The Devil and Danielle Webster

I am Canadian. Canadian spelling differs from American spelling. Canadian colloquial expressions may also be used here.

*****

Prologue

It's January so the cold weather has thinned out the vagrants from around the doors to my office building, only the pale waif with the dead green eyes and the crazy ginger Santa remain. I should probably have more empathy for them since it's likely that I'll be joining their ranks soon.

My name is Danielle Webster and I know the devil. I am painfully familiar with him, I was engaged to him once, before he got my little sister pregnant and destroyed my family. I don't have a family anymore. He doesn't have horns or a tail, his breath is sweet, not sulphurous. The devil's goal is to entice you into his grasp. His hold is at first too weak to be felt until it becomes too strong to break. He is kind and courteous. He will make you feel special, as if you share a personal bond. After the devil's clutch has firmly closed you will gladly do his bidding. I wish he was more like the stereotypical caricature with red skin and horns, that way his true nature would be obvious to everyone.

Part one

On Monday, a month ago, I was ushered into a meeting with my boss Karen Hill, the head of the HR department, Brian Vinge, Macro-Tech's CEO and Jim Sullivan, VP of the sales and marketing department. This was an unprecedented meeting for me to attend, in fact this was the first time I'd been in Mr. Vinge's office. There would normally be no reason for a low ranking HR employee to be included in a meeting with such high ranking company officials.

"Please sit down Danielle," Mr. Vinge invited.

He waved to one of the empty chairs at the conference table the others were seated around.

"Danielle I want you to understand that the subject matter and details of this meeting are to be kept completely confidential and that nothing said in this room is to be discussed other than between those of us around this table today."

I managed a nod of my head and a quiet "yes Sir" before deciding that my best course of action would be to listen and say as little as possible. The others peered at me intently and after a few moments seemed satisfied that I did indeed understood how confidential this meeting was.

"Danielle, the reason for all the secrecy is that Jim is going to retire early, to a life of leisure and sunny beaches. We need to find his replacement before he leaves us next month. I want to introduce Jim's replacement at the same time we announce his departure." Mr. Vinge looked rather miffed as he spoke.

"Oh it's not like that Brian," Mr. Sullivan crooned. "I've been with this company 30 years and I'm tired. I want to spend a few years with my wife while we both have our health and do some of the things I've never had time for. I won't leave you in the lurch and I'll stay as long as it takes for you to find someone to take my place. I'll even hang around to help get the new guy up to speed." He glanced at Miss Hill and added belatedly "Or gal."

"I suppose your stock options and bonus payout after the IPO have helped you come to this decision?" Miss Hill quipped, smiling beatifically.

Mr. Sullivan smiled broadly, "I suppose ."

Mr. Vinge sighed and paused before he began to outline how he wanted this matter to proceed. Mr Sullivan and Miss Hill asked questions and made comments as the plan was hammered out between them. I kept silent and waited to hear what my role would be. Basically we would find a replacement, preferably but not necessarily, from inside Macro-Tech. Mr. Sullivan would help with both hiring his replacement and showing the 'new guy or gal' the ropes. The whole process was to be kept hush-hush to both avoid tension inside Macro-Tech and to keep our competitors from realizing that we might try to poach one of their people. The notoriously difficult to enforce nature of non-compete clauses was also discussed. If Macro-Tech found the right candidate from within a rival's ranks we'd just let the lawyers handle the fallout.

I was still completely clueless as to why I was at this meeting and I risked a quick question during a pause in the proceedings.

"Excuse me but what is my role in all of this? Why am I here?" I almost breathed the words out rather than speak them. All three of my superiors turned to look at me for the first time since the beginning of the meeting. Mr Vinge had a pained expression on his face and Miss Hill pursed her lips. I should have just kept my mouth shut and waited to be told why I was there.

"I'm sorry Danielle, you weren't here for the beginning of our meeting," Mr. Sullivan apologized. "We want you to make reports on each of the candidates we identify from within Macro-Tech so I can make the most informed choice before I announce my decision."

