Hairless Harassment

Chapter Twenty

It’s been a couple weeks since Nan, Octo-Cat, and I moved into our new home, and now it really does feel like home. The best part—well, other than us all being together, of course—is the new home library Cal made just for me. I moved my desk in there and now spend hours, reading, researching, or just browsing social media. I try to stay better informed about current events now that current events almost got me killed.

Mom couldn’t be prouder.

My former boss, Mr. Thompson, pled guilty to manslaughter. As Charles had suspected, he never meant to kill the late senator Lou Harlow—just rough her up a bit. He confessed to tampering with the stairs and slipping something into her drink at the charity fundraiser that night. And, yes, he’d used her own cats against her. By means of a shiny red dot, Jacques and Jillianne ended up becoming a deadly murder weapon. Thompson had meant for the entire thing to look like an accident, but he hadn’t counted on me and my team of super sleuths getting involved.

He claims he hadn’t tried to kill me, either—only give me a fright—but I was not buying it. He didn’t need to convince me, though. He didn’t really need to convince anyone, because he’d already been disbarred and would never ever get the chance to serve in the Senate. Now it was merely a question of how much jail time he would get. I hoped it would be a lot.

Jacques and Jillianne finally seem to have forgiven themselves, and though they missed their former owner dearly, they now have a really good cat dad. It wasn’t Matt who adopted them both, but rather Charles Longfellow, III. I knew he’d been lonely ever since Yo-Yo the Yorkie moved out and, seeing as he was putting down roots, two kitty roommates seemed the perfect way to make a house a home.

He didn’t even find them creepy. I guess being from California meant he could handle a lot of weird things without so much as batting an eye.

The senator’s son, Matt, decided to stay in Blueberry Bay, too. He said he wanted to continue his mother’s legacy and is currently battling his ex for summer custody of their two kids. He hopes to give them the kind of dreamy, ocean-side childhood he had growing up. He makes a nice neighbor now that I’m not afraid of him anymore, although he does plan on selling and moving into some place smaller so he has more money to contribute to the Lou Harlow Scholarship Fund.

The late senator left her mark on Washington, too. While Matt was sorting through her things, he found a mostly finished proposal for a new wind turbine farm, right here in the great state of Maine. She hadn’t gotten the chance to present it to her Senate committee yet, but Matt is making sure it gets into the right hands.

So, everything’s getting wrapped up nicely. Not exactly with a bow, but… you take what you can get.

Now we just had one major matter left to handle, and that would happen today. My new doorbell chimed, playing a cute old-timey jingle that Nan picked out from the huge list of options.

“Coming!” I cried racing down the stairs and flinging open the door.

Mom looked nervous, but I wasn’t. I gave her a tight squeeze and then led her up to my new library.

She gasped at the big reveal. “Oh, Angie. It’s a dream.”

I motioned for her to take a seat at the window. I’d already opened it wide to let the balmy spring air circulate through the room. This room was no longer a prison, but rather a sanctuary.

“It is,” I agreed with a blissful sigh. “But that’s not why I invited you here today.”

“Oh?” Mom folded her hands in her lap and waited.

“There’s someone I want you to meet. Octo-Cat!” I hollered, and seconds later my kitty partner in crime came running to join us.

Mom laughed. “I already know Octo-Cat,” she said, reaching out to stroke his soft, striped head.

I smiled and shook my head. “Not like I do. Do you want to talk to him?”

Her brows pinched together, and her eyes darted from me to Octo-Cat and back again. “How?”

“Through me.” I put my hand on top of hers, and her eyes lit up with true mirth.

“Really?”

“Really.” I squeezed her hands and let go.

Mom couldn’t hide her excitement even if she’d tried. “I have so many questions! How does it work? Can you understand other animals, too? Can he understand me? How does the coffee maker factor into all of this?”

I laughed again. Mom’s face fell, but I wrapped an arm around her to show her that it was okay.

“Those are all good questions,” I said. “Let’s take them one at a time.”