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“It’s probably in her luggage,” said Brutus, indicating the suitcase that had been shoved underneath the bed.

“Or maybe in her clothes?” Dooley suggested, pointing to the closet where several dresses hung suspended from clothes hangers.

“Or maybe she has a jewel case and it’s in there,” suggested Harriet.

“This is hopeless,” was my opinion. “This room really needs to be gone over with a fine-tooth comb, and we neither have the time or the opportunity to do that.”

“Yeah, I think Marge should call the cops and get this over with,” said Brutus.

“Chase would have found that diamond by now,” Dooley opined. “Because he is a very good cop, and when he wants to find something he always finds it. That’s the kind of cop he is.”

And while my friends were arguing amongst themselves as to what the best course of action would be, my attention was drawn to the nightstand, where Loretta had put her phone, and right next to her phone lay… an envelope. I frowned as I took it in. There was a bulge in that envelope, a bulge that matched the size of a diamond. So while Marge was entertaining Loretta, and Harriet, Dooley and Brutus were talking strategy, and Odelia was presumably lifting the toilet seat to look underneath, I tripped over to the nightstand in as auspicious a way as I knew how, and with a single nail lifted the flap of that envelope. And lo and behold: a pink shimmer greeted me the moment the flap was lifted. I swallowed away a lumpof excitement. So now what?

I darted a quick look over to Loretta, still talking about her vivid imagination and how it had sustained her through all of the months she’d spent writing her precious tome, and then gave the envelope a casual flick. It dropped to the floor, and since I didn’t know what else to do, I took the stone that had rolled from its recess into my mouth, then quickly walked back to my friends.

“I wave wit,” I said.

They all stared at me.“What’s wrong with you, Max?” said Harriet. “You sound funny.”

“I wave we phtone!” I said, trying to talk around the object I now held in my mouth.

“I think he’s running a fever,” said Brutus.

“Let me feel your brow, Max,” said Harriet.

I jerked my head away, but in doing so accidentally gulped, and the stone, not used to being treated thusly, decided to gambol it down the hatch. I gulped some more when I realized I was now holding a million-dollar diamond in my tummy!

“Oh, boy,” said Brutus. “I think he’s going to croak. Look at his face. He’s having a seizure or something. Call a doctor!” he yelled. “Max is sick!”

Marge looked up at this, and immediately Odelia came rushing out of the bathroom. I did feel a little weak, but that was more from the knowledge that I’d just swallowed a diamond, and was now wondering how it would affect my innards.

“Max, are you all right?” asked Marge as she bent down next to me.

“I feel a little faint,” I admitted.

“Is your cat all right?” asked the authoress, who seemed momentarily taken aback that Marge’s attention, which had been so lavish and unstinted, had suddenly switched to me.

“I think he’s not feeling well,” said Odelia. “We better take him to a doctor. Max, say something,” she urged.

“I just swallowed…” I began.

But then Harriet cried,“He swallowed a bug and now he’s dying!”

“Dying!” Dooley cried. “Oh, please, Odelia—quick! Max is dying!”

“I’m so sorry,” said Marge, addressing Loretta, who’d been watching the scene with limited interest. “But I think we better take Max to a doctor straight away.”

“Oh, absolutely,” said Loretta. She didn’t seem sorry that we were leaving, and nor would she, since she’d just stolen a precious stone and hadn’t had time to hide it yet.

So we left the room, Odelia carrying me in her arms while I still felt a little woozy. But once we were out in the corridor, I finally managed to say,“I swallowed the Pink Lady.”

Odelia frowned as she took this in.

“What did he just say?” asked Marge.

We were waiting for the elevator to arrive.

“I think he said he swallowed the Pink Lady,” said Odelia.

“He’s hallucinating,” said Harriet. “It’s a common side effect of poisoning by bug.”

“I’m not poisoned,” I said, a little weakly. “I saw the Pink Lady lying on the nightstand, took it in my mouth, then accidentally swallowed it and now it’s in my tummy.”

“Oh, dear,” said Odelia as she shared a look of concern with her mom.

“We better get Vena to take a look at you, Max,” said the latter.

“Or Dr. Poolittle,” Dooley suggested. “He is a miracle worker—the pigeon said so.”

“Who’s Dr. Poolittle?” asked Marge, puzzled.

“Why, Tex, of course,” said Dooley before anyone could stop him. “He’s suffering from a midwife crisis and now he wants to be a vet,” he explained when Marge merely stared at him. “But don’t tell anyone, Marge, cause it’s a secret.”

“We’re going to Vena,” said Odelia decidedly.

“Thank you,” I said. I hate going to the vet, but if I have to go, I’d much rather go to one who’s done her homework, and not an amateur vet who’s suffering from a midwife crisis.