Chapter 20: Making It Clear
Manny’s POV (the next Monday)
Even though I’ve worked with Steph for three years, I’m asking the majority of RangeMan Trenton Research to attend this workshop on how she does what she does. Each office was required to bring the files on their five biggest outstanding skips. Hopefully, what they would learn from Wifey would help them catch these guys.
Wifey doesn’t consider what she does very special or innovative, but at RMTrenton, it’s well known that if you can’t find someone, sneak the search into Steph’s pile. She’ll find them. Ranger got pissed when he realized what we were doing. Evidently some of the searches we removed were searches for him.
After that morning on the mats, we were very careful about how we ‘modified’ her workload.
Bright and early Monday morning—OK, 0900—Wifey wheels into Conference 1, our largest conference room. Danny called half his research department up too, so the room is packed. There are at least 40 men in here, waiting to learn from the best. She blinks in surprise when every man in the room stands up and comes to attention.
“Umm . . . at ease?” The confusion and blush on her face make most of the men smile and sit down. “Good morning. I’m Stephanie Plum and this morning I’m going to walk you through my process for finding information. I warn you, this is my process. It works for me.”
Every man nods. Don’t downplay yourself, Steph. Every man in here knows you’re the best.
Over the next hour, Wifey walks us through her process. It’s completely intuitive. No man in the room understands it. It appears to rely on gut feelings and hunches, not facts. I can see that we’ve hit a wall of frustration. I approach Wifey.
“Steph?” I can sense her frustration at not being able to better explain how she does it.
“Yeah?”
“Suggestion. Send the men on a break. 15 minutes.”
She gives the order, and everyone hits the break room. I take a moment to look at her. Sarah has already worked her to the bone, and I’m sure the meetings since have stretched her nerves. I smile and rub her hands.
“Find the biggest outstanding skip in the room. Work through the file as an example so the men can see your thought process. Give them an idea of how to approach this from a different angle, and don’t get frustrated. You’re trying to teach them something completely new. They need time to process it.”
Steph nods and smiles at Ram as he brings her a snack. The men file back in.
“OK, I’ve been trying to explain how I do this. How about I show you how I do this? Who has the most expensive skip in the room?”
Immediately the room is filled with the call of dollar amounts and time outstanding. Atlanta wins on both counts. David Yurick. $5 million bond. Outstanding for nine months. Damn!
Over the next 15 minutes, Jacob from Atlanta reads us the file. David Yurick. Six counts of assault and battery, two counts of murder, two counts attempted murder, four counts of statutory rape, 156 counts of child pornography. Many, many more charges. Great guy. A former high school history teacher with one allegation of inappropriate sexual behavior toward a female student, which the school system dismissed. I’m betting they regret that. He was enjoying his life as a budding porn kingpin when one girl’s boyfriend found out. He didn’t appreciate his girlfriend doing ‘extra credit work’ with teacher on tape, and he and his friends went to teacher’s house in order to teach him a lesson. They got taught instead.
How in the hell did this guy get bail? Oh, he was arraigned on the assault and attempted murder charges and pled not guilty, self-defense. It looked kinda likely at the time; the cops found the boys’ fingerprints on the baseball bats they’d brought. Yurick had no prior charges, a history of great teaching credentials and awards, and was known for helping school organizations— in short, the ideal teacher. They found the porn stash after he was granted bail and added the other, non-murder charges after. Because it was statutory rape and child porn, bail was rescinded and he went FTA. One ex-wife and three kids in Duluth, three legal aged ex-girlfriends, and not one of these women had anything good to say about him. Smart ass. Always had to be right. Walking Encyclopedia Britannica. Didn’t score high enough on the LSAT to go to the law school he wanted, although he could have gone anywhere else. Parents live in Alabama.
