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T
he Saturday morning traffic was behaving itself, so Hayden would make good time from Fairfield to San Rafael. He hoped this weekend would be the start of something big. Marin Design Engineering only wanted someone on short contract, but if he impressed them, the contract might go from short to long. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence for him. He’d built up a solid reputation as a design-engineering contractor over the last three years. He’d been twenty-five when he started contracting, which was a pretty bold move. But his reputation hadn’t gotten him the high-paying gig at Marin Design Engineering, his old college roommate had.

This gig would be a nice boost to his income, though it meant he’d be working two jobs. He was also on contract at Macpherson Water, and had been since the beginning of the year. He planned to work for Macpherson during the day and Marin from home in the evening. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d reap the rewards of working double duty.

Hayden reached the limit of the signal from the radio station broadcasting out of Sacramento and switched to a San Francisco station. He caught the tail end of a song before the station went to the news.

“The body of missing scientist Sundip Chaudhary was found late last night by a jogger on Muir Beach,” the broadcaster said.

At least they found him. Hayden shuddered at the thought of the condition of the guy’s corpse.

The story had made a stir in the Bay Area. Chaudhary had walked into the ocean three days ago in an apparent suicide attempt. He hadn’t left a note, but his car had been found on Stinson Beach with the keys in the ignition and the engine running.

Family and friends cited no problems in his professional and personal lives that would have warranted a suicide attempt. If it hadn’t been for an anonymous eyewitness account of Chaudhary walking into the sea, foul play or an accident might have been suspected. Speculation centered on the possibility that the eyewitness had been involved in a fender bender with Chaudhary. Chaudhary’s car exhibited fresh damage, and debris from a second vehicle was found on the beach.

“The Marin County Sheriff’s Department urges the eyewitness to come forward,” the broadcaster said.

Yeah, right.

No one would come forward if they feared a backlash.

Hayden pictured Chaudhary’s body on the beach he knew well. Drowning. There were less painful ways of killing yourself. Hayden wondered if that had been Chaudhary’s aim. The eyewitness had told 911 that Chaudhary suggested he’d committed a terrible act and couldn’t live with the guilt. The cops hadn’t turned up anything to support the claim—or if they had, they weren’t saying.

The whole subject made Hayden queasy. His cell phone burst into song, providing the perfect reason to forget about Chaudhary’s suicide.

“Where are you?” Shane Fallon asked.

“I just got on Highway Thirty-seven, so I’m about half an hour out.”

“I’m so glad you’re coming aboard.”

“Me too.”

“It’s going to be great catching up, man.” Although college roommates, they’d lost touch over recent years. Work had taken them in different directions. Now it was bringing them back together. “This is going to be a great weekend. See you in thirty.”

“In thirty,” Hayden said and hung up.

Hayden found the upscale gated community where Shane lived easily enough. He’d known his friend had done well for himself, but didn’t know he’d done
this
well. Shane lived in a modest house compared to the monster mansions surrounding his, but even so, this was high living and it put Hayden’s 1950s ranch-style home to shame. If Shane’s firm treated him this well, they could definitely afford to pay Hayden two hundred bucks an hour for grunt work. He pulled into Shane’s driveway.

Hayden was removing his overnight bag from the passenger seat when Shane came out to greet him. Hayden put out his hand and Shane gripped it before crushing him in a bear hug. Shane didn’t have much in the way of brawn, but he was tall and possessed a lot of inherent strength.

“Damn, it’s good to see you,” Shane said. “I can’t believe we’ve let three years pass without getting together.”

“Neither can I.”

Shane relieved Hayden of his bag and dropped it by the stairs in the hall. “We don’t have to be at the Giants game until this afternoon, so we’ve got a couple of hours. Do you want coffee or something?”

“Yeah, coffee would be good.”

“C’mon through into the kitchen then.”

Hayden followed Shane into a custom kitchen clad in marble and stainless steel. Everything about the decor suggested its owner was upwardly mobile. Hayden took a seat at the kitchen table while Shane poured fresh grounds into the coffeemaker.

“You’ve done really well for yourself,” Hayden said, surveying his surroundings. “I’m impressed.”

