Kate frowned.“Why did you put air quotes around networking?”
“Because we’ve also been talking to more of the servants at the Carlton house, ones with more tenure than Yesenia Lopez.Apparently, the swinger thing is only a small part of what the Carltons do.The romantic connections were their real hobby, specifically helping people dissatisfied with their marriages find people with whom they would be more satisfied.”
“Got it.So those connections they tracked.It wasn’t for blackmail.They were leads for people who might be interested in their real product.”
“Exactly.Well, sort of.It wasn’t exactly formalized.”Kate frowned at him, and he said, “Right.Pertinent points.Ginger attended a party and met a guy.Mike Howard.They hit it off.Reallywell.Next thing you know, Ginger’s leaving Graham.Runs away with this new guy.Completely blindsides her divorce attorney husband.”
“And Graham blames the Carltons.”
“Loudly and publicly.Before, during, and after the failed lawsuit, he ranted and raved about how enablers were as guilty as adulterers and deserved punishment.Called them criminals.Called them evil.Called them… wait for it.”
“I really would rather not wait.”
“Lawbreakers.”
Kate’s eyes widened.“Ah.Sounds promising.”
“Sure does.”
Marcus pulled into the parking lot of an office tower with the name of Sterling and Little, LLP on the sign.“Sterling has a reputation for being the early bird.Let’s go see if we can get the worm.”
They entered the building and found no receptionist at the desk.At five-forty in the morning, the offices weren’t actually open.That would hopefully give them a chance to speak to Mr.Sterling uninterrupted.
The lobby was decorated with shimmering abstract art installations, including the ubiquitous fountain formed of a series of triangles offset so the water flowed from the points of each triangle before reaching the center of an angular-petaled steel flower.Similarly sharp artworks occupied the hallway the elevator opened into, and when they came to the wide double doors that led into the partner’s offices, they saw two statues of angularly shaped people, one woman (identifiable by the knife-edged breasts) and one man.They stared at each other across the expanse, apparently meant to represent people separating.Or at odds.Or staring wistfully at each other and wondering what might have been.It was hard to tell exactly what the point of the sculptures was.
They walked in, and a balding man in his early fifties with a portly frame and small, beady blue eyes frowned at them from inside the open door of the office to the left.“Excuse me?These offices are…” His voice trailed off when Marcus and Kate showed him their badges.
“Graham Sterling?”Kate asked.
“That’s me.What the hell’s going on?”
“We’d like to talk to you about Richard and Vanessa Carlton,” Kate said, entering the office without asking.“Do you have a minute?”
Graham laughed.“Right.Okay.”He flipped his hands.“Sure.I have a minute.”
“Thank you, kindly,” Marcus said.
Neither agent took a seat.Graham didn’t offer, nor did he rise from his richly upholstered high-backed leather chair.
“Your ex-wife, Ginger Howard, met her current husband at one of the Carlton’s parties,” Kate said.“That correct?”
“It is.And I’ll save you some time and tell you that yes, I did pursue legal action against the Carltons for knowingly and maliciously manipulating Ginger into hating me and pursuing a relationship with their friend Michael Howard.”
“And why would they do that?”Kate asked.
“Because I represented the spouses of several others manipulated into infidelity by them and won successful judgments for them.”
Another piece of the puzzle clicked into place.“I see.So, the Carltons were angry because you were making it unprofitable to cheat.”
“That’s an inexact way to put it but not inaccurate.”
“What’s a more exact way to put it?”
Graham folded fat fingers and rested them on his prodigious gut.“The Carltons sell real estate.Anyone worth their salt in real estate will tell you it’s notwhatyou know, it’swhoyou know.This is especially true when the real estate you sell is in other countries, and you're selling it to people who are using it for the purpose of circumventing employment laws by outsourcing to places with less stringent protections for workers."
Kate regretted asking him to explain further.Graham was obviously someone who loved hearing himself talk.Kate had a feeling that had contributed as much to the end of his marriage as the Carltons.
“The Carltons pursued connections with potential clients by doing what they were good at.”
