“Oh,” he said, not sounding terribly enthusiastic about the idea. “If that’s available in company records, I’m afraid it’s confidential.”
Dawson wondered what had happened to all that previous willingness Jason had expressed. Why the sudden reticence? Was there something particularly sensitive about this area, and if so, what did it have to do with Jason? On the other hand, Dawson reasoned, it might just be normal protectiveness of company records.
“Please, sir, you did say you would help me in any way you could,” Dawson reminded him.
“That’s true.” He laughed nervously. “I tell you what-let me ask Mr. Calmy-Rey and get back to you with an answer.”
“Okay, that’s fair.” If Calmy-Rey said no, then Dawson was willing to use some more “persuasive” tactics.
“Can you give me a couple of hours to give you the final word?” Jason asked.
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Oh, before I forget,” Jason said, his voice lightening. “I wanted to let you know that we can schedule your visit to the Thor Sterke rig next week Monday.”
Honestly, Dawson had forgotten about that. Having never flown in his life, he was a little apprehensive about going up in a chopper. Did he really need to go to the rig? What if he found a connection between Charles and Tetteh and that enabled him to crack the mystery? But, he argued, that still wouldn’t eliminate his need as a good detective to familiarize himself with the surroundings into which the Smith-Aidoos drifted. What about photographs? No, nothing beat being there in person. It’s also possible that from talking to people on the rig, Dawson might discover something hitherto unknown. Sure, there was a statement from George Findlay, the oil installation manger with whom Dawson had spoken before the gentleman left for Scotland, but what about other witnesses on the rig?
“Inspector? Are you there?”
“Yes, yes, I’m here. Certainly. Monday will be fine.”
“Good,” Jason said. “I’ll let you know the details. Please remember that your arrival on the rig means some adjustments in the daily schedule, so if you could make every effort to fulfill your plan to visit, as it will be hard to do that in the future.”
“Of course. I understand.” Well, that settles it, Dawson thought as he hung up. I have to go-fear of flying or not.
DAWSON HAD SENT Chikata back to Axim to try to track down other members of FOAX besides Quashie Quarshie. By lunchtime he wondered if he was going to hear from Jason about the possibility of looking at any communications between Charles and Lawrence Tetteh. He was surprised when he received a call in mid-afternoon from a number he didn’t know, and it turned out to be Roger Calmy-Rey himself.
“Jason told me about your interest in seeing these communications,” he said after he’d exchanged greetings with Dawson. He sounded very serious. “It isn’t something the superintendent required from us. May I ask why the interest?”
Calmy-Rey sounded as wary as Jason, and suddenly Dawson felt the need to be just as cautious. Both of them were being cagey. Was it just because of company privacy policies, or was there something else-something about Charles’s association with Tetteh that adversely involved Jason and/or Calmy-Rey?
“It has to do with the investigation,” Dawson said noncommittally while sharpening his voice a little.
Calmy-Rey paused. “Very well. I can provide you with some selected emails, but I can’t release everything because there may be proprietary information included.”
“Whatever you can do is appreciated,” Dawson said.
“Can you meet with Jason around five thirty? I will not be here.”
“Thank you very much, Mr. Calmy-Rey.”
DAWSON ARRIVED AT the Malgam Office at the appointed time and was escorted straight up to Jason’s office.
“Please, have a seat,” he said to Dawson. He seemed edgier and more distant. “I’ll show you what I’ve got for you.” Jason rolled up a chair next to Dawson and opened up a thin folder. “Mr. Calmy-Rey authorized me to show you these.”
Jason passed the first page to Dawson.
“This is an email from Lawrence Tetteh to Charles in September last year, some months after Mr. Tetteh had become the CEO of Goilco.”
Charles, please see attached Goilco’s new mission statement. I developed it in collaboration with PIAC.
“What is PIAC?” Dawson asked.
“Public Interest and Accountability Committee. It’s a statutory body established to monitor government compliance in the use and management of Ghana’s petroleum revenues. Tetteh was a stickler for high standards and accountability. Goilco’s role of partnering with international oil companies, enabling the training of Ghanaian citizens in the petroleum industry, and so on are spelled out in the mission statement, but Tetteh added another layer to it, almost like a moral code.”
“Do you have a copy of the mission statement he attached to the email?”
“Yes, I included it in the package.”
Jason’s phone rang from his desk. “Let me get that. Feel free to look through at your own pace.”
While Jason was on the phone, Dawson found the mission statement, a ten-point list with lofty goals like promulgate, elucidate, and maintain the highest ethical standards of operation in petroleum business and trade. The last item caught his eye:
To divest Goilco from activities unrelated to petroleum affairs.
When Jason got off the phone, Dawson asked him what that statement meant.
“Over the years, Goilco got involved with some ventures outside of oil,” Jason explained. “For instance, they acquired an interest in Obuasi Gold some years back. Tetteh wanted to put a stop to all that.”
“Seems like that might have antagonized a few people.”
“Including several members of the board of directors.”
Dawson reflected that if he were going to look into this thoroughly, he’d have to talk to all of those board members: a time-consuming process-maybe even time-wasting because if it took him and Chikata down a wrong path, they would end up losing precious ground on the Smith-Aidoo murder.
“You’re thinking Tetteh’s death is somehow connected?” Jason asked, as if reading Dawson’s mind.
“Maybe,” he said guardedly. He looked through the rest of the papers in the folder while Jason made some calls. The emails seemed innocuous. There was nothing here and Dawson was very disappointed. He stood up. “May I keep this folder?”
“Yes, Mr. Calmy-Rey said it would be all right to do so.”
“I really appreciate all your help.”
“No problem at all,” Jason said with a smile.
As Dawson left the office suite, he felt as though he had missed something. He remembered what it was as he was waiting for the lift to arrive. He returned to Jason’s office, knocked, and opened the door.
He looked up in surprise. “Back?”
“I was wondering-did Charles have a pen drive?”
Jason looked blank. “I have no idea, Inspector.”
Dawson nodded. “Well, if you come across one belonging to him, please let me know.”
As Dawson walked back to the lift, he reasoned that if Charles had had a personal pen drive, Dr. Smith-Aidoo was the one person who might well know where it was. Dawson was not going to be able to avoid getting in touch with her despite their recent awkward encounter. He would have to put it behind him. When he got outside the building, he called her, his dialing finger hesitating for a moment. She answered and his stomach plunged.
“Good afternoon, Doctor,” he said, trying to sound neutral.
“Hello, Inspector. How are you?” Her tone was uncolored as well.
“I’m very sorry to disturb you,” he said, “but I would just like to ask if you’ve come across a pen drive belonging to your uncle.”