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Chapter 4

I guess I should have told the police that I could overhear everything that went on in the office next to me. When I recommended they interview employees in the unused space, I didn't realize the acoustics made the wall disappear. If the cops had asked, I would have admitted it. They didn't ask - so what I did was close my office door and sit quietly perusing the SLA web site for new employment opportunities. I didn't want any noise in my office to tip them off. I liked being in the know.

The police interviewed Kim first. I'm not sure if they wanted to. The young woman presented herself in one of the twenty suits she owned - all small, all expensive, all black and accessorized with a wide range of beige tone blouses. Along with her expensive jewelry, her haughty manner completed the image of a successful executive. "Let's get this over with so I can get back to work." It was obvious any mourning period for Eduard would be short. Actually, I had the feeling it was pretty much over by the time the investigation began.

I didn't get much new information from eavesdropping on Kim's interrogation. She punctuated most sentences with a yawn as she reviewed the story of her lost keys and her ride home with Catrina. She described her working relationship with Eduard which was, as she told it, the extent of their friendship.
"You never saw him socially?" Detective Peet asked the question.
Kim paused before answering. "Accidentally once." She mentioned a restaurant at the opposite end of the metropolitan area - an odd area for either of the image-conscious executives to visit. "He was dining with a friend from business school. I didn't catch the name or if I did, I didn't retain it."

The detective pressed to see if she and Eduard had planned to meet.
"No way. He actually seemed a little disturbed to see me which annoyed me since I always figured we were friends at work. Ah well, you never know." Kim yawned emphatically and explained where the detective could find her. Her tone indicated-clearly-that he would not be welcome. "I'll be there after I take a run - if that's okay with you?"
It wasn't okay with the cop.

Kim told the policeman that he could not make her stay but then rethought her attitude. "I'll just hang around here. We have a lot to do today." I heard the door slam - I assumed at Kim's hand.
I kept browsing the SLA job listings as the detective brought the employees in one by one. I tried to take meaning from the order but there did not appear to be any.

Catrina was next. The detective asked her the same questions he had asked me and then Kim. I realized what he really wanted from Catrina was verification that she driven Kim home. No problem. Kim and Catrina told the same story. Then the detective pressed Catrina about the nature of her relationship with Eduard. I was surprised when Catrina's reserve broke. "Okay. I had a little crush on him. No one understood him like I did. He seemed cold and calculating . . ."
Yes, I thought as she paused, because he was cold and calculating.
When the detective asked Catrina about the nature of their relationship, my heart sank. "He never asked me out or anything but I knew we had a special relationship. I never told him I loved him . . . maybe now . . . I should have . . . I know." There was a period of silence punctuated by sniffles. "When we found him, he looked so cute. He had that little red dot on his nose."

The detective was flummoxed by the red dot comment. I knew exactly what Catrina meant. Eduard had a habit of sniffing magic markers. While most of us enjoyed watching the otherwise fastidious Eduard operate with a small red dot on his nose, apparently Catrina had found the habit endearing.

"Were you romantically involved?"

I leaned forward to hear the answer and noticed Archibald rollerblading towards my office. I jumped up, ran to the door and missed Catrina's answer. I stopped the CEO outside my door. He assumed, mistakenly, that I was glad to see him. "Got here as soon as I could." Apparently the founder of our high tech company had not heard of the internal combustion engine. Or dress-up Friday. That day he wore a bright red sweat suit of nineteen seventies vintage - cut off at the knees for an ineffective imitation of the hip-hop look that Anthony had sported the day before.

"Where is everyone?" All that was required to answer that question was a quick swivel of the head to survey the offices surrounding the central play area.

"In their offices, I think. The police are interviewing everyone. Detective Peet is setting up headquarters in the empty office next to mine." I indicated his location with a nod of the head.
"Detective Pete? Is that like Cowboy Bob?" He chuckled. "Where's Anthony?" Archibald zeroed in on his favorite employee -- the one he felt could not be replaced. When I told him that the web developer wasn't back yet he asked for Victor. "He left me a dozen messages overnight. I had to turn the ringer off."

