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“These two were sneaking around my house,” said Mr. Gardner, pointing to the two senior citizens. “And looking in through my window, spying on me and my sister. I hope you’ll arrest them and throw them in jail, Chief.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” said the Chief, who wasn’t in the mood for community policing. “Go back to bed, sir. I’ll take care of this.”

“I hope you do, Chief. I mean, I’m the one who pays your wages with my taxes, after all, so I expect a little service in return.”

The Chief halted in his tracks and turned back to the candy tycoon.“What did you just say, sir?”

If there was one thing he hated it was people treating him like their servant.

“I said that with the amount of taxes I pay I expect you to make sure this kind of thing doesn’t happen.”

He narrowed his eyes at the man.“As it happens, sir, Mrs. Muffin over there, and Miss Canyon, were working under my instructions. They’re members of the neighborhood watch, and as such tasked with keeping the peace. So are you sure that what you were doing was entirely on the up and up? Sir?”

“Why, of course,” said Mr. Gardner, taken aback by all this backtalk.

“What were you and your sister doing in the middle of the night, if I may ask, sir?”

“Just… discussing some private matters.”

Alec glanced over to his mother and her friend, and thought there was probably more to this case than met the eye. He then turned back to the factory owner and stabbed a finger in the man’s chest. “My instinct tells me something is going on here, sir. And I will tell you right now that I’m not going to rest until I find out what it is. Good night, sir.”

And with these words he left the man staring after him, clearly aghast at the gall of this civil servant to use this tone with him.

Alec then walked up to his mother, planted his hands on his hips and said,“Now what the hell are you playing at, Ma? And don’t give me this watch crap again,” he added.

Chapter 38

“Follow the herder,” said Odelia with a frown as she read from the letter that had been dropped in her mailbox the night before.

“And who did you say posted that letter?” asked her mother as she poured more coffee for all those present.

No official invitations had gone out, but it had clearly been everyone’s opinion that a family meeting was in order, so everyone had gathered in Odelia’s mom and dad’s backyard for a family breakfast.

First Odelia had dropped by, holding up the letter, followed by Chase, once the latter had finished his morning gymnastics routine. Gran had been there of course, still grumpy after having been arrested the night before while on a stakeout at Quintin Gardner’s house, and then Uncle Alec and Charlene had also come round, eager to discuss that exact stakeout with the rest of the family.

So now they were all seated around the garden table that usually served as the backdrop for Dad’s famous barbecues, enjoying breakfast and discussing the state of affairs.

“According to… a witness,” said Odelia with a quick glance in Charlene’s direction, “it was that security guard who works for Bobby Garibaldi, of all people. His name is Bruno.”

“What witness was this?” asked Charlene as she took a sip of coffee.

Odelia glanced in the direction of her mother. Charlene was now the only person around the table who wasn’t aware of their big secret: that the women in the Poole family had the unique ability to be able to communicate with their cats.

“That’s not important,” said Mom, with an airy wave. “What’s important is this letter, and what it means.”

“You could always go and talk to the guy,” Chase suggested. “And ask him straight out what he’s playing at.”

“He’ll probably deny the whole thing, though,” said Uncle Alec.

“Follow the herders,” Gran mused. “Usually it’s follow the herd, right? It has got to have something to do with that goatherd you smashed,” she added, addressing Dad.

“I didn’t smash that thing,” said Dad, indignant. “Your cats did.”

“My cats did no such thing,” said Gran snippily.

“What were you doing snooping around Mr. Gardner’s house last night, Gran?” asked Odelia, curious.

“For the umpteenth time, I wasn’t snooping,” said Gran. “I was on a stakeout with Scarlett.”

“Staking out who?” asked Charlene.

“Marcia Gardner. I got this hunch she’s involved in this whole thing somehow, so—”

“Didn’t Chase specifically tell you that you were to leave the Gardner family alone from now on?” asked Uncle Alec.

Gran shrugged.“If I have to listen to your neighborhood-watch-hating deputy every time he gets a bee in his bonnet…”

“I don’t hate the watch, Grandma,” said Chase, causing the old lady’s face to pucker up even more.

“Look, the only reason I went on that stakeout was to show you once and for all that the watch is a force to be reckoned with. Not just a bunch of old kooks messing around.”

“I never said—”

“The girl that was found—there’s absolutely no connection to the Gardners?” asked Charlene, who was looking very pretty this morning, Odelia thought, with her curly blond tresses and a prim blush on her cheeks.