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“Mh,” said Dooley, pensive. “In the movies death eventually gets them for sure. So maybe this is not your typicalFinal Destination case. Or maybe it is. In which case you’ll die in a most excruciating but very cinematic and elaborate way in the next couple of hours.”

“Oh, shut up, Dooley!” Harriet cried suddenly. “Why don’t you just shut up for once!” And after this sudden outburst she ran off at a brisk pace, leaving us all a little puzzled.

“I guess she doesn’t like movies,” said Dooley.

Just then, all hell broke loose: the lights in the manor all lit up, and loud sirens of police cars on approach ripped through the nocturnal silence.

“Uh-oh,” said Brutus. “I hope they’re not here for me.”

Chapter 26

Odelia watched on as Wolf Langdon was led from the house and into a waiting squad car. He’d already professed his innocence several times, but it was hard to argue with the yellow parka covered in Dany’s blood. When they’d finally woken him up and confronted him with the evidence, he’d been flabbergasted and had exclaimed, “That’s not mine. That’s not mine, I’m telling you! Someone put it there!” Even now, as he was being pushed into the car, he was screaming, “I’m being framed! You have to believe me! This is a setup!”

“Fat chance,” said Chase. “Framed. Yeah, right.” He bumped Odelia’s fist. “Well done, babe. Your hunch paid off in spades.” And then he walked off, to accompany Wolf to the station house for questioning.

Uncle Alec came waddling up to her.“I see my advice to stay out of this investigation was followed to the letter, huh?”

“I’m sorry, uncle. You know as well as I do it’s hard to stay away from a case like this—especially when it involves someone I knew personally.”

He nodded.“I guess I shouldn’t have warned you off. I should have known you’d ignore me. But what the hell were you and Chase doing in the man’s bedroom?”

“Following a lead,” she said. She explained about the message she’d seen on Wolf’s phone, and how she’d decided to follow up on it.

“And a good thing you did.” He scratched his scalp. “Now how am I going to explain your presence at the manor? You didn’t happen to have a search warrant, did you?”

“Um…”

“Didn’t think so,” he muttered, then walked off after Chase, shaking his head and muttering something about meddling nieces under his breath.

Odelia just hoped the evidence wouldn’t be thrown out of court because of this search warrant thingie.

At her feet, Max and Dooley had arrived, along with Brutus. Of Harriet no trace.

She squatted down and scratched her cats behind the ears.“You did well, guys. We caught the killer. This must be some kind of new record. Dany was killed this afternoon, and less than twelve hours later her killer is in police custody.”

“I don’t think he did it, though,” said Max, surprising Odelia.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Not what, who. We talked to Ringo.”

“Who?”

“Ringo? Wolf’s Chihuahua?”

“And a very nice doggie he is,” Dooley added. “Just like you said.”

“He told us Wolf was right by his side when Dany was killed.”

“He witnessed the murder?”

“He did. He didn’t see the killer’s face, though.”

“He did tell us to talk to Mr. Owl,” said Dooley.

“Mr. Owl,” she said dubiously.

“It’s an owl that lives in the tree Dany was killed under,” Max explained. “He must have seen the whole thing. We’re hoping he’ll give us a description of the killer.”

“Can you take us to the park?” Dooley asked. “Owls are nocturnal creatures. Tomorrow he’ll probably be asleep.”

She threw up her hands.“I guess so.” Sometimes she felt more like a taxi service for her cats than anything else. Then again, if Ringo was right, Wolf couldn’t be the killer.

“But we found the yellow parka hanging in his closet. It still had Dany’s blood all over it.”

“The killer could have put it there,” said Max.

“Or maybe Ringo is lying,” she offered. “Have you considered that? He could be lying to protect Wolf.” Max and Dooley surprised her by bursting out laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“If you knew Ringo like we know him, you’d know he’s incapable of lying.”

“He’s very naive,” said Dooley. “Unlike us cats, dogs are very naive, trusting creatures.”

Odelia turned to Brutus, who looked shell-shocked.“What’s wrong with him?”

“Brutus had a near-death experience again,” said Max. “The third in a row.”

“I told him it’s just like thoseFinal Destination movies,” said Dooley.

“Dooley,” said Max warningly. “Not now.”

“But it’s true!”

“I fell to my death again,” said Brutus, as if waking up from a stupor. “I was falling and falling and then I landed on something soft and squishy.”

“A fat human,” Dooley said.

“We don’t call people fat, Dooley,” said Odelia. “It’s not a nice word.”

“So what do we call them then?”

“Big-boned,” said Odelia with a mischievous glance at Max.

Max frowned.“I’m big-boned. But would you call me fat?”

“You do tend to overindulge from time to time, Max,” she said.

“Just like the guy who saved my life, and a good thing he does,” said Brutus. He glanced around. “Um, where’s Harriet?”

“I think she left,” said Dooley.