Chapter Six
“Caitlin, why does Metz feel this way?” Mike watched her calm herself, letting her body relax into her laughter. His slumped posture in the chair disguised his intense interest in the teasing exchange between Jantzen and Cait.
“Because he’s a pain in my butt? I’m sorry. That wasn’t a fair answer, Mike, to you or him.” She pulled the smirk from her face. “The truth is he’s been passed over once too often for higher positions. With my promotion, I think he finally got the message. He’s not going anywhere in the new organization. The fact that I’m a woman and he must report to me galls him. He sees some serious injustice in this situation. Now with Keith hiring you, he sees another career path closed off to him.”
“Well, we share something, Cait.”
Caitlin caught his covert meaning. Her green eyes flashed. “How awful that it’s Kirby Metz.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” He locked glances with her.
“What Metz feels and what is reality aren’t necessarily good correlations,” Jantzen jumped into the conversation, scrutinizing them as he leaned back in his chair. “When my father ran this place, he liked ’yes’ men who carried out his orders. Some of them hired people for reasons other than their competence—Metz was one of those hires. He’s stuck around because he’s never been incompetent enough to fire. Once he might have been valued here. Now he’s barely a blip on our management radar screens.”
“Plus he’s too young to legitimately retire, though some might say he’s been retired since he was hired,” Caitlin added. “I’m more precise in documentation than Joe was. This fiasco while I was gone is one I can document. That paperwork when combined with his habitual tardiness and his lackluster performance in job responsibilities makes my position stronger in terminating him. I’ve warned him. When he gets his performance evaluation with no pay increase, he may look elsewhere.” She finished her comments with her chin thrust forward.
“Or it could force him toward sending nasty, threatening notes,” Mike muttered, figuring a threatening note would be about as physical as the man would get.
“Metz isn’t energetic enough or mean enough for that,” Jantzen responded for Caitlin, but Mike noticed the flash of concern in his eyes.
“What would he gain in scaring me? I’m not about to quit. However, I’ll fire him on the spot if he’s doing these things and I catch him. He’s got nothing to gain, especially with his expensive lifestyle to maintain.”
“So that brings us back to square one. Fire anybody recently, Caitlin?” Mike wondered how the mostly male workers reacted to such a situation. Did she ever allow her tough shell to fall away?
“Sure a couple of people in the past few months, but if they want to fight the firing, they can file a grievance through the union.”
Mike noticed Caitlin’s hesitation.
“Buddy Stein couldn’t, Caitlin,” Jantzen interjected.
Thick lashes fluttering, her eyes swept upward.
“And he could be violent,” Jantzen persisted with his point.
“Great, and where’s this guy now?” Mike’s voice caught in his throat. None of this sounded good.
“Who knows, but he couldn’t get in this plant. And, if anyone saw him, they’d report it for sure. Everyone hated Buddy,” Caitlin added the last with great emphasis.
Mike thought of that unsecured outer door near Caitlin’s office. Another reason he was determined to see to better security. For everyone’s sake. Hell, this place was a freaking snake pit.
“She’s right, Mike. Stein would find it very difficult to get in here, but he could be a likely suspect. Well, another name to add to that list for the sheriff. This time we won’t scratch it out,” Jantzen concluded in a manner that stopped any further discussion.
****
When Keith’s phone rang, Mike looked at Caitlin, she at him. She saw all his questions in that gaze. Buddy’s name provoked bad memories, her first firing when she could go to no one for confirmation. A shiver of fear skittered down her spine, into her legs and back up again. She repositioned herself to ease her tension.
Her movement produced Mike’s protective look. He never tried to disguise it. “Cait, if Jantzen’s finished with us, let’s grab a cup of coffee and go over strategy again for this afternoon. What do you say? I’ll even buy, if you supply the office?”
“You’ve got a deal.” She looked to Keith who waved them on, mouthing, two o’clock. She gave him the victory sign. “Actually, a Diet Coke sounds better. Okay with you?”
“It’s got caffeine. That’s my only requirement.” They headed toward the door.
Five minutes later, they sat in her office, Diet Cokes at hand. “Tell me about Stein,” Mike asked, his eyes all smoky with concern.
“I fired him. Keith called it my ’blooding’ after all the commotion.”
“Knowing you, you took the bull by the horns and by yourself, right?” She heard no reproach in his voice.
“I handled it, but it wasn’t pretty. Buddy blew up, grabbed the brass coat tree in my office, and smashed it into the chair I had been sitting in.”
“You saw him move and got out of the way, right?”
“You bet, but I hit the alarm button first. Once he smashed the chair, he backed off, and I ordered him out. That’s when the troops arrived.”
