"Did you do her in like you did your sister?" Those chilling words will tumble 12-year-old Holly Martin and her best friend Mindy down a twisty, turn-filled path as they try to be detectives. They really need to figure this out. Could Mom's boss really be a murderer? Like Holly's mom, Dr. Abbot is a very respected psychiatrist. He’s the big boss at the nearby psychiatric hospital. He also happens to own the house that Holly and her mom live in.

Then there's this black cat (with some white under its chin) that keeps showing up. It comes and goes as it pleases. How does it do this? Holly knows that cat is trying to tell her something. What? Sure, Holly has asthma, but she'll be careful. Sort of. And telling her shrink mom that the cat appears and then disappears isn’t something Holly is going to do. Holly has seen what a straight-jacket looks like. No thank you!

It isn't just the cat that wants something, there's also Jack, the guy who started it all by asking that disturbing question. He wants Holly to find out where his girlfriend went. Jack is desperate. Just how desperate?

Because it’s 1962 the outside world is concerned about this thing called the Cold War. Putting that aside, Holly has plenty to keep her up at night. Of course, in addition to all of that, there is school and boys and that Fall Dance. The normal stuff. Grades. Homework. Boys are creeps. Boys are interesting. That stuff.

It’s like they tell you when getting onto the roller coaster— “Buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”