Dooley turned to me with a questioning look on his face, but even before he could speak, I said,ôNo, there is no Pigeon Liberation Front or Rat Liberation Army, Dooley. At least I donÆt think there is.ö
ôThere should be, though, wouldnÆt you agree? Those poor pigeons having to beg for corn kernels and those poor rats having to sniff around dumpsters and stuff.ö
I sighed.ôIÆm sure both pigeons and rats are perfectly happy with their lot in life.ö
ôAre you planning to increase security now that Cotton is returning home?ö asked Chase.
ôOh, absolutely. Tobias is handling all of that. And I hope he doesnÆt screw up,ö the retired business mogul added in a threatening tone. ôOr else IÆll have his hide.ö
Dooley chuckled quietly.ôTheyÆll have to start a Tobias Liberation Front soon,ö he said.
Chapter 19
Even though Cotton had pretty much dumped his wife like one does a pair of old socks, Dawn Karat hadnÆt suffered financially in the divorce, as the big pile where she lived proved. It wasnÆt as grand as Pop KaratÆs place, but it was nothing to be sniffed at either.
The former Mrs. Cotton Karat received us in what she called her library, though I didnÆt see a lot of books in evidence. Instead the shelves were loaded with DVDs.
I saw that Dawn still hadnÆt lost those thirty pounds, and probably had gained another thirty since the divorce, but she was still a handsome woman. She was dressed in a colorful flowing kaftan and was wearing a silk scarf around her head. Shiny gold earrings peeped from beneath the scarf, and she looked as healthy as shedid happy.
In fact it wasnÆt too much to say the woman was absolutely radiant.
ôSo they cut out his liver and shipped it off to his own office, did they?ö she asked. ôHow ghastly!ö But her beaming smile belied her words. ôHow absolutely ghoulish.ö
ôWhere were you last night between ten and midnight, Mrs. Karat?ö asked Chase. But if heÆd hoped to put a dent in the womanÆs sheer delight, he was disappointed.
ôI was right here, of course. A real homebody, me.ö
ôCan anyone vouch for you?ö
ôMy daughter, and a brace of servants. In fact Inari and I watched one of our favorite movies last night.Bedazzled! You know, about the man who sells his soul to the devil.ö She winked. ôRemind you of someone?ö
ôIf youÆre referring to your ex-husbandàö
ôOf course! Though in his case he couldnÆt sell his soul since he never had one to begin with. Or a heart, for that matter. Oh, there you are, sweetie. These people are from the police. TheyÆve come to question us about that gruesome murder.ö
A young woman had entered the room, looking a lot like her mother. Though she wasnÆt dressed in a kaftan but simple ripped jeans and a sweater. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders and she wore no makeup to speak of. She was pretty enough to pull it off. Not supermodel pretty, but beautiful in a wholesome way. She took a seat next to her mom, toed off her sneakers and sat cross-legged. ôSo was it really Dad they tried to kill?ö
ôAbsolutely!ö said her mother. ôThe man who died was pretending to be your dad, wasnÆt he?ö
ôWill he be all right?ö asked the young woman. ôDad, I mean. Is he being protected?ö
ôHeÆs fine,ö Dawn assured her. ôTheyÆre not going to let another madman near him now, are they?ö There was a touch of wistfulness in her voice. ôThe policeman just asked me where I was last night.ö
ôHere,ö said Inari immediately. ôWe were watchingBedazzled.ö
ôInari is studying to be a film director,ö Dawn explained. ôSo weÆve been watching a lot of movies together, havenÆt we, darling?ö
Inari nodded, and chewed a thoughtful fingernail.ôSo was it the duck people who killed that man? Did you arrest them?ö
ôThe investigation is ongoing,ö said Chase. ôRight now weÆre trying to paint a picture of your fatherÆs life.ö
Dawn laughed at this, going so far as to throw her head back.ôJust round up a couple of dozen models and there you have CottonÆs life!ö she cried. ôIn that sense Cotton is exactly like Hugh Hefner. Only Hugh had the decency to stay loyal to whoever he was married to at the time, which is more than can be said about Cotton.ö
ôMom, please,ö said Inari, looking embarrassed at her motherÆs outburst.
