Chapter 54
Philomena had returned home the moment the identity of her husband’s killer had been revealed, and she had left Pippy safe in the care of her mother-in-law. Mercedes herself had decided to stick around, since she liked Hampton Cove. Despite it being the town where her beloved son had been killed.
Daniel Bozek had been locked up for the crimes he had committed, and so had Marva.
Looked like the problem of Chase falling for his partner had been solved along with the murder of Harley Glad—in one fell swoop.
Though Chase, when confronted by Gran with the suspicion of an affair with the woman, had denied this and said he had never harbored feelings for his colleague beyond mere appreciation for her talents as a cop.
Looked like we’d have to take his word for it, though I was inclined to believe him; Chase was devoted to Odelia, and she was devoted to him, and all this talk of cheating on one another was simply a lot of hoo-hoo, with no basis in fact.
It certainly had us running around in circles for a while, but then I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry.
The family had gathered for a nice afternoon of barbecue fun in the backyard of Marge and Tex, and the four of us—plus Pippy—had gathered on the porch swing, where we eagerly awaited culinary adventures as promised by the scent that wafted from Tex’s grill.
The doctor was a little out of sorts. After the Germinator had fled into the night without giving Tex the autograph he so desired, the bumblebee-clad superhero hadn’t been seen, and Tex was inconsolable for a while, and so was his good friend Bill Marvel.
It was exactly this officer who showed up at the feast, and as he made a beeline for the doctor and whispered something in the latter’s ear, we all wondered what was going on.
“Are they still hoping to meet the Germinator?” asked Brutus. “Tex and Bill Marvel?”
“I guess so,” I said.
I could have told them who the Germinator really was, but since I didn’t think it was all that important, I had decided not to.
After all, even superheroes are entitled to their privacy, and I could tell that the moment people knew the person behind the mask, the poor guy wouldn’t get a moment’s peace. He might be featured in the Hampton Cove Gazette and might even be on national television.
Something told me that it would involve being made a fool of, and I wanted to spare him that particular ordeal.
Officer Marvel, much to Uncle Alec’s surprise, was being given a place of honor at the table, where he was the first to receive some of those precious morsels from Tex’s grill.
“What does he have that we don’t?” asked Uncle Alec, who has always been a great trencherman.
“Bill here has just made me the happiest man in the world,” Tex announced. “Because he has finally managed to discover the lair of the Germinator. Isn’t that right, Bill?”
“I have accomplished that little thing,” Bill confirmed. “I have diligently looked for the Germinator, just as you instructed me to, chief, and I think I have found where he lives.”
“And so, as soon as dinner is over,” said Tex, “Bill and I will go over there and knock on his door—so to speak.”
“It’s not really a door,” Bill said with a smile. “It’s more a hole in the ground.”
“The Germinator lives in an abandoned bunker that was once home to a colony of rats,” Tex explained. “And that’s where he is right now.”
“We have to hurry, though,” said Bill. “Since the Germinator often flies at night and rests in the daytime.”
“Yeah, we need to get going soon,” said Tex, “or we will miss him.”
Just then, a head popped up on the other side of the fence. It belonged to Ted Trapper, and he was licking his lips and wiggling his nose at the smell of so many goodies sizzling on the grill. He directed an eager look at the goodies in question.
“Any chance for a little piece, neighbor?” he asked.
“Oh, sure, Ted,” said Tex. “Give me your plate, and I’ll do the honors. Marcie, too?”
“Please,” said Ted as he disappeared, presumably to go and select a nice big plate from the kitchen.
At that moment, Rufus decided to join us. He must have smelled the same thing—even more strongly, as dogs have that superior sense of smell. And since Rufus was rarely alone, Fifi tripped after him. The Yorkie seemed excited at the prospect of partaking in the feast.
“How is Ted?” asked Dooley. “Is he feeling better yet, Rufus?”
The outsized sheepdog’s face fell. “Not really,” he said. “Still in bed most days and not feeling well. I’ve actually overheard him talking to Marcie, and it turns out he’s on sick leave. His boss, his colleagues, Marcie—they’re all worried about him.”
“What does the doctor say?”
“Well, that’s just the thing. He’s been going to Tex, and he says that he simply has to take it easy.
Make sure that he feels well before he returns to work.
” He directed a look of admiration at Tex.
“He’s been very supportive, you guys. Has even tussled with Ted’s boss over this.
