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The press conference finally over, Odelia and Chase hurried to the side of the stage, hoping to have a quick word with Cotton. But when we arrived there, the man was being chewed out by his dad.

ôAn unmitigated disaster!ö Diedrich was hissing, spittle flying into CottonÆs face. ôYou couldnÆt even remember the guyÆs name, for ChristÆs sakes!ö

ôBlandine, Sardineùwho cares?ö

ôThey care!ö Diedrich said, pointing in the direction of the room. ôI can imagine what theyÆll be writing about this train wreck. Your second train-wreck performance in the space of a week! If you keep this up the stock price will hit rock bottom by this time tomorrow! And what were you thinking to drag Inari up on stage with you!ö

ôItÆs called future-proofing the business, Dad.ö

ôShe doesnÆt have the skills! And besides, she doesnÆt want to take over the business.ö

ôSheÆll do what I tell her to do,ö said Cotton stubbornly.

ôYou are such a moron,ö his dad grumbled.

Chase and Odelia decided that under the circumstances perhaps it was better to postpone their questions to a later date. At least if Diedrich hadnÆt murdered his son by then.

Chapter 21

It had been a long day full of interviews and not a lot of toilet breaks or naps, so when the time to head out to cat choir rolled around, I found myself hesitating. A nice long nap on the couch sounded very appealing. Then again, having a little chat with my fellow cats is one of those pleasures of life itÆs hard to say no to.

So as the moon rose in the sky, to paint the tops of the trees a milky white, Dooley and I made our way to the playground which is located in the heart of the park, and soon were relaxing atop the jungle gym.

Shanille, cat choirÆs conductor, was frowning as she tried to decide on the musical program for the night, and our friends were all chattering excitedly, as only cats can, blithely ignoring those few neighbors who like to try and spoil the fun by throwing some old shoes in our direction. They donÆt seem to realize that cats donÆt even wear shoes!

ôIÆm very disappointed in you, Max,ö said Harriet as she gave me her best frowny face.

ôOh? And why is that?ö I said, trying to balance on top of that jungle gym. It was harder than I thought. Usually I prefer to stay safely on the ground. For a cat as big-boned as me having to position his body on a narrow metal tube is always a challenge.

ôIÆm bored, thatÆs why! No suspects to talk to, no clues to suss out. I feel so useless!ö

ôMe, too,ö said Brutus, giving me a dark look. ôIÆm a cop cat, Max. IÆm the one who should be out there with Chase, hunting down this liver-eating maniac.ö

ôHe didnÆt actually eat the liver,ö said Dooley. ôHe just put it in a tin.ö

ôAll the same, itÆs me who should tag along with the police squad, not you guys.ö

ôWhat can I say?ö I said. ôOdelia likes to have us around. And four cats is too much.ö

ôSays who?ö Harriet demanded heatedly.

ôSays anyone. Imagine a cop with four cats on their trail. ItÆs like the punchline of a joke.ö

ôTom Hanks had Hooch,ö said Brutus. ôAnd Hooch was as big as a dozen cats.ö

ôHooch was a dog, and people are used to seeing cops with dogs,ö I argued.

ôMax is right,ö said Dooley. ôPeople always give Odelia a strange look when she walks in with her two cats.ö

ôOkay, fine,ö said Harriet. ôBut at least we should have a chance to participate. Why not flip a coin? Then one day you can join Odelia, and the next itÆs me and Brutus.ö

ôYeah, itÆs only fair that we get to tag along for a change,ö Brutus grumbled. ôNow you and Dooley are hogging all the attention. ItÆs just not fair.ö

ôBut what about your undercover mission? I thought you were looking forward to infiltrating the Duck Liberation Front?ö

ôNothing doing. As long as Eric BlandineÆs killer hasnÆt been caught, Lita Fiol has suspended all DLF activities. She says she doesnÆt want to have another murder on her conscience.ö

ôSo she thinks itÆs one of her members?ö I asked.

ôLooks like,ö said Harriet. ôThough a fat lot of good thatÆll do us. ThereÆs no way weÆll be able to find out who it is.ö

ôLita was ordered to hand over a list of members,ö I said. ôSo chances are the killer is among them.ö

ôSo?ö

ôSo you can go and visit them one by one and spy on them.ö When both Harriet and Brutus gave me an unhappy grimace, I said, ôItÆs bona fide detective work. In fact itÆs probably more important than what weÆve been doing all day.ö

ôIt was moderately boring,ö said Dooley. ôOdelia and Chase talked to people, and then they talked to some more people, and then some more. In fact all they did all day was talk. And still we didnÆt get anywhere.ö

ôThatÆs also part of being a detective,ö I said. ôTry to find out who was where, when and why. ItÆs boring but essential. As is studying police reports, poring over forensic evidence, and trying to find a connection to all the elements pertaining to the case.ö