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“You know,” Peabody began and Eve snarled.
“If you mention any part of anyone’s anatomy I’m shoving you out the window and into oncoming traffic.”
“I wasn’t going to, but know I’m thinking about it again. What I was going to say was about the sword. Not the euphemistic male sword, but the murder weapon. Last year I went to a con with McNab.”
“Why would you go to a con?”
“A game con—convention—in New York at the convention center. A total geek-fest, which is actually a lot more fun than it might sound.”
“Since it sounds like a nightmare in hell, it wouldn’t have to come up much to be any fun at all.”
“Well, people dress up like characters from the games, and vids and screen shows. Actors who play the characters come and sign stuff or do demos. They sell all kinds of stuff, even have auctions. High-dollar, too. There are parties and contests and seminars, and a lot of hands-on. You can play just about any game out there if you’re willing to buck the crowds, stand in line. U-Play had a big presence there, I remember. Hey, I probably saw the vic before he was a vic. Anyway, it’s three days of geekdom.”
“Gee, sign me up.”
“What I’m saying is they have weapons. Play weapons and prop weapons and virtual weapons. A big chunk of popular games deal with some sort of warfare.”
“Yeah, people never get enough of killing each other.” But, she thought, it was an interesting angle. “An electrified sword would go over big there.”
“Bet your ass. We got a pass into one of the auctions, and there was a sword—not electrified—from Elda, Warrior Queen, and it went for over five million.”
“Fucking dollars?”
“Yeah, fucking dollars. It was the one Elda used in the vid to defend her throne and all that. The games are the total. McNab and I play them.”
“Who ge
ts to be queen?”
“Ha-ha. They’re holo-games, too, but since we don’t have a holo we only play the comp. Anyway, there are weapons galore at these cons, and plenty of vendors and collectors. You’ve got blasters and magic maces and fire lances and light sabers and disintegrators. But from what I saw, swords are the biggest deal. They’re sexier.”
An interesting angle, she thought again. A good line to tug. “I bet Bart thought how sexy it was to have his head lopped off with one. Collectors, vendors, and cons. It’s a good avenue to explore. But maybe we’ll get lucky and DuVaugne will just whip out his magic sword, we’ll blast him, and wrap this case up.”
“I know a euphemism for the p-word when I hear one.”
Eve slid to the curb in a no-parking zone and engaged her On Duty light. “If he whips out anything, we take him down.”
Laughing, Peabody climbed out. “Some place.”
If you went for steel and glass and sharp angles, Eve thought. The gold tone of the privacy window glass reflected the beam of sunlight, making her grateful for her shades. She wondered how many people had been blinded just walking by the three-story extravaganza of what was probably some post-post-modern designer’s idea of city slick. She imagined there had once been a dignified brownstone or tidy brick townhouse in that spot, destroyed or mortally wounded during the
Urban Wars. In its place stood the gleam of brushed steel framing walls of that gold-toned glass.
Maybe the occupants felt lofty inside their glass box, or enjoyed their nearly unobstructed views of the streets and city.
She’d have felt exposed and creeped. But it took all kinds.
Rather than steps from the sidewalk to the entrance a sloped ramp led the way to a platform where a motion detector immediately sent out a low beep. She scanned the dual cameras, the palm plate.
“Open view, serious locks,” she commented.
Voice recognition unaccepted. These premises do not accept solicitations. All deliveries must be cleared. No guests are expected at this time. Please identify yourself and state your business. Thank you.
“Well, it said please.” Peabody shrugged. “And thank you.”
“Yeah, real polite. I guess they don’t much like the neighborly drop-in.”
Identification is requested within ten seconds. These premises are protected by Secure-One. Identification failure will alert the authorities in ten seconds.
