18f44de3c41a3c8943c05e9ff1c1336f

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.

Odelia was left to deal with Norwell, who was staggering slightly. She escorted him out of the office and then into one of the empty offices to the side of the big open-office space that was the main hub of all the activity.

ôI heard that something had happened,ö Norwell explained as he absentmindedly wiped his brow with the back of his hand, ôbut I didnÆtà I neveràö He looked up at Odelia. ôIs sheàö

Odelia nodded.ôIÆm afraid so.ö

ôBut how? When? Who?ö

ôThatÆs what weÆre trying to find out.ö

ôButà I saw her just yesterday. She was fine.ö

ôSee?ö said Dooley. ôHeÆs also surprised, Max.ö

ôI think weÆre all surprised, Dooley. ItÆs a natural reaction.ö

ôI talked to her. We discussed strategies. Trying to get us out of this situation.ö

ôIs it true that you threatened to sue?ö asked Odelia. ôClaiming this whole business was bad for your reputation?ö

The man stared at her for a moment, then said,ôYes, well, in the heat of the moment I probably said a few things I shouldnÆt have said. But then when we talked things through, I decided to stick around and help her deal with the fallout. Make the site bulletproof. Valina had a strategy in place. She wanted to use this hack as an opportunity to sell Valina Fawn as the best-protected, safest dating site on the market. She was great at that sort of thing.ö

ôThe thing is, Mr. Kulhanek,ö said Odelia, ôthat your key card was used to access the building last night. In fact you were the last person to enter the office. According to the log this was at one-fifteen.ö