by Nic Saint
“Anyone else want to lodge a formal complaint about the new management structure?” asked Mrs. Flake.
“I don’t want to sound critical…” the well-coiffed lady began.
“I have a feeling you will.”
“But aren’t you a little… old for the role, Mrs. Flake?”
“You’re only as old as you feel,” said Leo’s mother. “And I feel a sprightly fifty, so I have a lot of good years still left in the tank.” She patted the oxygen tank for good measure. “Anyone else? Comments, criticisms? No? Then court is adjourned and I’ll see you lot in Paris for our annual board meeting where we will formalize the new company structure and I hope to be able to convey to you some of the new plans I’m sure Pussy will be excited to come up with.”
“Oh, boy,” I said. “Pussy isn’t going to like this.”
“Why not?” said Dooley. “She’s president of the company now.”
“I’m not sure that’s what she wants, though.”
Pussy, who had an impeccable sense of timing, chose that moment to join us again. “Is the meeting over?”
“Yeah, it’s over,” I said, gesturing to the screen, where people were now shouting and screaming and all hell seemed to have broken loose.
“What’s going on?” asked Pussy with a frown. “Are they fighting?”
“Pretty much.”
“You’re in charge now, Pussy,” said Dooley, clapping his paws with glee. “From now on you are the president of the Leonidas Flake Company!”
“Come again?” said Pussy after a pause. “I’m what now?”
“You’re in charge,” I said. “Leo’s mother took over the meeting and announced that you’re the new president. It’s official.”
“But… I can’t run a company,” said Pussy, looking seriously distraught.
“I’m sure Mrs. Flake will help you with the finer points of running the business. She’ll be your CEO so she’ll be in charge of the day-to-day stuff.”
“But I don’t know the first thing about fashion!”
“You could have fooled me,” I said, indicating the crown and the pendant she was still rocking.
“Oh, that,” she said modestly. “Just something I threw on this morning. No, but seriously, what did they say?”
“Exactly that. They’ve appointed a pet whisperer, some guy named Christopher Cross, to be your official translator, along with his cat Tank.”
“Not a very nice cat,” said Dooley.
“Not a very nice cat,” I agreed. “But maybe he’ll grow on you as you take the reins.”
“So some guy is going to sit in my office and translate my decisions to the CEO, who will be Leo’s mother?”
“That seems to be the gist.”
“But… Leo didn’t even like his mother. In fact it’s safe to say he hated her.”
“He did? Odd.”
“Not so odd. The woman is crazy. Power hungry and mad. Leonora always felt Leo should have given her a bigger stake in the company, and when Leo refused, she went bananas. She tried to get him removed from his own company by bribing several board members to get him kicked out for mental health reasons, and when that didn’t work she joined forces with LMVH, a large luxury goods conglomerate, to organize a hostile takeover of the company, forcing Leo out. That didn’t work either, but it caused Leo a big headache for a while.”
“That must have been tough,” I said sympathetically.
“It was especially tough on Gabe. They never used to fight like they fought these last couple of months.”
“So is that what they fought about?”
“Gabe felt Leo worked too hard, and wanted him to slow down, and even thought that this takeover was a good thing. These LMVH people know their stuff, so the future of the Leonidas Flake brand was safe, and the takeover would make Leo a very rich man. But Leo felt that Gabe didn’t understand. He couldn’t lose control over his company. It was, after all, his life’s work. And so they fought a lot.”
“And then last night Gabe snapped and killed him.”
“Is that the official story?”
“Yeah, that seems to be the way it went down.”
“I’m sorry to say I wasn’t there,” she said softly. “When Leo was murdered I was holed up in my room. I never liked it when they fought, so I got out of there the moment the shouting began. If only I’d been there…”
“You can’t think like that,” said Dooley immediately.
She nodded. “It’s hard to imagine Gabe would do such a horrible thing. Those two loved each other so, so much. You should have seen them together. They were crazy about each other. Even now, after all these years.”
