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Trouble at Risk-eGames.com Jane Kelly Home If printing, note that this wrap-up containing the resolution of the mystery, must be printed separately from the six chapters. Select PRINT from the FILE menu to print the conclusion. Conclusion We all eyed Detective Peet with a new respect. Flattering a confession out of Kim Smith had demonstrated a sinister virtuosity on the cop's part. He started off slowly but eventually we could all see the pride on Kim's face. Ever the A-student, she relished praise -- even if she received accolades for planning and executing a homicide. Later the cop familiarized the rest of us with Kim's errors but when speaking in from of Eduard's killer he expressed only admiration for her planning and logic. Detective Peet played into my drawing room fantasy and explained how he had reached his conclusion. After he'd discovered Eduard's malfeasance, thanks to my research he noted he realized anyone of us could be a suspect and one of us would be the murderer. It would be an extremely unlikely coincidence that Eduard would have angered someone outside the company on the same day (although he did admit that given Eduard's proclivity for annoying people that scenario was not an impossibility.) The cop set out to find out who knew about Eduard's disloyalty. The key lay in Catrina's devotion -- one could say her stalking -- of the victim. Detective Peet suspected that Kim had recognized Douglas Ferrier when he had circulated the photo of the All About E-Games investor. She remembered seeing Eduard dining with the man at the far end of town. Kim had then gone to Catrina for verification. Only Catrina could confirm what Kim suspected about Eduard's relationship with the competition. Only Catrina could confirm that Kim had a motive to kill Eduard. First, however, the detective had to figure out how Eduard died. When someone pushed me into the utility closet, he got a good clue. Standard household cleaning fluids could be mixed to create a fatal dose of chlorine gas. He knew that but he wondered who else did. He recalled a comment I'd made about Kim. In an effort to say something nice about the unlikable woman, I mentioned that the one good thing about Kim was her loyalty to her grandmother. I explained that Kim's grandmother had worked as a cleaning woman for over forty years to raise money for her granddaughter's education. Clearly, the cop surmised, the woman knew what materials not to mix. Her granddaughter would know what to mix. Detective Peet was convinced he had his murderer -- especially after Kim rescued me from the closet. Only after he flattered Kim on her deviousness did he tell the rest of us what he considered her biggest mistake. He figured Kim pushed me in a panic when she saw my paying attention to the utility closet. Immediately, Kim realized that calling attention to the closet had been a misstep. She had no choice but to come and rescue me. But how did Kim administer the poison? She couldn't ask Eduard to sit still while she sealed the room and created a poisonous mixture. The cop had speculated that after Victor knocked Eduard out, she'd taken advantage of the unconscious man. There was, however, one problem with his scenario. The timeline Victor had hung around the office waiting for Eduard to regain consciousness. He claimed he'd heard Eduard through the conference room door before he left the office. Detective Peet was convinced he had. After getting a ride home with Catrina, Kim had not yet returned to the office. In her presence, he praised Kim's cleverness in creating an alibi by hitching a ride under the guise of losing her keys. Kim, however, was a runner who lived only four miles away. Returning to the office was no problem for the young exec. Although she had claimed to lose her keys and bring an alternate set from home, she never worried that her lost keys had provided the killer with access to the office. The detective had. Kim knew who had used her keys. Kim used them to let herself back into the office. The cop was also certain that phone records would show that Kim had checked her voice mail from home. She knew that Anthony would not be returning to the office that night before she made the call to his voice mail. When she established that she was at home and turning in for the night, she already knew about Anthony's unusual behavior. Anthony's absence was a stroke of luck for Kim. The detective couldn't figure out how she thought she would handle the Web designer if he were at the office as was his custom. His conclusion was that given Anthony's devotion to her, Kim was confident that she could make him either see things her way or look the other way. She wouldn't have killed him since she still believed his participation was key to the company's success. It turned out that I provided the biggest stumbling block to Kim's plan. When she found me working late, she had to get me out of the office. Sneaking into the electrical closet and flashing the lights had done the trick. I felt a momentary stab of guilt. If only I hadn't fled, Kim might not have found the opportunity to kill Eduard. Detective Peet saw it differently. He wondered if I hadn't fled, if I too would have become a victim. The cop figured the answer to the question of how Kim knocked Eduard out had to be tied to the red dot on his nose. Catrina had pointed the cop in the right direction when she mentioned how cute she found his habit of sniffing magic