Back Track (30 page)

He realized Kate was talking to him. ‘What was that?’ he asked.

‘I said, how did you know it was Shaw?’

Bishop shrugged. ‘I didn’t. He was one of the cops interrogating me about the fire this morning. I just threw the name out, that’s all.’

Kate snorted. ‘You don’t strike me as the kind of guy who just says things at random.’ She watched him for a long moment as she slowly slid the side of her forefinger down the beer glass. ‘You really need to give that footage to the police, you know.’

Here we go again
. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘it’s a two-minute clip showing an indistinct man outside a garage that just happened to be set on fire shortly after. The very definition of circumstantial evidence. And Abraham’s got no obvious motive. Any half-decent lawyer would get it thrown out in a second.’

‘But it would point the police in the right direction, at least.’

He shook his head. ‘If an innocent guy was facing a murder charge, I’d consider it, but Rutherford’s beyond caring. And I’m not about to risk Selina’s safety by alerting these people I’m on to them. Not yet.’

She seemed about to say something else, but just then the waitress came back with their meals. Cheeseburger, salad and fries for Bishop. BLT sandwich and salad for Kate. They spent a quiet minute adding various condiments. Then Kate took a bite of the sandwich and said, ‘So tell me, what was it like in prison?’

That little thunderbolt threw Bishop for only a moment. He launched into his burger and said, ‘You know about that?’

She nodded. ‘When you first came to the office there was something about your face that struck a chord with me, so I did a little checking. You sure make interesting reading. So how was it behind bars?’

‘About what you’d expect. I’ve been in worse places, but I’ve been in better. You really want to talk about that while we eat?’

‘What shall we talk about, then?’ she asked, taking a sip of her beer and smiling playfully at him over the glass rim.

He looked at the hands holding the glass. They were nice hands. And Kate had a nice face. Especially when she smiled. Bishop knew there were plenty of subjects they could talk about. But he also remembered why he was here and said, ‘You mentioned Olander’s business dealings before. Has he got his own company set-up?’

Kate sighed and put down the glass. ‘Uh huh. Catalyst Incorporated, it’s called.’

‘And do they have offices around here?’

‘Kind of. Olander’s got a whole warehouse just outside of town.’

Bishop nodded. Even better. For what they were doing, they’d need someplace large. He’d already given it some serious thought, but up till now hadn’t really known where to start. There were warehouses practically everywhere you looked in Arizona. But now he remembered the industrial park he’d passed on Highway 60. Just outside of town. There’d been a sign by the road with a name on it.
What was it again?
After a few seconds it came back to him. ‘Gareth Rhodes Business Park? That the place you mean?’

‘That’s right. Olander has part ownership in the place. He’s also got one of the biggest warehouses all to himself, fenced off and away from all the others. I hear he employs security guards to keep watch, day and night. People around here have always wondered what he gets up to in there.’

‘That’s interesting,’ he said.

They both ate in silence for awhile, lost in their own thoughts. Bishop polished off the last of his burger and said, ‘That car dealer in Yuma. Do you still have his number?’

Kate smiled, her salad fork halfway to her mouth. ‘I’ve got
every
one’s number, don’t you know that by now? Why?’

‘Can you call him and get him to give you the licence numbers for those four vans?’

Kate put down the fork and pulled out a small electronic organizer from her shoulder bag. ‘I can try,’ she said, and started pressing buttons with an expert’s touch. ‘There you are,’ she said a few moments later and pulled her cell phone from her bag. Bishop watched as she keyed in a number and put the phone to her ear.

‘Is that Lyle Kinney?’ she said a few seconds later. ‘Hi, this is Kate McGowan. Do you remember me from . . . Wow, I’m flattered. Look, I was wondering if you still had the licence numbers for those SUVs Grant Olander conned you out of . . . Yeah, those . . . Well, I might be on to something, it’s too early to tell . . . Sure, I don’t mind. Take your time.’

She covered the mouthpiece. ‘I caught him at his office. He’s just checking for me.’

I bet he is
. Bishop had no idea what the guy’s marital status was, but he felt confident Kinney would make a pass before the conversation was through. Call it instinct.

