“No, that’s entirely up to you. We’re not going to tell her anything.”
She thought for a moment.“Mh. Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ve been carrying this with me for so long now, maybe it’s time to finally tell her the truth.”
Joey and Zoey had also entered the room, and jumped on Ona’s lap now. She hugged the two doggies, and allowed them to lick her face.
“Why do they do that, Max?” asked Dooley.
“Do what?”
“Lick people’s faces?”
“I think it’s a sign of affection.”
“Or maybe they like the taste of a human face?” He shivered. “Can you imagine having to lick Odelia’s face all day? I don’t care how affectionate it makes me seem, I don’t want to ruin my appetite.”
We both glanced up at Odelia, and I imagined licking her face. Not a pleasant prospect! I like Odelia, of course I do. But why would I want to lick her face?
“It’s a sign of respect and affection,” said Joey, who’d followed our conversation. “And besides, humans taste good, didn’t you know?”
We both shivered some more, and regarded Joey in a different light. Taste good? Humans? What was this dog talking about? Was she related to Hannibal Lecter?
Which just goes to show how fundamentally different cats and dogs are. Whereas dogs like to slobber all over their humans, cats are respectful and fastidious. And let’s not even mention the boundary issue. No one in their right mind likes to be attacked by some big drooling canine, people. Unless you’re a so-called dog person, in which case you deserve everything that’s coming to you.
CHAPTER 25
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Back at the apartment Alison shared with Jason, the search had reached its conclusion. The upshot was that nothing of interest had been found. Alison’s car had also yielded all of its secrets, which indicated that the couple had a fondness for takeout and the occasional bout of backseat nookie, but not for murder.
Chase and Odelia were on hand to escort Jason home. It was the least they could do now that he’d been found not to be guilty of murder, and when we arrived, Alison was waiting for us—or more likely her fianc?—with open arms.
Tears of happiness and joy were shed, but then Alison turned on us with a vengeance. Like her mother, she was dark-haired with an olive complexion, and green eyes that had a bewitching quality, especially now, when they were blazing with righteous fury.
“I told you he was innocent, and still you arrested him!”
“We had no other choice, Alison,” said Odelia, whose bedside manner is a bit more gentle than her husband’s, and whose task it is to calm suspects down. “Jason was right there when it happened, and he had a strong motive.”
“And then there’s his criminal record,” said Chase morosely. He still hadn’t ruled Jason out as a suspect, even though the evidence simply wasn’t there.
“That criminal record is bogus,” Alison insisted, balling her fists and practically stomping her feet.
We were standing in front of the building where they had their apartment. It was only three stories high, and all three apartments appeared similar in design. Jason and Alison occupied the top floor, where the last of the uniformed officers now descended the stairs, having finished their thorough search.
“What do you mean, bogus?” asked Odelia.
“Don’t tell them,” said Jason. “It’s no use.”
“It wasn’t Jason who beat up that man. It was his brother Tim.”
“Alison!”
“No, this needs to be said,” the girl insisted. “Tim is old enough to fend for himself. You’ve looked out for him long enough. It’s time you got some justice.” Jason looked uncomfortable, but Alison wasn’t to be deterred. “Tim was sixteen when he held up that liquor store. Him and his buddies. They hit that poor man over the head so bad he was in the hospital for months. He still walks with a limp. But since Timmy’s mother would have been devastated if he was sent to juvenile detention, Jason said it was him that did it. That he robbed that liquor store. And so he was arrested and sentenced to prison for a crime he didn’t even commit.”
Chase and Odelia shared a look.“Why didn’t you tell us this before?”
“Because I wanted to protect my brother,” said Jason tersely. He refused to meet the detective’s eyes. “You’re not going to arrest him now, are you?”
Chase didn’t reply. Instead he said, “So this is your secret? The secret Isobel was going to write about in her book?”
But Alison shook her head.“Mom didn’t know. I never told her. I wanted to keep Jason’s secret. But now that he’s being charged with murder, we have to speak up.” She thumped her fianc?’s shoulder. “You have to speak up!”
“Only if it doesn’t mean Timmy will be in trouble.” He directed an anxious look at Chase. “Please don’t arrest my brother. He was just a stupid kid, mixing with other stupid kids. He’s turned his life around since this happened. Especially when I was sent to prison. He knows it should have been him. And it’s made him think. And make a change. He stopped hanging out with those idiots. He cleaned up his act. And he’s made something of himself. I’m proud of my brother.”