Paula and Mrs. Sweeney met May and Jessup at the front door of the Major Timber offices.

“Thank you for what you’re doing,” Mrs. Sweeney said.

“Yes, thank you” Paula chimed in. 

“You’re welcome, ladies. This is Jorge Jessup,” May said. “I’m hiring him as a consultant.  Let’s go inside.”

The walked in the front door together with May taking lead. A company security employee met them instantly.

“I’m sorry, Miss,” he said. “I can’t let these two women past. They are ex-employees and management has instructed us to not let them on the premises.”

“Do you recognize me?” May asked.

“Yes ma’am,” he said. “I saw your picture in the paper. I’m very sorry about your father. He was a good man. Still, my instructions are…”

“Does Ray still work here?” she asked.

“Yes, he does.”

“Good. Tell him May Major is here and needs his help.”

“Yes, ma’am. Please wait here.”

“Who is Ray?” Jessup asked.

“Ray Tostum. He’s head of security for Major Timber,” she replied. “He’s been with my dad for over thirty-five years. I’ve known him since I was a little girl. He will be my ace in the hole—trust me. Hang tight a minute.”

Three minutes later, Ray Tostum emerged from the elevator. He was a large Native American man with roots in the Clatsop tribe. He had a full head of long, graying hair, pulled into a ponytail in the back. He’d lost the battle against middle-aged spread years ago but still moved pretty well, May noted. He was all smiles as he approached.

“Miss May,” he said. “I haven’t seen you since you were a little girl but I’d recognize you anywhere.”

“Really,” May responded, smiling. “How can that be?”

“It’s the beautiful red hair,” he said. “That, and your dad kept your most recent picture on his desk.”

“Ah, now the truth comes out,” May joked.

“It’s good to see you. I heard you were here yesterday. I’m sorry I missed you. I was so sorry to hear about your father.”

He saw who was with May.

“Mrs. Sweeney, I’m sorry to hear what happened. You’ve been here longer than me. What they did to you—that wasn’t right. You either, Miss Paula.”

Both women nodded in recognition.

“My father always trusted you, Ray,” May said. “He didn’t say that about very many.”

“I felt the same about him, ma’am,” Ray said. “What are you doing here? They told me you signed papers turning over control of the company to Mr. Marbury.”

“That’s a lie, Ray. I’ve signed nothing. My father’s instructions are that I am to serve as interim CEO until I find and appoint a new one. I have an email I can allow you to read which will verify…”

“No need for that, Miss May,” he said. “I know how your father felt about you. If you say it, I believe it. What would you like me to do?”

“For starters, Preston Marbury fired these women yesterday against my wishes. I want to reinstate them immediately. Set them up with clearances, passcodes, keys and accesses appropriate to their positions. Get with IT and have their computer accesses restored.”

“Yes ma’am, right away,” he said. “What about the gentleman?”

“This is Jorge Jessup,” she said. “I’m bringing him on board as a consultant. He’ll need the same security clearance.”

“HR must set him up in the computer,” Ray said. “It’s all digital. Not much I can do until they enter him in the system.”

“I’ll take care of that,” May said.

“Yes ma’am. In the meantime, I can set him up with a guest pass. Mrs. Sweeney’s desk hasn’t been touched but what do we do with the new receptionist?  She started yesterday.”

May craned her neck and saw a very young-looking woman sitting behind the desk.

“She looks sixteen. Who is she?” May asked.

“You met Roger Cavanaugh yesterday? He’s an investor.”

“I did.”

“That’s his niece, Audrey.”

“I see,” May said. “She’s fired. Get her out of here.”

“Cavanaugh will not be happy,” Ray explained.

“Pity,” May replied.

Ray chuckled, “Yes, ma’am.”

He called another security employee over and whispered instructions into his ear.

“Paula,” Ray said. “This gentleman will help you. You can go with him.”

Paula looked at May and smiled, “I can’t thank you enough.”

“My apologies for your treatment yesterday.”

Paula smiled and left.

“Ok, Jessup and Mrs. Sweeney, you are with me,” May said. “Ray, can you stick with me for a while in case I run into resistance?”

“Certainly, ma’am,” Ray said. “And may I say, it’s a pleasure having another Major in the building.”

He smiled brightly and touched her shoulder. May returned the smile.

“Can you take me to my father’s office?” she asked.

Ray nodded and pressed the button for the elevator. While they waited, he looked around to see if anyone was within earshot. Finally, he said, “You know, all this information will send Marbury through the roof. He’s going to lose his shit. You realize that, right?”

“I’m counting on it,” May said. “Have you worked with Marbury a lot?”

“I’ve seen him around here quite a bit. When your pop was around, he stayed in the shadows, but since he passed away Marbury’s been very assertive—throwing his weight around a lot. All the investors have, really, but Marbury the most by far. It has most of the employees on edge.”

“What kind of guy is he?” May asked.

Ray shrugged, “He’s an asshole.”

May chuckled, “Can you be a little more specific?”