"You could have talked to him." I stared at the man with a blank expression. He reciprocated for a full minute before rolling off in search of Victor but Victor wasn't available. He was on his way to see Detective Peet.

I wanted to get back to my post to eavesdrop but I was distracted by Anthony's arrival. "Good morning, everyone. Beautiful morning, isn't it?" Anthony waved a long, lanky arm at the entire office.
"Anthony, my boy." Archibald glided to his side. "I was worried about you. How are you doing?"

Neither of the men seemed to notice that they were dressed like twins.
Anthony responded to Archibald's inquiry with two thumbs up and a happy smile. "Just finebut why did I have to get by two cops to come in here?"

"Well son, I have some bad news." Archibald wrapped an arm around Anthony's shoulder and explained that Eduard was dead.

"Really." Anthony pondered the information. "So what's the bad news?"

Did anyone really appreciate the fact that someone had died here? An unlikable someone but someone. I was the only one fighting back tears - well not right then but there had been a moment. I may not have liked Eduard, and let's face it who could, but he had a mother and a father and a sister who loved him. Okay a mother and a father. Catrina had told me that Eduard and his sister were not speaking because he had cajoled their grandmother into leaving everything to him. Nonetheless, the lack of respect for his passing was beginning to irritate me.

It annoyed Detective Peet as well. After he'd finished interrogating Victor I heard him mumble in a stage whisper, "I hope he did it." But little in Victor's interview indicated that he had. At least the part of the interview that I heard. All I caught was Victor's rant that he and all the other Risk-eGames employees were the real victims. By time he'd repeated his claim four times, Detective Peet seemed eager to get him out of the room.

Anthony's interview included little that marked him as a suspect. At least if his alibi for the entire night checked out. Anthony had boasted that he'd met a girl -- which was miraculous considering the bright red shorts and shirt he was wearing for the second day in a row. Anthony explained that Archibald gave him football tickets. At the game, Archibald had introduced him to a young woman that he'd left only a hour before. Anthony had gotten lucky in more ways than one. Most nights he would have been alone at Risk-eGames without an alibi. Rumor had it that Anthony did not even bother to maintain a residence. Only extreme, if freaky, good luck had taken him out of the office the previous night.

"Was your encounter with that woman the only reason you were late this morning?"

"Yep. I got a voice mail from Kim from home about the meeting but I had already left a message here that I would be late. I didn't bother calling her back at home. She said she was going to bed. Everyone knew where I would be. You know the killer could have gotten me too if I were here. Luckily I wasn't."

I don't know if Anthony realized just how lucky he was. His mood was certainly joyful. He couldn't hide his exuberance. He made no effort to hide it. He was willing to share everything about his evening in more detail than I wanted to know. I suspected that Detective Peet felt the same. He wanted to hear about Anthony's experience at Risk-eGames."They were lucky to get me. I am very good at what I do. I have over twenty years experience designing games."

The cop interrupted. "How old are you?"

"Twenty seven." Anthony replied without irony.

"I see." The cop couldn't have sounded less convinced.

By the time he tripped over a chair on his way out of the office, Anthony had convinced me of his innocence.

Detective Peet saved Archibald for last. The two had stood silently as Eduard's body was rolled by. Neither seemed more concerned than when the lunch cart passed - and they seemed less interested. I could understand such a reaction in a cop. I found the indifference a bit frightening coming from Archibald.

Archibald was accommodating - almost jolly during his interrogation. I'd had to feign filing near the common wall to hear Anthony's testimony. He'd spoken in low almost muffled tones. That type of action was in no way necessary when Archibald was speaking. His loud voice could be heard easily through the connecting wall as he rambled - about everyone but himself. He gave his assessment of the financial needs of each employee. I was interested to hear that he viewed me as "solid and stable." According to him that made me the odd person out at Risk-eGames. Without the cop's asking, he claimed that Victor spent every cent he got. True. Kim splurged only on items that used to make an impression. Otherwise she still had the first penny she ever made. True. And Anthony still had every penny he ever made. Right again. Archibald had gone on to relate the story that other employees suspected that Anthony didn't even have an apartment.

