Duncan left, but came back with a roll of crime scene tape. They quickly sealed all the doors including the door into Roger’s office.
As they left the building, Ruth said, “Inspector, why don’t we all ride downtown in my limo. It has plenty of room for five of us.”
The trip to the mortuary was short, too short for Ann. Inspector Duncan climbed out of the front seat and opened the back door for the two women while Martin and Lepley climbed out the other door.
When Mrs. A. got out of the car, she straightened up stiffly and looked at the huge complex in front of them.
“I remember this building under more pleasant circumstances.” She said grimly.
She noticed Ann’s look of astonishment, adding, “I helped dedicate the complex a few years ago.”
“Oh,” Ann said hollowly. There was a sudden blast of frigid wind. She pulled her heavy coat around her. “I thought El Paso was supposed to be warm.” She looked at the Christmas lights on the building next door. “But it is Christmassy.”
They entered through the big main doors and passed through a set of wooden doors posted with ‘No Admittance—Authorized Personnel Only”. Inspector Lepley pulled open another set of doors and a wave of cold and formaldehyde smelling air washed over them.
“Gross,” Ann whispered as she reached for Mrs. A.’s hand. “I already hate this place.”
Mrs. Arbuthnot said softly, “Unpleasant, but necessary.”
Inspector Duncan motioned to an attendant, then walking away from the two women, he spoke to him. “I want you to pull the body of Bob Black. I have his fiancée is here to make a formal ID.”
“Yes, sir. It will just take a moment. If you’ll sign this form.”
The attendant went into an adjoining room, pulling a long table out of the wall.
Inspector Lepley led Ann and Mrs. A. into the room and up to the body. “Are you ready?” He asked, putting his hand up to the sheet that covered the body.
Ann took a deep breath and nodded. With a face devoid of expression, Inspector Lepley pulled the sheet off the face of the victim.
Ann gasped, looked away from the draped figure, then looked down at it again. The hand holding Mrs. Arbuthnot’s tightened spasmodically.
“What’s the matter?” Inspector Duncan demanded sharply. “Is it your fiancé or not?”
Ann looked stunned and very close to tears.
“Easy, Ann,” Mrs. A. said as she gently put her arm around Ann’s shoulders.
“Well?” Lepley demanded.
“It isn’t Bob, but I do know him.” Ann managed to exclaim, before she had to fight the gagging reflex in her throat. She turned away abruptly.
“Who is it?” Lepley demanded.
He’s Robert Smith, Bob’s half-brother. Bob’s mother said that Robert took after his father which is the worst she could say of anyone.”
Both Lepley and Duncan looked confused.
Ann looked from Inspector Lepley to Inspector Duncan. “I think you’d understand a little better if I clue you in on Bob’s family history, but can we do it someplace else? This place gives me the creeps.”
“This way,” Inspector Lepley said, holding open the mortuary door. He led the way into the hospital and down to the nearly empty hospital cafeteria.
“Okay, now let’s hear this history that’s going to explain so much.”
“I’ll warn you right now this gets complicated.” Ann stated. “Bob told me all this just before we got engaged. He thought I should know what I was getting into.”
Bob’s mother was Charlotte Susan Webster. She got into trouble when she was only 16 years old. Her father was the stern Victorian type who decreed that Bob’s mother must marry the man who got her pregnant. That man’s name was Steve Smith. Her father forced them to marry—it was definitely a shotgun wedding.
Steve was abusive to both Charlotte and her kids, but her father didn’t believe in divorce. If Steve hadn’t died in a gambling dispute, Charlotte would have divorced him as soon as her father died.”
“Charlotte had two children by Smith before he died. Their names were Steve and Robert.”
Ann swallow a couple of times, “Could I get a drink of water.”
Duncan walked over to a counter and picked out four bottles of water, paid for them, pocketed the receipt and returned to their table. He handed a bottle to each person.
Ann took off the lid and took several swallows. “Thank you,” she said gratefully.
