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ThereÆs often a vast chasm between what witnesses think is important and what the police deem so. And more often than not it concerns things those witnesses prefer to keep a secret for whatever reason.

Since Odelia and Chase were in the first row, so were Dooley and I, which afforded us an excellent vantage point to follow this all-important briefing.

ôAs you are probably aware,ö said Cotton, addressing the room full of journos, ôa man was murdered late last night. This man was an employee of the Karat Group. His name is Eric Blandine and he was a much-appreciated and hard-working member of the Karat family. LetÆs please observe a minuteof silence in remembrance of Mr. Blandine.ö He inclined his head and folded his hands in prayer. All of five seconds later, he looked up again. ôEric Blandine put his life on the line for this company, and I think we can all appreciate his familyÆs bereavement, so IÆm going to ask you to respect their privacy.ö

ôI thought Cotton thought that Eric Blandine was just a lowly worker drone?ö asked Dooley.

ôI have the impression Eric Blandine is about to become canonized,ö I said.

ôMr. Blandine stepped forward at a time when the Karat family found itself under duress. My relationship with Ebony Pilay recently broke down, and I found myself unable to cope with this personal tragedy that had befallen me. So I decided that I needed some time to come to terms with the loss andtake a break. But of course the Karat Group needs leadership. And so Eric volunteered to provide this leadership at this difficult time. In so doing he provided the group with an essential service, and me with much-needed time to grieve. I will answer questions later,ö he snapped when three handsrose up in the room.

ôHeÆs lying through his teeth,ö said Dooley.

ôHeÆs being creative with the truth,ö I said. ôItÆs called PR.ö

ôSo PR is like creative lying?ö

ôSomething like that.ö

ôAnd of course we know what happened next. Some dastardly criminals decided to take EricÆs life last night, a life he sacrificed for the group he worked his entire life for. The company he served with honor and dignity. With pride and dedication. LetÆs take another minute to commemorate such a remarkable man.ö Three seconds later, he went on, ôBecause of what happened, IÆve decided to cut my break short, and assume full control of the group once more. There is a time to grieve, but thereÆs also a time to take oneÆs responsibility. The Karat Group employs fifty thousand people across the globe. They deserve a strong leader. A leader who will make sure that the people who took Eric Sardine away from us will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. ItÆs what Eric Sardine deserves. ItÆs what Eric Sardine died for.ö He bowed his head nobly.

ôItÆs Blandine!ö we could hear Tobias hiss, even though he held his hand over his mic.

Cotton looked up again, his mournful expression replaced by a smile.ôAnd now my daughter would like to say a few words. Inari?ö

And as the youngest scion of the Karat family took the stage, the reporter to OdeliaÆs right leaned over and whispered, ôThis holier-than-thou attitude is making me sick!ö

ôWhose? CottonÆs?ö

ôThe daughter, of course.ö

ôWhy?ö

ôShe pretends to be all lovey-dovey with the world, but I saw her go toe-to-toe with the girlfriend only last week. Shouting abuse at her like some truck driver. Who would have thought that a girl who looks like a saint would know language as foul as that!ö

ôAre you sure it was Inari?ö asked Odelia, clearly surprised.

ôAbsolutely. Told the Pilay woman that she was a right so-and-so and that if she didnÆt stay away from her dad she would cut off her head and stick it up her you-know-what!ö

We all stared at Inari, who was smiling sweetly, and telling the congregation how important her fatherÆs values had always been to her and that he was a shining example of the true business leader. She also hinted she was considering a change of career so the next generation of Karats would be ready to take the group into the future and beyond.

ôI thought she wanted to be the next Steven Spielberg?ö said Dooley.

ôLooks like she wants to be the next Cotton Karat instead,ö I said.

ôLetÆs all give a warm round of applause to my fatherùthe incomparable Cotton Karat!ö Inari finished her speech.

There was lukewarm applause from a few of the journalistsùthe ones writing for the womenÆs magazines, most notablyùbut then hands rose up and the shouting started as a barrage of questions were shot, like bullets, at the collected Karats on stage.

ôTough crowd,ö I said as a reporter asked if it was true that Ebony Pilay had been dumped by text and another asked if it was true that Eric Blandine had been a forklift driver in one of the Karat warehouses until a couple of days ago, and had been called Goldie by his colleagues on account of his remarkable likeness with Cotton himself.

You can try to PR yourself out of a mess, but sooner or later the truth will out.