SOMETHING BOTHERING YOU, ARTHUR?” said Sheriff McKnight.

What was that? I could hardly hear him, what with all the barking going on in the car. My first time in a cop car, and it was very nice, especially how I got to sit up front so I could see where we were going and what we were passing at the same time. But where else would I be sitting except for up front? Have you forgotten that I was a deputy? You’re not alone. I kept forgetting, too.

“Didn’t care for that guy, did you?” the sheriff said.

What guy was he talking about? I liked most guys I met just fine.

Meanwhile we were going by a mountain I’d seen before, with ski trails and chairlifts, the trails now green and the chairlifts not moving. This was Mount Ethan, where people came from all over the place to ski in winter. Lots of condos and ski houses stood at the base of the mountain, plus cabins spread out in the woods nearby, but some skiers stayed with us at the inn. Skiing guests were great. When they came down off the mountain, they pretty much ate until bedtime and they were always happy and in the mood to share.

“You can tell a lot about a guy from how he treats a dog,” the sheriff said.

No question about that, but where were we going with this? I took a good look at Sheriff McKnight. He had a strong-featured face—nothing puny about that nose or chin—but it was somehow gentle at the same time, not a combo you see every day.

He glanced at me. “Here’s my advice, Arthur. Ignore the lousy people in life, don’t have anything to do with them. Just enjoy the good ones.”

Kind of complicated, but that part about enjoying the good ones made total sense. I was on board. Sheriff McKnight could count on me. The barking we’d had going on in our official cop car died down.

We drove into town, the part of town farthest from the river, where the inn is. The streets here are quiet, with small houses and tidy lawns. The sheriff turned onto a street I’d been on before, and not long ago.

“Tell me about Yvette, Arthur.” He looked my way again and laughed. “What a world that would be, huh? You could be my confidant.”

Sheriff McKnight had lost me completely. Yvette was Mom, of course, but all the rest was a mystery.

“I haven’t even thought of anything like this since … since … well, it’s been a long time,” he said, adding to my confusion. He shook his head. “When my mom said, ‘One day there’ll be someone new,’ and I stomped right out of her house? Like a child. But I am her child, so I guess she was looking out for me.” He took a deep breath. “Wasn’t nearly ready to hear it then. But now? I’m having trouble getting Yvette out of my mind. Not even sure I want to.”

Mom was on his mind? What was so surprising? She was on my mind all time. What was the deal with our sheriffs? First there’d been that meanie Hunzinger, now locked up, if I’d heard right. After that came Carstairs, who’d gotten run out of town. And now this dude, not sure he wanted Mom on his mind? How were things supposed to work if you didn’t have Mom on the scene, somewhere inside you?

We pulled up in front of a house with a lot of hanging plants on the porch. This was Edna’s house, where Mom, Bro, Harmony, and I had gone to deliver Princess. And … and pick up Queenie? Wasn’t that the plan? But Queenie wasn’t here. I knew that very well! Queenie was back at that cabin we’d just left! The cabin where Mr. Ware answered the door, not the Mr. Ware with the wild white hair and the shaggy white eyebrows and the old man voice, but the young Mr. Ware underneath. A very bad man, or a very bad pair of men. You can tell a lot about a person by how he treats—

Whoa! And he hadn’t treated me very well at all! Yanking my leash the way he had? How did he think that felt?

“Hey, Arthur, what’s the matter?”

Barking had started up inside our cop car again, and the barker was me, no question. I was angry. Mr. Ware, or Marlon, or Marlon Pruitt, or whatever he was called, had Queenie back at the cabin near Mount Ethan. I thought I’d heard her there and I’d picked up her scent for sure. I even knew where to look: behind the slatted door at the back of the kitchen in that cabin.

“Arthur! C’mon now!”

Come on now? What was he talking about? It was time to pull a uey, hit the siren and the lights, and zoom back to that cabin, pedal to the metal.

Instead Sheriff McKnight cut the engine and opened his door. “If you can’t zip it, you’re staying in the car.”

I zipped it.

We went up to the door. It opened before we got there and Edna looked out. How small she looked, especially standing next to Sheriff McKnight! She blinked once or twice, her eyes maybe a little frightened.

“Edna Fricker,” the sheriff said.

“Yes?”

“My name’s McKnight. I’m the new sheriff.”

“I heard there was a new sheriff,” Edna said.

“That’s me.”

“The county hasn’t had much luck when it comes to sheriffs,” Edna said. “If you don’t mind some straight talk from a tax-paying citizen.”

“Not at all,” the sheriff said. “I want to hear it, from you and everyone that lives in this valley. Right now, I’d like your help in the matter of the two cats, Princess and Queenie.”

