The Cold Trail
Page 7
“What kind of evidence?”
“At the time the women disappeared, each of the schools were installing new student information systems. All were installed by the same company.”
Moody’s expression did not change as he asked, “Do you know the name of this company?”
“Infinite Student. It was based out of St. Louis at the time.”
“At the time?”
“IBM bought it in 2010.”
“I see. What does this have to do with Haylex Holdings?” There was a note of irritation in Moody’s voice.
“One of your subsidiaries, Haylex Solutions, was a subcontractor for Infinite Student.”
Moody returned to being quiet.
“We have a partial description of the suspect in the abductions. He had black hair and was called Bobby.”
Moody’s expression hardened. “So, because Haylex Solutions was a subcontractor and our CEO is named Robert Burns, you believe he’s the kidnapper? Am I following you correctly, Agent Kruger?”
“No.” The conversation suddenly went from a friendly chat to confrontational. Kruger smiled to deflate Moody’s attitude. “We are trying to cross-reference personnel who worked for Haylex Solutions to see if anybody was at all four schools during the installation of the software. That’s all we are doing at this time.”
Moody glared at Kruger and took a deep breath. “Legal would require a subpoena to release personnel information.”
Reaching inside his suitcoat, he extracted an envelope. “I concur. This will protect the liability of your company. It is specific for only the names of persons who were at the four schools during the dates of the install. I’m in town until tomorrow.”
Reaching for the envelope, Moody opened and reviewed the document.
“I will give this to our legal department, after which we can have the records available by late this afternoon. Will that be sufficient, Agent?”
Kruger nodded.
After Kruger left, Moody returned to his desk and called the company’s legal department. The lists would be ready in an hour, at which time, a visit with Robert Burns Sr. would be required.
***
Sitting in front of Robert Burns Sr.’s desk, Moody leaned forward and handed the list he received from HR to the CEO of the company.
Burns read the list several times, laid it on his desk and glared at his head of security. “There is no way you are giving this information to the FBI.”
“The subpoena was lawfully prepared and submitted.”
“I don’t care.”
“If we refuse to give the information to this agent, there would be consequences.”
“What kind of consequences?”
“Lots of FBI agents, accountants and lawyers descending on your company. Bad media coverage, and the declaration of your son as a person of interest in the abductions.”
Burns stared at the man sitting in front of him and then back at the list. “What do you suggest?”
“Give him the list, with one name missing.”
“Is there a way they can check if it’s accurate?”
“I don’t see how.”
Handing the list back to Moody, Robert Burns nodded. “Give it back to HR. I will call and tell them how to amend the document. Then you can give it to this FBI agent.”
Standing, Moody nodded and left the office.
***
At a quarter after four, Sean Kruger was handed the newly modified list of names. It was stamped by a notary public within the HR department and declared official. Kruger scanned the list and looked back at Moody.
“I appreciate your cooperation, Joel.”
Moody nodded. “Glad we could help.”
Kruger placed the folded document into his inside suitcoat breast pocket, stood, and extended his hand with a business card.
As Moody accepted the card, Kruger smiled. “If you think of anything or have any questions, call the cell phone number on the bottom.”
Moody returned the smile and shook Kruger’s extended hand.
Back in his rental car in the parking lot of Haylex Holdings, Inc., Kruger retrieved the list from his suitcoat pocket and reviewed it again. Obtaining the names had been too easy. He looked up and stared at the six-story building holding the corporate offices of Haylex Holdings. Something was amiss, and he needed to know what the something was.
Before starting the car, he retrieved his cell phone and sent a two-word text message. His phone rang ten seconds later.
“What did you find out?” JR’s voice had a hint of excitement in it.
“I think I was given an incomplete list of names.”
“How can you tell?”
“Gut feeling. Getting the list was way too easy.”
“Not necessarily an admission of guilt, Sean.”
“I know, but I need you to perform a little of your magic on Haylex Holdings.”
“Oh, like what?”
“Do I have to spell it out?”
“No. When will you be back?”
“Flight leaves at six in the morning. With the time difference and my layover in Dallas, a little before six in the evening your time.”
“I’ll have it when you get back.”
***
After returning home and helping Stephanie feed and get the kids to bed, Kruger walked across the street a little after eight in the evening. Mia answered the door, gave him a brief hug, and told him where JR was located.
Kruger stood behind JR as he summarized his findings and pointed to the screen of a laptop.
“You were correct in your assessment. There were two lists. The one they gave you and this one.” He pointed to a Word document on his screen. “Time stamp is 1:13 p.m. And the time stamp on the document you were given is 2:42. Same list, except one name is missing on the second one.”
“I don’t like people lying to me, JR. It’s a felony.”
“I know.”
“So Robert Burns was at the school.”
