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ôI actually interviewed Cotton Karat a couple of months ago,ö said Odelia, taking a seat at the kitchen counter. ôHe seemed like a nice enough guy. A real playboy, though. Seemed more interested in showing off his fancy car collection and his latest supermodel girlfriend than the company heÆs supposed to be running.ö

Just then, suddenly the glass sliding door opened and OdeliaÆs dad walked in. He was looking a little wild-eyed and was anxiously glancing behind him as if he was a character in a Robert Ludlum novel, being persecuted by some nefarious government conspiracy.

Without a word, he made a beeline for OdeliaÆs fridge, yanked it open and rummaged around until he found what he was looking for: a sizable sausage. He then cut a big chunk off the sausage, and still without a word of explanation, popped it into his mouth, closed his eyes in relish, and chewed on the delicacy as if it was a spoonful of Karat caviar.

ôDad!ö said Odelia with a laugh. ôWhatÆs going on?ö

ôVegetarians,ö said Tex with a dark look in the direction of the door. Like Jason Bourne, his attackers could presumably enter through that door at any moment, eager to kill him.

ôVegetarians?ö asked Odelia. ôWhat are you talking about?ö

ôYour grandmother has gone over to the dark side,ö said the doctor, continuing to be mystifying. When the others merely stared at him, he said, ôSheÆs become a vegetarian.ö

ôPoor Dad,ö said Chase with a chuckle. ôYou mean youÆre not allowed to eat meat anymore?ö

Tex nodded, as he eyed the rest of that sausage eagerly.

ôEat it,ö Odelia suggested. ôThereÆs plenty more where that came from.ö

ôAre you sure?ö said Chase. ôWe donÆt want him to break the vegetarianÆs pledge.ö

Tex gave his son-in-law a dark look.ôItÆs not as if IÆve got a choice. SheÆs making me eat tofu,ö he said. ôCan you imagine? Tofu!ö

ôI like tofu,ö said Odelia. ôItÆs very tasty.ö

ôBut I want chicken!ö Tex cried. ôAnd steak. And ribs. And sausage!ö And to show us he wasnÆt lying, he didnÆt bother with the knife, but simply bit off a huge chunk of sausage and chomped down like a man wrecked on some desert island who hasnÆt eaten for days.

Just then, another person arrived on the scene. It was Gran, and when she caught sight of Tex, taking another big bite out of that sausage, her face took on a grim look.ôTex Poole!ö she cried, planting her hands on her bony hips. ôWhat did I tell you about eating meat!ö

ôThat itÆs bad for me?ö asked Tex sheepishly.

ôVery bad,ö said Gran. ôBoth for your health and for the environment. Spit it out!ö She held a hand in front of her son-in-lawÆs face and we watched as Tex reluctantly spat out the half-chewed sausage into her hand. She then disposed of it and gave Odelia a nasty look. ôAnd you!ö she said, pointing a finger at her granddaughter, ôshould know better than to aid and abet a known meat addict!ö

Odelia and Chase shared a look of surprise, but before they could respond, Gran was already stomping back to the door, a sad-looking Tex in her wake.ôIÆve got a nice breakfast for you, Tex,ö Gran was saying. ôFully plant-based and filled with all of the necessary nutrients and vitamins, and none of those awful toxins that you only find in meat products.ö And after lobbing a warning look in our direction, she walked out.

ôPoor Dad,ö said Odelia once the coast was clear again.

ôYeah, and poor us,ö said Chase. ôCause knowing your grandmother, she wonÆt stop until sheÆs converted this entire town into vegetarianism.ö

ôMaybe I should have put that mouse on TexÆs pillow,ö Dooley suggested. ôI have a feeling heÆs going to need it.ö

ôPlease donÆt put any mice on anyoneÆs pillow, Dooley,ö I said. ôWhatever the Discovery Channel says, itÆs not a good idea.ö

ôBut itÆs my USP, Max,ö he said. ôIn fact itÆs the only USP IÆve got!ö

Chapter 5

Breakfast over, Dooley and I ventured outside.ôI just hope Gran wonÆt try and convince us to switch to a plant-based diet,ö I said as we passed through the cat flap. ôItÆs all good and well for humans, but cats are carnivores. We need our bits of meat.ö

ôI donÆt know, Max,ö said Dooley. ôI donÆt think thatÆs necessarily true. When I was holding that mouse in my mouth, I thought about eating it, and I actually felt nauseous.ö

ôThatÆs because weÆre basically spoiled, pampered cats, Dooley. For a cat like Clarice, a nice fat mouse is like a delicacy.ö Then again, our friend Clarice will even eat rats almost as big as she is. She truly is a rare specimen.

Stretched out on the lawn, we found Harriet and Brutus, taking in some of that early morning sun that is so pleasant. The rays were tickling their bellies, and they looked as well-fed as only two pampered, spoiled cats can look. They also looked thoroughly bored, as their next words indicated.

ôWeÆre bored, Max,ö said Harriet, a pretty white Persian. ôDonÆt you have a case for us to solve or something?ö

ôYeah, Maxie baby,ö said Brutus, a butch, black cat, ôa nice juicy murder case is exactly what we need right now.ö