The Netscher Connection Read online

  “The soldiers make it hard to find and get to the key,” Vinnie added. “It can be very distracting when you have to fight three soldiers at the same time and look for the key. That’s why we’ve decided to divide and conquer.”

  “And conquer we did.” Pink turned his gaze which I supposed was towards Manny. “The last battle was epic. Vinnie and I had already killed dozens of soldiers and were pinned down. If it wasn’t for Colin killing a few with his great archery skills, we would’ve been toast and that would’ve been game over.”

  “Archery? As in bows and arrows?” Manny stared at the ceiling. “Why do people play these things?”

  “Escapism, fun, relaxation, competitiveness, need for winning.” Pink shrugged. “Pick one.”

  Roxy cleared her throat dramatically. “So, I did some research.”

  “Oh, heavens.” Manny slumped even deeper into his chair.

  “Shush, you.” She dismissed Manny with a single wave and straightened her shoulders. “Did you know that almost a hundred and nine billion dollars in game revenues will be generated this year? Across the globe. How’s that for crazy money? And that’s from two point two billion gamers.”

  “Bloody hell!” Manny sat up and looked at Francine. “Are those numbers real?”

  “Sure are.” She winked at Roxy when the latter fell against Vinnie in offence at Manny’s disbelief. “Gamers are also some of the easiest people to hack. Because they are online all the time, they become desensitized to just how vulnerable they are. There is this illusion of community and friendship that makes them let their guards down. I can’t tell you how many times gamers discovered that the file they’d been sent to download was actually a virus. They were hoping they’d get shortcuts and extra weapons or ways to get bonus points when they opened the file.”

  “The gaming industry has their own celebrities,” Vinnie said. “They earn thousands of dollars in advertising fees when they play live online. And I tell you, it’s really something to watch these guys work. When the best of the best go against each other it’s better than watching wrestling or an action movie. These guys are sick.”

  “Ill, or are you using that word in the same inane manner as Nikki?” I hated that expression.

  “The same smart manner as the little punk.” Vinnie winced when Roxy pinched him. “Sorry, Jen-girl. Talking about this makes me forget my manners.”

  Manny’s mouth dropped open as he stared at Vinnie, then at Roxy and back at Vinnie. “The end is nigh.”

  “Shut up, old man.” Vinnie put his arm around Roxy’s shoulders and pulled her tightly against him. “At least I have manners to forget.”

  “Boys, boys.” Francine lifted her tablet. “I’ve been recording the game this time around. I’m also taking random screenshots that we can study later to see if there’s something we’ve missed.”

  “I think we’ll find plenty.” I got up and walked to the television. I leaned forward and looked at the delicate carvings on the legs of the writing table next to the window. This room was from the eighteenth century and the table was a beautiful example of the furniture from that era. “This looks like an emblem.”

  “Huh.” Francine swiped and tapped her tablet screen. “Let me put this into a reverse image searc... Oh, my God. Oh, wow. This is...”

  I turned around and walked to her. “What?”

  “It’s the emblem, logo, shield thingie of the school where Ms Taikon taught.”

  “The first victim?” Pink asked.

  “Yup.” She looked up at me. “Think we’re going to find more clues like this?”

  “We’ll have to look.”

  “That means we’ll have to play.” Colin took the controller from the armrest next to him and looked at Vinnie. “Ready, Vin?”

  “Born ready, dude.”

  “Hey there.” Pink waved at the camera. “We have another guest, guys.”

  I turned around. Olivia was standing in the doorway, much like Manny had earlier. She was also still wearing her pyjamas. Unlike ours, hers were elegant. The rich burgundy silk long trousers were matched by a fitted short-sleeve night shirt. But like all of us, she looked tired.

  She waved at the camera and smiled when Pink waved again. Manny ordered her to sit in the last available chair and she clicked her heels. “Sir, yes, sir!”

  Pink laughed. “I like you.”

  “Everyone does.” Olivia sat down crossed-leg on the chair and stared at the television screen. “What can I do?”

