Chapter 4
Ted Simpson had inherited his interest in Simpson Oil and Gas from his father, Gus Simpson. Ted’s father had likewise inherited his father’s oil and gas interests. All three generations had managed the business with ruthless precision, making Simpson Oil and Gas the leading independent producer in North America. Simpson Oil and Gas, Ted in particular, had recognized the value of emerging technologies, and they led the way in the most innovative and effective horizontal drilling, hydraulic fracturing, completions and production techniques.
At one point, by acquiring millions of acres of leasehold in several states, they managed to corner the market on nearly every major natural gas play in North America.
Unfortunately, Ted had over-extended his credit and his investor’s money in the process. He had almost singlehandedly eliminated the formerly normal cyclic supply shortages. Now there was a glut of available natural gas. The storage facilities were flooded, but because demand had not increased, the market price of natural gas had plummeted.
Ted was forced to sell off much of their land holdings in leases, in several states. He had to sell some of the corporate stock as well. His timing was excellent and he saved the company, putting it back on secure and profitable footing.
Many of the assets were sold to foreign investors, most notably investors from China and Saudi Arabia. This made him unpopular with some folks, but probably would not be a deal killer for his election dreams.
I could find nothing in his business life that would be seen as scandalous.
Personally, he had an unpleasant reputation for putting money ahead of the people in his life. For him, turning a tidy profit came before any other consideration. At worst he appeared to be greedy to a fault. He lived for the profit. Usually, his shareholders benefitted from this mind set. His family and employees did not. Still, it was nothing that would pose a serious threat to an election campaign.
Politically, he had contributed money to candidates running in both parties. He was said to be a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. He could afford to finance his own campaign, but he had long standing connections with powerful people he could use for fund raising. He was very good at using people. If an election could be bought, he would buy it.
I was thinking about these things, when the phone rang.
“Mr. Tucker, this is Walter Farley. I was wondering if you’ve made any progress in your enquiries.”
“I’ve done some research into Mr. Simpson’s business history and practices.”
“I see. I’d like to hear your thoughts on what you’ve found. May I come by your office?”
“Certainly, Mr. Farley, when would you like to make an appointment?”
“Well…now-right now. In fact, I’ll be there in a minute.”
I didn’t like it.
“No, wait, that…” He had hung up.
That did it. I realized it was time to get a secretary. I needed somebody to protect me from free-roaming jackasses.
“…So, to sum up, there is nothing scandalous or clearly egregious in his business history or practices. I’d say he is going to have a hard time selling the idea he is both a social progressive and a fiscal conservative. You can’t be supportive of liberal social programs, and at the same time, deny them funding.” I concluded.
“We really aren’t interested in your political opinion, Mr. Tucker,” Walter said. “We hired you to investigate whether or not there’s anything Mr. Simpson’s enemies might be able to use against him.”
“I had to start somewhere. I chose to explore his business life, first. I’ll get into other areas as I go along. You are aware Mr. Simpson represents ‘Big Oil’ in the minds of many average Texas voters? If there was something Simpson Oil and Gas had done and covered up, I needed to find out. Even a serious environmental issue could kill his political aspirations.”
“I see your point. Are you confident you have eliminated those concerns?”
I nodded and replied, “Yep, there’s nothing there that could be used to do any serious harm to him or his campaign. Y’all are already addressing the environmental issues and concerns associated with hydraulic fracturing. I’m aware certain celebrities have protested and chained themselves to trees, but the Texas Railroad Commission has no beef with Simpson Oil and Gas, and the EPA hasn’t been able to prove any of the claims about contaminated well water. There are numerous studies showing methane contamination has occurred often throughout history, and continues to occur naturally, drilling or no drilling. It appears the incidents that actually have been directly linked to drilling are about casing issues in the vertical bores, unrelated to hydraulic fracturing. The stories do get a lot of media attention though, don’t they?”
He shook his head.
“Again, that’s not your concern. Move on. What will your investigative skills be applied to next?”
Now, I found his attitude…unacceptable.
Opening my desk drawer, I took out the big manila envelope full of money.
Walter appeared to have a smirk on his face.
I opened the envelope and looked inside.
“Ok. It’s all still here.” I observed.
Looking over at Walter, I tossed the whole thing in his lap.
Evidently my unexpected move made Walter angry. His face turned beet-red.
“There’s your money, Walter. Since I haven’t performed to your exacting standards, you can get someone else to handle the job.”
I stood up, to show Walter to the door.
“Now hold on, Mr. Tucker. We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot. There’s no need for you to be petty about this.”
“Be careful, Walter. I don’t like to be insulted, especially while I’m standing in my own office.”
He nodded, but stayed seated.
“Very well, I apologize. I didn’t intend any insult. Can we start over? I fear I’ve managed this badly.” He said.
“That’s exactly the point, Walter. If you want to manage my work, you’ll have to give better directions. No, on second thought, I don’t care to have you manage my work, at all. Take the money back to Mr. Simpson, and tell him that for me.”
Walter was not happy. I could see he was working hard at trying to maintain his temper, his composure and his dignity.
I really didn’t care about any of those things.
“Again, Mr. Tucker, I apologize. You are quite correct. It’s not my place to criticize your efforts. The work you have done so far has been quite thorough. Please excuse my error.”
Wow, I hadn’t expected this response. He had to swallow a big chunk of his personal pride, to say all that.
I took a deep breath.
“OK, we did get off on the wrong foot. That’s partly my fault. I didn’t ask Mr. Simpson for any direction. Is there something specific you want me to look for?”
“No, no. I appreciate that you must employ your own methods. I wouldn’t be able to direct the efforts of the opposition, either. Please proceed as you think best.”
As he stood up, he put the envelope back on my desk.
“I trust I can tell Mr. Simpson you are continuing with your investigations?”
“Sure. I’m on the case.” I smiled.
He didn’t return the smile. He moved very stiffly to the door. I could tell I had offended him.
I almost felt bad about that.
After he left, I wondered why he hadn’t just gone to another agency. Other agencies had more man-power and could gather information more quickly.
It was odd. I had offended Walter, yet he still wanted me to investigate.
Why?
Evidently, Walter was a small part of a bigger picture, but I had no idea what it was. At this point, his involvement was like a single piece to a jigsaw puzzle. Other pieces were missing, and there was no image on the box lid.