Chapter 70: The Recommendation

By the following morning, Giovanni had stopped asking how Martin Valdez managed to work inside Mercer Group.

He wanted to know who had opened the door.

The private investigator arrived with that answer.

Or at least part of it.

"Valdez wasn’t recruited through an advertisement."

Giovanni looked up.

"Agency?"

"No."

"Transfer?"

"No."

The investigator placed a scanned document on the table.

"He was recommended."

Alexander, who’d joined them again, reached for it first.

"By whom?"

Giovanni saw the name before Alexander finished asking.

Then read it again.

Gerald Serrano.

Something changed in his expression.

Alexander noticed.

"You know him."

"College."

That was an understatement.

Gerald wasn’t merely a former classmate whose name survived in some forgotten yearbook.

They’d once been fairly close.

Not inseparable, perhaps, but close enough that Gerald had spent time around Giovanni’s family and had even referred to Matteo as Uncle Matteo on occasion.

Then there was the incident neither of them was likely to forget.

Years ago, during a college swimming competition, Gerald had nearly drowned.

Giovanni pulled him out.

Alexander had not heard this story.

"A swimming competition? You were not naked, were you?"

"Of course not. Our naked dips by the lake were for amateurs."

Alex laughed.

"What happened afterward?"

"Nothing."

"You saved his life, and nothing happened?"

"We remained friends."

"That’s nothing? I’d like to know how you describe your enemy."

Giovanni ignored that.

Their careers had eventually taken them in different directions. Friendship became occasional messages, holiday greetings, and accidental encounters.

But they had never fallen out.

Certainly nothing that would’ve made Giovanni suspect Gerald of deliberately placing someone inside Mercer Group.

The investigator continued.

"Gerald later worked on a Mercer logistics project."

"I remember."

"Martin Valdez’s initial recommendation came through him."

"Was Gerald authorized to hire?"

"No. But he could recommend technical personnel."

"And Martin passed HR?"

"Yes."

Alexander looked at the document.

"Any evidence Gerald received money?"

"None we’ve found."

"Property?"

"No."

"Debt suddenly disappearing?"

"No."

"Later transactions with Valdez?"

"Nothing."

That mattered.

Gerald might have recommended Martin for exactly the reason stated in the file.

They urgently needed someone for the project.

Martin appeared qualified.

Gerald passed along the name.

Nothing more sinister than that.

Still, Giovanni wasn’t prepared to assume innocence any more readily than guilt.

"Who recommended Martin to Gerald?"

"We don’t know."

"Find out."

"We’re trying."

Giovanni picked up his phone.

Alexander watched him.

"What are you doing?"

"Finding out faster."

"Gio."

"What?"

"You don’t know whether Gerald was involved."

"Which is why I’m going to ask."

"Today?"

"Tomorrow."

Apparently, that single extra day was supposed to demonstrate restraint.

Alexander almost laughed.

Instead, he watched Giovanni open Gerald’s contact.

Meet me at Mercer Group tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., if you’re available. Please confirm.

He deliberately didn’t mention Martin.

Didn’t mention Matteo.

Didn’t mention the investigation.

Several minutes passed.

Then Gerald replied.

Sure. See you tomorrow. Do I need a résumé?

Alexander leaned over slightly.

"He thinks you’re offering him something."

"Apparently."

"Are you?"

"No."

Giovanni typed again.

Come as you are.

Gerald responded with a thumbs-up.

Alexander stared at the exchange.

"That sounded ominous."

"It wasn’t meant to."

"It did."

"What would you have written?"

"Nothing."

"Exactly."

The investigator cleared his throat.

"If you’re questioning him tomorrow, I suggest you don’t immediately mention Villareal."

"I wasn’t planning to."

"Or Manuel Vera."

"I know."

"Start with Martin."

Giovanni gave Alexander a pointed look.

"See? That’s useful advice."

Alexander raised an eyebrow.

"I gave you the same advice yesterday."

"You gave me six pieces of advice."

"One of them was bound to be useful."

Elias, who’d been unusually quiet, finally spoke.

"If Gerald actually worked with Martin..."

Everyone turned.

"...he may know where he went."

That silenced them.

Until now, Gerald had represented another question.

Suddenly, he represented something better.

A lead.

Martin Valdez had worked beside people, spoken to them during lunch breaks, received phone calls, complained about ordinary things, and inevitably mentioned places he’d been or people he knew. There might’ve been friends somewhere, perhaps even family.

People could manufacture identification records, but they couldn’t manufacture years of ordinary human interaction without leaving something behind.

Giovanni looked at Gerald’s message again.

Do I need a résumé?

The poor man genuinely thought he might be walking into a job opportunity.

Alexander stood.

"How are you doing this?"

"My office."

"Alone?"

Giovanni looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because if he’s involved, seeing Elias may make him defensive."

"And seeing you won’t?"

"Which is why he won’t see me."

That earned his attention.

Alexander continued.

"You talk to him. We’ll listen from the adjoining room."

"We?"

"Elias. The investigator. Me."

Giovanni considered it.

The arrangement had advantages.

Gerald would be more likely to speak naturally with an old friend than with three men sitting across from him like an interrogation panel.

And if Gerald mentioned something significant, the others could hear it immediately.

"Fine."

Alexander nodded.

"Coffee?"

Giovanni walked to the coffee table, reheated the pot, and poured a cup for Alex.

"Black with two sugar cubes."

Alex took the cup and smelled the aroma.

"We’ll be hiding next door for however long this takes."

Giovanni stared at him. "Don’t you have scheduled meetings tomorrow?"

Alex reached for his phone and rang his executive assistant.

"Vincent, reschedule my meetings tomorrow to the following day. And Elias is with me. We’re both on leave today and tomorrow."

"Elias does not have leave credits yet."

"Then declare me on leave and Elias absent. He’s on a personal errand with me. I’ll take care of his pay."

Vincent cleared his throat. "Are you in some kind of trouble? Say yes if you can’t talk properly."

Alexander chuckled. "Thank you for your concern. We are not in trouble. I’ll keep your code in mind when the time comes that we are truly in danger."

"In the meantime, take charge of the office while I’m out. Call me if necessary."

By ten the following morning, three abandoned saucers would be sitting in Giovanni’s office.

And Gerald Serrano would walk in believing they belonged to people who had already left.