Part 12 (1/2)

He smelled of sweat. His eyes were wild, but if he had found three bodies as he claimed, he had every right to be upset.

”You were on protection duty for Ki Bowles?” Flint asked.

The man glanced at Van Alen.

”It's all right,” she said to the man. ”It's Mr. Flint's money that hired your firm.”

The man frowned. ”Yes.”

”What's your name?” Flint asked.

”Pelham Monteith.”

Flint used his links to check the man's name against Whitford Security's current public database, which he had downloaded as he headed to meet Van Alen.

It didn't take him long to find Monteith.

Flint cross-checked the name against the police databases that he could access with his own network. ”I check out, don't I?” Monteith said.

”I understand you left two crime scenes today,” Flint said.

”I have a duty to my clients.”

”Which you clearly failed at, considering Ki Bowles is dead.”

Monteith flushed.

Flint's personal links found nothing about Monteith in the database, but he would check from his own system later. He had a way to get into the police records that he didn't want to try from here.

”Ms. Van Alen is right to call the police. You were wrong not to go to them in the first place,” Flint said. ”You're saying that because you used to be a detective,” Monteith said. ”I'm a detective who is now a Retrieval Artist,” Flint said. Monteith started. He obviously knew that Retrieval Artists worked at the edges of the law. ”Then you should understand why I don't want to go in,” Monteith said.

”You'll go in,” Flint said. ”You'll let them talk to you. You'll answer all the questions you can about the deaths of Ki Bowles and Roshdi Whitford.”

”And the other security guard?” Van Alen asked.

Flint looked at her, surprised. He hadn't heard of the other guard.

”He was Bowles's guard,” Van Alen said. ”He was with her.”

”Enzio Lamfier,” Monteith said softly. He seemed more broken up about his colleague than he was about Bowles. Which made sense. He had worked with the other man.

”You'll answer every question you can without violating your contract with Whitford,” Flint said. ”Any talking I do to the police violates my contract,” Monteith said.

”Not if it's what the client wants. I'm the client. You'll talk to them.”

”What if they arrest me?”

”You'll do what any other suspect does. You'll call an attorney. I'm sure Ms. Van Alen can provide names.”

”She's an attorney.”

”She has a conflict of interest. She brokered the deal between me, Bowles, and your firm. She's not going to handle your case, nor will anyone from this office.”

Monteith squirmed. Van Alen gave Flint a sideways smile. She could have just told him this was what she wanted him to do. Instead, she let him figure it out on his own.

Which was probably smart. She hadn't imparted any information across any link, and she hadn't done anything that someone could use against her in some kind of case that came out of this meeting.

”You guys set me up,” Monteith said.

”That's not possible,” Van Alen said, ”since you came to me.”

”Because you're on the list. That's where I'm supposed to go if something went wrong.” ”If you couldn't find Whitford,” she said.

He nodded, looking miserable.

”But you did find Whitford.” Flint took a step closer. ”Where was he?”

”In his house. In the living room.” ”You went in?”

”We all have access,” Monteith said. ”He was dead. In the middle of the floor. Someone slaughtered him.”

”Was the death tied to Ki Bowles's?” Flint asked. Monteith shrugged. ”Was Enzio Lamfier usually on Ki Bowles detail or was he just there for the day?” Monteith looked surprised. ”How did you know that?” ”What exactly did I know?” Flint asked.

”That he was just there for the day.” Monteith glanced nervously at Van Alen. ”This is all confidential, right?”

”No,” she said. ”But I'm sure your lawyer can argue it anyway.” ”Then I'm not saying any more.”

”Yes, you are,” Flint said, ”or Maxine won't vet your attorney. You'll have the same representation as Whitford and if the murders are tied to the company instead of Ki Bowles, you might have some serious conflict of interest problems.”

”What do you mean?” Monteith asked. ”How many of the other people on Ki Bowles detail were there just for the day?” ”Most of them,” Monteith said. ”We stepped up the numbers after she ran that news story.”

Flint sighed. ”Had most been moved as a permanent a.s.signment or were you planning to rotate people in and out?”

Monteith looked at them both. ”We were going to rotate people in and out. Sometimes a.s.signing them the entire time makes them get lax.”

”You were in charge of the a.s.signments?” Flint asked. ”I was in charge of the people on the street,” Monteith said. ”In the Bowles case only.” He nodded. ”I wasn't going to be rotated in and out.” ”Do you know of any threats to Whitford himself?” Flint asked.

Monteith shook his head. ”But it wouldn't surprise me. We get threats all the time when we're handling big cases.”

”How about any connection between him and Enzio Lamfier?” Flint asked. ”You mean besides the fact that they were both part of Whitford Securities?” ”Besides that,” Flint said. ”No,” Monteith said. ”I thought you guarded in pairs,” Flint said. ”We do.” ”So you were the second on Bowles?” ”That was Gulliver Illiyitch.” ”Where is this Illiyitch now?” Flint asked. ”I don't know,” Monteith said. ”He should have been with Bowles and Lamfier.” ”But he wasn't.” ”But that doesn't mean he's not on those grounds somewhere.” ”Alive?” Flint asked. ”I don't know that, either,” Monteith said. ”Aren't you supposed to defend your clients?” ”Yes,” Monteith said. ”Then shouldn't Illiyitch have been there?” ”Yes,” Monteith said. ”Something happened, I'm sure.” ”You didn't check?”

”When I saw Bowles's body, I tried to let Whitford know. When I didn't reach him the normal way, I went to the business. He wasn't there so I went to his house.”

”You didn't look for your missing guard?”

”I wasn't supposed to. I was supposed to follow procedure.”

”What about Illiyitch? If he's still alive, what's his procedure?”