Daniel Ganninger - Icarus Investigations 01 - Flapjack

by Daniel Ganninger

  -Chapter 60-

  May arrived at the downtown Chicago Marriott at around 2 P.M. to question Weston Chase. He would need to choose his questions carefully in order to not scare the fish away.

  Chase was attending an alternative energy conference and was one of the speakers from Global Energy Enterprise. Obviously this was a fitting meeting given the events that were currently happening in the world.

  May entered discreetly through the service entrance to the large ballroom. He found a seat at the back of the room and surveyed the area. The room was filled mostly with egghead types and members of think tanks, with a scattering of businessmen with an interest in this information. May pulled out a notebook and got comfortable in a chair.

  A man in a blue suit was just finishing up his talk. A smattering of blue and green graphs illuminated the screen behind him as he used a laser pointer to point out pertinent items. The man finished up his talk, and after the attendees gave a polite bit of applause, the moderator came up to the podium.

  The moderator gave Chase a rousing introduction, filled with accolades and well wishes about all the wonderful work he had done in establishing his organization. The man, May recognized, was Weston Chase.

  May looked around him and found an unused program sitting on an adjacent seat. Chase’s lecture was called, “Business Models in a Capitalist System to Increase Utilization of Alternative Energy Solutions”. Quite a mouthful, May thought.

  Chase thanked the moderator, pulled some notecards from his suit coat, and placed some reading glasses on his face.

  “Thank you again for those kind words Mr. Franklin, if only everyone felt that way about me,” Chase started, garnering a laugh from the audience. “These are trying times in the global energy market. World events continue to dictate how we, as a country, use our energy resources. Based on this dependence, I realized the importance of starting an organization that was independent of political thinking and focused mainly on utilization of cost effective energy solutions in developing countries. Lessons learned in those countries could be applied here at home.”

  May’s eyes were already beginning to glaze over. He had heard this line before, just a lot of words with very little action, but he managed to stay focused on what Chase was saying.

  “We live in a changing world and our business models must reflect this. During this lecture I hope to give everyone a sense of what it entails to survive and thrive in the energy sector. It goes beyond having good ideas and intentions. To survive in energy implementation and to be effective, we need a model that is productive, and even more so, profitable. Without profitability, we can’t establish the need for these services, and to change thinking and progress, we have to give the consumer, large and small, something that they will need,” Chase said.

  May scribbled some notes on his pad. It was an interesting idea, and he agreed. If people wanted it they would buy it, it would become popular, and conventional thinking would change. In May’s mind, Chase could have stopped there.

  Chase continued his lecture. “Global Energy Solutions researches, develops, and produces alternative forms of energy in a cost effective manner. We are a leader in energy production and work for public policy changes. We have already begun research and development on a new, revolutionary product that will change how everyone uses energy. Let’s just say that it will be as simple as the cell phone battery in your phone.”

  May sat up at this news. Chase was giving overtones about Dr. Sloan’s battery. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Chase was telling how he was going to make money from Dr. Sloan’s invention. No one in the room flinched, but May knew too much about the case not to notice what had been said. Chase was priming the pump for this group to expect a new, revolutionary battery.

  May listened silently to the rest of the discussion. Chase proposed that in order for people to embrace a new technology certain restrictions imposed by the government must be lifted, and a product that was cost effective needed to be developed.

  People would only be motivated to change for something that would positively affect their life, May thought. The dreams about saving the environment or cleaning the air only went so far with the average person. After forty minutes, Chase finished up his lecture and began to field questions.

  May contemplated the content of the lecture. To truly embrace these new alternative energy sources so desired by the members in the room required complete regulation and mandates by the government, forcing people to change.

  The thought hit May like a brick, and he scribbled a name on his notepad, Senator Eastman. The Senator, he knew from information Galveston had given him, was from the camp that dreamed of more government regulation on everything; fuel standards, environmental controls, paying for the miles you drove, and higher taxes on businesses and individuals if they didn’t comply with the energy mandates set by the federal government. Most were such unpopular ideas that they never found footing, but now everything was different. The explosions in Africa and South America, the rising cost of energy worldwide, and the scare of “climate change” would force people to reevaluate their energy consumption.

  Chase answered the last of the questions from the group, and the moderator took the stage again, thanking him for his words. Chase walked off the stage and stood alone off to the side, a look of confidence on his face. A large burly man approached Chase, spoke to him, and then backed away as Chase exchanged words with the moderator. May got up, straightened his sport coat, and walked directly toward Chase.

  “Mr. Chase,” May said coming up behind him. Chase turned around, but not before May felt a hand on his shoulder.

  “No more questions. Mr. Chase needs to leave the hotel,” the large man said to May as Chase looked on

  “I don’t think so,” May said to the large man as he showed him his badge politely. The man slowly took his hand off May’s shoulder.

  “It’s okay Campbell, bring the car around,” Chase told the man. Campbell complied and left the room, leaving Chase and May alone.

  “Mr. Chase, Special Agent David May,” he said, showing Chase his badge. “I just need to ask you a few questions.”