markers. Anthony's x-ray vision that spotted the paperclip on the floor of my office further helped his figure out what had happened -- although it did turn the finger of suspicion in my direction temporarily. The paperclip had been used to fiddle with something containing a red liquid -- possibly blood, possibly ink. I recalled seeing the detective write on the board. I'd pointed out that he had used a different marker than Eduard. What I couldn't know was that the marker found with Eduard's body had already been sent to the lab. Detective Peet was using an identical marker and was not at all surprised at his findings. The killer had replaced the magic marker that Eduard used with one that had been filled with a mixture of materials containing enough chlorine and ammonia to create a toxic gas. The cop couldn't believe that the whiff from the magic marker had actually worked. He speculated that the method wouldn't have worked if Eduard hadn't been groggy from his fight with Victor. The detective had pegged Victor as slugging Eduard since he was the only left-handed suspect wearing a ring that would cut. He did not appear to have plans to charge Victor. Although he marveled at Kim's luck in rendering Eduard unconscious, the cop didn't tell Kim it was a matter of luck. He praised the killer's ingenuity in mixing toxic materials in the marker. Kim switched the markers with the knowledge that Eduard would take a long hard whiff. Only Kim would be able to tell us whether it actually knocked him out or whether he simply dozed off. We do know that he ended up asleep or unconscious. Kim then brought in a bucket, sealed the windows and mixed the chemicals. She rushed out the door and blocked the edges behind her with paper towels she'd appropriated from the ladies room. She waited in her darkened office all night while the cleaning potions did their work. Kim felt confident her plan would work. As a child, her grandmother had lamented the fate of two sisters who had died cleaning a small space precisely because of the accidental mixture that Kim had just created on purpose. When the sun came up and reflected off the windows, Kim knew no one could see into the conference room from the outside. There was, however, enough light to operate. When Kim ventured into the room, her hopes were realized. Eduard was dead and beginning to grow cold. Quickly, she opened the windows, switched the markers, gathered the paper towels and left. She ran home, ditching a trash bag full of paper towels somewhere along her route. No one noticed just another jogger at dawn. The detective explained that the cops were searching for a bag of paper towels in a nearby dumpster. When they found the bag, he claimed it would be easy to tie Kim to the crime. Kim listened with obvious pride as Detective Peet praised the killer's criminal acumen. When he finally made the accusation, her only comment was "I don't think you can prove that." The detective assured her he could and he would. I think he was bluffing. He advised Kim of her rights and sent her off with two uniformed officers. He promised to meet her at the station. Then he thanked us for our help -- even if in many cases it was inadvertent. He claimed that figuring the case out was pretty simple. "Really." Detective Peet assured us. "And now if you excuse me, I am sure you are anxious to get home to your families. I know I am and I still need to take Kim's confession." His confidence was awe-inspiring. "You'll all have to testify so we'll be in touch." With a wave he was gone. We all sat quietly for a moment contemplating the events of the last twenty-four hours. Finally, Anthony spoke. "Well, I'd better get to work. This time I should be able to get this baby done." Without further comment he headed for his office. "I'll say good-night." Archibald skated towards the exit but stopped by Victor. "See you Monday Victor as long as you don't go hitting any more employees." With that comment and a pat on Victor's back, the CEO rolled down the hallway and out the door. Victor smiled sheepishly. "Guess I'd better relax this weekend. It's a whole new ballgame on Monday." He slicked his hair back, adjusted his garish cufflinks, and flashed a broad grin that verged on the sincere. "See you then." "Me too. I'm out here." I smiled at Catrina. "Where are you headed?" The young woman was eyeing Anthony with a gaze I'd seen before -- directed at Eduard. "I think I'll hang around here and help Anthony. After all that's what they hired me for." She wove her way between the toys in the play area to join Anthony in his office. And me? As I padded back to my office in my bare feet, I tried to think about what I'd learned from this experience. I would never reveal company secrets but then again that's not the kind of thing I would do anyway.. I would never betray my colleagues but then again I never would do that under any circumstances. I would never mix ammonia with a chlorine cleanser but then again I never would have the opportunity.. I'm not that big on housework. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe there was no lesson to be learned. Maybe there was only solace in the knowledge that justice had triumphed. Somehow that knowledge didn't make me feel any better for Eduard or for Kim. The future of Risk-eGames was bright for the first time in months but I didn't feel happy as I left that Friday night. I knew, however, that I would be back on Monday -- working on equity and fueled by hope. |
