Disclosure: A Novel Read Online Free

manufacturing from Seattle, turning it over to the individual product managers in California. Sanders hadn't paid any attention to those rumors, because they didn't make a lot of sense; the product managers had enough to do just pushing the products, without also worrying about their manufacture.

    But now he was obliged to consider the possibility that the rumors were true. Because if they were true, Sanders might be facing more than a demotion. He might be out of a job.

    Christ: out of a job?

    He found himself thinking of some of the things Dave Benedict had said to him on the ferry earlier that morning. Benedict chased rumors, and he had seemed to know a lot.
    Maybe even more than he had been saying.

    Is it true you're the only division manager who isn't an engineer?

    And then, pointedly:

    Isn't that pretty unusual?

    Christ, he thought. He began to sweat again. He forced himself to take another deep breath. He reached the end of the fourth-floor corridor and came to his office, expecting to find Stephanie Kaplan, the CFO, waiting there for him. Kaplan could tell him what was going on. But his office was empty. He turned to his assistant, Cindy Wolfe, who was busy at the filing cabinets. "Where's Stephanie?"

    "She's not coming."

    "Why not?"

    "They canceled your nine-thirty meeting because of all the personnel changes," Cindy said.

    "What changes?" Sanders said. "What's going on?"

    "There's been some kind of reorganization," Cindy said. She avoided meeting his eyes, and looked down at the call book on her desk. "They just scheduled a private lunch with all the division heads in the main conference room for twelve-thirty today, and Phil Blackburn is on his way down to talk to you. He should be here any minute. Let's see, what else? DHL is delivering drives from Kuala Lumpur this afternoon. Gary Bosak wants to meet with you at ten-thirty." She ran her finger down the call book. "Don Cherry called twice about the Corridor, and you just got a rush call from Eddie in Austin ."

    "Call him back." Eddie Larson was the production supervisor in the Austin plant, which made cellular telephones. Cindy placed the call; a moment later he heard the familiar voice with the Texas twang.

    "Hey there, Tommy boy."

    "Hi, Eddie. What's up?"

    "Little problem on the line. You got a minute?"

    "Yes, sure."

    "Are congratulations on a new job in order?"

    "I haven't heard anything yet," Sanders said.

    "Uh-huh. But it's going to happen?"

    "I haven't heard anything, Eddie."

    "Is it true they're going to shut down the Austin plant?"

    Sanders was so startled, he burst out laughing. "What?"

    "Hey, that's what they're saying down here, Tommy boy. Conley-White is going to buy the company and then shut us down."

    "Hell," Sanders said. "Nobody's buying anything, and nobody's selling anything, Eddie.
    The Austin line is an industry standard. And it's very profitable."

    He paused. "You'd tell me if you knew, wouldn't you, Tommy boy?" "Yes, I would,"
    Sanders said. "But it's just a rumor, Eddie. So forget it. Now, what's the line problem?"

    "Diddly stuff. The women on the production line are demanding that we clean out the pinups in the men's locker room. They say it's offensive to them. You ask me, I think it's bull," Larson said. "Because women never go into the men's locker room."

    "Then how do they know about the pinups?"

    "The night cleanup crews have women on 'em. So now the women working the line want the pinups removed."

    Sanders sighed. "We don't need any complaints about being unresponsive on sex issues.
    Get the pinups out."

    "Even if the women have pinups in their locker room?"

    "Just do it, Eddie."

    "You ask me, it's caving in to a lot of feminist bullshit." There was a knock on the door.
    Sanders looked up and saw Phil Blackburn, the company lawyer, standing there. "Eddie, I have to go." "Okay," Eddie said, "but I'm telling you-" "Eddie, I'm sorry. I have to go.
    Call me if anything changes." Sanders hung up the phone,