The guys continue to read everything they’ve found out about this guy. They’ve been searching for him in Duluth and in Anniston, but his family say they never see him. The guys are pretty sure they’re lying, but multiple stakeouts of both houses have yielded nothing. His friends haven’t seen him either. His children hear from him on occasion but nothing regular. His church family hasn’t heard from him, although the pastor says he calls for guidance on occasion. No one that knows him has seen him. He’s still using his credit cards regularly and debit cards sporadically.
Steph is bending back in her chair, eyes closed.
“He’s still using his debit cards?”
“Occasionally,” Jacob answers.
“Locally?”
Jacob looks surprised. Every man in the room is surprised to see that the corners of Steph’s mouth are tilted up. RMTrenton realizes that she’s caught the scent.
“Yeah.”
“Same area, different location, same time each month?”
Every man now realizes what RMTrenton has.
“Uh . . . Yeah . . . .”
“OK Steph,” Benny says. “You’ve caught his scent. Tell us. What tipped you off?”
Yeah, do tell. I spent 10 years in the Bureau, and all I have is that this guy is an ass.
“Tell me what you know about him so far.”
Every man in the room is stumped. We don’t know shit useful about him.
Steph smiles. “Don’t think about right or wrong answers. Tell me what you think. This is a friend of yours. He’s just been charged and you get this file. What does it tell you about this guy that you think you know?”
I’m thinking hard. “Well, he’s pretty fucking arrogant to use his credit and debit cards in the same places. Staying local is stupid.”
Everyone in the room starts chiming in.
“He’s not afraid of being caught.”
“He thinks he’s innocent.”
“Nah, he knows he’s guilty. That’s why he’s using the credit cards. He won’t have to pay them back once he’s in jail.”
“Dude, that’s cynical as hell.”
“We deal with criminals. Ya gotta be cynical.”
“He’s thought about this. He had a plan together for being on the run.”
“A history teacher means he’s studied people in the past. Studied the behavior of famous people, famous murderers even. He doesn’t plan to make any mistakes.”
“He lives in other people’s stories.”
We continue for another 10 minutes before Wifey raises her hand. “Here’s what I got so far. This is a man desperate to be seen as brilliant, desirable, an expert. In his world, there are people who admire and respect him and think he’s an expert and people who don’t. He no longer needs the people that don’t see him the way he wants to be seen, so he won’t be in contact with them. This includes family and friends. He maintains minimal contact with his kids because no matter what, he’s still Daddy. They’ll still believe in him.”
I consider what Jacob said earlier. Walking Encyclopedia Britannica. Smart ass. History teacher. Could have gone to law school. He likes facts. He needs to feel important. This man lives to be right. Wifey’s correct. Young girls won’t question him; they’ll accept what he says as gospel and they can be talked into anything. Teenage girls think they know everything about men.
“He respects power and authority, which is why he’s still in contact with the pastor. Also, religious men look good as character witnesses. He’s local but not in Duluth. Look at an area similar to Duluth but not nearby. Common sense says you look at family and friends, but they don’t respect him anymore so anyone he’s in contact with right now will be new and won’t be in the file. Jacob, close the file. No one from Atlanta answers. OK guys, gimme this guy’s physical description.”
I immediately think medium height, medium build, brown hair, brown eyes and that description is being echoed around the room. I’m starting to see Wifey’s point. This guy will blend in everywhere. No wonder he’s not afraid of being caught. There’s nothing about him to set off any alarms. So, how has Wifey caught the scent?
“Ask any woman; we would term this guy the ‘Amateur Lawyer.’ He has thwarted ambitions and a deep desire to always be right. It’s important to him, and because he’s so knowledgeable about so many things, you just let him have his way. Problem is, he always has to have his way, and after a while it’s annoying. Out in public he’s like everyone else, but what sets him apart is the feeling of being special. That’s why he still uses his credit cards. Why he still uses them in the same places. He’s taunting you.”
He’s winning if that’s his plan.
