45ebf3c490593574dd454e5dfd5a5758

“I’m not lying,” I told him. “I’m sure that Odelia will slip the concert in there somewhere.” I’d suddenly remembered my promise to Rufus and Fifi, and felt a pang of guilt that I’d completely forgotten to mention their request to join the big concert!

“Ever since Vesta talked Francis into organizing that concert, he hasn’t mentioned it,” Shanille explained. “And you know how it is with humans: you really have to pin them down and make sure they keep their promises. It’s only one more week until that concert, Max. So we need to start making practical arrangements. Work out the program, print and distribute flyers, sell tickets, start rehearsals—all of that important stuff.”

“Sure, sure,” I murmured, not meeting her eye, which no doubt was shiny with excitement.

Shanille glanced up at our humans, and took up position on the floor, expectantly following the flow of the conversation until it naturally landed on her precious concert.

“So Raban is one of my parishioners,” Father Reilly was explaining, looking a little pained, as if he was letting us in on some deep, dark secret. Or maybe he suffered from constipation, which of course is always a possibility. “And he was in here this morning. He said his conscience was burdened, and he needed to confess. So naturally I accepted to take his confession, and he proceeded to tell me he’d done a most terrible thing.”

“He killed Neda,” said Odelia. Her leg had stopped kicking up and down, and she was sitting completely still now, her full attention focused on the aged priest. She must have realized history was being written: she’d just solved the case of Neda’s murder!

“He said he’d wanted to kill off Neda for a long time. In fact he’d been planning it for months. He said he was sick and tired with his job, his life, everything. Said he was done.”

“Killed her off. He used those exact words, did he?”

Father Reilly’s gray head bobbed up and down. “Indeed he did. It came as a big shock to me, of course. So I told him to go to the police immediately, but he said he couldn’t.”

“And why is that?”

“He said the police were not his friends. They were not in his corner, had never been in his corner, and he had no use for them. Also, they’d stop him if they knew.”

“Stop him?”

“From getting rid of all of his other clients, too.”

“Oh, my God. He’s going to kill Janette and Hazel!”

Father Reilly nodded ruefully.“Which is why I delivered you that note.”

“But we’ve got to stop him.”

“I know. But I can’t break the seal of confession so my hands are tied.”

“So untie them. Tell my uncle what you just told me so he can arrest Raban and charge him with Neda’s murder.”

“I can’t, Odelia, and please don’t tell anyone what I just told you.”

“But the man is a homicidal maniac!”

“I know, but you’ll simply have to find some other way. I can’t be implicated.”

Odelia was silent for a moment, as she thought this through. It was definitely a most unusual situation. Finally she nodded.“I think I know what to do.”

“And you won’t implicate me?”

“No, you won’t be involved whatsoever.” She got up and held out her hand. “Thank you for coming forward, Francis.”

“I felt it my duty,” said Father Reilly, also getting up now. “Neda was a dear, dear friend, and we can’t let her murder go unpunished, or let this maniac murder even more people. Even if it means I must do the unorthodox thing.”

Odelia turned and paused at the door, casting a look down at us.“Let’s go,” she said.

Shanille uttered a soft cry. “She didn’t mention the concert! Max, why didn’t she mention the concert?”

“Um… I guess she’s working her way up to it?”

“Working her way up to it? But how?”

“The Lord works in mysterious ways, Shanille. And so does Odelia.” And with these words, I hurried out after Odelia, and so did Dooley.

“You get back here, Max!” Shanille shouted. “You tell your human to talk to my human about that concert right now!”

“Sorry—gotta run!”

And then we were out the door—and in the nick of time, too. A feline choir director under duress is a very dangerous thing, let me tell you. I may be pink with tiny spots underneath my nice blorange coat, but at that moment, I was quite sure, Shanille was beet-red, with angry purple splotches all over the place!

25

Raban Pacoccha had been brought into the police station and had been escorted into Uncle Alec’s office for a ‘friendly chat.’

“So, Raban,” said Uncle Alec, who was leading the interview. Chase was also present, and so was Odelia. And Dooley and I, which was exceptional, if I may say so. Usually we spy these events from the windowsill, but now we were live in the room.

“Yes, Chief?” said Raban, blinking one or two times.

“It’s come to our attention that you have something to tell us.”

“Um… no,” said the gardener, looking ill at ease. Then again, when three pairs of human eyes and two pairs of cat’s eyes are drilling into your own, you can be forgiven for being unnerved.

“So a little birdie told me that you’ve been harboring a secret.”

“A secret?”

“That’s right. A big secret.”

“What secret?”