ôStill. There are less conspicuous ways to kill a person. And whoever killed Valina added that plush Cupid to make it clear he was targeting both her and her site.ö
ôSo a disgruntled customer?ö
ôOr a disgruntled spouse.ö
Chapter 10
ValinaÆs personal assistant Meghan Fray was the next person being led into our makeshift interview room. She was a raven-haired woman in her mid-twenties with remarkable sea-green eyes and wearing the same kind of business suit her boss favored. She was crisp to the point of bluntness, and far from being shocked by the murder of her employer seemed more annoyed by it, as if ValinaÆs death had messed up her plans.
ôValina was under a lot of pressure, as you can imagine,ö said Meghan. ôWe all were, actually. You wouldnÆt believe the phone calls weÆve been getting, and the emails. People even showed up at the office, demanding we pay them back their membership fees, or threatening with lawsuits. ItÆs been a very difficult time.ö
ôAnyone in particular stick out?ö asked Chase.
Meghan smoothed the hem of her skirt.ôWellà one person did seem more determined to talk with Valina. We all tried to shield her as much as possible from all the abuse, of course, but this woman wouldnÆt take no for an answer. And since sheÆs in a position to create a lot of trouble for us, Valina finally decided to take her call. She later told me it was one of the worst five minutes of her life. The woman was absolutely furious, and demanded access to her partnerÆs private informationùinformation that luckily wasnÆt part of the leak. Things like the profiles he looked at, times he swiped right, dates set up. That kind of thing. Lucky for us the guy was in the clear. Had never once swiped right.ö
Odelia frowned.ôWhat is the name of this woman?ö
ôUmà Charlene Butterwick,ö said Meghan. ôThe Mayor of Hampton Cove?ö
Odelia and Chase both looked appropriately surprised by this piece of news.ôCharlene Butterwick caused Valina to experience the worst five minutes of her life?ö asked Odelia.
ôThatÆs what she said. Mayor Butterwick has the power to close us down, you see. Or at least thatÆs what Valina said. And also, her partner is a cop or someà thingàö Her voice trailed off as she stared at Chase, then grimaced. ôHeÆs your boss, isnÆt he?ö
Chase nodded.
ôOh, God.ö
ôHeÆs a cop, Miss Fray. Not an ax murderer,ö said Chase dryly.
ôHe also happens to be my uncle,ö said Odelia, ôand I can assure you heÆs a great guy.ö
But Meghan didnÆt look convinced. What she was convinced of was that sheÆd just made a very serious faux pas. ôLook, weÆre all on edge here. Valina more than the rest of us. Her business was on the line, and she worked around the clock to make things right. And now this.ö She shook her head, and I couldsee the lines on her forehead. She might not show it, but she was indeed affected by her bossÆs murder.
ôIs there anyone else you can think of who might have done this?ö asked Odelia gently.
ôApart from the Mayor and the Chief of Police?ö Chase added for good measure.
MeghanÆs eyelid twitched. The woman was feeling the strain. ôI can think of a couple of hundred people who might have done this. Or even a thousand. You canÆt imagine how angry people are, detective. You should see some of the emails weÆve received.ö
ôOn another note,ö said Chase, ôNorwell Kulhanek claims his key card was stolen yesterday. Do you have any idea who might be responsible? Maybe something you saw or overheard?ö
Meghan thought for a moment, then shook her head.ôNo, IÆm sorry. This is the first IÆve heard of NorwellÆs key card going missing. Are you sure he hasnÆt simply misplaced it? The man is notoriously distracted when it comes to practical things. He once walked into a meeting with Chinese investors wearing bathroom slippers. HeÆd left the house wearing them, walked into the office, and into the meeting, and never once noticed.ö
And as Chase wrote down his email address, so Meghan could send him those nasty emails Valina had been getting, the PA looked down at OdeliaÆs belly and smiled. ôCongratulations,ö she said. ôHow many months?ö
ôSixteen weeks,ö said Odelia. ôThat obvious, huh?ö
ôIÆve got three sisters with ten kids between them, so you can call me an expert.ö
ôHow about you? No plans in that department?ö
ôFirst IÆll have to find the right guy.ö
ôIÆd imagine that shouldnÆt be a problem, working for a dating site.ö
ôItÆs harder, actually. When youÆve worked for Valina Fawn for as long as I have, you kinda lose faith in mankindùespecially the male segment, I should add.ö She quickly glanced over to Chase. ôHeÆsàö
ôMy husband, yes,ö said Odelia.
ôYou should count yourself lucky that you found one of the good guys. ThereÆs a lot of jerks out there, Mrs. Kingsley. And I do mean a lot.ö
[╩α≡≥ΦφΩα: img_2]
ôSo Charlene, huh?ö said Chase as we got into his car. ôWho would have thought?ö
ôSheÆs a very passionate woman,ö said Odelia as she strapped herself in. ôSo when she found out that Uncle Alec was on ValinaÆs site, she must have been furious.ö
ôI hope she wasnÆt furious enough to drive over here last night and kill Valina.ö
ôUh-oh,ö said Odelia, and held up her phone for ChaseÆs benefit, then for ours. It showed a video of Charlene in full archery regalia, holding up bow and arrow and smiling at the camera. As the video started playing, Charlene let rip an excellent shot, and as the camera zoomed in on the target, it showed the arrow, feathered vanes still quivering, as it pierced the center of the target. æPerfect shot!Æ Charlene cried jubilantly.
ôIf Charlene killed Valina, do you think Uncle Alec will make the arrest?ö asked Dooley.
ôI doubt it,ö I said. ôHeÆll probably let Chase do the honors. And besides, I very much doubt that Charlene is a killer.ö
ôShe could have been carried away by her emotions.ö
ôPossible,ö I allowed. Though Charlene didnÆt strike me as a killer. She probably had other means at her disposal when dealing with a businessperson that provoked her ire. Like having them arrested for being in violation of some obscure council regulation.
ôIÆm still thinking about that Cupid doll, Max,ö said Dooley. ôThat wasnÆt very nice, was it?ö
ôMurder usually isnÆt nice, Dooley.ö
ôNo, but Cupid is supposed to fire an arrow through the heart of the people heÆs trying to link, isnÆt he? Only here he shot a real arrow, and instead of linking Valina in love, it killed her. It just makes you sit up and think, doesnÆt it?ö
ôIt certainly made Valina sit up and think.ö
ôAs if the killer was trying to send a message.ö
ôYes, that seems to be very obvious.ö
ôThe message that love kills, Max.ö
ôI donÆt know if thatÆs what the killer was going for, exactly.ö
ôNo, but he was. This person who killed Valina, he was probably in love with her, only she turned him down and this is why he killed her. Unrequited love, Max. ItÆs no laughing matter.ö
ôWhoÆs laughing, Dooley?ö
He gave me a puzzled look. But before he could respond, Chase was parking his car in front of Town Hall, and moments later we were strolling in, determined to find out how Charlene had given Valina such a fright.
We found Charlene seated behind her mayoral desk, busy doing mayoral things and looking very mayoral indeed. Behind her, instead of a portrait of herself, a large map of Hampton Cove hung, and across from her, a big landscape portraying that same Hampton Cove, only presumably in some day of old, since I could see horse-drawn carriages, which isnÆt something you see in the streets nowadays.
She rose when we entered the office and gestured to two intricately carved wooden chairs in front of her desk.ôTake a seat. What can I get you? Tea? Coffee? YouÆre here about that dreadful business with Valina, I presume? How can I help you?ö She then crossed her fingers and looked at us intently, ready to be of assistance.