“He knows everyone’s looking for him, and he’s out in plain sight, but he’s the kind of guy everyone overlooks. Let me guess. Somewhere between 5’8″ and 5’11”? Medium build. Brown hair and eyes. Glasses, wire frames that disappear into his face. Lives in khakis and button downs.”
Jacob is staring at Wifey in awe. “Yeah, that’s him exactly.”
Now every man is sitting forward, watching Wifey smile. “Search further back. High school, middle school. Get his school clubs and awards.”
Jacob immediately hits a legally ‘grey’ search engine and pulls the information.“Mock Trial, Spelling Bee, Academic Bowl, Academic Decathlon. Actually,” Jacob counts, “seven years of Academic Bowl and four years of Academic Decathlon. Two years of Mock Trial.” Jacob starts searching again. “He did four years of Academic Bowl and Mock Trial in college, too . . . Wait a minute . . . .”
Now Jacob is excited. We’re all watching him. Every man crowds around him, trying to get as close as we can. Finally, Ram leaves the room and returns with a display cord. We put Jacob’s display on the projector screen.
“SHIT!!! His cards are always used within 20 minutes of Duluth. There’s a Dave and Buster’s in Duluth! 11 fucking years of Academic Bowl and he was the faculty advisor for Academic Bowl at his school. That would be the place he’d go. Useless fuckin’ trivia, a chance to feel like an expert, like the smartest fucker in the room. I’ll bet you this is the kind of cocksucker that applied for Jeopardy!”
Steph smiles. “What’s the Dave and Buster’s farthest away?”
Jacob looks confused. “Umm . . . Marietta.”
“Start there.”
“Why?”
“Because while you’re searching Duluth trying to find him through his credit cards, he’s going to be on the other side of the city using cash. Debit card transactions, remember? So you’ll waste a day trying to stake out one area when he’s actually in another.”
The Atlanta guys are smiling. Danny calls the office and immediately mobilizes a search team. Within 45 minutes, they call back. The waiters and waitresses at the Marietta Dave and Busters certainly recognized Jonathan Smith. He’s extremely popular, one of the regulars. Everyone wants him on their team, but he’s only there on Tuesdays, four days after all the hits on his debit cards. He always orders the same thing and pays in cash. He tips really well and is very popular with the staff.
The Atlanta guys will be back tomorrow night to join their long missing friend.
Everyone in the room is cheering and hyping up Atlanta. A $1 million payday might be in custody tomorrow, and Steph is smiling.
“Shall we hit the next one?”
As the day wears on, it becomes clear that Wifey is either a natural psychological profiler or she’s dealt with a lot of shitty men. We work through Atlanta’s five files and by close of business Monday, Atlanta has visuals on all five of their highest subjects. Every office in the room realizes that Wifey’s skills are immense.
“The thing to understand when looking for these guys, the really big bonds, is that they have every reason not to want to be found. So the normal rules don’t apply. Don’t bother with family unless you’re looking at second cousins. Friends from high school or middle school, weak links, not the people they talk to all the time. Take a look at their habits and obsessions to determine where they would go. And unless they have independent skills, someone is helping them or they’re living off credit.”
She smiles. “But sometimes, when that doesn’t pan out, you have to go with the obvious, even if it seems wrong. Sometimes the obvious answer has more paths than any other. But always go for the obvious last, once you’ve eliminated everything else. Manny?”
I look up. Wifey’s writing on a sheet of paper. She folds it and hands it to Ram.
“Yeah?”
“If I went FTA and you had to search for me, where would you go?”
Here. I’d come directly here. Which makes it the wrong answer, right? Everyone knows Wifey would come directly here. So, where else would she go? She would last a decent amount of time on her own, but she’d make a mistake sooner or later, probably trying to contact family or friends. She’d run out of money pretty quickly too. I realize that this is a really hard question. The best place for Wifey to hide would be wherever Ranger put her . . . of course. Wifey would immediately come here; this is where she came during the Slayers drama. Ranger would hide her, and no one would find her because no one could make Ranger talk. No one could make RangeMan Trenton talk.
