"What about him?" Jason asked, rocking back on the heels of his shiny black dress shoes as he stared down at us.
"Did you two get along?" Sam asked.
Jason frowned. "What kind of question is that?"
I licked my lips. "It's just that, well, Connor told me that you could be a little controlling."
His eyes pinged from one of us to the other. "He told you that."
I nodded as I watched his reaction. I half expected him to deny it and throw us all out.
After a long beat, he finally nodded. "Connor and I had our differences. He was…strong willed. Didn't always know what was good for his career. But, in the end, we worked well together."
"Did you?" Chase asked. "I mean, in the end?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jason asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Someone saw you and Connor arguing just before he died," Chase said.
Jason let out a bark of laughter. "That's ridiculous."
I shared a look with Sam. "So you're saying it isn't true?" I asked. "You and Connor didn't argue at Gamer Con?"
He narrowed his eyes at us. "We might have had a discussion, but I'd hardly call it an argument."
"What did you discuss?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Sorry. I don't remember."
I didn't buy that for a second. I pursed my lips together, wondering how far we could push him before he pushed back…like hard enough to cause blunt force trauma.
"Was it possibly about Tyler McGowan?" I said.
Jason's eyes shot to mine, a sharp warning in them that told me he knew exactly what I was talking about. "How do you know Tyler?"
"We go to school together," I said honestly. Even though that wasn't strictly how we'd met.
"Well, whatever he told you, it was a lie," Jason ground out.
I gave him a raised eyebrow. "'Whatever he told me?' I mean, don't you want to know what it was before you deny it?"
I could see his jaw working back and forth, anger bubbling just below the surface. And if I wasn't mistaken, a sharp undercurrent of fear mingling with it. "Look, I don't know what it is you think you know—" he started.
But Chase stepped forward, cutting him off. "We know that it was Tyler who created Athena's Quest and not Connor."
Jason's protest died on his lips.
"And," Chase forged ahead, "we know that the game was created while Connor was still under contract with Peak Games."
"And Phoebe Lyons is suing for half the profits," Sam added.
Jason muttered a string of words under his breath that were definitely not funeral appropriate. "Not here," he finally said. Then he nodded toward the exit, leading the way out the door and into a corridor outside the reception room.
Once the door was shut behind us, Chase took the lead again. "So you knew Connor didn't create Athena's Quest?"
Jason pursed his lips together but finally nodded. "Of course I knew. Look, Connor was a great player, but that was where his skills ended."
"Did Connor also tell you he promised Tyler credit but then reneged on the deal?" Chase asked.
Jason cocked his head to the side and gave a sly grin. "What deal? As far as I know there was nothing in writing. No contract, no paperwork. No proof the kid even worked on the game."
I suddenly wondered if that was by design. Had his manager cleaned up any evidence of Connor stealing the code and passing it off as his own?
"Does VizaSoft know Connor didn't make the game?" I asked.
"Of course not." Jason shook his head. "They never even questioned it."
"Because of everything Connor had created before."
Jason scoffed. "Yeah. Sure."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you mean, yeah, sure?"
He shook his head. "I mean Connor Simon was a player. End of story."
"But he made a whole series of games at Peak."
Jason scoffed. "No, he put his name on a whole series of games at Peak. Connor was the image. The star power behind the brand."
"Are you saying he didn't code any of them?" Sam clarified.
Jason shook his head. "He couldn't even code Pong. The kid could play anything—beat anyone at any game. But when it came to putting his celebrity to use, well…his face was all he was worth."
I shook my head, trying to wrap my brain around this. "Did Phoebe know?"
Jason snorted. "Honey, who do you think coded the games?"
"Phoebe," Sam said, and I could see the pieces all falling into place behind her eyes the same way they were in my head. The strong female centric games—they weren't Connor's brainchild. They'd all been Phoebe's doing.