Detective Peet wanted to hear about Archibald but our CEO didn't catch on - or pretended not to. The cop eventually wheedled a timeline of the days previous activities out of Archibald. The time he arrived at the office. The meetings he attended. The time he left the office with Anthony. The time he left Anthony at the football game.

"Why did you leave?"

"With everything going on? I didn't want Anthony getting upset over that little mix-up yesterday. The boy loves football. Lucky for us the Thursday night game was in town. I called in a favor, got tickets and fixed the boy up with a friend."

The fix-up was what interested the cop. Archibald swore he didn't know the woman would be there. "I saw her and the idea clicked in my mind. I gave Anthony a couple hundred bucks and told him to take her out on the town." Archibald sounded amazed. "I think she really liked him."

Under the cop's guidance Archibald described the rest of his evening. "I went back to work."

I could feel the cop's excitement through the wall. The charge faded as Archibald indicated he was working in his home office - with his wife and four children in the next room.

"And they can verify the time you got home?"

Archibald hedged. "My wife will. Kids were asleep." He paused. "I actually took a little ride on the way home. I like to park down by the river sometimes. Good place to think. Watch the water and think, you know. As you know, I had a lot of thinking to do yesterday."

"Were you alone?"

Archibald answered -- sort of. "The cops patrol that area you know. They should have seen me. Big truck. Cute license plates. They say riske -- with an e. Like the company."

I didn't hear the cop's response. I heard Archibald's skates as they hit the hardwood of the play area.

I got nervous when Detective Peet dropped by my office. He claimed he was there to play a word game. Who was I to argue with a homicide cop? I played.

"I want you to tell me what you think of each employee in one word. Archibald."

"Careless. "

"You sure? The word egomaniacal doesn't come to mind?"

"To describe the founder of Lee Information, Lee Publications, Lee News, Lee Partners and Lee Advisors? I think egomaniacal is a bit weak. Originally, Archibald called this company Lee-eGames. He only relented because he couldn't find a receptionist who could pronounce the company name."

"Receptionist? Why haven't I met the receptionist?"

"You won't. When the products fell behind schedule we had to let her go."

"Any other disgruntled former employees?"

"Who said she was disgruntled? Archibald gave her a nice little parting gift. She only worked three months and made six months salary plus she was eligible for unemployment insurance. She felt getting hired and fired here in such a short time was one of the best things that ever happened to her."

"How about this teacher I've heard about?"

"Our former educational consultant is doing fine. Left in a fury but landed on her feet. She was even in here yesterday." I answered his questions before he asked them. "No, I don't know why she was here. I didn't speak to her."

The cop returned to his list of names. Kim. Arrogant. Victor. Arrogant. The cop eyed me with a raised brow. "Archibald likes arrogance. He confuses it with confidence. He confuses confidence with competence." I paused. "Though Kim is nice to the grandmother who scrubbed floors to put her through school." I scrambled for something nice to say about Victor. "I bet his family likes him."

Detective Peet ignored my kind comments and continued. Catrina. Naïve. Anthony. The last request threw me. How could I describe Anthony in a single work? How could I explain Anthony at all?
As he left the detective warned me that he was off to play the same game with all the other employees. When he returned, however, I couldn't get him to tell me what words had described me.
My tone was tentative as I inquired. "Are you planning on keeping us here until you solve this case?"

The cop smiled in a friendly way - but I didn't get the impression he was my friend. "It's Friday. I'd like to wrap this up. I have plans for the weekend." The detective settled into my visitor's chair.

"But even if you solve it, the forensics . . ."

The detective cut my thought short with a sharp glance. "Forensics only work if you have the right person. I could have all the DNA in the world and if I don't have probable cause to match it to a suspect . . ." He didn't finish his sentence but I knew he meant he wouldn't have anything.

"So do you have a suspect?" I used the singular. Bad enough to think one of my colleagues was a killer. I didn't want to consider the possibility that I worked with a gang of homicidal maniacs.

The cop had a wry expression on his face. "I may not know who killed him but I do have a fair idea about why he was murdered."