It’s the obvious answer and because of it, anyone searching for her would dismiss RMTrenton even though it’s the right answer. No one would think she’d be crazy enough to go right where everyone expects her to go, and everyone would know that if she did go to Haywood they’d have no chance of retrieving her. Bring all the search warrants you want. We’d have her off the property and into a safe house within an hour, possibly less. There are, at minimum, 40 different people who could hide her even if Ranger were not around. The effort required to find her would be immense.
Damn. The obvious answer has more paths than any other.
“I’d write you off, Steph.”
Every man from RangeMan Trenton laughs. Wifey smiles. “Why?”
“Because there’s at least 40 different men who would hide you, not to mention the safe houses we have access to. Every man at RangeMan Trenton would have to be investigated and none would talk. You’re a loss as an FTA.”
Wifey motions for Ram to open the piece of paper. Ram cracks up.
‘7th floor until further notice. Totally obvious but good luck finding me if I reach this building.’
Every man in the room laughs.
Danny’s POV
I’m glad I stuck around the entire week for Stephanie’s workshop. By the time I landed back in Atlanta Friday night, I felt I knew much more about skip tracing than at any other time in my life. Hell, my men were excited about everything they learned and were asking her to come present to the other half of our Apprehensions team.
While we were there, we pulled more of our outstanding FTA files and applied the skills we learned to those files. We halved the backlog. In one week. $8 million dollars pouring into my budget. Unbelievable. I wish I’d asked Chase to come here, because he would have loved this. Marcus, the head of Bonds Enforcement, is going to be kicking himself later. He didn’t want to go to his wife’s family reunion, and knowing he missed out on this will just annoy him more.
Javier and I have agreed that we now understand why the Leadership Core left her in charge. Even with her leg in a cast and seated, she’s commanding. Powerful, but in a quiet way. She has good humor and charm about her and she’s willing to help anyone. It’s also clear the Trenton men love her. The ones not attending the workshop brought her snacks and water every two hours. They brought her messages during the breaks. They reminded her of her meetings. I’ve never seen this kind of open adoration for anyone at any office.
It’s an entirely different standard of affection and care and the Trenton men thrive from it. I mean, I like Rose, our housekeeper, but I’m not as loving to her as the men here are to Ella Guzman. The food is much better here than anywhere else, and Ella anticipates our needs as well as Ms. Plum’s. I spilled mustard down the front of my shirt and Ella popped up 5 minutes later with a replacement. She had my shirt laundered, pressed, and returned to me before the end of the day. Rose is great, but I’m not sure that would have happened in Atlanta. I took Ella roses on behalf of the Atlanta team to thank her for everything she did.
I wasn’t the only XO to stay. All of them did, except Hal. He’s running his office while Manny and Ram participate. Sticking around also gave me a chance to spend some time with Hal. The guy is legendary for his naïveté, but I quickly realized that was an outdated assumption. He’s quiet and reddens easily, but he’s no one’s fool. The Trenton office is more military than most, probably an effect of having the Leadership Core in house for so long. The men are closed mouth and tight knit.
It’s clear that they neither trust nor respect Mark. Mark was frustrated all week because his attempts to find a spy in the Trenton ranks were futile. He even approached the guy Hal took to the mats two weeks ago, with no luck. It was also clear that the Trenton men were withholding judgment on the rest of us. Every XO walked around the Trenton office with the feeling that if he stepped wrong, especially in regards to Mrs. Guzman or Ms. Plum, his body could end up in the Delaware.
Thursday night, I invited Hal, Manny, and Ram out to dinner. We hit Ruth’s Chris and settled in for steak when I opened the discussion.
“I wanted to bring you guys out for a night to congratulate you on your new positions. I know that you’re just settling in, but may I offer you the benefit of my experience?”
I’m immediately faced with three hard looks. I raise my hands and smile. “No, I’m not here to pry into the running of your office, nor am I here to tell you what to do. I wouldn’t appreciate you doing that shit in Atlanta to me unless I asked you for your help. This is general advice.”
