"Missing humans, missing cats,what's the difference?"A fire in the seaside village ofMolena Point has left a twelve-year-old boy homeless—and thebody of his alcoholic guardian is found in the smoldering ruins. Amost curious tomcat, feline p.i.Joe Grey wonders if escape wasreally impossible for the elderlywoman or if something moresinister occurred. And when boisterous Debbie Kraftdescends uninvited on theDamens' home with her twochildren, claiming that her ex-husband has left her destitute,Joe really smells a rat— especially when he discoversDebbie is carrying loads of cash .. . and that the dead womanwas her estranged mother.This case—a nasty mix ofmissing persons, abandoned pets, real-estate scams, andmurder—has Joe's fur standingon end. But it's not untilDebbie's left-behind housecatshows up that Joe and his furrydetecting pals find the biggest, most troubling clue of all: agrave that the cops somehowhave missed.