“Steve was shot in a barroom brawl because he was caught cheating. He was only twenty-four-years old, but he was a chronic gambler.
“Charlotte was so humiliated that she became very ill. Her father sent her and her children out to Texas to stay with his sister. Aunt Elizabeth was just the opposite of her brother. She introduced Bob’s mother to Jacob Black who soon married her. They had three children. Bob is the oldest.”
She fished around in her purse and pulled out an old black and white photo. “That’s Bob’s father, mother and family. The tallest boy is Bob.”
“Bob’s mother died and a year or so later his father remarried. Her name was Joanne Drake. She already had three children. His father died when Bob was fifteen.
“I believe Joanne is still alive. The three sets of this family don’t get along and don’t have much to do with each other—other than Bob and Roger, that is.”
“Roger is Bob’s partner. He is the oldest of Joanne’s children.”
Inspector Lepley handed her his notebook and his pen. “Would you please write all that down so I have it all straight?”
Taking the pen and paper, Ann wrote the following:
Steve Smith—Charlotte Susan Webster---Jacob Black-----Joanne Drake
: ::
: ::
Steve Smith Bob BlackRoger Drake
Robert Smith Susan BlackElaine Drake
Elizabeth BlackLola Drake
Lepley shook his head. “You’ve cleared up several problems since we know who the victim really is. But your identification has raised a bunch of new problems, including why Bob has disappeared and why did Steve have Bob’s ID on him.” He put away his notebook. “I guess that’s all for tonight.”
He looked at Duncan. “Do you have any questions?”
Duncan said, “My brain is totally fried. Hopefully a good night’s sleep will revive the brain cells.”
Mrs. Arbuthnot smiled wearily. “I’m tired. This has been a rough day for all of us.”
Ann nodded. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but when I found out that it wasn’t Bob on that table I felt every ounce of energy drain right out of me. I feel like a wet noodle.”
**********
When Lepley and Duncan got back to their car, Inspector Duncan said, “This case is getting to be a beauty. It’s worse than the Rios’ case we finished up last month. It reminds me of my grandmother’s yarn basket after her kitten got into it. The yarn was so knotted that we never did get everything straightened out. I’ve never seen a worse mess.”
“That’s an apt description. Ann gave us a lot of information and all of it will have to be checked and rechecked.” He yawned. “I got the name of Bob’s lawyer from her. I want to know who inherits his money, but I didn’t want to ask her.”
Duncan paused to make a left-hand turn. After several cars went by, he turned. “I want to know where every member of Bob’s family is.”
Lepley said, “You’re right. Get as many men as you need to check up on her information. I’m going to check on the brother of Robert Smith. His name just happens to be the same as that obnoxious ranger that was so interested in our investigations this morning.”
“It’s an awfully common name.”
I wonder if Ann has seen Steve? If so, she could tell us if they are one and the same.”
“Good idea. We can’t afford to make a mistake on a lead like this. I don’t want anyone to know that it wasn’t Bob Black that died in the Caverns. I warned both Ann and Mrs. Arbuthnot to keep their mouths shut to protect Bob so
if he happens to be alive he can stay that way.”
Duncan turned into the FBI building’s parking lot and stopped next to Lepley’s car. “See you tomorrow early.”
Lepley waved his hand in reply as he climbed into his car.
Chapter 7
Day Two--Downtown El Paso
The next morning at breakfast, Martin said, “Did you remember that you have that meeting with Daryl Price at Weldon?”
Ruth sighed, “I was trying to forget.” She sighed. “What’s happened to us? When Freddy was alive, everything ran smoothly. We had problems but nothing like murder and possible treason.”
Martin said, “I think people thought Freddy was the driving force behind your business successes. They didn’t realize that you were the force behind Freddy. Once he was out of the picture, the vultures gathered not realizing that the lioness was as powerful as the lion.”
