by Cassie Page
“I became one with the search engines until I stumbled across references to the deep net.”
These were the highly technical web pages not accessible by the popular search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. Olivia discovered that much personal information was contained in these subterranean layers of the Internet that cell phone owners, security services and other users thought was inaccessible. Or, they didn’t even know the data existed. Information such as computer codes and manufacturer passwords that drove the workings of electronics, TV sets and automobiles turned out to be ripe for the picking if you knew how to find them. Those were the innocent bits of data.
However, she also learned that the deep net was the new underworld, the new black market. It was a veritable den of thieves where anything could be had for a price. Drugs, guns, contract killers. And it was the playground of terrorists. The government was dedicated to locating and keeping tabs on these secret sites. Even checking out one of these websites for curiosity’s sake could get you on a watch list.
Olivia put two and two together and came up with a jackpot. She realized the technical expertise of the Payne father and son act, along with aspects of Cocoon Your Life not available to the consumer could help them access the deep net to find any security passwords they needed without leaving a trace. Cocoon Your Life became their personal lock picker. It gave them access to the locks and safes inside Xavier’s Gems.
Olivia paused for emphasis. “I had pieces of the puzzle but nothing in hand. Then Mother Nature stepped in. You all heard the news flash that the boy wonder was hospitalized with a life-threatening infection due to his bout with cancer. Though in remission, the treatment left him with a compromised immune system. When I heard what caused his illness, I knew we had him.”
She held up her foot, pointing to a partially healed scratch, then grinned at Xavier.
“A fifteen pound Maine Coon terror named Lola brought down our murderer. When she raked my ankle I just bled a little and learned to steer clear of the feisty feline. But when JR Payne was delivering Jocelyn Payne to the afterlife, Lola must have nipped him as well. It was Cat Scratch Fever, harmless to me but potentially fatal to someone who’d had chemotherapy, as he had. He developed a raging infection that put him in the hospital. The police would never have figured out that connection. I wouldn’t have either if Lola hadn’t attacked me the first time we met. Because Xavier had picked her up as a stray, I did some sleuthing to find out if I needed a shot or something. And that, my friends, gave me the idea for nabbing that publicity hound. If he hadn’t turned himself inside out to get his name in the news so he could pin the murder on me, I never would have known he’d been attacked by a cat and figured out a way to grab him. But if you watched cable news today, you saw Darling Valley’s finest nab him with the goods. The atomizer, the earring and the wound delivered by our very own Lola.”
Matt butted in here. “Let’s not forget a well-placed shove by Tuesday that sent Olivia into the arms of killer. Literally. I heard they rehearsed that play like they were trying out for the NFL.”
Matt explained that when Johnson got all the details from Olivia and found the evidence, he got a warrant for Payne’s computer. His team was able to follow Payne’s cyber trail to Shodom, a site that operated on the deep net and apparently could find any needle in any haystack. Especially if the searcher had a magnifying glass as sophisticated as Cocoon Your Life.
Olivia didn’t mention Tobey Carverman by name, but said that through a friend she learned that JR Payne had helped his father develop Cocoon. She realized he could use Shodom and similar sites to access not only Xavier’s security passwords with the push of a button on his cell phone, but gain access to Olivia and Jocelyn’s phones as well, the better to install fake texts. Johnson’s experts found the bogus texts on JR’s computer, as well as the doctored photos he had leaked to Awful Arlo and CNN. He had cozied up to Awful Arlo to feed him any trumped up story he wanted leaked to the public. Then he gave anonymous scoops, with photos, to the cable channels with fabricated details about Matt and Olivia that would incriminate them on the nightly news. JR had installed the texts on the phones after the murder, but pre-dated them so it looked like Olivia had been stalking Jocelyn for a while.
Tuesday had been thoughtful for a few moments. “You mean that guy who stole secrets and ran away to Russia set you up?”
Olivia laughed. “Not Snowden, Tues. Shodom!”
Then Hugo came up behind them and said, “Your table is ready, folks.”
