Read Online The Name of the Game Was Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon - Free Book Online
Authors: Joan Lowery Nixon
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in good hands.
I went back to the door of the office as Senator Maggio ordered everyone, “Stay away from the crime scene. There’s evidence here that should be protected.”
“If you’re looking for the murder weapon, it’s probably that fireplace thing,” Julia said, and pointed at the sharp-ended brass poker that lay on the floor.
There were dark stains near the point, so she might have been right; but something else had caught my attention. The mesh screen across the fireplace that would normally have been closed was open, and lying among the ashes were some curled and cracked metal and plastic pieces.
“Look at the fireplace,” I told the others. “Someone has burned some computer disks.”
In one bound Buck fell to his knees before the fireplace and groped among the ashes, jerking out the disks and making a terrible mess. “There’s scraps of paper too,” Buck said. “Looks like typing paper.”
He got to his feet, one hand holding aloft the disks and a couple of scorched corners from typing paper—one with the page number 395 printed on it—while he tried to wipe the ashes from his other hand on the seat of his jeans.
“Do you think those are the backup disks containing the manuscript Augustus was telling us about?” Julia asked.
“I hope so,” Laura answered, and I saw that she was back on her feet.
“Turn on the computer,” Julia said. “There must be a file.…”
Senator Maggio flipped the Off switch and said, “I’ve already tried it. There’s no file. Everything has been wiped out.”
“If someone destroyed the file, the manuscript, and the disks, he’s put an end to the threat,” Alex said from behind me. Apparently he’d made a quick recovery.
Julia’s mouth twisted as she added, “And put an end to Augustus, as well.”
“Who did it?” Laura whispered.
A long moment of silence followed as we all realized that one person in this room was a murderer. I could feel tickly drops of sweat skitter down my backbone, and I shivered. “The murderer has to be someone who’s familiar with computers,” I said, “someone who’d know how to delete the file.”
Julia was the first to respond. “I don’t use a computer. I write in longhand, and Jake types up the finished manuscript for me.”
“I don’t use a computer,” the senator said.
“Me either,” Buck answered.
Alex shook his head.
“Well, don’t everybody look at me, for goodness’ sakes,” Laura complained. “I’ve never had a reason even to touch one of those things.”
I didn’t look at her. I glanced from Julia to Alex to Senator Maggio. No matter what they’d just said, a few minutes ago each of them had proved that they knew enough about computers to understand files and disks. Each of them was lying.
“We must notify the police,” Senator Maggio said.
“We can’t,” I told him. “The phone lines are out. Remember?”
This called for another moment of silence. Each of us sneaked appraising looks at the others while trying not to be seen doing it.
Finally, Julia said, “Let’s face some plain facts and look at the positive side. Whatever Augustus had in mind for us is over now.”
I heard Thea’s sharp intake of breath, and I wasn’t the only one who was disgusted with Julia for being so insensitive. Senator Maggio scowled at her and asked in a low voice, “Are you forgetting that Trevor’s wife is present?”
Julia looked embarrassed, but she said, “All I meant was that the manuscript has been destroyed.”
“No, it hasn’t,” I said.
Everyone turned to look at me. “Everything on the hard disk in the computer was deleted, and the backup diskswere burned, along with what looks like a printed copy of the manuscript,” I told them, “but Aug-Augustus was a professional writer. He wouldn’t print just one copy of his manuscript. He’d have made one to send to his agent—which he said hadn’t been sent yet—and one for himself. Even though the manuscript would be
I went back to the door of the office as Senator Maggio ordered everyone, “Stay away from the crime scene. There’s evidence here that should be protected.”
“If you’re looking for the murder weapon, it’s probably that fireplace thing,” Julia said, and pointed at the sharp-ended brass poker that lay on the floor.
There were dark stains near the point, so she might have been right; but something else had caught my attention. The mesh screen across the fireplace that would normally have been closed was open, and lying among the ashes were some curled and cracked metal and plastic pieces.
“Look at the fireplace,” I told the others. “Someone has burned some computer disks.”
In one bound Buck fell to his knees before the fireplace and groped among the ashes, jerking out the disks and making a terrible mess. “There’s scraps of paper too,” Buck said. “Looks like typing paper.”
He got to his feet, one hand holding aloft the disks and a couple of scorched corners from typing paper—one with the page number 395 printed on it—while he tried to wipe the ashes from his other hand on the seat of his jeans.
“Do you think those are the backup disks containing the manuscript Augustus was telling us about?” Julia asked.
“I hope so,” Laura answered, and I saw that she was back on her feet.
“Turn on the computer,” Julia said. “There must be a file.…”
Senator Maggio flipped the Off switch and said, “I’ve already tried it. There’s no file. Everything has been wiped out.”
“If someone destroyed the file, the manuscript, and the disks, he’s put an end to the threat,” Alex said from behind me. Apparently he’d made a quick recovery.
Julia’s mouth twisted as she added, “And put an end to Augustus, as well.”
“Who did it?” Laura whispered.
A long moment of silence followed as we all realized that one person in this room was a murderer. I could feel tickly drops of sweat skitter down my backbone, and I shivered. “The murderer has to be someone who’s familiar with computers,” I said, “someone who’d know how to delete the file.”
Julia was the first to respond. “I don’t use a computer. I write in longhand, and Jake types up the finished manuscript for me.”
“I don’t use a computer,” the senator said.
“Me either,” Buck answered.
Alex shook his head.
“Well, don’t everybody look at me, for goodness’ sakes,” Laura complained. “I’ve never had a reason even to touch one of those things.”
I didn’t look at her. I glanced from Julia to Alex to Senator Maggio. No matter what they’d just said, a few minutes ago each of them had proved that they knew enough about computers to understand files and disks. Each of them was lying.
“We must notify the police,” Senator Maggio said.
“We can’t,” I told him. “The phone lines are out. Remember?”
This called for another moment of silence. Each of us sneaked appraising looks at the others while trying not to be seen doing it.
Finally, Julia said, “Let’s face some plain facts and look at the positive side. Whatever Augustus had in mind for us is over now.”
I heard Thea’s sharp intake of breath, and I wasn’t the only one who was disgusted with Julia for being so insensitive. Senator Maggio scowled at her and asked in a low voice, “Are you forgetting that Trevor’s wife is present?”
Julia looked embarrassed, but she said, “All I meant was that the manuscript has been destroyed.”
“No, it hasn’t,” I said.
Everyone turned to look at me. “Everything on the hard disk in the computer was deleted, and the backup diskswere burned, along with what looks like a printed copy of the manuscript,” I told them, “but Aug-Augustus was a professional writer. He wouldn’t print just one copy of his manuscript. He’d have made one to send to his agent—which he said hadn’t been sent yet—and one for himself. Even though the manuscript would be
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