And as I settled down next to my friends, and Kingman and Dooley continued chatting amiably, suddenly the truth hit me.
ôOf course,ö I murmured. ôWhy didnÆt I see it sooner!ö
Chapter 29
I have to say it wasnÆt exactly my finest hour, or at least it didnÆt feel that way. It should have been, of course, for IÆd finally cracked the caseùfigured out who had killed two people in cold blood. But instead of feeling the exhilaration when the arrest of a killer is finally within reach, I felt a little sad. For this time the killer was a person I liked.
Odelia and Chase leaned against the hood of the car, with Dooley and myself at their feet. Odelia had asked me more than once already how I thought this would go, and frankly I had no idea. I didnÆt think there would be a lot of resistance, though, or even any trickery needed to force a confession.
And I was right.
Emma Kulhanek walked out of the school entrance, spotted us and seemed to collapse into herself. And when Chase approached her and told her she was under arrest for the murders of Valina Fawn and Norwell Kulhanek, she simply bowed her head and nodded.
ôIÆm glad itÆs all over,ö she said quietly as she held out her hands.
ôIÆm not going to cuff you in front of your students, Emma,ö said Chase.
ôThank you,ö said the teacher. ôThatÆs very kind of you, detective.ö She paused and glanced back to the school. ôWhatÆs going to happen to my kids now?ö
ôWe spoke to your parents,ö said Odelia. ôAsked them to pick them up.ö
Emma nodded and quite willingly got into the car.
At the police station she didnÆt sit in an interview room, but simply in ChaseÆs office, which was a lot nicer than the formal interview rooms, and as she held a cup of tea between both hands, started to talk without even being prompted. It really was as if she wanted to get it off her chest, which I could absolutely understand. Committing murder creates a burden on oneÆs soul, especially for a, essentially kindhearted person like Emma.
ôI never wanted to come to Hampton Cove in the first place,ö she said. ôIt was NorwellÆs idea. He had heard about ValinaÆs new site and thought if he could get in at the beginning, it might be a way for him to generate a lot of money, really launch his career, you know. He knew, of course, that Valina and I had been in school together, and badgered me into making the necessary introductions. He then used the fact that my family was still here, and that our kids could go to the same school IÆd gone to to pressure me into agreeing to the big move back east. I finally relented, figuring that maybe he was right.ö
ôBut he wasnÆt,ö said Odelia softly. ôBecause you hadnÆt told him about Valina.ö
Emma took a deep breath.ôValina wasnÆt the sweet person everyone thought she was. She was a bully, and terrorized me mercilessly all through high school. Every single day she used to be on my case, and I hated her for it. She made my life a living hell, for six long years. So when I finally met her again, I somehow expected her to apologize. But she wouldnÆt even acknowledge what sheÆd done to me, much less show the least regret.ö
ôAnd then your husband started an affair with her.ö
ôI met a boy in the sixth grade. He was my first boyfriend. He was kind and warm and funny, and he defended me against Valina and her friends. I was in love with him, and thought things were finally going to change. So Valina, when she saw how happy I suddenly was, decided to steal him away from me. And she did. And then once sheÆd got her claws in him she made him dump me in front of the whole school, humiliating me even further. And so when she had the opportunity to go after Norwell, she didnÆt hesitate. She even had the gall to rub my face in it. When the list leaked she called to tell me about NorwellÆs affair. Said it didnÆt mean anything. Just a fling. For her it probably was, but not for Norwell. He was absolutely smitten. She had that effect on people. She could be very charming if she wanted to, but also completely ruthless. So when Norwell kept sending her messages and begging her to get back together, she found it amusing. Said he followed her around like a lapdog. Asked if it didnÆt bring back memories. Of course it did. Bullies never change. Not really. Unless you put them in their place. Only I should have done it twenty years ago, then things wouldnÆtbe such a mess now.ö
ôIÆm sorry,ö said Odelia. ôI didnÆt know.ö
ôNobody knew, except me and Valina, and of course the clique she used to hang out with back then. Her executioners. I hadnÆt even told Norwell, or my parents.ö She bowed her head. ôShe shouldnÆt have gone after Norwell. That was probably what drove me toà well, you know.ö
ôYou took his key card?ö asked Chase.
ôIt was easy. In and out like a flash. I was afraid someone would see me, but nobody did. I didnÆt even try to hide or cover my tracks. At that point I was beyond caring.ö She took a thoughtful sip from her cup. ôI used to do some shooting back in the day, and Norwell had a bow and arrows lying around, from the club. It just seemed appropriate. With her always pretending to be Cupid, while in actual fact she was just a monster.ö
ôAnd then you dropped NorwellÆs key card on MeghanÆs desk.ö
ôYes. And I honestly thought that would be the end of it. With my tormentor finally dead, I thought I would be able to breathe againùto be free at least. But Norwell kept pining for her. He didnÆt have to say it, but I could feel it. He was still in love with the woman, in spite of everythingshe had done to me. So I finally broke down and told him. All of it. The bullying, the boyfriend she stole from meùthe reason I moved to the other side of the country, away from my friends, my familyùsimply to be as far away from her as possible. And you know what he said? That he didnÆt believe me. That I was making it all up out of sheer spite. And that if he could, he would have left me for Valina.ö
ôAnd so you decided to kill him, too,ö said Odelia.
ôI didnÆt really decide anything. I was simply so fed upà IÆd forgotten my laptop at home, so I slipped out of the parent-teacher meeting to quickly fetch it, making sure nobody saw me, since itÆs frowned upon to just disappear like that. I found Norwell in the basement, dusting off his cherished bottles, which he probably cared for more than me or the kids. He was crying, said he missed her so much. Said I couldnÆt understand what she had meant to him. As if she was the love of his life or something. I got so angry, so I just broke one of his precious bottles, just to get back athim. And when he lunged at me, in a reflex action I held it out to defend myself. It accidentally hit him in the neck, and before I knew what was happening, he was lying there, bleeding out. And I should have felt pity, or remorse, or regret, but all I felt was satisfaction and relief. In the end he had let me down. Me and the kids. So I wiped my prints, dropped the bottle, tore down those bottle racks to make it look as if someone had ransacked the place, and walked out.ö
ôAnd returned to the school.ö
ôNobody had even noticed I was gone. It was so easy, just like with Valina. As if I was invisible.ö She looked up. ôSo how did you figure it out?ö
ôWe talked to some of the parents. They did notice that you were gone for a while, Emma. And once we knew that, we checked traffic cameras along the route you took, and tracked your movements. It wasnÆt difficult to pinpoint the exact time you passed.ö
ôIÆm not sorry I killed them, you know,ö said Emma. ôThe only thing IÆm sorry about is that my kids will grow up knowing their mom killed their dad. And my parents, of course. TheyÆll be devastated.ö
And as Chase led her away, Odelia heaved a deep sigh.ôGood work, Max,ö she said. ôToo bad it was Emma. She was the last person IÆd expected.ö
ôItÆs something Kingman said that triggered a memory,ö I said. ôOr several ones, actually. Emma once told us something about a bullying campaign she was very passionate about, explaining that it was a campaign close to her heart. And then there was the fact that she and Valina had gone to the same school together. She also mentioned during a book club meeting that sheÆd once been betrayed by a boyfriend who left her for another woman, and somehow all those elements suddenly clicked. And of course when you look back, it was always obvious that it must have been her: she would be the most obvious person to have access to her husbandÆs key card, or his archery club gear, and we knew that her husband had been having an affair with Valina.ö