Trouble at Risk-eGames.com Jane Kelly Home If printing, note that this wrap-up containing the resolution of the mystery, must be printed separately from the six chapters. Select PRINT from the FILE menu to print the conclusion. Conclusion We all eyed Detective Peet with a new respect. Flattering a confession out of Kim Smith had demonstrated a sinister virtuosity on the cop's part. He started off slowly but eventually we could all see the pride on Kim's face. Ever the A-student, she relished praise -- even if she received accolades for planning and executing a homicide. Later the cop familiarized the rest of us with Kim's errors but when speaking in from of Eduard's killer he expressed only admiration for her planning and logic. Detective Peet played into my drawing room fantasy and explained how he had reached his conclusion. After he'd discovered Eduard's malfeasance, thanks to my research he noted he realized anyone of us could be a suspect and one of us would be the murderer. It would be an extremely unlikely coincidence that Eduard would have angered someone outside the company on the same day (although he did admit that given Eduard's proclivity for annoying people that scenario was not an impossibility.) The cop set out to find out who knew about Eduard's disloyalty. The key lay in Catrina's devotion -- one could say her stalking -- of the victim. Detective Peet suspected that Kim had recognized Douglas Ferrier when he had circulated the photo of the All About E-Games investor. She remembered seeing Eduard dining with the man at the far end of town. Kim had then gone to Catrina for verification. Only Catrina could confirm what Kim suspected about Eduard's relationship with the competition. Only Catrina could confirm that Kim had a motive to kill Eduard. First, however, the detective had to figure out how Eduard died. When someone pushed me into the utility closet, he got a good clue. Standard household cleaning fluids could be mixed to create a fatal dose of chlorine gas. He knew that but he wondered who else did. He recalled a comment I'd made about Kim. In an effort to say something nice about the unlikable woman, I mentioned that the one good thing about Kim was her loyalty to her grandmother. I explained that Kim's grandmother had worked as a cleaning woman for over forty years to raise money for her granddaughter's education. Clearly, the cop surmised, the woman knew what materials not to mix. Her granddaughter would know what to mix. Detective Peet was convinced he had his murderer -- especially after Kim rescued me from the closet. Only after he flattered Kim on her deviousness did he tell the rest of us what he considered her biggest mistake. He figured Kim pushed me in a panic when she saw my paying attention to the utility closet. Immediately, Kim realized that calling attention to the closet had been a misstep. She had no choice but to come and rescue me. But how did Kim administer the poison? She couldn't ask Eduard to sit still while she sealed the room and created a poisonous mixture. The cop had speculated that after Victor knocked Eduard out, she'd taken advantage of the unconscious man. There was, however, one problem with his scenario. The timeline Victor had hung around the office waiting for Eduard to regain consciousness. He claimed he'd heard Eduard through the conference room door before he left the office. Detective Peet was convinced he had. After getting a ride home with Catrina, Kim had not yet returned to the office. In her presence, he praised Kim's cleverness in creating an alibi by hitching a ride under the guise of losing her keys. Kim, however, was a runner who lived only four miles away. Returning to the office was no problem for the young exec. Although she had claimed to lose her keys and bring an alternate set from home, she never worried that her lost keys had provided the killer with access to the office. The detective had. Kim knew who had used her keys. Kim used them to let herself back into the office. The cop was also certain that phone records would show that Kim had checked her voice mail from home. She knew that Anthony would not be returning to the office that night before she made the call to his voice mail. When she established that she was at home and turning in for the night, she already knew about Anthony's unusual behavior. Anthony's absence was a stroke of luck for Kim. The detective couldn't figure out how she thought she would handle the Web designer if he were at the office as was his custom. His conclusion was that given Anthony's devotion to her, Kim was confident that she could make him either see things her way or look the other way. She wouldn't have killed him since she still believed his participation was key to the company's success. It turned out that I provided the biggest stumbling block to Kim's plan. When she found me working late, she had to get me out of the office. Sneaking into the electrical closet and flashing the lights had done the trick. I felt a momentary stab of guilt. If only I hadn't fled, Kim might not have found the opportunity to kill Eduard. Detective Peet saw it differently. He wondered if I hadn't fled, if I too would have become a victim. The cop figured the answer to the question of how Kim knocked Eduard out had to be tied to the red dot on his nose. Catrina had pointed the cop in the right direction when she mentioned how cute she found his habit of sniffing magic markers. Anthony's x-ray vision that spotted the paperclip on the floor of my office