“Looks like they’ve changed careers again,” said Harriet.
“I don’t like this, Max,” said Dooley. “Guns are dangerous.”
“You can say that again,” I said. The brickwork of the police station certainly had never been designed to take so much violence and destruction being wrought upon it, and we saw how pieces of brick dropped to the ground, and entire chunks of wall tumbled down.
“Do you think we’ve got him, Jer?” asked Johnny as he paused the hail of bullets.
“Not sure,” said his partner in crime.
“Think we should go and take a look-see?”
But the sound of sirens was approaching fast now, and so the two crooks thought better of it. “I’m sure we got him,” said Jerry. “And if we didn’t, we’ll get him next time. Let’s go!”
The two gangsters jumped into the van, and moments later they were off at a fast clip. But since I didn’t think it was a good idea to let them get away like this, I decided in a sort of split-second decision to follow them. And since the back of the van was open, I jumped in.
“Max, where are you going?” my friends asked. I saw they were chasing after me, so I urged them to keep up. It wasn’t long before the three of them all jumped in after me. The van bucked and bumped on the uneven terrain, and the door was slammed shut.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” asked Harriet.
“Not really,” I said.
“Johnny and Jerry like us,” said Dooley. “Even if they find us, they won’t hurt us, will they?”
It was a question I didn’t know the answer to. But I sincerely hoped he was right. After the van reached the road, Jerry sped up, and we were propelled back against the van door by the sheer force of the acceleration. It looked as if we’d have to sit tight and hope for the best!
“I hope that the lawyer is all right,” said Dooley. “He still has to make sure that all of our humans’ estates are in order before they die.” Then he seemed to realize what he was saying and put a paw to his mouth. “Oh no! They’re all going to die, aren’t they? That’s why they’re making their wills and arranging their estates!”
“Nobody is going to die, Dooley,” I said. “Least of all our humans, who are all young and in the prime of their lives.”
Brutus grinned at me. “Always the optimist, aren’t you, Maxie baby?”
“I try to be,” I said virtuously.
His smile vanished. “Let’s hope this trip from hell won’t prove to be our finest but also our final hour.”
The van was slowing down, and moments later there was some bumping and shaking again as it hit a dirt road. After a while, the van brusquely pulled to a stop, and we heard doors slam.
“Looks like we’ve arrived,” said Harriet. She coughed. “Oh, Shanille isn’t going to like this. I was supposed to sing one of her power ballads tonight, and instead I’m ruining my voice because of all this stress. It’s not good, you guys—and I blame you, Max!”
She gave me a look that wasn’t all that pleasant to be on the receiving end of, and I shrugged. “I’m sorry. It was a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing.”
“You did good,” said Brutus. “We can’t let them get away with this. I mean, Hampton Cove is a pleasant town, and we can’t have Johnny and Jerry shooting things up for no good reason.”
“I’ll bet they have a very good reason,” I said. “Money.”
“You think someone is paying them to shoot at the lawyer?” asked Brutus.
“Absolutely. Everything Johnny and Jerry do, they do for money, so this time won’t be any different.”
We tentatively approached the cabin of the vehicle and peered out through the windshield. We saw the two crooks heading towards what looked like an old farm, and the sight of it gave me some bad memories from the time they had abducted all the cats of Hampton Cove and locked us up in one of these places. I saw that the window on the passenger side was open, so I climbed up and then took the jump down to the ground below. My three friends all followed suit, and moments later, we were stalking in the direction of the farmhouse.
Light was on inside, and we jumped up onto a windowsill to look in. I saw it was the kitchen, with Johnny seated at the table and Jerry busy putting something into the microwave.
“Looks like they’re holed up here for now,” I said. And since we knew enough, I decided that it was time to head back into town, to alert the cavalry so they could raid the place and put these two under arrest.
And we would have made it out if not Dooley had accidentally hit an old tin pot located on the windowsill. It fell to the ground with a loud clanging sound. Immediately, an irate-looking Jerry appeared, and when he saw the four of us staring back at him, a wide but cruel smile spread across his face. “Well, if it ain’t the kitty cats! Fancy meeting you here!”
Before I could react, he had grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and had supplied the same service to Dooley. Behind him, Johnny was there to collar Brutus and Harriet, and as I released a sigh, I knew that this was going to be a long night.
CHAPTER 21
Odelia was beside herself when she heard what had happened. The police station shot to pieces? Her cats missing? How could this happen? And how had the culprits found out that Rogelio had been locked up at the station—the same mole again? It was imperative that Chase get to the bottom of this mess, and also her uncle.
All of the police officers had descended on the station, and when she arrived, she was met by Chase and her uncle, who had been inspecting the damage. The exterior wall of the cell block had been shot to pieces, but the structure was intact. Plenty of stucco was on the ground, and bullet holes attested to the carnage that had been brought to bear on the old station house.
“None of the prisoners have been hurt,” said Odelia’s uncle. “And that’s the main thing. The rest we’ll fix with some plaster and cement—no problem.”
“But how did they know that Rogelio was in there?” asked Odelia.
Her uncle shrugged. “Someone must have told them—there’s no other explanation possible. Someone on the inside.”
“Just like before,” said Chase. The detective was grim-faced. He didn’t like the prospect that one of their own was in league with the gangsters.
“Organized crime seems to have come to Hampton Cove,” said Uncle Alec sadly. “And I’ll be happy to see them leave again.”
“Have you discovered why they’re targeting Rogelio specifically?” asked Odelia.