“No, not the CEO,” JR shook his head. “There’s another Robert Burns associated with the company. A son.”
Silence was Kruger’s response.
“His age in 2002 would be correct for the description you were given. He’s forty-six now, looks like his father. Same hair color, tall, slender, and guess what?”
“What?”
“He was just elected to the United States Senate in a special election.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, I would agree.”
“Can you place the son at all four colleges at the time of the disappearances?”
“Only through this document.”
“I’ll need more than that.”
“I’m aware of that. My next project is to dig into the Haylex Solutions computer. It’s separate from the main corporate computer.”
“You’re hesitating.”
JR nodded.
“Why?”
“These guys know what they’re doing. I’m going to need to understand their computer security before I start poking around.”
“You’ve hacked the NSA computer more times than we can count. How can this be more difficult?”
He shrugged.
Kruger stared at his friend. “How long?”
“Don’t know, day or two.”
“Keep me posted.”
The next morning Kruger retired to his office and closed the door. He found the stack of business cards he kept bound together with a heavy rubber band. Once the band was off, he thumbed through the stack until he came to the one he needed. He dialed the number and waited for an answer.
***
New York Times reporter Tracy Adkins glanced at her cell phone. The caller ID displayed the name of an individual she had not heard from in several years. Intrigued, she answered on the fourth ring.
“Sean Kruger. Have you been avoiding me?”
“Hello, Tracy. How are you?’
“Curious.”
Kruger chuckled.
She conti
nued. “Rumors on the street say you got married and retired.”
“You’re a reporter, Tracy, you can’t rely on rumors. But, yes to the first, no to the second.” Once again, he did not feel the need to explain his FBI status.
“Good, you’ve always been my favorite source within the FBI. What can I do for you?”
Tracy Adkins was an experienced journalist, currently assigned to national politics for the Times. Unmarried, in her mid-thirties with long dark blond hair, Tracy fostered a studious professorial look. She was an attractive woman with dark blue eyes, but in her line of work, she didn’t need the person she was interviewing concentrating on her looks. So when working, she kept her hair in a bun and wore unflattering black glasses. Her wardrobe was always conservative, alternating from grays, browns, or blacks, never anything too colorful. She found it kept her interviewees calmer. Plus it contributed to the illusion she perpetuated. The illusion whoever she was interviewing could trust her.
She waited for his answer.
“I need some background.”
“Of course you do.”
“What can you tell me about the new senator from Washington State?”
Kruger frowned when he didn’t hear a quick response. “Tracy?”
“Trying to determine why you want to know.”
“As you said, curious.”
“That’s why I like you so well, Kruger. You’re as full of shit as I am.”
“Ha, ha. What do you know?”
“Is there a story in this?”
“Maybe. But, for now, it’s on the QT.”
“Will I get the exclusive?”
“If something pans out, yes.”
She chuckled. “It just so happens when Robert Burns Sr. suddenly resigned from the Senate in 2012, I did a deep dive for the paper. How much time ya got?”
“As long as you need.”
Chapter 12
Springfield, MO
“Robert Burns Junior was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, if you don’t mind the cliché.”
“Kind of what I suspected.”
Tracy Adkins chuckled. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“Enlighten me.”
“His father, Robert Burns Sr., is the fifth richest man in Seattle. On the Forbes list of richest men in the world, he’s number thirty-nine.”
Kruger whistled.
“Yeah, serious money.”
“How?”
“Tech and good old fashioned real estate. Starting in 1947, after returning to Seattle from the Second World War, his father bought land for pennies on the dollar, land considered useless. Those properties were all over the state and now some of the most productive vineyards in the world.”
“Huh.”
“That was just the beginning. He worked for Microsoft for a few years during the early eighties and left after a disagreement with Bill Gates. They are now buddy, buddies.”
“Huh.”
“Is that all you can say, Kruger?”
“At the moment, yeah.”
She chuckled again. “Starting in the mid-90s, Senior started buying up small tech start-up companies and consolidated them into a company called Haylex Solutions.”
“Heard of it.”
“Good. This was the company he handed over to his son, Bobby Burns.”
“He was known as Bobby?”
“In some circles.”
“Explain.”
She sighed. “Junior was a bit wild. In fact, wild might be too tame. He was crazy. So, Daddy insisted he go by Bobby.”
“Why use the word crazy?”
“Do you need details?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll have to open my computer and refer to my notes.”
“Not a problem. I’ll wait. So why do you have all these details at the tip of your fingers, Tracy? He was just elected.”
“Senior served two terms as a senator. He was a right-wing conservative from a liberal state. I’ve been curious about Junior. If he’s anything like his father, how did he get elected?”
“Money?”
“Exactly. Okay, I’m looking at my notes. What kind of details do you need?”