“Queenie hasn’t turned up yet?” Edna said.

“I’m afraid not.”

“Oh, dear.” She noticed me. Some humans notice me first thing, some never, and some in between. Edna turned out to be an in-betweener. “Is this your K-9 partner?” she said. “He looks so much like the Reddys’ dog.”

“Arthur is the Reddys’ dog,” the sheriff said. “He’s been pressed into service as my K-9 partner for now.”

K-9 partner? That was me? That was me! What a roll I was on! Was it time to get busy and start arresting people? Any reason not to begin with Edna? She was right here, after all, easy pickins. I awaited the go signal from my law enforcement partner. We were going to enforce the law like it had never been enforced before.

Meanwhile there’d been some back and forth that I’d missed and now we were in Edna’s kitchen and Edna was pouring iced tea into two tall glasses. There was only one door to the kitchen. I plunked myself square in the doorway, sitting up tall. Anyone wanting in or out had to go through ol’ Arthur. Want to try me, Edna? Huh? Huh? Huh?

They drank tea and talked about all sorts of stuff I’d heard before. The beauty contest, Pamela Vance, Cuthbert the clown, now missing. Whoa! Cuthbert was missing? Had I already known that? It sounded important. Now that I was in law enforcement, I should probably pay attention when folks went missing. And I was just about to pay attention—pay attention and big-time!—when I noticed Princess curled up on what looked like a very comfy down pillow in the corner. Duck down, by the way—anything ducky being one of the easiest smells out there. At the same time I saw her she saw me.

We gazed at each other. I sent one single and very clear message. Princess, you’re now looking at a law enforcement officer. Mess with me and you’re toast. I felt huge inside, huge and getting huger.

Princess rose, no doubt pretty intimidated by my stare. Now she was about to go slink away and hide behind the fridge or the stove. I realized that I was going to have to get used to lots of slinkers from now on, slinkers slinking away from Deputy Arthur.

Princess stretched in a slinky way and headed for the … Except she didn’t head for the fridge or the stove, instead made her way over to me. Was she planning to make a run for it? Good luck with that, my little catty outlaw. Any idea what’s going to happen to you if you even try? I was still thinking of terrible things that would happen to her when she circled around and sort of backed into the space between my front paws, wriggling around a bit to make herself comfortable.

Sheriff McKnight glanced at us over the rim of his glass. “Princess seems to have a friendly disposition.”

“Very much so,” said Edna. “Unlike … unlike the actual winner of the so-called competition.”

“You’re talking about Queenie?”

“I’m not in the habit of talking negatively about anyone.”

“Of course not,” the sheriff said. He sipped his iced tea. “Do you have any reason to think the competition was fixed?”

“Goodness, no. I wouldn’t ever want to suggest such a thing.” Edna stirred a spoonful of sugar into her glass. “Even if it was sticking out like a sore thumb.”

“Very commendable of you.” The sheriff rose. “Now I’d like to take a look at the screen Queenie tore through.”

“Certainly,” said Edna. “I haven’t had it repaired yet—a long waiting list down at the hardware store this time of year.”

Edna led us out of the kitchen through … through another door, one I possibly hadn’t noticed, surely not an important door. Down a hall we went, Edna first, then the sheriff, followed by me and Princess, her tail sort of curling into my coat. At that moment I got hit by a strange thought: I preferred Queenie. And it wasn’t even close.

We entered a small den with lots of musty quilts around. Edna pointed out the open window, the big hole in the screen, and hole-shaped piece of screen lying on the floor.

Sheriff McKnight knelt and examined the piece of screen, running the edges through his hands. Without looking up, he said, “Queenie didn’t break out.”

“I don’t understand,” Edna said.

“This piece was cut out with metal shears,” the sheriff said. “Someone broke in and grabbed her.”

Edna put her hand to her chest. “Someone broke into my house?”

The sheriff nodded.

“Do you think they’ll come back?”

“No,” the sheriff said. “But I’d get that screen fixed as soon as you can and in the meantime keep the window closed and locked.”

“Gracious.” Edna went the window, closed, and locked it. She turned to the sheriff. “I was thinking of asking the Reddys to pay for the repair.”

“Were you?”

“It being their cat and all.”

The sheriff said nothing.

“Probably not appropriate,” Edna said. “What with this new development.”

The sheriff nodded a very small nod.

Edna tested the window, made sure it was locked up tight. She gazed outside. “Who would do such a thing?”

“We’re going to find out,” the sheriff said. By we, he meant me and him, just in case you missed that. We were the law in this here county.