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Fr?d?rique frowned, and set herself to searching her memory. Finally she must have hit upon something, for she brightened. “I think I’ve got it!” she announced excitedly. “I did see an RV. It was bright pink, and there was a family inside. A woman, a man, a little boy, another little boy, and two girls—twins!” She sat beaming at me, as if she’d just performed the greatest trick in the world.

“Um… how old were this man and this woman?”

“Oh, I don’t know. You know how hard it is to know for sure how old humans are.”

“Take a guess,” I suggested.

“Okay, so, like, maybe a hundred? Or two hundred?”

I heaved a mental sigh.“Addie and her boyfriend were traveling alone, as far as we know, and they have no kids, since they’re practically kids themselves. She just graduated from college, and so did Ted Machosko, her boyfriend.”

“Oh,” said Fr?d?rique, visibly disappointed. Then all of a sudden she burst into tears. “Oh, Max! I was trying to help you but I failed! I’m so, so sorry!”

“It’s all right,” I said, patting her on the back. “You did your best.”

“It’s just that so many of these RVs pass through town, especially in the tourist season, it’s hard to keep track!”

“No, I’m sure you’re right,” I said. I hadn’t taken into account that traveling in an RV is a very popular pastime, and possibly hundreds of these vehicles pull into Mel Corset’s gas station every month, possibly even every couple of days, since the Hamptons are very popular as a tourist destination.

“Look, tell you what we’ll do. We’ll talk to your human tomorrow, and hopefully he’ll have a camera and recording equipment, and maybe he’ll have caught the RV on tape. And then I want you to keep an eye on him during our visit, and also later on, and when you notice anything suspicious, I want you to tell me. Do you think you can do that?”

She nodded about sixty times in quick succession, drying her eyes in the process.“Yes, Max. I’ll do that for you. I’ll keep a close eye on Mel and I’ll tell you if he acts suspiciously.” Then she reconsidered. “Only… how do I know he’s acting suspiciously?”

“Well… if he talks to someone on the phone about that RV, for instance, or if he suddenly acts different.”

“Okay, yes, I think I can do that,” she confirmed, and gave me a look of determination. “Fr?d?rique at your service! Consider me part of Team Max!” And to prove she wasn’t kidding, she stood up straight, and gave me a salute by placing her paw against her forehead. “Fr?d?rique is Team Max all the way!” she cried.

“At ease, soldier,” I murmured, and removed myself from the scene before things got too awkward.

“Why would Fr?d?rique’s human behave suspiciously, Max?” asked Dooley.

“Just a hunch, Dooley. If that gas station was the last place where Addie was seen, the guy who owns it might have had something to do with her disappearance, wouldn’t you say?”

He gave me a look of admiration.“Good thinking, Max!”

“Just using the old noggin,” I said.

“The very big noggin,” he said.

CHAPTER 22

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That night, I slept like a rose at the foot of Odelia and Chase’s bed. And even though Grace woke us all up from time to time, as she does, it was still a peaceful night in every respect. The moon filtered faintly in through the curtains, and if it was blue, I certainly didn’t notice. As far as I could tell, it looked just about the same as every other night. Then again, cats do have trouble seeing certain colors, and so maybe that might have had something to do with it.

When morning broke, and I got up, feeling refreshed and ready for a new day, I saw to my satisfaction that our humans were still fast asleep, and they were even cuddling, a clear testament to the complete nonsensicality of Gran’s claims that Odelia would have fallen into the arms of that billionaire.

But before I could close my eyes for one of those pleasant after-naps, a sudden cry of anguish rent the air, and had us all up and about in next to no time. For I think we’d all recognized that anguished cry as coming from next door, and belonging to none other than Odelia’s father Tex!

Chase was the first one to hammer down the stairs, with Odelia a close second, and Dooley and myself bringing up the rear.

“What do you think happened, Max?” asked Dooley, but then we had to step aside, for Odelia was stomping back up the stairs to pick Grace from her crib and bring her along.

“I have no idea, but whatever it is, it must be bad,” I said.

Judging from the sound of Tex’s voice, he must have either hit his toe, or poked himself in the eye, or fallen prey to some other terrible fate!

We all hurried into the next-door garden, and I must say that the scene that met our eyes was a harrowing one indeed!

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