Tuesday asked the waiter if they served any raw food dishes. She was explaining her new diet requirements when Olivia snatched her menu out of her hand and said, “My friend will have a Double Super California Burger with everything on it. Medium Rare.”
After giving their orders, Matt raised his glass. “To Lola.”
Xavier pointed to Cody’s battered face. “What happened? A soccer game I missed?”
Cody dodged his questions as deftly as Johnson had in the press conference.
Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Dance of Life
That night Cody insisted on returning to his sleeping bag. “It’s in the biggest room in the house,” he boasted. The excitement at the hospital bust and the revelry at Hugo’s had worn him out. “Night all,” he said, turning in just after eight.
Olivia doused the lights in the kitchen, and she and Tuesday headed for the living room to see what the cable stations had to say about JR’s arrest. At first Olivia thought the sound coming from downstairs was Cody moving around and settling in for the night. But it was Mrs. Harmon opening her kitchen door and coming up from the basement. Instead of heading out to the back yard to empty trash or retrieve something from her car in the garage as she often did in the evening, she knocked on the stairs to the loft and called out. “Olivia? Are you there? Can I come up?”
The request surprised her. Mrs. Harmon rarely asked to see her unless it was to report a leaky faucet or complain that Olivia’s car was blocking the driveway. But her tenant had been quite lively at dinner, laughing at everyone’s jokes and telling a few of her own. Olivia answered, “Sure, come on up. We’re watching the news.”
Olivia turned on the light in the breakfast nook and met her at the top of the stairs. “Would you like to sit with us for awhile? I was thinking of making popcorn.”
Elise Harmon had freshened her makeup and primped her hair since she’d said goodbye to everyone in Hugo’s parking lot. Even an occasion to have a word with her landlady demanded she look her best. She brushed away Olivia’s offer.
“No, no, no, my dear. I just need to get something off my chest.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Do you think I could have a word with you in the kitchen?” She pointed to the living room where Tuesday was curled up on the couch. “Privately.”
Olivia pulled out two stools at the island and said, “What’s up.” Her tenant seemed distressed.
“Olivia, I’m worried that you are spreading tales about me.”
Olivia’s stomach churned. Did Mrs. Harmon know she thought she was losing her marbles? She recalled mentioning this only to Tuesday and Xavier. Surely they hadn’t reported back to Mrs. Harmon. How awful if she knew. How insulting, considering how things had turned out. Instantly, Olivia regretted jumping to conclusions. Yet she played dumb.
“I don’t know what you mean? What would I have to talk about?”
Mrs. Harmon crossed her legs and primly pulled her skirt over her knees. “Something very distressing happened at dinner tonight. I don’t think anyone else would have noticed it, but Xavier pulled me aside to have a little chat.”
“Is that right?” So Xavier had taken a bath with her.
Mrs. Harmon shook her head, a cross between commiseration and disapproval. “That poor man. He was near tears explaining to me the misunderstanding about that wretched jade plant.”
Olivia breathed a sigh of relief that she was off the hook, but couldn’t tell where this was going. “Really? Tell me more.”
/> Mrs. Harmon looked askance at her. “Oh, don’t be coy, Olivia. You know what happened. He put something very valuable in the pot and didn’t know how to get it back from me. He didn’t tell me what it was, a keepsake of some kind I guess. The break-in shattered him, though I don’t know why he took it so hard. All of his inventory is insured. Why he’d hide something in a plant is beyond me. But anyway, he needed it back and thought if he just dropped by for a chat he could somehow sneak whatever it was into his pocket when I wasn’t looking. Young people, Olivia. Sometimes they drive me to distraction. Xavier and I don’t chat. I would have seen through that in a minute. I told him he should have just told me the truth. If he wanted me to hold onto the pot for safekeeping, I would have done it. I’m very approachable, that way, Olivia. You know that about me.”
Olivia nodded agreeably, trying to hide the surprise this revelation elicited. Approachable? Mrs. Harmon? Like a lioness protecting her cubs, Olivia thought but didn’t say.