Jason nodded. "Connor was the face, and Phoebe was the brains. With Connor's reputation in the gaming community, he could secure the kind of funding that Phoebe never would have gotten on her own."
"How did Phoebe feel about doing all the work?"
Jason shrugged. "Fine. I mean, why wouldn't she? She got her company off the ground, her games in players' hands."
"All with Connor's name on them," I pointed out.
"Trust me, she was happy to use his name."
"Until he left her behind to sign with VizaSoft," I said, getting a clearer picture of the dynamic between the former partners. "Until he found someone else to do the coding and didn't need her anymore."
Jason sucked in a breath and crossed his arms over his chest. "Look, I'm not saying I thought it was a good idea for the kid to play things out that way. I told him that this thing with Phoebe could come back to bite him if he didn't stay on her good side, you know? I mean, if it came out that Connor was a fraud…"
"He would have been ruined," I finished for him. "Especially if people found out that his latest game was coded by a freshman."
Jason frowned. "Tyler was a college freshman?"
"High school."
Jason let out a few more words one couldn't say on TV.
"Is that what you argued about at the con?" Chase asked, coming back around to our original question. "Were you afraid word would get out?"
"Heck yeah, I was! Connor said Phoebe had just served him papers saying she was suing for the rights to Athena's Quest. I mean, let's face it—she knew Connor didn't create the game himself. If anyone was aware of his abilities—"
"Or lack of abilities," Sam mumbled.
"—it was Phoebe," he finished.
I nodded. She'd basically said as much to us, though at the time I hadn't realized just how inadequate she knew Connor was.
"Anyway, once lawyers started digging and subpoenas started flying, well, I told Connor it was all going to come out. I told him he should just pay Phoebe off—settle and make it all go away."
"And what did Connor say to that?" I asked.
Jason shrugged. "He said he could handle her. Said he had it all under control." The hard line to Jason's jaw told me exactly how much he believed that statement.
"So what did you do?"
"What could I do?" he asked, throwing his hands up. "Nothing. I told him it was bad idea. Then I left."
"Where did you go?" I asked.
His gaze turned my way. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, after you argued with Connor. Where did you go?"
"Nowhere." He shrugged. "I walked around the con a little."
"Walked toward the Peak Games booth?" Chase said.
Jason's head swiveled the other way, pinning Chase with a look. "What, are you stalking me? What is this?"
"This is us asking where you were when Connor Simon was killed?"
Jason let another humorless bark of laughter. "You've got to be kidding me. Why would I kill my own client?"
"To keep his secret," Sam pointed out. "You said yourself that if he didn't pay Phoebe off, it was all going to come out. VizaSoft would have dropped him. He would have been finished in the gaming industry. Who knows, maybe Athena's Quest wouldn't have even been released."
"But now," I added, "it's not only coming out, it's gotten tons of free press tha
nks to Connor's death being headline news. It's going to make VizaSoft and Connor's estate millions."
"Even after you pay off Phoebe to make the lawsuit go away," Chase added.
"And your cut of that can't be too shabby," Sam jumped back in.
Jason looked from one to the other of us, his cheeks turning red. Though whether it was from anger, guilt, or just annoyance I wasn't sure.
"I didn't kill Connor," he finally spit out. He stabbed a finger in my face. "And if you breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll deny everything. You keep your grubby little mouths quiet. Or else!"
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I had no idea what "or else" Jason Pruit had in mind, and I didn't get a chance to find out. As soon as the threat left his lips, he turned around and stalked back into the reception room again. Even if I had wanted to follow him, I somehow couldn't get my limbs to move, fear from being threatened by a possible murderer paralyzing me.
"You okay?" Chase said, putting a protective arm around my shoulders.
I closed my eyes and did some deep breathing. "Yeah. Fine. Peachy."
"You are a terrible liar."
I couldn't help a smile. "I know." I opened my eyes back up, feeling a little better with the teasing banter. "But the question is, is Jason Pruit a terrible liar?"
