Virtual Justice by MA Comley

Carol? Is the owner dead?”
    “You know I can’t lie to you, Lorne. Yes, I believe the person you are looking for has been killed.” Her eyes closed again, and the rocking motion increased in tempo. “You’ll find many clues to her killer in that laptop.”
    Lorne and Katy looked at each other open-mouthed before Katy said, “Do you think it’ll actually lead us to the killer?”
    “Undoubtedly,” Carol replied, opening her eyes, which were wet with tears.
    “I think you better take it with you, Katy. Maybe you can get forensics to have a look at it for us,” Lorne said.
    “I’ll certainly do my best. Can you see anything else about the victim, Carol?” Katy asked.
    “I believe she used to spend most of her spare time on the computer. I see a rough-looking man and a distinguished-looking one. Hard to say who they are. Am I on the right lines, Lorne?”
    “To one of them, yes. You’re spot on, as usual. Tony and I visited the boyfriend of the ‘victim,’ if what you say proves to be true. I rang Katy to do a background check on him. I wonder where the distinguished-looking gent fits into the equation?”
    “Do you think the ex-boyfriend has anything to do with her disappearance or potential murder?” Katy asked.
    “I’m not getting anything that really stands out at the moment, dear. No crime scene as such, just a quick overview at present, I’m afraid. I’ll be sure to let you know if something else crops up during the day.” Carol clapped her hands together. “Enough of this. The less intense thinking I do about a case, it seems the more clues come my way. What can I do to help? Oh, by the way, I took the liberty of knocking up some of my notorious punch.” She sank her hand into the carrier bag she’d placed on the floor beside her and pulled out a plastic lemonade bottle, the contents of which couldn’t have been further from lemonade.
    “It looks potent!” Lorne laughed as she relieved Carol of the bottle and placed it on the table in front of her.
    “Up to my usual standards, I’d say.”
    Katy smiled. “Oh, God. The last lot I drank had me walking around like my head and legs belonged to someone else for days. Think I’ll stick to orange juice, just to be on the safe side.”
    “Killjoy. Right, I’ll finish my coffee, and then I must get the rest of the food ready. Jade, Luigi, and the boys will be here soon.”
    Carol patted the back of Lorne’s hand. “She’ll be all right. Give her time.”
    Lorne screwed up her nose. “I hope you’re right, Carol. Between the three of us, I took her to see a psychiatrist yesterday with mixed results.”
    “Some people just take longer to get over a loss of a parent. I know she’ll come good in the end,” Carol reassured Lorne for a second time.
    They finished their coffee, then the kitchen became a hive of activity. The three women stood in a line, their hands sometimes working in synchronisation, as if they worked on a factory line. Within thirty minutes, they had all the food prepared and wrapped up in cling film, ready to go.
    In her excitement about the family gathering, Charlie had cleaned all the kennels and fed all the inmates in record time. Tony had been busy out in the paddock all morning on a secret mission, and he came into the kitchen just as Lorne and the girls finished their preparations.
    “What have you been up to all morning? Keen to avoid lending a hand, as usual?” Charlie ribbed him.
    He winked at her and took her hand. “Come with me, and you’ll find out. That goes for all of you.”
    The five of them walked out towards the paddock, linking hands since Tony had ordered them to keep their eyes closed and not to peek until they arrived near the site.
    “Ta da! Open your eyes.”
    Charlie screamed and ran to the fence surrounding the field.
    “Oh, Tony. That’s fantastic,” Lorne said as she stared at the agility obstacle course he had created out of wooden fence posts and spare barrels that had been lying