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ane Kelly Home                                                                             



Chapter 4

I guess I should have told the police that I could overhear everything that went on in the office next to me. When I recommended they interview employees in the unused space, I didn't realize the acoustics made the wall disappear. If the cops had asked, I would have admitted it. They didn't ask - so what I did was close my office door and sit quietly perusing the SLA web site for new employment opportunities. I didn't want any noise in my office to tip them off. I liked being in the know.

The police interviewed Kim first. I'm not sure if they wanted to. The young woman presented herself in one of the twenty suits she owned - all small, all expensive, all black and accessorized with a wide range of beige tone blouses. Along with her expensive jewelry, her haughty manner completed the image of a successful executive. "Let's get this over with so I can get back to work." It was obvious any mourning period for Eduard would be short. Actually, I had the feeling it was pretty much over by the time the investigation began.

I didn't get much new information from eavesdropping on Kim's interrogation. She punctuated most sentences with a yawn as she reviewed the story of her lost keys and her ride home with Catrina. She described her working relationship with Eduard which was, as she told it, the extent of their friendship.
"You never saw him socially?" Detective Peet asked the question.
Kim paused before answering. "Accidentally once." She mentioned a restaurant at the opposite end of the metropolitan area - an odd area for either of the image-conscious executives to visit. "He was dining with a friend from business school. I didn't catch the name or if I did, I didn't retain it."

The detective pressed to see if she and Eduard had planned to meet.
"No way. He actually seemed a little disturbed to see me which annoyed me since I always figured we were friends at work. Ah well, you never know." Kim yawned emphatically and explained where the detective could find her. Her tone indicated-clearly-that he would not be welcome. "I'll be there after I take a run - if that's okay with you?"
It wasn't okay with the cop.

Kim told the policeman that he could not make her stay but then rethought her attitude. "I'll just hang around here. We have a lot to do today." I heard the door slam - I assumed at Kim's hand.
I kept browsing the SLA job listings as the detective brought the employees in one by one. I tried to take meaning from the order but there did not appear to be any.

Catrina was next. The detective asked her the same questions he had asked me and then Kim. I realized what he really wanted from Catrina was verification that she driven Kim home. No problem. Kim and Catrina told the same story. Then the detective pressed Catrina about the nature of her relationship with Eduard. I was surprised when Catrina's reserve broke. "Okay. I had a little crush on him. No one understood him like I did. He seemed cold and calculating . . ."
Yes, I thought as she paused, because he was cold and calculating.
When the detective asked Catrina about the nature of their relationship, my heart sank. "He never asked me out or anything but I knew we had a special relationship. I never told him I loved him . . . maybe now . . . I should have . . . I know." There was a period of silence punctuated by sniffles. "When we found him, he looked so cute. He had that little red dot on his nose."

The detective was flummoxed by the red dot comment. I knew exactly what Catrina meant. Eduard had a habit of sniffing magic markers. While most of us enjoyed watching the otherwise fastidious Eduard operate with a small red dot on his nose, apparently Catrina had found the habit endearing.

"Were you romantically involved?"

I leaned forward to hear the answer and noticed Archibald rollerblading towards my office. I jumped up, ran to the door and missed Catrina's answer. I stopped the CEO outside my door. He assumed, mistakenly, that I was glad to see him. "Got here as soon as I could." Apparently the founder of our high tech company had not heard of the internal combustion engine. Or dress-up Friday. That day he wore a bright red sweat suit of nineteen seventies vintage - cut off at the knees for an ineffective imitation of the hip-hop look that Anthony had sported the day before.

"Where is everyone?" All that was required to answer that question was a quick swivel of the head to survey the offices surrounding the central play area.

"In their offices, I think. The police are interviewing everyone. Detective Peet is setting up headquarters in the empty office next to mine." I indicated his location with a nod of the head.
"Detective Pete? Is that like Cowboy Bob?" He chuckled. "Where's Anthony?" Archibald zeroed in on his favorite employee -- the one he felt could not be replaced. When I told him that the web developer wasn't back yet he asked for Victor. "He left me a dozen messages overnight. I had to turn the ringer off."

"You could have talked to him." I stared at the man with a blank expression. He reciprocated for a full minute before rolling off in search of Victor but Victor wasn't available. He was on his way to see Detective Peet.

