Probable Claws

20

January 24, 2017

Tuesday

“You won’t believe this.” Lisa charged into Felipe’s office. “Raynell, come in here.”

Raynell left her computer, walked into Felipe’s tidy office. “Must be good.”

“It is.” Lisa leaned over Felipe’s desk. “They found a skull while digging for the Cloudcroft Building.”

“What?” Raynell’s hand flew to her chest.

“Kylie called from Richmond.” Kylie Carter was head of Nature First for all of Virginia. “It was on the six o’clock news this morning, Channel 6. The camera showed the spot where the skull was found, interviewed workmen including the foreman, Tony Vicenzo. He said hand work was being done to square off an area, and Keith Dodge unearthed the skull with his spade.”

“You’re good at remembering names.” Raynell was impressed.

“Actually, Kylie wrote them down. Anyway, the police were called, showed up, and now the excavating is shut down while they dig to see if they can find more of the body.”

“Whoever it is had to be under there at least since the Kushner Building and maybe before.” Felipe knew the construction history of that particular area, as did all the Nature First people.

Lisa cupped her chin for a moment. “True.”

“This will cost Rankin Construction a fortune. And Cloudcroft.” Raynell thought in practical terms.

“Well, the cops can’t really treat it as a crime scene until they unearth whatever is down there, if they can. And if there’s no evidence of wrongdoing, they’ll start up building again.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t rouse people to picket the place, carry signs.” Lisa was excited.

“Lisa, they have the building permit. Picketing isn’t going to do any good,” Raynell sensibly told her.

“She’s right.” Felipe backed Raynell. “But what we can do, do it with Kylie, of course, is write a press release about our goals, why we oppose hasty granting of permits, and why Nature First and other groups should be consulted before there is work. We have to frame it in a way where the construction companies realize it’s cheaper in the long run to hear us out, do some of the things we ask about the environment, history.”

“Good idea.” Lisa now sat on the edge of his desk. “But what if that is a murder victim?”

“Changes things,” Raynell replied. “A larger area will need to be carefully sifted. At least I think it will.”

“The police will ask for personnel records from that time, from the first building. What if someone was fired? Someone missing?” Lisa was thinking out loud. “If we can just get them on graft, on payoffs.”

“That’s a big jump,” Raynell replied.

“The codes are strict now. If we jump to conclusions we’ll undermine our credibility.” Felipe raised his voice.

Lisa’s voice rose. “Credibility. The big companies have no concern for history, whether after Europeans arrived or before.”

“Lisa,” Raynell addressed her superior, “all that is true but we have to establish it, establish a time line if remains are suspicious. We have nothing to gain by intruding on this.”

“How do we know this isn’t the remains of a drunk? Someone who fell into the foundation of the old Kushner Building or the building before that, and earth trickled down on him? Could really be anything.” Felipe folded his hands. “We need to think this through.”

Lisa ordered, “Raynell, see if you can pull up anything on the old Kushner Building and the building before that.”

“Right.” Raynell left for her small office.

“You know what would really be perfect?” Lisa smiled. “If there’s an old cemetery under there. Like a pauper’s cemetery.”

“I kind of hope not,” Felipe murmured. “One body is bad enough, if they find the body.”

“Why?”

“Because cemeteries are sacred ground.” Felipe was Catholic.

“Oh, Felipe, don’t be medieval.”

“Lisa, you don’t disturb the dead.”