THE ALEX FLETCHER BOXSET: Books 1-5

by Steven Konkoly

  “Actually, Ted, the database is correct. I gave my entire sample allotment to the head of the Infectious Disease Department at Maine Medical Center. Dr. Wright, from Maine Coast Internal Medicine.”

  “That’s a…ah, that’s a good one, Alex,” Ted replied.

  Alex detected a mix of hope and doubt in Ted’s voice, leaning heavily toward doubt.

  “Seriously, Ted, he asked me for samples last Friday, and I couldn’t refuse him. His department is best positioned to distribute those samples for optimal use against the Jakarta flu in the greater Portland area, and probably most of Maine. His argument was convincing, given—”

  “More convincing than a direct order from the company to halt all, and I repeat, all sample transactions? Are you kidding me? Do you know what you’ve done?” he screamed into the phone.

  “Yes, it was much more convincing. Morally, a better thing to do with the samples.”

  “Morals? This isn’t about morals! This is about failing to follow direct company guidance. My guidance, you…you have no idea how this is going to look. You know what, you know what…I wash my hands of this. You’ve been a pain in the ass from the beginning. Since day one, you’ve made this job hard for me. And I never wanted to hire you in the first place. I’m reporting this immediately to the regional manager. We’ll see how much longer you’re around. I don’t think you realize how important these samples are to the company and to the ongoing negotiations with the government regarding a partnership—”

  “You know, I just watched the HHS teleconference, and they announced a sweeping relationship with Roche Pharmaceuticals. I don’t think the government really cares about a relationship with Biosphere, and frankly, neither do I. Is there anything else, Ted? I don’t plan to be on this call much longer,” Alex replied, feeling flush.

  “Be prepared to answer to the regional manager, human resources, everyone, for this. I’m making a few calls, and then I’m heading to Portland to confirm that your storage locker is empty. I’ll expect you to meet me there to open the locker.”

  “I won’t be available for that, Ted. You’re authorized to access my storage locker. You know that, or at least you should. It’s on the rental agreement for the storage facility. I plan to be available by phone, and that’s about it. I don’t want to take any chances with the flu out there, you know. You live a little too close to Boston for my comfort.”

  “You will show up when and where I tell you to show up, or I’ll report that too,” he asserted.

  “That sounds good, Ted. I’ll talk to you later,” he said and started to move the phone away from his ear. He heard Ted talking loudly and put the phone back to his ear. “Sorry, I missed that.”

  “I said that you better not fail to show up tomorrow morning in Lawrence,” he barked.

  “Or you’ll report me? Sounds good, Ted,” he repeated, before ending the call.

  He deactivated the ring tone and switched the phone to vibrate, knowing Ted would probably place several more calls in an attempt to get the last word. Ted always insisted on the last word, at meetings, teleconferences, phone calls, and holiday parties. Probably read about it in one of the dozens of business leadership guru books he sickeningly cited on a regular basis. He could see the chapter in his mind: “Effective leadership tactic #45, Getting the Last Word.” He laughed out loud at the thought and sipped his coffee, trying to settle his rattled nerves. Jeopardizing his career was not on his checklist for survival, but he knew he had to do the right thing for the people of Maine, his neighbors and his family.

  Buzzzzzz. He slouched in the chair and held the phone up to eye level. Yep. Ted S. For just a moment, Alex was tempted to answer the phone.

  “How did it go?” she asked.

  “Not great, but not bad. He started to flip out, so I cut the call short.”

  “I’m sure he appreciated that.”

  His phone started to vibrate again, giving Alex a jolt.

  “Yeah. That’s call number two since I hung up. Did I miss anything good?” he asked.

  “Ah, not really. So what do you think will happen with your job now?” Kate asked, shifting the subject.

  “Well, I figure they’ll fire me, especially when I don’t show up down in Massachusetts tomorrow, but who knows?”

  “That’s asinine. Shifting all of you down there.”

