Disclosure_ A Novel - Michael Crichton [68]
Blackburn said, “Well, Bob. I just think it would be prudent for you to get Meredith’s view of this situation.”
“I will. I’ll find out what the hell happened. I know she’ll tell me. But this thing still has to be resolved.”
“Yes, it does, Bob.”
“And I want you to be clear. I expect you to do whatever is necessary to get it resolved.”
“Okay, Bob.”
“Whatever is necessary,” Garvin said. “Put the pressure on Sanders. Make sure he feels it. Rattle his cage, Phil.”
“Okay, Bob.”
“I’ll deal with Meredith. You just take care of Sanders. I want you to rattle his fucking cage until he’s black and blue.”
Bob.” Meredith Johnson stood at one of the center tables in the Design Group laboratory, going over the torn-apart Twinkle drives with Mark Lewyn. She came over when she saw Garvin standing to one side. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am about all this business with Sanders.”
“We’re having some problems with it,” Garvin said.
“I keep going over what happened,” she said. “Wondering what I should have done. But he was angry and out of control. He had too much to drink, and he behaved badly. Not that we all haven’t done that at some time in our lives, but . . .” She shrugged. “Anyway, I’m sorry.”
“Apparently, he’s going to file a harassment charge.”
“That’s unfortunate,” she said. “But I suppose it’s part of the pattern—trying to humiliate me, to discredit me with the people in the division.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Garvin said.
“He resented my getting the job, and he couldn’t deal with having me as his superior. He had to try and put me in my place. Some men are like that.” She shook her head sadly. “For all the talk about the new male sensibility, I’m afraid very few men are like you, Bob.”
Garvin said, “My concern now, Meredith, is that his filing may interfere with the acquisition.”
“I can’t see why that would be a problem,” she said. “I think we can keep it under control.”
“It’s a problem, if he files with the state HRC.”
“You mean he’s going to go outside?” she asked.
“Yes. That’s exactly what I mean.”
Meredith stared off into space. For the first time, she seemed to lose her composure. She bit her lip. “That could be very awkward.”
“I’ll say. I’ve sent Phil to see him, to ask if we can mediate. With an experienced outside person. Someone like Judge Murphy. I’m trying to arrange it for tomorrow.”
“Fine,” Meredith said. “I can clear my schedule for a couple of hours tomorrow. But I don’t know what we can expect to come out of it. He won’t admit what happened, I’m sure. And there isn’t any record, or any witnesses.”
“I wanted you to fill me in,” Garvin said, “on exactly what did happen, last night.”
“Oh, Bob,” she sighed. “I blame myself, every time I go over it.”
“You shouldn’t.”
“I know, but I do. If my assistant hadn’t gone off to rent her apartment, I could have buzzed her in, and none of this would have happened.”
“I think you better tell me, Meredith.”
“Of course, Bob.” She leaned toward him and spoke quietly, steadily, for the next several minutes. Garvin stood beside her, shaking his head angrily as he listened.
Don Cherry put his Nikes up on Lewyn’s desk. “Yeah? So Garvin came in. Then what happened?”
“So Garvin’s standing over there in the corner, hopping up and down from one foot to the other, the way he does. Waiting to be noticed. He won’t come over, he’s waiting to be noticed. And Meredith’s talking to me about the Twinkle drive that I have spread all over the table, and I’m showing her what we’ve found is wrong with the laser heads—”
“She gets all that?”
“Yeah, she seems okay. She’s not Sanders, but she’s okay. Fast learner.”
“And better perfume than Sanders,” Cherry said.
“Yeah, I like her perfume,” Lewyn said. “Anyway—”
“Sanders’s perfume leaves a lot to be desired.”
“Yeah. Anyway, pretty soon Garvin gets tired of hopping, and he gives a discreet little cough, and Meredith notices Garvin and she goes ‘Oh,’ with a little thrill