Chapter Six
The following day, Cooper sat in a steel guest chair in the office of Gretchen Blanchett.
With Horace Eckhart dead, it was important to see if the senior building inspector could have been in cahoots with anyone else in the Planning and Development Department’s Inspections Division in perpetrating public corruption.
Cooper regarded the assistant director of inspections as she sat in a black leather chair behind a U-shaped mahogany desk.
He said to her in an earnest tone, “As you know, we’re looking into public corruption involving your former building inspector, Horace Eckhart.
Specifically, we believe that Eckhart accepted one or more bribes in the form of improper payments as a way to get expedited or favorable outcomes for approving renovation or construction work. ”
Gretchen batted her lashes. “If this is true, I don’t know what to say. That’s not how we operate in this department—especially the Inspections Division.”
“Apparently, Eckhart thought differently,” Cooper countered. “He was up to his neck in debt and needed cash money to try to juggle payments around. Someone was willing to help him out—for a price—which Eckhart capitulated to for his own personal gain.”
Gretchen sighed. “If Horace was having financial difficulties, I wish he’d found another way to deal with it.”
“That was his call,” Cooper said. “Unfortunately, his suspected public corruption may have gotten him killed.”
Gretchen’s forehead creased. “That’s awful.”
“Yeah, it is.” Cooper leaned forward. “I need to know every development project Eckhart was overseeing for the last few months—and if any of them received approvals before, during or after outside the norm.” They would cross-check the info with what the Bureau had already learned about the senior building inspector.
“Of course,” Gretchen responded quickly. “Our department will give you whatever you need to get this matter cleared up. The Investigations Division takes seriously even a hint of misconduct from within our ranks.”
“Good to know.” Cooper jutted his chin. “The FBI feels the same way, where it concerns public corruption from those entrusted to do right by those being served.” After a beat, he continued with a catch to his voice, “On that note, we’d also like to know if any other building inspectors could have been compromised in this investigation. ”
Gretchen’s brows knit. “Do you have reason to believe that could be the case?”
“No,” Cooper made clear. Nor did he want to indict the entire Investigations Division without justification.
But he knew that in some instances, where there was even a little smoke, there could be a wildfire of corruption.
“Just want to be sure this is an isolated instance. If Eckhart was working in conjunction with any other building inspectors in approving constructions under way—or any other aspects of the development process—I need their names and the projects in question.”
She nodded, running a finger across an eyebrow. “We’ll look into this and see if there are any red flags,” she assured him.
“Okay.” Cooper left it at that, while feeling that Horace Eckhart likely acted alone in accepting bribes, as no other building inspector had come into their crosshairs as a legitimate person of interest in the case.
But this didn’t mean that no one else was involved and had simply been more careful and shrewder to hide their guilt than Eckhart had.
With my former CI, Neal Zapponi, unwilling to keep his nose to the ground, I’ll have to count on Gretchen Blanchett to do her job in flushing out anyone under her committing crimes, Cooper told himself as he left the building.
In the meantime, he would continue to follow any leads that came his way.
LEXI WAS AT a construction site on Seventh Avenue to check in on the progress of the development for which she’d gotten the ball rolling with her architectural work in designing it.
Included in her role was to see if the drawings lined up with the specifications laid out for the project, as well as to assess if everything was on schedule, per the tight timetable of the primary developer, the Kenniston Group.
A minority real estate development company, Wolftyn Senmoore Developments, was no less important in the construction process as an investor and in on the overall planning.
Joining Lexi was the senior project manager, Terry Morikawa; Neal Zapponi, a commercial construction contractor; Brianne Prichard, a licensed civil engineer; Gilbert Jacquin, special projects administrator for the City of Phoenix; and Mitzi Roscorla, a building inspector.
Mitzi, fortysomething and slender with amber eyes and light blond hair in a short ponytail, was almost apologetic that she had taken the place of Horace Eckhart for the project.
“I’ll try my best to make sure the project is on track to pass inspection at every turn, as I believe Horace wanted deep down inside,” she promised, while seemingly acknowledging that he had been under the microscope by the FBI for public corruption before dying.
