Chapter 35

Where There’s Fire...

"Agent King, I'm glad you could make it to town today," Sheriff Pendergrass said. "I've got some interesting news about the fire at the old mill project."

"What's that?" Agent king asked.

"Well you know those insurance investigators are getting pretty good these days."

"Yes Sir. Some of them are the best arson investigators the FBI ever trained."

"Yeah, and they're pretty good at noticing some other things too."

"What kind of things, Sheriff?"

"Well, for starters, the concrete that went into that job was not up to code, and they found a few ink smudges indicating that the grade stamps had been changed on some of the lumber that had been delivered to the job, but was still sitting outside the building."

"I don't know much about construction, Sheriff. Just what does this mean?"

"Well, it looks like Junior or somebody else never planned on finishing that building in the first place, and if what I think is true, then Tommy Smith has probably been in on it since the beginning. Even the electrical boxes were made over-seas, and were not of the type approved by the Underwriters Laboratory for use in the United States."

"Do you think this whole project was just an attempt to launder money for Knight, and his people?"

"Yes Sir," Sheriff Pendergrass replied. "That, and to collect the insurance money from the fire. Best I can tell, they had about a million dollars invested, and they were insuring it for twenty million dollars. That's a pretty good return on the dollar in my book."

"Too good, Sheriff. Now how are we going to link all this to the suspects?"

"Well," answered the sheriff, "when that insurance company notifies Junior that they don't intend to pay off on his losses, then all hell is going to break loose. In the meantime, we need to find someone who's willing to testify that the grade stamps on that lumber was changed, and by whom."

"Do you think that somebody that worked at Smith Lumber company besides Tommy Smith might have been in on it Sheriff?"

"Could be, but I don't think so 'cause most of Tommy's employees are long time residents here, and most of them wouldn't work for him if there was any other jobs available. Still, it's the best place to start. I'll get together a list of all the employees there. I know most of 'em personally."

"Sure is different working in a small town, Sheriff."

"In what way, Agent King?"

"Well, for starters, you already know almost everyone, and you've got a pretty good idea who to start with."

"Yeah," the sheriff replied, "but it's also real easy to step on someone's toes when they're all so close together, and sore toes get remembered for a long, long time in a small town like this."

"Well Sheriff," Agent King said, "I'll inform my people about your latest findings, and see if we can find out anything about the lumber business."

"I'll get started with that list of Tommy Smith's employees," Sheriff Pendergrass said.

"Sheriff," Deputy Hart said as he walked into the office, "excuse me, but I've got something I thought you, and Agent King might like to know."

"Go ahead, Deputy."

"Deputy Hickman stopped a suspected DUI out on route two twenty-three a few minutes ago."

"Well who was it?" the sheriff asked.

"Simon Gibson," Deputy Hart replied.

"Really, well you get on the radio, and tell Deputy Hickman to stay with Simon's car, and have another deputy bring Simon to jail, and I want you to go out and help him search that car real good. Take it apart if you have to."

"Well that's what Deputy Hickman was calling in about Sir. Seems Hickman worked in a lumber yard up in Hickory before he was a deputy, and he said he found bottles of bleach, and lumber grade stamps in the trunk of Simon Gibson's car."

"That was easy," Agent King said.

"Too easy," replied the sheriff. "You tell Deputy Hickman to stay with that car, and you go get Simon yourself. Tell him, I'm on my way out there to look at that car."

"Mind if I ride out too?" Agent King asked.

"Not at all," replied the sheriff. "It's an election year coming up, and people need to see me working side by side with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. You can follow me out there."

"Just lead the way, Sheriff."

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