Finally, Ram nods. “Tread carefully.”
I nod back. “You’ve been promoted up into new positions. The hardest thing to do is let go of the duties of your old position, but you have to. You’ll burn out trying to do your old position. Manny, this advice is most important to you.” I’m surprised to see I get a small nod from him. “It’s also applies to you, Hal. Additionally, one of the biggest issues you three will face is defining your roles for yourselves. After all, what does the XO do? The Strategist? The Liaison? What should each man be responsible for? Have you had those discussions yet? If yes, do the men know how you intend to function in your new roles? If not, tell them soon. Don’t do what I did, which was keep the structure that was in place when I took over as XO, if it doesn’t work for you. I quickly drowned under the work, but since it appeared that I was fine, if treading water occasionally, for six months my command didn’t realize. I had a retreat with them where we pulled every single duty and function and finally got them into a working order, but it took time to get the men used to it.”
I sit back and take a sip of my beer. I’m actually pretty jealous of the Trenton Core Team. These guys act as a unit. Even now, they’re looking at each other, clearly determining how much they want to trust me. I hope I pass. I want them to trust me. Atlanta is an island on its own, and I need another Core Team I can call on. NYC and Miami are close because both XOs are Hispanic and their cities and pipelines are so similar. Boston and Miami are close because Mark is from the Miami office and he has spies all over that place that feed him information. I don’t trust Mark, Javier talks too damn much, and Armando can’t control his office like he really needs to in order to hold Miami. I need an XO I can count on, and I’m hoping Hal will be it.
I must have passed because Hal asks, “You’ve seen my office for a week. Give me your impression.”
“Easy. I’m really fucking jealous of you.” The guys smile. “No, seriously. Your office is tight knit, closed mouth, and loyal to each other. They’re efficient and every man is serious about his duties. I’m not sure if that’s an effect of having Leadership Core in house for so long, but if it is, it shows. I’d steal Ella if I weren’t sure I’d be shot before I got out the door with her.” Three identical grins. “The only areas of concern I have are with your Apprehensions group,” Manny tenses “and client relations.” Ram tenses. I take a sip of my beer and turn to Manny.
“You gotta let go. You can’t be the strategist and the head of Apprehensions and Bonds Enforcement at the same time. If it were possible, Lester would’ve done it. Keep the title, oversee it from a high-level, but get out of the day to day.”
I can see Manny give that some thought before nodding.
“Besides, you’re now in a position to really grow RMTrenton beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. Take a week, interview some people for your old position, and really sit down with Ram and Hal to determine what they need from you. You are the driver of RMTrenton. Your ideas will carry it forward.”
I take a sip of my beer and watch another silent discussion between the guys. Yeah, I’m making headway here with them.
“Plus, I hate to say this but you are the strategist closest to and most trusted by the new CO. You have the ability to present her with ideas before anyone else, so this really is an opportunity for you to help her drive the company. It may never happen again, so take advantage of it. From what I hear, you’re already going gangbusters with this SharePoint idea. I’m sure she has ideas of her own, and I’m sure Lester left her some, so help her where she needs it.”
Manny sits back and looks at Ram and Hal. I can see he’ll think about what I’ve said, but it will be hard for him to let go of Apprehensions, so I decide to make it easy for him.
“Look, as the head of Apprehensions you were the one directing the Leadership Core. You set up the best takedowns using the research you received. They participated in what you had going on, right?” Manny nods. “You’ll fulfill the same role for whoever takes over. You can still participate, but you have to let someone else drive.”
Our appetizers arrive and we chow down for a few minutes before Ram asks, “So what’s the issue with client relations?”
“You’re new to the job. You participated in client calls with Manny, but have you ever had to put together a bid proposal? Ever had to find and answer a bid proposal? Had to walk it through? Beat the bushes for new business? Maintain contact with existing clients and ensure that they’re happy?”
