Tuesday 15th June

RH Design Associates, Tribeca

"Hello I'm Ray. If you'd just like to wait here, I'll see if Mr Huntingdon is ready for you" said the blond man in his mid twenties. "There's Evian and juices in the cooler there or I can make you some coffee or tea?"

"No thanks" replied Mike Logan as Goren shook his head.

As soon as the guy was through the door led from the reception area into the main office, Goren turned to a console table had various glossy pamphlets on it and began to flick through.

Logan opened the door of the cooler to inspect it. "Last time I was greeted like that it was at a lousy hairdresser's in The Village"

"Why do you still go there then?" asked Goren sliding some of the brochures into his folder.

"Funny and don't push your luck Bobby. I could be listening to the teenage sex romps of half the Fortune Five Hundred daughters in New York right now. Instead I'm stuck with you"

"And then you wonder why that Principal requested Ross send two females to the school?"

Logan grinned, shrugged and tipped back Evian.

There was never any question for all Mike implied, he'd behaved in a way would have genuinely concerned the starchy lady who ran one of the most exclusive, private girl's schools in the city. But there were times you had to deal with the sensitivities of witnesses and those around them. And if Eames could help he and Wheeler to more quickly clear a line of enquiry for one of their cases, so be it.

They had been delayed rather more than expected the previous day on other cases, so it was the first chance to speak with Ralph Huntingdon to get his private take on possible blackmailer's. And these days, if Goren had to pick someone else from the Squad to briefly work with him, Logan or Megan would be his choices.

Apart from minor offences, mostly driving related and one ancient "receiving of stolen property", none of the people on the list the Huntingdon's supplied together had he or Eames looking or thinking twice. Not totally surprising, since repeated blackmail convictions were very rare and so was organised extortion of the personal kind.

It tended to be a crime of opportunism, often prompted by urgent financial need or spite and mostly carried out by people with clean records and lives. A pattern of criminality Eames didn't exactly thank him for pointing out. At the time that morning when they concluded they didn't believe there was much value in starting to run deep background on the entire list.

A conclusion aided by the fact that her contact at City Hall, had rather confirmed Ralph's extra-marital activity wasn't likely to seriously damage his chances in the competition for the Riverside Mall design. Unless of course, it was the Mayor's wife he was sleeping with or Councillor Ricardo, the Chair of the Planning Committee. The latter would cause more stir simply because Ricardo was a man and as Eames said, there was no suggestion yet Huntingdon "swung both ways".

Goren didn't know exactly who "Kenny" was and it didn't matter. If Alex said he was in a position to "know" that was good enough for him. Being from one of those cop "dynasties" with a long history she knew of, or knew how to get hold of, people on the inside of various organisations like FDNY and parts of City Hall. Those dynasties tended very much to interbreed with those in other public service occupations like firemen, nurses and social workers.

"Follow me please" said Ray, gesturing them through the door into one of those large open plan offices, where numerous people were working at draughtsman's boards.

RH Design was located on the fourth floor of one of the nineteenth century buildings in the Tribeca District, whose initial construction had permitted a lot of the interior structure to be subsequently removed. To create the fashionable dining, shopping or office space now occupied them and not a few very expensive loft type apartments. Many of the addresses accommodating all four uses at various levels.

Apart from what looked like a glass walled conference room and a utility section, Ralph Huntingdon's office was the only other private space as he and Logan were shown in. The "victim" was one of those regularly handsome sorts of men, who dressed a little "young" for his age and whom Goren knew from the formal complaint form, was five years younger than his wife.

He gestured them to chairs matched the black steel and glass decorative theme as Goren became aware of Ray. Still hovering and about to shut the door so he was inside with them.

"Thanks Ray" said the older man with a wave of his tanned forearm and Cartier watch.

Goren turned in time to see a faint hint of annoyance on Ray's face before he said. "Don't forget you've got the Johnson's at three Dad"

"He's your son?" he gestured at the door as it closed.

"Yeah" was the reply.

In a tone didn't suggest that totally thrilled Ralph Huntingdon, a fact Goren filed away as he sat. Always possible he supposed Ray had earned disapproval over something just before they arrived but he was sure the mother never mentioned Ray when they spoke to her, as either living with them or being part of the business. But it did pique his curiosity what Ray did or did nor know about either the attempted blackmail or his father's infidelities. Something he set aside as he turned his head to what Eames called "the all guys together routine".

One it was perfect to have Mike Logan part of. In the "Lothario Stakes" Logan was probably way ahead of him or at least a damn sight more open about it. Just like working with Alex, Mike was able to pick up the ball and run with the right questions at times, enabling him "to wander" as his partner called it. This time not to disconcert Huntingdon, they had no reason to assume wasn't a genuine victim. But getting up to admire his sailing trophies, while he gave Logan a run down of "his type", gave Goren chance to also look into the outer office.

Ralph's scorecard of always single, usually much younger mistresses averaged about six months and they knew the score from the outset. That he was never going to leave Elizabeth and as Goren had suspected, in addition to "affairs" there were one night stands, neither she nor the mistress of the moment knew about. Huntingdon was writing a list of names for the last year or so of those, while he was admiring the model for the Riverside Mall and watching Ray do some photocopying. Rather confirming his earlier impression his input to the firm wasn't as an architect, since he never went near a drawing board, the model builder in the corner or the large drawer units built to hold plans.

Mike took the sheet of headed paper from him as Goren smiled and asked if any of Huntingdon's extra curricular activities were with men. The reply of "Why? Are you interested Detective?" tested Logan's ability to keep a straight face for a second. But the genial tone it was said and the follow up he understood why Goren asked, got them through that. With "No" being the answer.

They saw themselves out to the elevator where Mike handed him the list, which Goren put quickly into his folder to answer his phone.

"Head for Macy's" he said snapping it off as they got out at the first floor. "There's been another call to the Dakota Building, looks like it's tracking to uptown"

"I came to ride shotgun, Bobby" shouted Logan as they dashed for his car. "Not act as your freaking taxi service"

To be continued…