Sam Kincaid 01 - The Commission

the nature of this crime and the potential political ramifications for the city, I think it only appropriate that I conduct the news conference, assisted by Lieutenant McConnell.”
    Not having a ready response, and realizing that the mayor sat higher on the food chain that he did, Hansen reluctantly acceded to the mayor’s wishes.
    The conference room was larger than I expected, and for this occasion, an elevated stage was placed in the center with a speaker’s podium and attached microphone. The U.S. and Utah State flags decorated each end of the stage. All four local TV stations were present, as well as representatives from the city’s two daily newspapers and a handful of radio stations.
    McConnell and I followed Mayor Baldwin and Chief Hansen onto the stage and assumed a position off to one side. The mayor, with Chief Hansen at his side, read a short prepared statement and then opened the news conference to questions. The questions were standard fare. What evidence did we have? Had the investigation produced a suspect? Was there a motive for the murder? Were we close to making an arrest?
    A reporter from the Salt Lake Tribune asked the question I’d hoped wouldn’t be asked.
    “Mayor Baldwin, did Levi Vogue’s murder have anything to do with his work as the Chairman of the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole?”
    “I can assure you that the police are looking at every possible motive for this horrific crime, but at the moment, it would be premature to comment any further.”
    At the end of the press conference, the various news teams broke away into different parts of the room and began live feeds directly to their respective evening news programs.
    Kate and I attempted to make a hasty exit, hoping to avoid any chance encounters with inquisitive members of the press. Instead, we found ourselves in a second meeting with Chief Hansen and the mayor. I wasn’t sure what this meeting was going to be about, but my nose told me it would have the same ripe odor as my unwashed gym socks. And guess what? I was right.
    “I want to thank both of you for helping us with the news conference and for all your hard work in this dreadful murder investigation,”said Baldwin. “I want you to understand that I have the utmost confidence in you and in the ability of our police department to bring this case to a successful resolution. However, I feel compelled to share with you a conversation I had just prior to the news conference with the victim’s father, Richard Vogue. Mr. Vogue made it very clear that the family expects this case to be solved rapidly, and he openly questioned whether sufficient personnel have been assigned to the investigation. I did my best to placate him, but I need to know how many detectives you have working on the case.”
    Before Chief Hansen could speak, Kate responded. “Mr. Mayor, as the lead investigator, I can assure you that we have more than adequate resources in place. The makeup of the present homicide team consists of four officers, two from our own department, and two, including Mr. Kincaid, from the Department of Corrections. We have additional personnel available as circumstances dictate.”
    The look on Mayor Baldwin’s face was one of skepticism. He wasn’t finished. “Mr. Vogue also wanted us to know that any interviews with members of the immediate family, including Margaret and her two sons, would need to occur in the presence of the family’s corporate legal counsel and at a location acceptable to the family.” Looking directly at Kate he said, “I hope that won’t be too inconvenient.”
    I could tell this news caught her off-guard. She didn’t look happy.
    Mayor Baldwin concluded by stating the obvious. Richard Vogue II, as Chairman of the Board and CEO of Vogue Chemicals, an international specialty chemicals firm, was not a man to be trifled with. He was a billionaire with political connections that extended to the White House. What Mayor Baldwin didn’t have to say was that under no circumstances would he risk alienating such a powerful ally, especially with the next mayoral campaign a mere nine months away.

Chapter Eleven
    We dropped Kate’s car off at police headquarters and headed straight for my office to collect the probation file on John Merchant.
    “Tell me something, Kate. What was that nonsense about at the press conference between Mayor Baldwin and your boss? It almost sounded personal.”
    “I don’t know for sure. I can tell you what the local