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Fifi and Rufus, who’d done their bit for the good of the expedition, now gratefully accepted cuddles from Ted and Marcie, while Shanille, Harriet and Brutus stood watching the activity of that diver, and discussing his progress.

Marigold, meanwhile, stood talking into her phone, and looking extremely perturbed. Odelia and Chase, who’d arrived very quickly after Marcie had called 911, were searching around for potential clues as to what had happened to the missing girl, and when suddenly another person came crashing through the undergrowth, I wasn’t surprised. The scene was starting to resemble one of those mob scenes, where thousands get together to watch some car crash in progress. I was surprised, though, to find that it was Father Reilly who now stood before us panting a little stertorously after his short ramble through the woods. But I was even more surprised when he walked straight up to Marigold, and they hugged—and not a fatherly hug, either, but more the kind of hug we see Chase and Odelia exchange all the time.

“Um…” said Dooley.

“No, Dooley, I don’t know why Father Reilly is hugging his housekeeper as if they’re a long-married couple,” I said, anticipating his question.

“Maybe he’s very grateful that she keeps his house clean?” Dooley suggested.

But then things got a little weirder still when Marigold now buried her face in Father Reilly’s chest and gave free rein to her emotions by having a good cry, the priest patting her back consolingly and murmuring such evergreens as ‘There, there’ into her ear.

“If I didn’t know any better, Dooley,” I said after observing the twosome for a few more moments, “I’d say those two are definitely a couple.”

“I told you, Max—didn’t I tell you?”

“Yes, you did, Dooley. You called it.”

“Oh, that’s so nice. I like couples. They make the world a little brighter and always put a smile on my face.” He sighed. “Love is grand, isn’t it?”

“Love is grand, Dooley. But priests in Father Reilly’s church unfortunately aren’t allowed to marry, so this display of public affection is very much not done, I’m afraid.”

“So… Father Reilly isn’t allowed to hug his housekeeper?”

“He can hug her as much as he wants, but that’s pretty much as far as he’s allowed to go—his church pretty much has decided to draw the line there.”

“So…”

“So no kissing or … anything else.”

Dooley laughed.“What else is there, Max? Kissing is what people who love each other do!”

“Absolutely,” I said after a moment’s hesitation. “Yes, kissing is exactly what they do. Nothing more.”

“Well, they’re not kissing yet,” said Dooley, referring to the priest and his housekeeper. “So his church will be very happy.”

“Found something!” suddenly a voice rang out nearby. We all hurried to the edge of the pond, as the diver had resurfaced and was holding something in his hand. It was a pink and shiny object, and looked very much like…

“Angel’s phone!” Marigold cried, then burst into tears once more. The diver handed the phone to Angel’s distraught mother, who nodded and said, “It’s my baby’s phone!”

“So she definitely was here,” said Odelia, who’d come hurrying up from her search of the nearby area.

“All is not lost, Marigold,” said Father Reilly. “For all we know she simply dumped her phone in the pond and…”

“And then what?” She suddenly turned on the priest. “You should never have yelled at her, Francis—this is all your fault!”

“I’m sorry,” said the man of the cloth, who looked as upset as his housekeeper, which surprised me a little. I mean, it’s one thing to have a general affection for the members of one’s flock, but Father Reilly seemed to take this thing with Angel very personal. There was even a lone tear trickling down his rosy cheek, which he quickly brushed away with the back of his hand.

Before long the diver surfaced again, and all eyes turned to him once more. But the man shook his head.“Nothing,” he said. “Except for three rusty old bikes.”

“Oh, Francis!” Marigold cried, and this time buried her head in the man’s shoulder.

“I don’t understand,” said Odelia. “So her phone is in there but…”

“Did you search the whole area?” asked Chase.

The diver, who’d hoisted himself up onto the pond’s edge and was removing his diving gear, answered in the affirmative. “Searched every inch, Detective. Nothing.”

“But that’s impossible,” said Marcie. “I mean, surely if the dogs tell us that the trail stops here…”

“Are these trained police dogs, ma’am?” asked the diver as he gave Fifi and Rufus a critical look.

“No, they’re regular dogs,” Ted said.

“Well, there you go, sir. Only a police dog, trained in the search for a missing person will be able to give you the information you need, not your regular mutt—no offense.”

I thought Rufus looked a little rueful, but Fifi looked indignant.

“I can tell you right now that I did not make a mistake, sir!” she yelled, though her barking didn’t seem to affect the diver in the slightest.