Cats

Cats are recurring presences in the Beresfords’ investigations, serving both as incidental features of a setting and, in Tommy’s pursuit of Hank P. Ryder, as an improvised means of locating a hidden house. Their ordinary behavior becomes useful evidence when Tommy turns the animals’ attraction to valerian into a way to mark the right door for the arriving police.

In the Alley

During the pursuit of Hank P. Ryder, Tommy and Ryder enter a dim alley where several cats prowl along the walls. Tommy marks a door with a rough chalk cross, ostensibly to distinguish it from the similar doors around them. His cheerful remark about the number of cats helps make the scene seem casual, while the animals supply the means for a second, concealed marker.

Valerian as a Clue

Tommy has suspected Ryder and arranged for Albert to follow them by motorcycle if they went out together. While drawing attention to the chalk cross, Tommy empties a small bottle of valerian onto the ground. Because cats are attracted to it, they gather outside the correct house; Albert and the police can then identify the target and arrive there. The ruse makes the cats an alternative to relying on the visible mark alone, which Tommy has placed in plain sight to occupy Ryder’s attention.

Narrative Function

The episode turns a commonplace animal into a practical part of the investigation without making the cats deliberate participants. Their behavior provides a dependable response to Tommy’s bait, converting the alley’s prowling cats from background detail into a temporary guide for the police. The scene also fits the Beresfords’ use of misdirection: a conspicuous chalk cross appears to be the clue, while the more useful signal is the cats’ gathering outside the house.