Mrs. Harmon continued. “Of course that brought the apology. You know. For the incident I hinted at the other day. I won’t go into the details, but Xavier convinced me that it had all been an accident with no evil intent. So, of course I forgave him.”
Olivia relaxed. Could this be an all’s well that ends well? That doesn’t happen very often. “I’m happy to hear that, Mrs. Harmon. But you have to explain why you think I’ve been talking about you behind your back.”
The woman continued to speak low. “I was very harsh in my judgment of him, and again when I gave you the plant. I wouldn’t blame you if you’ve spread that all over Darling Valley. People will think I am a crotchety old woman. I have a certain stature here, and I would be so embarrassed to have people believe that about me. Or that I think Xavier is untrustworthy. Of course, because my friends are loyal, they’d never take his side against me. But after what he’s been through with that terrible murder in his shop, can you imagine what a bad word from me might do to his reputation?”
She closed her eyes in dismay. “I’ll hate myself if I have added to his burden.”
Olivia put her hand on Mrs. Harmon’s shoulder, a move her tenant would ordinarily shrug off. Surprisingly, this evening she was quite receptive. “I can assure you, Mrs. Harmon, that I have not said anything unkind about you or repeated anything that’s happened.”
Mrs. Harmon now took Olivia’s hand. “I have been downstairs stewing about this since we got home from Hugo’s. You know me, Olivia. I never have a cross word to say about anyone, unless it’s the truth of course. I value my reputation as easy going, flexible; always offering a shoulder if anyone is troubled. I pride myself on never being harsh or judgmental. It’s my yoga training.”
Olivia stared at her, trying to keep her jaw from dropping. A line from Robert Burns came to mind about the wish to see ourselves as others see us. She just smiled warmly at her tenant and waited to see what would come next.
“We’re never too old to work on ourselves, Olivia. I know there are a few things I have to change about myself and I’m not getting any younger. No, no, don’t try to sweet talk me. I may have a tendency to rush to judgment at times. Perhaps I did that with Xavier. If that is what you think, I’ll hope you’ll balance it with my general good nature. You know what I always say, it’s a good thing we live a long time, because it takes a lot of years to learn our lessons.”
Olivia didn’t know that she always said that and was more than a little stunned to learn how Mrs. Harmon saw herself. But, no matter, she thought. She just hoped this signaled a right turn in their relationship.
“Tuesday and I are watching some TV. Why don’t you join us?”
Will wonders never cease, Olivia thought when Mrs. Harmon said, “I’d love to.”
At the end of the broadcast Marguerite Fredericks called to congratulate Olivia on the good news that the real killer had been caught and Olivia was free of suspicion.
Olivia took the call in the kitchen so as not to disturb her guests who were dissecting the case.
“Thank you, Marguerite. I can’t tell you what a relief it is to be able to put this behind me.”
“Yes, well, Olivia, don’t we wish the rest of our lives would work out so neatly?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, knowing full well what Marguerite meant.
“What do I mean? The engagement party of course. Francesca won’t return my calls, and Charles is so distraught he can barely put a coherent sentence together. I’m going to be forced to cancel everything. I would have thought you’d have backed me up and insisted Francesca stop this nonsense. After all the trouble I’ve gone to. Ah well, such is the dance of life, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” Olivia said slowly, an idea forming in her brain. “It certainly is.”
Tuesday and Mrs. Harmon were once again on a first name basis chatting away, not minding that Olivia had abandoned them to make a few calls. The last one was to Matt. She surmised that he agreed to her scheme only because he would do anything to get their recent unpleasantness behind them. But then, of course, so would she.
They agreed on a time, six a.m., and she offered, “I’ll bring a thermos of coffee if you haven’t had breakfast by then.”
Part Four: Day Four
Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Palace of Love
The next morning Matt arrived at the appointed hour with half a day’s work under his belt along with a hearty breakfast. He didn’t need the coffee. After kissing Olivia soundly when she set a picnic basket on the back seat and hopped in the front, he made her promise they would be back for his one p.m. staff meeting. He admitted he was not happy that Johnson was attending Payne’s arraignment without him, but told her he made peace with his choice to play hooky that morning as soon as he saw Olivia’s smile.