‘Hold on,’ she said a minute later and rummaged through her bag. She pulled out a notebook and pencil and said, ‘Okay, go.’ She wrote down numbers for about a minute and said, ‘That’s great, Lyle. I really appreciate it . . .’ She listened for a moment, then in a quieter voice said, ‘I don’t think I can, Lyle . . . No, that’s okay, but I just don’t think it would be a good idea . . . Exactly right. We all do . . . Okay, bye.’ She ended the call and blew out a breath.

‘Let him down easy, did you?’

She smiled at him. ‘He really should know better. I saw the framed pictures last time I was there. Beautiful wife, nice kids. I just don’t get it. Why do some guys want to risk all that for a few sweaty moments with someone they barely know?’

‘Because men can be stupid. Especially when it comes to attractive women.’

She took a sip of her beer, clearly pleased with the compliment. ‘And what about you, Bishop? Are you ever stupid?’

‘Sometimes. None of us are perfect.’

‘I meant with women.’

‘I know you did.’

Kate smiled at him again. It was a great smile. One with a hint of the devil in there. She took a long slug of her beer, put the bottle down and then slowly slid her way out of her side of the booth. She came round and sat down next to him, close enough for their hips to touch. Despite the task still ahead of him, Bishop found himself enjoying the moment. He was also more than a little curious to see what she’d do next.

‘Believe it or not,’ she said, ‘I can be stupid sometimes, too.’

‘I doubt that.’

‘No? Watch me.’

Then she placed a palm against his cheek and pulled his face down to hers. They kissed. Bishop didn’t know for how long, but when he finally broke away he found he was short of breath. She’d tasted as nice as he’d imagined. He said, ‘Pretty forward, aren’t you?’

Kate shrugged. ‘Grab the moment, I say. How about you?’

Bishop had never been the impulsive type, but in this particular case he was inclined to agree. Except there was still Jenna to consider. And cheating on people he cared about had never been part of his nature. But his attraction towards Kate clearly showed that long-term relationships weren’t part of his nature, either. Pity. But
to thine own self be true
, as the old Shakespearean quote went. Bishop just hoped Jenna wouldn’t end up resenting him for it when he told her of his decision.

And as for Kate, as much as he liked her, he couldn’t afford to get sidetracked now. Not with Selina’s fate in the balance. It was past nine already. He only had twenty-seven hours to play with. Maybe less. ‘I say, I’ll definitely give it some serious thought. But for now, do you want to show me those plate numbers?’

‘Oh. Sure.’ Kate reached over for her pad. She tore the page out and passed it to him.

Bishop looked at them. As he’d expected, the numbers were sequential. Straight out of the factory. Shouldn’t be too hard to check who the current owners were.

‘You’re a journalist,’ he said. ‘You must know somebody at the DMV, right?’

‘Wrong,’ she said. ‘But it just so happens I’ve got something even better.’

Kate drove them south along Saracen Road for a mile before taking a right into West Tyler Avenue. Bishop noticed a smattering of businesses and stores near the intersection on both sides, while further back it looked to be mostly private residences.

She parked her Subaru Forester outside one of the former, a small, nondescript brick building with an awning outside. Above it a sign read
Massingham Computer Sales & Repair
. It was dark inside, and the windows and door had shutters over them. Bishop had a feeling they’d entered one of the less desirable sections of town.

They both got out. Kate locked the station wagon’s doors and said, ‘Friendly warning. You need to be careful around Raymond, okay? I’ve known him a long time, but he’s prickly and doesn’t get on with too many people. First thing he’ll do is see how far he can push your buttons. So be cool and for God’s sake don’t call him Raymond.’

‘I’ll try to remember,’ Bishop said.

Kate led him down the side of the building. It was dark and went back quite a way. So far that Bishop thought maybe the place doubled as living quarters for the guy. At the rear were two small, barred windows and a steel door. There was also a spotlight near the roof that illuminated the area, and just under that Bishop noticed a very small surveillance camera behind a grille. Kate rapped her knuckles against the door and they waited.

After about thirty seconds, he heard latches being drawn, locks being turned. The door opened outwards and a medium-sized blond man stood there looking at each of them. Bishop had been picturing an older version of Milhouse off
The Simpsons
. But this Raymond was about Kate’s age. His short hair was brushed forward and he had a face that wasn’t far off handsome. He wore glasses, though, so Bishop had got that part right.

‘Hey, Lady McG,’ he said, ‘how y’all doin’? Who’s the mouth-breather?’

