Flash

Gill hid something deep in his computer files, I probably wouldn't be able to find it."
    "We can't exactly call in a real hacker, can we?"
    "No. We'd have to tell him what we're looking for, and that means one more person would know what was going on."
    "This is so complicated," she muttered.
    "It gets worse. I also talked to the police."
    She searched his face. "Did they tell you anything?"
    "I pulled the concerned employer routine. One of the detectives bought it. I was told that the car that killed Gill had been found. An old Cadillac."
    "What a break." Olivia brightened. "I don't suppose they told you who owns it?"
    "An elderly couple in Ballard."
    "An elderly couple?" Olivia's face fell. "But that doesn't make any sense. Why would—"
    "The car was stolen," Jasper explained. "And abandoned after the crime. Everything inside had been wiped clean. No prints. No evidence."
    "That must have aroused the cops' suspicions."
    "At the moment they're working on the theory that whoever stole the Cadillac was probably drunk or high on drugs. When the driver realized he had accidentally hit someone, he ditched the car and ran. Unless he sobers up and turns himself in, odds of finding him are not real good."
    She groaned. "And probably even worse if he deliberately set out to kill Melwood."
    "Which we don't know for certain yet," Jasper said carefully.
    Her hand clenched tightly around the blue tunics. "We must locate Uncle Rollie's missing files. Whoever killed Melwood is obviously looking for them, too. We can't let him find them first."
    "We'll find them," Jasper said quietly. "Between the two of us we've got more information on both Gill and Rollie than the blackmailer could possibly have. That gives us an edge."
    "What do you mean?"
    Jasper shrugged. "In the end the guy with the most information usually wins. Provided he uses it properly."
    She eyed him narrowly. "Is that a bit of Sloan management theory?"
    "You could say that."
    "Do you obsessive-compulsive filers go to special schools? Is there a degree in information hoarding?"
    He stopped smiling and flattened his hand against the wall behind her head. "Olivia, I did a lot of thinking today while I went through Gill's desk. There is one tiny scrap of information that we've been ignoring."
    "What's that?"
    "Silas at Pri-Con told us that he rented the last empty locker on the fourth floor about a month ago, remember?"
    She nodded. "So?"
    "Rollie died about a month ago."
    She stared at him. "Oh, my God, you don't think—?"
    "What if," Jasper said slowly, "whoever took those files rented that last locker? What if those files were never removed from the building? What if the blackmailer transferred them into another locker?"
    "It would certainly explain why Silas never saw anyone empty out an entire locker." Her eyes lit with excitement. "Jasper, it's a brilliant thought. But there are a lot of
what it's
involved."
    "Yes. But they can be checked out fairly easily."
    "Am I interrupting anything here?" Todd asked dryly.
    Olivia looked around Jasper's shoulder. "Hi, Todd."
    Jasper turned to look at Todd. "Your sister and I were just having a short business meeting about what to do in the accounting department now that Melwood Gill is gone."
    "Don't let me stop you." Todd took a swallow from his glass. "Too bad about poor old Gill. Quincy and Percy said he hadn't been himself for several months."
    "That's true." Olivia frowned. "Todd, how much have you had to drink tonight?"
    "Don't worry about it, big sister." Todd smiled grimly. "I'm not driving."
    Olivia's eyes filled with growing concern. "You never have more than a couple of glasses of anything. What's wrong?"
    "Special occasion." Todd hoisted his glass in a mocking salute. "You may as well be the first to know. There won't be an engagement announcement after the election, after all."
    "Oh, Todd." Olivia sighed. "I'm sorry."
    "Hate to admit it, but you were right all along." Todd grimaced. "The only thing Eleanor and I have in common is a mutual interest in getting her elected."
    "Oh,
Todd
."
    Todd glared at her. "You think maybe you could skip the
Oh, Todds
?"
    Jasper saw Olivia open her mouth. He could tell that she was about to say
Oh, Todd
again.
    "Your sister has a lot to do this evening," Jasper said smoothly. "What do you say we leave her to it? Come on, I'll buy you a drink."
    Todd frowned at the glass in his hand. "The drinks are free."
    "Hell of a deal." Jasper clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's go."
    Todd