“Well, sometimes it’s what you don’t see that’s important.”
“OK. What don’t you see?”
“I expected to see dog fur in the cages at least. Or on the cot and stuffed chair. Look closely,” Terry pointed at the photo. “See any? Unless they have a giant vacuum hidden in the room someplace, that makes no sense.”
“Two bolts up high and no dog hair. Got it.”
“Got what? Bottom line is we have no idea where we are in all this. We don’t even know if that address is real or connected in any way to the Hulk.”
“What’s your recommendation?”
Terry clicked off the projector. “I need to do some serious homework. On the ground in Goleta. No direct confrontations. I’ll just drive up tomorrow, nose around public records, and maybe talk to a few cops.”
“OK, and I’ll stay put until you get us something more to work with.”
“Roger that—I hope.”
Ridge checked his watch. “Hey, it’s almost 5:30. Let’s get an early dinner. Then afterwards, I’ll pick up Jayne at LAX.”
“OK. And if you promise to stay out of trouble, I’ll pick up the tab.”
“Roger that,” said Ridge, crossing fingers behind his back.
CHAPTER 24
Joshua Censkey had to do something. The clock was ticking. So, at 5:45 p.m. on Monday, sitting behind his big desk in downtown L.A., he asked Ryan to come into his office .
The young man stepped in and Joshua surveyed him. Tall, good looking, smart. He was a good right-hand man and Joshua trusted him. Still, he felt bad throwing this potential shit storm in the boy’s lap. “Ryan, I hate to do this to you, but I’m not feeling well.”
“Really? You’re never sick. Was it something you ate for lunch?”
“Maybe. Look, I know it’s inconvenient, but I’ve got a critical meeting tonight with our biggest client and I can’t show up sick but I can’t not go, either. What do you say to being my representative? Find out what the client wants.”
“Me?” Ryan was beaming. “I’d be honored.”
Joshua exhaled. The hardest part was over. “Don’t be too honored,” he said with a short laugh. “Dick Chesterfield is the biggest Dick since Richard Nixon. Maybe more so. He’s the Almighty God of the insurance industry. He knows it and he acts like it. And he takes no prisoners. He has more influence and surrounds himself with more muscle than a Mafia Don.”
“Richard Chesterfield?” Ryan’s eyes went wide. “Is he really Mafia?”
“He’s more powerful than that. Remember the dot-com bust in 2000? Chesterfield, at the center of insurance and banking, had invested too heavily in upstart online businesses and was headed down the tubes along with all the other businesses going bust. Chapter 11 was definitely in his future. But he single-handedly convinced both Republican and Democratic administrations to bail out his insurance conglomerate. Too big to fail was his mantra.”
“Was it? Too big to fail?”
Joshua nodded. “Probably. If Chesterfield went belly up, pension programs, annuities, money markets and more would have crashed across America, even skyscrapers.”
Ryan looked stupefied. “Skyscrapers, how?”
“Who do you think owns them? New York, Chicago, L.A., every big city.”
“Banks?”
“Banks and insurance companies. If one goes down, the other goes down. If they both go down, everything they own—including skyscrapers—goes to seed. Richard Chesterfield’s empire touches every part of the economy. He’s a zillionaire now. American Royalty.”
“How did you first meet him?”
“Six years ago, when we renamed ourselves, Joshua Finance Company. Chesterfield became our first and biggest client. Still is. The man is a control freak, so when we explained we could minimize his corporate risk profile and ensure favorable outcomes by tapping into our judicial network, he signed on immediately.”
“So, where’s the downside? The more we meet with him, the more business, right?”
“First of all, Chesterfield is a Royal Ass Pain, with capital letters. Worse, like I said, he’s a control freak. No—he’s out-of-control. Say the wrong thing, look at him funny, and it’s over. The business, maybe even you. Like I said, he surrounds himself with muscle.”
Ryan blanched. “Mr. Censkey, I don’t think I’m ready for this. What if we went together this first time?”
Joshua stood and went to stand by the window, looking out toward the ocean. “That would go over like a lead balloon, which might be attached to us just before the splash. When Chesterfield orders someone to report to him, that person better not show up with company. It’s one thing if I checked into a hospital and sent you in alone, but for us to show up together—that would be a train wreck. And asking him if you could come along would be useless. At this point in life, he almost always stays at his mansion. Meets with as few people as possible. Has no interest in meeting more.”
“Mr. Censkey, it sounds like Chesterfield won’t be happy with anyone but you. I’d be a poor substitute and it sounds like it would really, frankly, piss him off.”
Joshua braced a fist against the giant window and lowered his head to rest against it. “You’re right. Unfortunately, you’re exactly right.”
The drive to Santa Barbara took almost two and a half hours. Joshua approached the giant black gates, glad he’d driven his new Jaguar. Anything less and he’d look like a pauper pulling up to the huge house. Then Joshua spotted a small black panel on a post at the side of the gate. He stopped next to it and rolled down his window. Before he could say anything, a deep voice bellowed: “Who shall I say is calling?”
“Mr. Joshua Censkey. I have an 8:30 p.m. appointment with Mr. Chesterfield.”
Joshua thought the panel looked interesting. Solid black, no buttons, and a tiny red video-camera eye. He hoped they couldn’t see the sweat beading on his brow. Then, the huge gates swung open, quiet as a whisper, and Joshua pulled forward. As soon as he passed them, the gates slowly closed behind. Lasers, Joshua figured.
The driveway, a quarter mile long, ended in a circle around a six-deck fountain. It would have looked ostentatious at the Louvre. But somehow, it fit here. As Joshua pulled up to the stairs leading to the mansion’s massive doors, he got out, and pocketed his keys. Sweat trickled down his back and he was thankful for his dark suit coat.
