Outwitting Trolls Read Online Free

I trusted him.
    â€œWho’s this?” he said by way of answering his phone.
    â€œBrady Coyne,” I said. “I’ve got a homicide for you.”
    â€œOh, goodie,” he said. “A homicide. Just what I wanted. What more could a guy ask for on a Saturday night. Hey, Alyse, honey. Guess what? It’s your buddy Coyne, and he’s got a homicide for me.” He blew a quick breath into the telephone. “Jesus, anyway.”
    â€œI knew you’d be thrilled,” I said.
    â€œThrilled and delighted,” he said. “Alyse and I are here on the sofa in our living room watching an old Clint Eastwood movie on TV, eating popcorn, sipping hot cocoa. It’s like the first evening we’ve had together in about a month. Clint’s doing Dirty Harry, and I got my feet in Alyse’s lap, and when the phone rang just now she was giving me a nice foot massage, and I was telling her, ‘Honey,’ I was saying, ‘that feels awful good, and you shouldn’t hold back on any impulse you might have to try it out on other parts of my poor old body, but wouldn’t it be just perfect if Brady Coyne would call with a homicide for me and drag me away from here?’”
    â€œI’m sorry,” I said. “It was inconsiderate of this man to get stabbed to death on a Saturday night.”
    â€œStabbed, huh?”
    â€œYes. Two stab wounds. Plenty of blood.”
    â€œThere always is,” he said. “Where are you?”
    â€œBeverly Suites Hotel on Route 9 in Natick. Room 322.”
    â€œI know where that is,” he said. “So who’s the vic?”
    â€œA veterinarian named Ken Nichols,” I said. “Used to live inWellesley. Ten years ago he got divorced, sold his business, and moved to Baltimore. There’s a big vet convention here at this hotel this weekend. The IAV. International Association of Veterinarians.”
    â€œNever heard of ’em,” he said. “And you’re there why?”
    â€œNichols’s wife called me. Ex-wife, I should say. Sharon. She found him.”
    â€œShe’s your client?”
    I glanced at Sharon. She was leaning back against the wall watching me. I gave her a quick smile and a nod, which I intended to be reassuring.
    â€œYes,” I said to Horowitz. “She’s my client. I’ve known her for a long time. We used to be neighbors. Both of them. Her and Ken. Our victim. I did the legal work for their business back when they were together and had the animal hospital in Wellesley. I was here last night, as a matter of fact. Had drinks with Ken.”
    â€œDrinks, huh?”
    â€œThat’s right.”
    â€œAnd now he’s dead.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThe wife,” he said. “She do it?”
    â€œHa,” I said.
    â€œShe called her lawyer,” he said, “not the cops, though, huh?”
    â€œThat’s right, and I called you.”
    â€œFor which,” he said, “again, hey, thanks a lot. Makes my day, as Clint would say. Okay. You and your client, don’t touch anything. We’ll be there in a few minutes.” He disconnected without saying good-bye or thank you. Typical.
    I snapped my phone shut and stuck it into my pants pocket. “The police will be here,” I said to Sharon. “So tell me. What time did you get here?”
    â€œTo Ken’s room, you mean?”
    I nodded.
    â€œNine o’clock,” she said. “We’d planned for me to meet him here at nine, and I was right on time.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œWhy did I come here, to Ken’s room?”
    I nodded. “The police will want to know.”
    She looked at me. “I was early, actually.” Her eyes looked wet. She blinked a couple of times. “I waited in the lobby until it was nine o’clock. I didn’t want to appear too eager. He had to go to the banquet. He was going to sneak out early.” She blew out a