18f44de3c41a3c8943c05e9ff1c1336f

And then, much to HarrietÆs elation, he flew off.

ôI donÆt like your new boyfriend, Harriet,ö Kingman grumbled, starting to lick himself.

ôHe is not my boyfriend!ö Harriet screamed.

Next to me, Brutus had silently materialized. He now gave me a nudge.ôCheck that tablet, Max. Somehow I have a feeling the lady doth protest too much!ö

And so it was that I suddenly realized IÆd landed myself in the middle of a scene that could have featured inCats! So maybe this Andrew Lloyd Webber fellow had indeed taken the measure of a cat: drama, more dramaà and yet even more drama.

Chapter 17

The next morning, the investigation continued, and we found ourselves back in the offices of Valina Fawn. ValinaÆs office was still off limits, with yellow crime scene tape attached to the door, and the person we were there to see this time was Meghan Fray, ValinaÆs personal assistant.

After going through both membership lists of the Brookwell Archery Club and the dating site, an eagle-eyed member of ChaseÆs team had discovered another overlap between the two lists: Valina Fawn herself.

ôOh, absolutely,ö said Meghan when questioned about her deceased bossÆs fondness for the sport of archery. ôShe went there all the time. Though if you ask me, she wasnÆt into the sport itself but more into one of the club members.ö She arched a meaningful and finely penciled eyebrow at this.

ôYou mean Valina was having an affair with one of BrookwellÆs members?ö asked Odelia, immediately interested.

ôOh, yes, and a pretty torrid one from the looks of things. I caught them at it, you see. Right here in her office. I was working late one night and IÆd gone to the bathroom. When I came back I heard sounds of a coupleà well, going at it, to put it bluntly. I think he must have come in and figured IÆd already left and they were alone in the building.ö

ôSo you discreetly left and made sure you gave your boss the privacy you felt she deserved,ö said Chase dryly.

Meghan shot him anæare you kidding meÆ look and said, ôI went into the adjacent office and quietly opened the door to take a peek. I mean what else do you expect me to do? Valina had just told me that after running a dating site for years she didnÆt believe in love anymore, and how sheÆd decided she was going to remain single for the rest of her life. And now here she was, moaning down the whole building!ö

ôAnd so what did you see?ö asked Odelia eagerly.

ôNorwell Kulhanek.ö

ôYou gotta be kidding!ö

ôNo, I swear to God! They were on her desk doingùö

ôYes, yes, we donÆt need to hear all the sordid details,ö said Chase. ôSo Valina and Norwell were an item? Are you sure?ö

ôAbsolutely. Though for what itÆs worth, it didnÆt last long. This was about a month ago, and a week later they fell out. Huge fight.ö

ôWhat about?ö

ôIÆm not sure, but IÆm guessing she probably dumped him and he didnÆt take it well.ö She gave Odelia a knowing look. ôWe all know that men have a very fragile ego, and NorwellÆs ego is as fragile as a birdÆs egg. So if she dumped him, he probably blew up.ö

ôI see,ö said Chase, nodding.

ôBut what did he expect? The guy is married, after all. With two kids, no less. He probably wanted more than just a casual fling and she told him she wasnÆt interested. Valina may have been a lot of things, but she wasnÆt a homewrecker, whatever people say.ö

ôIs he in, Norwell?ö asked Chase.

ôNah, heÆs in New York today. Meeting with investors. HeÆs trying to salvage whatÆs left of the site now that ValinaÆs gone.ö She sighed. ôFat lot of good thatÆll do. This place is a goner, from what I can tell. Valina was the heart and soul of this place. With her dead itÆs just an empty shell. If IÆm smart IÆll pack my bags and quit while I still can. Pretty soon the last of the money will run out and I can say goodbye to any severance pay.ö

ôThank you for telling us, Meghan,ö said Odelia. ôBut why didnÆt you mention this yesterday?ö

Meghan shrugged.ôI didnÆt think it was important. But then I spent all last night thinking things through, and finally I figured that maybe heÆs the one that did her in, you know. If he took her breaking things off badly, he might have decided that if he couldnÆt have her, no one would.ö

ôItÆs a thought,ö Odelia admitted, ôthough the man has a solid alibi. His wife claims he was home all night.ö

ôMh,ö said Meghan, giving Odelia a skeptical look.

ôYou think she might be lying?ö

ôWouldnÆt be the first wife caught in a lie, would she? I know women like Emma Kulhanek. They know full well that their husband is a liar and a cheat but still they stand by him whatever happens. Some twisted idea of loyalty. Hoping heÆll reward them for their lies by staying with them. Whichof course they never do. Oh, by the way, I found this on my desk this morning.ö She produced a key card and handed it to Chase.

ôThis is NorwellÆs key card,ö the cop said with a frown.

ôYeah, you told me yesterday it had gone missing, remember?ö

ôWhere did you find it, exactly?ö

ôOn my desk. Someone must have found it and dropped it there.ö

ôAny idea who?ö