  “I know, believe me. The only thing I don’t know is how long it’ll take to get rid of me. I bet it’ll be pretty quick.”

  “I’m glad we have some money saved up for this. I feel bad for the people who can’t quit their jobs. I can’t imagine how all the people who have little savings and must go to work are doing. It must be heart wrenching for them to leave their families every day, risking exposure just to financially survive.”

  “I know. We’re very fortunate,” said Alex.

  “And fortunate to have each other,” said Kate hugging him.

  Alex’s smartphone buzzed again, dancing on the granite surface. He leaned over the phone to check the display and then shook his head as he looked at Kate.

  “Again?” she asked.

  “You know it. He’ll keep at this for a while. He hasn’t left a message yet, which tells me he really doesn’t have anything constructive to say.”

  Chapter 13

  The sun was low on the horizon, preparing for its rapid plunge below the western skyline, but the day was still warm, carrying a comfortable southwesterly breeze through the screened windows. Alex savored the pleasant draft blowing through his office, knowing that a similar breeze might not push through the house again until mid-May.

  He watched as Jamie McDaniels’ white Volvo Cross-Country station wagon pulled into the driveway across the street. She stopped the car short of the left bay door, as her two girls, Amanda and Katherine, poured out of the right rear door of the wagon. Jamie usually picked them up from after-school care and arrived home about an hour earlier than her husband Matt.

  Her husband would arrive around five thirty, after a series of school administrative meetings. Matt McDaniel was the newly hired principal for the ailing Portland High School. Because of their close contact with the schools, especially Falmouth, Alex and Kate considered the McDaniels’ household to be at high risk. They planned to watch the McDaniel household very closely.

  Kate yelled up the stairs. “Your phone is buzzing again. 860 area code. Why don’t you just turn it off if you’re not going to answer it? It’s starting to drive me nuts down here!”

  Walking downstairs to Kate he could smell the warm shampoo-scented air funneling out of the bathroom.

  “I’ll just put it in my office. I want to keep tabs on who’s calling. 860 is Hartford, I think. Could be the regional office.”

  Kate stood in the kitchen holding his phone up to her ear, apparently talking to someone.

  “No, I believe what he was trying to say is he will no longer do your bidding… Yes…Yes, I understand your position, but his hasn’t changed.”

  Alex was momentarily stunned, standing at the end of the banister.

  “Please tell me you’re kidding,” he pleaded, and she started to laugh.

  “You know I would never do anything like that,” she said.

  “Uh, I wouldn’t put it past you. Let’s just leave it at that,” he replied, snatching the phone from his wife and giving her a playful kiss.

  “Where’s Emily?” he asked.

  “She’s out on the picnic table with some books,” she replied.

  Alex took a few steps away from the stairs and glanced out into the backyard. Dressed in brown pants and a light blue hooded sweatshirt, Emily sat at the picnic table with an open book.

  “Hey, hon, if one of our kids is going to be out of the house, one of us should be with them. At least, really close by. I don’t think it’s a problem right now, and please don’t think I’m picking on you for any reason. I just think they need to get used to the idea of a more restrictive environment, and I’d feel more comfortable if we directly man
aged their contact outside of the house,” he said, cringing.

  “Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that being confined to the yard is not restrictive. I told her she had to stay in the yard, and I explained to her that if any of her friends came over, she needed to come tell me, so I could handle the situation. I think the rules are adequate.”

  “I wasn’t implying that her being out there alone is wrong, I’m just saying that when the schools close, every kid on the block is going to be home, with nothing to do, and many of them with parents that still don’t fully grasp what is happening. We’ll need to be all over our kids.”

  “I was keeping a close eye on her from the kitchen, but you’re right,” she conceded, looking out at Emily.

  “Let’s see who called from 860,” he said and dialed his voicemail.

  As he listened to the message, Ryan walked into the kitchen and sat with Kate at the table. Alex caught Kate’s glance and shook his head.

