"Dr. Chung - Thank you for seeing us," Blake was leading the delegation as they walked into the CEO's office.
"My pleasure – I think," was the reply from the petite woman was sitting behind the desk. "My assistant said something about your being from the FBI?"
"I am Dr. Blake and this is Dr. Reid, as well as Agents Rossi and Morgan," Blake introduced the group members as well as showing her credentials. "We are from The Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. And, no, there isn't any problem with either you or your company."
"We just have some questions about one of your employees," Rossi spoke up. "And, about the previous owner of this building."
"Well, I have only been here ten months," Dr. Chung told the agents. "And, I can't say I am intimately acquainted with any of the research staff. But, I will be happy to help where I can. Sit down, please." She gestured to some chairs arrayed in front of her desk.
"Thank you," Blake told her as she took a seat. "The person we are interested in is Dr. Donald Snow. I believe he is one of your research botanists."
"He is the one whose wife was murdered recently," the CEO remembered. "I don't know him personally, but I am familiar with his work."
"What can you tell us about that?" Rossi asked.
"He is working to see if it is commercially feasible to develop and market various plants-based medications," the CEO explained slowly. "From the reports I have received, it appears he has been making reasonable progress."
"But, you don't know anything about him or his relationships with his co-workers?" Morgan asked.
No, I don't," was the reply. "Do you think there is a problem there?"
"We're just asking," Rossi quickly replied. "We need to follow up on all possibilities."
"Is there anyone we can speak with who might know?" Morgan inquired. "We will be discrete."
"Well, let me see." The CEO took an organization chart out of a file on her desk and consulted it. "Dr. Snow does head up an entire research department. There are four groups under him and each group contains, beside the leader, between 8 and 10 researchers."
"Is there anyone who works directly with him?" Blake asked. "An assistant, perhaps?"
"Well, there is the Department Secretary," was the reply. "She has been with us for a number of years. And, he does have a lab tech assigned to him, Cynthia Newton. However, I believe she is a fairly recent addition to our staff."
"Okay," Morgan made a decision. "If you can arrange for it, we would like to speak with one of the group leaders, whichever one is currently available will be fine, as well as the Department Secretary, and his lab tech. That should give us a good cross-section of opinions."
"No problem," Dr. Chung picked up her phone. "My assistant can handle that for you. You can use the conference room across the hall from here."
As Dr. Chung's assistant began leading the team out of the office, Blake turned and asked another question of the CEO.
"One more thing," she began. "I believe this building was originally The Martindale Medical School."
"That's right," Dr. Chung told her. "Although, as you can see, it has been extensively remodeled and added onto since that time."
"Do you happen to know if there was anything left behind when the medical school moved out?" Reid inquired.
"Left behind?" the CEO questioned curiously. "Like what?"
"Lab specimens, teaching aids, anything like that," Reid clarified.
The CEO laughed and exchanged looks with her assistant. "You are asking the wrong person," she explained. "If you are looking for information from that long ago, you really need to talk with 'Old Cal'."
"'Old Cal'?" Blake asked.
"He is one of our lab techs," the assistant explained. "He has been here forever. Rumor has it that when construction of the original building was completed he was already in residence. I don't know what we will do if he ever retires. We call him our Carbon Based Database."
"Then that's who we need!" Blake declared.