Page 24 of Oleander

“We understand,” nodded Cam. “I know you can’t give it to us, but do you have any evidence to prove there was trouble before the accident occurred.”

“I have one-hundred and fifteen pieces of evidence,” he said leaning back in his chair. “Memos, emails, letters, transcripts from voicemails telling him that more funds were needed to update the platform and to ensure the safety of the workers on that platform.”

“That bastard,” muttered Luke. “He ignored it all.”

“Oh, no. He didn’t ignore it. He sent an engineer out to look at it. Proof that he paid attention to the warnings. The engineers, every damn time, came back and said it was a simple valve problem or pressure gauge. It’s despicable. The safety boats and rafts? They couldn’t be lowered because the equipment failed. It was so old and rusted, never tested, that they had no chance to get away.”

The man was shaking, his hands folded across his stomach. He took in a few deep breaths, then a few sips of water, finally letting out one gust of air.

“I’m sorry.”

“There is no need to be sorry, Mr. Collins. You’re passionate about this and so are we. Ms. Martin was a good woman, kind to everyone. She may have staged her death, killed herself, to bring attention to all of this. She made sure that Burton would not get her shares or her money.

“A few weeks ago, we met with her son-in-law who wanted the money left in her will. It was determined the will was valid, changed when Ms. Martin was of sound mind. But while we were speaking with him, he was shot. Why do you think that is?” asked Luke. Collins frowned, shaking his head.

“I don’t know. Was he working with Hollis?” he asked.

“We’re not sure, yet. He said he owed a big gambling debt. Twenty-million,” said Luke. Collins let out a low whistle.

“That’s a debt alright. It could be money he owed Hollis Burton. I didn’t know about the son-in-law, obviously. But,” he smirked, “I can pull his bank records and see where the money was going.”

“Legally?” smirked Luke. Collins laughed as he typed on his computer.

“Please, Mr. Robicheaux. You and I both know you are not concerned with how I get this information. Besides, I bought one of your commercially available software packages last year. It’s quite good.” Luke and Cam both laughed as he continued to peck away.

“Here,” he said turning the screen. “Large deposits on the first of every month. Five million each time and almost immediately, he was withdrawing around four million. He was either using that money to pay off the debts or he was gambling with it. The question is, how does a man who owns three dry cleaning services bring in five-million a month?”

“That’s a lot of dry cleaning,” frowned Cam. “Did he have a will?” A few more pecks and taps and Collins frowned, staring at the two men.

“He did. Everything he owned was to be left to Hollis Burton.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“What do we do?” whispered the recruiter at the Burton Drilling table. “Mr. Burton will kill us if he knows we’re next to them.”

“We don’t have an option,” said the personnel manager. “The career fair assigns the tables. We’ll just deal with it.”

The big sign in front of the Robicheaux Oil and Gas table highlighted company benefits, excellent pay, regular pay raises, bonuses, sign-on bonuses, and most importantly, a safe work environment.

Three men stood in front of the Robicheaux Oil and Gas table, speaking with Zoe.

“This pay is much higher than anyone else,” said the man.

“It is,” smiled Zoe, “but we’d ask that you look at everything else as well. Regular bonuses, exceptional benefits, and proven safe environments.”

“I’d like to apply,” said the man. Zoe handed him a tablet and instructed him to have a seat and complete the online form. He gave her a resume and she handed it to Remy to review. He nodded, then sat down with the young man.

Two other men did the same, the table at Burton Drilling empty, except for the recruiter and personnel manager.

“Ma’am? I was just wondering if we would be allowed to visit the rig before actually signing on?” asked one of the young men. Grace turned to Robbie and he nodded.

“We’ll be conducting tours for three separate rigs next week,” said Robbie. “That will give you some peace of mind that we’re not just letting you view a show pony.” The young man laughed and nodded.

“I look forward to it, sir. I’ve wanted to get on board with ROG for a while now.”

“This is like taking candy from a baby,” whispered Jessica. “No one wants to work for Burton.”

“I’m not sure how they’re staying open,” said Zoe, her voice low. One of the young man tapped her shoulder and leaned forward.