Chapter 68 Chapter 68

Jane Trent got out of the car and walked toward the restaurant entrance, and Puller stepped out of the car and followed her.Jane stopped and turned to Pooler. "We also offer bed and breakfast here. There are four suites. I also want to add a spa program. I have a chef from the Culinary Institute of America, and a professional management team to take care of everything. This year is expected to get our First Michelin star. Eighteen months since we opened, we've been profitable and our reputation is growing. People from Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky and North Carolina come here specifically."

"Are there no coal mines around?" "This is one of the few counties in West Virginia that doesn't have coal." She looked around and said, "The land here is not mined, the mountains and rivers are not polluted. The right place, and then I found this place. I made a business plan, did demographic and market research. I hoped to fill a gap in people's needs. Only in this way can it be turned into a sustainable hotel.” "I didn't know you were a strong business woman." "You probably don't know much about me yet. Would you like to know more?"

"Why not?" They walked into the dining room and were directed to a cubicle lined with bookshelves, with a table for two.Puller knew very little about decorating, but he sat inside and felt that it had been carefully furnished by people with knowledge and taste, and that everything was high-end, comfortable, and just right.He's been to Italy many times, and this restaurant is about as close to Italian as West Virginia can get. Waiters in white jackets and black ties waited on them with elegance and skill.Both picked up menus, but Puller later decided to let Jane order for him.First came a bottle of white wine, which was poured into two glasses.

Jane said, "I know you're technically on duty, but I really like this Italian Chardonnay and hope you'll try it too." Puller took a sip and swallowed slowly. "Italian white wines are always a bit heavier than other wines." Jane clinked glasses with Pooler. "This bottle is MG Dream Dry White, from 2007. You are a soldier, but you know wine. What's going on?" "When I was young, my father used to take my brother and I abroad. I was nine years old when my father gave me my first wine tasting in Paris." "You went to Paris when you were nine," said Jane enviously. "I was almost thirty when I first went abroad."

"Some people never leave the country." "It's true. I go out every year now, for months at a time. I love it, and sometimes I almost don't want to come back." "Then why did you come back here?" She took a sip of wine and wiped her mouth lightly. "I think it's because, this is my home." "Anywhere can be your home." "That's true, too. But my family is here." Puller looked around. "Is Roger a partner here?" "No, it's all mine." "It's a business that requires a lot of investment."

"I'm not relying on him for funding, if that's what you mean. I'm relying on bank loans and human capital equity incentives." "Nevertheless, I believe no harm can be done by marrying Roger." "That's true," Jane admitted. "Did you see him back in town?" "I had a coffee with him at the Bullpen." "why?" "Talking about his death threats. For the record, I don't think it's still about Randy this time." She put down her glass. "Sam told you?" "Yes, she said it," Puller added after a pause. "I see Roger's business is very successful."

"I wasn't really involved in that." "He relied on Bill Strauss for a lot of things." "Bill is the COO. That's what he does." He hesitated, wondering whether to bring up the pipeline to her, then decided it was too risky.Seeing her inquiring expression, Puller hurriedly said: "I asked many more questions than you, sorry, I am just such a person." "Slowly we may learn how to deal with people like you." Their order arrived.Puller took a few minutes to concentrate on the food on his plate.He swallowed his last mouthful of fish and said, "I think you're going to get a Michelin star."

Jane's face brightened. "Thank you so much for your confidence in us." "It's not easy to build something like this from scratch." She drank the wine from her glass. "Have you any particular reason for saying what I would like to hear?" "I'm telling the truth. But you invited me to lunch and you said you wanted to ask me some questions. Why haven't you started?" "And all you can offer are opinions, not answers." "I can't promise what I can't deliver." "Would you like some coffee? Our coffee beans are imported from Bolivia. Their product is starting to look decent and has a special taste."

"I've never had a hard time saying no to coffee." "Have you ever been to Bolivia?" "No." "What about the rest of South America?" "Been there." "Tolerance or play?" "I don't travel for fun. I always travel with a gun." The coffee they ordered came quickly.The coffee cups are in the shape of flowers and vines, which look very delicate.Pooler intuitively realized that the cup had been chosen by Jane Trent herself.She belongs to the kind of person who wants to control everything no matter how small. "The coffee is really good," he said.

Jane nodded, and continued, "Now I'm going to ask the question. Well, there's really only one question. Based on the research you've done so far, do you think Roger is in any real danger?" "I can't tell if he's really in danger. I'm here to investigate the murder of the colonel and his family. I did say to Roger that he should take things that scare him seriously." "Why do you say that?" "Just a hunch of mine." "I know that you think I have a casual attitude about my husband's personal safety, but I want to tell you for sure that I actually care about this matter."

"But, as you said, he took precautions." Puller finished his coffee, put down his cup and asked, "Do you have any specific reason to worry that your husband is in some kind of danger? Perhaps he is in some way connected to the murders here?" "Well, one of the victims worked for Roger's company, though I suspect Roger probably didn't even know her. I don't believe he had anything to do with these people being killed. I mean, what was his motive?" "I don't know. Is Roger in any kind of lawsuit at the moment?" "He's always been in a lawsuit. Usually with the government's Environmental Protection Agency or with some non-governmental environmental protection organizations, and occasionally for unnatural deaths caused by accidents on construction sites." "What kind of environmental lawsuits are there?" "I don't know much about it. In general, strip mining is very damaging to the environment. You can't quote me, but it's true. People don't like it, so they sue. If the government thinks that Roger He also has to be punished for failing to fulfill his legal responsibilities or breaking laws and regulations. So Roger spent a lot of money on lawyers. Why do you ask this?" Puller was thinking about the soil analysis report, but he wouldn't tell Jane about it. Jen said, "Okay, I lied. I have one more question." "Say it." "Why are you here?" "That's one thing that couldn't be more clear." "Because a colonel was killed? And it happened outside the barracks? I did some research on you. You're from the 701st Military Police Group. They could have sent someone from the CID from Campbell Base too, sent them It's you. 701 is special. Why?" "You know a lot about the military, don't you?" "My dad was in the Navy, and a lot of people here have been in the military. And as I said, I've done some research." "Who did you talk to?" "I have my connections, which you don't need to know more about. And from what I know, sending a man like you here sends a pretty clear message. It's not an ordinary homicide case." "To me, no single homicide is out of the ordinary." "So you're not going to tell me?" "I'm on a mission, Jane. I really can't say much more than to tell you the fact that I'm on a mission." Jane took Pooler back to the hotel.Puller watched her car disappear, then looked back at his door, then back to his car.He walked to his car, stopped four or five meters away from it and looked at it carefully.He circled the car counterclockwise and spotted it.What fell into Puller's sight was a short length of insulated wire with a copper connector.The copper joint is very small, only two or three centimeters in size, and it just so happens that the sun shines on it, making it shine like a piece of gold. Puller crouched down to examine it carefully.After a while he got up and got out of the car and called Cole. "Someone planted a bomb under my car. Send someone to dismantle it?" Puller was sitting on the steps outside the hotel business room thinking about what had just happened when Cole rushed over with the bomb squad. Some folks here seem to enjoy planting their bombs here and there. He may have figured out why he was invited to lunch.