I wanted to get back to my post to eavesdrop but I was distracted by Anthony's arrival. "Good morning, everyone. Beautiful morning, isn't it?" Anthony waved a long, lanky arm at the entire office.
"Anthony, my boy." Archibald glided to his side. "I was worried about you. How are you doing?"

Neither of the men seemed to notice that they were dressed like twins.
Anthony responded to Archibald's inquiry with two thumbs up and a happy smile. "Just finebut why did I have to get by two cops to come in here?"

"Well son, I have some bad news." Archibald wrapped an arm around Anthony's shoulder and explained that Eduard was dead.

"Really." Anthony pondered the information. "So what's the bad news?"

Did anyone really appreciate the fact that someone had died here? An unlikable someone but someone. I was the only one fighting back tears - well not right then but there had been a moment. I may not have liked Eduard, and let's face it who could, but he had a mother and a father and a sister who loved him. Okay a mother and a father. Catrina had told me that Eduard and his sister were not speaking because he had cajoled their grandmother into leaving everything to him. Nonetheless, the lack of respect for his passing was beginning to irritate me.

It annoyed Detective Peet as well. After he'd finished interrogating Victor I heard him mumble in a stage whisper, "I hope he did it." But little in Victor's interview indicated that he had. At least the part of the interview that I heard. All I caught was Victor's rant that he and all the other Risk-eGames employees were the real victims. By time he'd repeated his claim four times, Detective Peet seemed eager to get him out of the room.

Anthony's interview included little that marked him as a suspect. At least if his alibi for the entire night checked out. Anthony had boasted that he'd met a girl -- which was miraculous considering the bright red shorts and shirt he was wearing for the second day in a row. Anthony explained that Archibald gave him football tickets. At the game, Archibald had introduced him to a young woman that he'd left only a hour before. Anthony had gotten lucky in more ways than one. Most nights he would have been alone at Risk-eGames without an alibi. Rumor had it that Anthony did not even bother to maintain a residence. Only extreme, if freaky, good luck had taken him out of the office the previous night.

"Was your encounter with that woman the only reason you were late this morning?"

"Yep. I got a voice mail from Kim from home about the meeting but I had already left a message here that I would be late. I didn't bother calling her back at home. She said she was going to bed. Everyone knew where I would be. You know the killer could have gotten me too if I were here. Luckily I wasn't."

I don't know if Anthony realized just how lucky he was. His mood was certainly joyful. He couldn't hide his exuberance. He made no effort to hide it. He was willing to share everything about his evening in more detail than I wanted to know. I suspected that Detective Peet felt the same. He wanted to hear about Anthony's experience at Risk-eGames."They were lucky to get me. I am very good at what I do. I have over twenty years experience designing games."

The cop interrupted. "How old are you?"

"Twenty seven." Anthony replied without irony.

"I see." The cop couldn't have sounded less convinced.

By the time he tripped over a chair on his way out of the office, Anthony had convinced me of his innocence.

Detective Peet saved Archibald for last. The two had stood silently as Eduard's body was rolled by. Neither seemed more concerned than when the lunch cart passed - and they seemed less interested. I could understand such a reaction in a cop. I found the indifference a bit frightening coming from Archibald.

Archibald was accommodating - almost jolly during his interrogation. I'd had to feign filing near the common wall to hear Anthony's testimony. He'd spoken in low almost muffled tones. That type of action was in no way necessary when Archibald was speaking. His loud voice could be heard easily through the connecting wall as he rambled - about everyone but himself. He gave his assessment of the financial needs of each employee. I was interested to hear that he viewed me as "solid and stable." According to him that made me the odd person out at Risk-eGames. Without the cop's asking, he claimed that Victor spent every cent he got. True. Kim splurged only on items that used to make an impression. Otherwise she still had the first penny she ever made. True. And Anthony still had every penny he ever made. Right again. Archibald had gone on to relate the story that other employees suspected that Anthony didn't even have an apartment.

