rolling his eyes at Anna.
“I don’t think so,” O’Hearn said. “I believe his wife died last year.”
Sabrina knew this wasn’t true, either, and she stared at O’Hearn. How could O’Hearn not know the truth?
“Oh, that’s awful,” Anna gasped and even Pasha looked up from his vials. “Why didn’t he tell us?”
“He’s a private man,” O’Hearn insisted. “If you paid any attention you’d have heard him mention that his wife’s gone.”
Sabrina escaped to the corner, pretending to check the gauges on the distiller. She couldn’t believe how little every one of them knew about their boss. Especially O’Hearn. She understood that the two men had been colleagues long before they came to spearhead EchoEnergy’s Product Laboratory. Sabrina had worked with Dwight Lansik for a shorter period than any of them, and yet she seemed to be the only one who knew he had no children and his wife was not dead, though she was, indeed, gone.
In fact, it was quite by accident that Sabrina had learned the truth. Shortly after she started, she came in early on a Sunday, not unusual for either her or Lansik, but this particular Sunday she caught him sleeping on the old blue sofa in his office. Not just sleeping but with his robe, toothbrush and slippers in place as if it had been his routine for some time. He grudgingly confided that his house had not been the same since his wife was gone.
At first Sabrina thought he meant that his wife had passed away. He had made it sound like a painful process, more that of a brokenhearted widower than an abandoned husband. But among the scattered paraphernalia was also a crumpled set of staple-bound papers, official-looking documents with the first page stamped Divorce Decree.
It wasn’t any of Sabrina’s business. Lansik was her boss, not a friend or a member of her family. What happened in his personal life was…well, personal.
The phone started ringing in the adjoining office and all of them stopped and stared. Finally Sabrina pushed open the door, hesitating as she looked around, checking the blue sofa before she reached for the phone on her boss’s desk.
“EchoLab,” she answered.
“Ms. Galloway?” a woman’s voice asked, startling Sabrina so much she stepped back. Why would anyone presume she would answer her boss’s phone?
“Yes?” she said so quietly she wondered if the woman had heard her.
“This is Anita Fraiser from Mr. Sidel’s office. He asked me to contact you. He needs you to meet him outside Reactor Area #1 at one o’clock. You’ll be giving the VIP tour.”
“Wait a minute. I had no idea there was a tour today. I’m sure there must be some mistake.” William Sidel was the CEO of EchoEnergy and Sabrina was quite certain she’d remember an appointment with him, let alone a tour.
“No, no mistake. You were on the list.”
“The list?”
“Let’s see here,” the woman said and Sabrina could hear pages being flipped and shuffled. She glanced outside the office, into the lab, and everyone was now staring, not bothering to disguise the fact that they were straining to listen in. “Yes, it’s right here. Your boss has you listed as the lead if for some reason he’s gone.”
“Has he called in sick?” Sabrina couldn’t believe he would purposely do this to her.
“All I know is that Dr. Lansik will not be in at all today. So again, that’s one o’clock, Reactor Area #1.”
5
Tallahassee, Florida
Jason Brill was pleased. It was just as he had anticipated. Put the senator in the middle of some hot-topic environmental issue and they will come. They, of course, being the media. Now Jason was glad he’d talked the senator into the navy-blue suit, crisp white shirt and red tie though the senator fought him on the shirt, insisting white was for ultraconservative pricks and definitely not moderate Democrats.
Jason made it sound like it wasn’t a big deal. He told the senator he could wear whatever he wanted, but for some reason
“I don’t think so,” O’Hearn said. “I believe his wife died last year.”
Sabrina knew this wasn’t true, either, and she stared at O’Hearn. How could O’Hearn not know the truth?
“Oh, that’s awful,” Anna gasped and even Pasha looked up from his vials. “Why didn’t he tell us?”
“He’s a private man,” O’Hearn insisted. “If you paid any attention you’d have heard him mention that his wife’s gone.”
Sabrina escaped to the corner, pretending to check the gauges on the distiller. She couldn’t believe how little every one of them knew about their boss. Especially O’Hearn. She understood that the two men had been colleagues long before they came to spearhead EchoEnergy’s Product Laboratory. Sabrina had worked with Dwight Lansik for a shorter period than any of them, and yet she seemed to be the only one who knew he had no children and his wife was not dead, though she was, indeed, gone.
In fact, it was quite by accident that Sabrina had learned the truth. Shortly after she started, she came in early on a Sunday, not unusual for either her or Lansik, but this particular Sunday she caught him sleeping on the old blue sofa in his office. Not just sleeping but with his robe, toothbrush and slippers in place as if it had been his routine for some time. He grudgingly confided that his house had not been the same since his wife was gone.
At first Sabrina thought he meant that his wife had passed away. He had made it sound like a painful process, more that of a brokenhearted widower than an abandoned husband. But among the scattered paraphernalia was also a crumpled set of staple-bound papers, official-looking documents with the first page stamped Divorce Decree.
It wasn’t any of Sabrina’s business. Lansik was her boss, not a friend or a member of her family. What happened in his personal life was…well, personal.
The phone started ringing in the adjoining office and all of them stopped and stared. Finally Sabrina pushed open the door, hesitating as she looked around, checking the blue sofa before she reached for the phone on her boss’s desk.
“EchoLab,” she answered.
“Ms. Galloway?” a woman’s voice asked, startling Sabrina so much she stepped back. Why would anyone presume she would answer her boss’s phone?
“Yes?” she said so quietly she wondered if the woman had heard her.
“This is Anita Fraiser from Mr. Sidel’s office. He asked me to contact you. He needs you to meet him outside Reactor Area #1 at one o’clock. You’ll be giving the VIP tour.”
“Wait a minute. I had no idea there was a tour today. I’m sure there must be some mistake.” William Sidel was the CEO of EchoEnergy and Sabrina was quite certain she’d remember an appointment with him, let alone a tour.
“No, no mistake. You were on the list.”
“The list?”
“Let’s see here,” the woman said and Sabrina could hear pages being flipped and shuffled. She glanced outside the office, into the lab, and everyone was now staring, not bothering to disguise the fact that they were straining to listen in. “Yes, it’s right here. Your boss has you listed as the lead if for some reason he’s gone.”
“Has he called in sick?” Sabrina couldn’t believe he would purposely do this to her.
“All I know is that Dr. Lansik will not be in at all today. So again, that’s one o’clock, Reactor Area #1.”
5
Tallahassee, Florida
Jason Brill was pleased. It was just as he had anticipated. Put the senator in the middle of some hot-topic environmental issue and they will come. They, of course, being the media. Now Jason was glad he’d talked the senator into the navy-blue suit, crisp white shirt and red tie though the senator fought him on the shirt, insisting white was for ultraconservative pricks and definitely not moderate Democrats.
Jason made it sound like it wasn’t a big deal. He told the senator he could wear whatever he wanted, but for some reason
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