Chapter 31 - The Consultant’s Appointment
Grace arrived at the warehouse before sunrise with a printed copy of the consultant’s calendar entry. The meeting had been scheduled for October fourteenth, three days after Victor Hale’s exposure review was written and two days after the laboratory report was downloaded.
The consultant’s name was Peter Lang. His company, Lang Compliance Services, had received payments from Whitmore and Northline during the previous year.
The calendar entry gave no subject. It listed the location as Conference Room C and noted that Victor would attend in person.
“Does the company still have a visitor log?” I asked.
“IT found one,” Grace said. “The entry says Lang arrived at 2:10 p.m. and left at 3:46.”
“Was the report discussed?”
“We don’t know. But the second download occurred at 1:52.”
She handed me a copy of the payment record. Lang’s company had received a consulting fee six days after the meeting. The invoice described the work as document review and strategic recommendations.
“Strategic recommendations about what?” I asked.
“That’s what we’re trying to determine.”
Grace said the audit committee had arranged an interview with Lang for that afternoon. His attorney had asked for a day to review the records. The board agreed, but counsel reminded him that the company expected him to preserve any documents related to the meeting.
At work, the crew was trying to get through another difficult week. The south yard remained closed, the independent tests were ongoing, and the new route to the staging area added time to every shift. Maria had organized a volunteer group to help workers schedule confidential health consultations without leaving the line understaffed.
She was handling it with the same care she used to check a refrigerated trailer seal.
“You don’t have to keep doing this,” I told her.
“I know,” she said, holding a clipboard. “That’s why I’m doing it.”
By midmorning, Charles called a meeting in the training room. He wanted workers to hear the company’s latest update from him directly. I stood at the back of the room while he explained that the state had received the laboratory report and that the company had agreed to new testing.
A worker from the maintenance crew raised his hand. “If the tests show contamination, are you going to tell us which areas?”
“Yes,” Charles said. “We’ll share the results and the next steps.”
“Will the company pay for anything we need?”
“We’ll address that if the test results indicate a need. No one’s being asked to sign away any rights in exchange for a consultation.”
The answer did not satisfy everyone, but it was honest.
After the meeting, Earl pulled me aside. “People want to know who knew about the report.”
“So do I.”
“Then keep asking.”
In the afternoon, Lang arrived with his attorney. He was tall, neatly dressed, and composed. He looked at me once in the hallway, then turned away as if he didn’t recognize my name.
The interview began behind closed doors. Grace told me not to attend unless they needed me to identify a warehouse procedure. I waited in the corridor with Charles, listening to the muffled movement of chairs and occasional raised voices.
After two hours, Grace stepped outside.
“Lang says he reviewed the report,” she told us. “He claims Victor asked for a recommendation on how to handle it.”
“What did he recommend?” I asked.
“According to him, he advised Victor to conduct follow-up testing before making any conclusions.”
“Did Victor do that?”
“Lang says he doesn’t know.”
“Why did he get paid?”
“He says the fee covered a general compliance review.”
Charles frowned. “Did he give you his notes?”
“No. He says they were destroyed under his company’s retention schedule.”
The timing felt convenient.
Grace returned to the room. I stayed in the hallway, thinking about the lab report being opened, the consultant being paid, and the missing follow-up tests.
A few minutes later, the door opened again. Lang left without looking at any of us.
His attorney followed behind and said the interview was over.
As they crossed the lobby, Lang’s phone slipped from his coat pocket. It hit the floor. A small folded paper fell out with it.
The receptionist picked it up, but Lang’s attorney took it before she could read it.
May you like
I saw only a few words written across the top:
Second report—do not deliver.
