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Cotton smoothed his shirt.ôShe wasnÆt happy with me, thatÆs for sure. But murder? I donÆt know, detective. That seems a little excessive, even for Dawn.ö

ôWhy did you divorce her?ö

ôBecause we were through. Simply speaking, I fell out of love with Dawn. Well, you know how it is. When you meet a person for the first time, youÆre madly in love, and you think sheÆs the only girl in the world. But then you get to know her, and the love light gradually fades, until one day you wake up next to a complete stranger, and wonder what you saw in her in the first place. And also, Dawn really let herself go after we had Inari.ö

ôYour daughter.ö

Cotton nodded.ôYou should have seen her when we met. She was gorgeous. But then she got fat and ugly, and even though I told her on several occasions to get her act togetheràö

ôYou told her she was fat and ugly?ö asked Odelia incredulously.

ôI believe in the power of truth, Mrs. Kingsley,ö said the CEO, unrepentant. ôIf you canÆt handle the truth, you have no business being alive. And Dawn, IÆm afraid to say, didnÆt take it well.ö He lowered the collar of his shirt and showed us a tiny scar. ôThrew a mirror at me.ö He shrugged. ôSo I gave her an ultimatum. Drop thirty pounds or IÆd divorce her. She told me to go and boil my head, so we got divorced.ö

ôI donÆt think I like Cotton Karat very much, Max,ö said Dooley.

ôNo, me neither,ö I said, giving the man a dark look.

ôSo how about Ebony Pilay?ö asked Chase, since Odelia seemed too mad to continue asking questions.

ôWhat about her?ö

ôShe was pretty angry with you.ö

ôNot with me. With my entourage.ö

ôShe didnÆt know it wasnÆt you who dumped her.ö

ôI guess not,ö he said with a frown. ôDo you think she killed that sap Blandine?ö

ôDo you?ö

ôMh. SheÆs got a temper, Ebony has, but murder? I donÆt knowà SheÆs crazy about me, you know. As am I about her.ö

ôDo you think youÆll get back together?ö

Cotton slapped his thighs and heaved a deep sigh.ôI wish. My dad has really tightened the screws. If I ever go near Ebony again heÆs going to kick me out of the company, and IÆm afraid heÆs not kidding this time. I meanàö He gestured around. ôHe practically kidnapped me and put me in this institution! That must be some kind of humanrights violation.ö He gave Chase a hopeful look. ôShould I press charges? Surely people have gone to jail for less?ö

But Chase wasnÆt allowing himself to be drawn into this family dispute. ôEbony seems to think youÆll be an item again.ö

ôWell, she can think again. IÆm not going anywhere near that woman. I mean, I donÆt want to lose everything over a piece of skirt.ö

Suddenly Odelia got up and stomped off. We all watched her leave, and it could have been my imagination but I had the distinct impression smoke was coming from her ears.

ôYouÆre a real piece of work, arenÆt you, Mr. Karat?ö said Chase, shaking his head.

ôIÆm just saying it like it is, detective. YouÆre thinking it, and IÆm saying it.ö

ôOh, no,ö said Chase. ôThis is all you, Cotton.ö

ôFine. So IÆm the last honest man on the planet. Sue me. Are we done?ö

ôYeah,ö said Chase, getting up and glowering at the man. ôWeÆre done.ö

Chapter 18

ôWhat a nasty piece of work!ö Odelia fumed once we were en route to Hampton Cove again. ôI canÆt believe what Ebony sees in the guy!ö

ôHeÆs rich, handsome, and IÆm sure he can be charming when he wants to be,ö said Chase.

ôWell, heÆs not fooling me. And in my next article IÆm going to lay it all out, no holds barred.ö

Chase chuckled.ôLooks like Cotton is in for some more trouble.ö

ôHeÆs got it coming. What a thoroughly despicable person.ö

ôI think itÆs all that foie gras he eats,ö said Dooley. ôEating that much liver canÆt be healthy. It probably affects his own liver and now heÆs turned into a grinch.ö

ôNot a grinch,ö I corrected my friend. ôMore like a misogynist.ö

ôThat sounds bad,ö said Dooley, eyeing me curiously. ôIs that like cancer?ö

ôAbsolutely,ö I said with a smile. ôA cancer to society.ö

ôSo where are we going now?ö I asked, addressing my question to Odelia since Chase still didnÆt speak our language for some reason, even though heÆd been rubbing shoulders with us for a while now.

ôWeÆre going to talk to the rest of the family,ö said Odelia. ôCottonÆs dad, ex-wife and daughter. Find out what they have to say about this murder business.ö

ôI hope Harriet and Brutus are all right,ö said Dooley. ôInfiltrating a duck group could be dangerous, especially if one of them is a killer.ö