Jeffery Deaver - The Cold Moon

The rookie walked into the lobby of Penn Energy Transfer, quite a place-glass and chrome and filled with marble sculptures. On the wall were huge photographs of the company's pipelines, painted different colors. For factory accessories they were pretty artistic. Pulaski really liked those pictures.

In the Starbucks a man squinted the cop's way and waved him over. Pulaski bought himself a coffee-the businessman already had some-and they shook hands. Kessler was a solid man, whose thin hair was distractingly combed over a shiny crown of scalp. He wore a dark blue shirt, starched smooth as balsa wood. The collar and cuffs were white and the cuff links rich gold knots.

"Thanks for meeting down here," Kessler said. "Not sure what a client would think about a policeman visiting me on the executive floor."

"What do you do for them?"

"Ah, the life of an accountant. Never rests." Kessler sipped his coffee, crossed his legs and said in a low voice, "It's terrible, Ben's death. Just terrible. I couldn't believe it when I heard… How're his wife and son taking it?" Then he shook his head and answered his own question. "How would they be taking it? They're devastated, I'm sure. Well, what can I do for you, Officer?"

"Like I explained, we're just following up on his death."

"Sure, whatever I can do to help."

Kessler didn't seem nervous to be talking to a police officer. And there was nothing condescending in the way he talked to a man who made a thousand times less money than he did.

"Did Mr. Creeley have a drug problem?"

"Drugs? Not that I ever saw. I know he took pain pills for his back at one time. But that was a while ago. And I don't think I ever saw him, what would you say? I never saw him impaired. But one thing: We didn't socialize much. Kind of had different personalities. We ran our business together and we've known each other for six years but we kept our private lives, well, private. Unless it was with clients we'd have dinner maybe once, twice a year."

Pulaski steered the conversation back on track. "What about illegal drugs?"

"Ben? No." Kessler laughed.

Pulaski thought back to his questions. Sachs had told him to memorize them. If you kept looking at your notes, she said, it made you seem unprofessional.

"Did he ever meet with anybody who you'd describe as dangerous, maybe someone who gave you the impression they were criminals?"

"Never."

"You told Detective Sachs that he was depressed."

"That's right."

"You know what he was depressed about?"

"Nope. Again, we didn't talk much about personal things." The man rested his arm on the table and the massive cuff link tapped loudly. Its cost was probably equal to Pulaski's monthly salary.

In Pulaski's mind, he heard his wife telling him, Relax, honey. You're doing fine.

His brother chimed in with: He may have gold links but you've got a big fucking gun.

"Apart from the depression, did you notice anything out of the ordinary about him lately?"

"I did, actually. He was drinking more than usual. And he'd taken up gambling. Went to Vegas or Atlantic City a couple times. Never used to do that."

"Could you identify this?" Pulaski handed the businessman a copy of the images lifted from the ash that Amelia Sachs had recovered at Creeley's house in Westchester. "It's a financial spreadsheet or balance sheet," the patrolman said.

"Understand that." A little condescending now but it seemed unintentional.

"They were in Mr. Creeley's possession. Do they mean anything to you?"

"Nope. They're hard to read. What happened to them?"

"That's how we found them."

Don't say anything about them being burned up, Sachs had told him. Play it close to the chest, you mean, Pulaski offered, then decided he shouldn't be using those words with a woman. He'd blushed. His twin brother wouldn't have. They shared every gene except the one that made you shy.

"They seem to show a lot of money."

Kessler looked at them again. "Not so much, just a few million."

Not so much.

"Getting back to the depression. How did you know he was depressed? If he didn't talk about it."

"Just moping around. Irritated a lot. Distracted. Something was definitely eating at him."

"Did he ever say anything about the St. James Tavern?"

"The…?"

"A bar in Manhattan."

"No. I know he'd leave work early from time to time. Meet friends for drinks, I think. But he never said who."

"Was he ever investigated?"

"For what?"

"Anything illegal."

"No. I would've heard."

"Did Mr. Creeley have any problems with his clients?"

"No. We had a great relationship with all of them. Their average return was three, four times the S and P Five Hundred. Who wouldn't be happy?"

S and P…Pulaski didn't get this one. He wrote it down anyway. Then the word "happy."

"Could you send me a client list?"

Kessler hesitated. "Frankly, I'd rather you didn't contact them." He lowered his head slightly and stared into the rookie's eyes.

Pulaski looked right back. He asked, "Why?"

"Awkward. Bad for business. Like I said before."

"Well, sir, when you think about it, there's nothing embarrassing about the police asking a few questions after someone's death, is there? It is pretty much our job."

"I suppose so."

"And all your clients know what happened to Mr. Creeley, don't they?"

"Yes."

"So us following up-your clients'd expect us to."

"Some might, others wouldn't."

"In any case, you have done something to control the situation, haven't you? Hired a PR firm or maybe met with your clients yourself to reassure them?"

Kessler hesitated. Then he said, "I'll have a list put together and sent to you."

Yes! Pulaski thought, three-pointer! And forced himself not to smile.

Amelia Sachs had said to save the big question till the end. "What'll happen to Mr. Creeley's half of the company?"

Which contained the tiny suggestion that Kessler had murdered his partner to take over the business. But Kessler either didn't catch this or didn't take any offense if he did. "I'll buy it out. Our partnership agreement provides for that. Suzanne-his wife-she'll get fair market value of his share. It'll be a good chunk of change."

Pulaski wrote that down. He gestured at the photo of the pipelines, visible though the glass door. "Your clients're big companies like this one?"

"Mostly we work for individuals, executives and board members." Kessler added a packet of sugar to his coffee and stirred it. "You ever involved in business, Officer?"

"Me?" Pulaski grinned. "Nope. I mean, worked summers for an uncle one time. But he went belly up. Well, not him. His printshop."

"It's exciting to create a business and grow it into something big." Kessler sipped the coffee, stirred it again and then leaned forward. "It's pretty clear you think there's something more to his death than just a suicide."

"We like to cover all bases." Pulaski had no clue what he meant by that; it just came out. He thought back to the questions. The well was dry. "I think that'll be it, sir. Appreciate your help."

Kessler finished his coffee. "If I can think of anything else I'll give you a call. You have a card?"

Pulaski handed one to the businessman, who asked, "That woman detective I talked to. What was her name again?"

"Detective Sachs."

"Right. If I can't get through to you, should I call her? Is she still working on the case?"

"Yessir."

As Pulaski dictated, Kessler wrote Sachs's name and mobile number on the back of the card. Pulaski also gave him the phone number at Rhyme's.

Kessler nodded. "Better get back to work."

Pulaski thanked him again, finished his coffee and left. One last look at the biggest of the pipeline photographs. That was really something. He wouldn't mind getting a little one to hang up in his rec room. But he supposed a company like Penn Energy hardly had a gift shop, like Disney World.