  “Regional manager,” he called out across the kitchen, disappearing into the mudroom. Sitting in his favorite seat, he sat back deeply in the leather chair, and took in its rich smell while trying to calm himself for the call to Michelle Harke.

  “Hi, Anna, this is Alex Fletcher up in Portland, Maine. I just received a call from Michelle indicating that she wanted me to call her immediately,” he said.

  “Oh hi, Alex. Yes, she just let me know. I’ll put you through to her,” Anna said, her tone not indicating any knowledge of the issue at hand.

  “Hey, Alex, thank you for calling me back so quickly,” Michelle answered.

  He could read nothing from her tone, but Michelle had always been difficult to read. On the surface, she projected a warm, semi-casual approach to her job, but her word choice betrayed a business-only hardwiring that he never trusted.

  “No problem at all, Michelle,” he responded.

  “Ted told me that you depleted your sample inventory on Friday, which baffles me considering the amount of direction sent to representatives regarding the disposition of field samples. I know that all of the district managers communicated the no-sampling policy to their reps, and I know that headquarters reinforced and explained the policy via email. I didn’t think there could be any confusion about the policy, but clearly there might have been a miscommunication. Can you help me with this one?”

  “I’m not sure I’m going to make this any easier for you, or maybe I will. There was no confusion about the direction. I just chose to ignore it and provide all of my samples to the head of the Infectious Disease Department at Maine Medical Center. As I told Ted, I felt a moral imperative to put the samples into his hands, and not let them sit around my storage locker—waiting for the next round of doomed negotiations between Biosphere and the government.”

  “I guess I still don’t understand, especially given your military background. You’re saying that the direction was clear, but you chose to disregard the policy anyway? To disobey a direct order?”

  Alex detected a shift in her tone. Although her corporate central processor gave her away after a few seconds of talking, her use of a condescending rhetorical question completely stripped away the camouflage. He expected the phone call to deteriorate from this point forward, not that it really started on anything he would consider a high point.

  “Yes, I think that sums it up,’ he said, suppressing a desire to engage her sarcastically.

  “Well, Alex, I’m having a tough time with this one. My first instinct is to let you go immediately, but the company is committed to maximizing the effectiveness and impact of the PRP. So—”

  “PRP? I’m not familiar with the term.”

  “Pandemic Redeployment Program,” she clarified.

  “Got it. Moving us to Massachusetts.”

  “Right. As I was saying, because of Biosphere’s commitment to this program, I don’t think this would be a good time to weaken our sales force by lowering the head count,” she said.

  “You mean like firing me?” he asked.

  “Well, yes. Under any other circumstances, I would initiate separation procedures, but Ted said that you seemed to fully support the PRP initiative, which surprised him since you routinely undermine his authority.”

  “He thought I was on board because I didn’t say much about it during this morning’s teleconference. Everyone else beat me to it. Anyway, I feel really bad about dragging this out, so let me make this easy for everyone. I have no intention of abandoning my family during the pandemic and relocating to Massachusetts, even temporarily. I don’t really plan to leave my house until this whole thing has cleared up. So, would it be easier for the company if I just resigned?”

  The line remained silent for a few seconds.

  “Is that what you want to do?” she asked.

  “Yes, I would like to resign my position. Right now. It doesn’t make any sense to continue this relationship. Do I need to send a letter to anyone? Or do anything officially?”

  “No. I will initiate resignation procedures, and we should have you closed out in a few days. Ted will contact you with the details and a close out checklist,” she stated.

  “At least the inventory should go smoothly,” Alex added, unable to resist.

  “This might not be such a laughing matter to you after legal takes a closer look at your actions. I’ve already brought the matter to their attention, and between you and me, I don’t plan to let this slip away,” she warned.

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine. A legitimate sample transaction to a licensed physician. Head of the Infectious Disease Department, no less. I’m not worried. Thanks for taking this personally though,” he said, feeling the blood rise to his face.

