Darkest Journey (Krewe of Hunters #20)(79)

“President Lincoln?” a teen asked.

“Bingo! And do you know what President Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy had to say?” Jonathan asked.

“Something like ‘up yours’?” another teen asked.

“He might have thought it,” Jonathan said, smiling, “but what Davis actually said was, ‘Vicksburg is the nail head that holds the South’s two halves together.’ So you can see that, for both presidents, the Vicksburg campaign was one of the most important in the war. The siege of Vicksburg lasted from May 18th to July the 4th of 1863. It was the last major stronghold of the Confederacy on the Mississippi River. Of course, something else was going on at the same time. Anyone know what else happened from July 1st through the 3rd in 1863?”

“Gettysburg!” several people called out simultaneously.

“Exactly. So, the Fourth of July—Independence Day—proved to be a pretty good day for President Lincoln, wouldn’t you say?”

There was a chorus of agreement. Jonathan went on to talk about logistics and how the campaign was part of the “Anaconda” plan to put a stranglehold on the Confederacy.

Ethan stood with Jude and watched until Jonathan, leading scores of passengers, headed off to board the buses that would take them to the National Military Park.

Thor was staying on the boat with the Belles, leaving Jude to accompany Ethan today. “You want to drive?” Jude asked now.

“Don’t care—we both know the way around here,” Ethan said.

“I’ll drive. You seem pissed off, not a great mood for getting behind the wheel.”

In the car, Jude said, “I just don’t believe Jonathan Moreau is guilty.”

“I don’t believe it, either,” Ethan said. “I know the man, and he isn’t a killer. What I don’t understand is why he hasn’t been more forthcoming. He knew about Shelley. He knew at least something of what Corley and Hickory were up to. Selma Rodriguez was almost certainly killed because of something she knew—and she knew Corley was going to see Jonathan.”

“Careful. It sounds like you’re laying her death at Jonathan’s feet,” Jude said shrewdly.

“I’m not. I believe the killer thought she knew more than that Corley was going to meet with Jonathan. That’s not a reason to kill. There has to be more. Perhaps the killer thought Selma knew why Corley wanted the meeting.”

“Let’s hope we can find out,” Jude said.

The Sane Energy office was small, nothing like the sprawling property belonging to Doggone It. Of course, they didn’t need that much space, either. They saw a man seated at a desk when they entered. He quickly rose, sized them up and smiled. “Hello, welcome,” he said with a definite Mississippi accent, deep and rich and rolling. “I assume you’re Special Agents Delaney and McCoy? I received a call from your office yesterday, so I made a point of being here today. I’m Frank Lorenzo, president, though I’m not sure how much the title means. We’re an all-volunteer organization, and I’m usually at work at this time. But under the circumstances, I’m happy to miss a day of work. How can I help you?”

“We’d like to understand what was going on, what Mr. Corley and Mr. Hickory were so upset about,” Ethan said.

“Gideon Oil,” Lorenzo said flatly and firmly. “They’re laying an oil pipeline along the Mississippi. The states are in on it—Louisiana and Mississippi, that is. They’ve given their approval. But we’ve had engineers create models that show that there’s an alternative, a safer alternative. The hitch is, our alternative plan is more expensive, so their shareholders won’t make their fortune as quickly as they were promised. Here, let me show you.”

He led them to the back of the office where several 3-D models had been set up.

“Construction will take longer and the equipment will be pricier, so you’re looking at more money, for sure. But we think we have a good argument for long-term benefits with no downside, so in the end the payout to the shareholders will be higher. Setting up a meeting has been next to impossible, however. They’re constantly putting us off. A lot of us have been talking about what we should do, but Albion and Farrell...they were rabid on the subject. They were ready to take it to both state legislatures. And I believe,” Lorenzo said, meeting their eyes, “that they might have succeeded in getting the pipeline stopped and our plan instituted.”

“Why didn’t you inform the authorities about this?” Ethan asked. “This could be motive for murder.”

Lorenzo appeared to be truly perplexed. “Well, for one thing, they hadn’t done anything yet. And playing hardball was their last resort. They believed they had the right man to try to set up friendly negotiations with Gideon Oil. Anyway, from what I’ve heard, their deaths had something to do with a Civil War reenactment they were in.”

“We’re investigating every angle, Mr. Lorenzo,” Jude said.

“I had no idea I’d have anything at all helpful to say. Not until I got that call from Agent Hawkins yesterday, saying you’d be in and asking me to give you any information I could,” Lorenzo said. He seemed to be growing defensive. That wasn’t going to help.

“Mr. Lorenzo, we’re not accusing you of anything, and we’re very grateful you took the time to see us today,” Ethan said.