  Chase didn’t flinch or even act surprised. “Of course, what can I do for you?”

  “I just need to ask you about Dr. Blout. We are doing a follow-up on his accident because we’ve had some inquiry about foul play. You knew Dr. Blout well?”

  Again, Chase didn’t show emotion at the question. “Yes, good friends, it’s just tragic what happened.”

  “I agree. Was there anyone who Dr. Blout had an altercation with?”

  “No, never. Why? Do you have some information about him? What a terrible accident he had.”

  “We’re just doing some questioning of people he knew. He was the head of the Consortium?”

  “Yes, he helped me start the company. He was a good man and was doing some excellent research. I hope you don’t think there was more to his accident than what was in the paper.”

  “No, not really,” May lied. “We’re actually trying to get some background on another case, another man you know, a Dr. Edward Sloan.”

  “Yes, Dr. Sloan, is he safe? He disappeared a few weeks ago and we’ve been trying to find out what happened.”

  “I’m afraid not. He was found dead in San Diego, shot at close range.”

  “Oh, no,” Chase exclaimed. “Do you know who did it?”

  “No. That’s why I’m here to see if there is any connection to him and Dr. Blout.”

  “That’s just terrible. What kind of people would do such a thing,” Chase said.

  “I don’t know, but were looking into it.” May thought for a second and abruptly stopped his questioning. “If you or your people have any other information, it would be greatly appreciated by the Bureau,” May said, noting Chase’s demeanor.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “You can reach me at this number,” May told him, handing him a business card.

  “Thank you Agent Ma
y. I’ll let you know if we come up with anything,” Chase told him.

  “Have a good day sir.” May turned and made his way to the exit. He had more questions he had intended to ask, but stopped short. Chase was cool and calm, and showed little emotion to the news. May’s years of experience told him Chase knew much more than he was telling and he decided not to press further. May was afraid of frightening Chase away. He was just too polished, and knew what to say, and not to say. May knew Chase was holding out information.

  May dialed his phone as he got in the hotel lobby.

  “Get Dr. Blout’s car out of the impound lot, and do a full investigative search for peculiarities, and use discretion,” he said into the phone.

  May realized Galveston had been right about Chase. He needed to find out more information about this new suspect, but needed Chase to think he was off the hook. May still had no hard evidence of Chase’s involvement and was beginning to get heat about the investigation from his superiors. Something bigger than he imagined was brewing, and May didn’t have much time to figure it out.

  -Chapter 61-

  We arrived in Washington D.C. at Dulles International about 10:30 P.M. It had been an extremely long and draining day, but we weren’t done yet.

  Galveston read his messages. He had a text from May that said to call him as soon as possible. Galveston had been waiting for this news, we all had. I was very interested in what role Chase played in all this, and what May thought about their meeting.

  “David, got your message, how did it go?” Galveston asked him without further pleasantries.

  “It was interesting, very interesting,” May started. “I think our Mr. Chase is involved, probably more than we think. I told him about Dr. Sloan and he was pretty cool about it, really no emotion. I didn’t press him further about it. I just got the feeling he was silently relieved. I don’t trust him. I have a team examining Dr. Blout’s car for any peculiarities and checking into all of Chase’s latest moves. We’ll see what we find,” May explained to him. “Are you already back in San Diego?” He asked.

  “Not exactly David,” Galveston said slowly. “We took a little detour.”

  “A little detour? What exactly does that mean?” May questioned.

  “We’re in D.C.”

  “D.C.? I don’t even want to ask, but I know I have to. What happened in Brazil that made you stop in D.C.? How much am I not going to like this?”

  “Oh, you won’t like any of it, but it may be the break you’ve needed.”

  “Go on,” May pressed.

  Galveston proceeded to tell May about our exploits in Brazil, the same as he had to Dr. Morales just the previous day. May listened intently, silently shocked at the new wealth of the information, and horrified at the way we went about it. Galveston finished up, but left the last bit of juicy information until the end.

  “Guess who is behind this entire operation,” he asked like a quiz show game host.

  “I don’t have any idea at this point. Who?” May asked exasperated.

  “None other than Wallace Murray,” Galveston said dramatically.

  “You don’t say.”

  “He planned the demise of our Colonel Espinosa, Patelo, the explosions, all of it, I bet.”

  “And do you have any hard proof of this?”

  “Of course not. How good do you think we are? That’s why we’re here in D.C., to talk to Placer, Timothy Placer, the CEO of Black Bear.”

  “You’re not going to talk to Placer, no way, no how. Let my men handle it from here. You guys have already broken enough international and federal laws under my watch. Let us handle it from here,” May ordered.

  “Uh, oh, David, you’re breaking up, I can’t…you…what…,” Galveston mumbled using shushing sounds between the words to simulate a breakup of his phones signal.

  “Alright, alright. That’s enough. What do you need?” May asked giving in to Galveston’s childish ploy.

  “We need some leverage with Placer. Can we use a promise of some federal leniency to get him to talk?”

  “You know I can’t authorize that, come on,” May said growing impatient.

