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“That scholarship is the only thing that’s put my granddaughter in that class,” said Hester, “and losing it now would be a tragedy. She’s already learned so much.”

“Mr. Cabanes is a great teacher,” Jayme confirmed.

“Fernleigh Cabanes is the best,” Waldo confirmed, “which is exactly why we chose him to run the Gardner Institute of Art and teach this class.”

“Oh, Dave chose him?” asked Jayme, much surprised.

Waldo nodded.“You’ll find that Dave James is very hands-on when it comes to his foundation and the school.”

“So you have no idea why Veronica James would act this way?” asked Odelia.

“None whatsoever, but I’m sure it’s all one big misunderstanding.”

“Well, I certainly hope so,” said Hester. “To threaten a young girl like that really is beyond the pale.”

“And you have my solemn word that I’ll communicate that to Mr. James,” Waldo assured Jayme’s grandmother, who was clearly very protective of her granddaughter.

Waldo rose to his feet, as a clear indication the interview was terminated, and the others all rose, too.“Could you…” Jayme began.

“Yes?” asked Waldo, in that same avuncular tone he’d adopted throughout the conversation.

“Could you please thank Mr. James for me? If it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I owe him a big debt of gratitude.”

“I’m sure he’s well aware of the impact he’s had on you, Miss. Ziccardi, and I feel confident in telling you that your accomplishments are all down to you and the amazing talent that you’ve been blessed with. But I will certainly communicate your gratitude to Dave. I’m sure he’ll be very pleased. And who knows, maybe at some point in the future you and he can actually meet and even collaborate.”

“And when that happens, you better make sure Veronica James stays far away from us!” Hester said, causing a ripple of light laughter to echo through the room.

And on this high note, we all repaired to the waiting room, where a nervous-looking individual stood waiting to be let into Waldo’s inner sanctum. He was a smallish man, dressed in jeans and shirt, with bags under his eyes and prematurely bald. He also looked so agitated that he jumped up when the door opened and we all walked out. The moment Waldo laid eyes on him, the banker’s good humor took a hit, and his smile faltered. The man shot into Waldo’s office like a flash, a wordless communication passing between the banker and this new arrival, and after Waldo had shaken hands with my humans, he retreated and we were free to be on our merry way.

“Now that was a fruitful conversation,” said Hester as we stepped into the sunlight.

“Thank you so much, Odelia,” said Jayme.

“I don’t know how you did it, but I think you managed to diffuse the situation.”

“Well, let’s hope so,” said Odelia. “But I have the impression that Waldo will waste no time to put any misunderstandings to rest immediately.”

“He does come across as a very capable person,” Hester said.

“I still find it hard to believe that Dave would actually have seen my work and liked it,” said Jayme, displaying the kind of hero worship that is typical for the young of the species.

“Now all we can do is wait,” said Odelia, “for Waldo to get in touch with Dave, and settle this matter once and for all.”

“If he manages to keep Veronica off our backs, I’m happy,” said Hester.

“Yeah, that woman gave me the creeps,” her granddaughter chimed in.

“I’m sure she won’t come anywhere near you again,” said Odelia. “Not after her husband convinces her that there’s nothing untoward in the relationship between a scholarship recipient and the person awarding that scholarship through his foundation.”

“I hope they won’t take Jayme’s scholarship away, Max,” said Dooley. “I think she’s really talented, and talent should be nurtured, not squashed.”

We all smiled at this.“You’re absolutely right, Dooley,” said Harriet. “And speaking of talent, I’ve just had a great idea.”

“Oh?” I said, with a touch of trepidation.

“Gran says Scarlett is an amazing artist, and it will be a cinch for her to create my cartoon. But what if we ask Jayme to create it? If Dave James himself figures she’s a talent to be watched, maybe he’ll give her a hand in creating my cartoon, and in Dave’s hands it will be a surefire hit—maybe even a worthy successor to Tollie the Turtle.”

“I really don’t think Dave is ready to retire Tollie, Harriet,” I said.

“Why not? Turtles are boring, Max, and cats are fascinating—especially me. I mean, given the choice between reading about Tollie the Turtle or me, who do you think people are going to choose every single time? Me, of course,” she added before I could respond.

“Let’s just wait and see,” I suggested. “As it stands now, Jayme might not even be able to keep her scholarship, if Veronica James has any say in the matter.”