Detective Peet wanted to hear about Archibald but our CEO didn't catch on - or pretended not to. The cop eventually wheedled a timeline of the days previous activities out of Archibald. The time he arrived at the office. The meetings he attended. The time he left the office with Anthony. The time he left Anthony at the football game.

"Why did you leave?"

"With everything going on? I didn't want Anthony getting upset over that little mix-up yesterday. The boy loves football. Lucky for us the Thursday night game was in town. I called in a favor, got tickets and fixed the boy up with a friend."

The fix-up was what interested the cop. Archibald swore he didn't know the woman would be there. "I saw her and the idea clicked in my mind. I gave Anthony a couple hundred bucks and told him to take her out on the town." Archibald sounded amazed. "I think she really liked him."

Under the cop's guidance Archibald described the rest of his evening. "I went back to work."

I could feel the cop's excitement through the wall. The charge faded as Archibald indicated he was working in his home office - with his wife and four children in the next room.

"And they can verify the time you got home?"

Archibald hedged. "My wife will. Kids were asleep." He paused. "I actually took a little ride on the way home. I like to park down by the river sometimes. Good place to think. Watch the water and think, you know. As you know, I had a lot of thinking to do yesterday."

"Were you alone?"

Archibald answered -- sort of. "The cops patrol that area you know. They should have seen me. Big truck. Cute license plates. They say riske -- with an e. Like the company."

I didn't hear the cop's response. I heard Archibald's skates as they hit the hardwood of the play area.

I got nervous when Detective Peet dropped by my office. He claimed he was there to play a word game. Who was I to argue with a homicide cop? I played.

"I want you to tell me what you think of each employee in one word. Archibald."

"Careless. "

"You sure? The word egomaniacal doesn't come to mind?"

"To describe the founder of Lee Information, Lee Publications, Lee News, Lee Partners and Lee Advisors? I think egomaniacal is a bit weak. Originally, Archibald called this company Lee-eGames. He only relented because he couldn't find a receptionist who could pronounce the company name."

"Receptionist? Why haven't I met the receptionist?"

"You won't. When the products fell behind schedule we had to let her go."

"Any other disgruntled former employees?"

"Who said she was disgruntled? Archibald gave her a nice little parting gift. She only worked three months and made six months salary plus she was eligible for unemployment insurance. She felt getting hired and fired here in such a short time was one of the best things that ever happened to her."

"How about this teacher I've heard about?"

"Our former educational consultant is doing fine. Left in a fury but landed on her feet. She was even in here yesterday." I answered his questions before he asked them. "No, I don't know why she was here. I didn't speak to her."

The cop returned to his list of names. Kim. Arrogant. Victor. Arrogant. The cop eyed me with a raised brow. "Archibald likes arrogance. He confuses it with confidence. He confuses confidence with competence." I paused. "Though Kim is nice to the grandmother who scrubbed floors to put her through school." I scrambled for something nice to say about Victor. "I bet his family likes him."

Detective Peet ignored my kind comments and continued. Catrina. Naïve. Anthony. The last request threw me. How could I describe Anthony in a single work? How could I explain Anthony at all?
As he left the detective warned me that he was off to play the same game with all the other employees. When he returned, however, I couldn't get him to tell me what words had described me.
My tone was tentative as I inquired. "Are you planning on keeping us here until you solve this case?"

The cop smiled in a friendly way - but I didn't get the impression he was my friend. "It's Friday. I'd like to wrap this up. I have plans for the weekend." The detective settled into my visitor's chair.

"But even if you solve it, the forensics . . ."

The detective cut my thought short with a sharp glance. "Forensics only work if you have the right person. I could have all the DNA in the world and if I don't have probable cause to match it to a suspect . . ." He didn't finish his sentence but I knew he meant he wouldn't have anything.

"So do you have a suspect?" I used the singular. Bad enough to think one of my colleagues was a killer. I didn't want to consider the possibility that I worked with a gang of homicidal maniacs.

The cop had a wry expression on his face. "I may not know who killed him but I do have a fair idea about why he was murdered."

Next Chapter         Top            Previous Chapter             Visit Risk-eGames.com site

       Chapter Summaries              Printer Entire Story           Home
                                        (Takes a moment or two
                                                                    for the full story to laod.)