* * *
Turned out Phin had been checking on a sick cat, since their night vet tech was going to be late. And he'd gotten Andy's message when he was in Orlando and had already texted him back.
Andy checked his phone and grimaced. "I just got it, even though it says you sent it at three. Okay. We need to talk about the stolen tools found in the dog kennel."
Phin's mouth fell open. "What are you talking about? What stolen tools?"
"The tools somebody stole from Dave Wolf's job site," Jack, now human again, put in, his gaze fixed on Phin.
Phin glanced back and forth from Jack to Andy and then to me. "You can't possibly think Charithra had anything to do with stealing tools! She's the nicest, most honest—"
"No," Andy said flatly. "We thought you did. For what it's worth, she said there was no way you'd stolen them, either."
"I don't know anything about tools," Phin said hotly, clutching the poor cat too tightly, if the indignant meow was any sign. "I'm no criminal. Tess, tell them!"
"I've been telling them," I said. "But why were you trespassing at the UltraShopMart site?"
"I was only taking pics for the environmental group. We want to have proof in case Craven and his crew are destroying any irreplaceable plants or animals."
Now I felt even worse.
Lorraine patted Phin's arm. "We knew you were a good boy. We were here to prove it. Me, Eleanor, and Tess."
"Well, thanks, I guess." Poor Phin looked completely confused. "I have to get the cat back inside, and then I'll be glad to answer questions."
After Phin walked back inside, Eleanor raised her hand. "Deputy Andy. I really need to get home to watchJeopardy. Is there any way Lorraine and I can be excused?"
Andy's mouth dropped open. "You … you need to go home to watchJeopardy? You come out here with a firearm, probably impeding a police investigation, and you want to be excused to watchJeopardy?"
She beamed. "Exactly. That nice girl fromBig Bang Theoryis hosting this week. I just love her."
Andy clutched his head and groaned. I felt a little sorry for him.
"Fine," he finally said. "Go. But we're going to talk about this."
"After Christmas," Lorraine told him. "Now go fight crime."
"Lorraine," Andy began in a threatening tone.
She wagged her finger at him. "Don't you lecture me, young man. I changed your diapers at church daycare."
I'd never seen anybody's eyes almost bug out of his face before, except in cartoons, but Andy was doing a fair impersonation of it.
"Go!" he roared, and then he swung around to me when Eleanor and Lorraine toddled off. "I expect you want to be excused, too?"
"No. What I want is to tell you that the two in your car? I recognize them. Both of them were at the town hall meeting. She was the one who called Rooster a murderer, and he yelled something about how UltraShopMart money could pay for more police."
Andy's expression went from outraged to thoughtful. "Are you sure?"
Jack, who'd been fairly quiet, but in an "I'm about to explode" way instead of an "I'm indifferent to this chaos" way, wrapped a hand around my arm. "Definitely?"
"Yes. I'm good with faces. It helps my business when I can recognize repeat customers. Those two are absolutely the ones who tried to stir up trouble at the meeting."
"That's very interesting," Jack said slowly. "Because when they first got out of the car, they were arguing. The woman said, 'he's gonna kill us. That's just another thing we messed up.' And the man said it was all on her, since she wanted to be the second-in-command."
I started at Jack. "But—"
"Superior tiger hearing," he reminded us. "I was coming up along the side of the building."
