“No, he’s not,” said Dooley sadly. “I asked him if I could stay with him and he turned me down flat. Milo is right. Max doesn’t care one hoot about me. He probably never did.”
“Who’s Milo?” asked Gran.
“He’s the new guy. Bristly white hair? Pink nose?”
“Oh, right,” said Gran vaguely. Odelia was always taking in strays. Hard to keep up. “Did you just say this Milo told you Max doesn’t care about you?”
“Uh-huh. Well, he didn’t say it straight out. He kinda suggested it when he said a real friend would have invited me to stay in his home a long time ago.”
Gran was frowning at Dooley.“Sounds like a suspicious character to me, Dooley. Like Dr. John Branson, the identical twin of Dr. Richard Quartermaine, who turned out to be a basket case and ended up attacking his brother’s wife with that bomb that time. He got sent to an asylum but managed to escape by switching places with his twin.” She nodded pensively. “To be completely honest with you, I’m not sure he’s not to be distrusted.”
Dooley blinked, visibly enthralled with this bit of sage advice.“Okay,” he said finally.
Feeling she’d dispensed enough wisdom for one morning, she poured Dooley from her arms, then suddenly had a bright idea. “You know what I’m going to do, Dooley?”
“What?” asked Dooley.
“I’m taking a leaf from your book.”
“My book? What book?”
But Vesta wasn’t listening. “I’m going over there to confront the guy. I think the time for dillydallying has come to an end and now it’s time to act. Like Nurse Rebecca Webb when she told Jason she’d finally had enough of his affair with her devious half-sister and told him to choose. Of course that was before he was killed in that plane crash, but no matter.”
And with a hint of steel glinting behind her glasses, she stalked into the house. Time to tell that no-good son-in-law of hers what was what and find out where his priorities lay.
Chapter 8
I saw Dooley take a nap on the bench on the deck and was just about to go over there and try and patch things up between us when Milo gave me a tap on the head.
I hate it when cats pat me on the head. Still, remembering Harriet and Brutus’s words, I managed a polite smile. “Hey, Milo. What have you been up to?”
“Oh, just scouting the place,” said Milo. “Looking around, you know.”
“Great.”
“So, Max. Is it true that you’re the only one who’s allowed to sleep at Odelia’s feet? And that you won’t let anyone else even get near her when she’s asleep?”
I stared at Milo.“What are you talking about? Who said that?”
“Dooley. He told me you’re very possessive when it comes to your human.” He shrugged. “Can’t blame you, though. She is a great human. If I had a human like that I’d make sure no other cat came anywhere near her either.”
I stared at Dooley, who was licking his fur, now basking in the sun.“Dooley said that? He actually told you I’m…” I swallowed away a lump of annoyance. “Possessive?”
“Obsessive is the word he used, actually. But hey, like I said, with a human like Odelia what cat wouldn’t go a little nuts, right? She’s only like the perfect human ever.”
“Nuts,” I said between gritted teeth. “Obsessive.”
“Yeah. So why don’t I sleep on the couch? I don’t want to get on your bad side again, Max. I know now why you didn’t take to me when I first arrived. Because I was too nice to Odelia and you felt threatened.” He held up his paws. “I can dig that, brother. Respect. And I can assure you it won’t happen again. She’s your human. Paws off. I get it.”
“I’m not like that!” I cried, aghast. “I’m not possessive or obsessive or… nuts!”
“Right-o, brother,” said Milo, taking a step back. “Whatever you say.”
“I’m just not! Whatever Dooley told you was a bunch of lies!”
Milo laughed.“Like that thing he told me about you being madly in love with Harriet? And how you and Brutus used to come to blows over her?”
“I’m not—” I paused, trying to keep calm. “I’m not in love with Harriet! Dooley is! He’s the one who’s always been nuts about her. And obscenely jealous of Brutus.”
“Look, Dooley’s just looking out for you, Max. Like any friend would. He knows you’re sensitive about this whole Harriet thing and who can blame you? Being in love like that for years and years and years without having the guts to tell her? That takes a lot of self-control, brother. And I getit. If you love them, set them free, right? More power to you.”
“I’m. Not. In. Love. With. Harriet,” I said, parsing out the words between puffs of smoke now pouring from my nose. “I never was. Never will. She’s just a friend, all right?”
“Sure,” said Milo, but it was obvious he didn’t believe me. “Look, I know it’s tough, buddy. Especially with the kind of cat Brutus is. And the things he’s been saying about you.”
I gawked at the cat. This was getting better and better.“What’s Brutus been saying about me?”
“Oh, just that you’re the dumbest cat he’s ever met,” said Milo, suddenly having developed a powerful interest in his nails.
“Dumbest cat he’s ever met!”