“Just like the old westerns.”
“Right. I was so scared I didn’t think before I acted.”
“Yeah, adrenalin can do that.”
She looked at him and saw no censure. “Once I got home and into my whirlpool, I couldn’t stop shaking. If anything had been in my stomach, I’d have heaved it.”
“That’s adrenalin, too. How long did it take for you to rebuild your confidence?”
“You know what I’m talking about?”
“Yep, been in the same situation a time or two. Rattles you more than you think possible, especially if you know you did the right thing.”
“I did. I was back to fighting form the next day.”
Mike grinned. “Why wouldn’t you be? So what happened to Stein?”
“The union wouldn’t defend him. Security escorted him from the plant, cleaned out his locker, and shipped the contents to his home address. He picked up his last check and no one’s heard from him since. I figured he was gone from my life.”
“Maybe not,” Mike finished her thought for her. Admiration and something hotter flared in his eyes.
****
At two, Caitlin stood with Mike on the raised platform outside his office. Keith and the union president, Tom Jaspers, filled out their line-up. All of Northland’s employees, six hundred of them, stood below, staring up at them. Their low conversation hummed like white noise.
Sounding as regal as he looked from the vantage point above the crowd, Keith began his “cart and pony show.” First came his announcement of a drug testing program, random locker checks, closed lunch periods, and security checks. Then he gave the reasons for these procedures—increased accident rates, absenteeism after lunch and breaks, a rising incidence of scrap production, more documented cases of substance abuse, falling profits, and global competition. He finished abruptly on a tone providing no chance for questions.
The group below stood silent and didn’t move except for the shuffling of feet.
After giving the crowd a moment to wonder what was coming, Caitlin stepped from the line of men and outlined her part of this new program. The company was also implementing and sponsoring an Employee Assistance Program to help employees deal with problems. More information would be forthcoming. She was promised good dollar support from the company to fund these programs.
When she stepped back into the line, Mike moved forward and reiterated that every company’s profits fell and their dangers increased with serious drug problems. Money always struck a chord as did the possibility of unsafe working conditions. More boot shuffling rewarded Mike’s comments.
“Great approach,” Caitlin whispered to him when he rejoined their line-up.
The last to step forward, Tom Jaspers threw his support behind the new procedures. The employees listened, looking sullen at times, but not openly hostile. When the union president indicated the contract would be reopened to negotiate some areas regarding these issues and that union agreement was conditional until negotiations were concluded, the crowd seemed appeased.
Caitlin heard the hum of agreement, registered the crowd’s satisfaction, and breathed in relief. She grinned, pleased with herself, for she had fought both Keith and Mike to obtain this concession. Technically, the company could have avoided reopening the contract. Her task was to ensure that only specific areas of the contract were reopened, nothing else. For now, she controlled the process. She intended to keep that command as well as maintain the workers’ satisfaction.
No boos, no hissing, no grumbling. For today, that measured success. Keith and Mike were shaking hands with Tom Jaspers. To look at them, workers would think all this had been their idea. She knew the truth; this approach had been her baby, right from the start. Downstairs, the employees began filing out to leave for the day or head to their work stations for second shift.
Still standing above the disbursing crowd, Caitlin turned, feeling eyes upon her. She was conspicuous up here with these men, which made her feel vulnerable. She should have worn slacks instead of her emerald green, wool jersey dress. She caught sight of Kirby but without her glasses, she couldn’t make out his expression. Whatever his reaction, it didn’t matter.
“Who’s that tall guy over there?” Mike asked, now at her elbow. “Near the machining center?”
“Haven’t got a clue. Can’t see that far without my glasses.” She moved toward the stairs.
“He was sure eyeing you, Cait, and didn’t look too happy.”
****
Later that afternoon, Caitlin sat at her desk dealing with mail when Kirby entered and took a chair with propriety ease. After making a production of seating himself, he lit up a cigarette.
“This building is non-smoking. Put that out.” She kept the professional smile in place despite the ache that action caused in her jaw. She watched him look around for an ashtray.
“Use the wastebasket. We’ve been a smoke-free environment for months.”
Kirby frowned as he crossed the room to the empty basket. A well-dressed man from his carefully barbered hair to his manicured nails, he gleamed brighter than a five karat diamond. His professionally laundered and starched shirt, his well-matched silk tie, his fashionably- tailored suit and highly-polished shoes, all aided his luster. GQ in Human Resources. He dressed better than she did.
“What’s the problem, Kirby?” She sighed.
