it would be forever tainted, forever marked by murder.
“Jennifer was shot,” Annie said in a soft, flat voice. “I’m really sorry.”
“Shot?” Kate echoed. “No…she…But I don’t understand…”
“Neither do we, Kate. That’s what we’re trying to find out. Do you know of anyone who would want to harm her?”
“Harm Jenn? Of course not.” The words came out in gulps, as if Kate were desperate for air.
Kate put the glass down, but she missed the edge of the table. It fell to the floor and shattered. She stood up and put her hand to her mouth, then, without warning, her eyes turned up, and before Annie could reach her she crumpled in a heap on the kitchen floor.
“Look,” said Corinne, “are you sure we should be doing this? These are Roy’s private business files, after all.”
“It’s a bit late to get squeamish now,” said Banks. “Besides,” he said, gesturing to the CD, “maybe it’s just more of the same.”
Corinne gave him a dirty look and turned back to the screen. “Well,” she said, “at least the drive isn’t password-protected.”
“And given Roy’s concern with privacy,” said Banks, “that probably means there’s nothing really confidential on it.” Or nothing incriminating , he thought.
“So what’s the point?”
“Perhaps it’s something he wanted me to find and read? He’d know I’d be no good at cracking passwords and such. Besides, I need anything I can get. Business contacts, activities, habits, anything.”
“There’s quite a mix of stuff,” said Corinne, scrolling down. “Some Word documents, Money files, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, market research reports, memos, letters.”
“Can you print it out?”
“Some of it.” Corinne started selecting files and the printer hummed into action. It was fast, Banks noticed.
“Can you also copy the contents to another thingamajig?”
“You mean a removable USB hard drive?”
“Whatever. Can you do it?”
“Of course I can. Or at least I could if I had a spare one. Will a CD do?”
“Fine,” Banks said. “Just as long as we have a copy. The CD as well.”
“What are you going to do with them?”
“I’m going to post them to myself,” said Banks. “That way I’ll have backups.”
“But it might mean nothing at all. Maybe Roy’s just run off with his new girlfriend. Have you thought of that?”
Banks had. “Look,” he said, “it’s true that I don’t know Roy very well, and I’ll take your word that he’s an imaginative and bold businessman rather than a crooked one, but you didn’thear the phone call. He sounded scared , Corinne. He tried to make light of it but he did say it might be a matter of life and death. Is that like him?”
Corinne frowned. “No. I mean, I’m not saying he’s a hero or anything, but he doesn’t usually back down from difficult situations, and he’s not an alarmist. Maybe he’s been kidnapped or something?”
“Has he ever mentioned that possibility?”
“No. But you hear about it sometimes, don’t you?”
“Not that often. But trust me,” Banks said, “something’s wrong. There are just too many loose ends. The missing computer, for a start. If someone went to the trouble to take Roy’s entire computer and all the storage devices they could find, then doesn’t that seem suspicious to you? They only missed the USB drive and the CD because both were hidden.” Hidden in plain view, Banks might have added, like Poe’s purloined letter. “According to the neighbour, Malcolm Farrow, when Roy got in the car with the other man, neither was carrying anything. Someone must have gone back and taken the computer stuff between about half past nine last night and the time I arrived early this afternoon.”
“Has it occurred to you that he might have come back and taken it himself?” Corinne asked.
“Why should he? Where would he have taken it? Besides, his car’s still in the garage. He doesn’t own another, does
“Jennifer was shot,” Annie said in a soft, flat voice. “I’m really sorry.”
“Shot?” Kate echoed. “No…she…But I don’t understand…”
“Neither do we, Kate. That’s what we’re trying to find out. Do you know of anyone who would want to harm her?”
“Harm Jenn? Of course not.” The words came out in gulps, as if Kate were desperate for air.
Kate put the glass down, but she missed the edge of the table. It fell to the floor and shattered. She stood up and put her hand to her mouth, then, without warning, her eyes turned up, and before Annie could reach her she crumpled in a heap on the kitchen floor.
“Look,” said Corinne, “are you sure we should be doing this? These are Roy’s private business files, after all.”
“It’s a bit late to get squeamish now,” said Banks. “Besides,” he said, gesturing to the CD, “maybe it’s just more of the same.”
Corinne gave him a dirty look and turned back to the screen. “Well,” she said, “at least the drive isn’t password-protected.”
“And given Roy’s concern with privacy,” said Banks, “that probably means there’s nothing really confidential on it.” Or nothing incriminating , he thought.
“So what’s the point?”
“Perhaps it’s something he wanted me to find and read? He’d know I’d be no good at cracking passwords and such. Besides, I need anything I can get. Business contacts, activities, habits, anything.”
“There’s quite a mix of stuff,” said Corinne, scrolling down. “Some Word documents, Money files, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, market research reports, memos, letters.”
“Can you print it out?”
“Some of it.” Corinne started selecting files and the printer hummed into action. It was fast, Banks noticed.
“Can you also copy the contents to another thingamajig?”
“You mean a removable USB hard drive?”
“Whatever. Can you do it?”
“Of course I can. Or at least I could if I had a spare one. Will a CD do?”
“Fine,” Banks said. “Just as long as we have a copy. The CD as well.”
“What are you going to do with them?”
“I’m going to post them to myself,” said Banks. “That way I’ll have backups.”
“But it might mean nothing at all. Maybe Roy’s just run off with his new girlfriend. Have you thought of that?”
Banks had. “Look,” he said, “it’s true that I don’t know Roy very well, and I’ll take your word that he’s an imaginative and bold businessman rather than a crooked one, but you didn’thear the phone call. He sounded scared , Corinne. He tried to make light of it but he did say it might be a matter of life and death. Is that like him?”
Corinne frowned. “No. I mean, I’m not saying he’s a hero or anything, but he doesn’t usually back down from difficult situations, and he’s not an alarmist. Maybe he’s been kidnapped or something?”
“Has he ever mentioned that possibility?”
“No. But you hear about it sometimes, don’t you?”
“Not that often. But trust me,” Banks said, “something’s wrong. There are just too many loose ends. The missing computer, for a start. If someone went to the trouble to take Roy’s entire computer and all the storage devices they could find, then doesn’t that seem suspicious to you? They only missed the USB drive and the CD because both were hidden.” Hidden in plain view, Banks might have added, like Poe’s purloined letter. “According to the neighbour, Malcolm Farrow, when Roy got in the car with the other man, neither was carrying anything. Someone must have gone back and taken the computer stuff between about half past nine last night and the time I arrived early this afternoon.”
“Has it occurred to you that he might have come back and taken it himself?” Corinne asked.
“Why should he? Where would he have taken it? Besides, his car’s still in the garage. He doesn’t own another, does
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