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ôBut you didnÆt tell me not to become one either,ö Dooley pointed out.

ôI did! I told you exactly the same thing Pris is telling you right now!ö

ôNo, you didnÆt.ö

ôI didùI really did!ö

ôOh, Max. YouÆre not a good friend to Dooley, are you?ö said Pris, tsk-tsking lightly.

For crying out loud! What was the world coming to, if cats were going to distort my words! But since I had an urgent message for Odelia, I decided not to argue my point, but to return to the living room, where Chase and Mr. Diamond were still duking it out.

ôYou canÆt come in here and bully me, detective,ö Elvis was saying.

ôIÆm not bullying you!ö Chase said.

I quickly snuck up to Odelia and whispered a few words into her ear. She smiled and gave me a grateful pat on the head. At least one person in this apartment still liked me.

ôMr. Diamond,ö said Odelia. ôElvis. IsnÆt it true that you hated Cotton sinking your stock and spent all day on the phone with Jared, trying to convince him to take over as CEO?ö

ElvisÆs jaw dropped at this. ôHow did youàö

ôI have my sources,ö said Odelia with a tight smile. ôBut itÆs true, isnÆt it?ö

Elvis blinked, then finally inclined his head.ôYes, itÆs true. IÆve never been a big fan of Cotton. The manÆs all flash and glib sales talk. But when it comes down to business, heÆs as inept as they come. He doesnÆt care about the group. All he cares about is himself and the women he likes to surround himself with. HeÆs bad news and has proven a disaster as CEO. So yes, I wanted Jared to take over from his brother. And if he didnÆt, I told Diedrich IÆd unload every last piece of stock I owned. Cut my losses and bail.ö He grimaced. ôI donÆt have to tell you that didnÆt go down well. In fact it was probably the main reason they suddenly bundled Cotton into a car and shipped him off to that rehab facility.ö

ôJared wasnÆt aware of that, was he?ö

ôOh, of course he was. Do you really think Tobias Pushman would pull a stunt like that all on his own? You canÆt whisk off the CEO of one of the biggest companies in this country without the go-ahead of the rest of the management teamùor the manÆs family.ö

ôSo if CottonÆs family knew that Eric Blandine was a lookalikeàö said Chase.

ôà they had absolutely no reason to kill him,ö Odelia completed the sentence.

ôAnd neither did I,ö said Elvis. ôSince I knew about the switch from the start.ö

ôRight,ö said Chase, sounding disappointed.

ôDid you get Jared to agree to take his brotherÆs place?ö asked Odelia.

Elvis sighed.ôItÆs not as simple as you think. A lot of investors donÆt like Jared.ö

ôAnd why is that?ö

ôJared botched an important deal a couple of years ago. This was when Diedrich was still CEO. Both brothers were vying for his position, and as a test Diedrich tasked them with reeling in two big clients. Cotton pulled it off with flying colors, but Jared managed to make a total mess of things. HeÆd flown off to China for some final negotiations and when he got there set the meeting in a brothel of all places. The Chinese delegation was rightly outraged and the deal ended up in the toilet. Rumor had it that it was actually Cotton whoÆd arranged that meeting place.ö

ôTo sabotage his brother,ö said Chase.

ôExactly. One month later Cotton was announced as the new CEO and Jared as CFO.ö

ôBut Jared told us he has absolutely no interest in being CEO,ö said Odelia. ôNever has.ö

ôPardon my French, but then he fed you a lot of crap, Mrs. Kingsley. JaredÆs always wanted to follow in his fatherÆs footsteps. And between you and me, heÆd make a much better CEO than Cotton. Which is why IÆve been trying to persuade Diedrich to give him another chance. And with Cotton making an absolute shambles of things, he just might.ö

Chapter 27

ôWhat else did Pris tell you?ö I asked once we were back in the car.

ôOh, just that I have to be my own cat from now on, and not listen to your bad advice.ö

ôBad advice! I was the one who told you that not eating meat will kill you!ö

ôNo, you didnÆt. You urged me on. Made me go down a dangerous road.ö

ôOh, for crying out loud.ö

ôShe also told me that I should never listen to a cat whoÆs as clearly obese as you.ö

ôIÆm not obese,ö I said frostily. ôIÆve told you this a hundred times. IÆm big-boned.ö

ôIÆm sorry, Max, but what Pris said really resonated with me. I think from now on IÆm going to have to keep my own counsel.ö

ôWhat does that even mean!ö

ôI means,ö said my best friend, ôthat I donÆt need your advice anymore.ö And then he ostentatiously turned his back on me and proceeded to ignore me for the rest of the ride.

Jared didnÆt look happy when we paid him a second visit in one day. ôI think IÆve said all I have to say,ö he grumbled when we walked in. ôAnd if you want to speak to me youÆd better get in touch with my lawyers.ö