Ray thought for a second, then shrugged, “He’s a flaming asshole.”

May laughed out loud, “Thanks for the clarification.”

All eyes were upon them as they walked through the massive suite of cubicles.  May smiled as she walked past. Many, if not most, returned the smile with one of their own. Two minutes later Ray, Jessup and Mrs. Sweeney sat in her father’s office. It was smaller than she expected and not as lavish as one might expect for the CEO of a half-billion-dollar timber company.

“Ray, who is the HR Manager here?” May asked.

“Ashley Calder,” Ray replied, “but her title is VP of P&O.  She’s sensitive about it.”

“What is P&O?”

“People and Organization,” he said.

“What’s that mean?” she said.

He shrugged, “HR… I think.”

“Ray could you buzz her and ask her to join me in the office, please.”

“Certainly, ma’am,” Ray replied.  He reached for the desk phone.

“Mrs. Sweeney, do you have access to my father’s work emails?”

“I did at one time,” she affirmed, “but the day after your father passed away, Mr. Marbury ordered us to delete them all.”

May and Jessup looked at each other.

“That’s suspicious,” Jessup remarked.

“Dammit,” May barked. “I was hoping to get a feel for this whole Redwood Timber business from my father’s perspective. I thought going through his emails would shed light on it.”

“It looks like that’s exactly what Marbury believed, too,” Jessup noted. “That’s why he deleted them—it must be. Maybe the IT department could restore them?”

“I doubt it,” Mrs. Sweeney replied. “Marbury gave that order through me. I’m the one who called IT. The specific instructions were to remove all Mr. Majors’ emails and permanently delete all traces of them from the server. I did that. They are gone.”

“Did Marbury say why?”

“No, but I believe your theory is correct, Mr. Jessup,” Mrs. Sweeney said. “That man, Mr. Marbury—I don’t trust him.”

“Please call the IT Manager. Ask him to stop by the office in sixty minutes,” May said.

“Will do,” she affirmed.

“And Mrs. Sweeney… how is it that everyone began taking orders from Mr. Marbury so soon after my father’s death?” May asked.

“Mr. Marbury called an all-staff meeting the day after your father’s death,” Mrs. Sweeney replied. “All the other investors were with him. He made a very nice speech about what Mr. Major’s death meant to the company, the community and himself. It was moving. He even shed a couple of tears. Many of the employees did, too. His act had many people fooled, but not all of us. Afterward, he announced that he would contact you personally, but he would take over operations until he hired a suitable CEO.”

“And everyone believed him?” Jessup asked. “He gave himself the job and everyone bought into it?”

“I know I did,” Mrs. Sweeney said.

“Me too,” Ray admitted. “We all did.”

“Were you able to reach Ashley Calder?” May asked.

“Yes,” he said. “She told me she was… busy, and for you to schedule an appointment.”

“What the…” May began. She caught herself. “Ray, call her back. Tell her it was not a request. Tell her to be here in five minutes.”

Ray snickered, “You are your father’s daughter,” he said. “Will do.”

“Jason Nelson will be here in an hour,” Mrs. Sweeney said, hanging up the phone.

“Jason? He’s the computer guy?”

“He’s the Chief Technical VP,” she replied.

“Another VP?” May squawked. “How many are there?”

“Lots of them,” Ray affirmed. “You can’t swing a rubber bat in this building without hitting a VP of something. That’s all Ashley Calder’s doing.”

“Mrs. Sweeney, tell me about the Chief Financial Officer,” May said.

“Kurt Francis,” she said. “Nice guy; brilliant with numbers; has a wall filled with degrees in his office; been with Major Timber for about four years.”

“He’s not a shareholder, I take it?” May asked.

“No, not to my knowledge,” she replied.

“Is he tight with Marbury?” Jessup interjected.

“No, not particularly,” she responded.

“Was he loyal to Mr. Major?” he wondered.

“Oh yes, very,” Mrs. Sweeney replied. “It crushed him to hear the news. I don’t understand your questions.”

Jessup shrugged, “I’m guessing that we are heading into a confrontation. When Maybury hears May is here, he will push back… hard. He will draw battle lines. I think we should figure out who will be on our side.”

“I think that’s smart,” Ray said. “I agree with Mr. Jessup.”

“Is Ashley Calder coming?” May asked.

“Oh yeah, and she is none too pleased,” he replied.

“That makes two of us,” May made known. “Ray, can you help us identify key employees we can speak to, ones who will be sympathetic to our cause.”

“That’ll be easy,” he said. “Your dad was a well-respected man. Your name will go a long way. The easier task will be to identify those who will try to set up roadblocks.”

“What is the meaning of this?” a female voice barked from the doorway.

“And speaking of the devil,” Ray continued. “This is your VP of P&O, Ashley Calder.”

“What did you mean by that?” Ashley said to Ray, scowling.

“Ray here was just telling me about the key people in the organization I should meet first,” May said.

“I see,” she said, skeptically. She looked at Jessup quizzically.

