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It was true, of course, that the Pooles had always treated them very well, but imagine living in one of those million-dollar mansions on the beach, with a nice ocean view, and a helipad to take you shopping in Manhattan. Or a private jet to take you to Paris, London and Milan for Fashion Week? Now that would be the kind of life a princess like her deserved. The life she’d always dreamed of, in fact.

“You know, Brutus? Maybe we shouldn’t say anything. Just let the chips fall where they may.”

“It’s what I would suggest,” said Brutus with a grin. “And let’s hope they fall in Dexter’s favor—and ours!”

“Poor Chase, though. He’s going to feel bad when Odelia kicks him out of the house.”

“Maybe he can keep on living here for the time being. Or Dexter could buy him a small apartment in town. He’ll always be Grace’s dad, after all.”

“Or Chase could live over Dexter’s garage—take care of his fleet of fancy cars. And then Max and Dooley can stay with him. That way he won’t feel so alone.”

“Great idea,” said Brutus, his grin widening. “Max and Dooley can keep him company, and in the meantime Odelia will have us.”

“And then we’ll be the ones cracking her mysteries for her, and assisting her in writing her articles,” said Harriet, who could see their future life very vividly now.

“Family parties are going to be awkward, though. Unless the Pooles disinvite Chase.”

“Or Odelia decides to make a clean break and cuts off her family,” said Harriet.

They shared a look of concern, then shook their heads.“Nah,” said Brutus. “That would be too much, even for a billionaire’s wife. It would give a bad impression.”

And it was with roseate dreams of the princess life that Harriet tripped into the house to see what Marge had dropped into her bowl.

When she saw it was plain old kibble, she made a face. Always the same kibble. Good thing that soon she’d be eating from golden plates, and snacking on the best p?t? money could buy. Finally the good life for her!

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Marge wasn’t in a good mood. First there was that minor snail infestation, which she could have resolved by employing some drastic measures in the form of a pesticide, but didn’t want to, on account of the fact that it was bad for the soil, not to mention potentially harmful for her cats. Then there was this business with the landscaper Tex kept harping on about, no doubt pushed by their neighbor.

And now Odelia having an affair with Edward Dexter!

If she hadn’t seen the pictures she wouldn’t have believed the story. Not Odelia, just about the most sensible woman on the planet. And as far as she could tell, still firmly smitten with her husband. Then again, like Tex said, you never know what happens in a marriage. Maybe they’d been fighting, and hadn’t told anyone. It often happens that when a baby enters the picture, it changes the dynamic between a couple, and sometimes leads to a relationship breakdown.

But this? This was simply tragic.

And so she heaved a deep sigh as she sat at her kitchen table and nursed a cup of hot chamomile tea, which never failed to soothe those frayed nerves. It didn’t do a lot for her tonight, though. And when Harriet plaintively said that she was sick and tired of eating the same old kibble day in and day out, she had a good mind to work out her frustration on the prissy Persian.

Instead, she opened a can of wet food and dumped its contents into Harriet’s bowl.

Moments later, the cat was snacking away to her heart’s content.

At least one member of the family still had their appetite. She hadn’t been able to eat a single bite of food during dinner, with Tex droning on about some cheap and reputable landscaper he found on Craigslist, and Ma making all kinds of wild suggestions about the family intervention they were planning to set up.

She glanced up at the big clock on the wall. It was coming up on eight o’clock. Time to get going.

Just then, Dooley wandered into the kitchen through the pet flap, and took up position in front of her on the floor.

“Marge?” said Dooley.

She looked up.“Mh?”

“Is snail slime bad for you?”

She frowned. Now where did that come from?“I don’t think so,” she said.

“It’s just that the backyard is full of slimy trails from all of those snails, and Harriet says snail slime might be toxic to cats, and I hope she’s wrong, cause every time we go out there I get the stuff all over myself, and then I have to lick it off.” He gave her a worried look. “So you’re saying it’s safe, even when ingested?”

“I’m sure snail slime isn’t toxic, Dooley,” she said with a smile, but then his words seemed to penetrate. “What do you mean, the backyard is full of snails?”

“Well, there has been a lot of snail activity lately,” said the small fluffy cat, “but tonight they seem to be extra active. They’re everywhere now.”