Fantasy in Death - J. D. Robb [31]
Competition, she thought, business, ego, money, money, money, passion, naivete, security. Games.
Games equaled big business, big egos, big money, big passions, and the development thereof, big security.
Somewhere along the line that security had failed and one or more of the other elements snuck through to kill Minnock.
“I heard you made an arrest,” Roarke said from behind her.
“Not on the murder, not yet. But it may connect. They’ll push this project through, this game, without him. Not just because it’s what they do, but because they wouldn’t want to let him down.”
“Yes, it’ll be bumpier, and there may be a delay, but they’ll push it through.”
“Then what’s the point of killing him.” She shook her head, dropped her feet back to the floor. “Let’s go take a walk through the scene.”
6
SHE LET ROARKE DRIVE SO SHE COULD CON-TINUE to work on her notes, determine who among those interviewed needed a second pass, and who she still needed to contact.
“I’ve got a buzz out to his lawyer—on vacation. She’s cutting it short and I’m meeting with her in the morning. She was a friend,” Eve added. “She seems inclined to give me whatever I need, and already outlined some basic terms of his partnership agreement and will. Nearly everything goes to his parents, but his share of U-Play is to be divided among the three remaining partners. It’s a chunk.”
“Are you thinking one or more of them decided to eliminate him so they’d have a bigger slice of the pie?”
“Can’t write it off. But sometimes money isn’t the whole deal.” Money, she thought, was often the easiest button to push but not the only button. “Sometimes it’s not even in the deal. Still, I can’t write it off. You said they’d probably have some bumps and some delay in getting this new game out, but they’re going to reap a whirlwind of publicity so it seems to me when it hits, it’ll hit big. Would that be your take?”
“It would—and it will. Even though we have a similar game and system about to launch, it’s a considerable leap in gaming tech. And they’ll have a lot of media focused on them due to Bart’s death, and the method. It’ll give them a push, but for the long haul? Losing him is a serious blow.”
“Yeah, but some don’t think long haul. And conversely, from a competitive standpoint, if you cut off the head—literally and figuratively—you’re banking that the delay’s long enough to give you time to beat the jump. They may be partners, and all bright lights, but Bart was the head. That’s how it strikes me.”
“I’d agree. And, if it’s business? It feels more like competition than any sort of bid for splashy media attention. I can’t see that, Eve.”
Maybe not, she thought, but it was a by-product. “What do you know about game weapons—the toys used in a game, vid props, replicas, collector’s items.”
“They can be and are intriguing, and certainly can command stiff prices, particularly at auction.”
“You collect.” She shifted to study his profile. “But you mostly collect real.”
“Primarily, yes. Still, it’s an area of interest for anyone in the field, or serious about gaming. Game weapons run from the basic and simple to the intricate and complex, and everything between. They can and do add an element of immediacy and realism, a hands-on.”
He glanced at her. “You enjoy weapons.”
“I like knowing I’ve got one. One that does what it needs to do when I need it to do it.”
“You’ve played the games. You’re a competitive soul.”
“What’s the point of playing if winning isn’t the goal?”
“We stand on the same side there.”
“But a game’s still a game,” she pointed out. “A toy’s a toy. I don’t understand the compulsion to live the fantasy. To outfit your office like the command center of some fictional starship.”
“Well, for the fun or the escape, though no doubt some take it too far. We should go to an auction some time, just so you can experience it. Gaming and the collecting that’s attached to it, it’s an interesting world.”
“I like toys.” She shrugged. “What I don’t get is why anyone would spend millions on some play sword wielded by some play warrior