I can see Ram now understands my point.
“It’s an entirely new world for you. The people who were doing it are out in Texas, and you’ll need help. I called Chase, my strategist, and he’s willing to come up for a week or two to walk you through it if you want. No pressure and we won’t be insulted if you decline. Or you can take some time, fly out to Texas, and shadow Tank and Bobby while they do it. Both are valid ways of learning how it’s done.”
I watch as Ram considers the options I’ve presented him. I hope he chooses Chase. I want Chase to get a look at that office because I want Atlanta to function more like that.
“I’m not crazy,” Ram says. “I see your point. I’ll take you up on your offer and I’ll let you both know when it’s a good time.”
I nod. Great. I’m setting the ground work for a partnership between our offices. This is turning out to be a stellar week in more ways than one.
Our steaks arrive and all conversation turns to mundane shit until we hit on baseball. I’m diehard Atlanta Braves and I have a Mets fan and two Yankees fans at the table. The conversation is great, and I haven’t had this much fun in years. Finally, we order dessert and I decide to tackle the hard subject.
“One last item to discuss.” The guys smile and nod. “Have you discussed how the CO fits into your structure?”
At this, each man immediately stiffens, and I know I need to explain quickly.
“Don’t. I like Stephanie and I respect her. It’s clear to me why Leadership Core elevated her, but you guys are going to have a difficult situation. You have the CO in-house, but she’s supposed to be neutral and in charge of the entire company. I watched both her and you this week and it’s clear that all of you think of her as a little sister. You’re going to have to walk a fine line because you treat her like a little sister but she’s also your boss for the next year. Just be careful.”
The guys relax again and lean forward to listen. “Look, I’m warning you now, she’s not going to get that same reaction at the other offices. Based on this past week, my men are already priming our staff to love her, but Mark and Armando and their staffs aren’t going to take the change easily. Miami has gender issues and Mark’s a jealous asshole. And I do mean foaming at the mouth jealous. He thinks I’m unaware that my strategist is feeding him information, but Chase and I are in on it to keep him out our office. Keep an eye on your men, especially the disaffected. Hal, I’m not sure you’re aware but he approached King, is it King?”
Hal nods, his eyes narrowing. “Yeah, Roger King.”
“Yeah, Mark approached him, hoping he would be his Trenton spy, but King told him, and I quote, ‘Fuck off. Hal’s not taking me to the mats ever again. You want information, you ask him.’”
Ram and Manny immediately laugh while Hal sits back and smiles a very satisfied smile. I smile too; that Linden-King ’discipline session’ was legendary. My office commented on it all day.
“Javier might be OK, but it will take some time. He hasn’t grown his office in three quarters and Lester was keeping a closer eye on him and his Core Team, so he’ll be nervous when she visits. Anyway, your office will have the best relationship with the CO, and that’s going to lead to tension when she goes elsewhere.”
“What do you suggest?” Ram asks.
“One of you needs to go with her when she visits the other offices. She’ll need a buffer, someone she knows is on her side when she visits. Who’s her partner?” I fully expect to hear Hal say he is. I was sooooo wrong.
“Hector.”
I know my eyes are bugging. “Hector? Seriously?” Hal nods and I sit back and exhale. “Lord have mercy. The CO has Al Neri, no, she has Luca Brasi at her back,” I mutter.
At that Ram chokes on his beer and Hal and Manny shake with silent laughter. I join in, and we’re all wiping tears from our eyes moments later.
“Shit, well, that just took care of all issues with the Miami and NYC offices. Those fuckers would never oppose Hector. I just worry about the Boston branch. The men there are as loyal to their XO as Trenton is to you, Hal. Mark’s cold reception will lead to a cold reception from the men. Hector really needs to be at her back there, and one of you might want to go with her still.”
I can see Hal considering what I’ve said, and I get the feeling he will be at the CO’s back in Boston.
