He shrugs. “Evidence says no, but my gut says yes.” He pauses then turns to me. “You were there. What do you think?”
I told him the same thing Rover and I had determined. “Ted drew his gun only after Lawrence aimed his gun at him.”
Carter nods. “Did you know Ted carried a gun?”
That actually was surprising. “No, I didn’t. But he knew how to handle it.”
I run my hand down my face.What am I missing?
“Who’s third in charge?” I ask.
Carter shrugs. “That’s not clear. Rumor has it a man in Seattle is trying to assert himself, but no one can confirm that.”
“You’re still investigating?”
He nods. “Until I shut down the drugs these businesses bring into this area, my office will have someone investigating.”
“What about Vince? Any chance he could try to take over?”
“Anything is possible.” He claps a hand on my shoulder. “I wanted you to know I appreciate your help, and again, I’m sorry I put you in that situation. I’ll let you get back to your day.”
“Thanks for stopping by.”
“Yeah, and if you remember anything else that might help, give me a call.”
“Will do.”
CHAPTER38
Cody
I didn’t expectto be seeing the president of the university again, but here I am. He called me this morning to ask if I could stop by before lunch. I told him if he had another job, he needed to contact Reed Hawthorne Security and that I no longer worked with them. He assured me it wasn’t for a job.
As soon as I step off the elevator, Chip is there to greet me.
“Cody, it’s good to see you. Come in.”
I follow him into his office, and he closes the door behind me.
“Please, have a seat.”
I sit in the chair across from his desk.
“I’m concerned about something I’ve heard. I’m told that you were investigating the financing of our hockey program for the FBI. Is this true?”
“I was investigating Lawrence Gardiner. It turns out he donated funds to your hockey program.”
Chip sits in his chair and turns to me. “Mm-hmm.” He clasps his hands together on his desk. “The hockey program is very important to the university. How we incentivize our students is a private matter, and I’d like you to sign an NDA regarding anything you may have learned. My understanding is the FBI is no longer investigating Mr. Gardiner due to his untimely death.”
An NDA? This confirms my suspicions that there’s more going on with the program than the university wants to admit.
“Chip, if I’m asked at any point to testify regarding my knowledge of the funding, I’ll have to do so.”
He smiles. “Not if you sign an NDA. You can use it as a defense.”
When I don't respond, Chip stands and walks to a table near the window. “You are probably wondering why you would want to sign this. I thought the same thing.” He turns, holding some papers in his hand. “If you sign the NDA, I’ll answer any questions you might have.”
I lean back. “You want me to sign a nondisclosure agreement to not share the little information I have, and in exchange, you will tell me all the hockey team’s secrets?”
