Page 10 of Flash Freeze

“All right, then,” Bach said. “Inspector Ballard, thank you for letting us in there.”

“Yes, thank you, Inspector Ballard,” Athena echoed. She might call Flash’s friend “Bonnie” in private, but they were on duty, so formal it was.

“I’ll let you know if our investigation turns up anything else useful. The Houston Crime Lab has the bomb fragments. They’ll report their findings to both of your offices. I hope you catch this guy,” Bonnie added, with a glance up at the towers of toxic chemicals. “We came within a hair’s breadth of a major disaster.”

Athena gave her a grave nod. Now, to dig up everything there is to know about Justin Booker.

Chapter 5

Two FBI agents in black suits led Plant Manager Justin Booker to an interview room, while Athena watched from a distance. At forty-two, he was a tall, muscular man with dirty-blond hair and a down-to-earth quality about the way he moved and interacted with the agents.

“Well?” asked Detective Bach, looming at Athena’s side. “Aren’t we going to go ask him questions?”

She spared him an impatient glance. “Patience. Didn’t anyone teach you how to make an entrance?”

He frowned. Athena noticed he’d made time to shave during the lunch break. “I don’t generally ‘make an entrance.’ I’m not a diva.”

Athena smirked. “I am. Booker started working at Gulf Allied Chemicals straight out of high school. After a few years, he took a leave of absence to earn a management degree from the University of Houston and returned as an assistant manager. After distinguishing himself in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, he was promoted to general manager. He’s divorced and has three kids who live with their mother in Freeport most of the time. My preliminary financial run didn’t raise any red flags.”

“I ran him too,” Bach said, leaning on an open doorframe. “No criminal record. The guy bowls and plays city league baseball. The fire department said he was frantic to get his employees out of the fire. He’d already pulled several people to safety by the time firefighters arrived and had to be restrained from going back for more.”

“Now that we’re all caught up, let’s see what Mr. Booker can tell us about the fire.” Athena struck out, her heels clacking lightly on the tile floor. Bach hurried ahead to open the interview room door for her. She strode through like royalty, poised, head high, unhurried, in command.

Mr. Booker glanced up. Taking her in, he stood, as a good Southern gentleman should when a lady enters the room. “Good day, ma’am.” Not wearing a hat to tip, he nodded to her with a nervous smile.

They all took their seats. “Mr. Booker, thank you for coming in this afternoon. I know this has been a harrowing experience for you. This is Detective Bach with the Houston Police, and I’m Assistant Special Agent in Charge Bouvier with the FBI. The evidence recovered after the incident at your office building at Gulf Allied Chemicals indicates the fire wasn’t an accident. Someone placed a bomb in the generator outside and detonated it, starting the fire that killed three of your employees and a federal inspector.”

She opened the folder she’d brought in and laid out four portrait photographs she’d acquired online. “Do you recognize these individuals?”

His face sagged, and he wiped a hand across his mouth. His eyes watered as he swallowed. “Yes. Three are my—were my—employees: David, Patricia, and Pedro. The other is Inspector Nolan. EPA, I think, or OSHA. Both? He was there for a three-day comprehensive compliance audit on account of prior safety and environmental violations. It was his second day in the plant.”

“What exactly did he do?” Bach asked.

“He interviewed me and other employees, both in the office and on the line. He inspected the production process, the condition of the building, and how products and waste were handled, and he conducted a basic audit of our office records. That’s why he was in there.”

“Was he alone in the office?” Athena asked. “And if so, why?”

Booker shrugged. “He wanted to review records independently. That’s why I called the office meeting. I mean, we often have a Friday meeting anyway, to evaluate how the week went. But the timing was because Nolan wanted us all out.”

“And what had he discovered so far?” Athena followed up.

“I don’t know.” Booker rubbed the back of his neck. “He just looked stern and never said anything. I know we had previous citations, but you have to understand. That plant is old. Things leak. It’s not like corporate cares. Mr. Whitmore said it’s cheaper to pay the fines than to make the necessary improvements, and everything is about the bottom line with that man. In the meantime, I have to work there every day, and so do my employees. Please, Detective, Agent,” he said, passing a worried gaze from Bach to Athena, “tell me, because the fire department wouldn’t. Were safety issues what caused the explosion and the fire? Was it something stupid that should have been upgraded years ago instead of having a band-aid slapped on it? Three of my people and the inspector died. I tried to get everybody out. I tried!”

On the table, his big hands curled into fists, and his eyes glistened again.

Athena didn’t flick a glance at Bach. She didn’t need to confer with him. The findings would soon hit the news reports if they hadn’t already. She lifted her chin, displaying no emotion.

“I noticed the poor condition of the aging facility when I visited it this morning. But to answer your question, no. While it’s possible Inspector Nolan was preparing additional citations, the blaze and ensuing fire were not accidental. Tell me, Mr. Booker, did you implement the required corrections from your last failed inspection?”

“What?” He blinked, a blank expression on his face. “Not an accident? What do you mean—someone did this on purpose?”

Booker was clearly distracted. He seemed to have missed it the first time, or maybe just took a beat to process.

“It appears Gulf Allied Chemicals has an enemy,” Bach answered. “But back to Special Agent Bouvier’s question. Did you correct the problems?”

“We tried,” he said, clearly more interested in the revelation regarding the cause of the blaze. “I mean, I take my orders from the board, particularly CEO Whitmore. That’s where the money comes from. Now, I took what measures I could: reinforced some tank supports, replaced the leakiest pipes and hoses, and held a job safety seminar that all employees were required to attend. But when it comes to big budget upgrades, those are out of my hands. Do you mean to say someone attacked us? Who?”

A muscle ticked in Athena’s jaw as she took in Booker’s account. She tilted her head at him. “We were hoping you could help with that. Have you received complaints or threats? Have any employees been fired or laid off recently?”