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“I don’t get that.” If anything, I’d expect sympathy from customers.
“Sullivan Arms’ marketing campaign stresses self-defense. Wayne apparently blew a gasket that the PR team allowed this to happen. Says if the owner’s daughter is kidnapped, then that goes against their positioning that guns keep your family safe.”
“What does Jack say?”
“He doesn’t give a damn. Only reason I know about it is he had me on speaker phone when Wayne charged into the office. But he backed down pretty quick. Said he’d go do damage control.”
“It’s hard to imagine this negatively impacting sales, but if it does, then does that give a competitor motive?”
Ryan concentrates on a far corner, his expression a nearly blank slate. His lips scrunch, and he gives a quick shake of his head. “No. I can understand Wayne’s concern, but he’s too close to his marketing campaign. Maybe a touch possessive over the PR agency. In recent history, fear serves to drive gun sales, not hamper them. And the fear the ads strive to create drives sales for all gun manufacturers, not just one brand.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“Other than Reyes, no other executive was in the FBI database. They’ll still pull together background reports, but no one has a criminal history, and there are no red flags.”
“And Reyes did sales?”
“He has a lot of international accounts. My bet is that’s what put him on the ATF watch list.”
“I keep thinking that it could be random. But then I remember the spliced tape. It’s not random. I hate to say it, but I assume you’ve checked insurance policies…” I let the words trail off. It sucks to vocalize it, but the reality is, tomorrow we’ll be with a new team, and they won’t leave any stone unturned.
“Sullivan doesn’t need money. He doesn’t give a damn about his reputation in the press. This trail isn’t going to lead back to Sullivan.” Ryan speaks with the conviction of someone who has given the matter thought and studied it from all sides. I agree with him. “If it leads back to Jack Sullivan, it’s going to be related to his role as a dominant player as a gun manufacturer. At least sixty percent of their product is exported. It’s going to be a deal gone bad. An SOB angry that a deal didn’t happen. We aren’t looking in the right places yet.”
“Did you ask him about any deals?”
“He says he doesn’t negotiate any of the wholesale deals. It’s all in the sales department.”
“So, a deal could have gone badly, and he’s unaware? But the slighted party goes after the CEO’s daughter?” That doesn’t make sense.
Ryan’s lips contort, and his eyes squint. He’s not buying too heavily into this line of reasoning. His eyes widen and he shakes his head. “Anything is possible at this juncture. I called Wayne. Asked him if he’ll have time to talk with us. Gave him the heads up we’d like to go over any deals that didn’t end with happy customers.”
“What did he say?”
“Happy to do anything he can once he’s finished with damage control.” Ryan pauses, and a hint of amusement dances across his lips. “He colored his statement with some descriptive words I haven’t heard since my Navy days. Said he couldn’t think of any soured deals, but he’ll bring whatever he can find tomorrow.”
Ryan squints, looking off to his left once again. When he’s thinking, he has a tendency to look off to the corner. Something clicks in that brain of his, and he dials his phone. He sets it on speaker so I can hear.
“Wolf!” The woman answering sounds happy and excited.
“Hey, Kairi. I’m here with a colleague, Dr. Rolfe. We’re working the Sophia Sullivan case.”
“Nice to meet you, Dr. Rolfe.” Ryan rolls his eyes. I assume it’s at his partner’s exuberance.
“Can you check out or reach out to some regulars on gun marketplaces?”
“You mean places like Black Market Reloaded and Agora?”
“Exactly. This is a longshot, but we’ve only got longshots right now. Can you see if you see any transactions with Sullivan Arms product?”
“Sure. Not a prob. Does it matter the product? Assault? Silencer? Parts?”
“No.” He pulls on his chin, contemplative. “Parts? You mean for ghost guns, right?”
“Yep.”
“People care about manufacturer for those?”
“I’ve never been in the market for parts myself. But I’ve read that ghost guns are a big issue. If forty thousand ghost guns are apprehended in a given year, that means a ton of parts are being sold by someone. My guess is it’s a big market.”
