“Well, I’ll be . . .” Bogey kind of murmured.
“You’ll be what?” I asked him.
Bogey grinned again. “Nothing, kid. Just an idea that came to my mind. I’ll tell you about it later.”
Before long, all of us cats were gathered around with Annie and Henry. Gracie came over and took turns holding each cat. It turned into a pretty nice party before our Moms told us it was time to go home.
We waved goodbye to all our friends as our Mom and Gracie took us away in our pet carriers.
But not before we saw Pastor Tom put down food and water for Luke and Henry and Annie. He said goodnight to the cats and punched in the alarm code on the keypad. Then he locked the door and headed for his own car.
Bogey watched Pastor Tom the whole time. “Did you see that, kid? The church has an alarm system.”
I looked over at my brother. “Um . . . yes, I saw it.”
Bogey squinted his eyes. “Churches didn’t used to have alarms, kid. Not when I first got started in this business.”
I glanced backward in my carrier as Gracie took me to the car. “Well, there was lots of pretty stuff in there. Things someone might want to steal. So they probably have an alarm, just like our Mom’s store. And just like the Museum.”
“Yup, kid,” Bogey sort of murmured. “Just like the Museum. Just like all museums. All over the world.”
Seconds later, we were in our Mom’s car and headed home. Gracie got in the front and put my pet carrier on her lap with me inside. Our Mom put Bogey and the Princess in the back in their pet carriers. And Hector’s Mom sat in the back and held onto Hector.
By now, I’d hoped that Hector would be all talked out. But no such luck. He meowed and meowed and carried on the whole way home. But instead of gossiping like he usually did, he talked mostly about Henry. I guess his new friend had made a pretty big impression on him.
Our Dad was already home when we got there, and things were pretty busy from the moment we arrived. Gracie went to practice her piano and us cats all gathered around. Then there was supper and lots more activity with Gracie getting ready for her recital the next day.
I didn’t really get a chance to talk to Bogey until that night. Not until after our family had gone to bed and we’d run our first surveillance round. That’s when Bogey and I sat on our Mom’s desk. And that’s when I finally told Bogey about the little symbols I’d seen at the church. I described how I found them carved into the bottom of the stone wall in that hallway.
Bogey booted up our Mom’s computer and pulled out a bag of cat treats. “That’s brilliant, kid. Absolutely brilliant. Someday you’ll be a great cat detective.”
I would?
Holy Mackerel! I sat there sort of stunned for a moment. Funny, but I didn’t feel any more brilliant today than I did yesterday. Or the day before. I tried to say thank you, but instead I just kind of stammered.
Even so, it really made me feel happy to hear Bogey say what he did. Especially since I’d been working so hard to become the best cat detective I could be. And Bogey’s words made me want to work even harder. I suddenly felt a little taller than I did before.
Bogey passed me a cat treat and then took one for himself. “Here you go, kid. This’ll get you going again.”
I munched on my treat and watched while my brother typed onto the computer keyboard. An article from the St. Gertrude Times popped onto the screen.
He nodded at the article. “Something you said earlier, kid, made me think about museums. Not just here, but around the world. Then I remembered something I read in the paper about a month ago. Take a look at this.”
I scooted closer so I could read it. The title said, “Volunteers Travel to Turkey to Help Museum.” It had a big picture right underneath.
“That’s nice,” I told my brother. “Volunteers can really help a lot.”
“Yup, kid,” he said. “But I don’t think these volunteers were there to help.”
“They weren’t?” I asked.
He handed me another treat and took one, too. “Nope, kid. Take a closer look. Who do you see in the picture?”
I put my treat in my mouth and scooted right next to the computer screen. That’s when I noticed Byron Bygones and Evaline Esterbrook in the picture. They were standing with some other people under a big sign that read “Istanbul Museum.”
I’m sure my eyes went really wide when I turned back to my brother.
He nodded before I could even say a word. “Do you remember where the sea captain sailed from, kid? In the La Paloma?”
I had to think for a moment. I remembered it was a bird name. Then it finally hit me.
“Turkey?” I managed to squeak out.
“You got it, kid,” Bogey went on. “And where did Delilah fly in from?”
I thought of the airline schedule we had taken from her purse. “Istanbul?”
“And where is Istanbul?” Bogey asked.
“In Turkey?” I sort of half-said and half-guessed.
Bogey nodded. “Yup, kid, that’s right. And I’ll bet that’s where our Tobias statue was found after all these years. One of the articles we read before said it was the last place it had been spotted. So I’ll bet one of the people running around here found it and brought it back to St. Gertrude.”
Now I was starting to catch on to things. “And the other people figured it out. Then they chased the one who had the statue. Because they wanted the statue for themselves.”
Bogey gave me a paw bump. “Good job, kid. You got it. I told you you’re going to be a great cat detective some day.”
There they were again. Those same words about me being a great cat detective. I didn’t know why Bogey kept saying that. Or, for that matter, why he believed it. But if that’s what he thought, I figured maybe I could try acting more like it. The best I could. And maybe it was time I tried to think on my own a little more.
