Purrfect Comics (The Mysteries of Max Book 84) by Nic Saint

Author:Nic Saint [Saint, Nic]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Puss in Books
Published: 2024-05-18T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

The next day, bright and early, Odelia and Chase set off for work. And after I informed Odelia that Dooley was fine again—better than fine, if last night’s exercise in fawning over him was any indication—she allowed him to tag along with them on her investigation. And since Harriet and Brutus had clearly stated that they weren’t happy with being left behind, it was a full menagerie that traveled with the cop and his wife to the police station. Chase had invited Landon Smellie to the station for an interview, while other officers took a closer look at the man’s home, in search of evidence of his connection to the murder of his rival.

The artist didn’t look happy that he had been summoned to the precinct. The moment we walked into the police station vestibule, he got up. “I’ve been waiting for over an hour!” he complained.

I could have told him this was a technique also known as the boiling pot, whereby the subject of the interrogation is made to feel uneasy, but of course, that would be giving away trade secrets.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Smellie,” said Chase, as he placed a hand on the man’s shoulder and led him into the police station proper and past Dolores, the desk sergeant, who no doubt he had been badgering with questions as to when he would be allowed to sit down with the detective who had invited him there.

The interview room where Chase took the artist wasn’t the most pleasant one, but that was also part of the psychological game that the detective was playing with the man he now considered the most likely suspect in the murder of Aubrey Allgood.

Odelia was allowed to sit in on the interview, but the four of us weren’t. And so we sat looking on from the safety of the next room, where we could see Landon but he couldn’t see us, due to a feature known as the one-way mirror.

“So is he the man who will continue the Kellys?” asked Harriet.

“Yep, that’s him,” I said.

“But… if Chase arrests him, what’s going to happen to the Kellys?”

“I guess they’ll have to find another artist,” I said.

“But that’s not fair,” said Harriet. I gave her an odd look.

“It’s such a nice comic strip,” she said in her defense. “They can’t arrest Landon. He has to keep making it, or otherwise…” She flapped her paws. “There will be no more Kellys, and then what?”

“I didn’t know you were such a fan?” I said.

“Well, I am. I’ve been reading it this morning, as part of my research, and it’s so great. I just love it, and I can’t imagine having to live in a world where there are no Kellys. I just can’t, all right!” she cried.

“It’s all right, baby doll,” said Brutus. “There will still be a Kellys strip even if Landon Smellie is arrested for murder. There are a lot of artists out there who can take over, you know.”

“Well, I hope so,” she said, looking all discombobulated.

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