57aacbcd9598439b495cce0c68035a7c

He nodded furiously.“It belongs to Ziv Riding. He’s got one of those vanity plates, that’s how I found out. He went into one of the boutiques on Main Street.”

Now this was definitely interesting.“I think I better go and get Chase,” she said, and gave Max a pat on the head. “Well done, buddy. Great sleuthing.”

“Thanks,” he said, then caught Brutus’s scowl. “What?”

“Nothing,” said Brutus. “Just that I thought you’d back me up on the Diego thing.”

Max rolled his eyes.“Oh, God. Enough with the Diego thing already.”

She left the two cats and went in search of Chase. They needed to check up on this Tesla sighting. She hadn’t told Chase cats had seen the black Tesla parked behindFry Me for an Oyster, and neither would she tell Riding. It was enough that an anonymous witness had seen the car. She needn’t involve Max.

She stuck her head into her uncle’s office. “The black Tesla has been sighted. And guess what? It belongs to Ziv Riding.”

“Sweatshop Ziv Riding?” Chase asked.

“Yep. One and the same.”

“Well, go on, then,” said the Chief. “Go ask him what he was doing here the night of the murder.”

They didn’t need her uncle’s encouragement. She and Chase were hotfooting it out of the police station and hurrying along the street before Chief Alec had managed to get up from his seat.

“So who saw the car?” Chase asked.

“I did, actually,” she said after a moment’s pause.

“I thought you said the Tesla had been sighted?”

“Yeah, by me. It was sighted by me.”

He gave her a curious look.“Why didn’t you just say that?”

She flapped her hands a bit.“I was so excited I couldn’t think straight!”

“Right,” he said, and she had the impression he didn’t believe one word she said. But she couldn’t worry about that now. They needed to figure out what the fashion designer had been doing that night at the restaurant.

“Are you sure it’s the same car that was parked in the alley that night?”

“Not a hundred percent sure, no,” she admitted.

“I mean, there must be hundreds of Teslas, thousands, even. And a lot of them are black.”

“I guess so,” she said.

“So what makes you think it was Riding’s car?”

She paused for a moment.“Actually…”

He gave her a wry look and halted, right in front of the General Store.“What’s going on, Odelia? Why are you going about half-cocked?”

She flapped her arms again, looking more like a chicken than a reporter.“I have a hunch, all right?”

“A hunch,” he said skeptically. He’d crossed his arms over his chest and stood regarding her with his head to one side, as if wondering what to do with her.

“A hunch! I have a hunch that this Tesla is that Tesla!”

“You never told me who the witness was that saw the Tesla that night.”

“I—I can’t. I—I promised I wouldn’t reveal her name.”

“If you’ll just let me talk to her I might get a confirmation on the license plate.”

She shook her head decidedly.“She didn’t see the license plate.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” She wondered what would happen if she told Chase Max had heard it from Montserrat, the stray Erin Coka had taken under her wing, who’d heard it from some other stray. He’d probably have her 5150ed.

“So let me get this straight,” he said. “Someone—who doesn’t want to be named—told you she saw a black Tesla parked outside the restaurant the night Niklaus Skad was killed. No license plate. Now you see another black Tesla, driven by Ziv Riding, parked along the street, and you want totalk to the man, why, exactly?”

“Don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence? Ziv Riding has this sweatshop in town, and his car was seen at a murder scene?”

“We don’t even know if Riding and Skad knew each other. And may I remind you that we caught Skad’s killer? He’s in custody right now. The case is closed, Odelia.”

“But what about the sweatshop thing?”

“Not our concern! We’re not handling that investigation and we’re not going to get involved, either.”

She shook her head, stubbornly.“I still feel—”

“It’s not about what you ‘feel,’” he said. “It’s about the facts.” He raked his fingers through his mane. “Oh, God. And I almost went along with this nonsense. Me and your uncle.” He held up his hands. “Look, you’re on your own with this. Please don’t involve me. And may Iadd that I have a strong suspicion you’re not telling me everything you know?”

They stared at each other, and then she said.“I know Riding’s Tesla was parked at the restaurant. And I’m going to find out what’s going on. With or without you.”

“Well, it’s going to be without me, honey,” he said, stepping back. “Like I said, you’re on your own from here on out.”

And without another word, he turned around and started walking back to the police station.

Nice, she thought. Nicely played, Odelia. So now what?

Chapter 27

Brutus and I walked out of the police station and back to the alley, where presumably Dooley still sat watching—and having his youthful innocence thoroughly screwed up.

“Odelia should have backed us up,” Brutus said. “She should have had our backs.”

“Odelia has our backs,” I said. “All of our backs, Diego included.”