The color drained from Decker’s cheeks. “Who would do somethingthatvindictive?”
“Someone seeking revenge,” Alexandra said. “Corporate sabotage is serious, which means the underlying cause is emotionallycharged.”
The two men stared at each other. Several seconds passed before Crockett turned his full attention to Alexandra. “Over the years I’ve terminated five—six employees at the most. Theft from the warehouse, poor performance, and falsifying a resume come to mind. Recently, I had an issue with oneemployee…”
Decker’s eyebrows shot up. “Youthink?”
“It’s possible,” Crockettreplied.
“She couldn’t do it without help from someone on the inside,” Deckersaid.
“Who?” Alexandrainterrupted.
“Ruth Lizzard,” Crockett bitout.
Alexandra hesitated. “Where have I heard that namebefore?”
“Larry Berry,” Deckersaid.
“Tell me about them,” shesaid.
“Not much to say,” Crockett replied. “Ruth did a great job running QA. Larry was on her team. Last year, I had a V.P. slot open up. After Ruth’s first interview, I eliminated her from the candidate pool. She wasn’t the right fit. Then, she propositioned me in exchange for the promotion. I refused her. She tried a second time. And again, I refused her, this time documenting withHR.”
“Then, she came after me next,” Decker said. “And she threatened to blackmailme.”
“Sounds intense.” Alexandra crossed herarms.
“I terminated her,” Crockett said. “She left and from what I’ve learned, she got a newjob.”
“With the competition,” Deckeradded.
“I promoted Larry into her position.” Crockett crossed his legs. “And that was the end ofthat.”
“Not necessarily,” Alexandra said. “What was his relationship withRuth?”
Crockett shrugged. “They worked together. I didn’t notice anything unusual, but I’m too busy to pay attention. Decker,thoughts?”
Decker scratched his head. “Ruth had a strong team. They all ate lunch together, but I never suspected anything between her andLarry.”
“I’d like to do a little digging,” she said. “Explore whether anyone you fired hasmotivation.”
Crockett wasn’t convinced a former employee would be involved in a scheme of this magnitude, but he was grateful for her help. “Absolutely. You can work withEllen.”
“I’d like to ask Larry a few questions,” shesaid.
“You can’t waltz in and say, ‘Hey, Larry, can I ask you about your relationship with Ruth?’” Deckersaid.
“Crockett can let him know I need additional quotes for my tech story. I’ll ask you and Natalie Floyd a few more questions, so he doesn’t suspectanything.”
Decker released a long sigh. “It mightwork.”
“I like this plan.” The frustration in Crockett’s eyes subsided a little. “Thank you,Alexandra.”
Suddenly, she didn’t care that she’d lost her only decent story to a rookie journalist. What mattered was helping Crockett with his business. Crockett Wilde was the absolute best man she had everknown.
And he deservedherabsolutebest.
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