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.”

face clears.

A4 sheets. “Invoice and

a scam, except that all

swallows. “I’ve not done something

someone else has gone to a great deal of trouble if the only intention was to sell you expensive underwear.” I snap my fingers at the

for, but somewhere in the back of my head,

*****

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

with the website. A further search shows that the directors are authentic, actually exist as people and, judging by the string

are still ringing.

to my online security first, I sign up and wait

pops into my inbox within two minutes.

I read on…

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

sit back in my

if I join

chair, but

not surprised. Yes, of course.

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

“Beth alright? And Adam?”

gives me a silly grin. “Doing great. Just catching up on their sleep.” He leans in

me to him, along with some of

“What’s so exciting about

then take a

this or that: clothes, jewellery, bags, hats… For that matter,

they arrive in Beth’s in-box purporting to come

“No, they don’t.” He pulls at his chin. “If I’m mentioned, it’s because the ad comes from one of the How To Spend It outlets. Usually trying

professed to come from

“Personal email address?”

“No, work address.”

information. Anyone taking a ten-second look

case, why the personal connection

Swallows… “Perhaps you’re tackling this from the wrong end. What did that email lead Charlotte to

common enough tactic with hackers, but this link

but, just because a company is legitimate… It’s website too, perhaps… Does that necessarily mean that

course it

at the link and page together? Perhaps I

up Charlotte’s email onto

Find something you like. Life’s getting back

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, is just the

real sender was right on target, whoever they are. This is

three times already. The link is clean, with none of the ‘behind the screen’ coding

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

looking for anything out of kilter. But there’s

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

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

doesn’t lead

believes I have sent her a request to buy

Christ!

searched through to find it, scoured the menus until

would have

of one hand, with the other I mouse through menus until I find the image from

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