“The puppies your cat brought home… it seems she found them there. But there’s more to it,” he continued, pausing as if to give me a moment to absorb the gravity of the situation. “The Carson property has been under surveillance due to reports of illegal activity.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Illegal activity? What does this have to do with Marsa and the puppies?”

The officer took a deep breath. “It appears someone was using the property for an illegal breeding operation. We’ve been trying to gather evidence to shut it down, but your cat managed to do something we couldn’t.”