  Her question gave me an idea. “How much did you retain from helping Francine with the research into the victims?”

  “Help?” Olivia’s insulted expression was fake. “She helped me. Ask her if she remembers anything. I have complete recollection.”

  Francine laughed and Colin’s smile took some of the strain from his expression as he looked at Olivia. “You did have an incredible memory.”

  “Still do.”

  There was no deception or boasting in her nonverbal cues. “Good. While Vinnie, Pink and Colin play the game, look for anything that has relevance to the victims.”

  “Like the school logo.”

  “Exactly.”

  She wiggled in her seat and rubbed her hands. “I’m ready.”

  “I’ll pay attention to the artworks.” Colin’s lips thinned. “I’m sure we’ll find more paintings from Rubique Art in each of the next rooms.”

  “How many more levels?” Manny asked.

  “Five.” Pink settled back into the sofa. “We’ve done the first six many times, so it won’t take us too long to get to the last level.”

  “I’m not going to join you guys for this game.” Francine opened her laptop and put her tablet on the sofa next to her. “I’m going to keep an eye on what’s happening behind the scenes while you’re playing.”

  “Do you think the killer will be active?” Colin asked.

  “I don’t know. But I’m definitely going to keep a close watch on the data flow from the gaming company’s IP.”

  “Will this require your full attention?” I hoped it wouldn’t.

  “Nope.” Francine buffed her nails on her shoulder. “I can do more than one thing at a time. What do you need?”

  “Information about Arany, the gaming company.” I needed to be prepared when we visited it later this morning.

  “I’ll send everything I find to everyone’s devices.” She raised one hand to stop me. “Not to everyone in the world, just to the devices of everyone on this case. To us.”

  I nodded.

  “What should I look for?” Roxy looked at Manny, then at me. “Anything specific?”

  “The only other clue left is Három’s triangle,” Vinnie said. “Why don’t you help Genevieve find them?”

  Her laugh was short and genuine. “She’ll see it way before me.”

  “I can’t be that certain that I’ll notice the logo immediately.” I registered her expression and barely contained my impatience. “I’m not placating you. You should know better than to think I would waste time with something so nonsensical. I do, however, believe that together we can find the logos quicker.”

  “And get the keys quicker,” Pink added.

  “And go to the next level quicker.” Vinnie kissed the top of Roxy’s head. “Find us those triangles, Rox.”

  “Are we going to discuss this to bloody death or are you going to play this stupid game?” Manny crossed his feet, the teddy bear slippers in contrast to the annoyance on his face.

  “Sir, yes, sir.” Pink winked at the camera. I didn’t understand why Olivia tried to hide her laugh with a cough.

  I didn’t have time to think about that. Pink touched one of the thumbsticks on the controller to start the next level. For the following three hours, the only times we spoke were to point out Három’s logos and to take note of Rubique Art paintings and hidden clues directly associated with the victims.

  Olivia impressed me. She was quick to notice these clues. One was the birthdate of victim seven in Roman
numerals repeatedly carved into a frame of a Rubique Art painting. Another was the name of victim four’s business engraved on the spine of a set of encyclopaedias in a nineteenth-century room. The amount of detail the designer of this game had included in each room decimated any doubt we had that this was the work of the serial killer.

  I watched in fascination as Vinnie and Pink effectively did most of the fighting, allowing Colin to get hidden caches of weapons, bonus points and extra strength. Because they were playing the game as a team, Colin could share these findings with the other two. Which he did. It made them stronger and more effective in protecting Colin’s avatar to rush to the hiding place of the key the moment Roxy or I pointed out Három’s logo.

  Each level was harder. Not only were the enemy soldiers larger in size, strength and numbers, but it also became harder to locate the logo. The killer had hidden it some places so cleverly that Vinnie and Pink were shouting at us to hurry before they died. I had to remind myself each time that they were talking about their avatars and not themselves. I marvelled at how blurred the lines between the game and reality were becoming.

