"Unsatisfactory performance."
"What does that mean?"
"He wasn't up to the job. Also, he and Mr. Cavanaugh weren't getting along." Kane turned back to Deforest. "You know, this is a very serious matter."
"We always take homicide seriously, Mr. Kane." Deforest glanced at Janek. "Is there some reason you think we don't?"
"Hey, please, no offense! And I'd appreciate it if you'd call me Steve."
Deforest didn't respond. Janek was happy to discover he wasn't the only one who didn't like Kane.
"So," Janek said, "why don't you tell us more about Dietz and this missing chip?"
"He took it."
"Got proof?"
"We don't need proof. Dietz and Cavanaugh were negotiating the terms of Dietz's severance. Then Dietz stole the prototype.
I '?" I "Power play. He wanted to blackmail the company. He was going to sell it to one of our competitors unless we bought it back."
"Dietz threatened that?"
"Not in so many words. But that's what he had in mind. The payoff would be his golden parachute." Kane paused, then he grinned. "I understand there was a redhead involved. "
"Where'd you hear that?" Deforest asked.
"I'm staying at the Savoy. It's where our people always stay. This morning I had some time to kill so I asked a few questions. I got a look at the sketch your guy's been showing around."
Janek turned to Deforest, who was glaring at Kane. You just blew it, buddy. Kane, too, must have realized that he was not ingratiating himself.
"Hey, guys! What's the problem? All I did was talk to some people at the hotel. Nothing wrong with that."
"So long as you didn't leave the impression you were on my squad," Janek said.
Kane smiled. "Look, we're all pros. I used to work in the L.A. sheriff's office." When neither Janek nor Deforest acted impressed, Kane sputtered on. "Something valuable's been stolen from Sonoron. We feel we have the right to try and get it back." "Tell us about this chip,"
Deforest said. "What does it look like?"
"It's small. Like this." Kane reached into his pocket and pulled out a mock-up. "You can keep this if you want." He handed the mock-up to Deforest, who inspected it carefully, then passed it to Janek.
"Find anything like this, Frank?" Janek shook his head. "If we find it we'll let you know," Deforest said.
At that point Kane had to understand he was'in major trouble. But he seemed incapable of breaking his momentum.
"I hear Dietz's room was tossed," he said. "Look, guys-it would be great if we could share."
Again Deforest turned to Janek. "You want to respond, Frank?"
"It's like this, Mr. Kane," Janek said. "I'm investigating a homicide.
You're looking for a chip. Maybe they're connected, maybe not. As for sharing, my suggestion is you tell me everything you know about Dietz and who he may have contacted here. Then go back to California. I'll keep you informed."
Kane's eyes turned mean. "Mr. Cavanaugh will hear about this. Your superiors, too."
"Hear about what?" Deforest asked. "That we won't co-investigate with a corporate security man? That's policy, Mr. Kane, so I don't see our superiors getting too upset about it. Anyway, they're not the investigator. Janek is, and he's one of the finest in the city. You're getting our best man. If Cavanaugh calls me, I'll be happy to explain that to him myself."
"Okay, all right." Kane looked resigned. "What do you want to know?"
"What's so important about this chip?"
"Proprietary information available to any knowledgeable person who examines it."
"They'd clone it, is that what you're worried about?"
"It's not that simple. There're other companies with a hundred twenty-eight megabit chips in development. It happens there're things about our Omega they'd all like to know."
"Such as?"
"What it's made of. It isn't silicon. Most important, if they got a good look at the prototype, they'd have a good idea how we plan to price it.
For a competitor that would be an enormous advantage."
"You've got patents?"
"Of course. And if there's infringement we'll probably win our case-after twenty years. By then we'll probably be out of business, too.
It's a rough game we're in. You have no idea."
"I still don't get it," Deforest said. "Once you manufacture the chip, anyone can look at it."
"Yeah, but then it's too late. We'd have two to three years' lead.
We'd make a hell of a killing before the rest of the industry caught up."
"How much of a killing'?"
Kane settled back. He turned smug. "If the Omega is as good as we think it is and Sonoron is first out with a one to twenty-eight-then figure … five billion dollars." Kane spoke slowly to make sure the magnitude of the sum sunk in. He turned to Janek. "I'd like to work with you, Lieutenant. I think there's a mutual interest here."
"How do you figure?"
"This redhead-she could have been a plant working for one of the Jap companies that would trade its left nut for a look at the Omega. They're all into industrial espionage. This is just the kind of operation they run."
"Tell me more."
"The way I figure it, Dietz came here and got in touch with one of them.