“Well, what happened, happened,” I said. “And now you’re the boss, and you can do whatever you want.”
“But I don’t want to be the boss,” said Pussy stubbornly. “I want Leo back, and Gabe, and the three of us on the couch watching Project Runway or RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
“We used to watch a lot of TV with Odelia, too,” I said wistfully. “Only now she’s too busy to bother.”
“Good times,” Dooley murmured.
“You’ll do great,” I told the gorgeous feline. “You’ll do Leo proud.”
In response, Pussy merely groaned. Obviously she wasn’t so sure.
We heard voices, and with a flick of the wrist Pussy flipped through several screens until she’d called up the one where the voices were coming from: we saw Leonora Flake, along with her nurse, Christopher Cross and Tank step into Pussy’s room.
“Uh-oh,” said Pussy. “I think they’re looking for me.”
“Well, better put in an appearance,” I said. “Or else they’ll organize a search party. You are, after all, the new company president.”
The three of us quickly moved through the hidden panel and into Leo’s bedroom, then via the corridor to Pussy’s very own domain, where we were greeted by a small welcoming committee.
“What’s all this?” asked Leonora Flake. “I thought my son only had one cat?”
“That’s Max and Dooley,” Chris Cross said. “They belong to Odelia Poole, a local nosy parker.”
“Oh, right,” said Leonora. “She was snooping around here this morning, wasn’t she? Assisting the cops.”
“She was, and she seems to have left her feline brood behind to keep an eye on things.”
“I told you to take a hike, didn’t I?” growled Tank.
“You’re not the boss of us,” said Dooley, quite sensibly, I thought.
“What are they saying?” asked Mrs. Flake.
“That we’re not the boss of them,” said Chris.
It surprised me greatly to meet another human who could understand what we said, but the surprise was short-lived, for Leonora laughed loudly and said, “Clever little pussies.” Then the smile disappeared. “Get rid of them, will you? We don’t need a bunch of annoying busybodies.”
Chris took one step in our direction, but Pussy said, “They’re staying put!”
Chris frowned at the cat. “You can’t be serious.”
“What’s going on?” asked Leonora, who was starting to resemble a cuckoo clock.
“Pussy wants those two to stick around.”
“Oh, for crying out loud,” she said. “Lock ‘em up, will you? And make sure they stay out of sight.”
“Will do,” said Chris curtly, and the small band of humans left the room.
The last one to leave was Tank, and when he turned to us it was with a cruel grin on his face. “Told you,” he said with a silky voice, then walked out.
“What’s happening, Max?” asked Dooley.
“I have a feeling we’re about to become like the man in the iron mask,” I said.
“Leonardo DiCaprio?” asked Dooley, excitedly. Dooley knows his movies.
“Who’s the man in the iron mask?” asked Pussy.
The door closed and a key was turned.
“Quick. Into the next room!” I said, and we sprinted for the door. Only to see it slammed shut in fro
nt of our faces, and locked from the outside.
“The man in the iron mask was a prisoner in the French Bastille—a famous former Paris prison,” I told Pussy as I caught my breath. “He was forced to wear a mask—hence the moniker—so no one would know who he was. Rumor had it that he was the king’s twin brother, and imprisoned in a dispute over the throne. In the movie version he was played by Leo DiCaprio.”
“Leo loved Leo,” said Pussy reverently. “And so do I.”
“I love Leo, too,” said Dooley. “Not your Leo, I mean, but-but-but…”
Pussy smiled. “I know what you mean, Dooley,” she said.
Dooley blinked and I frowned. I’d never seen him this flustered before.
“So what happened to the man in the iron mask?” asked Pussy.
“Oh, he died in prison,” I said.
“But he didn’t die in the movie!” said Dooley, eyes widening. “He lived happily ever after!”
“That’s Hollywood for you. Always going for the happy end.”
