From: ANONYMOUS11:00

Subject: Is he a good man?

From: ANONYMOUS11:45

Subject: Does he help or does he hinder?

From: ANONYMOUS12:00

Subject: Can you prove it?

‘Have you replied?’ asked Bloom.

Karene snatched her phone back. ‘Absolutely not. I’m not dignifying this nonsense with a response.’

‘What time did the first one arrive?’

‘Eight o’clock.’

‘And then these came clustered between eleven and twelve.’

‘Is that significant?’

‘Not necessarily. But patterns are useful. People reveal more than they realize through their habits.’

‘Would you reply?’

‘Maybe. But let’s think it through first.’

Jameson arrived carrying a blue cardboard folder. ‘Make yourself comfortable,’ he said to Karene.

She stood. ‘Sorry.’

‘He’s just messing, Karene. Sit down,’ said Bloom.

‘Am I?’ He placed the folder face down on Bloom’s desk and stood against the wall. ‘What’s occurring?’

Bloom smiled at his Welsh accent. She hadn’t heard that in a while.

Jameson looked uncomfortable. She could see that he was fighting to keep things awkward. This slip back into his jovial style was probably nothing more than habit but it gave her hope that in time things could return to normal.

‘Karene’s received some odd emails,’ said Bloom. ‘Someone asking questions about Harry and how well she knows him.’

‘Excellent. Let’s trace the email. See who’s showing off.’

‘Do you think it’s the people who hurt Harry?’ asked Karene.

‘It’s worth a shot. Sometimes people are too cocky.’

‘But it might be from someone else,’ said Bloom.

‘Who else would be goading her?’ asked Jameson.

‘You don’t even know what the questions are yet,’ said Bloom, exasperated with his knee-jerk heroics. He often behaved this way in the company of attractive women.

‘I can guess.’

Bloom raised her eyebrows.

‘They were asking how well she knows him, yes? So I expect they’re implying he’s hiding something. What hasn’t he told you? And so on. Am I close?’

Karene looked impressed. ‘That’s pretty much it, yes.’

‘No, it isn’t,’ said Bloom firmly. ‘We don’t know that they’re goading you. Why would they? Other than to indulge some perverse pleasure? Look at the wording, the questions. They’re relevant, helpful.’

‘Relevant?’ snapped Karene. ‘Are you kidding me? How well do you really know the man you love?’

‘Open up that first message. Did it say “really”? How much do you “really” know him?’

‘Yes.’

‘Can you check?’

Karene did nothing.

‘Please,’ said Bloom.

Karene sighed and checked her phone.

‘OK, you’re right. It says, “What do you know about the man you love?” No “really”.’

‘You’re inserting the tone of judgement, Karene. That’s why you added “really”.’

‘It is judgemental!’

‘Just for a moment try thinking of it another way. What if there’s no judgement at all? What if it’s just a question?’

‘I don’t understand what you’re saying.’

‘That makes two of us,’ said Jameson.