Purrfect Peril

Chapter 30

Odelia arrived at the police station just in time to see her uncle walk out with Tracy Sting on his arm. For a moment she thought she was seeing things. But then her uncle escorted Miss Sting to his pickup and gallantly opened the door for her and helped her in.

“Uncle? What’s going on?”

Alec looked up, and so did Miss Sting. “Oh, hey, Odelia. May I introduce you to Tracy. Tracy, this is my niece Odelia.”

“Hi, Odelia,” said Tracy, getting out of the car again. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

Odelia had trouble keeping her jaw reeled in. “But I thought—weren’t you—didn’t they—”

Alec smiled. “Oh, that was just a misunderstanding. All cleared up now I’m happy to say.”

Odelia automatically shook Miss Sting—Tracy’s—hand. “But… Burt Goldsmith…”

“Another little misunderstanding,” Tracy said. “I explained all that to Alec.”

“And once I explained it to Chase, he understood,” said Uncle Alec.

“Understood what?”

“That I would never harm a hair on Burt’s head,” said Tracy. “After all those years on the road, staying in hotel rooms and traveling the country, Burt and I had become thick as thieves.”

“Thick as thieves,” Alec stressed.

“So you see, Miss Poole—”

“Odelia,” Alec offered.

“Odelia, I would never hurt Burt. And I do hope you catch whoever is responsible.”

“Oh, we’ll catch the bastard,” Alec assured her. “Just you wait and see.”

Tracy placed a hand on his ruddy cheek. “I know you will, you handsome chief.”

Odelia had heard her uncle be called many names but never this. And seeing him all loved up like this frankly astounded her. Furthermore, she wasn’t as confident as he seemed to be that Tracy Sting wasn’t the person they were looking for. She certainly was one tough baby, as far as she could determine. “Do you… have plans?” she asked, gesturing at the car.

Alec smiled at Tracy. “We’re going out. Dinner and a movie. Isn’t that right?”

“Something romantic,” said Tracy. “The Rock has a new movie. Some Die Hard clone.”

“I love Die Hard,” said Alec. “One of my all-time favorite movies.”

“Me too!” Tracy cried. “Another thing we have in common.”

“Very romantic,” Odelia agreed. She’d never seen her uncle look like a lovesick puppy before, and she decided that was just what he looked like right now. Well, maybe not a puppy. More a lovesick bulldog. “Just be careful, will you?” she said, not hiding her worry.

“Oh, we will,” he said. “I’m always careful when I’m traveling with precious cargo.” He gave her a wink, then practically raced to the other side of his pickup, a skip in his step, and hopped in, limber as a foal. “Ready, Tracy?”

“Ready when you are, Alec,” Tracy said, and gracefully placed her shapely legs in the footwell of the truck before closing the door. She cranked down the window a few inches. “I’ll take good care of your uncle, Odelia,” she said with a purr to her voice. “Don’t you worry.” Then she gave her a wink and a smile and the odd couple were off at a healthy clip, Uncle Alec gunning the engine a few times for good measure. Like a young Bruce Willis.

Odelia stood staring after them, conscious of her head moving from side to side of its own accord. Moments later, she became aware of the presence of Chase next to her.

“We had to let her go,” the cop announced somberly. “Alec insists she’s innocent.”

“He might be biased.”

“You think?” He shook his head. “The woman has cast a spell on him.”

“And he fell for it.”

“Hook, line and sinker.”

They stared after the chief’s car as it disappeared around a corner with squealing tires and smoke pouring from the muffler. This wasn’t good. “What if she blows him up?”

“She won’t.”

“She might.”

“He’s a grown man, Odelia. What do you want me to do? Tell him he can’t go out with that girl? Tell him he’s grounded and take away his phone and internet privileges?”

“Maybe we should tail them? Make sure she’s not up to more funny business?”

“He’d spot us five minutes in. The man is a seasoned cop.”

“I don’t like it, Chase.”

“I don’t like it either, Odelia, but there’s nothing we can do.”

He was right. Just then, the cop’s phone chimed. He put it to his ear, listened for a moment, then locked eyes with Odelia. He disconnected and put his phone away. A grin spread across his face. “I think we just caught a break, babe.”

“What?”

“Crime scene people pulled a partial print from a bottle retrieved at the scene.”

“And?”

“Curt Pigott.”