CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Shep and Rod were behind closed doors a lot longer than the team anticipated. They waited, not so patiently, for him to return to the office.
“What do you suppose they’re talking about?” asked Eric frowning at Hex, Cam, Luke, and Mike.
“I’m not sure,” said Mike. “Rod was raised by his grandmother which might be why he was so drawn to Dorothy. I think he feels guilty for not asking her more questions about her life.”
“There was no reason to,” said Cam shaking his head.
“She was, by appearance, just a sweet, lonely old lady. We all knew her and not one of us thought she was anything other than just that. A sweet old lady. I couldn’t have guessed in a million years she was a millionaire or that she was married to Hollis Burton. ”
“Same,” nodded Hex. “But this all feels too clean. She decides to take her own life and prevent him from getting the stocks. Why not just sell them or give them away while she was alive? Why not ask us for help?”
“You’re bringing up some very valid points,” said Luke. “I think this is what’s worrying me. We need to speak to some of the men working on those rigs. AJ, get a list of employees on the rigs for Burton Drilling. I want to talk to them.”
“Maybe we should start with the families of Platform Nine,” said AJ. “Twenty-seven people died that day and the civil suit is still ongoing.”
“Contact their attorneys and see if they’ll speak to us.”
Five hours later Luke and Cam were seated across from Albert Collins, attorney for three of the families of the victims from Platform Nine.
“Mr. Robicheaux, Mr. Dougall, please understand that I’m meeting with you strictly out of courtesy and respect for the reputation of your families and the work you do. I cannot compromise the legal cases for my clients,” he said calmly.
“Understood, Mr. Collins. We do not want to jeopardize that in any way. What we’re more concerned with is the death of Ms. Dorothy Martin, Hollis Burton’s late wife. She indicated that his practices on those platforms were questionable, at best.”
“That’s putting things mildly,” said Collins. “The safety reports, the data that was sent privately to me from an unknown source, all of it indicates the same.”
“An unknown source?” asked Cam. Collins stared at the two men and nodded, then opened his mouth.
“I have no proof, but I believe it was Ms. Martin. She taught my oldest daughter,” he smiled.
“Just a fine, fine woman. Ms. Martin, although part of the shareholders, was also a brilliant mind and had suggested increased safety precautions, new equipment, multiple things to improve the safety of the platforms. Hollis Burton refused to spend the money.
“Personally, I think the guilt of that helped to kill her. She tried giving me a check for the families, but that would have indicated guilt on the part of Burton Drilling, so the attorneys threatened her for it.”
“That poor woman,” said Luke. “All she wanted to do was what was right by the victims.”
“I don’t know if you’ve read the transcripts from the calls of the platform,” said Collins.
“They begged for them to call the Coast Guard. Had they done so on the first call, all twenty-seven would have been alive. There still would have been an ecological and environmental disaster but the people would have lived.”
“To avoid duplication of work, can you tell us anything about Burton Drilling right now?” asked Cam.
“They’re in financial trouble. Big financial trouble.
Hollis Burton spends money like a drug lord, except he doesn’t sell drugs.
He sells oil which is volatile enough as it is.
His mega-yacht, where he lives full-time, cost upwards of three hundred and thirty-five million dollars.
He doesn’t cut costs when it comes to his personal living.
Where he cuts costs is in the equipment used on those platforms.”
“Wait, doesn’t an independent investigator and engineer have to approve the running of those rigs?” asked Luke. Collins chuckled.
“I’m not stupid, Mr. Robicheaux. You know damn good and well those rigs need approval from an independent engineer and investigator.
Not everyone is as honest and clean as Robicheaux Oil and Gas.
Burton paid the investigators and engineers to give the thumbs up.
After they were approved, those same investigators and engineers suddenly disappeared. ”
“You think they’re dead?” asked Cam.
“No, I think they’re on a beach in Bermuda or Aruba living their best life, the bastards,” he frowned. “Sorry. This case infuriates me. It affected a lot of folks in this area.”
“We understand,” nodded Cam. “I know you can’t give it to us, but do you have any evidence to prove there was trouble before the accident occurred.”
“I have one-hundred and fifteen pieces of evidence,” he said leaning back in his chair. “Memos, emails, letters, transcripts from voicemails telling him that more funds were needed to update the platform and to ensure the safety of the workers on that platform.”
“That bastard,” muttered Luke. “He ignored it all.”
“Oh, no. He didn’t ignore it. He sent an engineer out to look at it.
Proof that he paid attention to the warnings.
The engineers, every damn time, came back and said it was a simple valve problem or pressure gauge.
It’s despicable. The safety boats and rafts?
They couldn’t be lowered because the equipment failed.
It was so old and rusted, never tested, that they had no chance to get away. ”
The man was shaking, his hands folded across his stomach. He took in a few deep breaths, then a few sips of water, finally letting out one gust of air.
“I’m sorry.”
“There is no need to be sorry, Mr. Collins. You’re passionate about this and so are we. Ms. Martin was a good woman, kind to everyone. She may have staged her death, killed herself, to bring attention to all of this. She made sure that Burton would not get her shares or her money.
“A few weeks ago, we met with her son-in-law who wanted the money left in her will. It was determined the will was valid, changed when Ms. Martin was of sound mind. But while we were speaking with him, he was shot. Why do you think that is?” asked Luke. Collins frowned, shaking his head.
“I don’t know. Was he working with Hollis?” he asked.
“We’re not sure, yet. He said he owed a big gambling debt. Twenty-million,” said Luke. Collins let out a low whistle.
“That’s a debt alright. It could be money he owed Hollis Burton. I didn’t know about the son-in-law, obviously. But,” he smirked, “I can pull his bank records and see where the money was going.”
“Legally?” smirked Luke. Collins laughed as he typed on his computer.
“Please, Mr. Robicheaux. You and I both know you are not concerned with how I get this information. Besides, I bought one of your commercially available software packages last year. It’s quite good.” Luke and Cam both laughed as he continued to peck away.
“Here,” he said turning the screen. “Large deposits on the first of every month. Five million each time and almost immediately, he was withdrawing around four million. He was either using that money to pay off the debts or he was gambling with it. The question is, how does a man who owns three dry cleaning services bring in five-million a month?”
“That’s a lot of dry cleaning,” frowned Cam. “Did he have a will?” A few more pecks and taps and Collins frowned, staring at the two men.
“He did. Everything he owned was to be left to Hollis Burton.”