She now settled back in her chair and rubbed her tired eyes. SheÆd managed to convince Norwell to stick with her, and the man had pulled off no mean feat by securing the site and plugging any hole that had made them vulnerable in the first place. Now all she had to do was convince people that this had been just a slight hiccup and that soon things would all go back to normal.
Oh, heck. Who was she kidding? Things would never go back to normal. ItÆs one thing for a single person to have their private information leaked, but quite another for a happily married husband suddenly to see his name associated with a dating site. Judging from the avalanche of online abuse the site had suffered in the last twelve hours, a lot of people were very upset with her right now.
Then again, if youÆre going to cheat on your spouse, why not have the guts to come out into the open and admit to it? Why blame the middlemanùor middlewoman, as in this case? She was, after all, simply a conduit for these peopleÆs adulterous ways.
And as she tried to focus on the letters on her laptop screen, which all seemed to dance and do the boogie-woogie, she suddenly thought she heard a sound coming from the big office next to her own corner office.
ôHello!ö she called out. ôWhoÆs there?ö
Probably a cleaner. Or someone having forgotten their wallet or phone.
But when she focused and listened some more, she didnÆt hear anything, and soon was immersed in the email she was writing once more. She wanted to shoot this one off now, so everyone would receive it in the morning when they arrived for work. It was one of those missives from the big brass that people tend to write at a time of crisis. Rallying thetroops, and hoping they wonÆt leave what they perceive as a sinking ship.
And as she was trying to think up a nice turn of phrase that wouldnÆt sound as harsh as ædisaster,Æ suddenly she thought she heard the sound of a footfall. And when she looked up, at first she couldnÆt really see anything, what with her eyesight having suffered from the strain of looking at a laptop screen for hours on end.
But when she finally focused, she saw that a black-clad person had materialized in her office. The figure was simply standing there, staring at her for some reason.
ôYes?ö she said, frowning. ôWhat do you want?ö
But even as she spoke the words, the person shifted, and she saw they were holding what looked like a bow in their hands. Then the bow was raised, and before she fully realized what she was seeing, there was a swooshing sound, then athwack! and pain suddenly bloomed in her chest.
She gasped to draw breath, but it was to no avail.
Her lungs refused to comply with such a simple demand.
Perhaps it was because her heart had already stopped beating.
Chapter 9
I really hadnÆt thought weÆd be back at the offices of Valina Fawn so quickly. Only whereas yesterday we were there for an exclusive interview with the siteÆs principals, today we were there in a completely different capacity. One that wasnÆt quite as pleasant.
ôItÆs strange, isnÆt it, Max?ö said Dooley when we found ourselves staring up at the not-quite-alive Valina. ôYesterday she was alive, and now sheÆs dead. How did that happen?ö
ôThatÆs for Chase and Odelia to find out,ö I said as I studied the body more closely.
ôNo, but I mean, we only saw her yesterday, and now sheÆs gone. It makes you think.ö
ôYes, it most certainly does. For instance, who might have done this to her?ö
ôI was thinking more about life and death and that kind of stuff,ö said my friend the philosopher. ôI mean, the human body is quite fragile, isnÆt it? That it only takes a minor incident like this to make it stop functioning at full capacity?ö
ôNot just the human body, Dooley. Any body will stop functioning when you shoot an arrow through its heart.ö
ôBut why, Max? ShouldnÆt the heart be made of sterner stuff? ItÆs just a little bit of metal, after all. No reason why that should stop the heart from working properly.ö
ôWell, it would appear it did the trick in this case,ö I said.
ôWho found her?ö asked Chase to one of the officers on the scene.
ôCleaner, sir. Came in here around seven to clean the office and called it in. Said she had a lot of trouble convincing the dispatcher that she was reporting an actual crime.ö
ôWhat do you mean?ö
ôDispatcher seemed to think she was playing a practical joke on her. Said that wasting police time is a punishable offense and if she didnÆt get off the phone sheÆd sue her.ö
Chase shared a look of annoyance with Odelia, then nodded.ôIÆll take care of it.ö
Abe Cornwall, the county coroner, was standing over the body, closely inspecting the wound. Then he stretched, planting his fists in his back and wincing. There was a slight creaking sound as his vertebrae resumed their regular working position.ôItÆs the climate,ö he explained without invitation. ôI need to go off someplace warm. Florida would be nice. Work miracles for my joints.ö
ôSo what do we have, Abe?ö asked Chase, showing an appalling lack of interest in AbeÆs joints or his desire for warmer climes.
ôWell, sheÆs dead, all right,ö said Abe. ôShot through the heart with an arrow, I would say. Does the trick every time.ö
ôWhatÆs with the toy?ö asked Chase, referring to the small plush bear sitting in the dead womanÆs lap.
ôThatÆs Cupid,ö said Odelia. ôItÆs Valina FawnÆs logo. She uses it on everything. On the site, promotional materials, social mediaàö
The dead dating site leader sat bolt upright in her chair, eyes open and staring into space. The arrow had passed right through her, and had lodged itself in the chair, keeping her pinned in her final position.
ôShe must have been facing her attacker, wouldnÆt you say?ö asked Odelia.
ôYeah, I wonder what she saw,ö Chase murmured. He glanced around. ôNo cameras, unfortunately, and nothing to tell us who her attacker might have been.ö
ôWhen did she die?ö asked Odelia.
ôIÆd say between midnight and two oÆclock,ö said Abe, ôbut donÆt pin me down on it,ö he added with a grin. His feeble attempt at humor clearly wasnÆt appreciated, and he proceeded to give instructions to the crime scene technicians processing the office.
The same officer from before now walked up holding a plastic evidence bag. It contained a smartphone.ôMiss FawnÆs phone, sir,ö he said. ôLast call she received was from a Norwell Kulhanek. This would have been at twelve-thirty. Call was refused. Oh, and Mr. KulhanekÆs key card was used to access the building at one-fifteen. He was the last person to enter the building. We donÆt know when he leftùexits arenÆt logged.ö
ôAnd before then? Who was the last person to enter?ö
The officer produced what looked like a log.ôLast person to enter was Miss Fawn herself, at six oÆclock last night. And then the first entry after Mr. Kulhanek is the cleaner using her own key card. She was logged in at six forty-five this morning.ö
ôInteresting,ö said Chase. ôThanks, Randal. Good job.ö
ôThanks, sir,ö said the young officer, looking pleased as punch.
ôWe better have a chat with our Mr. Kulhanek,ö said Chase.
ôI interviewed him yesterday,ö said Odelia. ôHe and Valina presented a united front, but later on Max and Dooley heard them arguing about who was responsible for the hack. He threatened to sue.ö
ôYou have an address for this Kulhanek character?ö
But if Odelia did have an address for the man, she didnÆt need to dig it out, for at that moment the guy suddenly materialized in the office. And as he stood there, rooted to the spot, and staring at the body of his business partner, he uttered a strangled sort of cry.
Chase cursed under his breath.ôWhat part of æseal off the placeÆ is so hard to understand?ö he said, and walked out with long-legged stride to rectify the situation.