  “Dude!” Vinnie fell back into the sofa from where he’d been sitting on the edge. “That was... insane.”

  Pink nodded. “We’ve never reached the second-last level this quickly.”

  “And none of us have ever finished it.” Nikki had joined Pink two levels ago and was staring away from the camera at their television screen. “This was the most beautiful, amazing, epic game I’ve watched. You guys rock!”

  “Team work, punk.” Vinnie rested his head on Roxy’s shoulder and closed his eyes.

  “This is intense.” Colin stretched his shoulders and grunted softly. “I need a five-minute break.”

  “Maybe you guys would like to eat something?” Andor lifted his chin towards the three trays on the low coffee table. “I raided the kitchen.”

  And none of us had even noticed his disappearance or when he’d brought in the food. Knowing my brain and my character, I’d already decided that I would avoid these types of games from now on. It was simply too easy for me to get lost in a world created to provide non-stop stimulation. My usual obsessive need to see a task to fruition was making it difficult to agree to a break. I wanted us to go through to the last level and complete the mission.

  “Ooh! Food!” Francine put her laptop next to her and took a small plate. “Andor, you’re the best.”

  He smiled. “You were all so into the game that I was wondering if my stomach was the only one complaining about being empty.”

  “Oh, mine has been growling since the little punk gave Pink an energy bar.” Vinnie glanced at the monitor with Pink. “Where is she?”

  “Gone to make coffee.” He rolled his shoulders. “I could also do with a break.”

  “How’re you feeling?” Roxy’s expression and tone changed. It was very specific to when she asked questions about someone’s physical wellbeing. I wondered if that was the tone she used with her patients.

  Pink took his time to answer. When he looked into the camera, there was only sincerity on his face. “The best I’ve felt in months. It’s good to have a purpose.”

  “You have a purpose, silly.” Nikki sat down next to him. “Get better.”

  “I am better.” He took a coffee mug from her with a smile. “I know my body still needs time, but man, I really needed this challenge. I’ve been going out of my mind.”

  “An expression, love.” Colin smiled at me before he also helped himself to the stacks of sandwiches. I hoped Andor hadn’t left chaos behind in the kitchen. Cook would be most displeased. Colin looked back at me. “Want some?”

  I looked from the neatly arranged sandwiches to Andor and back. Only now that everyone was eating had I become aware of my own hunger. It took three bars of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in D major before I could rationalise with myself. I knew how clean the kitchen was. I knew how pedantic Cook was about the freshness of all the products in his kitchen. And I’d come to trust Andor. “I’ll have some.”

  “So, I found something.” Francine delicately wiped her mouth and leaned towards her laptop.

  “Did you find our killer?” Manny’s question appeared flippant, but I observed the seriousness behind it.

  “Kinda.” She smiled when everyone froze for a second. “I’m now going to call her a ‘her’. Why? Because her avatar’s name is Lilly.”

  I took the plate Colin held out to me. “I feel confident that the creator of this game is female. I watched every room, every level with great scrutiny. Working on generalisations, there is enough evidence that leads me to believe this concept was conceived in the mind of a woman. But I need to emphasise that I’m working on generalisations.”

  “So noted, Doc.” Manny looked at Francine. “Where is she?”

  “Don’t know. And don’t get huffy with me. I’ve been looking for her, following even the smallest trace I could find of her, but she’s good.”

  “Not as good as you,” Pink said.

  Francine raised both eyebrows, her expression serious. “I’m not so sure about that anymore. The more I learn about her skills, the more I worry.”

  “Stop worrying and find her.” Manny stared at Francine. “You are better than her.”

  Her smile was instant and filled with affection. “I’ll find her bony butt.”

  “And her real ID,” Manny added.

  “As soon as I finish this delicious sandwich.” She raised the sandwich and smiled at Andor.

  He inhaled to say something, but instead coughed. This time was not as strong as before, but it was enough for me to put my uneaten sandwiches back on the coffee table. I knew one couldn’t catch a virus from someone with seasonal allergies, but a single sneeze could send a hundred thousand germs into the air. An average cough expelled around three thousand droplets of saliva.

