Faye Kellerman - Blindman’s Bluff

Decker said, “So the rivalry might be a convenient invention on Mace’s part.”

Wang said, “Maybe, but maybe not. I found an article quoting Pritchard, who says that the Greenridge Project was overkill. He went on to say that he wasn’t worried. To me that means he is worried. I haven’t connected with him yet, but I’ll keep at it.”

“I’m still back at the brothers’ suing each other,” Brubeck said. “Any way to find out what was in the court documents?”

“Not officially, but there are often unnamed sources who leak out information,” Wang said. “If we’re looking for someone who held a grudge against Guy, I guess Mace is as good as anyone. But Mace is still with the company. Something happened behind the scenes.”

“Both of them were taking money off the top,” Oliver said.

“At least Mace was giving some of it back to his employees,” Brubeck added. “If Connors is believable.”

“Connors definitely had a warm spot in his heart for Mace,” Decker said. “While I’m sure Mace likes his money, I bet he also enjoyed being the darling to the employees.”

“Yeah, didn’t Connors say that he went to Mace because he had a soft spot that Guy didn’t have?”

“Or maybe Mace was biding his time,” Oliver said. “Nursing a grudge can be fun stuff.”

“That’s always a possibility,” Messing said.

“What about the sons?” Wanda Bontemps asked. “Any sense of rivalry between the sons and the dad?”

“Nothing overt,” Wang said.

Marge said, “From your reading, does it appear that Mace would lose the most if Guy put a stop on Greenridge?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Wang told him. “Grant is in charge of the project. If it folds, he’ll have egg on his face.”

“How are Mace’s personal finances?” Wynona asked.

Wang said, “He owns a house in Connecticut, a pied-à-terre in Manhattan, and a fifty-foot yacht; and he has money in the bank. Estimates put him at around thirty million dollars, but that was before the economy tanked. He’s doing fine, but he isn’t a billionaire.”

Decker said, “Which brings us to a very good point. We’re focusing on Mace, but it’s Guy’s sons who will probably inherit. Six hundred million buys a lot of motive. Mace is a slimy guy, but let’s not lose sight of who really stands to benefit from Guy’s death.”

“I’ll see what I can dig up on the boys,” Wang said.

“Good idea,” Decker said. “What’s happening with our guard list?”

Brubeck spoke up. “Drew and I have cleared about half of them. Going alphabetically: Allen, Armstrong, Beltran, Cortez, Cruces, Dabby, Green, Howard, Lanz, Littleman, Mendosa, and Nunez.

Alfonso Lanz, Evan Teasdale, and Denny Orlando were the three guards on duty who were slain.

Rondo Martin is still missing.”

“And you’ve rechecked all of the alibis?”

“Gone through it once, but I’ll do it again,” Brubeck said. “Rondo Martin’s a cipher. I called up the Ponceville Sheriff’s Department. From what I was told, he was a decent deputy sheriff. He wasn’t real social, but he’d drink a round with the guys and the locals now and then. He could be pretty hard on some of the farmers if the mood hit, but mostly he’d look the other way.”

“By looking the other way, you mean illegals?”

“It happens.”

“Any indication of shaking down farmers?” Decker asked.

“You never know. My father-in-law never had any problems with him, but you can’t say things over the phone. I’d get more out of him if I talked to him in person.”

“I’ll get the funds for you, Willy. When could you leave?”

Brubeck winced. “I was supposed to get a few days off for the missus and me for our anniversary. I think I told you about it when you asked me to join the task force.”

“You did,” Decker said. “I forgot.”

“I wouldn’t care about canceling, Lieutenant, but I booked this Mexican resort about six months ago. I’ll lose my deposit.”

“Don’t cancel, Willy, it’s fine.” Decker looked at Marge. “Can you go tomorrow?”

“Sure.” Marge paused. “Unless you have another thing you want me to do.”

That’s right. He has asked her to spy on Rina’s two IDs from the mug books. He was throwing out feelers in so many directions, he was losing track. “Nothing that can’t wait a day or two.” He regarded Oliver. “You go with her.”

“Where is Ponceville?”

Brubeck said, “You fly into Sacramento and it’s about two hours from there.”

“Don’t tell me.” Oliver made a face. “You take Southwest.”

“They still give you free peanuts,” Brubeck said. “I’ll set everything up with my father-in-law. You might even get more outta him than I would. He has a great deal of respect for the police if it ain’t me he’s talking to.” To Decker-“Are you sure it’s okay if I go?”

“As a matter of fact, Willy, I have an assignment for you south of the border. Rumor has it that one of the guards, Joe Pine going as José Pinon, may be hiding out in Mexico.” He brought the detective up to date on his conversation with Brett Harriman.

“We haven’t cleared Joe, so he could be involved,” Messing said. “He doesn’t have a record as far as we could tell.”

“He’s a local boy from Pacoima. Call up Foothill Juvenile and ask someone if he’s ever been in trouble. We could use a set of his prints.” Decker looked at Marge and Oliver. “Rondo Martin was a sheriff. Surely we could get a set of his prints.”

“I’ve called T in Ponceville,” Brubeck said. “He can’t seem to find Martin’s print card.”

“You’re kidding,” Decker said.

“Things move very slowly up there. I’m beginning to doubt if T ever printed him.”

Decker threw up his hands. “Ask him again, Willy. And while you’re in Mexico, try to make contact with the local law. See if they know anything about José Pinon.”

“As long as someone here has my back. Mexican jails make me nervous.”

Decker said, “Stay in contact and we’ll keep tabs on you.” He spoke to Marge and Oliver. “While you’re up north, swing by Oakland and get a little background on Neptune Brady. He was in Oakland with his dad when the murders happened, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t involved.”

“What would he gain by killing his boss?” Wanda asked.

“I don’t know. But I do find it odd that Mace and especially Grant is keeping Brady on as a bodyguard. If my parents were murdered under someone’s watch, he’d be the last one I’d want guarding me.”

“How far is Oakland from Sacramento?” Oliver asked.

“An hour’s drive,” Brubeck told him.

“You can leave from Oakland Airport-Southwest. Moving on, I had a nice little chat with Riley Karns yesterday.” He summarized their conversation. “He said he was sleeping when the murders occurred. That means he was also sleeping when the horse grave was dug and Denny Orlando was thrown into the pit. We don’t know if he’s being truthful or not. What we do know is that he was on the property the night of the murders and he knew about the horse grave. Two strikes against him.”

He turned to Drew Messing. “While your partner is in sunny Mexico trying to find José Pinon, you dig into Karns. I think Gilliam Kaffey hired him from one of her horse clubs, so start there. Also, see if you can’t talk him into a polygraph test.”

“Why would Karns want Guy and Gilliam dead?” Messing asked.

Decker shrugged. “Maybe someone bought his silence. Find that motive and we’ll have three strikes against him. Who’s been checking up on Ana Mendez and Paco Albanez?”

Marge raised her hand. “Her story checks out. So does the time frame. So far as I can tell, she wasn’t involved with any crazies. Paco Albanez-like Riley Karns-claims he was sleeping until Ana woke him up. But if he knew about the horse grave, maybe he should be interviewed again in Spanish.”