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Butterbean nodded. Her tail started to quiver, but she suppressed the impulse to wag. She was going to get to the bottom of Walt’s secret life. But more importantly, she was going OUT. WITHOUT A LEASH.

“Bean!” A tiny whisper came from the direction of the aquarium.

Butterbean looked around. Polo was waving her arm and whispering at her in a really hissy, spitty kind of way.“BEAN!”

Butterbean gave Walt a chilly look.“I need a moment.” She trotted over to Polo. “What? Do you want to come? I guess we could do the tummy thing again.”

Polo shook her head.“Oh heck no. But if you’re going to eight… you know that weird empty apartment?”

Butterbean nodded.“With the pretzel smell?”

“That’s the one.” Polo looked around before drawing Butterbean aside. “We looked inside the grate,” she whispered. “Madison was there.”

Butterbean’s eyes widened. “Madison? The girl?”

“Yeah, and there’s something wrong there—I just know it. Maybe you could check it out? See what you can smell?” Polo looked uncomfortable. She didn’t want to interfere in Madison’s life, but she had a big feeling it was something important. “I’m… I’m worried.”

“She was acting suspicious on our walk, too,” Butterbean said, frowning. “I’ll see if I can find anything out.”

“Good,” Polo said. Madison had always been nice to her, giving her the button and all. She didn’t like the idea that there was something bad going on there.

“Butterbean?” Walt called from the doorway. “Let’s go.”

Butterbean gave Polo a significant look.“You can count on me.”

Walt and Butterbean sat in the shadows, waiting for an empty elevator. They’d already had to pass up four because of the people inside, and Butterbean was fed up.

“Next one, I’m just going. I don’t care if there’s somebody inside. I’m a resident. I’m entitled to use the elevator,” Butterbean muttered under her breath.

“Keep cool, Bean,” Walt said quietly, twitching her tail. Elevator waiting was an art. You had to lose yourself in the stillness of the empty hallway. Butterbean wasn’t very good at stillness.

The elevator dinged.“That’s it. I’m on this one. It’s mine,” Butterbean said, standing up.

“Sit down, Bean,” Walt said. She really hoped Butterbean wasn’t going to blow this. And barging into an occupied elevator? That would be the quickest way to blow it.

The elevator doors opened. An elderly lady wearing a neon track suit and headband was walking in place inside.

“Oh good. One of the power walkers. Coming, Walt?” Butterbean trotted into the elevator without a backward glance, stood up, and pressed the button for eight with her nose. She sat down quietly and looked up at Mrs. Power Walker, her tongue lolling out of the side of her mouth.

“Bean!” Walt meowed, slipping into the elevator just as the doors closed.

Mrs. Power Walker watched Butterbean warily but kept walking in place.“Um. Hello, doggie,” she said after a minute.

Butterbean gave a low woof.

“I don’t believe this,” Walt said, trying to make herself invisible in the corner of the elevator.

“Seventh floor,” the elevator voice said as the doors opened.

Mrs. Power Walker gave Butterbean and Walt a quick wave and then power walked out of the elevator at top speed. She seemed disconcerted about something.

“Never do that again,” Walt said as the doors closed.

“What? It worked, right? Like she’ll say anything,” Butterbean said, grinning. She was glad it had been Mrs. Power Walker. She would never admit it to Walt, but if it had been someone else, like Mrs. Hates Dogs on six, she wouldn’t have tried it.

“Eighth floor,” the elevator voice said.

“Here we go,” Walt said, stepping out of the elevator. She crossed down to the far apartment and knocked on the door.

“But that’s Mr. Axe Body Spray’s apartment. Your guy really is Mr. Axe Body Spray?” Butterbean said in shock. “And you just KNOCK?”

“Roommates,” Walt said. “Now quiet.”

Butterbean heard a small sound on the other side of the door. It was a strange sound, something she couldn’t quite identify. But it made the hair on the back of her neck prickle.

“Chad. Open up. It’s Walt,” Walt said in a low voice.

The locks in the door slowly started to turn, and the door opened.

Chad stood in the doorway.

Butterbean sat down hard on her haunches.“Holy cow, Walt. You weren’t kidding. He really is an octopus.”

[Êàðòèíêà: img_26]

Chad the octopus sat in the toilet tapping his tentacles against the seat as he listened to Walt explain the Mrs. Food situation. Butterbean couldn’t tell from his expression whether he was bored or happy to see them or comatose.

“So that’s what we need you to do,” Walt said from her perch on the edge of the tub.

“I don’t understand why we’re in the bathroom,” Butterbean said, looking down at the dark blue bathmat. Everything in Chad’s apartment looked hip and modern, even the bathroom stuff. And everything reeked of Axe Body Spray.

“Hush, Bean,” Walt said under her breath.

“I like it in here,” Chad said quietly. “The tile is cool. I can think.”