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“Do you have any idea how many employees CH4 has around the world, Sheriff? You expect me to know all of them? Why the interest?” Burton asked.
“I suspect foul play. But you probably wouldn’t know anything about that,” Stuart said.
“I’m afraid not,” the CEO said. “We really need to get going.”
Stuart looked at Howie but knew the pilot wasn’t going to be forthcoming in front of his boss. “Well, thanks for your time.” He turned and walked away, feeling the two men watching him.
The sheriff realized that the man he needed to talk to might be at the hotel bar by this time of day. Sure enough, once he reached town, he saw the Texan’s pickup parked out front. He found the geologist for CH4 at the bar.
Alfred “Tick” Whitaker was busy entertaining a couple of regulars. The Texan was a big man in his midfifties who had the gift of gab, Stuart’s father would have said. Tick also liked the ladies according to the local scuttlebutt. Apparently full of stories, abundant charm and plenty of spending money, Tick also liked to drink.
The sheriff let him finish his story before he asked the man to join him at a table. “What are you drinking?” He told the bartender and motioned to a table away from the bar. “Need to ask you a few questions.”
“What can I do for you, Sheriff?” Tick asked as he pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Tell me about Rory Eastwood.”
Tick didn’t even pretend not to know the man. “Wasn’t that something about his pickup being pulled out of a reservoir?” He shook his head. “I thought for sure you’d find his body behind the wheel. Only been a couple of years. Wouldn’t have decayed all that much that they wouldn’t have found something when they dragged the reservoir.”
Clearly, he was fairly well informed. Stuart pretended to take a sip of his beer and watched Tick take a large gulp of his. “What was Rory like?”
“Seemed like a fine enough guy, kind of full of it, you know?” He did know. He thought Tick was full of it, too.
“Had a way with the ladies, did he?”
The geologist laughed. “I wouldn’t say that. He was kind of shy around women. Hadn’t worked for the company long. That’s why I was surprised when he quit. It’s a good job that pays well.”
“Heard he was telling people he’d fallen in love and was leaving town with her,” Stuart said and raised his beer to his lips, watching Tick over the bottle.
“Why are you asking about Rory?”
“It must be boring as hell being stuck in this tiny town in the middle of nowhere. I figured if anyone might have known Rory, it would be you since I heard that you both frequented this hotel bar.” Tick finished his drink and the sheriff motioned to the bartender for another one for him. “Also, you’re the kind of man that someone shy might confide in—especially when it comes to women. Bet he told you about her.”
The bartender brought over the beer and took Tick’s empty glass before the Texan answered. “Not that I can recall.”
“Guess you two weren’t as close as I thought.” He took a sip of beer. He wanted to be completely sober when Abigail picked him up later.
Tick picked up his drink and took a gulp. “He didn’t want anyone to know.”
“Why was that?” he asked.
“She kind of had a boyfriend and she hadn’t told him yet.”
“Or she hadn’t made up her mind yet?”
“No, she was going with Rory. He quit his job and they were leaving town that night.”
“So you saw him the night he was leaving.”
Tick took another gulp. “Look, I don’t want any trouble. I’ve been advised not to talk about it. CH4 is worried that it will somehow come back on the company. The bigwig is in town...”
“I’ve met him. This is just between you and me. Was it Leann Hayes?” He saw the answer in the Texan’s eyes and nodded. “I’m pretty sure you know I dated her some and so did my best friend. I need to know if she was leaving with Rory because she and I were friends. It wasn’t serious. But I did worry about her. She seemed to have a knack for picking the wrong men.”
The Texan rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. The two regulars he’d been entertaining had left. The bar was empty except for the two of them and the bartender, who was fiddling with the television as he apparently tried to find a ballgame on it.
“It was Leann, wasn’t it?” the sheriff said.
Tick looked pained. “He never said exactly, but I suspected it was. Saw him with her once.”