"Or is he simply terrible?" Sam asked, taking my hand in hers as she led me on shaky legs back out to the parking lot. "And scary."
"Yes to both," I agreed.
"But I kind of believe him about the argument with Connor," she admitted.
As the three of us stepped outside, I sucked in a deep lungful of air. "I do too. At least about what the argument was over."
"But do we believe he just left and someone else came coincidentally along afterward and bashed Connor over the head?" Chase asked.
"Coincidences do happen," I said.
"And if what he said is true about Connor taking credit not only for Tyler's game but all of Phoebe's as well, Pruit was not the only person with reason to be angry at Connor," Sam added, slipping into the passenger seat as Chase unlocked his car.
She was right. Everyone in Connor's life had a reason to hate him. Including VizaSoft if word ever did get out that their golden boy was a fraud.
Chase followed me around to the driver's side of the car and pushed his seat forward so I could climb in the back. Only as I moved to get in, he didn't step out of the way. Instead, he leaned in close.
"I'm not going to call her," he whispered.
I froze. More from the feel of his breath on my ear than the words. Though, those caught my attention too. "Her?"
"Sophia." He pulled back, giving me a lopsided grin. "She's not my type."
My stomach fluttered, even though I didn't entirely believe that statement. Wasn't a blonde-haired, blue-eyed model every guy's type?
"Can we hurry it up?" Sam asked from the front seat, breaking into the moment. "Fifth period is gonna be over soon, and I can't miss calc."
I quickly shoved myself into the back seat, trying to get that fluttery feeling to settle down as Chase gunned his engine and backed out of the parking lot.
* * *
Because Chase drove like a maniac and we hit all the green lights, we made it back just in time to hear the bell ring to signal the end of fifth period. Sam made a beeline toward the math wing, and Chase came with me as I quickly swapped out my books at my locker, ditching the heavy lit tome for my trig workbook. I was just zipping up my backpack when Chase nudged me.
"Hey, isn't that Tyler?" He nodded down the hallway.
Sure enough, about halfway down, I spotted the sandy-haired freshman, his shoulders slumped forward in his hoodie as he talked to a couple of similarly dressed guys I didn't know.
"You think he knew about Connor's arrangement with Phoebe?" Chase asked. "That Connor never actually coded anything?"
I shrugged. "It's possible. He did work at Peak."
"Let's go ask him," Chase said, hiking his backpack onto his shoulder and leading the way down the hall.
We caught up to him just as he was parting ways with his friend, doing a complicated-looking handshake before turning away. Though as soon as he saw us, his eyes widened, and he did a quick 180, changing course back toward the end of the hall.
"Tyler!" I called after him.
Which did nothing to slow the freshman's pace.
"Hey, wait up, buddy," Chase called, jogging until he was close enough to grab Tyler by the arm and halt his progress.
"I have to get to geometry," Tyler protested.
"We have a minute before the tardy bell," Chase said. "We just wanted to talk to you about—"
But Tyler shook his head. "No, way. I'm done talking to you guys."
"Really? Because we just had a very interesting chat with Connor Simon's manager," I said, dangling the carrot.
Tyler pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at me. "What kind of conversation?"
"About how he knew Connor didn't create Athena's Quest."
Tyler's face scrunched up in disbelief. "He knew?"
I nodded. "If I had to guess, he even helped Connor cover it up."
"He helped Connor scam me?" Tyler asked, his voice cracking a little on the last word.
I nodded. "Pretty low, right?"
Tyler shook his head, his eyes on the floor, his jaw moving with an urge to voice the dirty words I could almost see screaming through his brain.
"In fact," Chase said slowly, "his manager knew this wasn't the first time Connor had claimed credit for a game he didn't create."
Tyler's head snapped up. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Chase said, "someone else created all of the games Connor worked on at Peak."
Tyler frowned. "Who?"
"Phoebe Lyons," I told him, watching his reaction.