So I stood up and paced back and forth across our Mom’s desk. “But who had the statue? And why did they bring it to St. Gertrude? And who put it in our Mom’s store?”
Bogey grinned and passed me another treat. “Don’t know, kid. But keep it up. You’re on a roll now. You’re thinking like a real cat detective.”
“Um, okay,” I told him. I paced some more and said the first thing that came to my mind. “So if those people were after the Tobias statue before, they’re probably still after it. Because none of them have found it. That’s because we have it.”
Bogey nodded. “Good job, kid. Keep it up.”
I took a deep breath. “Um, okay. They probably suspect that we have it, but they don’t know for sure. And maybe they figured out that none of the others have the statue, since they’re all still acting like they’re after it. Because, they probably figured if one of them had it, that person wouldn’t act like they were searching for it any more.”
Bogey grinned and passed us another round of cat treats. “Like I said, kid. Brilliant. Keep going.”
I paced back and forth some more. “And maybe they’re all on the hunt for the Tessa statue, too.”
Bogey stashed the cat treats back in the vase. “As well as the rest of the treasure.”
Now I stopped pacing and stared at my brother. “And as long as we have the Tobias statue, someone might try to break into our house again. To search for the statue.”
Bogey nodded. “That’s the size of it, kid. And our family could still be in danger.”
I gulped. “But how do we stop these people?”
Bogey flexed a front paw. “Easy, kid. We find the Tessa statue and the treasure, too. Then we turn everything over to the police. So these people have nothing left to hunt down.”
Easy? Did he say easy?
I paced a little more. “Um, okay . . . but where do we find the Tessa statue and the treasure?”
Bogey grinned. “We’ll start by looking right where you found those symbols, kid.”
I stopped and stared at my brother again. “In the church?”
Bog
ey nodded. “That’s right, kid.”
“But how will we get there?” I asked him. “And how will we get in? That place is locked up when nobody’s there. Plus they have an alarm.”
Now Bogey grinned again. “Let’s put it this way, kid. No matter what, we’ve gotta go to Gracie’s recital tomorrow night. At the church.”
We did?
But our Mom already told Gracie that we couldn’t go. And well, I didn’t think cats were exactly invited. So how would we get there?
Holy Catnip!
CHAPTER 21
_____________________________
Holy Mackerel! I could hardly believe it. There we were, about to sneak into our Dad’s truck all over again. Just like we did the on night when our Mom’s store was broken into.
But this time we weren’t going to our Mom’s store. This time we were going to the church for Gracie’s piano recital. We only hoped our Mom and Dad and Gracie would be too distracted to notice us going along for a ride.
Especially since poor Gracie had been a nervous wreck all day. She’d practiced her recital piece several times this afternoon. And no matter how hard she tried, she just kept having trouble with it. But when I gave her a kiss on the nose and Bogey tapped on the keys, she always did just fine.
Unfortunately, she seemed to have a lot of tears in between.
At one point she hugged me tight and cried into my fur. “Oh, Buckley, if only you and Bogey could go tonight. I know I could play really well if you boys were at the piano with me.”
I reached up and licked the tears off her face. To let her know I loved her. And that Bogey and I would be going to the church tonight.
I hoped.
Finally, after a long day, the moment came when our family was about to leave for the recital. Bogey and I were ready to zoom out the instant they opened the door to the garage. And Lil was standing by to hold the door for us. Exactly like she did the night we snuck out to our Mom’s store.
Gracie dragged her feet toward the door and looked like she was fighting back tears. She was wearing her prettiest dress and hugging her sheet music to her chest. I had never seen her look so sad before. Our Mom and Dad followed her.
“I just know I’m going to mess up,” Gracie said to our Mom.
Our Mom put her arm around her shoulder. “Now, honey, you don’t know that. You’ve played that song before without messing up. I have a lot of confidence in you.”
Our Dad held the garage door open for them. “Just do your best, Gracie. It’s more important to try than to give up.”
But no matter what our Mom and Dad said to her, it didn’t seem to make her feel any better.
After that, everything happened so fast I could barely keep track of it all.
Once our Dad had the door wide open, Lil got into position to hold it for us. She kept it open long enough for Bogey and me to slip through. Thankfully, our Mom and Dad were so busy taking care of Gracie that they didn’t even notice us. And they didn’t see us when we slinked up into our Dad’s truck, the second they opened the doors. We went straight to the backseat and hid on the floorboard. Right where no one would ever spot us. It was a good thing we’d already done this once before. Because it sure helped to have some practice.
To tell you the truth, I was pretty happy with the way things had gone so far. That was, until I glanced out under an open door. That’s when I saw something that made my heart start to race.
The Princess!
She must have decided to join us! The only problem was, we didn’t know she was coming. And, she’d never had to sneak into a truck before with only a few seconds to spare. If she didn’t time it right, the doors could be slammed shut and she could get caught in between!
Now there she was, scrunched down in the middle of the garage floor. She acted like she wasn’t sure what to do.
I waved frantically to her. “Hurry!” I sort of mouthed.
She saw me and her eyes went wide. Then she scurried for all she was worth and leaped inside. Just seconds before Gracie finished climbing in and shut the door.
