18f44de3c41a3c8943c05e9ff1c1336f

ôSo youÆre not going to step up to the plate and take over as CEO?ö

ôOh, no. There are people much better equipped for that role than me. And so I leave it to them to make sure that the group is led professionally and with a lot less hassle than it has been in the past. And IÆll make sure that the financials are in order.ö

ôAny ideas on who might take over from your brother?ö asked Odelia.

ôNo idea whatsoever,ö said Jared, ôbut I can assure you that it wonÆt be me.ö

I had the impression he wasnÆt as forthcoming as he could have been. No doubt he was much better informed than he was letting on.

ôOne more question, Mr. Karat,ö said Chase.

ôWhere was I two nights ago between ten and midnight? I was home with my wife. And if you call Susan, IÆm sure sheÆll be happy to confirm my alibi. I think we had salmon mousse, before watching an episode ofLaw& Order on TV. My wife is a lawyer, andLaw& Order is one of her guilty pleasures.ö He smiled. ôAnd now if thereÆs nothing elseàö

ôI donÆt think he did it, Max,ö said Dooley once we were back in the car. ôHeÆs much too nice to murder someone in such a gruesome way. And also, if he eats salmon mousse heÆs definitely not a vegetarian, and our killer clearly is a vegetarian.ö

ôOr our killer is trying to make it look as if heÆs a vegetarian,ö I said.

ôThen Jared might be the killer. He struck me as a very clever guy.ö

ôYeah, heÆs definitely very clever. A lot cleverer than his brother at any rate.ö

ôSo maybe he does want to become the new CEO, and is trying to get rid of Cotton.ö

It was a tough one, to be sure. The clever ones enjoy playing games with the police, and I had the impression that Jared was not above that kind of behavior. Then again, when he told us he had absolutely no interest in the CEO job, he struck me as sincere. He also struck me as a much nicer person than Cotton. Then again, nice people can be killers, tooùespecially when they decide to murder not-so-nice people likeà Cotton!

Chapter 24

Brutus wasnÆt entirely sure if this mission Max had decided to send them on was appropriately suitable for two cats in his and HarrietÆs position. They were, after all, master sleuths in their own right, and for some reason spying on some gang of duck fans seemed below them somehow. More the work of a feline lower on the pecking order. Then again, if Gran and Scarlett had been roped into this spy business, it might be up to snuff.

In spite of her earlier protestations, Lita Fiol had decided to call a meeting of the Duck Liberation Agency or Front or whatever the hell they were called, and here they now were, all gathered in LitaÆs basement, with the latter waxing lyrically on all things duck.

Gran and Scarlett were doing their utmost to look interested, even though their initial excitement to take up the cause had waned to a great degree, while Brutus and Harriet had been relegated to the hefty bags both women had dragged in with them.

The official line was that duck lovers are also cat haters, since cats and ducks are mortal enemies, so sneaking a couple of cats into a meeting of duck fans was a no-no.

And so Gran had outfitted two bags with the necessary holes for oxygen, and now here they sat, having to keep absolutely mum for however many hours this farce would last.

It all seemed soà undignified. Especially for a pair of proud cats like them.

ôPssst!ö suddenly the bag next to BrutusÆs bag hissed.

ôWhat!ö Brutus whispered back.

ôI have to tinkle!ö

ôYouÆll just have to hold it in, wonÆt you?ö

ôIÆve been holding it in for the past hour. How much longer is this going to take?ö

ôNot much longer.ö He hoped. A pat on the bag told him that Gran had overheard their whispered conversation and wasnÆt in full agreement on this breach of a policy that clearly outlined that a bag, when brought into a meeting, is not supposed to start talking!

ôSo are we all clear?ö asked Lita. ôWeÆre very close to our goal now, people. One last push and I think weÆll finally be able to get the public onside and show them what a horrible practice theyÆve been perpetuating by consuming the flesh of the duck.ö

ôHear, hear!ö a few other members of the DLF called out, stomping their feet for good measure. It made Brutus fear for his life, since those feet felt too close for comfort.

He now realized how James Bond must feel when sneaking around BlofeldÆs lair. Of course James Bond always had some pretty blonde traipsing along, but then Brutus had Harriet by his side, which practically amounted to the same thing.

ôWhat about the death of Eric Blandine?ö asked one member.

ôWhat about it?ö Lita returned, a little frostily.

ôWell, the police seem to think it was one of us, donÆt they?ö

ôYeah, they came to my door this morning,ö another voice piped up. ôStarted accusing me of all kinds of stuff. Seemed to think I was BlandineÆs killer, just because IÆve got a poster in my window that reads æDeath to All Duck Killers!Æö