He leaned into the plastic chair, crossed a leg over a knee, leaving a foot in the air, level with her desktop. “Who’s handling that new employee assistance program? You didn’t mention that this morning. In fact, you mentioned very little about what was going down this afternoon, other than we’d be reopening certain areas of the contract for negotiations.”
She ignored the foot and stared at his pencil-thin moustache instead. “I’ll be handling the program. The infirmary staff will assist me with Debbie as lead, reporting directly to me.”
“You’re undercutting me and my authority,” he interrupted, his moustache squirmed like a worm on a fish hook. His foot thumped to the floor.
“No, I’m reorganizing staffing responsibilities to meet new challenges,” she responded. “I’ve based all decisions on regular staff evaluations and capabilities. Everyone in the infirmary has had training to deal with any potential medical or mental situations. Debbie’s a meticulous detail person. By your own admission, that’s not something you want to deal with.”
“You’re demoting me?” His tone edged slightly higher.
“No...I’m not assigning you any additional duties.” She slowed her cadence, lowering her tone.
“You can’t do that.” He narrowed his hooded, watery-blue eyes.
“I can...and I have. Now, unless you have something else on your mind, I have another meeting.” She arched an eyebrow, daring him to complain.
“Why didn’t you tell me what was going on? You made me look like a fool.”
Looking at him, she figured he accomplished that quite well on his own. “Only the four of us standing outside Rafferty’s office this afternoon knew. Anything else?” She watched him lick his upper lip.
“Of course not...ma’am.” Kirby stood, exited noisily because his shoe taps clicked against the tiled floor.
Caitlin drew in a deep breath, the office air turgid with his heavy cologne lingering on. She sneezed and Rachel scooted in.
“The sheriff’s here. Keith just called for you.”
****
Four hours later, Caitlin was stuffing her briefcase, preparing to leave when Horace knocked and entered. “The sheriff just talked to me, Ms. Donnelly. I’m kinda worried about ya, ’specially after today’s announcements.”
“Today’s announcements haven’t caused the sheriff to get involved, Horace. Something else is going on. We both know that. Tomorrow my locks are being changed...and I know you will be especially protective of the master key.”
“Never you worry, Ms. Donnelly.” His blue eyes twinkled at her trust in him. “I’ll keep a good watch on yer place and yer key. No one gets it but me.” He shuffled his feet and flashed a grin. “Ah, Mr. Rafferty and me talked about that side entrance. That lock’s bein’ changed there, too, and a new system’s bein’ installed. The door will only open in an emergency, like a fire door. That Mr. Rafferty’s pretty hepped up on security. I’m mighty glad.”
She buttoned her coat to leave. “Walk me to my car, Horace? I’ll admit, but only to you, I’m a bit frazzled. This has been one long week.” As usual, her briefcase bulged with work.
“Glad to, though I thought Mr. Rafferty would be around. I saw him a few minutes ago and he asked if you left.”
“Oh, he did, did he? Guess I’ll beat him in leaving tonight.” She closed and locked the door, turned, and almost bumped into Mike.
“Amazing. We’re leaving at the same time,” he teased and tapped Horace on the shoulder.
She caught Horace’s wink at Mike and burst into deep laughter...for the second time that day. Conniving males.
“Guess this is my cue. Night, folks.” Horace ambled away while she and Mike headed for their cars, matching stride for stride.
“A long day, wasn’t it?” Mike commiserated. “I’m glad it’s over.”
“Me, too,” she agreed and thought of her warm home, a relaxing whirlpool, and a peaceful night.
“Feel like a quiet dinner someplace on the way home?”
Caitlin glanced at him, but said nothing.
“Not a date, Cait. We’ll tidy up a few details if you insist…or we can just enjoy unwinding on a Friday night. Colleagues do that now and again.” He shot her a smile that hinted of nothing related to work.
Her eyes met his liquid smoke ones. Ignition. Recognition. Acceptance. She relented and threw the whirlpool into her mental trash can, but wasn’t ready to tell him that. “As colleagues, okay…let’s unwind. This week—today—has been pure hell.”
The plant door whooshed shut behind them.
“The air smells different.” Mike gulped deep breaths, testing the warmer air.
“Spring’s on the way.” She looked into his eyes and spotted vestiges of the look she’d run from years ago. Could that look still linger? After all she’d done? Was she wishing for things because this week had been so rough? Or because spring might be in the air?
“Or...it could be that perfume you wear.”
“You think so?” She had splashed on her special perfume that morning, and asked herself why at the time.
He didn’t answer, but helped her into her car. With one hand draped across the roof and the other on the door’s top edge, he half leaned into the car.
“I’ll follow you...this time.”
“Good, I know the perfect place.”
He stepped away from the car, closed her door, and ambled toward his car.