This had Lita stumped for a moment, then she rallied.ôNot all of our members take part in our protests. Some of them prefer to work behind the scenes.ö
ôFine,ö said Chase. ôIÆm going to need the names and addresses of all the people who were present at your meeting.ö
ôButàö
ôWhat time did the meeting break up?ö
ôEleven-ish.ö
ôPlenty of time to drive down to Karat Farm and gut Mr. Blandine.ö
ôNo! I didnÆt leave the house again. My boyfriend can confirm that.ö
ôWhat boyfriend? You just said you were home alone all night.ö
The girl emitted a resigned sigh.ôHe doesnÆt like to be dragged into DLF business.ö
ôName?ö Chase demanded curtly, his pencil poised over his notepad.
ôTobias Pushman.ö
This caused a small measure of consternation, then Odelia asked,ôTobias Pushman as in the head of the Karat GroupÆs legal department? That Tobias Pushman?ö
Lita nodded.ôWeÆve been seeing each other for the last couple of months. We met at one of the DLF protests. I chucked a bucket of paint at him, and instead of sending me the dry-cleaning bill he dropped by the store to hand me his soiled suit. We got to talking, and for some strange reason we hit it off. We had lunch, then we had dinner, then we started dating. We havenÆt told anyone.ö
ôI canÆt imagine why,ö said Chase.
ôPlease donÆt tell him I told you,ö she pleaded. ôHeÆs going to be in so much trouble if the Karats find out heÆs been dating their worst enemy.ö
ôI wonder what they talk about when theyÆre alone in bed,ö said Dooley.
ôDucks, probably,ö I said. ôTheyÆre both in the duck business, after all.ö
ôYes, but sheÆs trying to save ducks, and heÆs murdering them on an industrial scale.ö
ôOr maybe they donÆt talk about ducks at all? Probably better to leave the topic unaddressed.ö
ôThank you for your time,ö said Chase. ôAnd donÆt forget: IÆm going to need that membership list on my desk by tonight, or else.ö
ôBut IÆve given you my alibi!ö
ôAnd donÆt think we wonÆt check it,ö Chase warned her.
As we left the shop, we heard the old lady ask,ôWhich one of these has beef, miss?ö
ôThereÆs no meat in tofu, all right! ItÆs soyùjust soy!ö
ôSoy? What kind of meat is that? Not pig, surely.ö
ôOh, my God!ö
Clearly the best friend ducks ever had was under a great deal of strain.
Chapter 13
The main offices of the Karat Group looked like any other office building the world over: a bland block of glass and concrete, absolutely devoid of personality or individuality. In other words: a joyless mass created by an uninspired architect who, like most captains of industry, seemed to believe that in order to be productive, one must also be miserable.
Chase parked his car in the parking spot reserved for Cotton Karat himself, correctly assuming that the man wasnÆt in need of it right now, and we entered the soulless complex.
We were soon greeted in the lobby by Tobias Pushman, and I must say I found myself looking at the lawyer in an entirely different light.
ôI really canÆt see him with Lita Fiol, Max,ö said Dooley. ôThey just donÆt seem to fit.ö
ôNo, theyÆre worlds apart, thatÆs for sure,ö I said. ôThough you know what they say about opposites, Dooley.ö
ôTheyÆre sworn enemies?ö
ôNo, they attract, apparently.ö
ôI donÆt see it, Max. I really donÆt.ö
Tobias led us into his former bossÆs officeùthough it was in actual fact his current bossÆs office, since his real boss was actually still alive. It was his fake boss whoÆd been murdered.
EricÆs laptop had already been removed by the tech people, whoÆd also processed the office for possible clues as to the manÆs late-night meeting with his murderer.
ôWe interviewed Lita Fiol just now,ö said Chase, and I think we all watched the lawyer closely to see how heÆd react. He didnÆt flinch. Not even a squint or a grimace.
ôCool customer,ö was DooleyÆs estimation of the man.
