Carter's War - 16. Chapter 16

He hadn't had much luck the afternoon before, but a new day always brought with it a renewed sense of determination, and for Will, that sense of determination was for him to get to the bottom of what was going on. He didn't like being kept in the dark, especially in a matter that he saw as his personal domain. When someone went over his head he still needed to know about it.

He sat at his desk tapping a pencil against his chin as he reviewed the computerized staff records. The database was vast, containing all the people who had applied, been interviewed, were hired and were fired by Avery-Woods over the last few years. Again, there was no record of a temp named Jennifer Beatty from Simmons Staffing. The agency wasn't even one of the approved staffing agencies Avery-Woods did business with.

On an impulse he dialled the number, leaving it on speakerphone as it rang.

"Simmons Staffing, how may I direct your call?" came the voice of an overtly cheerful receptionist.

"Yes, hello," Will said as he gave the phone his full attention. "I would like to speak to the person who deals with Avery-Woods. More specifically, the Jennifer Beatty placement."

"Who can I say is calling, sir?" she asked in a flat neutral tone.

"Mister William Carter, I am the Director of Human Resources here at Avery-Woods."

"One moment, please," she replied and suddenly he was listening to the sound of elevator music piped into the phone, supposedly to ease the impatience of being left on hold. Will didn't feel put at ease.

He glanced around his office as he waited, regretting not sending Alicia to get him a refill on his coffee mug. If he had any sense he would have simply bought a coffee maker for his office and saved time. But as yet he hadn't been able to convince anyone that is was a business expense and thus the company should pay for it.

He stared longingly into his empty travel mug with its nicely appointed Avery-Woods logo engraved into the stainless steel.

"Yes, hello, Mister Carter?" came an unfamiliar voice.

"Yes?" Will replied cautiously. "Who am I speaking to?"

"Phil Dubois down here at Simmons, I understand you wanted to talk to me about Jennifer?"

Will didn't like the sound of this man the moment he heard him. Too much like a salesman, that false sense of confidence that gave a distinct swagger to his words. This was a man who liked the sound of money and would do what he could to get it.

"That's correct," Will said without pause. "I understand she was hired by someone in my office here and unfortunately I have no records of this for my files."

"Well..." Phil said hesitantly.

Will smiled, "I am writing up the payroll sheets here and I have to authorize the payment to your office for her services and I just need the paperwork to process payment."

That got his co-operation, "Yes, of course Mister Carter, I can have that to you immediately; what's your fax number there?"

Will gave it to him.

"Excellent," Phil's tone changed. "Now, concerning future services my firm can offer to you..."

Will winced; he should have anticipated a sales pitch. "Yes, Mister Dubois, as you know Avery-Woods has its own internal hiring process, but I am always open to reading proposals; if you would like to send me..."

"I can tell you a little about our services if you have a minute," Phil was determined, like a terrier that had seen a bone.

Will sighed, "I'll read your proposal after I cut this cheque, for the moment I am due in a meeting..."

"Five minutes, Mister Carter..."

Will clicked the button to hang up the phone.

He stood and straightened his shirt as he stepped out of his office, "Alicia, if a Mister Dubois calls for me in the near future, please transfer his call to Pizza-Pizza."

Alicia looked up from the mound of paper work she was correlating on her desk, "Sure thing, boss." She was used to Will's strange requests by now. "Anything else?"

He sighed as she anticipated his need. "Coffee," he said with a soft smile.

Alicia shook her head as she relieved him of his coffee mug and collected her own, "You know, this is gender stereotyping, I should really make you fetch me coffee."

He grinned at her cheerfully, "I hear it's awfully cold on the unemployment line this time of year."

"Two sugars, right?" she asked as she hurried off to fetch him his cup.

He chuckled after her as he crossed to the fax machine to wait for the Simmons paperwork; a few seconds later the documents were coming through. He smiled; you could never overestimate a salesman's desire to get paid. He stood there a moment reading over Jennifer's resume and Phil's recommendations and notes during interviews. Pretty standard stuff, nothing remotely remarkable, except that she was in no way qualified to do Bertha's job effectively.

He picked up the next page, the job order form. Again standard, it was Bertha's job description down to the last detail.

The signature stopped him cold.

"Bruce?" he said as he returned to his office; he barely noticed Alicia return with his coffee as he set the documents down on the desk.

"Everything alright?" she asked, glancing down at the papers in front of him.

He tapped them, "Bruce Weippert hired Jennifer Beatty."

"But he doesn't have the authority to do that," Alicia said as she sat down across from him. "I thought only you could sign in order for her to get entered into the payroll system. You have to sign the paperwork, and that allows accounting to release the funds to pay the agency."

Will nodded as he clicked on his phone and dialled the extension for accounting.

"Hello?" Gavin Jeffries replied.

"Hey, Gavin, it's Will up in HR. I need to know who signed off on the Simmons agency fee." Will tapped his pencil on the desk.

There was a hesitation on the line, "I don't have any record of a payment to Simmons."

Will frowned, "Nothing at all?"

"No, Will, this is the first I've heard about it." Gavin sounded uncertain on the line, struggling slightly, as if he were...

Will's eyes flicked up to Alicia's. She was hearing it too. Both were well-trained to know when something was wrong with someone on the telephone, the result of the endless screening of calls and dealing with salesmen. Gavin was hiding something, which meant he knew exactly what Will was talking about.

"Alright, Gavin," Will said standing up, "if you do come across anything have it sent up to me."

When the phone was hung up again, he stared at Alicia, "I don't like games."

She nodded, "Are you going to talk to Bruce about it?"

He paced behind his desk, hands behind his back as he thought. Stopping after a moment he reached down and dialled Bertha's home number. In seconds the wizened old lady he respected so much came on the line.

"Yes?"

"Bertha, it's Will... I am sorry to call you on your vacation." He leaned a hand on the back of his chair, as he stood framed in the windows of his office staring out towards the south.

"It's alright, Will," she said warmly. "Daniel and I have the grandchildren and I'm doing some baking. What's wrong, dear?"

He sighed, where to begin... "I was wondering, who authorized your time off?"

There was the sound of rattling pots and pans, "Mister Weippert insisted that I take a couple of weeks off; he said that with the merger going through I should get it in now before things become too busy."

Will again exchanged a look with Alicia, "I see, well I'm sorry to dis..."

"That's alright, dear, I know you are probably trying to input the new payroll records; if you need to get any files off of my computer I keep the password taped to the back of my address book on my desk." There was the sound of a fork whisking eggs, "If you need anything else, I will be here for you."

Will inclined his head, "Thank you, Bertha." And he hung up.

He took a drink from his coffee mug and sighed, "The question is: why would Bruce give Bertha a week off and hire a temp without telling anyone."

Alicia crossed her legs, "I have no idea."

Will looked down at the orange file folder on the edge of his desk, and glanced back up. "I think I have to find out."