Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

would be for me, when I learned your daughter wasn’t available, I thought you’d find be ing questioned by an acquaintance less awkward.”
    Only Compton’s lips smiled. “I appreciate that consideration, Ernie. I do.”
    Lucier didn’t know why the familiar use of his name from this man bugged the shit out of him. They’d spent time in a social atmosphere, but Compton had never invited Lucier to address him by his first name, as if he wasn’t quite good enough to be on a first - name basis with a m an as exalted as Silas Compton.
    “Is that all?” Compton asked.
    “That’ll do it,” Lucier said, rising. He offered his hand. “Nice to see you again, Silas .”

Chapter Twenty-Seven
    A Tangled Web

    L ucier questioned why dropping Compton’s first name at the end of the meeting gave him such a vicarious thrill. Childish, he thought. S o what ? It was worth the stunned look on Compton’s face.
    He returned to the station and his cluttered desk . His cell phone rang before he could get down to work. Private number, the readout said.
    “Morning, Lieutenant,” Jason Connors said.
    “How’d you get my cell number?”
    “Um, that’s what I do.”
    “Of course. What was I thinking? ”
    “I knew the info Diana requested was for you , so I cut out the middleman .”
    “ Glad you called my cell.”
    “Even if I called the station directly, there’d be no way to trace the call. I use a routing number. If anyone decides to check, they’ll come up empty.”
    “Maybe I should put you on the payroll.”
    “That’d be great, Lieutenant. Beat the hell out of writing computer code.”
    The kid’s computer talent was way over Lucier’s head. “What have you got?”
    “Not everything. H aven’t had enough time, but I thought you could use what I have now. I’ll get back to you with the rest as soon as I get it.”
    “Go. I’ve got a pen and pad ready.”
    “So far, the connection for Compton and the rest is Phillip Crane. The two men go back to when Compton first started at Barton. One article about Crane claimed he put Compton in the driver’s seat at Barton. Crane’s company is the leader in oil drilling technology, and Haynesworth and Easley hold high positions. Crane inherited the company from his father . I t’s publicly traded, or else he’d probably be as secretive as Compton.”
    “What about Reyes?” Lucier said , cradling the cell phone on his shoulder to take notes .
    “He headed the engineering department at Barton. When Compton left to form his own company, Reyes went with him. So did many of Barton’s customers. Eventually Barton went under. The five men have stayed tight. Crane retired a few years ago. He turned the company over to his oldest son, but he’s on the board of directors. He’s probably on Compton International’s board, too, but I haven’t gotten that far yet. That information, like everything else in Compton’s life, is private .”
    “ Hmm,” Lucier hummed. “ Seems you got a good chunk of off-limit information.”
    “Digging is what I do, Lieutenant.”
    Lucier didn’t want to know that Jason did some digging for Diana’s act. He knew, but he didn’t want to. “Still doesn’t explain why Crane took an interest in Compton.”
    “Might be because of Compton’s first wife,” Jason said. “More specifically, her father, Gault Fannon , the senator.”
    “You mean votes for contracts?”
    “Nothing proven, but a huge government contract went to Crane’s company with a push from Fannon in the Senate.”
    Lucier wondered what Crane had on Fannon or his daughter to force him to back the bill. Or maybe Compton found the smoking gun . “What about Compton’s first wife?”
    “Socialite, beautiful, rich, much richer than Compton at the time, which is before he met Crane. He went after Ms. Fannon like a hungry lion looking for his next meal. Pictures of them filled the society pages. The man was moving up , and she was the top rung on the ladder.”
    “Any gossip about either the senator or his daughter that would lead to blackmail ?”
    “ Haven’t found any . If I found the link, the congressional committee investigating the contract would have found it. T here’s something that Crane or Compton had on Fannon personally that’ll never see the light of day. But that’s only a guess.”
    “I think you’re right .”
    “Even without proof, when Compton hooked up with Crane, the blowback from Fannon’s vote blackened his name. No one prove