“Hold it, you guys,” said Odelia, laughing. “What are you saying? That you don’t like Diego?”
“That’s exactly what we’re saying,” I said. “He called me fat and orange.”
“And he called me short and dumb,” said Dooley.
“And he put the moves on Harriet,” Brutus finished our lament.
“Oh, and don’t forget he called you fat, too,” Dooley said.
“She doesn’t have to know that,” Brutus said in a low voice. “I may have gained some weight, but not much. And I still work out every day. I climbed a tree just this morning. And I got down all on my own, too.”
“Look, you’ll just have to learn to get along,” Odelia said. “You can’t expect me to kick out Diego. I just told Chase I’d take care of him.”
“You can put him up for adoption,” I suggested. “I bet there are plenty of people out there who’d love to take him in.”
“Unless they have other cats—Diego doesn’t play nice with others,” Dooley said.
“He doesn’t play nice with males. He’s fine with females,” said Brutus.
“A little too nice,” Dooley added.
Odelia shook her head.“What can I say?”
“That you’ll kick him out?” I asked hopefully.
“I can’t do that, Max. I’m afraid Diego is here to stay.”
Dooley, Brutus and I voiced our disagreement loud and clear, but to no avail. Apparently Odelia was set on keeping this Diego in our lives, whether we liked it or not. Just then, Chase returned, and Odelia immediately shut up.
Chase laughed.“You know? It almost looked like you were talking to those cats of yours. It’s the funniest thing.”
She gave him a tight smile.“Sometimes I almost feel like I know what they’re trying to say.”
He studied us.“So what are they saying?”
“I’m not sure, but I think it might have something to do with that cat of yours.”
“Diego? What about him?”
“I think they don’t like him very much.”
He laughed again.“That’s ridiculous. They’re cats. There’s no question of liking each other. They just act on instinct.” It was obvious he’d never given a moment’s thought to the fact that cats might have feelings, too. Just like humans. And that maybe some of us were nicer than others.
“Cats are a lot more like humans than you might think,” Odelia said. “They have likes and dislikes, just like we do.”
“Nonsense. This has got nothing to do with ‘feelings.’ This is about territory. Max is probably upset that a new cat has arrived and he’s going to have to share his space, his food and his litter box.”
I goggled at the man. I hadn’t thought about that. Share my food? And, even worse, share my litter box? No way! “Odelia! I can’t share my litter box! That’s my litter box! Diego can’t go doo-doo in my litter box! That’s just… wrong!”
She ignored me, and asked Chase,“What do you know about Diego?”
He shrugged.“He’s a cat, Odelia. What’s there to know?”
“I mean, about his past, his parentage, his medical history?”
“I’d have to ask Mom, but as far as I know she got him off the street.”
“So he’s a street cat. Did she give him his shots? Is he fixed?”
“I have absolutely no idea.”
She nodded.“I’ll take him to the vet tomorrow. Have him checked.”
“Of course. And I’ll pay for it. Look, I’m sure Max and Diego will get along fine. They just have to get used to each other. I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.”
“Well, I do worry about it. If I’m going to take Diego into my home, I need to know who I’m dealing with.”
Well spoken, I thought, and I was cheering for her. Maybe this Diego had a violent past, or some other deep, dark secret that he was hiding. Maybe he was like those adopted kids that turn out to be horrible serial killers. I’d seen the movies. I knew it was a thing.
“Look, if you don’t want him, I can always take him back,” Chase offered.
I was practically yipping now, hoping Odelia would take him up on this wonderful offer. This was her chance to get rid of the pest!
“No, that’s all right,” she said, much to my horrified surprise. She stroked my back. “Max will just have to get used to having a new friend. I know it took him a while to get used to having Brutus around, and now look at them. They’re like buddies.”
Odelia and Chase looked down at Brutus and me, sitting side by side, like a couple of chumps.“I think they’re talking about us, Max,” Brutus said.
“Yeah, they seem to think we’re best buds or something.”
Brutus snorted.“As if.”
“Yeah—how ridiculous, huh? Humans are clueless.”
We shared a quick look, then Brutus said,“I liked how you stood up to Diego, by the way. That took guts, Max. I’ve got to hand it to you. You defended hearth and home from that intruder—just like you used to do with me.”
“I know, right? I felt like I had to take a firm line with the cat. And you were great, too. The way you put him in his place? Way to go, Brutus.”
“Thanks. I mean, it’s not my home to defend, but still. He was way out of line.”
“Well, it is your home now, in a way,” I said.
“You really mean that, Max?”
“Sure.Mi casa es su casa and all that, right?”
“Aww. That’s awfully nice of you.”
“Don’t mention it. I feel like we have to stick together and make a stand.”
“Yeah. Let’s put our differences aside and get rid of the new cat.”
“What about me?” Dooley asked. “Issu casa mi casa too, Max?”
“Of course, buddy! You’re my best friend.”
“Thanks, Max. I love you, too.”
Brutus eyed us with a strange look on his face. Then he held out his paw.“Put it there, pals.”
I put it there, and so did Dooley.
“Buds?” asked Brutus.
“Buds,” I said.
“I think they’re actually talking to each other,” Chase said. “It’s way cute.”
“They are talking to each other,” Odelia assured him. “Cats can communicate.”
“So, do you have any idea what they’re saying?” he asked.
“Not a clue,” she said, and gave us a wink.
Chapter 6
Just when their order arrived—an espresso for Chase and a latte for Odelia—Chase got a call from Chief Alec.
“Uh-oh,” he said, disconnecting. “Looks like I gotta run. The Chief managed to locate Serarols.”
“The chef?”
“He’s down at the station now, and he’s asked me to be there when he questions him.”
“Just go. I’ll take care of your espresso.”
He grinned.“I’m sure you will.” He took the espresso and downed it in one gulp. “Just so happens I love espressos, though, so tough luck.”
“You’ll keep me in the loop, right?”
“Sure.” He got up and threw a few bills on the table. “Thanks for the chat—and the update on the world of cats. It was fun—and instructional.”
“See you later, Chase.”
She watched him leave, and noticed not for the first time that he moved with a catlike grace. Like a tiger. Or a panther. It also occurred to her he was a lot more dangerous than she thought when he first just moved into town. She’d never figured she’d ever fall for the cop, and now she found that he was on her mind a lot more than she knew how to handle.
She looked down, and saw that Max, Dooley and Brutus had left. She hated to disappoint them, but she’d already agreed to take Diego in, and she couldn’t go back on her word now. She was pretty sure it would be fine. When Brutus just arrived, Max and Dooley had been equally distraught. And look at them now. They were like buddies these days.
She took a sip of her latte and thought about the case. With so many suspects, it was going to be a matter of deciding who had most to gain from the celebrity chef’s murder. And who’d been in the position to carry out the murder. She imagined it would have had to be a person with considerable physical strength, as it was a tough feat to hoist the chef into the oven.