“Are you sure this is going to work,” he asked, heading for Highway 101.
“If everyone shows up and does their part, I don’t know how it can fail.”
Matt gave her a doubtful look, then took her hand while he headed north towards Eureka. He bypassed the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and eventually took the exit for Highway 37. They drove the flat, dreary miles mostly in silence, Olivia getting some work done on her cell.
Finally, Olivia put her phone away and asked, “Do you know any more about JR Payne’s motive for the murder?”
The rising sun was hitting Matt in the eye, so he lowered his visor. “Well, we pieced it together from what the father and sister told us. Finally, last night JR confessed after we told him we could trace the cat’s DNA in his system. You’d think with all his medical training he would have seen through our bluff, but it worked. I mean, you can do that, but you’d have to find a sophisticated lab.”
Olivia said, “You can trace cat DNA?”
Matt said, “You can trace any DNA if you have the equipment. Anyway, he admitted that his father had no part in Jocelyn’s death. Art Payne was obsessed with his wife, even though he knew she was cheating. He figured that he was older, consumed with business and he had to give her some latitude. Figured she’d sow some oats and get it out of her system. JR didn’t care that much for either of them, so he turned a blind eye when he saw her out with other men.”
Olivia remembered Carrie’s tale about him waving happily to Jocelyn when she was entertaining one of her boyfriends in The Salted Caramel.
“The problem was, Payne senior made it clear that Jocelyn was getting the bulk of his estate. There was a bequest for his younger daughter and a modest amount for JR, but the son was doing well on his own. He’d been provided with an excellent education, superior genes, and important connections. From there he had to make his own fortune.”
Olivia filled in the next part. “That didn’t set well with junior.”
Matt nodded. “He was actually friendly with Jocelyn up to that point, considering. Told her all about his experiments and she was proud of him. Said she was like a big sister to him, even though she was only a few years older. They even joked about some of her dalliances.
JR didn’t care what she did or with whom, as long as she didn’t beat him out of his inheritance.”
Olivia said, “That makes sense. I told you how Jocelyn had bragged about JR.”
“That’s right. But when he became convinced his father wasn’t going to change his mind about the will, he was furious. He couldn’t stand the way his sister idolized their father and tried to turn her against him.”
“Yes,” said Olivia. “I told you we heard him accusing his father that day we went to their house.”
Matt said, “I remember. Anyway, he decided to get rid of the stepmother. As he stewed over it, he became enraged that his father was loyal to her even though he knew she was cheating on him. He thought his father was a sap for spending his children’s inheritance on jewels and clothes for the tramp. His word.”
Olivia said, “You told me once that rich people pay a lot for their money. Payne senior paid with his wife.”
Matt said, “I don’t remember saying that, but it sounds like me.” He took her hand back and wrapped up his story.
“So JR told Jocelyn he had a surprise for her, that he’d arranged a private showing at Xavier’s. He wanted to buy an expensive watch for his father and needed her advice. He used his Cocoon expertise to program a burner phone that couldn’t be traced to him. He dismantled the security cameras, got into the store, disabled the locks on one of the safes and, after finding Xavier’s stash of champagne, they went exploring. He had Jocelyn convinced they had Xavier’s blessing.
“They ended up on the second floor. Jocelyn thought it was a lark at first, but then began to get suspicious. His plan was to get her drunk. When she passed out, she wouldn’t fight the atomizer. He’d kill her and put the cellphone programmed with Xavier’s passwords in her hand and it would look like she used her husband’s technology to break in and steal the diamonds. Autopsy would show a heart attack. Perfect crime. A fitting crime. She’d die among the jewels that were eating up his inheritance. Except he’d told her all about his research and she recognized what the atomizer was for. She fought him, wouldn’t drink anything. He hadn’t factored in her rigorous daily workouts, how strong she was. She knocked the champagne bottle out of his hand and it drenched both of them. It took everything he had to hold her down to deliver the dose of neostigmine. Still not a big deal, except . . .”