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I focus on each person individually, asking permission to record them. They all answer with a yes.
“Can you tell me what you’ve seen over the years that leads you to think Keep it Greene Inc. isn’t conducting itself under Illinois laws?”
Tawny Shandy begins pulling for a notebook. I’m skeptical and with a raised eyebrow, she begins to explain. “I get very nervous, I wrote it all down, so I wouldn’t get confused.”
For an informal interview, I’ve never heard this. “Okay, go ahead and continue.”
“Elimination procedures are not per the environmental guidelines for Illinois.” Tawny Shandy is the most informative. “Greene and De Santos compete in this industry where both companies vie for the same customers. Customers are promised safe and environmentally friendly elimination procedures. But at Keep it Greene Inc., we’ve found ways to make our customers believe we’re recycling the waste when we’re not.”
Arthur and Leonard corroborate her story, revealing all the procedures Keep it Greene Inc. has violated through the years. It’s so fresh in their minds.
I search the faces of all three witnesses. Something seems off, and it leads me to my follow-up question for the day. “And why is it, that you’re just now coming forward after all this time?”
All three look at one another, quietness taking over the table. Arthur is the first to speak up. “Um, well, ma’am, it seemed like the right thing to do.”
“And we were afraid we’d lose our jobs,” Tawny explains.
“But none of you work for the company anymore, right?” I ask, and when they shake their heads, I have more follow-up questions. “Has anyone threatened you, or bribed you, to come forward?”
They’re quiet a beat longer than I was expecting. “No, not at all.” This is Arthur.
I should feel better about this lead. It’s the one we’ve needed but something is telling me to keep my eyes wide open.
* * *
“Anisten?” The voice that calls my name sends shivers up my spine. I don’t see him, at first, but it doesn’t stop the hatred that races through my body for the man.
“Jeff, oh, hey. Good to see you.” Who am I fooling? Not him, and certainly not the junior lawyers fleeing from the scene. Jeff and I have been known to butt heads from time to time, and no one wants to witness the bloodshed. I’m not a fully vested partner, not like he and Penn, but being a named partner, I don’t bow down to his temper tantrums.
“I’m calling an emergency lunch meeting. Clear your schedule and meet me in my office in ten minutes.”
He stands still, and this has always been his MO.
“You can’t call a meeting and expect everyone to clear their schedules immediately.”
His rounded face matches his rounded belly. “Sure I can. It’s why it’s called an emergency meeting.”
He walks away, a chuckle leaving his fat lips, and I hope his pants split at the seams. It would be hilarious.
* * *
Lunch with the partners is all tedious and soul-crushing. When Jeffery Mann, an equal partner in the firm, calls an emergency meeting I’ve not mentally prepared myself for, it’s as unbearable as my yearly pap smear.
But Jeffery Mann is my number-one nemesis in this world. Unlike Penn, who has been my cheerleader for most of my career with the firm, Mann came out of the gates hating me. I was too young, too pretty, and too privileged to be a part of this firm. And what’s worse, those were the nicest words he’s ever spoken to me; everything else has been horrendous bullshit.
I can only stomach him every three months at our quarterly meetings, but we stay clear of the other. His office is on a different level, just to avoid me. He’s been out to ruin me for years.
The disgusting asshole had the nerve to call this emergency meeting but left for twenty minutes only a half hour into it. We never discussed anything of emergency status, and without explanation, he adjourned it. Even Penn had been confused as to why he demanded a meeting of this magnitude.
Caroline must be able to perceive my haggard look, as I trudge down the hall. “That bad?”
“The fucking worst. Any messages?” I ask.
“Yeah, Harry Lane dropped off some papers. I was at lunch and Mann’s paralegal let him into your office. But I checked, the file is on your desk.”
“Fuck, even Mann’s legal staff has it out for me.” It’s not who typically relieves Caroline for lunch, but with the partners meeting, we have to endure her.
“Okay, thanks. I’ll look it over. Unless Luca calls please don’t disturb me for any reason, after all, that’s three fucking hours I’ll never get back, especially since he’s picking me up early.”
