“Maybe I’ll put in a request for a standing desk,” I offer. Not that I think I would actually enjoy one of them, but to show him that I took his words at face value.
Oliver nods. “What have you got for me?”
I go through the list I’ve collected. Requests for his time, mostly from people outside of the company. In house most people run things to their manager, then director, then their C-level if needed. The executive team brings the big-picture items to Oliver, the rest he trusts the team to handle.
“Um, the president of Croatia wants to meet when you are in Dubrovnik for the marathon relay?” I say, but the words come out as a question. I’m not entirely sure it isn’t a prank.
But Oliver doesn’t skip a beat. “Ah yes. He’s a good friend. I’ll get back to him today and confirm a time to meet. I’ll make sure you have the details for my schedule.” Oliver says this quickly, rushing to get to the next topic.
I nod and make a note. I knew FIRE was a big deal in the endurance-racing world. To have the attention of world leaders, though. I’m astonished at what Oliver has built. But I guess he never does anything halfway.
We go over his full itinerary for the next four weeks. Not only is he attending two of our events in North America, but he is racing one of our events in Brazil at the end of the month, which means I need to make sure all his gear is with him too.
“One final item,” I begin, a little nervous to even mention it. Because, depending on his response, I will either have my faith in Uncle Ollie confirmed or shattered. “Titus Kilbride is registered for our ultra-triathlon in Miami.” The man is notorious. An ex-senator accused of sexual harassment and assault by multiple female staffers. The trial was all over the news, but the case was dropped on a technicality. The consensus is he did it; the prosecution just can’t prove it. “Do we really want him on one of our courses?”
Uncle Ollie nods his head, thinking of his response. “Hmm, I do believe in the justice system. Even when it doesn’t work as well as it should. I’m happy to relieve him of his money if he wants to spend it.”
My childlike admiration for my dad’s best friend, my uncle, one of my sports heroes, buckles. “But won’t it tarnish our brand?” Most everyone agrees he is guilty and getting away with it. Not to mention that he poses a potential security risk for our female athletes, and the damage his association could do to our brand is significant.
“Should we be in the business of judging people?” Uncle Ollie’s face is unreadable. He leans back in his chair, as if the burden of this topic is heavy enough to push him back. “Do we decide that his punishment for his crimes is that he can’t subject himself to seventeen hours of voluntary torture? I don’t like the guy. But cancelling his registration doesn’t feel like justice.”
The potential headlines flash in my mind. If FIRE refunds him and bars him from competing, the logical next question is, on what grounds? We could have a PR nightmare because “he is a jerk” is unfortunately still not a crime. I let out a frustrated sigh. “Could I throw a stick in the spokes of his bike tires?”
Uncle Ollie leans in and gives me a wink. The same one he would give me when he would sneak extra cookies onto my plate at one of my parents’ BBQs. “I like that plan. Has some wrinkles in it, though. Primarily, you getting charged with assault. Then he sues the company and we may have to go under, due to a mountain of legal fees.” He is silent for a moment, as if he is actually considering this. His playing along pacifies my concerns. He locks his eyes with mine before raising one eyebrow. “Or what if we could get him to admit to his crimes on course? Get incriminating evidence?”
I laugh, because that has to be a joke. A daydream. That this notorious predator could be put away. “Like he’d confess so easily.”
Oliver resets in his chair and shrugs. “You’d be surprised what smug criminals think they can get away with. He thinks no one can touch him. He’ll forget the part of the athlete waiver that says we record all of our events. The assumption is that it is for marketing and promotion. But he doesn’t know that we could pick up the audio.”
That’s the stereotype of criminals; they slip up eventually. Get too bold. But what does Uncle Ollie know about criminals? It would be nice to see the guy behind bars, but we’re not trained to coax out confessions. Best we can do is hope he has the worst day of his life on course.
“I hear your concern, Charlie. Let me think on this,” Oliver says as he checks his smartwatch, which is actually a top-of-the-line fitness and biometrics tracking device. “I have another meeting in ten and I still have one topic for us to go over.”
“Sure thing, what is it?” I ask, trusting he will circle back to this problem.
“You’re brand new – what are your impressions of the team so far?” he asks, his hands behind his head, reclining in his chair once more.
“Oh.” My shoulders relax at this question. I was expecting a new laundry list of items to complete. I think about his query, realizing there are office politics in play. I don’t know enough about them to answer carefully. I choose the brutally honest route. “Everyone is on their A game, that’s for sure.” You have to be an elite athlete to win a FIRE race and you need to be elite in your profession to work here.
Oliver nods, but I sense this isn’t the answer he was hoping for. “Charlie, I know you are a hard worker; you’re a team player.”
I nod along, eager for this praise.
“But you are also very trusting.” As he says this, something in my gut reacts. Because I tend to believe the best in people. I trust people until they give me a reason not to. And the only person to betray that trust thus far in my life has been, well, me. My body. “I need you to be on the lookout for me. Someone on the team . . .” He pauses, searching for the exact right way to phrase his next words. “I think someone is sharing company secrets.”
I sit back. As if this knowledge is a hot stove that I’ve skirted too close to. What Oliver is concerned about makes sense. With success comes competition. Each year, more race operators try to put their own spin on FIRE events. Mimicking distances, course venues, and sometimes even the branding.
“Can you keep an eye out for anyone acting suspiciously?” Oliver tasks me with this secret responsibility.
Immediately, I think of Celine and her cool attitude. About Declan and his refusal to let me in the building. What am I looking for? Watching out for? Will I know corporate espionage when I see it?
6
DECLAN
One more meeting and then it is the weekend.
An hour and then I’m out of here.
