THREAD OF EVIDENCE CHAPTER 5

Chapter 5



         She set the gift on the desk next to his cup of coffee and went to her desk, started up her computer, then went into his bathroom and filled the watering can and watered the plants she had placed in the office.  A rubber plant next to the filing cabinet, and one also hung in the corner behind her desk.  She thought she would put a plant in the window of his office, but she would wait on that.  She straightened the pictures of her family on her desk and waited for Mr. Frasier.

         She had just finished with the early morning chores, when Jim walked in.  “Good morning Mr. Frasier.  I hope you had a good Christmas.”

         “It was another day, Miss Peterson.  Is my coffee on my desk?”

         “Yes, sir, Mr. Frasier.”

         He disappeared into his office and closed the door between them, and she waited.  She hoped he would like the gift she gave him.  It wasn’t long before he opened the door again.  “Let’s go.”

         She grabbed her notepad and pen.  It was starting.  She had fortified herself with an extra large breakfast that morning, hoping that it would see her safely through the day.

         Ken greeted them when they entered the design area.  “Good morning Jim, Miss Peterson, I hope you had a good Christmas.”

         “Very nice, thank you, Mr. Douglas, I hope yours was everything you hoped for as well,” Claudia said.

         “Eating, eating, and more eating.  What about you Jim?” Ken said.

         “It was all right.  I can’t complain.  It’s time to start thinking about next year’s line.”

         Ken led them into his office and closed the door.  “What do the Vincenzi’s want to see for the new summer collection?”

         “They want to experiment.  Mr. Vincenzi says he’ll know more when he gets back from New York.  I want to give him an idea of different ideas before he leaves.  See what you can come up with.”

         “Different how?  Give me something to work with Jim.”

         “Vary the hem lines.  Keep the elegance of course.  He was thinking that Paris is going to be flashier than ever.  He wants to see elegant even in the simplest designs. Nothing bizarre.”

         “We’ll get started on it right away.  I’ll have something for you to give him by Friday.”

         “Good.”

         “When is the fall and winter collection scheduled to be shown?”

         “Mr. Vincenzi wants that in Heshvan.  The exact date hasn’t been decided on yet.”

         “I know you know the client numbers.  Where do we stand right now?”

         “With the showing for David’s that makes one hundred, and we have another potential client showing on Wednesday afternoon.”

         “Private patron or another chain?”

         “Chain.  A large one from what I’ve been able to ascertain.  It’s a big name on the west coast of the U.S.  Caters to the Hollywood elite.”

         “Those guys tend to look at the bizarre more than what we’ve had to offer.  Who is it?”

         “Holbrook’s.  They’re starting to branch out into Chicago and the mid-west, as well as the major cities on the east coast.”

         Ken whistled at the name.  “That one should usher in a lot of business for us if we can get the contract.”

         “That’s what we’re hoping for.  They’ll be flying in tomorrow.  I have a limousine meeting their plane.  I’ll be meeting them personally, and we’ve booked them into the best hotel in Loshi.”

         “I’ll let Katie and Jeffrey know they’re on the spot to do their very best on Wednesday.”

         “They’ve got a good team behind them.  Make sure none of them has even as much as a sniffle on Wednesday.  I don’t want anything to go wrong at the showing.”

         “Will do.  I’ll let the designers know we are looking at variety this year.  You’ll have something by Friday.  I promise.”

         “Good.  I want to check on sewing and see where they are with the new designs.”  Jim stood to his feet, which signaled the end of the meeting.

         Claudia finished her notes and stood to her feet.  She had a lot to do it looked like.  She was thoughtful as she followed Jim from the design area to sewing.  There she found everyone busy at work.  Each worked on a different design.  She followed Jim around the room and studied the different seamstresses and where each one was in the completion of the design.

         When he finished with the seamstresses he followed Mrs. Henderson into her office.

         “I’ve seen that look before Jim, and I can assure you we are on schedule.  I have seamstresses working on current orders as well as the new designs for the catalog show.  Our first obligation is to get the orders out on time.  That’s the majority of my workers out there.  I have about ten women working on the new designs for the next show.”