further helped his figure out what had happened -- although it did turn the finger of suspicion in my direction temporarily. The paperclip had been used to fiddle with something containing a red liquid -- possibly blood, possibly ink. I recalled seeing the detective write on the board. I'd pointed out that he had used a different marker than Eduard. What I couldn't know was that the marker found with Eduard's body had already been sent to the lab. Detective Peet was using an identical marker and was not at all surprised at his findings. The killer had replaced the magic marker that Eduard used with one that had been filled with a mixture of materials containing enough chlorine and ammonia to create a toxic gas. The cop couldn't believe that the whiff from the magic marker had actually worked. He speculated that the method wouldn't have worked if Eduard hadn't been groggy from his fight with Victor. The detective had pegged Victor as slugging Eduard since he was the only left-handed suspect wearing a ring that would cut. He did not appear to have plans to charge Victor. Although he marveled at Kim's luck in rendering Eduard unconscious, the cop didn't tell Kim it was a matter of luck. He praised the killer's ingenuity in mixing toxic materials in the marker. Kim switched the markers with the knowledge that Eduard would take a long hard whiff. Only Kim would be able to tell us whether it actually knocked him out or whether he simply dozed off. We do know that he ended up asleep or unconscious. Kim then brought in a bucket, sealed the windows and mixed the chemicals. She rushed out the door and blocked the edges behind her with paper towels she'd appropriated from the ladies room. She waited in her darkened office all night while the cleaning potions did their work. Kim felt confident her plan would work. As a child, her grandmother had lamented the fate of two sisters who had died cleaning a small space precisely because of the accidental mixture that Kim had just created on purpose. When the sun came up and reflected off the windows, Kim knew no one could see into the conference room from the outside. There was, however, enough light to operate. When Kim ventured into the room, her hopes were realized. Eduard was dead and beginning to grow cold. Quickly, she opened the windows, switched the markers, gathered the paper towels and left. She ran home, ditching a trash bag full of paper towels somewhere along her route. No one noticed just another jogger at dawn. The detective explained that the cops were searching for a bag of paper towels in a nearby dumpster. When they found the bag, he claimed it would be easy to tie Kim to the crime. Kim listened with obvious pride as Detective Peet praised the killer's criminal acumen. When he finally made the accusation, her only comment was "I don't think you can prove that." The detective assured her he could and he would. I think he was bluffing. He advised Kim of her rights and sent her off with two uniformed officers. He promised to meet her at the station. Then he thanked us for our help -- even if in many cases it was inadvertent. He claimed that figuring the case out was pretty simple. "Really." Detective Peet assured us. "And now if you excuse me, I am sure you are anxious to get home to your families. I know I am and I still need to take Kim's confession." His confidence was awe-inspiring. "You'll all have to testify so we'll be in touch." With a wave he was gone. We all sat quietly for a moment contemplating the events of the last twenty-four hours. Finally, Anthony spoke. "Well, I'd better get to work. This time I should be able to get this baby done." Without further comment he headed for his office. "I'll say good-night." Archibald skated towards the exit but stopped by Victor. "See you Monday Victor as long as you don't go hitting any more employees." With that comment and a pat on Victor's back, the CEO rolled down the hallway and out the door. Victor smiled sheepishly. "Guess I'd better relax this weekend. It's a whole new ballgame on Monday." He slicked his hair back, adjusted his garish cufflinks, and flashed a broad grin that verged on the sincere. "See you then." "Me too. I'm out here." I smiled at Catrina. "Where are you headed?" The young woman was eyeing Anthony with a gaze I'd seen before -- directed at Eduard. "I think I'll hang around here and help Anthony. After all that's what they hired me for." She wove her way between the toys in the play area to join Anthony in his office. And me? As I padded back to my office in my bare feet, I tried to think about what I'd learned from this experience. I would never reveal company secrets but then again that's not the kind of thing I would do anyway.. I would never betray my colleagues but then again I never would do that under any circumstances. I would never mix ammonia with a chlorine cleanser but then again I never would have the opportunity.. I'm not that big on housework. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe there was no lesson to be learned. Maybe there was only solace in the knowledge that justice had triumphed. Somehow that knowledge didn't make me feel any better for Eduard or for Kim. The future of Risk-eGames was bright for the first time in months but I didn't feel happy as I left that Friday night. I knew, however, that I would be back on Monday -- working on equity and fueled by hope. |
Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Read Wrap-up / Chapter Summaries / Print Story |
