“Phil thinks it was the Scorpions, but in a deal that had nothing to do with the Lobos, one that predates any idea about joining the Lobos. Undoubtedly a separate contractor. They were paid to kill the twenty people who disappeared from Happy Village, obviously kidnapped and probably tortured to get them to change their wills, take funds from their stock portfolios, whatever. We don’t know yet who collected the insurance or how that was done. My people are working on it. Cosmo was probably an initiation, pure and simple. It could have been anyone that day according to this theory, but he was the one who happened to show up in the middle of the afternoon. We have to run with that until Cosmo can tell us himself what he was doing at Happy Village the day he got shot.”

Jack shook his head violently. “I’m not buying that, Snowden. What was Zack Meadows doing out at Happy Village at four o’clock in the morning in his own car sporting a pilfered license plate? Nah, I’m not buying your theory. I think he’s up to his eyeballs in this unholy mess.”

Maggie returned to the table. Espinosa handed her a stick of gum. She accepted it gratefully, then apologized and only gagged once before she headed for the coffeepot and proceeded to clean it out to make a fresh pot. It was something to do, and she wasn’t ready to defend her bolt to the lavatory. She knew in her gut it would take forever to live that down, especially since she was the one who pressed and pressed to see the pictures.

“All I’m saying, Jack, is what Phil told us. That was his theory, or maybe Abner’s, I’m not sure anymore. I do know they both agreed, and they are the world’s best hackers, so we have to pay attention to what they say. Doesn’t mean they’re right. And remember this—they didn’t know about Meadows’s middle-of-the-night run to Happy Village when they came up with this scenario.”

“So what do we do now?” Ted asked.

All eyes turned to their fearless leader, Charles.

“At this precise moment, it pains me to say that I do not have a clue.”

“How about we do a snatch-and-grab on Meadows?” Jack suggested. “We sweat him till he tells us what we need to know.”

“How about we call Lionel and ask him where and how we can get in touch with the Scorpions and snatch-and-grab them?” Dennis said.

“Meadows might be easy to snatch. Then again, maybe not,” Fergus said, pouring fresh coffee into everyone’s cup. “I don’t see how you could possibly take on the Scorpions and snatch them all. We’re outnumbered.”