         “I didn’t say anything,” Jim said.

         “You didn’t have to.  Your face said it all.  Have I ever let this company down?  No.  And I won’t now either.  So relax.”

         “Just making sure all the components come together the way they should.”

         “And they will.  I know you have a big showing on Wednesday.  Do you mind if I sit in on that one?  I’d like to see the signing of that contract myself.”

         “No I don’t mind.  They’ll have three of their own people.  The vice president of Holbrook’s is coming, as well as their PR representative, and the person in charge of contracting and sales.  Ken will be there, me, and with you that will make three for us,” Jim said.

         “Miss Peterson will be there as well,” Mrs. Henderson said.

         “Yes.”

         “Believe it or not, Jim.  Miss Peterson is a person.  She isn’t your shadow, much as you would like everyone to think.”  She turned to Claudia.  “How was your Christmas dear?”

         “Very nice.  My brother is engaged to my best friend and my father and hers signed the contract.  How was yours ma’am?”

         “Congratulations.  My Christmas was very nice as well.  I had a full house of children and grandchildren.  I was as happy to see them leave, as I was to see them come.  What about yours Jim?”

         “It was a day.  I spent it with my father and a friend.”

         “Good.  Everyone should have a friend to spend the holidays with.  Now that wasn’t so bad was it?  I don’t know about you Jim.  I have to keep coaching you about people.  Everyone is important.  Without them, we wouldn’t have a business, and you wouldn’t be the best plant manager, and fashion supervisor in the industry.”

         “I’m just making sure everything is working the way it should.”

         “It is.  You won’t find anything amiss here.”

         “I can see that.  So I will leave you and the department in your capable hands, and see you on Wednesday.”

         “What time?”

         “The showing is at two.  I’m picking them up from their hotel at one.”

         “Red carpet treatment.  You really want this one, don’t you?”

         “Very much.  With them on board we can attract other large chains as well.”

         “So which one are you reaching for?”

         “Culverson and Scott.”

         Mrs. Henderson looked at him a look of respect on her face.  “If you get Holbrook’s you have a shot at it.”

         “That’s what we’re hoping for.  I just hope that that mix-up we had a couple weeks ago was just a fluke, and nothing more comes of it.  Otherwise we could be hampered in our goals.”

         “You need to have some confidence in the people who work here.  When was the last time we had anything bad happen?”

         “I don’t recall.”

         “So.  This company is without some problems?  Problems are what strengthens a company and brings the people together.  You also find out whom you can count on when the chips are down.  I’m also sure we won’t be standing alone in the clothing industry, or any industry for that matter.  You will find people giving you encouragement from areas you never expected.”

         “I just hope there won’t be any more problems.  It could set us on our ears and we could lose the contracts instead of winning them.”

         “Everyone who has ever fought for a place on the ladder has had to fight for it.  We started out slow, and we’ve run a steady course.  Now we’re leaders in the industry.  You have to expect some opposition, even in our society.  Trust.  Trust yourself, trust those around you.”

         “I can trust myself.  That’s about as far as it goes.”

         “I know.  Someday Jim, you will have to trust everyone around you as well.”

         “If everything is good here, we have to meet with Mr. and Mrs. Vincenzi.”

         “At least you put the ‘we’ in that statement.”  Mrs. Henderson turned to Claudia.  “Don’t ever shortchange yourself dear.  You are a part of this company, and you have a voice.  Don’t be afraid to use it.”

         “If you’re trying to tell me that his bark is worse than his bite, remember I’m number thirteen in six months,” Claudia said.

         “And not a one of them had a head on her shoulders to think with.”  Jim was out the door before she finished with her notes, again.  At least she knew where he was headed as she followed him out the door and saw him turn the corner and head for the stairs to the owner’s offices.  She quickstepped to catch up with him and was right behind him by the time he opened the door to the office.

         She couldn’t see his scowl but she knew it was there.  She doubted anyone spoke to him in that manner very often.  She could feel the anger oozing from him as Mrs. Vincenzi looked up to see them enter the office.

         “Jim, Claudia.  We’re all ready for you,” Mrs. Vincenzi said.

