“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 front 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.”