“I know you. You work at the library.”

“That’s right,” he replied. “I’m Jorge Jessup.”

“And why are you here, Mr. Jessup?”

“We’ll get to that momentarily, Miss Calder,” May interrupted. “Thank you for coming.”

“I don’t mind telling you, Miss Major, interrupting my work day without warning was disrespectful.  I’m a professional administrator. I do not like to be summoned.”

May smiled, looking at Ray, “I’ve got this, Ray. Why don’t you see that Paula and Mrs. Sweeney get their security credentials set up?”

“Will do, Miss Major,” he said. “And like I told you before, it’s good to have a Major in the building again. I’ll be around if you need me.”

“Thanks Ray.”

Ray left, leaving Ashley Calder with May Major and Jessup. The woman was steaming mad and holding it together by a thread.

 “What did you mean set up credentials for Paula and Mrs. Sweeney? Mr. Marbury let them go yesterday,” Calder articulated.

“And why were they terminated?” May asked.

“Mrs. Sweeney’s job ended when your father passed away, and he terminated Paula for insubordination,” Calder replied, stiffly.

“Insubordination? Because she didn’t warn the investors I was in route? That direction came from me.”

“It wasn’t my call,” Calder said.

“About that,” May interjected. “Can you explain why Preston Marbury is running the show here?”

She looked at May as though she thought she was being asked a trick question.

“He is acting as CEO in your father’s absence,” Calder said. “Everyone knows that.”

“On whose authority?”

She froze momentarily, “On yours… I assumed.”

“Because he told you that?” May asked.

“Well… uh… I…” Calder stammered.

“I’m here today to inform you that my father designated me to be his legal representative in all his matters, both personally and professionally,” May said in a low but commanding voice. “I will take over as CEO for the time being.”

Calder stiffened her back and raised her head high. It took her by surprise; she was trying to recover.

“I see,” she said, finally. “Well… welcome.”

“Thank you. What do you know about the work relationship the investors have with the company?” May asked.

“What do you mean?”

Jessup stepped forward.

“She means, are any of them employees of the company? Do they provide any oversight to any departments? Do they manage any part of the business?”

“They are not employees,” Calder answered. “They are silent investors.”

“Except for Mr. Marbury, it sounds like,” May argued. “He doesn’t appear to be all that silent.”

“And all the investors seem to have offices right here in the building,” Jessup noted.

“Miss Major,” Calder began. “May I be candid?”

“By all means,” May responded.

“Mr. Marbury was your father’s corporate attorney for nearly ten years,” she began. “He worked side by side with Mr. Major. We saw the man nearly every day. He knows this business. He had the unbridled trust of your father. Don’t you think he’s a more appropriate person to be guiding us through a transition? Because I believe it.”

“Thank you for your candor,” May said. “Let me offer some to you in return. My father was a brilliant businessman. He built this company from nothing. He also had every opportunity to appoint Mr. Marbury as his representative—he didn’t. He appointed me. I believe he did it for a reason. He died without warning, so I don’t know what that reason is, but I intend to find out.  I may need your help.  When I ask for help, I expect you to cooperate quickly. Are we clear?”

If Calder’s eyes had been equipped with heat vision, May would have spontaneously combusted.  It was all the woman could do to maintain a modicum of civility.

“Crystal clear, Miss Major,” she hissed. “What can I do for you?”

“To begin with, put Mrs. Sweeney and Paula back on the payroll with twenty percent raises.”

“What?” she scoffed. “I can’t do that. We have compensation protocols in place. We…”

“We wronged both these loyal employees, Miss Calder,” May said. “You can do it and you will.”

Calder sighed, “What else?”

“I’m bringing in Mr. Jessup as a consultant,” she continued. “Please set him up with our normal consultant agreement and put him on payroll immediately.”

“Consultant? The man’s a librarian for crying out loud,” Calder objected.

“The man is a decorated Navy SEAL and holds an MBA from The University of Washington,” May retorted. “He’s helped set up entire governments overseas. He has my confidence and trust. Please show a little respect.”

Calder let out a breath, “We have an onboarding process for consultants. He needs to be screened and interviewed by three department heads. We need to do a background check. It will take three weeks to get him through it all…”

May raised her hands, “We are in transition, Miss Calder. None of this is permanent. We will forego those normal protocols.”

“This is ridiculous,” she spat. “You can’t just come in here like a white tornado and…”

“I understand you’re not happy, Miss Calder,” May said. “I’m happy to accept your resignation if complying with my direction makes you feel uncomfortable.”

Calder froze. May glared at her.

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Calder said. “I’ll take care of it. Will there be anything else?”

“Yes, who can provide me with copies of the legal agreements Major Timber has with its investors?” Jessup asked.

“Mr. Marbury,” she replied.

“Mr. Marbury is an investor himself,” Jessup said. “Isn’t there a third, non-biased party?”

“If there is, the only people who know about it are Mr. Marbury and Mr. Major,” she replied.