“Indulge me.”
She laughed. “It will cost you.”
“Put it on my bill, Tracy.”
“Junior was judged to be a genius. His IQ was measured at 151 while still in high school. He graduated early and started Stanford at the age of seventeen. Without Daddy keeping a thumb on him, he got in trouble quickly.”
“How so?”
“He was accused of raping a co-ed after a freshman mixer.”
“Accused?”
“Charges were dropped after Daddy poured a lot of money into the school and the accuser. Since he was under eighteen, the whole incident was forgotten, and his record expunged. His accuser transferred to another school.”
“How did you find out?”
“I don’t reveal sources, you know that.”
“Sorry, go on.”
“Senior hired a security team to keep an eye on him during the rest of his college career. He graduated with honors in three years.”
“What was his degree in?”
“Computer science.”
“Huh.”
“There you go again.”
Kruger chuckled.
“After college, Senior decided to keep Junior close to home. He went to work for Haylex Solutions in their research and development department. I’ve been told his designs revolutionized several of their products, increased market share, and helped the stock price soar.”
“Bet Daddy was proud.”
“Even more so, because Haylex Solution’s stock didn’t get killed when the dot.com bubble burst. It remained a solid performer.”
“So if he was making all this money, why did Burns run for Congress?”
“Ego. At least that’s what I was told. As you can imagine, he has a healthy one.”
“Not a crime.”
“No, but it can get you in trouble at times.”
Kruger hesitated, thinking hard about his next question. “If Senior was busy running for the Senate, what was Junior doing?”
“I’m not sure. Burns made the announcement he would run for the Senate seat in December of 1999. He won the election the following November.”
The timing concerned Kruger.
Tracy continued with her narrative. “In 2003, Senior was halfway through his first term and brought Junior to Washington, D.C. to be on his staff. I’m told Junior was more narcissistic than Senior. Half of the staff quit in protest.”
“Why 2003, Tracy?”
“I spoke to several of the staff members who left. The senator never explained his reasons, he just did things. I was told Senior was not an easy man to work for. Demanding of his staff’s time and energy. Not unusual in Washington, but he broke the norm.”
“How long did Junior work there?”
“Until the end of Senior’s second term.”
“So, why did he not run again?”
“Senior used the old cliché about spending more time with his family. I heard that and wanted to gag. He was a widower, his kid worked for him, and he was chairman of several key committees. I suspect he didn’t run because he didn’t want the public to know about a breach of Senate ethics rules.”
“What breach? This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“I’m not surprised. He struck a deal with Senate leadership. Don’t run again, and this little incident will be buried.”
“Do you know what he did?”
“Not with any confidence. Rumors, innuendos, and hearsay, were all I could dig up. Nothing concrete.”
“What were the rumors?”
“A Senate intern left Washington without giving notification. She claimed the good senator was making unwanted advances. However, she retracted her statement and changed her major in college from government to business.”
“Money?”
“I would say so. She
’s under a non-disclosure agreement and won’t discuss the incident.”
“It wasn’t the son was it?”
“That, my old friend, is a good question. She won’t say.”
“Do you still have her contact information?”
The reporter paused and was silent for several moments. “Why?”
“It’s important, Tracy.”
“What if I do?”
“I need to talk to her.”
“Again, why?”
Kruger took a deep breath. “If the son is the one involved, it will lend evidence to his being implicated in another more heinous crime.”
“You’ve piqued my interest again, Agent Kruger. What are you working on?”
“Tracy, I can’t tell you right now. We have a theory, and that’s all it is. A theory.”
“I love theories. They generally evolve into great stories.”
Kruger sighed. “Give me her contact information. If she talks to me, and if we connect the dots, I’ll fill you in.”
“Lots of if’s in that sentence, mister.”
“It’s the only thing I can tell you right now, Tracy. Sorry.”
“You’ve always been upfront with me, Kruger. Okay, got something to write with?”
***
“This is the office of Lucile Wilkins, Attorney at Law, may I help you?”
The voice dripped with the accent of Memphis, Tennessee. Kruger smiled. Memphis was only three hundred miles from where he lived, yet seemed like a different country.
“Yes, my name is Sean Kruger. I’m an agent with the FBI. I need to speak to Ms. Wilkins about a case I am investigating.”
“What case is that, Agent?”
“I’m sorry, I can only discuss the matter with the counselor.”
There was hesitation on the other end, then Kruger heard, “One moment, please.”
A long silence followed as he waited.
“This is Lucile Wilkins. What’s this about, Agent?”
“Ms. Wilkins, I’m investigating a case that may involve one of your clients. She is not a suspect, but may have been one of the victims.”
Wilkins did not immediately respond. Finally, he heard, “I have many clients, Agent, who might that be?