I helped the Princess slip over to hide with Bogey and me. Unfortunately, our hiding place was just big enough for two. Not for three.
So Bogey and I scooted over and let the Princess hide behind us. We watched quietly as Gracie fastened her seat belt. She seemed lost in her own world, and I could tell she was trying so hard not to cry. But a tear slipped down her cheek anyway, and she looked down to wipe it away.
And spotted us.
At first her mouth fell open and her eyes almost popped out of her head. Then Bogey put a paw to his mouth, signaling for her to keep quiet.
She smiled and put her hand to her mouth. I could tell she was holding back a giggle. It was the happiest I’d seen her all day.
Minutes later, when we arrived at the church, she leaned over and whispered, “Now you cats be sure to walk in right behind me. I don’t want you running around outside. I don’t want you to get lost.”
Bogey and the Princess beamed up at her and I reached up and gave her a quick kiss on the nose.
“What was that, honey?” our Mom asked from the front seat.
“Oh, nothing,” Gracie said.
Gracie held the door open long enough for us to get outside and hide under the truck. Then she lagged behind our Mom and Dad while they all went into the church. She watched while we quickly followed her and then let us inside the building.
“Make sure you find me when it’s time to come home,” she whispered to the three of us.
I gave her a quick rub around the legs to let her know I understood. Then all three of us took off running down a hallway of the old stone church. I led the way, since I knew where the symbols were. We had barely turned the first corner when we saw Luke the church cat. He was sitting on a bench next to Henry and Annie.
That’s when the three of us paused to say hello to the three of them.
Music echoed out to us from inside the church hall. And we knew the piano recital was starting. I sure hoped we’d be done checking out those symbols before Gracie started playing her song. Because I really wanted to be sitting beside her on the piano bench when she started.
Bogey leaned into my ear. “I have an idea, kid. On how we can find a home for Annie and Henry.”
I turned to look at my brother. “You do?”
“Yup, kid,” Bogey said. “Let me chat with Luke for a minute. I’ll bet he knows how to work the church computer.”
“Um, okay,” I said.
And while he did, I sneaked back up toward the front door again. I glanced into the main part of the church to see where the kids in the recital were playing. So I could find Gracie when it was her turn to play.
I saw a piano had been set up on a little stage in the front of the room. The rest of the people were sitting in the audience while the kids took turns playing their songs.
I knew exactly where I’d be going right after we checked out those little symbols.
I turned to race back to Bogey and the Princess. But not before I glanced up and saw the alarm keypad. I remembered what Bogey had said about it yesterday. Right when Pastor Tom had punched in the six numbers on the keypad.
Six numbers.
Just like our Mom used for her own alarm code.
And just like the clue Bogey had found in the sea captain’s pocket. There were six numbers on that sheet of paper, too.
I blinked a couple of times. Could it be the numbers on that sheet of paper were supposed to be an alarm code? Did someone write down Abigail’s Antiques and the alarm code to our store? But the numbers on that sheet weren’t even close to the numbers our Mom used for her alarm code. And why would someone have our Mom’s alarm code anyway?
I ran back toward my brother. But I could barely see where I was going. Instead I just kept seeing that clue in my mind. I kept remembering what it said . . .
Bogey just grinned at me when I reached him. “Let me guess, kid. You’ve cracked this case wide open.”
I nodded really, really fast. “Maybe . . . Um, yes . . . I think so.”
I noticed Luke was gone now, so we said our goodbyes to Henry and Annie. Then the Princess and Bogey and I ran down the rest of the hallway. I told him my idea about an alarm code while we made a beeline to the spot where I’d seen the symbols.
“Good job, kid!” Bogey said with a slap on the back. “I’m proud of you.”
Now I grinned, too. That was, until I started to think about things some more. Bogey had said we needed to find all the pieces to this puzzle before we could put it together. But my brain was busy trying to put everything together right now. Could it be we’d found all the pieces already? Could it be we just needed to fit them together?
Holy Mackerel!
Up ahead, I spotted the place in the hallway where those little symbols had been carved. I pointed them out to Bogey and the Princess. We stopped right in front of them and took a good look.
Bogey gave me a paw bump. “Good eye, kid. A lot of cat detectives would’ve never seen these. And you can bet the humans never spotted them either.”
“They’re so small,” the Princess said. “I never would have found them either. You’re such a great cat detective, Buckley.”
She stared at me with her big, green eyes. And suddenly the room started to spin.
Luckily, a little breeze ruffled our whiskers, just like the first time I’d been there. It was enough to bring me back to my senses.
I leaned in closer to the symbols. “I wonder where that breeze is coming from?”
Bogey sniffed the air and pointed at the wall. “From in there, kid.”
“In there?” I asked.
Bogey nodded. “Yup, kid. It’s an old church. I’ll bet there’s a secret passage in there.”
A secret passage? Let me tell you, I didn’t like the sound of that one bit. After all, weren’t secret passages supposed to be dark and dank? And full of scary stuff? I sure hoped we weren’t going into any secret passages.
The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues Page 18