“Hey, Carl,” he replied after listening for a moment. “What’s going on?”
They began an in-depth discussion of a new project they’d both be working on in a couple of weeks. The company that Ker worked for would be constructing a new office building that Carl’s firm was spearheading. It wasn’t the first time they had worked together, and the conversation turned technical pretty quickly. Ker had learned early on that Carl was a hands-on kind of developer and wanted to know all sorts of details that most guys didn’t pay that much attention to.
A few minutes into the conversation, Ker noticed movement near the office door. He looked over and saw Ash standing there.
“Excuse me a sec, Carl,” he said into the phone, then, “Ash, is that you?”
Ash turned and stopped, shock evident on his face.
Ker, stunned that Ash was there, gestured toward his guest chair and mouthed, “Gimme a minute,” then continued his call. He didn’t want to keep Ash waiting but couldn’t afford to be rude to the client either.
When there was finally a lull in his phone conversation, he said, “Hey, Carl, sorry to cut this short, but I’ve got something pressing here to deal with. Can I call you back later today so we can finish this?”
Ringing off the call, he turned to his visitor and said, “Ash? What are you doing here?”
“I’m here on business, actually. Isthiswhere you work? I had no idea.”
“This is the company’s main office, but I only spend a few days a month here. I’m normally out at different sites, working out of a trailer or my car, depending on which jobs I’m managing at any given point. Can I ask what you’re doing here?”
“Sure. I’m looking for a guy named Brett Porter. He works here, right?”
“Yeah, he does, but he’s out at one of our sites today. One that I’m managing as a matter of fact. Is he in some kind of trouble?” Ker asked.
“No, not at all. Remember that string of robberies I was telling you about? Brett was one of the victims, and we may have recovered some of his things. I was hoping to show him a few photos if that’s okay,” Ash replied.
“Of course. I’m heading out to the site—it’s a donut shop in a small strip mall on the edge of town. You can follow me out there, but I need a few more minutes here if that’s okay?” Ker was sure that Ash could find the place on his own but was hoping to spend a few more minutes with him.
“Yeah, no problem. I can wait.”
“Wanna cup of coffee?” Ker asked, gesturing to the Keurig machine.
Ash said, “I can get it, thanks.”
Ker finished up his tasks, and they headed out to the parking lot. “I’m sure you know where the place is, but I figured it would be easier if I introduced you to Brett when we get there.”
“Makes sense,” Ash agreed. “Some folks get antsy when cops show up unannounced.”
The ride took only ten minutes, and when he got out of his car, Ker said, “Come on in the trailer with me. The building they’re working on is a hard-hat area, so I’ll just call Brett on the walkie-talkie, and he can come here to talk with you. Plus, the other guys don’t need to know his business unless Brett wants to tell them.”
Once inside, Ker grabbed a walkie-talkie from the desk and said into the speaker, “Hey, Brett. You there?”
A moment later, he heard, “Yeah, boss, what’s up?”
“Can you come to the trailer, please?”
“Sure. Be right there.”
A few moments later, Brett walked in. “You wanted to see me, Ker?”
Ker turned to Ash, who said, “Hello, Mr. Porter. I’m Detective Reynolds from the Hawthorne Bluff Police Department. I believe you were interviewed by my partner, Detective Hank Somerset, about the theft of some items from your home.”
“Um, yes. Nice to meet you, sir.” Brett reached out to shake Ash’s hand.
“I can give you guys some privacy if you’d like,” Ker said to them.
“No, that’s okay, boss,” Brett replied. “None of this is private as far as I’m concerned.” He turned to Ash. “Have you found anything yet?”
“We think so. I have photos of a few things that may be yours.” Ash opened the file folder he was carrying and showed Brett a series of photos. “Can you identify any of these items?”
