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ôJust a couple of questions,ö said Odelia in more kindly tones.

ôItÆs always just a couple of questions,ö the man grumbled.

ôYou used to be the Karat GroupÆs main supplier of foie gras?ö asked Odelia.

ôI was, until Cotton decided he could get a better deal and took his business elsewhere.ö

ôTo Merle Poltorak.ö

ôI trained Merle. He was a farmhand here for years. When he went into business for himself I even helped set him up. And thatÆs how he repaid me for my kindness: by snatching my biggest client and promising him he could supply the same product for half the price. Taught me a lesson right there.ö

ôAccording to Jared Karat Merle delivers an inferior product?ö

ôOf course he does. Do you really think I was overcharging the Karats? You canÆt lower your price and expect the same quality. And now I hear people are complaining that Karat foie gras isnÆt what it used to be. Big surprise!ö

ôCan I ask you where you were two nights ago, Zak?ö

ôRight here at the farm. Even though itÆs not the same operation it used to be, I still have my customers, and I still put in a lot of hours to keep them happy.ö

Odelia gave me and Dooley a surreptitious nod of the head, and so we trod off, looking for witnesses who could verify ZakÆs statement.

We found plenty of those in the stable, and when we approached the first one, it struck me how much happier ZakÆs ducks looked compared to MerleÆs.

ôThese ducks look so happy, Max,ö said Dooley, apparently having forgotten he wasnÆt speaking to me anymore.

ôThatÆs because they get to roam around freely,ö I said. ôInstead of being boxed up in a small cage like at the other place.ö

ôHi, Mr. Duck,ö said Dooley, addressing the first duck whoÆd give us the time of day. The others were all still tucking into the slop Zak had fed them. ôCan we ask you a couple of questions, please?ö

ôOh, absolutely,ö said the duck, approaching us with a kindly expression on his face. ôAsk away.ö

ôDo you like it here, sir?ö asked Dooley. Not exactly a question I would have asked, but since Odelia and Chase were still deep in conversation with the duck farmer, we had plenty of time to get to the nub of our query.

ôOh, sure,ö said the duck. ôWhatÆs not to like? I have all my friends here, plenty of food, fresh air, and Zak is such a great guy. He treats us like family, you know.ö

ôButà you do know what kind of place this is, donÆt you?ö said Dooley delicately.

The duck laughed at this.ôYou mean, at the end of the ride we get to go the way of the dodo?ö

ôWell, yes,ö said Dooley.

ôI know, sweet cheeks,ö said the duck. ôBut only when weÆre good and ready to go.ö

ôSoà you get to live a long life here?ö asked Dooley, perking up.

ôOf course! We donÆt have to go before our time, young æun. And thatÆs what makes this place special. And also, we get to spend plenty of time outsideùout of this stable.ö

We both glanced to the grassy meadows nearby, and saw ducks waddling around there, and even spend time in the pond. Not a bad way to live, all in all.

ôSomeone recently advised me to become a vegetarian,ö said Dooley, giving me a bit of side-eye at this point, and causing me to roll my own eyes in exasperation. ôBut then someone else told me this is a bad idea, since cats arenÆt supposed to be vegetarians.ö

ôOh, sweetie, who tricked you into believing cats can be vegetarians!ö

Dooley turned a baleful eye on me.

ôIt wasnÆt me!ö I cried.

ôWhat do you eat, Mr. Duck?ö

ôJust call me Dave,ö said the duck. ôWell, I eat most everything. Fish eggs, small fish, worms, snails, insects, frogs, slugs, tadpoles, mollusksàö He smiled. ôIÆm not choosy.ö

ôSo theyÆre not force-feeding you?ö I asked.

ôMost certainly not! Imagine that!ö

ôMost foie gras is produced by shoving a pipe down a duckÆs throat and overfeeding them,ö I pointed out.

ôThatÆs just gross!ö Dave cried. ôNo, Zak doesnÆt do that, thank God.ö

We turned to Zak. Looked like he was one of the good guys.

ôOkay, so this is important, Dave,ö I said. ôWhere was Zak two nights ago?ö

ôWell, right here, of course,ö said Dave. ôMucking out the stables as usual.ö

ôThatÆs great news,ö said Dooley. ôThat means that Zak didnÆt kill Eric.ö

ôWhoÆs Eric?ö

ôHeÆs a man who was killed over in another duck farm,ö I explained.

ôBad business, huh? You wonÆt find that kind of thing going on here.ö

And then he went off foraging some more food. That liver didnÆt feed itself.

WeÆd joined Odelia again when all of a sudden a familiar figure walked in. It was none other thanà Ebony Pilay!

ôHey, honey,ö the supermodel said, teetering on high heels and sidestepping a piece of duck dung. She pressed a quick kiss to ZakÆs cheek and gave Odelia and Chase a look of amusement. ôWhatÆs wrong, detective? You look like youÆve seen a ghost.ö

ôYou two know each other?ö asked Chase.

ôEbony is my ex-wife,ö Zak explained. ôThough weÆre just friends now.ö

Chase had to reel in his jaw. Now this was a development he hadnÆt expected.

Chapter 29

ôWhen-when did you say you divorced?ö asked Chase, still trying to collect himself.