         Without a word, Jim headed for Mr. Vincenzi’s office.  Mrs. Vincenzi turned to Claudia.  “Okay dear.  You had better start by telling me what that scowl is all about.”

         “I must be getting to know him.  I felt that scowl, even though I couldn’t see it.  We just came from Mrs. Henderson’s area.  She told him he had to trust people more.”

         “I see.  Jim doesn’t trust anyone other than himself, and he drives himself hard.  I don’t know the reason for it.  In fact, no one knows unless it’s his good friend Jake Hamilton.  They’ve known each other since grade school somewhere.  I don’t know exactly how long they’ve known each other.  When we signed Jim on, his were the only references he had on his resume.  It was the interview that convinced Leo he could trust him to do the job for us.”

         “He said he’ll be picking up the people from Holbrook’s himself tomorrow, and picking them up on Wednesday for the showing.”

         “Then this is what you need to do.  When you get back to the office.”  Mrs. Vincenzi thought for a moment.  “As a matter of fact, you’ll be here the rest of the day.  Ordinarily when you hear plans like that, you need to call the garage, make sure that the limo is ready for service and has it in front of the doors when it’s time for him to leave to pick them up.  Call the garage right now, and let them know he’ll need the limo tomorrow and Wednesday.”

         “I need the number for the garage.  I’ve never done anything like this before.”

         Mrs. Vincenzi took a paper from her desk with all the numbers for the plant on it.  “It’s right here.  Don’t worry.  Before long you’ll be an old hat at this.”

         “I hope so.  I’m finding that I almost have to be a mind reader where he’s concerned.”

         “Leo wouldn’t have hired you if he didn’t think you’d be able to do it.”

         “He told Mrs. Henderson that none of the secretaries he had before me had a head to think with.  On my first day he told me not to think.”

         “You do what comes naturally to you.  You won some pretty stiff debates, from what Leo told me about the debates he went to.  You impressed my Leo.  You’ll do the same for Jim.”

         “I doubt anyone could impress him.  It would take a miracle.  A major miracle, and only God can do that.”

         “So let God do His work.  You do yours, and eventually everything will be just fine.”

         Claudia dialed the number for the garage.  “Yes.  My name is Miss Peterson, with Mr. Frasier’s office.  He’s going to need a limousine for tomorrow and Wednesday. ... Time?  Just one moment.”  She looked up at Mrs. Vincenzi.  “I don’t know what time the plane comes in tomorrow.”

         “I do.  I have it right here.”  She looked through her own notes.  “Noon.”

         Claudia turned her attention back to the phone.  “Eleven tomorrow and noon on Wednesday .... Thank you.”

         She replaced the receiver and for the rest of the afternoon learned about Mrs. Vincenzi’s job, and her own.  She was surprised to look up and see Jim come from the office.

         She closed her notebook and slid her pen into the spiral as she stood to her feet.  “I didn’t know it was so late.”

         “We’ll resume again tomorrow.  Have a good evening, Miss Peterson,” Mrs. Vincenzi said.

         “Thank you.”  She followed Jim from the office, back to their own, where she set to typing up the notes of the day and set them on his desk before she left.

         He looked up at her as she set the papers down.  “I will see you in the morning.”

         “You’re not going home for the day?”

         “I have some work to see to before I leave.”

         “Then I should stay until you are ready to leave.”

         “It’s just paperwork.  I can manage.”

         “You’re certain?  It would be no bother for me to stay.”

         “I’m certain.”  He looked up at her.  “I have been unmannerly.  I want to thank you for the gift.”

         “I heard you say that you intended to sail on Christmas.  I hope you had a good Christmas.”

         “As I said.  It was another day.  I sailed with Mr. Hamilton on the weekend.”

         “Then I’m surprised I didn’t see you.  I was with my brother and his fiancée both Saturday and Sunday.”

         “Goodnight Miss Peterson.  I will see you in the morning.”

         “Goodnight sir.”  Claudia closed the door behind her and left, amazed that he had been almost civil toward her.  She felt a deep satisfaction that he liked her gift.  A smile curved her lips as she made her way home.