Either he really hadn't known about Phoebe before now or he was an excellent actor. The shock in his eyes was clearly visible. He blinked a couple of times, then shook his head.
"I can't talk about this."
"I know it's upsetting—" I started.
But he cut me off. "No, I mean I can't talk about it. I…I kinda signed something saying I wouldn't."
"You wouldn't what?" I asked, feeling a frown pull between my eyebrows.
"Wouldn't talk about Connor Simon. Or Athena's Quest. Or anything having to do with Peak Games and Phoebe Lyons." He licked his lips. "It's in my contract."
Chase and I shared a look.
"Contract?" I asked. "What contract?"
"The one I signed to create content for Peak Games."
"Wait—what?" I shook my head. "When did you sign that?"
"This morning." He did more lip licking. "Before school. Phoebe Lyons called me last night and had it drawn up and messengered over this morning."
I blinked at him. "She just called you out of the blue?"
He nodded. "Crazy, right?"
Crazy was one word for it. Suspicious was another. "And the contract says you can't talk to us?" I asked.
"Can't talk to anyone. There was an NDA clause." He paused. "Nondisclosure agreement?" he explained. "It means I have to keep quiet. You know, to protect our intellectual property."
Or Connor's image.
I was about to say as much when the bell rang, echoing off the hallways.
"Now I'm gonna be late," Tyler mumbled, rushing off toward the end of the hallway before I could stop him.
I shoved my other arm through my backpack and turned to go to trig.
"Just a minute," Chase said, grabbing into the straps of my bag.
"I have math," I said, spinning to face him.
"How did Phoebe know about Tyler?" Chase pinned me with a hard look, his dark eyebrows pulled down, his lips set in a grim line.
I shook my head. "I don't know. I mean he worked at Peak Games." But even as I said the words out loud, they didn't ring true. Phoebe had suspected Connor didn't create Athena's Quest. Maybe even known he hadn't, based on the fact she'd done all the heavy lift
ing at Peak. But she'd given no indication that she'd known who had created it. How had she magically stumbled upon Tyler? And just after we had?
Chase was still staring at me, his eyes hard and dark. "What did you do?"
"M-me?" I stammered as the last latecomers ran past me toward their classrooms.
"Someone had to have told Phoebe about Tyler."
"Well, it wasn't me!" I said, my voice rising.
"You sure?"
"Yes!" I shook free from his grip. "How could you even think that?" I hated how the hurt collecting behind my eyelids was so apparent in my voice.
"Someone led her to Tyler. She didn't just find him on her own."
"Maybe she figured it out just the same way we did," I countered.
"So you're going with the coincidence theory again." He crossed his arms over his chest, squaring his shoulders.
I shook my head. "I don't have a theory. I don't know how she found out. But I know I didn't tell her. The last time I talked to her was in the Marriot's lobby."
"Did you tell anyone else?" Chase pressed.
"No!" I was almost shouting now, and was sure some teacher would pop their head out of a classroom and assign us detention any second. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my voice down. I crossed my arms over my own chest, mirroring Chase's combative stance. "How do I know you didn't tip her off?"
"Me?" His voice rose, though the scowl stayed in place.
"That's right. You're the one who was so chummy with her."
He shook his head, blowing a breath of air through his teeth. "You know I wouldn't do that."
"And you know I wouldn't!" I shot back.
His eyes met mine again, though some of the hardness had left his look. Finally he sighed. "No. You wouldn't."
Which should have made me feel better. But the hurt still lingered.
"But someone did tell her." Chase looked to a spot over my head. "Okay, tell me everything you did after we left the Marriot."
I closed my eyes, hating that he still suspected I'd messed up somewhere. However, he had a point—Phoebe had gotten the info somehow. "We went back to the con. Met up with Ellen and Kyle," I said, walking back through our movements. "Then we had dinner with my mom and you left."
"What did you do after I left?"
Wicked Games (Hartley Grace Featherstone Mysteries Book 3) Page 14