were three witnesses.â
âCats arenât witnesses.â
âNo?â
âNo. I can hardly write in the paper: according to information we have received from several cats, the vehicle that smashed into the fish stall was driven by prominent Killenthorn resident Mr Ellmore. I just canât. Donât you understand that?â
Minou didnât understand. She left the room and got into her box without a word.
Â
At night on the roof Cross-eyed Simon said, âThereâs someone waiting for you at the Town Hall.â
âWho?â
âThe Deodorant Cat. Heâs got news.â
Minou went straight there. It was three in the morning and very quiet on the square. Two marble lions were crouched in front of the Town Hall, each with a marble shield between its knees.
Minou waited. A mixture of strange smells was wafting out from the left lionâs shadow. She could smell cat
and
perfume. And now the Deodorant Cat emerged.
âNosey-nosey first,â he said.
Minou held out her nose.
âSorry about the apple blossom,â the cat said. âItâs our latest fragrance. Iâve got something to tell you, but you mustnât tell anyone you got it from me. You have to keep my name out of the papers. Promise?â
âI promise,â said Minou.
âWell⦠remember I told you about Billy? The boy who worked in our canteen and got fired?â
âOh, yes,â said Minou. âWhat about him?â
âHeâs back. He got his job back.â
âHe must be pleased,â Minou said. âBut is that all? Itâs not really newspaper material.â
âDonât interrupt,â said the Deodorant Cat. âIâm not finished. Listen. This afternoon I was sitting on the ledge. Outside on the wall thereâs a ledge and when I sit on it, behind the creeper, I can hear and see everything that goes on in the ownerâs office. Our owner is Mr Ellmore. Do you know who that is?â
âOf course I do!â Minou exclaimed. âHe crippled your mother!â
âExactly,â said the cat. âThatâs why I hate him. Not that I see much of my mother these days. She smells a little too vulgar to my taste. Iâm used to more refined fragrances. But thatâs not the point. I was sitting there on the ledge and I saw Billy in Ellmoreâs office and I thought, letâs have a little listen, you never know.â
âGo on,â said Minou.
âI heard Ellmore say, âThatâs agreed then, Billy, you get your old job back. Just run along straight to the canteen.â And Billy said, âWith pleasure, sir, lovely, sir, thank you very much, sir.ââ
âAnd that was the end of it?â asked Minou.
âI thought so at first,â said the cat. âI thought it was over and I dozed off a little⦠because the sun was shining and you know what thatâs like⦠sitting on a ledge in the sunâ¦â
âYes, I know,â Minou said. âGo on.â
âWell, all at once I heard Ellmore whispering something at the door, â⦠and donât forget⦠if anyone happens to ask you what you saw this afternoon on Green Square⦠you didnât see a thing. Understood? Not a thing.ââ
ââNo, sir,â said Billy, âNot a thing.â And he left the office. And that was that.â
â
A-ha
,â said Minou. âI get it. Billy must have seen the accident.â
âThatâs what I thought too,â said the cat.
Â
âNow we finally have a human who saw it,â Minou told Tibble. âA real witness. Not just a cat witness.â
âIâll go see Billy right now,â said Tibble. âMaybe heâll admit to seeing something if I ask him straight out.â
He left.
While Tibble was gone, Minou had a conversation on the roof with the cat from the hotel. The Metropole Cat.
âTell me,â Minou