ve been around long enough to have seen how his predecessors made a mess of things. I just hope the Mayor knows what he’s doing.”

Somehow Odelia had a feeling he didn’t.

Chapter 27

Chase studied Grace Farnsworth’s phone. Odelia had been right. Alicia did have the passcode to her mother’s phone, and had easily been able to unlock it. Unfortunately there wasn’t anything on it to indicate what could have happened to the woman.