Chapter 21 Selling This Well
SELLING THIS WELL
“Mr. Connors,” Daniel McGregor said two days later. “I must say that I was surprised to find out you wanted to talk to me.”
He walked into the man’s office, noticed Kane there also and kept his grin in place. Idiots. They were just making it easier for him to talk to them both at once.
“Call me Rory,” he said, shaking the older man’s hand.
“Good to see you again,” Kane said.
“You too. I’m sure you’re both aware of who I am and why I’m in town.”
Both men glanced at each other, Daniel saying, “We are sorry for what happened to your sister fifteen years ago. Such a sad event in our community.”
“Sad,” he said. “That’s what it was for you. Or everyone here. My family, they were torn apart and still are while we search for answers.”
“And that would be you?” Kane asked. “When you’re not writing or patrolling the streets?”
“You’ve done your homework,” Rory said. “But my law enforcement days are long behind me. You know, it’s much easier and calming for my mother if I stay inside and type on a computer.”
“Yet you showed up here?” Kane asked, lifting his eyebrow. “To write a new book?”
“Yes. I’m setting up interviews with locals and I thought of you since you’ve developed so much of the area around the crime.”
“Just a few parcels more than a block away,” Daniel interrupted.
“My bad,” he said. “But it’s one thing that has changed. It’s not about that as much as I’d like to get your take on what happened back then. What you heard and felt, after it happened. For my book.”
Daniel frowned. “You’re writing a book about your sister’s death?”
“I’m gathering as much information as I can,” he said.
After thinking this through, he decided the lie was good enough. It’d give him a reason to be so nosy and get all the records. Why else would he want court records? Most wouldn’t think that would help him look for the killer.
“I was under the impression you were trying to find the killer,” Kane said.
“It’d be nice, but that’s the police’s job.
They seem to have a handle on it. Or they did.
For me, I’m trying to keep my sister’s memory alive.
I know what I remember that day, or most of it, but it’d be good to hear from those that were around and still are.
How it affected this small town. I’ve spoken to several locals already. ”
Daniel shot a frustrated glance at his son. He must be selling this well.
“And you wanted to talk to us because we own businesses in the area?” Daniel asked.
“One of the biggest. For research purposes, it’d make sense to have this conversation. But if you’d rather not be mentioned in the book as an interview, that’s fine. My agent will pitch this for a documentary to be filmed at a later date and I can keep you out of it.”
And that was where he hit their egos. Right in their wallets.
“That’s wonderful,” Kane said. “It’d be great for our community.”
“Not necessarily,” Daniel said. “We don’t need to be reminded of a crime that was unsolved. What if people don’t feel safe here?”
“Really, Dad. Fifteen years ago and nothing has happened since. I’m positive it was some outsider that left the area after. You know that was the most common theory.”
“I’m aware,” Rory said. “There are lots of theories and no evidence.” He lowered his voice and looked around as if he were afraid of being overheard. “Between us, I think the local law enforcement at the time was in over their head. Looks as if they bungled a lot.”
“I always said that,” Daniel said. “But they tried their best.”
“I’m sure they did.” He pulled his phone out and put it down. “Do you mind if I record this?”
“Sure, go ahead,” Daniel said. “We’ve got nothing to hide. Right, Kane?”
Kane wasn’t looking so sure of things now. “I’d rather not have it on record.”
“That’s fine,” he said, putting his phone away.
“I can take notes just as easily. As I said, just gathering information for my book, then putting it together for my agent. I’m with Kane.
Publicity is good one way or another. You could get a lot of people that want to come around trying to see if they can solve it too.
Brings tourism here one way or another. Doesn’t seem as if it’s affected your growth any. You’re not afraid of that, are you?”
“No,” Kane said, shaking his head. This guy wouldn’t admit he was fearful of anything. “My father is a little old school. He has to come around to the times.”
“I taught you everything you know,” Daniel said, his voice firmer than it’d been. “Just remember that.”
Some underlying tension here with father and son. He’d make sure to remember that.
“Cooper Stevens. Tell me what you knew of him. He worked for you years prior to Rene’s death, correct?”
