She took one more long sip of her coffee and left the men to their quiet breakfast. She glanced out at the sound where a sailboat was slowly coasting out into the water, as if tugging in the start of the weekend behind it.
Ill get the address to Jack Tuckers office at Adler and Johnson, DeMarco said, pulling out her phone. And even in that, her tone was distant and cold.
She and I are going to have to hash this out before it gets out of hand, Kate thought. Sure, shes a hard-ass but if I have to put her in her place, I wont hesitate to do so.
***The offices of Adler and Johnson were located in one of the more glamorous-looking high rises in Manhattan. It was located on the first and second floors of a building that also contained a law firm, a mobile applications developer, and a small literary agency. As it turned out, Paul Wickers had been correct; most of the team Jack Tucker had worked with was in the office. The workspace smelled of strong coffee and though there was a great deal of busyness among the eight people working, there was a somber mood as well.
Daiju Hiroto met with them right away, escorting them into his large office. He looked like a man tornperhaps between his need to get this massive project finished on time and the humane reaction to the death of a co-worker and friend.
I learned the news this morning, Hiroto said from behind his large desk. I had been at work since six this morning and one of our workersKatie Mayercame in with the news. There were fifteen of us here at the time and I gave them all the option of taking the weekend off. Six people thought it best to leave to pay their respects.
If you did not have this team to oversee, would you have done the same? Kate asked.
No. It is a selfish answer, but this job has to be done. We have two weeks to finish everything and we are a bit behind. And more than fifty peoples jobs are at risk if we dont pull it off.
Of your team, who do you think would have known Jack the best? Kate asked.
Probably me. Jack and I worked very closely together on several large jobs over the last ten years or so. Weve traveled all over the world together and pulled late nights and meetings that the rest of the team didnt even know about.
But you said someone else knew about his death first? DeMarco asked.
Yes, Katie. She lives in Ashton and is fairly good friends with Jacks wife.
Kate wanted to say something about how it seemed a little offensive that Hiroto was not calling it a day so that he, as well as the others who had dutifully stayed behind, could grieve. But she knew the demons that sometimes drove men who were possessed by their work and knew that it was not her place to make such a judgment.
In all of your time with Jack, did you ever know him to keep secrets? DeMarco asked.
Not that I can think of. And if he did, I apparently wasnt someone he wished to divulge them to. But between the three of us, I find it very hard to believe that Jack had a secret life. He was on the straight and narrow, you know? A good guy. Polished around the edges.
So you cant think of any reason someone might have wanted to kill him? Kate asked.
No. The idea is insane. He paused here and looked out through the glass walls of his office and to the rest of his team. And it was here in the city? he asked.
It was. Did you not call him when you realized he had not come in?
Oh, I did. Several times. When he didnt answer by noon or so, I let it go. Jack was always very sharp, very smart. If he needed a few hours just to get awaywhich he did from time to timeI let him have it.
Mr. Hiroto, would you mind if we spoke to some of the others out there? Kate asked, nodding toward the other side of the glass walls.
By all means. Help yourself.
And could you get the contact information of those that decided to leave? DeMarco asked.
Certainly.
Kate and DeMarco ventured out into the workspace of cubicles, large desks, and rich coffee. But even before they had spoken to a single person, Kate got a pretty good feeling that they were going to get more of the same. Usually, when more than one person described someone else as being very plain and uneventful, it usually turned out to be true.
Within fifteen minutes, they had spoken with the eight other workers currently in the office. Kate had been right; everyone described Jack and sweet, kind, not one to rock the boat. And for the second time that morning, someone referred to Jack Tucker as boringbut in a good, non-offensive way.
In the back of her head, Kate felt something stir, some memory or saying that she had heard somewhere along the roads of her life. Something about watching out for a bored wife or spousehow the boredom might make them snap. But it wouldnt come to her.
After stopping by Hirotos office one last time to get a list of the people who had elected to leave work, Kate and DeMarco headed back out into the gorgeous New York City Saturday morning. She thought of poor Missy Tucker, sitting under the weight of this beautiful day, trying to adapt to a life that, for a while anyway, might not seem so beautiful at all.
***They spent the rest of their morning visiting with the ones who had decided to leave work. They encountered many tears and even a few who were enraged that a man as innocent and as kind as Jack Tucker would have been murdered. It was exactly the same as speaking to the others in the office, only not as stifling.
They spoke with the last persona man named Jerry Craftshortly after lunchtime. They arrived at his home just as Jerry was getting into his car. Kate parked behind him in his driveway, catching an irritated look. She stepped out of the car as Jerry Craft approached them. His eyes were red and he looked quite melancholy.
Sorry to bother you, Kate said, showing her ID. DeMarco stepped up beside her and did the same. Were agents Wise and DeMarco, FBI. We were hoping you might have some time to speak with us about Jack Tucker.
The irritation quickly left Jerrys face and he nodded and propped himself up against the back of his car.
I dont know what I could offer than what Im sure youve already heard from everyone else. I assume you spoke with Mr. Hiroto and everyone else at the office?
We have, Kate said. Were now speaking with those that left todayas it would seem they had a closer connection with Jack.
I dont know if thats necessarily true, Jerry said. There were only a few of us that ever really hung out outside of work. And Jack usually wasnt among them. A few of them probably took Hiroto up on his offer just to get a day off.
Any idea why Jack wasnt one to hang out after work hours? DeMarco asked.
No reason, I dont think. Jack was something of a home body, you know? Hed rather be at home with his wife and kids in his free time. The job had him working crazy hours as it wasno sense in hanging at a bar with those same people you just left work with. He loved his family, you know? Always doing extravagant things for birthdays and anniversaries. Always talking up his kids at work.
So you also think he had the perfect life? Kate asked.
Seemed that way. Although, really, can any of us have a perfect life? I mean, even Jack had some strain with his mother from what I know. But dont we all?
Hows that?
Nothing big. There was this one day at work where I heard him talking to his wife on the phone. He was out in the stairwell for privacy, but I was using one of the older workstations right by the stairwell door. It stands out because it was the only time I heard him speaking to or about his wife with anything but happiness in his voice.