Chapter 7 - The People We Kept
Saturday morning, twenty-two employees came to the plant even though we had told everyone not to.
Kevin was one.
Maria Lopez from purchasing was another.
So was Dev Patel, who had been machining for Carter since I was in college.
They wanted answers.
This time I gave them the conference room.
No locked glass between us.
I told them what I knew.
Bank sweep.
Unpaid payroll.
Financial review underway.
Customer funds restricted.
I did not tell them Dad had fled.
I said he was away seeking financing.
That was true.
Barely.
Kevin asked:
“What about our 401(k)?”
I looked at him.
“We're reviewing late remittances.”
“Late or gone?”
“I don't know yet.”
Maria slammed her hand on the table.
“How do you not know?”
I almost said finance handled it.
Didn't.
“I didn't look.”
That quieted the room more than an excuse would have.
Dev stared at me.
“You own part of this company.”
“Yes.”
“Twenty percent?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn't look.”
“No.”
He sat back.
I had known Dev since I was fifteen.
He used to give me five-dollar bills to sweep the loading dock.
He didn't look angry.
Disappointed was worse.
Maria asked:
“Are we getting paid?”
“I don't know when.”
“Can you sell something?”
“Maybe.”
“Equipment?”
“Yes.”
“Building?”
“The company owns one warehouse and leases this plant.”
“Sell the warehouse.”
I had already thought of it.
It was collateral to Merrick.
Nothing simple remained.
Then Kevin asked:
“Did Richard steal the money?”
“No evidence of that.”
“Then where is it?”
I looked around the table.
“Some was used to finish jobs that came before the jobs that paid for them.”
Maria frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means cash from new projects covered older obligations.”
She stared.
“For how long?”
“I don't know exactly.”
“Years?”
“Possibly.”
Dev closed his eyes.
Then:
“Why didn't you lay us off?”
The question surprised me.
“What?”
“When things went bad.”
I looked at him.
“You would've preferred that?”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“I would've preferred to know whether my job existed.”
The room stayed quiet.
Dev continued.
“My wife works. We could've planned.”
I thought of February.
Me in Dad's office.
Rachel saying we needed to reduce headcount by eighteen.
Me furious.
“You lay off eighteen guys and we won't get Hartwell done.”
Rachel saying:
“If we keep eighteen we can't afford, nobody gets paid eventually.”
I had called that dramatic.
I told Dev:
“I fought layoffs.”
He looked at me.
“I figured.”
“Why?”
“Because you're like your dad.”
That did not feel complimentary.
Dev continued.
“Richard thinks keeping people means helping them.”
I almost defended him.
Didn't.
Maria asked:
“What happens Monday?”
“We meet with a restructuring attorney.”
That word changed the air.
“Bankruptcy?”
“Possibly.”
Someone swore.
Kevin looked down.
I said:
“We're also trying to establish what funds should have gone to benefits and taxes before anything else.”
“Before wages?”
“I don't know the legal order.”
No false expertise.
Kevin nodded.
Then he asked:
“Where's Richard?”
I looked at Mom through the glass wall.
She was standing in the hall.
“New Jersey.”
“Why?”
“Trying to renegotiate financing.”
Maria laughed bitterly.
“He still thinks he gets to negotiate.”
That sentence stayed with me.
After the meeting, Dev waited.
“Daniel.”
“What?”
“Don't turn into him trying to save us.”
I almost smiled.
“That's insulting.”
“I mean it.”
“So do I.”
He looked toward the shop.
“If this place is dead, tell us while we still have time to find work.”
I nodded.
“I will.”
May you like
That promise scared me more than promising payroll.
Because telling the truth might mean being the Carter who closed Carter.
