Bad Business

24

The message on my answering machine was from a woman with a prestigious British accent. She said her name was Delia, that she was calling from Kinergy on behalf of Bob Cooper, and that Bob would very much like to meet me for lunch at his club.

The CEO. Hot dog!

Cooper's club was on the top floor of a tall odd-looking building on Franklin Street. I had to sign in and get a pass before I could go in the elevator. Then I had to show my pass and give my name to the reception desk in the sky lobby, before I could take a second elevator to the Standish Club. A dignified woman in a dark suit met me at the elevator.

"Mr. Cooper hasn't arrived yet," she said. "His secretary called to say that he'd be a few minutes late."

O f course he'd be a few minutes late.

"Do you wish to be seated?" the woman said. "Or do you prefer to wait at the bar?"

O nly a loser was caught sitting alone at a table waiting for someone.

"Seated," I said.

I t did me no harm to be thought a loser. Might even do me some good. She took me to a table by the window, took my order for beer, and left me to admire the water views. Boston being what it was there weren't many high floors downtown where you couldn't see the water. But the Standish Club had made the most of it. There were two floor-to-ceiling window walls facing the water, and the light poured through them and the room gleamed. Near the center of the room was a circular bar with four people trying not to look like losers as they sipped cocktails and waited. They were all men. They all wore business suits. They all wore white shirts. Two had blue ties, one had a red tie. One had yellow. Three had short, but not too short, recent, but not too recent haircuts. The other guy had shoulder-length black hair. He was also the one with the yellow tie. Probably worked in advertising.

I was two swallows into my first beer when Cooper showed up. He walked into the dining room like he was taking a curtain call. He was a big man with a square jaw and bright blue eyes. He wore a light gray summer-weight suit, with a white shirt and a powder blue satin tie. His hair was iron gray and brushed back carefully over the ears. I stood when he reached the table.

"Spenser?" he said. "Bob Cooper, thanks for coming."

"My pleasure," I said.

"Hope you weren't waiting long." I looked at my watch.

"Ten minutes," I said.

"Hell, I'm sorry. They don't give me a damned minute over there."

"I'm sure they don't," I said.

Without being asked, the waitress brought a tall glass of something bubbly, with an orange slice in it, and placed it in front of Cooper.

Without looking up he said, "Thanks, Shirley."

He picked up the glass, made a toasting gesture at me, and took a sip.

"Campari and soda," he said. "You ever try it?"

"I have," I said.

"Like it?"

"No."

Cooper laughed as if what I'd said was funny. Maybe for him hearing the word no, in any context, was the sudden perception of incongruity.

"Acquired taste," he said. "You hungry?"

I said I was. He agreed. We both studied the menu for a moment. Then he ordered a Caesar salad. I had a club sandwich. "So," I said, "Mr. Cooper ... "

"Coop," he said. "Everybody calls me Coop." I nodded.

"So what brings us together, Coop?"

"Well, I know you're looking into the death of Trent Rowley, poor bastard, he was a good man, and I thought well, hell, might make sense to talk face-to-face, you know? One working stiff to another, see if we can get somewhere."

"One working stiff to another, Coop?" He grinned.

"Yeah, yeah. There's probably more bullshit and folderol around my job, but we're both trying to make an honest living."

"Just a couple a working stiffs," I said.

He grinned again. It was a really good grin.

"You actually think somebody in the shop killed Trent?"

"I don't know who killed Trent," I said. "But it had to be somebody that could come and go in the shop without any problem."

The waitress came back with our food. My sandwich had a small heap of French fries with it. I ate one. Shame to waste them.

"Damn," Cooper said. "You got that right, don't you. There's no way in hell to get around it."

My club sandwich was cut in triangular quarters. I took a small dignified bite from one of them. It seemed bad strategy to get it all over my shirtfront.

"'Course most of the wives know their way around there," he said.

"You think somebody's wife shot Rowley?"

"Hell, I don't know. That's your department. I'm just thinking out loud."

"Any other candidates?" I said. "Besides employees and wives?"

"Oh, hell yes," Cooper said. He ate very rapidly.

"We got vendors, coming and going. We got customers. Government people, you know, Interior, Commerce, SEC, Energy, State Department."

"State?" I said.

"Yes, we are a very large presence on the international energy scene, we do a lot of business with foreign governments."

"Gee," I said.

"Spenser," he said, "I gotta tell you, we are one hell of a company. We really are."

He was almost finished with his salad. I had three-quarters still to go on my club sandwich. I was betting Coop wasn't the kind of guy that was going to sit around while I finished. He took his last bite of salad. He looked at his watch.

"Goddamn," he said. "I'm already running late on the afternoon."

I knew I should have bet myself money.

"I wanted to get a look at you," he said. "And I'm glad I did. I like what I see."

I smiled modestly.

"Tell you what," Cooper said. "We're having a corporate retreat this weekend, down on the Cape, Chatham Bars Inn. We got the whole place. Informal. Give us all a chance to kick back and get to know each other in a relaxed way, you know, out of the office, away from the phone. We tear up the place pretty good."

I nodded and picked up the second quarter of my club sandwich.

"I was hoping you might join us, as my guest, of course. Get to know all the management people, might help you learn a little about us, and even if it doesn't . . ."

Cooper grinned and winked at me. "Hell, it's a good time. You married?"

"Sort of," I said.

"Well, bring your sort-of wife along too."

"Actually," I said, "I don't bring her anywhere. But she might like to come."

"I'll have Delia send you the details," Cooper said. "She'll reserve a room for you."

"Sure," I said.

He looked at his watch again.

"Gee, look," he said. "I'm sorry. I just have to run."

"Un-huh," I said.

"I hope you don't mind."

"I'm a working stiff myself," I said. "I know how it is."

There was just a flicker on Cooper's face for a moment. Was I kidding him? No, of course not. Bob Cooper? No, couldn't be.

"Well, I look forward to seeing you in Chatham," he said and put out his hand. "I'll buy you a drink."

He grinned again and winked again. "Maybe several," he said.