Free The Cat Who Wasn't a Dog by Marian Babson Page A

everything. Sometimes we even watched the screen. It was the most satisfying and peaceful evening we had enjoyed in weeks.
    Which was just as well. Late the next morning, all hell broke loose.

Chapter Seven
    We were having a leisurely brunch when Evangeline’s mobile phone began ringing. Of course, she’d left it in her bedroom and had to go and find it.
    â€˜ Wha-a-t? ’ The modified shriek brought me to my feet, sending Cho-Cho tumbling to the floor. We both dashed in the direction of the incoherent shrieks.
    â€˜Evangeline, what is it? What’s the matter?’
    â€˜Don’t worry, Eddie,’ she said into the phone. ‘We’ll help you. We’ll get you out of this.’
    â€˜What is it? What’s happened?’
    â€˜What do you mean – ’ her face froze – ‘we’ve done enough?’
    â€˜Let me talk to him.’ I wrestled the phone from her.
    â€˜I told them I’d been with you all day,’ Eddie’s plaintive voice was saying. ‘Evangeline Sinclair, Trixie Dolan and Dame Cecile Savoy. “Just ask them,” I said, “they’re my alibi.” And they said, “Pull the other one, there’s bells on it.”’
    â€˜Alibi? What do you mean, alibi? Eddie, what’s going on?’
    â€˜Ron!’ Evangeline abandoned her attempt to get the phone back. ‘Ron Heyhoe! Where’s my address book? Ron will know what to do. He’ll have friends down there – ’
    â€˜Down where? Eddie, where are you?’
    â€˜Brighton,’ Eddie said lugubriously. ‘Bloody Brighton.’
    â€˜Brighton? What are you doing there? You told us yesterday you never wanted to go there again.’
    â€˜I didn’t,’ he said. ‘But they came and got me.’

    â€˜Got you? Eddie – ’
    â€˜Got it!’ Evangeline surfaced from the depths of a drawer, waving her address book triumphantly. ‘Now …’ she began riffling the pages. ‘Ron … Heyhoe, Ron, Superintendent.’
    â€˜Some git took my licence number,’ Eddie said. ‘Gave it to the coppers, didn’t ’e? So, ‘ere I am, under arr – No, no, I’m not finished. Let me talk. I – ’ The line went dead.
    â€˜Eddie!’ I pushed buttons wildly, trying to get him back, but nothing happened.
    â€˜Ah, here it is!’ Evangeline dived for the regular telephone and began stabbing numbers.
    â€˜Wait for me!’ I abandoned the attempt to reach Eddie and rushed to the extension. I wasn’t going to miss this.
    â€˜Superintendent Heyhoe, please. It’s an emergency … Certainly, this is Evangeline Sinclair.’
    I picked up the extension in time to hear an ominous silence. Then a click and a heavy sigh announced that we had been put through.
    â€˜Ron? Superintendent Heyhoe? Ron, is that you?’
    â€˜Good morning, Miss Sinclair. What’s the problem?’ His doom-laden tone expected the worst – and he was going to get it.
    â€˜Now, Ron, you promised you were going to call me Evangeline, remember?’ That was her idea of softening him up.
    â€˜What do you want … Evangeline?’ He wasn’t buying it.
    â€˜I was just thinking … it’s been such a long time since we’ve seen each other. Why don’t we get together for a drink? Soon.’
    â€˜Evangeline, I have a drug-related shooting, six mobile phone muggings, two burglaries and a missing child on my hands right now. If that’s all you have on your mind, perhaps we could discuss it at a later time.’
    â€˜Oh! … Well, there is a teensy-weensy little problem … I’m afraid it’s rather urgent.’

    â€˜ How teensy-weensy? How urgent? What have you done now?’
    â€˜It isn’t us. It’s our friend, Eddie. You know, the taxi driver.’
    â€˜Sorry.’ He didn’t sound it, he sounded relieved. ‘I can’t