I considered this. Mutant Wizards had gone through a few lean months in the early days. That was one reason I had become a major stockholder – I'd come up with the money to get Rob through one cash flow crisis. What if he'd had another financial pinch and didn't want to hit up the family again? What if he'd made a deal with the devil, so to speak?
“It might be legal, but it isn't respectable,“ I said. “And it would be a major PR disaster if it were true and the press found it out.“
“Exactly.“
“Thanks,“ I said. “I hadn't thought of that possibility. I'll have to get a little more information before I decide what to do about Roger.“
“Any idea how you're going to get the information?“
“I have a couple of possibilities,“ I said. “Luis, for example. He's got the skills, and now that I know his secret, I can probably motivate him to use them.“
“Of course, there is the fact that he's a suspect,“ Michael pointed out.
“Everyone I know who could possibly figure this out is a suspect,“ I said. “I'll ask someone else to look into the same thing, and compare what they come up with.“
“Who?“
“I don't know; I'll have to think about it when I'm more awake. Maybe I can figure out someone else that I have a hold over, like Luis. Or someone Ted hasn't yet tried to blackmail.“
Or maybe Jack, who would probably do it just because I was the one asking. Not that I was going to mention that to Michael.
“I need to spend more time with the printout first,“ I said. “If you ask me, it all comes down to the printout. It adds up – the blackmail note to Rob, the file on Luis, his having the address of Roger's site. He was trying to blackmail everyone on the list. So the murderer is almost certainly someone on this list.“
“Yes, but since no one on the list is identified by his or her real name, I'm not sure that gets you anywhere,“ Michael said.
“Yes, but I've already identified a couple of them. Luis as the Hacker, for example.“
“You're really sure about that?“ Michael asked.
“Let me get the file and look at the photo,“ I said, shuffling through the papers scattered across the sofa. “Yes, it's Luis – and my God, I should have noticed this before! The Robin Hood Hacker's name is Mike Crews – that's
“So?“
“Luis's last name is Cruz –
“I get it.“
“And I bet Dr. Lorelei is the Valkyrie. She's perfect for it.“
“Of course, that only leaves – what? – nine more names on the list?“
“Spoilsport,“ I said.
“Sorry,“ he said. “Listen, read the list, from the top; let's see if any of the other code names suggest anything.“
“Okay. The Emperor. The Space Cadet.“
“A lot of people call Rob a space cadet,“ Michael suggested.
“Yes, but he's not the only candidate at Mutant Wizards. Maybe not even the most logical.“
“Sad, but true.“
“And the way everyone at Mutant Wizards feels about Rob, they're just as apt to call him the Emperor.“
“Yes, but would Ted call him that?“ Michael asked.
“Good point. Anyway. The Hacker – are we agreed that he's Luis?“
“Right,“ Michael said.
“The Voyeur – that's Roger, because of the porn sites.“
“Hey, remember the blackmail note the police found in Rob's office?“ Michael asked. “Maybe that wasn't intended for Rob at all.“
“You mean, maybe the reference to naked pictures was about Roger's porn site?“ I exclaimed. “I like it!“
“Any chance Roger might also be the one who programmed Nude Lawyers from Hell?“
“Roger?“ I echoed. “No way.“
“Why not?“
Good question. I'd answered off the top of my head, and I had to think about why not.
“It's too nice,“ I said, finally. “There's something about it that's… I don't know… witty. Charming. A certain sly intelligence. And if Roger has an ounce of wit, charm, or intelligence, I'll eat one of his CDs.“
“Makes sense,“ he said. “So go on with the list.“
“The Ninja,“ I continued. “Mata Hari. The Bodice Ripper. That's Anna Lloyd, whoever she is. She may not even be at Mutant Wizards.“
“Or Anna Lloyd could be a pseudonym for someone you know. Maybe your friend Liz has a secret second life as a romance writer?“
“Doesn't seem likely to me. Getting back to the list: the Valkyrie.“
“Perfect for Dr. Lorelei, as you guessed,“ Michael said.
“And what if the blackmail note wasn't to Rob or Roger, but to her,“ I suggested. “What if Ted found some compromising pictures of her and her boyfriend?“
“Or took them, if they're getting up to things at the office.“
“Exactly,“ I said. “I like that idea a lot. Anyway, getting back to the list. The Luddite. Professor Higgins. And last but not least, the Iron Maiden. If you ask me, that's more likely to be Liz.“
Michael laughed. “You said it, not me.“
“I like her, but she grates on a lot of people. I'm sure she did on Ted, for example. And the note beside the Iron Maiden says, 'Still no angle.' I remember someone saying, the last day or so, how miffed Ted was that he couldn't get anywhere with Liz. What if what they thought was his trying to ask her out was his trying to blackmail her?“
“It's possible,“ Michael said. “Or maybe the payment he wanted wasn't in cash.“
“That's true,“ I said.
“Here's another interesting one,“ I said. “Beside the Ninja it says 'xxx pix.' Do you suppose that means the Ninja has something to do with Roger's porn scheme?“
“Seems possible,“ Michael said. “Is there anyone who seems particularly friendly with Roger?“
I pondered for quite a few expensive long-distance moments.
“Not really,“ I said at last. “I think of him as just hanging at the edge of a group, not exactly ignored, but tolerated, just barely. When I was a kid, we had an old dog who smelled so bad no one really wanted to have him around, but it wasn't really his fault, so you couldn't exactly chase him off. You just put up with him and hoped he'd go away eventually. That's how everyone treats Roger.“
“So if you notice someone who puts up with him more than most, maybe that's the Ninja.“
“Good point,“ I said. “I'll keep my eyes open.“
Wrong thing to say, I thought, glancing at the clock, and then trying instantly to forget what I saw.
I yawned, reached to cover my mouth, and then changed my mind and covered the mouthpiece of the phone. I didn't want Michael ordering me off to bed before we finished talking.
“Three fairly definites and two possibles,“ he was saying. “And didn't you say the list had some entries that seemed to indicate they weren't caving in?“
“Yes,“ I said, rubbing my eyes and scanning the list. “The entry on the Bodice Ripper says, “Not ready to tackle yet.“ And beside the Emperor it says, “No response.“ And Professor Higgins apparently said “Go to kell.“ I'd
