Wicked Games (Hartley Grace Featherstone Mysteries Book 3), Gemma Halliday [free ebooks romance novels txt] 📗

I had no idea if he was telling the truth or not, but some of the woman's professional coolness thawed at the flattery. "Please, call me Phoebe. And thanks. We're a small company, but we're growing."

"You are one of the founders, right? You and Connor Simon?" I asked.

Her eyes flickered to me for a moment before going back to the papers in her hands. "Yes." It was a single word and felt forced.

"I heard about his…unfortunate passing," I said. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." It was said in an emotionless monotone, her eyes never leaving my application. Which was a dead giveaway she was trying to hide something, since my application was nearly blank. She could have read it twice by now.

"You two must have been close," Sam piped up. "I mean, being partners and all."

Phoebe sucked in a breath and raised her eyes to focus on us. "At one point, we were."

"Before Simon went to work with VizaSoft," Chase added.

She nodded curtly. "Yes. Well, I'm running the company on my own now." Her tone gave nothing away as to how she felt about that.

"It must have been devastating when he left you," I noted.

Phoebe let out a sudden bark of laughter. "Left me? You make me sound like some sort of jilted lover." She shook her head. "Look, I don't know what you've read in the trades, but Connor's leaving Peak wasn't personal. It was business."

"Seems like it was good business for him," Chase said.

"And for us. We have a whole new series of games coming out for the holiday season, and we're courting several new developers," she said, her tone defensive.

"So it was a mutual decision for you to part ways?" Sam asked. "An amiable one?"

"Of course," Phoebe said. Though something about her tone made me wonder if that was the whole truth.

"Still, it can't have felt good that he'd just leave you to go put out his biggest game yet on his own?" Chase pressed.

She shook her head. "I told you it wasn't personal. He had an offer from VizaSoft, and his manager felt it was a good opportunity."

"His manager?" I asked.

"Pruit. Jason Pruit. He's been managing Connor's career since his eSports days."

"Was it his idea that Connor leave Peak Games?"

Phoebe sighed. "I don't know whose idea it was, but I know Connor didn't make a move without Pruit. The man controlled every aspect of his life from what VCs we met to what restaurants he was seen at with that stick thing of his."

I couldn't help a snort at the mention of the model girlfriend.

"Anyway," she went on, "VizaSoft had the backing to implement some of Connor's bigger ideas. So he left."

"Ideas like Athena's Quest," Sam said.

"Yes, that was hyped up quite a bit, wasn't it?" The disdain in her voice was clear as her eyes went to the applications again, shuffling mine to the back.

"There was certainly a long line at the VizaSoft booth at Gamer Con yesterday," Sam pointed out.

Phoebe's head snapped up. "You were there?"

Sam looked from Chase to me. "Uh…yeah. I'm…a fan," she quickly covered.

Phoebe nodded, though I could see something flitting behind her eyes. "Yes, well, Connor always did have lots of female fans."

"That's the best thing about your games," I piped up. "The feminist undertones. The women aren't token characters but stars of the show."

Phoebe turned her gaze toward me. As if suddenly remembering I was there, having mentally dismissed me as a candidate already. "Thank you. I think so too." She put her pen down, giving me her attention. "Which game is your favorite?"

"My favorite?"

"In our goddess series."

I licked my lips. "Oh, they're all so great, it's hard to pick one," I said, racking my brain to try to remember the names Ellen had mention at the con the day before. There was something about a Sphinx? Or a Nyx?

"I, for one, think your latest is the shining star. Hera's Pride," Chase jumped in.

I sent him a silent thank-you.

"Yes. That was Connor's favorite too." A look of sadness crossed her features, true emotion at his passing showing for the first time in the little frown between her eyebrows.

I bit my lip, wondering how far I could press before we were officially the nosiest intern applicants ever. "I heard that Connor's death is being investigated as a homicide. You don't have any idea who might have wanted to harm Connor, do you?"

The frown deepened. "No." She shook her head as if shaking herself out of a dream. "But then again, I haven't seen Connor in forever, so what would I know about his life?"

"Did Peak Games have a booth at the convention?" I asked.

"Uh, yes. Of course. We wanted our games to be represented."

"So you were at the convention when Connor…when it happened?" I settled on.

"No," she said slowly.

"Oh? Who was manning the booth?" Sam asked.

"We do have employees, you know?" she said, nodding toward the closed door.

Right. "So, you were…here?" I asked, fishing for an alibi.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Why?"

Why indeed.

"We're just excited to learn about how a real CEO manages her company." Chase gave her a big smile with teeth and everything.

Her expression was still wary as she moved her gaze from me to Sam to Chase's grin. "I see." She picked up her pen again. "Well, we're looking to hire a minimum of four interns this summer. Three will work the floor, and one will work directly with me." Her eyes went to Chase. "Tell me about the Homepage?"

For a second I thought our jig was up and she'd figured out why we were really there.

"The Homepage?" Chase asked. To his credit, his voice didn't even go up into the soprano register