Eighteen

Surprise - Surprise!

My eyes repeatedly dashed left to right in a frenzied blaze. Bob Henderson had been indicted for several white collar crimes eighteen years ago in Fresno. Charges were subsequently dropped due to a hung jury, a surprise to almost everyone. Allegedly, he embezzled the company he worked for of almost three hundred thousand dollars over a period of many years. There were two lesser charges; the embezzlement issue was the only felony. I was curious what Darlene Watson would have to say about Mr. Henderson’s hiring at our appointment tomorrow morning. Then there was the Andy Bishop faux pas. Perhaps Ms. Watson’s hiring process needed a tweak or two.

I parked Patsy and entered Butler Farms’ main office area and located the Human Resources Office. I took a seat opposite Ms. Watson as she settled in behind her desk. She appeared to be about fifty years old, attractive, raven hair, and sharply dressed.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Ms. Grace. Nice to finally meet you. How’s your investigation going?”

“It’s moving along, slowly but surely.”

“Good. Now, what can I do for you?”

“I’ll get right to the point …”

“Please do.”

Her interruption annoyed me. Not good business manners. “First, Robert Henderson.”

“What about him?”

“I assume you’re aware of his indictment in Fresno a few years back. Pretty serious stuff. I’m curious why you would hire him knowing that.”

“Good to know you’re thorough. Anna Flores speaks highly of you. I can see why.”

“Nice to hear.” I wasn’t looking for compliments; I wanted facts. “Back to my question. Why would you hire Henderson knowing he’d gone to trial for a felony charge? ”

She repositioned herself in her chair. “That was many years ago and he’s had an exemplary employment history since then. And don’t forget, those charges were dropped. I do understand the stigma that goes with that. Simply put, he wasn’t convicted and I thought he deserved a second chance based on his work record since that time.”

“Yes, I know all about the trial and how it ended. But from what I read, it was a huge surprise to everyone. I read the judge was overheard commenting at a private party, he, too, was shocked the jury didn’t convict him, given the voluminous evidence against him.”

“Well, twelve citizens collectively couldn’t agree on his guilt. Like I said, he earned a second chance in the eyes of Butler Farms.”

More like in the eyes of Darlene Watson. With very few exceptions, I thought it a safe assumption she chose who received job offers, not Butler Farms ownership. “One more question about Mr. Henderson and then a few regarding Adam Bishop.”

“What do you want to know?” Watson leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest—a passive aggressive posture. I wasn't sure if I should've read anything into that.

“I’ve heard some of your female employees complain that he comes on pretty strong, thinks he’s some sort of modern-day Romeo.”

“I’ve not received any formal complaints of that nature.”

“What about informal, casual comments?”

“I don’t have the time to chase after every little complaint employees mutter in the hallways. It’s human nature for people to complain over little of nothing. They know where our office is if it bothers them too much.” She set her jaw and dropped her brow. More passive aggression. “Anything else, Ms. Grace? I’m a busy woman.”

“Andy Bishop. When you hired him, you had to have known he left a position that paid more than your offer, had over ten years seniority there, and departed under mysterious circumstances. Didn’t you wonder why he would do that?”

“What I know, Ms. Grace, is that Grafton gave him a glowing referral and said his chances of promotion were limited as family members held most of the upper level positions for which he qualified. They and Mr. Bishop thought he had a much better opportunity for advancement here at Butler Farms. Sounds like Grafton was trying to help his career. Based on his referral, I had no reason to think there was anything suspicious, if that’s what you’re implying. I certainly wouldn't call that mysterious circumstances.”

“I’m not implying anything. Just asking. That’s my job.”

She drew in a deep breath and blew it out with equal vigor. “I don’t see how anything he’s done here ties into Grafton Produce’s problems in any way. Yes, we had to let him go a few days ago due to unexcused absences. That’s standard procedure. I see no connection between that and his previous employment.”

“You could be right about that. But still, I find his hiring rather unusual.”

She leaned forward and gripped the edge of her desk with both hands. “I’ll tell you what, Ms. Grace—you don’t tell me how to hire people and I won’t tell you how to perform your investigation. Now, I have things to do. Have a pleasant afternoon.”

“I suspect my day will, indeed, get more pleasant. Thank you for your time.” I offered her a professional smile and departed her office.

Anna Flores’ comments about Darlene Watson being the bitch from hell had merit. I perceived her as more than defensive—more like arrogant.  There had to be a reason she was defiant regarding my questions about Robert Henderson and Andy Bishop. Her recalcitrant attitude suggested something was not on the up-and-up.

I’d started Patsy’s motor and switched on the a/c when my phone chimed. The readout indicated it was Max. “Hey big brother. What’s up?”

“I got a little information on those three names you gave me. Not a lot to be interested in except for one thing regarding Robert Henderson.”

“I’m all ears.”

“He went to trial for embezzlement in Fresno a few years ago but was acquitted in spite of a lot of damning evidence.”

“Yes, I know that. Anything else?”

“I don’t know if this helps, but Brad Taylor, a new deputy, said he worked for the Fresno PD at that time. He was assigned to the courthouse for security during the trial. Taylor said all three counts against him were dropped because of a hung jury.”

“I already know that, too. Anything else?”

“He said one juror was the holdout on all three charges—some gal named Darlene Watson.”

© Copyright 2025 Sideman. All rights reserved.