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eBook Category: Mystery/Crime
eBook Description: Christine Chamberlain doesn't want much from life: a steady job, a baby and a Field's Medal. Her boss, however, wants money and he's willing to do anything to get his way, even if it means getting Christine involved in a project that not only jeopardises her dreams, but also her life. When Christine complains to her colleagues, they joke about killing the boss to solve the problem, discussing the murder by email. Almost everybody has an obvious motive to get rid of the boss from hell...and a few hidden ones they don't share. The next day, Christine brings fennel oil to work. In itself, it's not the world's deadliest poison, and Christine would of course never dream to use it as such. Or would she?

eBook Publisher: Echelon Press, Published: 2004, 2004
Fictionwise Release Date: November 2006

3 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: eReader (PDB) [208 KB] , ePub (EPUB) [251 KB] , Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [171 KB] , Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [667 KB] , Palm Doc (PDB) [191 KB] , Microsoft Reader (LIT) [210 KB] , Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [220 KB] , hiebook (KML) [449 KB] , Sony Reader (LRF) [312 KB] , iSilo (PDB) [157 KB] , Mobipocket (PRC) [197 KB] , OEBFF Format (IMP) [265 KB]
Words: 55658
Reading time: 159-222 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format:  Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud DISABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED
ISBN: 1590803264

Back at her computer, Christine began entering her overdue time sheets into the computer's Project Management Tool. Project Management Tool. The software with the unfortunate acronym. When the first version of the package had come out, user-unfriendly and full of errors, some employees had put up a big poster: "PMT: Causes backaches, headaches, bad temper and stress. Get your PMT under control-now."

This afternoon, Christine was far from being in control. She was busy with her second time sheet when the screen froze. She swore under her breath and rebooted. This time, however, she opened her email inbox.

The first message was from Ian: "James is dead," it announced simply, and for a glorious split-second she believed it.

"How was he murdered," continued the email, "and by whom? Come on, out with it, we all have a motive or three." His message ended with a smiley, a set of keyboard characters resembling a smiling face on its side, shorthand for "a joke."

Henry had already responded: "The murder weapon, of course, was a six-hour-long meeting with a difficult client."

"No," added Yashila. "James died while bravely attempting to submit yet another proposal against a tight deadline and promising to do the impossible within infinitely little time, using his hopelessly overloaded personnel."

"You're all wrong, it was PMT that finished him off," said Estelle's message.

Christine typed in rapidly: "All right, I admit it, I did it! I don't want to work at the airport; I don't want to give this place any more than my prescribed 5 days a week, 8.5 hours a day-including lunch and teatime. So my motive was laziness."

"No. It was Dorothea who killed him," suggested Estelle. "James is a racist and he often makes derogatory comments. And he calls her Dorothy. And he is a chauvinist. Come on, she's perfect, nobody will suspect the loyal secretary!"

"If he's a chauvinist, any of you ladies could have killed him."

Whose email was it? Oh yes, Ian's.

Dorothea joined in at this point. "Ladies is a chauvinist term."

Almost simultaneously, Yashila's message came up. "Hey, I could also kill him for racial reasons, don't you forget it. And for feminist reasons. And because he objects to Hinduism."

Christine grinned as she responded, "Perfect. Both Yashila and Dorothea can kill him for political reasons and claim amnesty from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission."

Suddenly, Rita's message flashed on the screen. "I find this behaviour totally unprofessional," it said. Christine wondered why she hadn't used a red font for more emphasis, but that was just Rita. Always serious, competent and totally devoid of imagination. "Please get back to work. The company is paying for every minute of your time."

Please get back to work. Not sweet, but at least short. Please get back to work.

As though she were the boss.