“No, I don’t think so,” Bob said. “You’ve seen the type of men Michelsen employs, their methods. But the police claimed they have security footage from the alley, and no one enters or leaves it before Hap or after Marcus. Just Hap’s car, and a few minutes later, Marcus on foot. Even if one of his men pulled the trigger, they’d need help pulling off something that clever.”
The professor frowned. “I’m afraid I’ve not been much help, Mr. Richmond. I haven’t paid much attention to the housing plan, I admit. It’s not my forte, as it were. But rest assured, if there is anything that I can think of that might help, I will make it known promptly,” he said. He looked at Bob’s cup and saucer. “More tea?”
Professor Jenkins waited until they’d left before heading into his study and picking up his landline handset. He used speed dial to call a number.
It was answered on one ring. “Richard.”
“Parker.”
“Aren’t you off today?”
“I just had a visit from a lawyer named—”
“Bob Richmond?”
“Yes, that’s the one, tall and gangly. He had Sharmila Singh with him.”
“You’re kidding. They don’t think this has anything to do with us, do they?” the CEO asked. “Because of… you know, your argument with—”
“I’m aware of the appearance,” Jenkins interrupted. “Good gracious, that’s why I’m calling! What are we going to do about this, exactly? We can’t have this young woman walking about thinking Jenkins Mechanical was involved.”
“Now… be patient, Richard…”
“I am being patient! But my patience is running thin. People want answers. Bob Richmond wants answers. And I increasingly suspect we are going to see a lot of him.”
“Look, I’m sure I can handle this,” Baird said. “It’s just a distraction, a bunch of noise. Don’t let it take you away from your work.”
“How? How will you handle it exactly?”
“Well, I’m sure I can talk to Mr. Richmond, get him to calm down,” Baird said. “He’ll realize we were just looking to help the community house the poor and—”
“He already knows that. But the mere fact Hap was in our offices just seconds before he was killed looks, as you might imagine, rather peculiar. We need to fix this properly, Parker, figure out exactly what our exposure in this thing is.”
“Leave it with me,” Baird said. “And enjoy the rest of your day off, okay?”
“Yes, all right. But—”
But the other man had already hung up.
Jenkins stared at the phone. Then he set it down on the cradle, irritated. Surviving in Bakersfield’s business community—not just surviving, but thriving—had taken him forty years of blood, sweat and tears.
Now everything seemed to be going sideways.
16
The professor’s good intentions weren’t going to resolve anything, but he’d given them a lead, Bob knew. Whoever killed Singh might have heard them argue in Jenkins’s office.
So far, that potential list only had two solid names on it: Parker Baird, his CEO, and Baird’s assistant, a man named Greg.
He dropped Sharmila off downtown before driving back to the Jenkins building.
The parking lot was small and almost full, just two spaces near the doors reserved for visitors, one of them full. He didn’t have an appointment, instead asking the downstairs receptionist to call up to Baird and see if he was available.
Thirty seconds later, Baird trotted down the short, central flight of stairs in the modern building’s lobby. He was thin and moved adroitly. His suit was well cut, his blonde hair still thick despite him being middle-aged.
“Mr. Richmond!” He approached with his hand outstretched. “I’m so glad to meet you, although not in such terrible circumstances, of course. You drove up from LA, I understand?”
“I did,” Bob lied.
“Real estate law normally, isn’t it?” Baird said. “Richard said you’d stopped by his place. I admit, I had my assistant look you up.”
“It’s the modern way,” Bob said. “Do you have a few minutes to talk, or…”
“Regretfully, no. I have a string of appointments. But if there’s anything I can help with relatively quickly, while I’ve got you here.”
He was smooth, Bob thought. In Team Seven, part of his training for overseas placements had been in diplomacy, messaging, use of language. Baird’s ‘while I’ve got you here’ was calculated, to send a message that he was on his side.
“I understand you were upstairs when Mr. Singh dropped by to visit your boss,” Bob said. “He said you were next door and would have heard the argument.”
“I did, yes, although I wasn’t actively attempting to listen in,” Baird said. “He was pretty loud.”
“You have some history with him, I understand,” Bob lied again. One of the most useful tools he’d had when in the field was the presumption of knowledge. Tell someone—or obliquely hint—that you already know something, and they’ll confirm it’s true by talking about it.
“Not… extensive,” Baird said. “A little over a year ago, one of the subsidiaries Richard founded was interested in exploring for natural gas northeast of Oildale.”
“Where the trailer park development is planned?”
“That’s right. Natural gas would have required fracking, which the state won’t allow in most circumstances. So we pivoted.”
