Page 25

Chapter

Twenty-Five

T hat night, we celebrated. Ray cooked himself a juicy steak, and I dined on real salmon, fresh from the store.

“Ah, Earl,” Ray said between bites, glancing at me like we were sharing a moment of victory. “We did it. We cracked the case. Got Daisy caught red-handed. And now…” He held up the check from Mrs. Hargrove and waved it in the air like it was a trophy. “We got paid.”

I flicked my tail lazily, glancing up from my salmon. We did it? I thought it was mostly me.

Ray grinned, clearly enjoying his steak and his moment of triumph. “You know, I gotta say,” he mused, leaning back in his chair, “I was pretty clever, huh? The way I figured out it was Daisy. Just pieced it all together, like a master detective.”

Again, I flicked my tail. Sure, sure, you were clever.

Ray kept going, clearly lost in his own world of self-congratulation. “And did you see how Viv looked at me?” he said, his voice dropping to that dreamy tone that made me want to cough up a hairball. “She was impressed. You could tell.”

I licked the last bit of salmon from my plate and stared at him, unblinking.

Ray leaned forward and lowered his voice like he was about to share some deep revelation. “She didn’t say it outright, but I think… I think she was happy to see me.”

I let out a low meow—a telepathic nudge that translated loosely to “Are you serious right now?”

Ray tapped his chin, nodding to himself. “Yeah. Yeah, I thought so too.”

I blinked. That’s not what I meant.

He got that far-off look in his eyes, the one he always got when he started daydreaming about his ex, Viv. “You think maybe she’s ready to forgive me? Maybe she’s thinking about, you know, giving it another shot?”

Nope. Don’t think so.

Ray leaned back in his chair, chewing on his lip like he was contemplating something big. “You’re right, Earl. Maybe I should call her.”

I stood up, my fur bristling slightly. No! Didn’t you hear me?

Ray reached for his phone, completely ignoring my telepathic protests. Then he paused. “You know what? I think I’ll give it some time. Play it cool. Don’t want to rush anything.”

I sat down again, sighing with relief.

Before Ray could go off on another tangent about his brilliant deductions and his romantic delusions, his phone rang, cutting through the quiet hum of the kitchen.

Ray’s eyes lit up as he grabbed his phone off the table. “Maybe this is another case!” he said, sounding excited. “We’re on a roll, Earl. This could be the next big one!”

I flicked my tail and gave him a long, unimpressed look. Here we go again.

Ray answered the phone, his face continuing to brighten as he spoke to whoever was on the other end.

I stretched out lazily, purring softly as I settled back into my spot. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

As Ray leaned into the call, already planning the next adventure, I closed my eyes, satisfied with my role in today’s victory. After all, who needed human praise when there was fresh salmon?