"Here it is. Friday, one-thirty. He came by and we went over what all he needed to bring to the hearing on Monday.
"The bankruptcy hearing?
"Yes. I told him everything we'd need in court on Monday.
"And he agreed to bring whatever was needed, financial records, and all that?
"Of course.
"So you're saying that you as his attorney were not in possession of those records?
"That's right. We always reviewed them in Tadeo's office. He insisted that we do it that way.
"Do you know anything about an arrangement to have the company records moved or destroyed?
Davenport let out a disgusted sigh. "As far as I know, they're still there. Somebody called me with a wild rumor that Tadeo had sent everything to the shredder.
"Who? I asked.
"Who what?
"Who called you with that rumor?
Davenport looked at me for a long moment before he answered. "Mr. Blakeslee was the one who called. As head of the creditor's committee, he was all in a lather over it.
"And where did Blakeslee get his information? Big Al interjected.
"From that slimy Rennermann character, the Industry Square property manager. He claimed to have gotten the scoop from one of the cops on the case. I told him I was sure it wasn't true, but I haven't been able to go by and check for myself. Mrs. Oliver told me that you cops aren't allowing anyone inside.
Big Al and I exchanged glances. We had caught Mrs. Oliver in a little white lie. "In other words, you can't go inside because of the investigation?
"That's what she said. I told Blakeslee not to worry, that I'd have things straightened out as soon as possible, with the new owner.
"Who is?
"Machiko Kurobashi. In name only, of course. Until the bankruptcy proceedings are completed.
I was stunned. "Machiko? Are you sure? What could she do with it?
"Yes, I'm sure. In the corporate minutes she's listed as both a major stockholder as well as an officer. But she's certainly not qualified to run it, and Tadeo didn't expect her to. He thought that with his wife holding the company, his daughter would finally come on board and take control. Now, though, with the bankruptcy proceedings, it's just a formality. At least this way I'll have someone qualified to sign off on things. Thank God, she's all right.
"Did Kurobashi have any enemies as far as you know? Big Al asked.
"Other than Mr. Blakeslee? No, not that I know of.
"What about Clay Woodruff? I asked.
"What about him?
"Would he qualify as an enemy?
"I don't know how to answer that.
"What do you mean?
"They were friends once, had worked together at RFLink. Tadeo claimed that Woodruff had been present when he offered to sell his new product design to Blakeslee, that Woodruff knew Tadeo had done all the design work on his own computer at home during off hours. And that testimony would have been invaluable, but Woodruff didn't testify. Without him, Tadeo's version of the meeting was totally inadmissible.
"Why didn't Woodruff testify?
"I couldn't find him. I sent process servers out after him, but by the time they located him, it was too late. The case had already been decided.
"And Tadeo lost his patent infringement case.
"You bet we lost. The whole case hinged on him.
"And it put Tadeo out of business.
"That's right. Tadeo felt that Woodruff had let him down, and of course he had. I think someone paid Woodruff to drop out of sight at the critical time.
"Who? I asked.
Davenport shrugged.
"Would Blakeslee have done it?
"He wouldn't be above it, Chris Davenport replied.
It was conjecture on the attorney's part, but it was worth following up on nonetheless. I nodded in approval as Big Al made a note of it.
"Who was the judge? I asked.
"Kelley, Davenport answered. "Judge Chip Kelley. He's good. Tough but good.
"I know Judge Kelley, I said. "Tell us what you know about Bernice Oliver.
Davenport shook his head. "A kook, if you ask me. When I found her there working, I tried to tell her to go home, that the company's broke and nobody's going to pay her, but she was adamant, said no matter what, she'd stay and keep on working until they disconnect the phones at the end of the month.
"Why would she do that? I asked.
Davenport shook his head. "I don't have any idea.
"Was there any hanky-panky going on between her and Tadeo?
Chris Davenport grinned as though he found the very idea quite amusing. "Bernice Oliver? She doesn't seem like the type. Besides, Tadeo never struck me as being that desperate, if you know what I mean.
"When you talked to Mr. Kurobashi on Friday did he mention being in touch with Woodruff?
This time Davenport frowned before he answered. "No. Why should he be in touch with Woodruff? I'd be surprised to hear there was any further contact between those two. Tadeo was a stubborn man, gentlemen, and once someone crossed him…
"Like his daughter?
"So you know about that? Yes, exactly. Once he wrote someone off, that was it.
As long as I was sending up a series of trial balloons, I figured I could just as well let go of all of them. "What about connections to organized crime?
Davenport looked incredulous. "Tadeo and organized crime? Totally preposterous! You can't be serious.
"Do you have any idea what Mr. Kurobashi was working on just prior to his death?
"No, not really. He was a secretive man. Smalltime entrepreneurs often are. They invent something or discover something and then want to keep it all to themselves. They'd rather go out of business than have to give up control to an investor.
"Were there investors willing to step in and save MicroBridge?
Abruptly, Davenport stood up, took an open briefcase from the credenza behind him, and began placing a series of file folders into it.
Questioning witnesses is very much like panning for gold. You have to sort through a lot of water and sand before you see the glimmer of a trace of gold in the muck at the bottom of the pan, and this was nothing more than a glimmer, but a sudden need for physical action is often indicative that the questioning is coming too close to real nuggets of truth. If that was the case here, Christopher Davenport didn't want us any closer.
"There could have been, he said eventually, as he snapped the briefcase shut and spun the numbers on the combination lock. "But Tadeo wouldn't let me try to find any. Instead, he borrowed money on his own home to keep the company afloat. He kept it going far longer than anyone expected, but in the end it was like holding his finger in a dike. I tried to get him to see how unwise that was, to cut his losses. As I told you, Tadeo was a very stubborn man.
"Is it possible that Mr. Kurobashi might have stumbled onto some important discovery or process that he thought would turn things around?
"It's possible. He hinted around about that some, but that's all. That's the other thing you have to understand about entrepreneurs. They're always incurable optimists who think the next thing down the pike is going to save their ass.
"What about the sword?
"A sword? You mean like in Knights of the Round Table?
"No, Big Al said, consulting his notes. "They call it a tanto, a samurai short sword, very old and very valuable. It looks more like a large knife than what we think of as a sword. Did he ever mention it to you?
"Never.
"And you never saw one in his office, didn't know he owned such a thing?
"No, I didn't, but you say it was valuable? How valuable?
"Very, I replied.
"It's strange Tadeo never brought it up when we were going over the financial difficulties. If nothing else, it sounds like an asset that at least would have bought him a little more time.
I was listening intently to everything Davenport had to say, but in the back of my mind, I was still thinking about the wild card in the deck-Clay Woodruff.