Miss Hill leaned towards me and whispered in conspiratorial tones, "Under the guise of updating HR records you will interview all of the candidates in consideration without alerting anyone to the true purpose of your inquiries. You will also speak to everyone who works with our potential VP's and learn all you can about each of them. Our records of Macro-Tech's staff hired before the IPO are woefully inadequate anyway, so you should have no trouble being totally convincing."

"We should send a memo out to the entire staff asking for their cooperation in this HR records updating project," Mr. Vinge mused. "That will point suspicion away from the real point of this exercise."

Now it all made sense to me. By getting a junior member of the HR team to make these reports, no attention would be drawn to the actual purpose of the project. "I could also scour through social media to see what else can be learned," I said in a questioning manner.

Miss Hill beamed. "That is a terrific idea Danielle!"

I'd joined Macro-Tech after the IPO and this was the first time I really felt like part of the firm, not just an invisible functionary in an office bureaucracy. That was probably my first mistake, feeling like my thoughts were valued and that I was being made a member of the team.

As the meeting progressed the criteria for what qualities and skills the new VP should possess were outlined. I had no input in the discussion and simply made notes, sometimes I asked for clarification or more detail on certain points. By now I felt a growing confidence in myself as part of the selection team, albeit the least important player. My role was to gather information so the bosses could make an informed decision.

Even as the least significant person at the table, my part was still important to the success of the endeavour and I became comfortable asking questions when necessary and was never discouraged from doing so.

After listening carefully I began to understand how important comprehensive technical knowledge was for the sales staff, after all this was a tech company, not a car dealership. Part of what the Sales and Marketing Department did was to work with the R&D department to decide how new developments could be exploited for maximum commercial value. The selection of the new VP was essential for a vibrant and productive synergy to continue between these two departments. Each of these departments was useless without the other. Even if R&D produced brilliant new products they wouldn't matter if they couldn't be marketed and sold. The new VP would have to be a very special blend of technical understanding and marketing ability. He would also have to be a people person, able to smooth the ruffled feathers that inevitably arise when abstract ideas have to be implemented in the practical world.

The true heart of the meeting pulsed most strongly when the discussion turned to who within Macro-Tech might be the best candidate.

Miss Hill was the first to offer an opinion. "Jim's deputy, Ross Heart, is the obvious choice." She opened a manila file folder and began recounting Mr. Heart's long career with the company, his sterling qualities and excellent qualifications. Referring from her file she noted at length his education, two degrees, his dedicated service to the company and his reliable performance.

Mr. Sullivan nodded in agreement. "Ross is a good man and he'd do a great job running my department, I can recommend him without reservation. He works hard, is loyal to a fault and is scrupulously honest."

At this point I thought that there would be no reason to consider any other internal candidates and that my role in this circle would end quickly. I was wrong. This is the moment when my troubles began.

"What about Tom Fairchild?" Mr. Vinge asked.

"Tom is a great guy," Mr. Sullivan agreed. "He is by far and away our most productive sales rep, hell he is one of the best salesmen I've ever seen! The clients love him, he regularly brings in new accounts and his client retention rate is over 100%"

"How can his retention rate be above 100%?" I asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Because he brings back former clients that had moved on for one reason or another and then he keeps them with us," Mr. Sullivan enthused.

"He's only 26, extremely young to be considered for this position," Miss Hill objected.

"His age notwithstanding his job performance is stellar. If he left for another opportunity we'd be hard pressed to replace him," Mr. Vinge countered.

"He doesn't have a degree, only a high school diploma," Miss Hill rejoined sweetly.

Now Mr. Vinge looked surprised. "How did he get his job with only a high school diploma?" Mr Vinge asked incredulously. He looked askance at Miss Hill, waiting for an explanation.

My department had nothing to do with that. Allen hired him before we went public. He did that kind of thing when the mood struck him. Remember he owned this place lock stock and barrel and he did what ever he felt like. He was right most of the time and this decision was one of those times," Miss hill finished in dulcet tones.

"At this point I don't know why it should matter, considering the job he does for us", Mr. Sullivan mused with a shrug.

Mr Vinge spoke thoughtfully. "Allen King was a true visionary and none of us should ever second guess him, in fact if his plane hadn't crashed he would still be leading this company. His widow only went for the IPO because no one besides Allen could have run Macro-Tech by himself." He smirked at Miss Hill, "Or herself." After a pause Mr. Vinge continued, "Both Tom and Ross should be given all due consideration. Allen saw something in Tom so we'll take a serious look at him even if Ross is the obvious choice. Tom's very impressive sales figures would make it foolish to ignore him despite his young age and meagre education".

