That certainly wouldn’t surprise me. In the short time I’d been at Magnetadyne, there was probably more turnover in Scott’s department than any other in the company. He was a perfectionist, and when any of his people failed to meet his impossible standards, he seemed to take delight in pointing out their flaws, usually doing so in front of others. He’d fired more than a few people, and several others had either transferred or quit. Yet senior management seemed to turn a blind eye to his lack of people-management skills, probably because of his sales results, I guessed.
Peter went on, “I’m hoping you can do something to help her keep her job.”
Suddenly a light bulb lit up in my head and I thought I understood what was happening. “Are you sleeping with her?” I demanded.
He recoiled in shock. “What? No, of course not! She’s married – and so am I!”
I looked at him coldly. “Being married doesn’t stop a lot of guys from messing around. But if you’re not sleeping with her, why would you want to help Scott’s secretary?”
Peter was wary, but he went on with his quest regardless. “I guess I feel responsible for her.” When he saw my expression, he hastened to say, “No, not in that way. I was the one who hired her. She was bright and eager, and I thought she had a lot of potential – I still do. Anyway, when Scott got promoted to Sales Director, I recommended her for his secretary. It was a nice promotion for her and I thought she’d do well. I guess I didn’t consider the way Scott is with people. The bottom line is I feel guilty for putting her into the line of fire and I’d like to save her if I can.”
I watched him carefully as he told his story. He didn’t seem to be hiding another motive, but some men can be very devious, especially when it comes to sex.
“So what exactly do you want me to do?” I asked.
He looked at me earnestly. “I was hoping there might be some work she could help you with while Scott is out of town this week. Then, if you could write him a memo saying complimentary things about her with a copy to Mr. Moffatt, it would be hard for Scott to fire her for incompetence.”
From what I knew of Scott, Peter’s plan would probably work. Scott was the type who never missed an opportunity to suck up to his superiors.
I focused on Peter again. I was still uncertain about his true motives so I decided on a temporizing move. “I’ll tell you what, Peter, you suggest to Karen that she have lunch with me today. After I talk with her, I’ll see if I think I can help her.”
He stood up. “Okay, Jess, thanks” he said, “I’ll go talk to her right away.” He turned to go, then turned back. “I really hope you can help her; she’s a good kid and deserves better.”
Fifteen minutes later I got a call from Karen, and we agreed to go out for lunch. I knew that wouldn’t be a problem since neither Scott nor Mr. Moffatt were in the office, and I hoped she’d feel more free to talk away from work.
When we got to the restaurant, I thought at first I might have made a mistake. The waiter hovered over us for what seemed like forever trying to chat me up, but finally he brought our order and left, giving Karen and me a chance to talk.
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