Ruth smiled up at him gratefully. “Thank you for that assessment. I’m just not sure the lioness is up to doing what needs to be done right now.” She got up from the table. “I better get dressed. I’m thinking my black suit, white blouse, and real gold jewelry.”
“Sounds a bit somber. How about the navy suit, red blouse and silver jewelry?”
“Alright. I’ll be ready in 20 minutes.
When the limo pulled up in front of the Weldon Tech building, there were camera crews waiting.
“I’d like to know who’s turning this into a media circus,” Mrs. A. snapped. “No one should know what is going on. This company has government contracts.”
As her driver opened the door and Mrs. Arbuthnot got out of the car, the camera crews surged forward, the reporters shouting questions and shoving microphones in her face. Martin quickly slid across the seat and hurried to her other side. They flanked Mrs. Arbuthnot as they pushed through the crowd. Martin put his hand in front of her and shoved the microphones out of the way.
When they were into the lobby of the building, Mrs. A said, “Jim, I’m sure there is a back door. I’m coming out that way. I refuse to run that gauntlet again.”
“I’ll check it out, Mrs. A. If I’d have known you would be mobbed, I have checked it out earlier.
“I can’t understand why everyone is having a fit about this.” Ruth said. She straightened her suit and purse. “Let’s get this over with.”
Martin pushed the elevator button. As the elevator doors slid open, Ruth looked back. The cameras were following her progress across the lobby.
“Martin, I want you to find out who’s behind this. Someone seems to be smearing my name.”
“Will do, ma’am.” Martin said as he followed her into the elevator.
Price was standing at the door to Weldon Tech’s main offices. “My dear, Mrs. Arbuthnot, I’m glad you made it through the mob.”
She shook her head. “It’s totally stupid. Have the media been hassling your people? If so, I think I’d better check with the government because Weldon does have government contracts that are confidential. If the work we’re doing on these contracts get out, we’ll lose them.”
He smiled grimly. “Let’s go into the conference room. It’s more private there.”
Ruth looked at Martin who shrugged slightly. Once seated in the conference room, Price handed Ruth a folder. She opened it and motioned for Martin to look at it with her. As she read, she could feel her blood pressure start to rise. “You’re sure of these results?”
Price nodded. “I checked them twice and had two of my people check them without my knowing who was doing the checking until after they had completed the check.”
Mrs. Arbuthnot said, “It looks to me like I need to do a mass firing, but I’m not sure if I can keep the contracts going if I do.”
He said, “If you look at the recommendations in the back, you’ll see that I’ve listed the people who were, obviously, involved in the misconduct.”
Ruth turned to the back of the folder. With shaking hands, she pulled out the paper. She read through it, then handed it to Martin. “You’re sure.” She asked Price.
“Yes. I have the evidence here. He tapped an accordion file.”
There was a knock on the door. Martin opened it. Three men stood there, two in full uniform, the third was in a three-piece suit.
Daryl Price stood. “Mrs. Arbuthnot, this is General Wolcott, General Thomas and Mr. Moore.”
“They are in charge of Weldon’s defense contracts,” she responded, stepping forward to shake hands.
General Thomas stepped forward and gave Ruth a hug. “Ruth, how are you holding up? Martha wanted me to tell you hi. She wants to call but wasn’t sure if you were up to it.”
“Ralph, thank you for coming. I have good days and bad days. Sometimes it hit me hard. I’d love to have Martha call me.”
General Wolcott said formally, as if he disapproved of General Thomas’s welcome, “Mrs. Arbuthnot, I was sorry to hear of your husband’s death. It was quite unexpected, was it not?”
Her lips tightened but that was the only sign she gave, “He was killed in an automobile accident. A semi ran a red light and T-boned his car. He was killed instantly.”
“Wasn’t the rig stolen?”
“Yes, and the woman driver was never found.” She added.
Martin said, “Are you suggesting that the accident and the results of the audit are connected?
Ignoring his comment, General Thomas said, “He was a fine man which was one of the reasons why Weldon got these contracts.”