“I think I like the Hollywood version better, Max!”
“Me, too, Dooley,” I said. “But this isn’t a movie, is it?”
“Oh, cheer up, you guys,” said Pussy. “I’m the company president now, right? So they’re not going to lock me up and throw away the key. Right?”
I didn’t respond. Because I had a feeling that was exactly what they were going to do.
Chapter 18
It was late by the time Odelia and Chase arrived at the chateau, but that didn’t deter the intrepid reporter from pressing her finger to the bell and to keep on pressing until a gruff voice spoke through the intercom.
“What do you want?” the voiced inquired.
It was a far cry from the warm welcome they’d enjoyed that morning, but Odelia wasn’t deterred. “Hi, My name is Odelia Poole, and I think my cats are somewhere on the premises. Do you mind if we take a look around?”
“Yes, I do mind,” said the gruff voice. “This is a private residence and you can’t just barge in here without an appointment. Now please go away.”
Next it was Chase’s turn to press his finger to the bell.
“I told you to leave!” the voice growled when it returned.
Chase held his police badge in front of the camera. “Chase Kingsley, Detective with the Hampton Cove Police Department. Open the gate.”
“That badge doesn’t give you the right to snoop around, Detective. I suggest you come back with a warrant. Until you do, get lost.” And the connection was once again abruptly severed.
Odelia stared at the gate for a moment. She couldn’t believe what was happening. “Did they really just tell us to take a hike?”
“I guess they did,” said Chase, who looked as surprised as Odelia.
Just then, the gate swung open, and moments later a small fleet of black SUVs exited. They all seemed to be in a hurry to get away from the place.
“Huh,” said Odelia. “I didn’t know there was a UN meeting taking place.”
“Time to go look for your cats,” said Chase, and walked through the gate, Odelia close on his heels.
“Don’t you think we’ll get in trouble for this?” she asked.
“Pretty sure the gate swung open after we rang the bell.”
She grinned. “Well, if you look at it that way, I guess you’re right.”
“Stick with me, kid,” he quipped. “I’m always right.”
“Big man on campus,” she said as she had to hurry to keep up with the long-legged cop.
“So where did you last see your cats?” he asked.
“When we got here this morning, remember? They got out of the car and that’s the last time I saw them.”
“They could literally be anywhere. They could even be roaming the streets of Hampton Cove right now.”
“They could,” she agreed, “but something tells me they never left.”
“Don’t tell me. Female intuition?”
“You may scoff at the notion that women have a very powerful and fine-tuned sense of intuition, but it’s a fact that very often we’re right.”
“I’m not making fun of you, babe. I do believe you when you say your cats are here. No one else I know has such a strong connection to their pets.”
“Thanks,” she said. “That’s a very nice thing to say.”
They’d arrived at the house and now stood where their car had been parked that morning: in the drive in front of the house.
All the lights were out inside, except on the second floor.
“Why don’t we knock on the door and go in?” Chase suggested. “After all, we’re still laboring under the assumption we were buzzed in just now.”
“A false assumption,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, but they don’t know that we know that.”
So they moved up to the house and Chase pounded his fist on the door. Of course there was no response.
“Let’s move to the back,” said Odelia. “Maybe Max and Dooley are still around somewhere.”
They walked around to the back of the house, and in the distance Odelia could see the famous petting zoo. The lights were on in the different sections and she could see a horse staring back at her, and also a donkey.
“You can’t talk to them, can you?” asked Chase.
“No, unfortunately I can only talk to cats.”
“Too bad. They might know where Max and Dooley went.”
And they’d reached the deck when suddenly floodlights bathed the scene in a blinding light. Moments later they were surrounded by a small group of armed men, whom Odelia recognized as part of the house’s security detail.
“Easy, guys,” said Chase, carefully taking out his police badge. “We were invited.”
“Oh, hey, Detective Kingsley,” said the burliest and biggest of the lot. “Going for an evening stroll?”