Said that Ted needs to take a break after so many years of working so hard. ”
“Tex is the greatest,” said Brutus. “An amazing doctor with a heart for his patients.”
At that moment, Ted’s head popped up again on the other side of the fence. He was holding out two plates, and Tex did the honors by filling them with a variety of meatstuffs from his grill.
“Here you go, Ted,” he said. “Tuck in, and I hope you enjoy your meal.” He then gestured to the table, where the rest of the family were engaged in pleasant conversation. “Or you could join us? We are neighbors, after all.”
“Don’t mind if I do, Tex,” said Ted, well pleased.
There had been a time when Tex and Ted didn’t get along all that well, but it looked like those days were over, and the two men finally saw eye to eye.
It wasn’t hard to see why: both had the same hobbies, like collecting garden gnomes.
Or raising chickens. And both were pillars of the community.
Tex as a doctor, and Ted as the man who made most of the small businesses in town run smoothly.
All in all, it was hard to see why they had harbored any animosity over the years at all.
Ted and Marcie joined the rest of the family, and before long, everyone was enjoying a nice plate filled with goodies—even us cats, and also Pippy, and of course Fifi and Rufus.
“Where is Clarice, by the way?” asked Brutus. “I thought I saw her arrive with Scarlett, but then she sort of disappeared?”
“No idea,” I said as I tucked into my plate. “Maybe she decided to pop over to Blake’s Field and get some of her own food.”
“Yeah, Clarice is probably catching a rat or two,” said Harriet. “Even though this is much better and much tastier than any rats.”
“I wouldn’t know,” said Fifi. “I have never tasted rat in my life. And I hope I never will, to be honest.”
Around the table, everyone was discussing the recent events that had befallen our town—and our family.
“I still can’t believe Zeke set fire to our kitchen door,” said Odelia. “He seemed like such a nice man. And such an accomplished instructor.”
“You still haven’t explained why you were carrying those matches around, Marge,” said Gran, turning to her daughter.
“I did explain,” said Marge. “I thought Odelia might have run out.”
“I don’t use matches, Mom,” said Odelia. “Our stove has electric ignition.”
Marge blinked a few times, apparently at a loss for words.
“Just spill it, honey,” said Gran. “Why were you carrying that box of matches?”
Marge groaned. “Oh, all right. Fine. I read online that lighting a match masks… certain smells. And since our toilet was broken and I’ve been using Odelia’s, I just thought…” She trailed off, thoroughly mortified, her face turning bright red.
For a moment, no one said a word. Then they all burst out laughing.
“I didn’t know that trick,” said Charlene. “How does it work, exactly? Because I have the same qualms you do, honey—especially when I use the public restroom at Town Hall.”
“What are they talking about, Max?” asked Dooley. “I don’t understand.”
“Just human stuff, buddy,” I said, having no desire to delve into the sordid details of human bathroom protocol. I mean, I like to keep it clean, especially when I’m eating.
At that moment, suddenly there was a sort of commotion on the other side of the fence, and then Clarice popped into view. She was carrying something very large in her mouth and was struggling to drag it over to us.
“Look what I found!” she cried triumphantly. “It’s a giant bumblebee! The giant bumblebee! The costume of that Germinator freak!”
She was right. What she had dragged into the backyard was indeed the costume used by the Germinator: the bumblebee outfit that he habitually wore.
“Uh-oh,” I said quietly.
“Where did that come from?” asked Tex as he got up so fast that he upended his plate. That nice meat fell all over the ground, and I winced.
Clarice, who had an eye for such things and who liked a challenge, immediately raced forward, and before long, the meat had all been efficiently relocated to her stomach.
“Not bad,” she said approvingly. “I prefer raw rat, of course, but still. This will tide me over nicely.”
Tex had picked up the costume and held it up for closer inspection.
“But… this is a costume,” he said. “The Germinator’s costume.” He looked so discombobulated that it was almost comical to watch. “But that means… that he isn’t real?”
“Of course he’s not real, Tex,” said Uncle Alec. “He’s just a guy in a suit.”
“I really thought he was real,” said Tex, as disappointed as a kid who discovers that Santa at the mall is his Uncle Grover in a fat suit and a white beard.
“Where did you find that, Clarice?” asked Marge, who felt for her husband. She could see where he was coming from, of course, since she had been so enamored with the illusion of the perfect band when she became a fan of Turbo Heartthrob.