ôItÆs true, isnÆt it? The man is in a clinic for sex addicts, darling. That tells you all you need to know about him.ö
ôYeah, but heÆs not actually being treated for a sex addiction, is he? ThatÆs just a ruse to get him out of the way for a while. Until all this hubbub dies down.ö
ôIs it true that they told the Pilay woman to pack her bags and buzz off?ö asked Dawn.
ôNot in those terms,ö said Chase reluctantly.
ôWell, good riddance. Parasites, every last one of them. All trying to bleed him dry.ö
ôHe never should have left us,ö said Inari. ôIf heÆd stayed here he wouldnÆt be in this mess.ö
ôYour father could never resist a pretty face,ö said Dawn as she studied her own nails. She frowned when she caught her daughter nibbling a cuticle and slapped her hand away. ôBad habit,ö she muttered. ôHer exams are coming up,ö she said apologetically. ôShe always gets nervous. For no reason, because sheÆs a brilliant student.ö
ôItÆs only midterms,ö Inari murmured.
ôSo Ebony Pilay told us that you sent her some threatening messages,ö said Odelia, trying to get the interview back on track.
ôOh, that,ö said Dawn with a throwaway gesture that made her gold bangles jangle. ôI was just trying to make sure she didnÆt expect too much from CottonÆs latest infatuation.ö
ôYouÆve been divorced how long now?ö asked Chase.
Dawn pursed her lips.ôFour years.ö
ôæStay away from my husband,Æö Chase read from his phone. He looked up at the woman. ôYouÆve been divorced four years and you still send threatening messages to your ex-husbandÆs girlfriends?ö
ôYou carry a torch for a person, detective, and even though that person no longer wants to stay married, you donÆt simply turn off that affection.ö
ôYou still love Cotton?ö
ôLetÆs just say I care deeply for him. And I donÆt like it when people take advantage.ö
ôSo you thought Miss Pilay was taking advantage of him?ö
ôOf course. They all do. If Cotton wasnÆt a Karat, do you really think these girls would be all over him? TheyÆre after his money, and his standing in society. All of them imagine themselves becoming the next Mrs. Cotton Karat. Well, there is only one Mrs. Cotton Karat and thatÆs me.ö SheÆd tilted her chin and was throwing down the gauntlet, as if daring anyone to contradict her. As it was, both Odelia and Chase kept schtum, letting the silence drag on. Finally Dawn said, ôOkay, so IÆm a caring person. In fact I probably care too much, and much too deeply. But what can I do? ThatÆs the way IÆm built. IsnÆt that right, petal?ö
ôOh, Mom,ö said Inari, and gave her mother a stroke on the arm.
ôAnd what about you, Miss Karat?ö asked Odelia. ôDo you still care about your dad?ö
ôWhat kind of a question is that!ö Dawn burst out, but Inari smiled.
ôOf course I do. HeÆs my dad, isnÆt he? And frankly I donÆt care about the girlfriends or the glitzy parties or the fancy cars he likes to drive. When itÆs just the two of us that all falls away. HeÆs just my dad, you know, and I know he loves me and I love him.ö
ôHeÆs not a bad person,ö said Dawn. ôHeÆs justà immature, I guess. And I blame Deirdre and Diedrich. They spoiled him and they spoiled Jared. Spoiled them both rotten.ö
ôUncle Jared is different, though,ö said Inari. ôHeÆs got an artistÆs soul.ö
Dawn scoffed at this, but when her daughter gave her a critical look, she masked it by coughing into her fist.ôHeÆs different, all right,ö she said. ôAnd also the same, of course.ö
Chapter 20
That afternoon, emotions were running high in anticipation of the press conference Cotton was holding after the murder of the man who was hired to replace him. Rumors and innuendo were flying around the room of the press center, and reporters were clamoring for a good seat so they could launch a barrage of questions at the beleaguered business tycoon.