Offering her a supportive smile, Lexi stated evenly, “It’s what we all want at the end of the day—a development to be proud of.” She certainly wanted to believe that they were on the same page in not wanting to make any moves in gaming the system unfairly.
Brianne, who was in her late thirties, Lexi’s height, and attractive, with medium-length, layered brunette hair and bold aquamarine eyes, smiled at Lexi and said, “That we do. All in all, I like what I’m seeing in the architecture and construction.”
“Thanks. Me too,” Lexi agreed, as they toured a high-rise building with offices, shops and places to eat, which was expected to be completed and open for business by the first of the year.
Gilbert Jacquin, who was fortysomething and a commanding presence at around six four and strongly built, with slicked-back wavy dark hair and a stubble beard, peered at Lexi through hard blue eyes.
“It had better conform to standards and be on time.” He spoke with an edge to his tone.
His duties included acting as a liaison for both personnel in the city’s departments relative to development projects and those individuals involved in the construction process, as well as helping to secure investment opportunities for Phoenix.
Don’t I know it, Lexi thought, not at all intimidated by his warning.
Well, maybe just a tad. She knew that they both had a lot riding on this development as part of the new renaissance of downtown Phoenix after years of stagnation.
“We still have a little time left to see if there are any hiccups that need to be dealt with,” she reminded the special projects administrator as they walked across luxury vinyl tile flooring.
“True—but time is of the essence, as they say,” Brianne commented with a chuckle.
Terry Morikawa, who was there on behalf of Reese Kenniston, grinned sideways and said, “Why don’t we all just take a breath.
From where I’m standing, I think the team has done a terrific job and see no reason why this building—and the entire development—can’t open on schedule and with all the bells and whistles. ”
Neal Zapponi scratched his beard and added his two cents, stating, “I’m with Terry. Looks like everything’s coming along nicely. Structurally, I haven’t detected any big problems that need to be dealt with, knock on wood.”
Mitzi burst the bubble a bit, as she narrowed her eyes and warned, “There’s still more to pre-evaluate in the building and elsewhere.
If anything’s awry from a building inspector’s perspective, it’s not likely to escape my attention—and we’ll go from there.
But right now, seems like the construction crew has done their job up to code—and if everything continues to go well, it should be a go with the permits and approvals. ”
“Music to my ears,” Terry said, flashing his teeth.
“Mine, too,” Lexi followed. She was happy that everything in the high-rise seemed to be going according to plan so far. Hopefully nothing would throw that out of whack.
They took the stairs up to the next level, for more inspection and comments from everyone, for better or worse, and continued this throughout the fifteen-story building.
By the time they had returned to the main floor, everyone agreed that the development was on the right path toward completion and would make the city and its inhabitants proud.
Lexi knew that Mitzi Roscorla would be tasked with making the final call.
It was still depressing that it would no longer be Horace Eckhart, who had seemingly done his job by the book, in guiding them along the way through the arduous process.
She had no reason to think that anyone associated with the development project had tried to bribe—or succeeded in bribing—Horace.
Or had been solicited by him for money to receive favorable actions on his part.
But this would be left up to Cooper and the FBI to determine.
Lexi only knew for certain that her work as an architect was strictly in accordance with the law where it concerned architecture.
She wouldn’t have it any other way. And it was apparent to her that Cooper was of the same mind—making him all the more appealing and someone she wanted to see more of.
COOPER WAS STILL operating on the theory that Horace Eckhart was killed in relation to his foray into public corruption rather than a straight carjacking turned fatal—even if an argument could still, be made, in theory, for the latter, until disproven conclusively.
In sticking with the former, Cooper met up with Special Agents Julia Dobrescu and Olly Montgomery of the Arizona Department of Gaming Intelligence outside a supposed accountant’s office on North Central Avenue.
Cell phone records revealed that more than a dozen calls had been made by Eckhart in the days leading up to his death to the number of Alphonso Rossovich, a known booker or bookie.