Exposed (Rosato & DiNunzio #5)(70)
“Gypsum?”
“Gypsum is some type of stone that’s in drywall.”
“Look at you, learning the lingo.”
“I did my homework last night.” Mary returned her attention to the stack, thumbed through it, and pulled out another email. “Like this.”
Bennie accepted the email, skimming it:
From Simon Pensiera
To Todd Eddington
Re Quality Control
Todd, I happened to walk through the factory floor yesterday on my way to a smoke break and I noticed the drywall on the top-of-the-line product looked funky. The paper was bubbling, which could signify that there was too much water in the drywall. The top-of-the-line product was supposed to be 5/8 inch and be appropriate for noise and firebreak barriers. You should probably talk to Ray and he can talk to the folks at OfficeSolutions. It’s probably a mix-up and should be corrected before it gets fabricated. I mentioned it to Brian Mulcahy because he was on the line at the time but he didn’t have any satisfactory answers.
Mary handed Bennie another email. “This is from Todd. He did respond to this one.”
Bennie read the response:
From Todd Eddington
To Simon Pensiera
Re Quality Control
Simon, I’ll talk to Ray.
Mary said, “A man of few words. Not to speak ill.”
Bennie gave her back the email response. “But we were talking about Pollstar.”
“Oh, right.” Mary turned to one of the stacks and started flipping through it. “I think I read about a company in Willow Grove that had some electrical issue. Here we go.” She turned around and gave Bennie the email.
Bennie read it:
From Simon Pensiera
To Todd Eddington
Re Quality Control
Todd,
I got a call from Michelle Botuzzi at Delaware Valley Deed & Title that the undercounter LED keeps flickering on their product, top-of-the-line, #9272. It effects two out of ten cubicles. Michelle says it gave the one employee a headache and can provoke a migraine. You should talk to Ray or somebody at PowerPlus. That shouldn’t happen in top-of-the-line. It’s embarrassing.
Bennie handed it back. “Did Todd respond?”
“No. I assume he couldn’t. Simon writes a lot.” Mary pursed her lips. “Simon’s a really smart and wonderful guy. He works really hard and he expects everyone to do the same. He looks out for his accounts. It’s not like he’s being a jerk.”
“I don’t think he’s being a jerk.”
“He just cares. He’s responsible. It’s what makes him a great father, too.”
“I’m sure. Don’t worry about it. How about emails to or from Ernie, the head of security? Did you come across any of those?”
“Not so far.”
“How about from Ray Matewicz?”
“Not yet. I don’t think that Simon writes to Ray directly, or vice versa. Simon follows the chain of command, asking Todd to talk to Ray.”
“Which makes sense because Todd and Ray are buddies.” Bennie couldn’t put it together. She felt like they were on the right track, but missing too much information. “Do you think that Simon knows that Todd is friendly with Ray’s brother-in-law? That they play golf?”
“Probably. Simon is a family guy. He cares about families.”
“Then we’re reinventing the wheel, discovering information that Simon can supply. I know he’s at the hospital, but we need him in the loop. We don’t want to waste any time.”
“Right.” Mary frowned. “But I doubt we can get him here today. He can’t leave Rachel.”
“Then there’s only one solution.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“This way.” Mary led Bennie down the hospital hallway to the lounge, then went inside to find Feet sitting slumped in a chair, alone. His head was buried in his hands, and his back hunched over. “Feet?”
“Yo.” Feet looked up, his eyes glistening with fresh tears behind his Mr. Potatohead glasses.
“What’s the matter? Is Rachel okay?” Mary sat down beside him, followed by Bennie.
Feet heaved a hoarse sigh. “We lost the donor. She dropped out.”
“Oh no. What do you mean?”
“The donor who was going to give the marrow. They say she got in some kind of accident. I think she changed her mind.” Feet blinked his hooded eyes clear. His scraggly eyebrows sloped down, and his parched lips formed a heartbroken line. “I bet she got cold feet on account of, it hurts. The docs said it’s like getting kicked by a horse.”
“So what happens to Rachel now?”
“The docs gotta find another donor.”
“She stays here in the hospital, right?”
“Yes. But we go back to square one. They gotta make sure she stays in remission.” Feet lifted his glasses to wipe his eyes from underneath, using his clubby fingers. “The longer it takes, the worse it gets. Every day she gets weaker.”
“Don’t worry, Feet.” Mary patted his arm. “They know what they’re doing. They’ll take care of her. This is the best hospital in the country.”
“I know.” Feet recovered, sniffling. “Your father and them went to get take-out. The cousins were sick of the cafeteria. You know how real Italians are about food. Simon’s with Rachel. Does he know you’re comin’?”