have disappeared—according to Max—and there must be
a reason.” She set down the soda can and clapped her hands.
“That’s it! That’s the link! Barry and Andrea worked in human resources. Andrea had all the dirt. Barry loved dirt, he
traded bits of gossip. As a staff assistant, wouldn’t he have
access to her files?”
Renie nodded. “To her official files, yes. But Andrea may
have had CYOA files, too. She may have kept them in a safe
place.”
Judith looked blank. “What’s a CYOA file?”
Renie grinned. “It stands for ‘Cover Your Own Ass,’ excuse
my French. It’s anything you keep that you can use to protect
yourself or hold over someone else. It can be as simple as a
phone message you received from somebody who might later
deny they called you. Or it can be photographs of your CEO
in bed with a donkey.”
Judith’s excitement returned. “That’s good. That’s great.
Like I said, the files are the link.”
“Maybe.” Renie was definitely dubious. “How do they link
up with Ward and Leon?”
“I haven’t figured that out yet, but they must,” Judith insisted.
Renie finished her Pepsi. “Sleep on it. I’m tired, let’s turn
out the lights.”
Judith regarded Renie with wonderment. “You’re not
afraid?”
“You’re the one who dreamed up our insurance policy.”
She glanced at Judith with alarm. “Don’t tell me you think
it lapsed?”
“So far, so good.” But Judith got up and started moving
one of the two armchairs to the door. “Just in case the policy
expires,” she said with a sickly smile. “And to make sure that
we don’t.”
“What about the windows?” Renie asked.
Judith glanced across the room. “They’re latched from the
inside. We’re okay. Oh!” She put a hand to her head. “Which
is another reason why an outsider couldn’t have gotten in.”
Renie went to one of the windows and jiggled the catch.
“It wouldn’t take much to break this. Besides, we don’t know
what the third-floor windows are like.”
“Forget it,” Judith said with finality. “It’s after eleven, you’re
right, we’re tired. Let’s go to sleep.”
Renie was still fiddling with the window catch. “Let’s take
turns sleeping.”
“Fine. You stay up first. Wake me around eight.” Judith
got into bed.
“To hell with it.” Renie got into bed, too.
The cousins slept.
They were awakened by an explosion. Judith jumped up,
