Cat to the Dogs

Cat to the Dogs is the latest entry in Shirley Rousseau Murphy's mystery series featuring a pair of cats who discovered one day that they have the amazing ability to read, speak, and solve crimes.
There was the car "accident" on Hellhag Hill, which looked - well - fishy, to Joe's night-wise eyes. And there was the suspicious but not unwelcome death of the town philanderer, Shamas Greenlaw. Soon the little coastal California town was filled with greedy relatives and Shamas's brazen young mistress, all looking to share the widow's grief - and her rumored gold.
Every earthquake has its aftershocks, and now even Dulcie, the library cat, is getting weird. She's going to the dogs, literally. She's taken to mothering the two orphaned pups discovered at the scene of the crash.
And worst of all, there's Clyde, Joe's erratic but lovable human. He thinks cats should stay out of police work (as if humans could handle it on their own!), and to make his point, he's locking Joe and Dulcie out of the house when Officer Harper comes over to play poker.
Clyde is afraid the two will give away their secret - that a few select cats can not only talk, but also read - and even use the telephone (Where does Harper think those anonymous tips are coming from after all?) But Joe is not about to give up the chase. Not until the "ghost" of Hellhag Hill is tracked down and brought to justice.