When Cotton finally walked on stage, half an hour late, he looked fine, and so did Tobias Pushman, who took a seat next to his CEO. Diedrich didnÆt put in an appearance, though I saw him hover at the edge of the stage. He didnÆt look so hot, but then high-pressure situations were probably a big no-no for the manÆs high blood pressure.
And then, much to everyoneÆs surprise, Inari Karat also joined her dad on stage.
ôShe didnÆt mention she was going to participate,ö Odelia told Chase.
ôShe probably didnÆt think it was important,ö Chase reciprocated.
ThereÆs often a vast chasm between what witnesses think is important and what the police deem so. And more often than not it concerns things those witnesses prefer to keep a secret for whatever reason.
Since Odelia and Chase were in the first row, so were Dooley and I, which afforded us an excellent vantage point to follow this all-important briefing.
ôAs you are probably aware,ö said Cotton, addressing the room full of journos, ôa man was murdered late last night. This man was an employee of the Karat Group. His name is Eric Blandine and he was a much-appreciated and hard-working member of the Karat family. LetÆs please observe a minuteof silence in remembrance of Mr. Blandine.ö He inclined his head and folded his hands in prayer. All of five seconds later, he looked up again. ôEric Blandine put his life on the line for this company, and I think we can all appreciate his familyÆs bereavement, so IÆm going to ask you to respect their privacy.ö
ôI thought Cotton thought that Eric Blandine was just a lowly worker drone?ö asked Dooley.
ôI have the impression Eric Blandine is about to become canonized,ö I said.
ôMr. Blandine stepped forward at a time when the Karat family found itself under duress. My relationship with Ebony Pilay recently broke down, and I found myself unable to cope with this personal tragedy that had befallen me. So I decided that I needed some time to come to terms with the loss andtake a break. But of course the Karat Group needs leadership. And so Eric volunteered to provide this leadership at this difficult time. In so doing he provided the group with an essential service, and me with much-needed time to grieve. I will answer questions later,ö he snapped when three handsrose up in the room.
ôHeÆs lying through his teeth,ö said Dooley.
ôHeÆs being creative with the truth,ö I said. ôItÆs called PR.ö
ôSo PR is like creative lying?ö
ôSomething like that.ö
ôAnd of course we know what happened next. Some dastardly criminals decided to take EricÆs life last night, a life he sacrificed for the group he worked his entire life for. The company he served with honor and dignity. With pride and dedication. LetÆs take another minute to commemorate such a remarkable man.ö Three seconds later, he went on, ôBecause of what happened, IÆve decided to cut my break short, and assume full control of the group once more. There is a time to grieve, but thereÆs also a time to take oneÆs responsibility. The Karat Group employs fifty thousand people across the globe. They deserve a strong leader. A leader who will make sure that the people who took Eric Sardine away from us will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. ItÆs what Eric Sardine deserves. ItÆs what Eric Sardine died for.ö He bowed his head nobly.
ôItÆs Blandine!ö we could hear Tobias hiss, even though he held his hand over his mic.
Cotton looked up again, his mournful expression replaced by a smile.ôAnd now my daughter would like to say a few words. Inari?ö
And as the youngest scion of the Karat family took the stage, the reporter to OdeliaÆs right leaned over and whispered, ôThis holier-than-thou attitude is making me sick!ö
ôWhose? CottonÆs?ö
ôThe daughter, of course.ö
ôWhy?ö
ôShe pretends to be all lovey-dovey with the world, but I saw her go toe-to-toe with the girlfriend only last week. Shouting abuse at her like some truck driver. Who would have thought that a girl who looks like a saint would know language as foul as that!ö
ôAre you sure it was Inari?ö asked Odelia, clearly surprised.
ôAbsolutely. Told the Pilay woman that she was a right so-and-so and that if she didnÆt stay away from her dad she would cut off her head and stick it up her you-know-what!ö
We all stared at Inari, who was smiling sweetly, and telling the congregation how important her fatherÆs values had always been to her and that he was a shining example of the true business leader. She also hinted she was considering a change of career so the next generation of Karats would be ready to take the group into the future and beyond.
ôI thought she wanted to be the next Steven Spielberg?ö said Dooley.
ôLooks like she wants to be the next Cotton Karat instead,ö I said.
ôLetÆs all give a warm round of applause to my fatherùthe incomparable Cotton Karat!ö Inari finished her speech.
There was lukewarm applause from a few of the journalistsùthe ones writing for the womenÆs magazines, most notablyùbut then hands rose up and the shouting started as a barrage of questions were shot, like bullets, at the collected Karats on stage.
ôTough crowd,ö I said as a reporter asked if it was true that Ebony Pilay had been dumped by text and another asked if it was true that Eric Blandine had been a forklift driver in one of the Karat warehouses until a couple of days ago, and had been called Goldie by his colleagues on account of his remarkable likeness with Cotton himself.
You can try to PR yourself out of a mess, but sooner or later the truth will out.
The press conference finally over, Odelia and Chase hurried to the side of the stage, hoping to have a quick word with Cotton. But when we arrived there, the man was being chewed out by his dad.
ôAn unmitigated disaster!ö Diedrich was hissing, spittle flying into CottonÆs face. ôYou couldnÆt even remember the guyÆs name, for ChristÆs sakes!ö
ôBlandine, Sardineùwho cares?ö
ôThey care!ö Diedrich said, pointing in the direction of the room. ôI can imagine what theyÆll be writing about this train wreck. Your second train-wreck performance in the space of a week! If you keep this up the stock price will hit rock bottom by this time tomorrow! And what were you thinking to drag Inari up on stage with you!ö
ôItÆs called future-proofing the business, Dad.ö
ôShe doesnÆt have the skills! And besides, she doesnÆt want to take over the business.ö
ôSheÆll do what I tell her to do,ö said Cotton stubbornly.
ôYou are such a moron,ö his dad grumbled.
Chase and Odelia decided that under the circumstances perhaps it was better to postpone their questions to a later date. At least if Diedrich hadnÆt murdered his son by then.
Chapter 21
It had been a long day full of interviews and not a lot of toilet breaks or naps, so when the time to head out to cat choir rolled around, I found myself hesitating. A nice long nap on the couch sounded very appealing. Then again, having a little chat with my fellow cats is one of those pleasures of life itÆs hard to say no to.
So as the moon rose in the sky, to paint the tops of the trees a milky white, Dooley and I made our way to the playground which is located in the heart of the park, and soon were relaxing atop the jungle gym.
Shanille, cat choirÆs conductor, was frowning as she tried to decide on the musical program for the night, and our friends were all chattering excitedly, as only cats can, blithely ignoring those few neighbors who like to try and spoil the fun by throwing some old shoes in our direction. They donÆt seem to realize that cats donÆt even wear shoes!
ôIÆm very disappointed in you, Max,ö said Harriet as she gave me her best frowny face.
ôOh? And why is that?ö I said, trying to balance on top of that jungle gym. It was harder than I thought. Usually I prefer to stay safely on the ground. For a cat as big-boned as me having to position his body on a narrow metal tube is always a challenge.