“What can I tell you? Nice things happen to nice people.” Shane looked about him. “It’s a long way from the dorms at Cal State and that AMC Gremlin, God rest its soul.”

“Amen,” Hayden said and wondered whatever had become of that car. It had probably long since been consigned to the crusher.

“Marin Design Engineering treats you well, then?” Hayden said.

“They do.” The coffeemaker stopped wheezing, and Shane grabbed the coffees and joined Hayden at the table. “And they’ll treat you well, too.”

Hayden thought of the premium rate they were going to pay him for this short-term contract. “Any chance this’ll turn into something longer term?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. MDE takes on specialist design-build projects. No one else can do what they do, so the margins are always high. And because every project is different, they hire a lot of folks on contract. You do OK on this one and I’m sure you’ll get a recall.”

“So who do I have to impress for future work?”

“Me,” Shane answered. “I’m the project manager.”

Who said cronyism was such a bad thing?

Hayden raised his coffee mug for a toast and they clinked mugs.

They spent the next couple of hours catching up and reminiscing before Shane drove them to AT&T Park. San Francisco traffic was thick and parking was impossible, but MDE had splashed out on a corporate box that came with reserved parking. They entered the ballpark through a private entrance. Hayden could get used to this kind of treatment.

They made their way to the hospitality suite where Shane’s colleagues were gathering for a pregame lunch. A gaunt-looking man wearing a blazer over dress slacks spotted Shane and Hayden approaching and got up from his seat. “Shane, you made it,” he said. “Is this Hayden?”

“Yes, Trevor. Meet Hayden Duke. Hayden, this is Trevor Bellis, Marin Design Engineering’s CEO.”

Hayden shook hands with Bellis. His grip was surprisingly strong for someone who looked half-starved.

“A pleasure to meet you, Hayden,” Bellis said. “Please call me Trevor. I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re a welcome addition to our team. We’ll discuss business after the game. But for now, enjoy yourself.”

Shane introduced Hayden to the assembled group, a mix of MDE employees and contract staff. Most possessed either engineering or scientific backgrounds. Their welcome to Hayden was genuine, and he slipped easily into one conversation after another. Though meeting so many people in quick succession caused them to blend together, overall Hayden could see himself working very well with the group.

Hayden noticed an unoccupied place at the table. “Who are we missing?” he asked Shane.

“Our guest of honor, James Lockhart. He’s a consultant employed by the client to oversee the project. He’s very well regarded and has done a lot of work for the government and the private sector. If things need moving and shaking, he’s the guy to do it.”

“Who’s the client?”

“I can’t discuss that until you’ve signed up for the job.”

Lockhart arrived shortly before the meal ended. His arrival brought a subtle change to the mood around the table. Hayden felt it as strongly as he would a change in the weather. Lockhart was obviously the big man on campus and Bellis looked distinctly nervous in the man’s presence. Hayden guessed MDE had a lot riding on this project.

Hayden thought there was another reason the mood became so formal: Lockhart himself. Lockhart didn’t look as if he’d come out for a ball game. He’d chosen to powerdress in a tailored suit and tie instead of something more casual. He looked like he expected to be called upon to give a press conference at any moment. As the MDE employees asked him casual, friendly questions over lunch, he weighed and measured each answer before giving it. It was very disconcerting.

Game time arrived and everyone went to their seats. Bellis kept Lockhart segregated from everyone else, which lightened the mood. While Hayden and the others got wrapped up in the game, Bellis and Lockhart talked. Hayden cast glances their way. Bellis remained tense around the man. Hayden guessed things weren’t as rosy at MDE as everyone liked to make out. Maybe it was a good thing he was working a short contract with these people. The last thing he needed was to sign on for something longer term if they were having problems on the business front. In situations like that, the first people to go were the contract staff.

After the game, the MDE employees dispersed. Bellis approached Hayden and put a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s get you on our team now.” Bellis’s smile had returned once Lockhart had left. “I’ve got some paperwork at our offices for you to sign.”

Hayden and Shane followed Bellis’s Audi A6 back to the MDE offices in Corte Madera. The building was set into the hills and was clearly visible from US 101, making it its own billboard. It was a squat, 1970s-style two-story structure, the second story shaped like an octagon.