With that the discussion turned to external candidates, and since I had no role in their potential recruitment, I was excused from the meeting.

Part Two

After the meeting I started studying the files on our two candidates. I was well into the files when I realized it was lunch time so I decided to go out to eat. I brought my laptop with me so I could work over lunch and get a head start on my project. On my way out the front door the usual collection of panhandlers waited in hopes of a handout. Miss Hill once told me that you should never give them anything. She said it's like feeding seagulls at the beach, you'll only encourage their numbers to grow and they'll leave a mess on the sand. There were two of these 'seagulls' that stuck out from the flock, a tall raving red haired man that looked like a crazy Santa Clause and a pale girl who sat in the middle of a puddle of rags, one green eye peered out at me through a hole in the top of her hoodie. She was the only woman in the collection of unfortunates and I often wondered how she ended up here.

Between bites of sushi I made notes on the two candidates. First up was Ross Heart and to me he looked like the most qualified and deserving of the two candidates. Mr. Heart had graduated Magma Cum Laude with dual degrees, one in business and the other in computer technology. He'd been with the company for twelve years and had never taken a sick day! Mr Heart was known for arriving to work early and leaving late. I would have to interview him and the people he worked with, but he seemed perfect.

I chewed a shrimp and considered Tom Fairchild. He dropped out of university one semester short of graduating. Who does that? It's like quitting a marathon with the finish line in sight. All that work, not to mention the money, down the drain with nothing to show for the effort. From there he spent a year selling cell phones in a mall kiosk where Mr. King met him and hired him on a whim. What insight did he have that this unlikely cell phone salesman would be such a great asset to Machro-Tech? I would find out.

After lunch I spent the rest of the day reading the files of the people who worked with and around the two candidates for the sales VP position. Since they both worked in the same department I would have to be quite clever in 'updating the HR files' without letting on that, except for Heart and Fairchild, I didn't really have any interest in the people I was interviewing. I also wondered how I should approach the two men themselves. At the end of the day I went over my plan with Miss Hill and she was in full approval.

I started the next afternoon, after everyone had time to read Mr. Vinge's memo and Miss Hill had scheduled appointments for me. Miss Hill especially liked my idea to find out, obliquely of course, what each man thought of the other. Mr. Heart was up first. He welcomed me into his office and glanced at his watch. He was a busy man and I knew that any time he spent with me would be made up with an even later night at the office.

"I'll try to make this quick Mr. Heart I know how valuable your time is. There are gaps in our records about the employees hired before the IPO. The new board and Mr. Vinge feel its important for us to know everything we can about the people that make Machro-Tech the success it is."

Mr. Heart chuckled. "You mean the back-of-the-envelope records that Allen kept aren't comprehensive enough for the HR department?"

I smiled. "Something like that, although I would never put it that way, I would never dream of second guessing Mr. King."

It turned out that getting Mr Heart to talk about Tom Fairchild was easy, as a matter of fact once he got started he wouldn't shut up. It soon became apparent that Mr Heart was a big fan of Tom Fairchild. He assumed my first probing questions about the educational background of the sales force were an indication that there were doubts about Tom's ability to do his job, or perhaps keep it. Mr. Heart quickly jumped in to defend 'Tommy.

Mr Heart marvelled at Tom's uncanny ability to remember names. Tom could remember the names of everyone, even those of people he had only met briefly. Potential clients were always impressed when Tom met them for a second time, even years later, and could greet them by name. It made them feel important and respected, sales would often follow. It was ironic that Mr. Heart was unwittingly endorsing his rival for the promotion. Was he so naive that he didn't have any clue to what was going on around him?

My next interview was with Tom Fairchild and it quickly became apparent that the two men were enthusiastic members of a mutual admiration society. Tom had an almost gushing respect for Mr. Heart and he couldn't stress enough how much he owed him as both teacher and mentor. Tom often went to Mr. Heart for advice.

