Jacqui produced a dazzling smile. “We never, never renegotiate our contracts. It’s Daddy Bysen’s very first law of business. I did tell the man that—what was his name, William? Anyway, it doesn’t matter—I told him that, and he finally agreed he would meet the price we’d all agreed on. We were supposed to take delivery of the first order last week, but, fortunately, we had a backup supplier, so we’re only five days behind schedule.”

“Backup supplier?” I echoed. “Is this the person who’s been selling sheets through the churches in South Chicago?”

Jacqui laughed, the malicious laugh she gave whenever someone in the Bysen family was looking foolish. “Someone very, very different, Ms. Polish Detective; if you’re investigating those sheets, I think you’ll find yourself at a dead end.”

Mr. William looked at her reprovingly, but said, “I always maintained Zamar was unreliable. Father keeps saying we should give South Side businesses priority just because he grew up down here. Nothing will convince him they can’t meet the production schedules they agree to.”

“It is pretty darn unreliable to die in the fire that destroys your plant,” I said.

Mr. William glared at me. “Who talked to you, anyway, about his contract with us?”

“I’m a detective, Mr. Bysen. I ask questions and people answer them. Sometimes they even tell me the truth. Speaking of which, you were here Monday afternoon, and so was your son.”

“Billy?”

“You have other sons? I don’t know how you two missed each other. You really didn’t see him?”

William pressed his lips together. “What time was he here?”

“About this same time. Four-thirty, five. I figure you said something to him that made him decide to take off.”

“You figure wrong. If I’d known he was here—damn it, you’d think I was one of the stock clerks, not the CFO of this company. No one tells me one damn thing about what’s going on.”

He pushed open Grobian’s door. “Grobian? Why in hell didn’t you tell me Billy was here Monday afternoon?”

The truckers crowded in front of Grobian’s desk backed away so that William could look directly at the warehouse manager. Grobian was startled, that much was clear from his expression.

“Didn’t see him, Chief. He cleared out his locker, but you already know that. He must have come in just to do that.”

William frowned some more, but decided to let it go at that; he came back out to the hall to resume his attack on me. “Who hired you to look at Fly the Flag’s business? Zamar didn’t leave anything but debts.”

“Now, how do you know that?” I said. “Busy man like you, CFO of America’s fifth-biggest company, and you have time to look into one tiny supplier?”