Bellis beat a light, and by the time Shane and Hayden arrived he had the building unlocked and stood waiting for them in the foyer.

“Welcome to MDE,” Bellis said.

Hayden failed to acknowledge the welcome. His focus was on an easel in the foyer, which held a poster-size head shot of an East Indian man in his thirties. At the base of the image was the dedication “Sundip Chaudhary, a friend lost but not forgotten.”

“That’s the guy they found this morning,” Hayden said. “I didn’t realize he worked here. ”

“Yes,” Bellis said. “Very sad.”

“Am I his replacement?” The thought of filling a dead man’s shoes took the excitement out of the position.

“No,” Shane said. “He worked here as an instrument engineer.”

“Let’s talk about this in the boardroom,” Bellis said.

Bellis took Hayden and Shane up to the second floor. At the end of the conference table sat a roll of drawings, a flash drive, and a file folder. Shane and Bellis took seats next to each other and Hayden took one opposite.

“Sundip Chaudhary was a valued member of this company,” Bellis said. “Sadly, he let the stress of his work get to him and he took his own life. None of us saw the signs. If we had, then…” Bellis let the remainder of his sentence go unfinished.

“That’s not what I heard on the news,” Hayden said.

“Out of privacy and respect for Sundip’s family, we kept the truth from the press,” Bellis said.

There’d been no mention of who Chaudhary had worked for in any of the news reports. Hayden wondered who’d pulled those strings—Bellis or Lockhart?

“Is Sundip’s death a problem for you?” Bellis asked.

“No,” Hayden replied. “It was just a surprise. No one mentioned him at the ballpark today.”

“The project that Sundip was a part of is highly confidential,” Shane said. “Our client is on the verge of a major technological breakthrough. So much so, they haven’t even filled us in on the full purpose of the design.”

“Hence the need for privacy,” Bellis said.

“And James Lockhart?” Hayden said.

“The client has invested a lot of capital, and James Lockhart is here to ensure they get what they want,” Bellis said.

No wonder Bellis was so jumpy around Lockhart. There was probably a lot of ass-covering going on. Chaudhary’s death may have prompted the client to consider switching firms. Bellis wouldn’t want to lose such a high-profile job.

“Obviously, none of what I’ve told you leaves this room,” Bellis said.

The secrecy sounded like overkill to Hayden, but it wasn’t his problem. “Of course.”

“We’d better deal with the red tape,” Shane said.

Bellis opened the file folder and removed a sheaf of papers and put them before Hayden. “This is a nondisclosure agreement. Should you divulge any project details to anyone outside of Marin Design Engineering, the firm will take severe legal action against you. The financial penalties we would seek are significant. In addition, our client would be entitled to take separate action.”

Bellis’s tone sounded like a threat, albeit dressed up in legalese. Hayden didn’t like being pushed around, regardless of how politely it was done.

“We’ve all had to sign it,” Shane said. “It’s standard practice in this kind of situation.”

“I would recommend you read the document before signing it,” Bellis said. “You’re welcome to run it by your attorney, but we are short on time.”

Hayden had the urge to walk away. He liked to keep business informal and friendly. This was beginning to get a little too serious for his liking. On the other hand, it was easy work for excellent money. In a couple of weeks, all this formality and legalese wouldn’t matter. Hayden scanned the twelve-page document. It was pretty much as Bellis had described. If he disclosed any part of his work, MDE would sue—and sue big. The document claimed MDE would seek $10 million in damages. Hayden wasn’t sure how much was legal bluffing, but it was enough to ensure he kept his mouth shut. He finished reading the document and decided the job was still worth doing. Bellis held out a pen and Hayden signed.

With that out of the way, Bellis and Shane spent a half hour going through the marked-up plans with him before handing them to him along with the flash drive containing the drawings he was to correct. It was all straightforward enough, and the meeting broke up. Everyone shook hands and smiled, but the hard sell with the nondisclosure agreement had soured Hayden’s mood, as had MDE’s connection with Chaudhary. The enthusiasm he’d brought with him that morning wouldn’t be making the return drive.