  “I’m ready when you are.” Pink waved his controller in the air. “I can’t wait to see what’s waiting for us on the other side of that door.”

  “Most likely some monster enemy.” Vinnie pushed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and spoke around it. “Ready.”

  Colin put his plate down. He’d only eaten half his sandwich. He picked up the controller. “I won’t be surprised if we’re walking into a trap, gentlemen. Keep your eyes open.”

  Chapter SEVENTEEN

  “Pink, at your six!” Vinnie’s avatar didn’t hesitate. The old man rushed into the room, his sword raised over his head. Pink’s avatar swung around in time to run a dagger through the torso of a soldier twice her size.

  The small female avatar’s size had counted in her favour numerous times during this and the previous games I’d watched. It was harder for the oversized warriors to aim down at her. She was also faster and frequently killed them by destroying their knees. The weapons Pink had acquired for her with Colin’s help were infused with magic and could cut through the usually impenetrable body armour of the soldier now bleeding out on the floor.

  Colin’s avatar had caused much scorn when Manny had first seen it. Francine had chosen it and had rejected any objections Colin had made. Manny on the other hand had reminded Colin four times that an avatar would never make him a Robin Hood. I’d looked at the avatar’s mediaeval outfit always used for the legendary hero and had wondered about Manny’s words. The tales of the valiant outlaw who’d stolen from the rich to help the poor in late-mediaeval England indeed had similarities to Colin’s life and work.

  That avatar now pulled an arrow from the quiver on his back and ran into the room. The well-aimed arrow ripped through the neck of the warrior who had been about to run Vinnie through with his sword. Colin’s avatar continued to shoot one arrow after the other, nine out of ten doing permanent if not fatal damage. A few times the avatar stilled while Colin looked around the room, inspecting the era, furniture and art.

  This was definitely not the room holding the treasure—the scroll. It was a large ante-room, mediaeval in style. Plain wooden benches
lined a stone wall, a fire burning low in the open hearth in the opposite wall. Three chairs were upturned on the edge of a worn carpet in the centre of the room. A chandelier hung low from the ceiling, only five of the nine candles lit.

  “I don’t see the key.” Roxy’s voice was strained. “Genevieve?”

  I didn’t answer. I’d been looking at every painting, every carving to find a triangle with one open corner, but still couldn’t see Három’s logo.

  “Bloody hell.” Manny was sitting on the edge of his seat, his hands pressed on his knees, ready to take action. “Trip wire at the right of the carpet.”

  I looked closer. If any of the three avatars had moved towards the window, they would’ve stepped on the very thin rope stretched tightly along the edge of the carpet. I didn’t see where it led to and had no idea what would happen if that rope was to be touched.

  “Booby traps.” Vinnie leaned to his left as he got the old man avatar to kill the warrior on his left. “Rox, Jen-girl, find the fucking triangle key.”

  “Shit!” Colin’s avatar rushed to close the door. Nine more warriors had managed to enter the room and Colin closed the door in the faces of dozens more. He turned his avatar back to face the room, nocking an arrow.

  The moment he closed the door, I saw it. “There! The logo is on the door handle, the key inside the lock.”

  Colin’s avatar swung around and dropped the bow and arrow. Vinnie, Colin and Pink had thought at first that this was a typical action game where they had to defeat every last enemy before entering the next room or level. Purely by mistake they had discovered that touching the triangle would do that for them. Colin’s avatar reached out to the door handle.

  “Colin, behind you!” Francine’s fists were pressed against her cheeks, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

  Colin’s avatar dropped to the floor and turned around in one movement. He threw a dagger at the looming warrior’s head. It flipped handle over blade a few times before penetrating the warrior’s left eye, blade first. The warrior stumbled backwards, giving Colin time to grab his bow and shoot two arrows at the warrior. One entered his other eye, the other arrow his throat. The warrior slumped to the ground.