The most striking thing about Tom was his way of not just making you feel comfortable, but making you feel better about yourself just by being in his presence. I had to stop myself from prolonging our conversation after its purpose had been served. No wonder he was such an effective sales rep. The clients probably gave him orders just to be in his company.

My next set of interviews were with the people that worked around the two men, the personal assistants, the techs and to be completely thorough, the support staff. Since I was deceiving everyone that I spoke to I began to feel guilty and started to think of my interviewees as victims.

My next victim was Mrs. Chalmers, Mr. Sullivan's long time assistant. She looked up from her typing when I arrived for her interview. "So I guess you're here to ask about Tommy and Jim," were the first words out of her mouth when I sat down. So much for secrecy. Mrs. Chalmers saw my surprise and she mock whispered, "Don't worry dear, I won't say a word." I was not reassured in the slightest, who else knew about my 'project'?

Mrs. Chalmers glanced down at her screen for a moment and clicked with her mouse. "There, all done." She smiled sweetly and asked me to pass her the paper now spewing from her printer. The document was a sales proposal for a prospective client and the name on the top of the page was not Jim Sullivan, but Tom Fairchild. Why was Mr. Sullivan's assistant doing Tom's work?

I looked askance at Mrs. Chalmers and she smiled sweetly. "Since Jim made the decision to retire there hasn't been a lot for me to do around here. Tommy has been letting me do his paper work, just so I can keep busy. I thought my head was going to explode but I kept calm and tried to keep my facial expression neutral. Tom was 'letting' her do his work? She made it sound like some kind of privilege! Why wasn't 'Tommy' doing his own work? All the other sales reps did, none of them had assistants!"

"When did Mr. Sullivan decide to retire?"

"Oh it was probably about three months ago, at least that's when Jim started passing on his responsibilities to Ross Heart."

I was floored. Jim Sullivan, for all intents and purposes had retired three months ago and Mr. Heart had been doing two jobs the whole time! It would seem that for all practical purposes Mr Heart had been running Sales and Marketing for the last quarter. Mr Sullivan had the title but Mr. Heart did the work. Interesting. There didn't seem to be much point in any further conversation with Mrs. Chalmers as she seemed to be acting as a Tom's assistant, not Mr. Sullivan's.

Victim number three was Sandra, Mr. Heart's personal assistant. Mr Sullivan would have called her a secretary but vocabulary has changed with the times. Sandra was bright, cheerful and absolutely worshipped her boss. Mr. Heart often had to send her home early, under protest, when he worked late. It was becoming more and more clear to me that Mr. Heart should be the next sales VP and there wasn't much point in investigating him further. His record, experience, dedication and the respect he inspired in his department spoke volumes. The fact that he had been quietly running the place for some time would be highlighted in my report.

What I was learning about Tom Fairchild was both illuminating and confusing. Sandra told me about the worst day of her life. Her husband had dumped her and had run away with her best friend, on her birthday no less. She had been depressed and felt worthless. On her desk that morning there appeared a beautiful crystal vase and shortly afterwards the florist delivered a lovely floral arrangement, her favourite, lilies.

"This is it," Sandra pointed to the crystal vase at the front of her desk. It was a a finely cut glistening mauve confection . "Tommy must have spent a fortune, it's a Waterford!" she mouthed happily, her finger pointing out the watermark. "It was such a surprise, I have no idea how he knew it was my birthday, I never said a thing! And how did he know I love lilies?" She sounded perplexed and gazed at me as if I might have the answers.

"Maybe Facebook?" I offered.

"That's the thing, he's not on Facebook. I've looked, a lot"

I had too. Either he had a very private page or he didn't have one at all. It was odd that a sales rep had no social media presence. I'd searched online and could find nothing current. No Facebook, no Linkedin, no Twitter, nothing. It was almost as if he was hiding something. Curiouser and curiouser. Anything I could find online about Tom Fairchild was from old high school yearbooks and pictures from his three years at university, but beyond that nothing. In his high school and university photos Tom was usually glued to a pretty blond girl with striking eyes. I even found out who she was, her name was Melissa. She seems to have been Tom's girlfriend from high school up until he dropped out of university. I tried to find out more about Tom by researching Melissa but her online record disappeared about a year after she got her degree, another dead end.