ôOh?ö said Tobias. ôWho is she?ö
ôYou know very well who she is, Mr. Pushman.ö
A smile spread across the lawyerÆs face. ôOf course. The Duck Liberation Front. So what did Miss Fiol have to say for herself?ö
ôShe claims she couldnÆt have killed Mr. Blandine, since she was in bed with you at the time.ö
This time the lawyer did flinch. He even blanched, then tucked a finger between neck and collar and tugged.ôIs that what she said?ö
ôOh, yes.ö
ôA case of opposites attract, Mr. Pushman?ö asked Odelia with a fine smile.
The lawyer coughed into his fist, clearly buying himself some time.
ôWhat do you talk about at night, I wonder,ö said Chase. ôDucks?ö
ôNo, we avoid the topic,ö said Tobias, then sank down onto the edge of Cotton KaratÆs desk. He rubbed his face. ôLook, I never asked for this, you know. It just happened. I still donÆt know why. Cruel twist of fate, maybe? And IÆve asked Lita a million times to stop badgering my employer. But she believes in her cause. And I can only admire her for it.ö
ôWhat did you think when that box arrived with a letter from LitaÆs action group?ö
ôI was hoping sheÆd have an explanation for me,ö said Tobias. ôWhich is why I tried calling her this morning, but of course I couldnÆt reach her since she tends to switch off her phone when sheÆs at work.ö He held up his hands. ôLook, I know Lita. SheÆs the ultimate nature lover. In that she would never harm anyone, man or beast.ö
ôYouÆre not covering for her, are you, sir?ö asked Odelia.
ôNo, of course not!ö
ôWhy did you say you were home alone last night?ö
ôBecause I want to keep my relationship with Lita Fiol a secret, of course! Can you imagine what it would look like if people knew? The lawyer of one of the biggest foie gras producers in the country dating the leader of the Duck Liberation Front? It wouldnÆt look good, I can tell you that. Notfor me, and not for her.ö
ôOkay, so how do you explain the DLF connection?ö asked Chase.
ôI canÆt! ThatÆs whatÆs so infuriating. Look, Lita is harmless, all right? Apart from a couple of dry-cleaning bills the extent of her actions are some bruised egos and maybe a raised awareness that the way this industry has been treating animals is something we need to look at.ö
ôSheÆs a big threat to your bottom line.ö
ôSheÆs not. No, really,ö he added when Chase quirked a skeptical brow. ôWe all know that we need to make sure that animals are treated in a more humane way, and I can assure you that the Karat Group is well aware of this, and that steps are being taken in that direction. In that sense Lita and I are both on the same sideùabsolutely. No, all I can think is that one of her members has decided to take matters into their own hands.ö
ôBehind LitaÆs back?ö
ôOf course,ö Tobias agreed. ôA lot of people have signed up recently. In fact Lita told me only yesterday about two members she felt were a little overzealous.ö He took out his phone. ôI even wrote down their names. Ah, here they are. Vesta Muffin and Scarlett Canyon. They actually wantedto use real blood yesterday, instead of the usual red paint.ö
ôWeÆll look into them, sir,ö said Chase, exchanging a look of amusement with Odelia. ôNow can you take us to the person who received that tin containing BlandineÆs liver?ö
Tobias nodded and picked up the phone on Mr. KaratÆs desk. A moment later, he hung up. ôIÆve asked her to come up.ö
ôHave you decided how to handle the death of Mr. Blandine?ö asked Odelia.
ôIÆve been in conference with Diedrich and the PR people all morning, and they seem to think that the best way is to be honest. Simply tell the truth and get it over with.ö
ôI can imagine thatÆs going to be a tough pill to swallow.ö
ôYeah, well, it canÆt be helped. LetÆs just hope people will understand. Ah, here she is.ö
While Chase and Odelia interviewed the person in charge of the mailroom, and tried to track down how exactly the package had arrived, when it had arrived, and which route it had traveled to finally arrive on Cotton KaratÆs desk, Dooley and I wandered off and inspected a potted plant nearby. I wonÆt conceal that I was starting to get a little peckish. WeÆd been on the go all morning, without so much as a bathroom break, and frankly IÆd hoped that these Karat people would have something edible in store for us.