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ôMr. Blandine was murdered at a duck farm,ö said Odelia. ôHis liver was removed and placed in a foie gras tin, then delivered along with a message to his office this morning. The message was sent by the Duck Liberation Front.ö She showed the message on her phone, and Lita read it with bloodcreeping up her cheeks until they were both a bright crimson.

ôDid you send this message, Miss Fiol?ö asked Chase finally.

ôNo, of course not! Are you crazy? Send a manÆs liver toàö She blinked. ôWait a minute. Are you accusing me of murdering this guy and shipping his liver off to his office?ö

ôIn light of the fact that youÆve been staging multiple protests against Mr. Karat and the foie gras his company produces, and after the protest yesterday at Town Hall, I donÆt think itÆs hard to imagine you or one of your members are behind this business.ö

She held up her hands in a gesture of defense.ôLook, I admit I had a beef with the guy. But I would never murder him. IÆm not a violent person, Detective Kingsley.ö

ôShe looked a little violent yesterday,ö Dooley commented.

ôThey all looked a little violent,ö I agreed. ôEven Gran and Scarlett.ö

ôDo you think Gran is behind this? Her and Scarlett?ö

ôI donÆt think so. Though it probably wonÆt hurt to ask.ö

ôWhere were you last night between ten and midnight, Miss Fiol?ö asked Chase.

She blinked.ôHome. Alone.ö

ôIs that right?ö

ôYes, thatÆs right,ö she said, taking a defiant stance.

ôIÆm going to need a list of all the members of the DLF.ö

ôImpossible.ö

ôWe could get a warrant,ö said Odelia.

ôAnd search your house,ö said Chase, ôsearch this shopùget that list off your computer.ö

ôYou wouldnÆt dare.ö

ôI donÆt think you understand the trouble youÆre in, Miss Fiol. A man has been brutally murdered, his liver removed as if he was a duck, and a message from your organization sent to his office claiming responsibility for the murder.ö

ôBut I didnÆt do it!ö she cried.

Just then, the client whoÆd been perusing the tofu section approached the counter. It was an elderly lady who was holding up two packets of tofu. ôCan you please tell me which one of these has chicken, miss?ö

ôIÆll be with you shortly,ö said Lita with a strained smile. ôAfter IÆve dealt with these people.ö

ôOh, all right,ö said the woman, and wandered off again.

ôLook, I was at a DLF meeting last night, all right?ö said Lita. ôI didnÆt want to tell you, since some of our members donÆt appreciate it when their names and pictures are plastered all over the paper.ö

ôSo why do they join the protests?ö asked Odelia, not unreasonably. ôThey must know theyÆll be photographed.ö

This had Lita stumped for a moment, then she rallied.ôNot all of our members take part in our protests. Some of them prefer to work behind the scenes.ö

ôFine,ö said Chase. ôIÆm going to need the names and addresses of all the people who were present at your meeting.ö

ôButàö

ôWhat time did the meeting break up?ö

ôEleven-ish.ö

ôPlenty of time to drive down to Karat Farm and gut Mr. Blandine.ö

ôNo! I didnÆt leave the house again. My boyfriend can confirm that.ö

ôWhat boyfriend? You just said you were home alone all night.ö

The girl emitted a resigned sigh.ôHe doesnÆt like to be dragged into DLF business.ö

ôName?ö Chase demanded curtly, his pencil poised over his notepad.

ôTobias Pushman.ö

This caused a small measure of consternation, then Odelia asked,ôTobias Pushman as in the head of the Karat GroupÆs legal department? That Tobias Pushman?ö

Lita nodded.ôWeÆve been seeing each other for the last couple of months. We met at one of the DLF protests. I chucked a bucket of paint at him, and instead of sending me the dry-cleaning bill he dropped by the store to hand me his soiled suit. We got to talking, and for some strange reason we hit it off. We had lunch, then we had dinner, then we started dating. We havenÆt told anyone.ö

ôI canÆt imagine why,ö said Chase.

ôPlease donÆt tell him I told you,ö she pleaded. ôHeÆs going to be in so much trouble if the Karats find out heÆs been dating their worst enemy.ö

ôI wonder what they talk about when theyÆre alone in bed,ö said Dooley.

ôDucks, probably,ö I said. ôTheyÆre both in the duck business, after all.ö

ôYes, but sheÆs trying to save ducks, and heÆs murdering them on an industrial scale.ö

ôOr maybe they donÆt talk about ducks at all? Probably better to leave the topic unaddressed.ö

ôThank you for your time,ö said Chase. ôAnd donÆt forget: IÆm going to need that membership list on my desk by tonight, or else.ö

ôBut IÆve given you my alibi!ö

ôAnd donÆt think we wonÆt check it,ö Chase warned her.

As we left the shop, we heard the old lady ask,ôWhich one of these has beef, miss?ö

ôThereÆs no meat in tofu, all right! ItÆs soyùjust soy!ö

ôSoy? What kind of meat is that? Not pig, surely.ö

ôOh, my God!ö

Clearly the best friend ducks ever had was under a great deal of strain.

Chapter 13