‘Charming,’ Kate said, ‘and you can drop the southern shit-kicker accent, Raymond. It doesn’t suit you. This is James Bishop. Can we come in?’

‘McG always be welcome here.’ He opened the door further to let them through and locked it behind them. He frowned briefly at Bishop, then led them down a short hallway, past a couple of doors and into a large workroom.

There were computers, laptops, hard drives and parts everywhere. Shelves lined two of the walls, all full to the brim with items Bishop couldn’t even begin to identify. Framed pictures and posters covered most of the other two walls. Books and magazines all over the floor. Raymond cleared one chair of stuff so Kate could sit. Then he took the only other one and rested an elbow on the only clear spot on his desk. ‘Bishop, huh?’

‘That’s right,’ Bishop said.

‘So you known McG here long?’

‘Not long. Just a few hours.’

‘Uh huh. So what’s the deal with you, Bishop? You law or something?’

Bishop smiled. ‘Something.’

Raymond gave him a malicious grin back. ‘Something. You a tough guy, Bishop?’

‘Not particularly.’

‘So if I were to tell you that I don’t like your face, or your attitude, and to get the hell out off my property, what would you do?’

‘Leave, I guess. Why, is that something you’re likely to say?’

‘Raymond . . .’ Kate said in a low tone.

‘Hey, I’m just having a conversation with the man, McG. Don’t sweat it. Besides, you barely know him. He could be anyone. Maybe he’s a closet pantie sniffer. He looks the type. How about it, Jimbo? That the kind of thing that gets you hot?’

Bishop shrugged. ‘Sure, Ray. Whatever you say.’

Raymond’s face immediately went stony. Bishop kept his a blank mask. Nobody spoke for a few moments. Then Raymond adjusted his glasses and smiled slightly with one side of his mouth. ‘Yeah, thought so,’ he said.

‘If I can cut in on your king-of-the-castle act for just a second, Raymond,’ Kate said, ‘we came here hoping you could help us out with something.’

He turned to her and his smile got wider. ‘Hit me, McG.’

‘If only it were that easy.’ She passed over the page from her notebook. ‘We want to know who these vehicles are registered to. Pretty simple stuff, but I told Bishop you were better than the DMV at this kind of thing.’

He turned to his desk. ‘Not better, exactly,’ he said and started typing on the laptop as he spoke. ‘See, it’s all about who you know in this world, McG. And I happen to know one of the guys who helped design the firewalls for their servers. Met him back when I was still working for the phone company and we stayed in touch ever since. We still do each other favours, swap passwords and back doors, that kind of thing.’

Raymond went quiet and continued typing, occasionally using the touchpad. Oblivious of everything else. Jenna was the same. Bishop had seen her get wired in to the point where he could set off a firecracker next to her ear and she wouldn’t notice.

After a while, Raymond turned to Kate and said, ‘What are you expecting to find, McG?’

‘That they’re all registered to a company called Catalyst Incorporated.’

He turned back to the screen. ‘Well, they used to be. Catalyst sold them all on three years ago. Two went to private buyers, an A. Mendoza in Glendale, and an R. Trevane in Gila Bend. The other two were bought by a company called Distar Associates.’

Kate sighed. ‘There goes
that
theory, then.’

‘Not necessarily,’ Bishop said. ‘Where’s this Distar company based?’

Raymond leaned in closer. ‘They got an office over in Flagstaff.’

‘Any way of finding out who the owners are?’

‘Sure, you just do a search on the Arizona Secretary of State website.’ Raymond turned to the second laptop and went back to work. After a while he said, ‘Looks like I spoke too soon. I’m getting a big fat nothing.’

Kate turned to Bishop. ‘They didn’t register the business in this state then.’

‘Try a search on the Nevada website,’ Bishop said.

Raymond said, ‘O-o-kay,’ and went to work.

‘Why there?’ Kate asked.

‘Nevada’s a major corporate haven,’ Bishop said. ‘You can get incorporated there even if your company headquarters are in another state, but you’re still protected by their strict disclosure laws. Plus you don’t pay corporate income tax.’

‘I guess you read the right magazines, huh?’

Bishop smiled. ‘I do, but that’s not it. In my old life, I provided personal protection for a lot of rich businessmen, and if there was a legal way to save a buck they’d find it. This was one of the ways.’