ôJared wasnÆt aware of that, was he?ö
ôOh, of course he was. Do you really think Tobias Pushman would pull a stunt like that all on his own? You canÆt whisk off the CEO of one of the biggest companies in this country without the go-ahead of the rest of the management teamùor the manÆs family.ö
ôSo if CottonÆs family knew that Eric Blandine was a lookalikeàö said Chase.
ôà they had absolutely no reason to kill him,ö Odelia completed the sentence.
ôAnd neither did I,ö said Elvis. ôSince I knew about the switch from the start.ö
ôRight,ö said Chase, sounding disappointed.
ôDid you get Jared to agree to take his brotherÆs place?ö asked Odelia.
Elvis sighed.ôItÆs not as simple as you think. A lot of investors donÆt like Jared.ö
ôAnd why is that?ö
ôJared botched an important deal a couple of years ago. This was when Diedrich was still CEO. Both brothers were vying for his position, and as a test Diedrich tasked them with reeling in two big clients. Cotton pulled it off with flying colors, but Jared managed to make a total mess of things. HeÆd flown off to China for some final negotiations and when he got there set the meeting in a brothel of all places. The Chinese delegation was rightly outraged and the deal ended up in the toilet. Rumor had it that it was actually Cotton whoÆd arranged that meeting place.ö
ôTo sabotage his brother,ö said Chase.
ôExactly. One month later Cotton was announced as the new CEO and Jared as CFO.ö
ôBut Jared told us he has absolutely no interest in being CEO,ö said Odelia. ôNever has.ö
ôPardon my French, but then he fed you a lot of crap, Mrs. Kingsley. JaredÆs always wanted to follow in his fatherÆs footsteps. And between you and me, heÆd make a much better CEO than Cotton. Which is why IÆve been trying to persuade Diedrich to give him another chance. And with Cotton making an absolute shambles of things, he just might.ö
Chapter 27
ôWhat else did Pris tell you?ö I asked once we were back in the car.
ôOh, just that I have to be my own cat from now on, and not listen to your bad advice.ö
ôBad advice! I was the one who told you that not eating meat will kill you!ö
ôNo, you didnÆt. You urged me on. Made me go down a dangerous road.ö
ôOh, for crying out loud.ö
ôShe also told me that I should never listen to a cat whoÆs as clearly obese as you.ö
ôIÆm not obese,ö I said frostily. ôIÆve told you this a hundred times. IÆm big-boned.ö
ôIÆm sorry, Max, but what Pris said really resonated with me. I think from now on IÆm going to have to keep my own counsel.ö
ôWhat does that even mean!ö
ôI means,ö said my best friend, ôthat I donÆt need your advice anymore.ö And then he ostentatiously turned his back on me and proceeded to ignore me for the rest of the ride.
Jared didnÆt look happy when we paid him a second visit in one day. ôI think IÆve said all I have to say,ö he grumbled when we walked in. ôAnd if you want to speak to me youÆd better get in touch with my lawyers.ö
ôWe just had a chat with Elvis Diamond,ö said Chase, ignoring the manÆs outburst and planting his hands on his desk. ôAnd he told us that youÆve been conspiring with him to replace your brother as CEO. So all that nonsense you gave us about not being a people person and not having any interest in being CEO? IÆm afraid youÆve wasted your breath.ö
Jared stared at the cop, eyes glittering, then finally relented.ôAll right, so IÆve been in negotiation with Elvis. We had to do something. My dad is either too blind or too stubborn to see it, but Cotton is destroying this company. Another six months with him in charge and stock will be trading at cents on the dollar! So we had to act now to save us.ö
ôAnd what did your dad say?ö
ôHeÆs coming around to our point of view.ö
ôAnd Cotton? What part does he play in all this?ö
Jared looked away.ôCotton still has a part to play. But not as CEO.ö
ôSo youÆll be replacing him, is that it? When was this decided?ö
ôWeÆre going to announce it at the next conference call.ö
ôYouÆre a real piece of work, arenÆt you, Jared?ö said Chase.
ôI couldnÆt tell you! In fact IÆd appreciate it if you kept this to yourselves. ItÆs highly sensitive information that could have an enormous impact on the market. We have to tread very carefully, and make sure the transition goes off without a hitch this time.ö
ôIs it true that your brother sabotaged your first bid for leadership?ö asked Odelia.
Jared laughed as he dragged his fingers through his hair.ôElvis has really opened up, hasnÆt he? Had a real heart-to-heart with you two? What is this? His Oprah moment?ö
ôThe truth this time, Jared,ö said Chase. ôAt least if you remember the meaning of the word.ö
ôOkay, all right! Yes, Cotton sabotaged my first bid for CEO, and IÆve hated him for it ever since. Happy now?ö
ôSo you decided to take revenge by having him evicted from his office this time.ö
ôNo! Well, yes, in a way, I guess. But not out of spite. In the interest of the company.ö
ôOf course,ö said Chase. ôEverything you do is in the best interests of the company.ö
ôYou donÆt understand, detective.ö
ôSo enlighten me.ö
ôIÆve been forced to sit here and watch our profits dwindle year after year, through the sheer ineptitude of my brother. Because he canÆt be bothered to keep his eye on the ball. Did you know that he alienated our best foie gras supplier and now weÆre forced to sell an inferior product? AnddonÆt think for a minute that the customer doesnÆt notice, because he does.ö
ôThis alienated supplier wouldnÆt be Zak Lemanowicz, by any chance?ö
Jared looked surprised.ôHow did youàö
ôIÆm wondering, Mr. Karat,ö said Chase, taking a seat on the edge of the manÆs desk and picking up a perpetuum mobile that sat there. It consisted of balls suspended from strings, and when you hit one ball, it hit the next, and so on until the whole thing reversed. He now let drop the firstball. ôIÆm wondering whether your desire to save the company was so strong that you decided to kill Eric Blandine and send a clear message to your brother: back off or youÆre next.ö
Jared swallowed.ôI already told you: I was home with my wife Susan.ö
ôWives have been known to lie to protect their husbands.ö
ôOh, for heavenÆs sake, man. Do you really believe IÆd drag the group through a murder inquiry? ItÆs bad enough that Cotton tanked the stock with his outrageous behavior, but this murder business has really put us on the spot. We all thought we could get away with Cotton being tucked away for the time being, and now itÆs completely blown up in our faces.ö He snatched the mobile from ChaseÆs hands and replaced it on his desk. ôCanÆt you see that BlandineÆs murder is the last thing I need? The last thing this company needs!ö
ôYou have to admit itÆs handy if you want to put pressure on Cotton and your dad.ö
ôGet out,ö said Jared, whose face had taken on a dangerously dark color. ôAnd next time you want to talk to meùyou better call my lawyer first!ö
Looks like weÆd outstayed our welcome, and so we left.
Chapter 28
The duck farm that Mr. Lemanowicz presided over was not a big operation, but it still housed a couple of thousand ducks. Less than the place where Eric Blandine had met a sticky end, but nevertheless a lot of ducks to contend with. Lita Fiol would have felt right at home there, I imagined, and so would her duck-loving, cat-hating buddies.
We found Zak Lemanowicz in one of the big barns, where he was dumping what looked like slop into large rubber bowls. The ducks eagerly came waddling up and tucked in. So the slop might actually have been food. Not to my taste, though. Then again, as already indicated, IÆm probably spoiled.
ôMr. Lemanowicz,ö said Chase, walking up to the man. The farmer was dressed like one would expect: in green coveralls, rubber boots and a leathery face. ôA word, please, sir?ö And since he was holding up his badge, he made it obvious that his question was more in the nature of an order, nota request.