“You’re kidding me.” Tyler rolled his eyes. “Her place is a fortress.”

“Exactly what I told her. She replied that her apartment couldn’t accompany her down Madison Avenue.” His eyes swept over the highway—front, back, and sides. “I declined, but I thanked her for her vote of confidence. I’m only telling you in case she says anything to you.”

“Thanks for the heads-up,” McAdams answered.

“Can we get back to Victor Gerrard?” Caffeine had kicked into Oliver’s system. “The names were deleted from Jason Merritt’s client list about two weeks before the murders.”

“Yes,” Decker said. “And it appears that Gerrard left the gallery right after our first visit.”

Oliver said, “So could be that Gerrard deleted the names, executed the killings, and then stuck around to shoot you two before he packed up and ran.”

Decker said, “I suppose he’s as good a candidate as any since he’s not around to offer an alibi.”

“Curator by day, hit man by night,” McAdams said. “Not as loony as it sounds. Art people are a foul bunch.”

“I’m questioning Merritt’s innocence in all this,” Oliver said. “The guy’s a sophisticated dealer and then he leaves his computer unprotected for anyone to hack into.”

“Doesn’t even sound like Gerrard had to hack into anything,” McAdams said. “Just went inside Merritt’s office and fiddled with the files.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Oliver remarked. “I think Merritt’s involved.”

“He’s been cooperative with us,” Decker said.

“So you don’t think he’s involved?”

“Reserving judgment. He could just be one of those academic types with his head in the clouds. I’m betting Gerrard ran the nuts and bolts of the gallery.”

“Victor Gerrard,” Rina said out loud. “The name has a foreign feel to it. Maybe German?”

McAdams took out his phone and called up his search engine. “Gerrard is English originally derived from the Old German name Gerhard meaning ‘spear/brave.’ And I can tell you without looking it up that Victor is Latin and it means victorious.”

Rina was quiet. “How is Victor spelled? With a ‘c’ or with a ‘k’?”

“Good question,” Decker said. “I never bothered to ask.”

“If he spells it with a ‘k,’ it could be Russian.”

“Or German,” McAdams said.

“Or German as in from East Germany,” Rina said. “In which case, Viktor with a ‘k’ might speak Russian. And maybe that’s why Merritt hired him. He was Russian speaking.”

“You know, Rina, maybe Deck should have hired you instead of me,” Oliver said.

“Why thank you, Scott.”

“She’s always been the brains in the family,” Decker said. “Want to give Merritt a call, Tyler?”