Undeniably His(71)

My mouth drops open and I feel my stomach lurch. “But I got out unscathed, except for a couple of cuts to my face and arm.”

“The area where you were sitting was just about the only area that wasn’t crushed completely. The violent rolls and the landing crushed most of the vehicle that was not otherwise mauled by the severe impacts from the truck.” Larry turns back to Kalin. “I am sure you doctor informed you of the mortality rate for a lacerated left ventricle of the heart?”

Kalin takes a deep breath. “Most patients don’t make it to surgery.”

“And you have one more week until you walk out of here.”

“Okay, Larry.” Kalin juts his chin at him. “I get it.”

A soft smile moves over my lips, thankful that Kalin is alive. “Did we mess up their plans?” I ask with delight.

Larry’s eyebrows lift high on his forehead. “I’ll say, Annabelle. This isn’t something they planned for well.”

“Why didn’t they just jump out of the truck and finish us off? Shoot us dead. No more risks.”

“That wouldn’t fit well with their story now, would it? The events were clearly manipulated to make it appear like this was Kalin’s fault. A couple of bullet holes in him and you would throw a bit of a curve in their tale.”

“It’s already ridiculous.” I frown.

“Yes, but plausible. And that’s the key.”

“What have you found out about the board members?” Kalin asks.

“We conducted a background investigation on each of your board members as you requested. Standard stuff. I’m sure your HR department did a thorough job with this. Education and listed experience all checked out for your board members.”

“How about the guys that we just happened to see at the restaurant that night?” I ask.

“Yes, Jeff Corman and Brian McMillan,” Larry confirms. “Jeff hired Brian from ProEast Energy. So we did some checking into ProEast Energy. It turns out that they are involved in a giant fracking project on the East coast.”

“Hydraulic fracturing?” I ask.

“Yes. It’s a technique that breaks up shale formations to extract the oil and the gas. Do you recall a fellow by the name of Dale Huntington in college, Kal?”

“Of course,” Kalin replies. “He went to school with me as an undergrad at the University of Illinois.”

“Do you happen to know what he did after college?”

“Not really. I started graduate school and I guess we lost touch.”

“Right. He graduated when the financial crisis was hitting everyone hard.”

“That’s one of the reasons I went to graduate school. From there I planned on starting my own company.” Kalin’s eyes slide to mine, and a small smile tugs at his lips. I return the smile while taking notes.

“Dale did not seem to fare so well. He was unemployed for several months after graduation. He also had a couple hundred thousand in student loans to pay off.”

“Oh, the memories.” Kalin sniffs.

“The fracking boom started taking off in Pennsylvania and Ohio, part of which sits on top of a large natural gas find.”

“Shale?” I ask.

“Marcellus Shale Formation—one of the largest untapped natural gas reserves in the world, and right next to high-demand markets along the East Coast. Companies couldn’t get enough drivers and workers needed for the movement of chemicals and sand required for the hydraulic fracturing process. Dale could make almost as much working in the field as working in management, and started working to ship sand and chemicals needed at the work sites.”

“He was a truck driver?” I ask in a tone of disbelief.

Larry sits back and nods. “He got his commercial driver’s license and started working at the fracking sites scattered across the East. He was making as much as a typical business major, if they even had a job. Wall Street companies were laying people off and battening down the hatches for a financial fallout, and even tech companies were freezing hiring for the first time. Meanwhile the new energy boom from fracking was creating a big demand for jobs, and companies couldn’t get enough workers. Dale used his earnings to pay for his truck, used it as his residence, and paid off his student loans. In the meantime, he was still applying for management positions across the U.S. without much luck.”

“He was being industrious, and doing what he had to do to survive.” Kalin tugs at his bottom lip and glances at me. I stare at my computer and grimace, knowing that both of us are questioning where this is going.

“Dale worked on these job sites trucking sand, chemicals, and water for about two years. He worked with a company called Troy Industries at one of the Northern Pennsylvania fracking sites. Are you familiar with some of the chemicals they use in fracking?” Larry’s eyebrows spike up.