MURDER AT THE PIER (A Sister Sleuths Mystery Book 1) by Rayna Morgan Page B

from
the tantalizing smells of brisket cooking: chili powder, garlic, onion,
peppers, and bay leaf.
    Her meeting with Angelo had gone well. She was sketching
ideas for the brochure on her notepad when a hand moving across her back sent
chills up her neck.
    “Could this gorgeous red-head be my lunch date?”
    “Don’t tell your wife. I hear she’s slaving away making a
living. She’d envy you frittering your time away over martinis in this
magnificent setting.”
    “Does that mean you’ve already ordered?”
    “It was a no-brainer. After smelling the lunch special for
the last hour, I had no choice but to order it.”
    By the time the entrée arrived, they had finished their
drinks and discussed morning activities.
    Paul lifted a large forkful of mashed potatoes to his
mouth. “Gordon Parks was in the elevator when I came up. Asked if I was ready
to join his firm.”
    “And . . . ?”
    “I gave him the same no I give him each time he asks.”
    She let out the breath she was holding. “You have to give
him credit. He’s persistent.”
    “He’s persisting in a losing cause. I’ve told him I have no
interest in becoming a broker.”
    “Doesn’t he do leasing for several of your clients?”
    “Yep, and that’s the way I like it. He contracts with my
clients to take care of their major leasing needs. I take care of their
development and management needs. I do renewals for existing tenants, but
that’s all I want of leasing. The brokerage business is too competitive for me.
Too cut-throat.”
    “Gordon isn’t that way, is he?”
    “Not particularly. But a couple of the brokers working for
him have no qualms about cutting other brokers out so they don’t have to share
commissions. One, in particular, has earned the nickname Trickster for the
number of deals he’s cheated other brokers on.”
    “Why doesn’t Gordon stop it?”
    “He takes a hands-off attitude. Expects brokers to
negotiate commissions on their own.”
    “But isn’t the payment of commissions one of the terms in
the listing agreement?”
    “Much of the language in a contract is subject to
interpretation. The Trickster has ways of spinning the interpretation so he
ends up with the biggest slice of the pie.”
    “I can easily see why you couldn’t work in that kind of
environment. You always look for the win-win in every deal.”
    “I’ve never been willing to push the boundaries on honest
business practices. I never got over the developer I worked for when we lived in
San Diego. Remember him?”
    “How could I forget? The one who wanted you to represent to
a lender that a project would yield a higher return than was possible.”
    “That’s the one. Tried to convince me a slight fudging of
the numbers wouldn’t hurt anyone. Promised me a bonus when the loan got
approved.”
    “You asked how you could sleep at night if you started
cheating to line your own pockets. He insisted bankers were just as bad.”
    “Unfortunately, he was right. But other people’s greed and
corruption isn’t an excuse. It’s a personal choice. A decision to go down that
road is usually made without consideration for how innocent people may be
affected. The greed of big business and the attitude that corruption is
acceptable because everyone’s doing it led to the economic collapse.”
    “From what I’m hearing, greed and ego were qualities that
may have led to Neal Henderson’s downfall.”
    Lea started to recap her conversation with Angelo but
decided not to risk ruining a perfect lunch by alerting Paul to her interest in
the murder victim.
      * * *
    Tom was at the Carson Building to talk with Don’s Property
Manager, Brad Johnson. The management office on the eighteenth floor was
modestly but tastefully furnished. Presenting his credentials at the front
desk, Tom was ushered into an office containing a desk littered with files.
    “I paged Brad,” the secretary informed him. “He’s with an
electrician, but he’s on his way. Would you like a