“That’s all I have. You guys have a great setup, great office, and this is your chance to shine. As the newest office, everyone will be watching you, especially since the CO is in-house there. Just expect more calls, Ram, about what’s goin’ on in Trenton.”
Ram grimaces. “More calls? Shit, I had enough two weeks ago.” Hal and Manny smirk and I chuckle.
“Just the beginning, my man. Just the beginning. Expect a call from Mark soon attempting to turn you. He’s not going to stop until he has a mole somewhere in your office, Hal. Just expect it.”
Hal nods. The look on his face clearly says that moles will not be tolerated.
Friday morning I ask for a few minutes before the last workshop for a quick meeting with Ms. Plum. She hasn’t changed a thing in Ranger’s office except for the gorgeous spray of flowers. I make a mental note that flowers seem to be her thing.
“Ms. Plum?”
Her nose wrinkles then she smiles. God, if she really is Ranger’s woman I have a new reason to hate the man. Thank God for Cindy.
“Steph, please. Need something, Danny?”
“Not quite,” I smile. “Wanted to know if you plan on making a circuit of the offices anytime soon? I would like to invite you to come to Atlanta first if you haven’t made a schedule yet.”
“I planned on it, hopefully when I get this cast off. Is there something you want me to see in Atlanta?”
“Nah. Just wanted to try to impress you with some down-home Southern hospitality and friendliness.”
This makes her laugh. Oh Jesus, I miss Cindy. “My men really want you to conduct another one of these workshops for the other half of our research team, although I told them they might want to hold mini-workshops to pass on what they learned if you don’t get a chance to come down anytime soon. And I’d like an independent review of my office.”
She looks confused by this statement, so I explain. “The only men on my staff who know you are the ones here. Most have never met you and you don’t know them, so having you come in and look at my office with fresh eyes might lead to finding things that we’ve overlooked or find new ways of doing things. I’d really like you to look through my operation and tell me where I could improve.”
Steph frowns then smiles. “It sounds like I’m some sort of corporate spy.” She seems to enjoy the idea.
“True. In business, people do this all the time. They have some high-priced consultant come in and assess their office and say, here’s what you do well and here’s what you need to change. I’m asking the new CO, who is unbiased because she doesn’t know anyone, to come do the same thing for me.”
Stephanie stares at me for a long time then nods. “OK. I’ll put Atlanta first on my list.” I grin. Excellent! “I’ll let you know when I’ll arrive.”
“Great. I’ll have Rose prepare Bobby’s apartment on 10 for you.”
She frowns at that. “Bobby’s apartment? Ranger doesn’t have an apartment there?”
Oh shit. Have I stepped in something? “No ma’am . . .” Shit, if she doesn’t know I don’t want to be the one to tell her.
“First, don’t call me ma’am. I’m not that old.”
I grin. Southern. Sorry.
“Second, I do know that it was expected that Bobby would take over oversight from Atlanta. I just didn’t realize that I would be staying in his apartment.”
Whew! Saved again.
“Yes, it’s his apartment on 10. The XOs were told that when you travel to any office, you are to stay in the top apartment, which is decorated for the person who will eventually take oversight of that office. I don’t think they ever really think about it; it’s more of a flophouse for them.” She nods. “Well, it’s time to start. I’ll wheel you there, if you don’t mind.” She smiles and I dismiss the Trenton guy who showed up.
My week has been great. I might finally have a partner office, the CO will visit my office first and I’ve halved my backlog. Shit, forget great. This week has been spectacular!
Leadership Core has never done anything that could be remotely classified as ‘stupid’, although ‘inscrutable’ is not a bad adjective. After a week with Ms. Plum, I’m sure I don’t know all the reasons for her elevation but the ones I’ve sussed out make sense. I’ve gotten more out of this trip than I ever expected.
My loyalty is to RangeMan. My loyalty is to the Leadership Core. I don’t question their decisions; therefore, my loyalty is to the new CO.
