James

Adam is safely born. Beth is asleep. Richard too…

Nervous exhaustion?

Lol!

It’s quiet. And it’s dark.

And it’s the first real chance I’ve had to sit quietly. To think…

… To consider what Charlotte said.

But… but… you sent me an email, with the link to the site and that photo. I went right through it. They had some lovely things. But I knew you liked that corset so I bought it.

I turn the words over in my head.

Not like her to fall for something like that… Way too canny…

Too suspicious…

So it must have been good.

?

It seemed to come from me…

So, someone had my email address…

And baited the message with something so perfect Charlotte had no reason to doubt it…

And they… they…

… they what?

They sold her a corset…

?

?

Weird or what…

Yes… What?

How could they know her that well? To target her so well?

*****

“Charlotte, do you still have that email? The one you said I sent you. Or have you wiped it?”

She glances up from her laptop. “I was just about to wipe it. Why?”

“I’d like to see it. And the invoice for the corset if you still have it. And the packing slip.”

then her face

“Invoice and delivery note.” Shaking her head

say I’m taking offence at your being targeted. The thing is, this has all the hallmarks of a scam, except that all it appears to have

swallows. “I’ve not done something stupid, have

a great deal of trouble if the only intention was to sell you expensive underwear.” I snap

I’m looking for, but somewhere in the back of my head, alarm

*****

still shaking my head. The lingerie company appears to be a perfectly legitimate business. It’s been trading

search shows that the directors are authentic, actually exist as people and, judging by the string of company accounts I’ve looked over,

are still ringing.

a newsletter. So, making a couple of adjustments to my online security first, I

inbox within two minutes. Welcome to Arcadia

I read on…

but since they’re selling a quality product that speaks for itself, they’re doing

back in my

if I join

but it’s only Richard. “I couldn’t

not surprised. Yes, of

chair by my desk, slides a glass across to me. An inch of amber nectar sits in the bottom of the glass.

“Beth alright? And Adam?”

on their sleep.” He leans

me to him, along

so

sip the malt, then take a gulp.

like that all the time, trying to sell her this or

in-box purporting to come

at his chin. “If I’m mentioned, it’s because the ad comes from one of the How To Spend It outlets. Usually trying to persuade her that I need a new

email professed to come from

“Personal email address?”

“No, work address.”

“… that’s public information. Anyone taking a ten-second look at a Haswell corporation brochure would pick

which case, why the personal connection to

wrong end. What did that email lead Charlotte to do? It purported to advertise a lingerie website. What exactly did she

tactic with hackers, but this link was to a legitimate company,

enough of a tech man to know but, just because a company is legitimate… It’s website too, perhaps… Does that necessarily mean that

course it fucking

look at the link and page

up Charlotte’s email

site. Find something you like. Life’s getting back

modelling the corset is there: a very attractive redhead wearing an emerald green corset. The model can’t match Charlotte for looks, but the suggestion is there: a red-headed girl in sexy underwear which, had I really sent this message,

on target, whoever they are. This is no random spam. It’s targeted…

over the link to the website… again… I already know what I’ll find, I’ve done it three times already. The link is clean, with none of the

the clicker to the home page of the target website. There’s not even that attached tagging that tells the more alert reader that some associate account is going to earn a

the home page, looking for anything out of kilter.

his. “Alright, so Charlotte’s on the Home Page. Where would she go next? How about

the link on the email doesn’t lead her…” And I swallow my

link doesn’t

sent her a request to buy

Christ!

it, scoured the menus until she found that

she would have

on the knuckles of one hand, with the other I mouse through menus until I find

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