“Thank you,” Mrs. Arbuthnot said. She closed her eyes for a moment. “This is hard for me, gentlemen. I never suspected Andrew Paradise was dishonest or I would have had him removed.”
“May I?” Mr. Moore said, reaching for the paper in her hand.
Reluctantly, she gave it to him. “What do we do now?”
General Thomas said, “Mr. Moore is the head of our fraud division. Before we were notified of your audit, we had these and several other men under surveillance. They are being arrested as we speak. We were just waiting for the evidence.”
“How did you find out about the audit?” She asked. “It was supposed to be confidential.”
“We have people who watch the news. It’s been on every channel.”
Daryl Price said, “I’d like to know who leaked it. If they’re on my staff, they won’t be working for me any longer.”
Ruth frowned. “Martin and I are the only ones who knew about the audit on our end.”
“We will be following up on that angle,” Mr. Moore said.
General Wolcott said, “We need those defense contracts completed on deadline, but at this point, we need to suspend Weldon’s work on them until we can thoroughly vet the rest of your employees.”
Mrs. Arbuthnot said, “None of the techs or engineers working on those projects are listed on that sheet.” She shook her head, “I’m talking nonsense. Andrew Paradise and the others were thoroughly checked out by my husband and the government before we were offered the contracts. I can’t see how these problems were missed.”
“They weren’t missed. Paradise was approached after your husband died. As far as we’ve been able to gather, he appointed friends of his to positions of importance.”
“Do you know who his outside contacts are?”
“At this point, we don’t but if we did we couldn’t tell you.”
“I see.” She looked over at Price. “Were any of our non-government contracts compromised?”
“Not that we could find.” He looked through his folder. “I don’t think your civil contracts were a big enough temptation for these men and those working on them don’t have any red flags.”
“Red flags?” Ruth said, a question in her voice.
“Debt, drugs or women.” Price responded. “They are all family men who live within their income.
She looked at Mr. Moore, “Then there shouldn’t be any problem keeping the rest of my workers on payroll. We could move them to the government contracts with overtime, they should be able
to hand all our obligations.”
General Thomas said, “We want you to keep Weldon going. I would suggest that you appoint John Beale as temporary CEO. We know a lot about him. He’s an ex-marine. He’s been helping us in our investigation. I think he would do a good job for you. He could oversee who gets moved and where.”
He smiled at her, “Just so you’ll know, Weldon isn’t the only company that has been targeted.”
She looked startled, “Mr. Price, I would like a full-scale audit done on all of my companies. If this is going on here, it could be going on elsewhere. I’ll get you a list of companies that have government contracts. You can start with Halverson’s. Jeff Barnes is the CEO.”
She paused, “Gentlemen, I would like an answer to Martin’s question. Do you think that my husband’s accident and the problems at Weldon are connected?”
The three men looked at each other, but didn’t say anything.
“Thank you, I think you’ve given me an answer.”
There was a knock on the door. John Beale opened the door and stepped into the room. “Excuse me, Mrs. Arbuthnot, but I think you need to see this.” He picked up the controller and pushed play.
The big screen at the end of the room lit up.
A reporter standing in a large parking lot said, “Now we have breaking news.”
Chapter 8
Day Three--Carlsbad Caverns Visitor’s Center Parking Lot:
Mary Clark, Antonia Nelson, and Allison Lathrop hurried toward the black BMW. Antonia looked at her watch. “We’ll have to hurry or grandmother will start worrying. I hated taking the extra day to finish up our project and now the weathers turned bad.”
Allison nodded. “Your grandmother is pretty understanding, but I hate being late. I didn’t realize that we’d been in the Caverns so long. I figured we could get finished in half a day, but I guess we should dream on.”
Antonia nodded. “I really liked the park though. The caverns are so different from what I’ve seen in England. Even those big caves at the Peak in Derby are nothing like this.” She looked around at the surrounding country side. “This country is so dry and desolate. England is much greener.”
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