  “Uh, Oh, I’m losing you again, what…did…,” Galveston pulled the stunt again.

  “Okay, just be quiet. How old are you, six?” May managed to joke.

  “I know you want us to find this out,” Galveston pleaded.

  May thought about the offer. This would be a big risk on his part. If anything went wrong his career would be over, but he trusted Galveston. May wrestled with the decision. In any other case it would be strictly off-limits to question a potential suspect, but in this case things were different. He was already receiving considerable pressure to stop the investigation, even as close as they were to resolving it. The case could be over if it got to his superiors that he was opening up another portion of the case and questioning a CEO without a shred of evidence. Either way, he was in a bind. He needed answers quickly and he wanted them now.

  He sighed heavily over the phone and relented to Galveston’s request. “Okay, on one condition. I have men standing by to take him into custody for questioning, or if you screw this up. You can offer him whatever you want, but no mention of me, the Bureau, or any other connection. You can say that you’ll work on deal for him if he cooperates, that’s it.”

  “Agreed,” Galveston said, knowing he would end up offering this leverage to Placer. “We’re going there tonight. We’ll get him to spill the beans, I have a plan.”

  “Well don’t tell me about it. Just give me the location where you’ll be and I’ll have men standing by. I don’t want him to flee.” May was noticeably uneasy about the arrangement. His job was now on the line. “Oh, I almost forgot. I have another bit of information you’ll be interested in,” May started again. “Your friend Alex should be proud of this.”

  “What is it?”

  “The San Diego P.D. picked up a group of men at a local hotel about an hour ago. They were tinted a strange blue. They found heavy armament, masks, electronics, the works. None of them would talk, but the agents that we sent over said they had managed to get some cell phone numbers from them. They are being interrogated now.”

  “Alex’s subtle security. They must have tried to break into his computer system, not a smart move,” Galveston laughed. “Another one of Murray’s teams, I bet, looking for Dr. Sloan, and the same ones who probably tried to accost Roger and Jane.”

  “We have a number they were communicating to regularly, probably Murray, but none of them are talking. They’re all using the same line about first seeing a lawyer.”

  Galveston thought for a second about how this may work in their favor before they saw Placer.

  “David, do me a favor. Do you think your men can get a message sent that Dr. Sloan is dead, and the team got to him. Or that he tried to fight and they shot him? Something to that effect. Send it to that number that you have. It’s got to get to Murray. I’m curious to see how much Placer is involved and if this pushes some more cockroaches out of the woodwork.”

  “I think the agents can do that,” May answered.

  “As quickly as possible,” Galveston responded.

  “I’ll make sure it happens. What do you hope to gain from that?” May asked.

  “I think that a primary goal of everyone involved is to have Dr. Sloan out of the way. The having him dead part is a better lie for us. He would be the only remaining link in the chain to their plan, the only other one who knows what’s going on.”

  “I see where you’re going with this. We’ll get it done within the hour. Just do me a favor and don’t get yourselves in hot water. Having you guys on the job puts me on the line too, you know.”

  “Don’t worry David,” Galveston told him confidently.

  “Good luck, try not to get me fired.”

  “It looks like we’re on stage,” Galveston announced to me, putting his phone away. “May reluctantly gave us the go ahead.”

  “Yippee,” I said without e
motion.

  “You could show a little more excitement. Just wait till you hear this.”

  Galveston told me the news of Alex’s incredible security coup and his ability to form a blue man group. It must have been a sight.

  Galveston’s plan to send a fake message to Murray was stellar. It showed how well he could think on his feet. The news of Dr. Sloan’s death should spread like wildfire through everyone involved in this scheme. Dr. Sloan was the final connective link in the chain. They needed him out of the way and the news would work in perfectly with our uninvited meeting with Placer. We needed to find out what Placer knew about Murray and Chase. They must have a plan in place when Dr. Sloan was out of the way.

  Alex finally called and was able to locate Placer. It was no easy task and he had to do some interesting detective work.

  “So, what did you find out, Alex?” Galveston asked.

  “I called his office earlier in the day and managed to get through to his secretary. This part I know you’ll like, Galveston. I posed as a reporter for Wall Street Week. His secretary said he would be in the office until six, and probably would be at his home after that,” Alex explained proudly.

  “Ah, very good. You remembered Lesson 127, a fake reporter always gets the best information,” Galveston said.

  “Yeah, sure, I was thinking about that lesson,” Alex said dismissively. “Placer lives in the affluent suburb of Spring Valley in northwest D.C.”

  Spring Valley is an area that houses embassies, the campus of American University, and many of Washington’s elites. Galveston knew the area relatively well from his time spent in D.C. many years ago. The homes weren’t available for those light in the pocketbook.

  “Anything else?” Galveston questioned cautiously.

  “Nope, that’s about it. Good luck. Remember rule 232,” Alex instructed.

  “Rule 232? I don’t have anything for that.”

  “That’s my rule,” Alex said. “It means, don’t get your ass caught.”

  “I’ll have to add that one in. Thanks, Alex. Good work. I’ll talk to you soon. Stay near the phone,” Galveston told him and hung up.