  “We’ll just let the lawyers figure that out. I’m sure they’ll find something, and we’ll be sure to help them along.”

  Michelle’s parting comment broke down his remaining sarcasm barrier.

  “Well, you’d better tell them not to drag out their investigation. I’d be willing to bet that in a few weeks, most of them will either be dead or hooked up to a ventilator somewhere in the greater New York metro area, if they’re lucky. Good luck avoiding the flu.”

  He disconnected the call, initially satisfied with his retort. However satisfaction quickly dissolved into a bittersweet disappointment for having descended low enough to invoke such a ghastly image and wish.

  Stepping into the garage he walked out onto the driveway and squinted, immediately hit with blinding rays of sunlight. It felt great to be outside, even if it was only to check the mail. Ed pulled into his driveway, just as Alex got to the bottom of the driveway.

  “Hey, Ed. You’re home a little early,” yelled Alex, waving.

  “Yeah, Samantha is running late at the firm, so I figured I’d grab some Chinese on the way to pick up the kids,” he said, walking over to Alex. “What about you guys? Abby said that Emily wasn’t in school, and Chloe didn’t see Ryan.”

  “We’ve decided to keep the kids out of school until we’re sure what’s going on with the flu. Based on what we’re seeing, I imagine they’re going to close the schools at some point this week. But they’ll wait till the flu is already in the schools before making that call.”

  Alex saw from Ed’s expression that he was seriously contemplating what he had just said.

  “I wonder if I could shift to working from my home office and keep the kids home. I’d hate to take any chances with them at school. But…I don’t know if I could pull that off. I still have to meet with clients…or I could reschedule for later…I don’t know. Do you really think the schools are going to close? HHS officials sound pretty confident that this won’t get out of control,” he said.

  “I wouldn’t count on it. Based on several unbiased projections from other organizations, the number of cases in the U.S. will exceed 2008’s total by the middle of next week. We’re really concerned,” Alex said.

  “I’ll have to talk to Sam about it. I know she can’t work from home.”

  “Well, if I were you guys—”
Alex started.

  “This can’t be good,” Ed interrupted jokingly.

  “Oh, it’s not. If I were you, I’d get your home office gig rolling and keep the kids home. Then, I would have your wife call in sick with flu-like symptoms. You can wait a few days for this, just make sure Sam is really careful out there, avoiding public places, washing hands a lot, watching everyone around her. By the time she calls in sick, there’ll be enough cases out there that no one will question her not going into the office.”

  “It’s not a matter of being questioned. She can take the next month off if she wants. She still has to meet her billable hours by the end of the year, or she loses money and looks bad as a partner.”

  “I know. Kate has the same issue. In a few weeks, this flu is going to jam things up pretty good, and nobody’s going to be worried about billable hours, year-end bonuses, or client meetings. The next few weeks will be critical. Hey, if we’re wrong, then everything goes back to normal.”

  “What’s Kate doing?”

  “She called in sick, but told them she would work as much as she could from home. She can access most of her work from our office, so her firm shouldn’t care.”

  “What about you? How long can you hide out? Didn’t you say they track all of your transactions with that computer thing?” Ed asked.

  “They can. However…it won’t matter since I resigned a few minutes ago. Things were getting crazy with them. They wanted me to drive down to Lawrence tomorrow to boost the sales force there. I checked online this afternoon and the Lawrence/Andover area has been hit by a sizable outbreak of the Jakarta flu. Upwards of a thousand confirmed cases in northeast Massachusetts, probably more. Lawrence General, Lowell General, and a few other bigger hospitals are taking most of the cases. Biosphere is sending nearly all of the Maine reps down there, probably New Hampshire and Vermont reps, too. Indefinitely. I told them to go pack sand. There is no way, I was going to sacrifice myself for Biosphere’s bottom line.”