ôNorwell Kulhanek, Max!ö said Dooley. ôOur main suspect!ö
ôI know. What are the odds?ö
ôMust be suicide. He killed Valina and felt the noose tightening around his neck and took the cowardÆs way out.ö
ôLetÆs just wait and see,ö I said, and braced myself for what weÆd find.
Chapter 26
The co-owner of the Valina Fawn dating site was lying on his back surrounded by bottles of wine. We were in the basement of the Kulhanek place, which had been turned into a wine cellar. Racks had once been placed along the walls, but had been torn down, their contents now littered across the floor in a sea of broken bottles.
One of those bottles was still stuck in NorwellÆs neck, and it was hard to distinguish between wine and blood, as the two liquids had gotten mixed on the cement floor.
Abe Cornwall, who sat crouched over the body, now looked up.ôSomeone shoved a broken bottle into his carotid artery,ö he announced. ôCausing him to bleed out. Death would have been pretty inevitable, and fairly quick.ö
ôWhen did he die?ö asked Chase as he surveyed the scene.
ôAround eight last night IÆd say. Anywhere between seven and nine will do.ö
ôDo you think this could have been an accident?ö asked Odelia. ôKnocked over a rack of bottles and one of them ended up in his neck?ö
ôDoubtful,ö said Abe, shaking his head. ôThough not impossible. If heÆd had the misfortune to land on top of a broken bottle, it might have penetrated the artery. Though IÆd have to say chances of that happening are pretty slim.ö He got up out of his crouch. ôAnd then of course thereÆs this.ö He held up a plush Cupid doll with his gloved hand. The doll had either wine or blood on it. ôFound on top of the victimÆs body. He could have been clutching it in his arms when he fell, of course, but somehow I doubt it.ö And he handed the plush doll to Chase, whoÆd also donned plastic gloves for the occasion.
Even Dooley and I were donning plastic bootiesùjust as a precaution.
Chase and Odelia studied the doll together.ôItÆs the same one, all right,ö was OdeliaÆs determination.
ôSame what?ö asked Abe.
ôValina Fawn. The doll is used as her siteÆs logo,ö Chase explained. ôSame one was found on ValinaÆs body.ö
ôOh, thatÆs right. I remember now,ö said the coroner. ôWell, that probably cinches it. Though it still doesnÆt explain who dun it.ö He gave Chase a wink. ôBut IÆm sure youÆll figure that out for us. ThatÆs why they pay you the big bucks, after all.ö
ôYeah, right,ö Chase grunted as he handed the Cupid doll back and Abe stuffed it into a plastic evidence bag.
We mounted the wooden stairs and soon arrived in the kitchen, where Emma Kulhanek was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping from a cup of tea, and being consoled by a woman officer. When we arrived, the officer rose from her chair and left the room.
ôIs heà all right?ö asked Emma, her teary face displaying a glimmer of hope.
ôIÆm afraid not,ö said Odelia. ôNot much we can do for him.ö
ôOh, God,ö said Emma, and broke down again.
ôIÆm sorry to do this, Emma,ö said Chase, ôbut weÆre going to have to ask you a couple of questions, if thatÆs all right.ö
She nodded, and pressed a wad of tissues to her runny nose.
ôWas it you who found Norwell?ö asked Odelia, taking a seat at the kitchen table.
ôI wondered where he was when I woke up,ö said Emma. ôWe had a big row yesterday, after I found out about him andà well, you know.ö
Odelia placed a comforting hand on the womanÆs arm.
ôSo I told him he could sleep on the couch, until I decided what I was going to do. I was thinking about taking the kids to my parents, but they love their dad, and I donÆt like to interrupt their regular routine. But this morning when I came downstairs, he wasnÆt on the couch, and so I figured heÆd already left for work. But then when I headed out myself, I saw his car was still in the garage, so thatÆs when I realized that something was wrong.ö
ôWhere are the kids now?ö asked Odelia, concern lacing her voice.
ôSchool. I dropped them off with my parents yesterday after school, and they took them in this morning. I didnÆt want the kids to be here when Norwell and Ià talked things through. I had a feeling it might get messy, and they didnÆt need to hear all that.ö She took a breath, trying to compose herself. ôSo I tried to reach him on his phone, but he didnÆt pick up, until I heard his ringtone somewhere close by. So I kept on ringing him, and thatÆs when I found him, lying there, surrounded by all those bottles! He-he must have gone down there to get a bottle, and fallen over and dragged down all of those bottle racks.ö
ôYou didnÆt hear anything last night? Those falling bottles must have made a lot of noise,ö said Chase.
ôI wasnÆt here last night. Parent-teacher night. I only got in around ten and went straight to bed. The last thing I needed was another confrontation with Norwell.ö
ôYou didnÆt notice him missing?ö
She shook her head.ôI went straight upstairs. I was still very much upset.ö
ôParent-teacher night started at what time, exactly?ö asked Chase.
ôSeven. But I got there early, to set up the room and get ready.ö
ôThank you, Emma,ö said Odelia. ôYou did well.ö
ôThose bottlesàö said Chase.
ôNorwellÆs hobby. He loved his wine. Even thought about buying his own vineyard in Napa Valley. We were always going on wine tours when we were still living in San Francisco. Though of course they probably have some excellent wines out here, too.ö Her face seemed to crumple like a used tissue, and moments later she was crying again.
ôTough,ö said Dooley once we had left the kitchen and wandered out into the backyard to get some fresh air. ôFirst she discovers that her husband was having an affair, and now heÆs dead. Do you think he was murdered, Max?ö
ôIt certainly looks that way,ö I said.
ôFirst Valina Fawn, and now her business partner. So both of the siteÆs owners have been murdered, and probably by the same killer, wouldnÆt you say?ö
ôThe presence of that Cupid doll certainly points to the same person.ö
ôAnd our favorite suspect as well. Looks like weÆll have to start from scratch.ö
ôYup. Back to square one,ö I said, and we both settled in and watched police officers, crime scene people and all the hullaballoo involved in a murder investigation gain momentum. Hopefully all that activity would provide a telling clue. A fingerprint, a DNA sample, a footprintùanything that would lead us to a killer whoÆd already murdered twice, and so far with absolute impunity.
Chapter 27
WeÆd just settled in for the duration, when Chase walked into the backyard. He was talking into his phone and had the excited look on his face of a man whoÆs made a big discovery. Kids on Christmas morning have that same look, or geeks about to meet their favoriteStar Wars actor at their local comic-con.
ôThatÆs great!ö he said to the person on the other end. ôSend a unit there immediately. Yeah, IÆm on my way.ö He tucked his phone into his pocket, then turned to us. ôLetÆs go,ö he said, and when we didnÆt immediately spring into action, he simply slipped two large hands under our respective midsections and lifted us clear into the air!
He practically ran into the house and when he came upon Odelia, still sitting with a distraught-looking Emma Kulhanek, he said,ôThereÆs been a development, babe. We have to go.ö And still carrying us, he hurried out of the house, then to his car. For a moment he didnÆt know what to doùyou canÆt use your car keys when youÆre holding two catsùand then found nothing better than to deposit us both on top of thecar!
ôI just hope he wonÆt forget us and drive off,ö I muttered.
ôHe wonÆt,ö Dooley assured me. ôChase is always very careful, and so is Odelia.ö
So we patiently waited until one or the other would take us down, but suddenly we heard two doors slam shut and moments later the car lurched into motion!
ôHang on, Dooley!ö I cried. ôLooks like they have forgotten about us!ö