Harm's Reach

36

Days passed with no new information on bandits, genuine or tribute. The Flynn case hovered, waiting for direction. Ren arrived at Safe Streets on an empty, tight stomach after a poor night’s sleep, filled with scattered, panicked thoughts.

Stand back, people. Do not approach the beast.

‘Good morning, Ren!’ said Everett.

She smiled. OK, that helps. Enforced interaction with kind humans.

‘I can see it,’ he said. ‘The lack-of-caffeine-thousand-yard stare...’

‘Visible only to those similarly afflicted,’ said Ren.

‘Allow me to take care of it.’

‘God bless you, Everett.’

Everett dropped the coffee to Ren’s desk within ten minutes. ‘Is it safe?’ he said.

‘What do you mean?’ said Ren. Irritated. Why am I irritated?

‘To talk you through what I have before you’ve finished your coffee?’

‘No — it’s perilous,’ said Ren. ‘Give me fifteen minutes to find the way to my human side... or work out how to mimic yours.’

‘OK,’ said Everett.

‘Thanks for asking, though.’ And not drowning me in information when I’m delicate.

Everett came back when she was finished.

‘OK,’ he said. ‘You were talking about the Denver Tech Center a few days ago. Well, Robert Prince has interests there.’

‘No way,’ said Ren.

‘Two things,’ said Everett. ‘One is a charity called ACORA.’

‘I know that name,’ said Ren.

‘Yes,’ said Everett.

‘Pause and reflect,’ said Ren. ‘It’s Robert Prince’s mother’s name! Acora Prince.’

‘Correct,’ said Everett.

‘Anyone else involved in this charity?’ said Ren.

‘Yes... all six of the board members attended the same private school as Robert Prince — Harmon’s. This is some interesting network.’

‘He likes networks,’ said Ren. ‘Why does he need a charity when that Catholic organization he’s in is all about giving?’

‘The OCBLA is not all about giving,’ said Everett. ‘They’re all about earning billions and influencing the government.’

‘You know what I mean,’ said Ren.

‘The second organization is an energy company called NOVA,’ said Everett. ‘It’s very strange. Just to give you the background: when Robert Prince’s mother, Acora, died in 2001, she left Robert, among other things, a tract of land in North Dakota: five hundred acres in the Williston Basin. Her father, Walter Prince, had bought this land back in ’53.’ He paused. ‘What do you know about fracking?’

‘That it wasn’t invented in 1953...’ said Ren.

Everett smiled. ‘Exactly. Walter Prince either knew the people involved in the Bakken Shale discovery or he got a lucky break, but either way, he bought himself five hundred prime acres. Like you said, fracking wasn’t invented; a few years passed, no one was any closer to extracting the oil, so Walter Prince leased the land to a rancher and got a steady income from it. Cut to 2004 and the technology’s been developed to access the oil reserves. When the oil companies come in and start throwing money at North Dakota landowners, Robert Prince, owner of said five hundred acres, is very excited. He’s already a wealthy man, but, as we know, the bulk of it was inherited. He is keen on making his own money by setting up his own energy company, but to his great embarrassment, he discovers that he doesn’t own the mineral rights. He had just assumed he did; his father was in mining — why would he buy land without the mineral rights? Those mineral rights, instead, are owned by the federal government. So, basically, Robert Prince loses out on millions and millions of dollars...’

‘Yeah... fuck his life...’ said Ren.

‘I know, right?’ said Everett.

‘So, why did he set up his own energy company without owning the mineral rights to the land?’ said Ren. ‘I don’t get it.’

‘He could be planning to buy other people’s mineral rights,’ said Everett. ‘Apparently the oil and natural reserves there were massively under-rated. There’s a lot of money to be made.’

‘This DTC thing is weird,’ said Ren. ‘There’s Wellness Partners — The Darned Heart’s rehab facility, along with Robert Prince’s energy company and charity. Could you check if there’s some connection between Robert Prince and the ranch that we don’t know about, something financial... nothing to do with Conor Gorman staying there. Isn’t it all a little cozy? The Princes, the rehab, the ranch... could Laura Flynn have stumbled across something that everyone is happy to collude in covering up?’ She paused. ‘Does Robert Prince by any chance own that rehab facility?’

‘No, he doesn’t,’ said Everett. ‘I checked that. But sit tight. Don’t approach him with this yet. There is more digging to be done.’

‘Thank you for all this,’ said Ren. I like your style.

Ren’s phone rang. It was Janine. She listened as Ren went through what Everett had found on Robert Prince’s finances.

‘My bombshell is bigger than yours,’ said Janine.

‘No competitions,’ said Ren. ‘Ever. I told you...’

‘I just got off the phone from Barry Tolman,’ said Janine. ‘He has the DNA results on million-dollar baby Flynn/Prince.’

‘And?’

‘In words borrowed from Maury Povich, Jerry Springer, and co.: “Robert Prince, you are not the father.”’

‘What the what?’ said Ren.

‘He’s not a match,’ said Janine. ‘It’s Ingrid Prince plus A.N. Other.’