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ItÆs like wearing a pair of tight shoes: the moment you take them off, itÆs liberating.

ôSo Eric Blandine was a man who wouldnÆt say boo to a goose,ö Harriet reminded me.

ôYes, thank you,ö I said with a grateful smile in my friendÆs direction. ôSo when he suddenly decided to ignore the instructions Tobias Pushman had given him about keeping a low profile and showed up at Merle PoltorakÆs farm in the shank of the evening, there had to be a good reason. And that got me thinking about the manÆs psychology. Why would a man as meek as Eric Blandine ignore a direct order from a man who was basically his bossÆs boss? A man who ordered him not to show his face anywhere?ö

ôBecause his wife had told him to,ö said Harriet with a nod of satisfaction. ôSee, pookie? A good man always does what his girl tells him to.ö

ôAnd gets murdered in the process,ö Brutus muttered, earning himself a scowl from Harriet.

ôBut how had Maisie reached her husband? There were no messages on his phone, no emails, no phone calls. So it stood to reason that before sending him on his mission, she must have given him a secret phone so they could stay in touch throughout.ö

ôBut how did you know she hadnÆt dumped those phones?ö asked Brutus.

ôI didnÆt, obviously, but I was hoping she hadnÆt. And as it turned out, she hadnÆt gotten rid of the murder weapon either.ö

ôThat wasnÆt very smart of her,ö said Harriet. ôShe should have dumped the weapon on the night of the murder, and the phones.ö

ôShe didnÆt want to risk the knife or the phones being found,ö I said. ôSo she decided to keep them for now, until she could figure out a way to get rid of them for good. She never thought anyone would suspect either her or Fabrizio, so she felt pretty safe.ö

ôHow long do you think their affair had been going on?ö asked Harriet.

ôA couple of months at least, maybe even years. But as long as there was no financial incentive, they werenÆt too bothered to make things official. That all changed when Eric was asked to replace Cotton. Suddenly there was a good reason to get rid of the man.ö

ôThree million reasons, in fact,ö said Brutus, nodding.

ôWho do you think killed Eric?ö asked Harriet. ôMaisie or Fabrizio?ö

ôThey were in it together,ö I said. ôAs it turns out, Fabrizio used to work for a butcher in a distant past. An experience that came in handy now.ö

Dooley shivered.ôWhat a terrible duo,ö he said. ôImagine cutting out a manÆs liver.ö

ôYeah, it needed to be done that way to throw the police off their scent,ö I said. ôThough I very much doubt they took any enjoyment in the act of murder. But in the end the combination of love and money as a motive was simply too powerful to resist.ö

The sweet smell of grilled meat wafted in our direction, and my stomach juices immediately responded. The humans seemed eager to dig in, too, for they all sat casting anxious glances in TexÆs direction from time to time, satisfying themselves with some appetizers for now. Finally Uncle Alec couldnÆt take it anymore, and joined his brother-in-law at the grill, vouchsafing a steady flow of meaty treats later on.

ôSo whatÆs going to happen to the Karat Group?ö asked Charlene, popping an olive into her mouth. ôIs Cotton going to be in charge from now on or his brother Jared?ö

ôThey seem to have decided on a joint chairmanship,ö said Odelia. ôWith the necessary checks and balances in place so that Cotton doesnÆt mess things up again.ö

ôAnd Ebony Pilay?ö asked Marge. ôIs she still CottonÆs girlfriend?ö

ôEbony is out of the picture. Though a little birdie told me that Ebony and Zak Lemanowicz are dating again.ö

ôOh, how romantic,ö said Scarlett. ôThe supermodel and the pig farmer.ö

ôDuck farmer, Scarlett,ö said Gran. ôNot pigs.ö

ôDucks, pigs, same difference,ö said Scarlett.

ôI think you did a great job,ö said Charlene, addressing Odelia. ôAgain, I might add.ö

ôItÆs all Max,ö said Odelia. ôHeÆs the one who figured it out.ö

ôImagine that,ö Uncle Alec grunted. ôA cat who solves crime. If you told this to anyone they wouldnÆt believe it.ö

ôI believe it,ö said Charlene, throwing a smile in my direction. ôHeÆs a smart cookie, that cat of yours.ö

ôCats, plural,ö I corrected the Mayor. ôI couldnÆt have done it without my friends. Or Odelia and Chase, of course.ö

ôYeah, itÆs a team effort,ö said Gran. ôWe all chipped in this time. Scarlett and I went undercover in Lita FiolÆs outfit, Odelia and Chase did the legwork, and Max sat back and let that big brain of his compute all the evidence and come up with the perfect solution.ö

ôWhat I find fascinating,ö said Marge, ôis that Lita Fiol and Tobias Pushman are an item. They seem like such an unlikely couple.ö

ôOpposites attract, Marge,ö said Charlene. ôHavenÆt you learned that by now?ö

She was right, of course. LetÆs examine the evidence: Marge and Tex. Odelia and Chase. Charlene and Uncle Alec. Harriet and Brutus.