“He did,” Daniel said. “He was a laborer. Good worker, but had some family issues at that time going on. With all the work we had, there was overtime to be done and he couldn’t handle it.”
“I hadn’t heard that part,” he said. Fact or fiction, he wasn’t sure, but since Cooper was found not guilty, it didn’t matter much.
“I don’t remember what was going on,” Daniel said. “But when he was arrested, I was just as stunned as some others.”
“Really?” he asked, sitting back. “From my conversations with some locals, there seems to be mixed reviews on that.”
“So you’ve talked to more than the Ridgeways?” Kane asked.
“Of course. I want all sides. I’m not someone to be biased or stretch the narrative the way I want it.” And he noticed it wasn’t just Gale they were questioning, but the Ridgeways in general. They knew he’d talked to more than one.
“That’s a good trait to have,” Daniel said. “Some people should remember that.”
Just another look between father and son. Definitely tension going on.
Kane laughed. “My father refuses to learn how things are done now.”
“I know how they are done,” Daniel said, laughing, more of a forced sound. “I also know that you don’t rush things either. My son forgets I built this company he’ll take over someday.”
“That’s right,” Kane said. “I appreciate it daily. Something to pass onto my kids.”
Time to band together and bond. He’d keep the vomit from his mouth.
“I’ve learned patience more than I care to.
If you don’t mind, can you give me some background on how you ended up in Lake George and what you’ve done for the community?
Then we can move on to the effect Rene’s unsolved murder has had.
It’d be nice to hear life just moved on in different directions. ”
He had to practice saying that in the mirror a few times without a sneer.
Daniel ate it right up and bragged about himself for forty minutes while he took notes. He barely got other questions in there, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t care about their history; it was more about watching their reactions to how they saw the events of that time.
When he left an hour later, his skin itched as vile thoughts rushed over his body more times than he could count.
Through it all, he kept his smile in place and calm in order.
“How did it go?” Gale asked him that night on the phone. He wanted her to come over, but she was home working and couldn’t give him the time he always wanted.
“They seemed to fall for it. Thanks for the idea. I wish I had come up with it myself.”
Her soft laugh on the other end of the line had his blood pumping at an accelerated rate.
“I know them better than you. Their egos are bigger than the Adirondacks. The thought they could be in a book or on TV would turn their attention. Do you think they bought it you’re just doing that and not searching for the killer? ”
“I don’t want to sound cocky, but by the time I left, Daniel sure the hell did. Kane, he’s a tough read, but there is a lot of tension there.”
“I think there always has been. They are two of a kind. Kane has had to prove himself more than he’d want to, and Daniel is reluctant to let go even though he’s getting older.”
“He’s only mid-sixties,” he said. “Lots of people are still working then.”
“I know. But Kane wants it all.”
“I saw that. They didn’t give me much more than I could have read of their history online.”
“You didn’t want that. You wanted to get in their faces.”
“I did. They know I’ve talked to several and plan on more. I’ll be setting that up this week too because I’m positive they are watching even more now.”
“They’ve been watching all along.”
“I know, but it will increase. I want that. Maybe they will get sloppy and make a mistake.”
“One can only hope. What’s your next move?”
“Talking to Detective Miller. If he’ll return my call. I’ve got his address and might just pay him a surprise visit. But I’ll call again tomorrow. If my guess is right, now that Daniel and Kane talked to me, Miller might too.”
“I want to be pissed about that, but something tells me it will happen. And it will let Ford know there could have been moles in his department.”
“He could have more. Maybe this is a good way to flush it out. As much as I want to say one of them is guilty, there is still part of me that thinks it’s more about expanding their business and what bad press could do. At least that is how I read what they’d said today.”
It’d only pissed him off more when they boasted how they overcame his sister’s murder to turn the community around. As if they should get some award for it.
“I’m sorry I can’t be there tonight. You sound like you could use a hug.”
“I could,” he admitted. “Maybe Friday night again. Or this weekend?”
“I can do that,” she said.
“Would it confuse you if I said I missed you?”
“Not at all,” she said. “Or not any more than I already am.”
Which didn’t help any and he should have kept the words locked inside.