“Yeah, enjoying the night air,” he said. “So what’s going on here? What’s with all the SUVs that just drove off?”
“Oh, we had a conference of some kind,” said the guy, who appeared to be the more garrulous type. With a gesture of the hand he dismissed his men, who holstered their weapons and returned indoors, to fight off another threat to the safety of the chateau’s inhabitants.
“A conference?” asked Odelia.
“Yeah. Discussing the future of the company now that the top guy is dead.”
“So who’s the new top guy?” asked Chase.
“I’m not sure but I think it’s Leonora Flake,” said the guy. “At least that’s who we’re getting our instructions from now. Her and some skinny dude with a cat.”
“Skinny dude with a cat?” asked Chase.
“Not Chris Cross,” said Odelia, surprised.
“Yeah, Cross. That’s the name I got.”
“Is he in charge now? I thought he was just a private detective, hired by Leonora?”
“Yeah, well, I guess he got promoted.”
“Weird,” said Chase.
“So have you seen any other cats around? “asked Odelia. “My cats in particular? One is large and orange, the other small and gray.”
The guy furrowed his brow. “Um… can’t say that I have, Miss…”
“Poole.”
“Oh, right. I’ve read your articles, Miss Poole. Well-written and well-informed every time. They’re the first thing I read when I get the Gazette.”
“Thanks,” said Odelia. “Always nice to meet a fan. So no cats, huh?”
“Only Pussy, but then she’s the star of the show, isn’t she?” said the guy with a laugh. He turned to Chase. “So did you arrest Gabe Crier?”
“Yeah, we did. And charged him.”
“Yeah, seems like a foregone conclusion that he did it. Martha is still pretty shook up. And now even more, since she got fired.”
“Who’s Martha?” asked Odelia.
“The maid who discovered the body,” said Chase. “She got fired?”
“Yeah, her and all the others. Looks like Leonora is doing a
clean sweep. The entire household staff was fired this evening, and sent home. Tomorrow she’ll start hiring new people. At least security hasn’t been given their marching orders yet, but I have a hunch we’re next. New brooms, huh?”
And with these words he wandered back to the house and disappeared inside.
Odelia and Chase stared after the man. “What do you make of that?” asked Odelia. “Leonora in charge, with a pet detective and his cat, and the entire staff fired.”
“Like the guy said. New brooms.”
Odelia thought for a moment. “Maybe that’s why they hired Chris Cross. He claims to be able to talk to pets, just like me. Only I always thought it was just a gimmick. You know, like a sales pitch.”
“Maybe he really can talk to pets, and now he’ll talk to Pussy and together they’ll run the show.”
Odelia glanced around. They still had no clue where Max and Dooley could be, and she was seriously starting to get worried now.
Chase, who could sense her agitation, said, “They’re probably home by now. Strike or no strike, they don’t like to be out and about for too long.”
“No, they don’t,” she agreed. “Maybe it’s time for us to head back.”
And so they strolled back to the front of the house.
Above their heads, and unbeknownst to them, three cats were yelling their little hearts out, pounding the window of Pussy’s room. Unfortunately a cat’s paws are outfitted with soft pink pads, and soft pink pads are not what you want when you try to attract attention by pounding on windows. The upshot was that their efforts produced no effect. And so it was with a desperate eye that Max and Dooley and Pussy saw the two humans who could have saved them from their imprisonment walk away and pass into the night.
Chapter 19
“How can they not have seen us?” asked Dooley with asperity.
“I guess they didn’t,” I said, feeling extremely disappointed in my human. I’d always assumed that Odelia and I shared a sacred bond. The kind of bond whereby she would instinctively know I was in grave danger and she’d come running to offer aid and support no matter the obstacles in her path. But whatever bond we’d once shared was clearly in very bad shape indeed, for even though I’d willed her to look up, she hadn’t done so once. Not a glimpse.