regard to the flooding situation.”
“I appreciate that.”
“If the rain continues we’re concerned how the flooding may affect the plant.”
“I have an engineering team handling the preparedness plan.”
“I’m most worried about the wash from the foothills to the north of the plant,” Josie said.
“As are we. This is not being taken lightly. The team is to have recommendations to me by this afternoon. You are welcome to attend the meeting.”
Josie nodded. “Good. What about someone from county maintenance? I think we need to keep them in the loop.”
“Absolutely. I’ll have Sylvia make the call.”
“Okay. Switching topics. We’re making progress on the Santiago murder,” Josie said.
Diego’s expression was focused and attentive but unemotional. She figured he played a great hand of poker.
“What can I do to help?” he asked.
“Is the name Leo Monaco familiar to you?”
His eyebrows rose in surprise. “Yes. He’s working as a consultant for us. He’s actually conducting scholarly research.”
“Which means?” Otto asked.
“Beacon performs laboratory research, but there is a lot of information that must be culled through in order for us to stay current. You can imagine, any company conducting scientific research has to stay up to date in the field. Just as important, we need to stay abreast of past research that may inform current projects. We often don’t have the time or manpower to conduct the scholarly research, so we’ll hire out to grad students.”
“How did you connect with Leo?” Josie asked.
“He applied for a job here last year for a lab position, but he had no direct experience. He was, however, bright and well versed in physics and chemistry. I called him and offered him a job collecting research on a current project we’re working on.”
“What kind of project?” she asked.
He considered her for a moment before responding. “We’re conducting a dose reconstruction process for the area.”
Josie frowned. “Which means?”
“We’re looking at the amount of various chemicals in the environment versus the amount of various diseases typically associated with those chemicals.”
Surprised, Josie let her reaction show.
Paiva smiled. “Contrary to popular sentiment, we’re the watchdogs. We’re here to keep you safe. Leo has access to several thousand documents and historical records that were collected during the lawsuit. He’s compiling data. Our internal researchers will then assess the data.”
“Is he a good employee?” Josie asked.
“He’s done an excellent job analyzing and synthesizing data for us.”
“What kind of pay does he make?”
“Just above minimum wage.”
“And he’s working part time?” Otto asked.
Diego nodded. “I’m sure he deserves more for the work he’s doing, but that’s the pay structure. That type of research is considered data entry on the pay scale.”
“Can you imagine any reason he would want Juan Santiago dead?” Josie asked.
He gave her a look as if she’d said something ridiculous. “Why would you ask that?”
“Would he stand to gain anything by killing Santiago? Or disposing of his body for someone else?” she asked.
He smiled slightly, obviously put off by her questions. “I cannot imagine any reason why Mr. Monaco would gain something by killing a coworker.”
Josie frowned. She didn’t like to share details of the case without good cause, but sometimes one detail was sufficient to bring out additional information. She had reservations about Paiva, but she was also willing to bargain.
She said, “Leo Monaco’s girlfriend discovered Santiago’s body. She’s been evasive, hasn’t been able to provide any reason why she was walking in the desert on a hundred-and-four-degree day. Or how she happened to find a body a quarter mile off the roadside.” She paused. “Then we discover today that her boyfriend is a consultant for the same company that Santiago worked for.”
Diego’s eyes narrowed. He crossed his legs and laced his hands over his knee. “I don’t know if it’s typical police procedure, or whether the vibe is genuine, but I have gotten the feeling from the beginning that you find either me, or my company, culpable in my employee’s death. I’m not sure what you expect from me. Perhaps it’s time our company lawyers became involved.”
Otto stepped in, ready to take the focus off Josie. “It isn’t that we think any one person or company is innocent or guilty. The murder investigation is open. Someone murdered your employee. So far, every credible lead we’ve had has been linked to the Feed Plant. That doesn’t make anyone guilty or innocent.”
“But we’d be incompetent if we didn’t pursue those leads,” Josie said.
“Fair enough.” Paiva stood from his chair. “Please understand, I’ve been with this company from its early years. Beacon Pathways is highly respected in the