“I was saying that I thought the Longworth house would be like a palace inside because Miss Longworth is considered the queen of Woodcrest,” she said.

“Shawn told me that she was socially prominent, but he in no way prepared me for what I saw. That estate is magnificent. But back to my problem. If I return after the police chief has warned me to stay away, could I be arrested for trespassing?”

“You wouldn’t sneak in her window or break into her house if your cat’s life depended on it, much less your own. I say, get yourself an invitation, and Chief Shelton can’t do a thing about it. That police chief’s something else, by the way. Got a reputation as hard-core. She doesn’t put up with anything in her town. Bet she’d decide what time everyone could sneeze if the town council gave her the power.”

“Uh-oh. Maybe I should leave this for Shawn to figure out,” I said. “I don’t want to make people angry.”

“I’m not saying she’s a bad person,” Candace said. “From what I hear, she’s a good cop. Just don’t let her intimidate you. I know you want to reunite that lady with her cat.”

“No matter what I think, Shawn will have to approve Isis’s return to the Longworth Estate, and I haven’t even talked to the woman—something Shawn insisted I should do. So how do I get that invitation to return? Miss Longworth’s surrounded by all these staff people, and besides, I pretty much ran out the door with my tail between my legs.”

“I’m sure you can get back inside. Someone as sweet and nice as you just has to say the right words.” She smiled—a knowing smile that I couldn’t figure out.

“I give. What are those words?” I said.

“Ed Duffy sent me.”

Four

After Candace left for the paint store, I decided to call my friend Tom Stewart. He’s a former cop and now a security expert and private investigator. Kara works for him and has gotten pretty darn good at installing alarms and surveillance cameras with his help, something that I’d never thought she’d do.