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room is intact, jewelry boxes upstairs don’t look like they were touched.”
    Walker nodded, then scanned the room again. The headboard was mahogany, but the dresser and armoire were made of some wood he did not recognize. He noticed that the deep burgundy bedding coordinated with the rich patterns of the drapery. Obviously pricey stuff, but awfully dark.
    â€œKind of a masculine room, don’t you think?”
    Kovacevic had a look around, as if seeing the room for the first time. “I guess so.”
    â€œLooks like a man’s room.”
    â€œMaybe,” Kovacevic said with a shrug.
    â€œIn my experience the bedroom is usually decorated by the woman.”
    Kovacevic nodded. “I wouldn’t know, sir.”
    Walker smiled. “The housekeeper tell you anything else about the Knoebels’ relationship I might be interested to know?”
    â€œNot anything specific, although I get the impression from Mrs. Sisson that they didn’t have the greatest marriage in town. I’ve got notes,” he added and began to thumb through his pad.
    â€œAll right Kovie, we’ll go over that later. Meanwhile, speak with the neighbors. I don’t suppose anyone phoned in a report of a gunshot?”
    â€œNo such luck, sir. But this is a big piece of property. Wooded. Houses are shut up tight with their central climate control systems. I had a look at the windows. Solid double-insulation jobs. Even if someone heard something, it wouldn’t have been real loud. They could’ve figured it for a car backfiring.”
    Walker held up his hand. “Easy,” he said with a grin, “I was only kidding.”
    â€œRight.”
    â€œBut it is possible someone might have seen or heard something.”
    â€œJake says it was a late-afternoon shooting. Wouldn’t most of the neighbors be at work?” He hesitated. “Assuming the people around here go to work.”
    â€œDon’t assume anything, just spend some time with the local gentry.”
    â€œYes sir.”
    A uniformed officer came into the room looking for Walker. “Lieutenant, there’s something I think you should see.”
    â€œWhat have you got?” Walker asked.
    â€œIt’ll be better if I show you.”
    Walker and Kovacevic followed the officer along the corridor, down the stairs, and into the small den on the ground floor. The officer led them toward the laptop on the desk.
    â€œI was poking around, you know, looking for anything that might help, and I saw the computer was on. I just touched the mouse here.” The young officer used his latex-gloved hand to move the mouse again. The monitor revealed the passage Elizabeth Knoebel had been working on less than an hour before she died.
    Walker and Kovacevic leaned forward to read. When they were done Walker looked up. “Go to the next page.”
    The officer scrolled down, but they were at the end.
    â€œAnything before it?”
    The office hit the Pg Up button, and the screen displayed the start of the file. They began reading again:
    SEXUAL RITES
By Elizabeth Knoebel
NOTES FOR CHAPTER 5
The Power Seduction
    Confident men are often attractive men, a combination that makes them the easiest to seduce. A man with a superior ego has the feeling he deserves to be flattered and desired.
    Insecure men tend to be suspicious. They have reasons to doubt your interest, to look behind your subtlest advances for other motives. The egotist has no cause to question your attraction to him. He will not worry that you might be after his money or his position or any of his other assets. He is therefore easy game.
    One of the more interesting aspects of seducing a powerful man is the control you can exert over him once the seduction is complete. His opinion of himself is so high he could never doubt your desire for him. You can therefore control him by playing to that vanity. He will be trapped by a fatal combination of two forces.
    The first is