ôOn my desk. Someone must have found it and dropped it there.ö
ôAny idea who?ö
She shook her head.ôNo idea. One of the cleaners, maybe?ö
Chase nodded.ôThanks, Meghan.ö
ôYouÆre welcome.ö She gave him a fervent look. ôI really hope you catch the bastard that did this. Valina wasnÆt everyoneÆs cup of tea, but I liked her. She was tough to work for, but fair. She always treated me like a human being, you know, not like some slave.ö She frowned, dragginga groove across her smooth brow. ôThatÆs probably what killed her.ö
ôWhat is?ö
ôValina was nobodyÆs fool. She was a self-made woman who turned this site into a great success. And if thereÆs one thing a lot of men donÆt like, itÆs a successful woman.ö
ôYou think the hack and the murder are connected?ö asked Odelia.
ôWouldnÆt surprise me one bit. First they destroy her business, then they destroy her.ö She nodded. ôIf I were you, IÆd take a close look at Norwell, whatever his wife says.ö
And talking about the devil, just then Norwell came breezing into the office, looking pale and tired.
Which was exactly the time to pounce on the man. Or so Chase must have thought, for he didnÆt even allow the guy to shrug out of his coat.
ôA word, please, Mr. Kulhanek?ö the cop said immediately.
The man looked annoyed.ôCanÆt we do this later? I just returned from a grueling commute and an even more grueling meeting.ö
But Chase fixed him with a piercing look.ôNow, Mr. Kulhanek.ö
Norwell swallowed, then nodded.ôLetÆs go into my office,ö he said, darting a quick glance to Meghan, who regarded the man coldly.
Chapter 18
ôWe found this,ö said Chase, placing the key card on the manÆs desk. The cop had put the card in a small plastic bag, and Norwell now picked it up.
ôMy key card,ö he said, fingering the trifle. ôWhere did you find it?ö
ôIt was on Meghan FrayÆs desk this morning when she arrived for work. Did you put it there?ö
ôMe? I told you I lost it.ö
ôSo you say,ö said Chase. ôIs it true, Mr. Kulhanek, that you and Valina Fawn were having an affair until three weeks ago?ö
ôAn affair!ö the man cried, clearly taken aback. ôWho gave you that idea?ö
But Chase and Odelia were both staring at the man intently.
ôOf course I wasnÆt having an affair. IÆm a happily married man, detective.ö
ôAnd yet we have a witness who saw you and Valina engaged in what can only be described as a lovers clinch one late night at the office about a month ago.ö
Norwell gulped, as his eyes nervously shifted between Chase and Odelia.ôI donÆt know what to say,ö he finally said.
ôPlease donÆt lie to us, Mr. Kulhanek,ö said Chase quietly but with a hint of menace.
ôIÆm notàö He gulped again, then glanced to a portrait of himself with his wife and their two kids. They were two girls, kindergartners still. ôLookà can Ià count on your discretion?ö
ôThat depends.ö
ôOn what?ö
ôOn whether your affair has any bearing on our investigation.ö
ôI canÆt see how it does.ö
ôSo you admit you and Valina were having an affair.ö
He lowered his gaze and slowly nodded.
ôHow long did this affair last?ö
ôNot long. A couple of weeksùa month, maybe. I wouldnÆt even call it an affair. Weà just got together a few times. Always at the office, and always after hours. I guessà the stress of trying to build the siteà it drew us close together. And we both needed some kind of release, I guess you could call it. It was just a physical thingùnothing more.ö
ôAnd yet when Valina broke it off you blew up, didnÆt you? Became very upset.ö
ôWho told youàö
ôThe truth this time, Norwell!ö
ôYes, yesùI did get upset when she told me she wanted to end it. I thought sheÆd developed feelings for me, you see, and when she said it was purely physical from her side, I justà lost it, I guess.ö
ôAnd so you decided to kill her, didnÆt you? For making a fool out of you!ö
The man looked up, his lips quivering.ôNo! No, of course not!ö
ôYouÆre lying again, Norwell.ö
ôNo, IÆm telling you the truth! I didnÆt kill her. Okay, so I was upset. Who wouldnÆt be? I thought she liked me. But she just used me. Like a plaything. Some toy she fooled around with for a while, until she got tired and brushed me aside. I felt hurt andà humiliated and angry, yes. But I would never harm her. Ià well, I loved her,ö he concluded quietly.
ôWhat about your wife?ö
ôI love my wife,ö he said staunchly. ôBut in a different way. More likeà a friend.ö
ôA friend.ö
ôYes! I donÆt know how long youÆve been married, detective, but after a while that passion, it just fizzles out, and is replaced by a deep, abiding feeling of kinship. But sometimes a man needs to feel that heatùthat animal lust. And thatÆs what I felt with Valina. Oh, God, the woman drove me mad. But I was never going to leave Emma. I mean, we have two kids, for GodÆs sake. WeÆve built something togetherùa family. A home.ö
ôA home you couldnÆt wait to leave so you could play out your fantasy with your boss,ö said Chase tersely.
ôValina wasnÆt my boss. We were partners,ö said Norwell. ôEquals.ö
ôI think you better tell us exactly what happened two nights ago,ö said Odelia gently. ôAnd this time no lies please, Norwell.ö
The IT man nodded.ôI was upset, because of the hack, but also about the fact that since Valina had broken up with me there was this distance between us. This cold civility. I desperately wanted to see her. Let her know how I felt. So I went down to the office.ö
ôWhat time was this?ö asked Chase.
ôMidnight. Em had just gone to bed. IÆd told her IÆd sleep in the spare bedroom so I wouldnÆt wake her up. She had to get up early, you see. She was working in the morning, same as me, but also had to get the kids ready for school. Just after midnight I just couldnÆt take it anymore. I had to see Valina. So I headed down to the office, knowing sheÆd probably still be there. Only when I arrived, I discovered IÆd left my key card at homeùor at least I thought I had. So I phoned her.ö
ôValina.ö
ôBut she didnÆt pick up. I could see that the light in her office was on, so I figured she was still mad with me about the hack. I stuck around for a while.ö He hesitated, looking shamefaced now. ôLike some stupid schoolboy I even threw pebbles at her window, hoping sheÆd let me in. But there was no response, so then I decided I was acting like an idiot, got into my car and left. I ended up driving around for a while, then went home.ö
ôSo Emma lied when she said you were home all night.ö
ôShe wouldnÆt have known I left. I was careful not to make a sound.ö
ôWouldnÆt she have heard you taking the car out of the garage?ö
ôI parked the car on the street.ö
ôSo you knew you were going out again. YouÆd planned this out before.ö
He nodded, not meeting their eyes.ôI already told you. I felt this overpowering urge to talk to Valina without anyone else present. I thought if I could just see herùjust the two of usùmaybe things between us could be like before, you know.ö
Chase eyed the man with no sign of compassion.ôI think youÆre still lying, Norwell. I think you entered the building that night, and tried to patch things up with Valina. Maybe you got rough when she told you that it was over. And this time you killed her, placing that Cupid doll on her body to make it look as if a disgruntled client or investor had done it.ö
ôNo!ö said Norwell. ôI swear I would never hurt her. I loved her too much. Adored her. And now sheÆs goneà and IÆll never be able to hold her in my arms again.ö And at this point, the man broke down and started weeping like a child.
For a moment Chase was torn between placing handcuffs on the man, or handing him a tissue. Finally he opted for a tissue, and when we left the office, Norwell was still sobbing, the broken wreck of a man.
Chapter 19
ôI donÆt think IÆve ever seen a man cry like that, Max,ö said Dooley. ôI didnÆt even know that men could cry.ö