pinched her lips together and shifted her gaze back to Todd. Staring at her partner for a few seconds, she then replied, “We thought about that. But our gut feeling? Joe’s interview was a little more unsure, whereas Charlie’s account was certain.”
“What about Kilton Pharmaceuticals?” Todd asked.
“Tammy Rutgers organizes the routes and has been there since the beginning. She’s not the only one who knows about the routes, and we didn’t get a chance to talk to her direct supervisor, who would also have known about the change.” Kyle turned and looked back at the board, shaking his head slowly. “I know it’s coming from the inside. Can’t prove shit yet, but I just know someone’s directing the thefts of fentanyl and selling it.” Now, how the hell do I keep Kimberly out of the middle of this?
14
“Our research involves the experimentation of the interaction of a loose, reversible binding of molecules, the chemical bond with their target sites. Receptors, macromolecules, and lipids… ”
Oh, my God. Kimberly shifted in her seat, the smile she had plastered onto her face twenty minutes ago still in place, although now drooping along with her shoulders—and her mood.
The day was passing in a haze of meetings with the other vice presidents. Dr. Li Chen of Research and Development was now talking incessantly in scientific terms that she could not decipher. Dr. Abeer Patel, the VP of Quality Management, barely had time to speak to her, managing to finally give her three minutes for an interview. Much like Dr. Chen, his praise of Kilton Pharmaceuticals was effusive, but most of his comments were scientific. She wondered if perhaps they either did not know plain-speak or spoke in scientific jargon all the time. Bet that’s exciting for their wives…
She only had one more VP to interview, Niles Cook, VP of Operations, and the idea of sitting through another mind-numbing session almost had her skip out early. One of his departments was over Warehousing, and since this was where Beth had obtained her extra drugs by sleeping with one of the men working in the warehouse, she held onto a glimmer of hope that Niles would offer a tidbit of interesting perspective.
He greeted her with a wide smile and, even though he was a VP, there was an air of ease about him that she had not found with the others. She grinned, settled into the proffered chair, less stiff than in her other interviews. “When I looked at the company’s organization chart, I was surprised at how many departments come under Operations. You’re in charge of everything from the manufacturing plants and production to the warehouses and support services as well as the IT for the company.”
He laughed, his smile easy. “Essentially, I believe that Operations is the term for ‘all departments that we don’t know where else to stick them’.”
“Kind of like a Jack of all trades?” As soon as the words left her mouth, her eyes bugged. “Sorry, I just thought of the rest of that saying. I don’t mean to imply that you’re not a master of anything. I just meant that, well… uh…”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. In many ways you’re right. I am like a Jack of all trades and master of none. I only say that because, obviously, I can’t be the master of how to run a manufacturing plant and know everything about IT. But that’s where having good department supervisors is essential. They report to me so that I can report to the president. But, as far as the day-to-day business in each of those departments, it’s the supervisor that handles everything. I’m glad you’re talking to the line workers.”
“Finally! I have to confess that the other VPs were less… um… informative.”
“Yeah, that sounds like the stuffiness I have to put up with as well. Geez, you should hear our VP meetings. When Li Chen presents, I know it’s naptime.”
Unable to hold back her snort, she nodded.
Niles’ smile widened. “Now, it’s late in the afternoon so I can assure you that most of the dayshift people working in the warehouse will have already shut down and are planning what they want to do for the weekend. They’re great people and work hard. But I also happen to know they play hard.” Shrugging, he grinned. “Sounds kind of like me, so I can hardly judge them.”
“I hate to bring up anything negative, but what can you tell me about the thefts from a few months