“No.”
“Did you ever say anything like ‘I hope this chemo works because it’s pretty expensive’?”
“No,” Todd answered firmly. “Did he say I did?”
“Yes, he does.”
“That’s a lie!” Todd slammed the table again, and Jason looked over with a frown, but didn’t say anything. Ray unfolded his arms.
Bennie bore down. “Did you ever explain to him the fact that the company is self-insured up to $250,000?”
“No.”
Bennie couldn’t tell if Todd was lying or not, but this was shaping up to be a credibility contest. “Youneverdiscussed that with him?”
“No.”
“Was anybody else ever around when he handed in expenses?”
“No, he brought them into my office.”
“Was Ray ever present?”
“No, nobody was.”
“How about your secretary?”
“Who has a secretary?” Todd snorted.
“Did he ever submit them by email?”
“He may have, I forget.” Todd permitted himself a half-smile. “I would say yes.”
“So would I,” Ray interjected, with a wry smile.
“Why do you guys say that?” Bennie looked from one to the other.
Todd chuckled. “We call Simon the Mad Emailer. He emails about everything and he writes paragraphs and paragraphs. He writesbooks. I barely get through the first paragraph.”
Bennie turned to Jason. “I’d like copies of Mr. Pensiera’s emails for the past year, his personnel file, call logs, purchase orders, and his sales info. It has to show department-wide sales, so I can compare his performance to the other reps. Can you send that to my office before the weekend?”
“Sure, that’s standard operating procedure.” Jason turned to Ray. “Can you make that happen by the end of the day?”
“Yes,” Ray answered. “Most of it’s in the computer. I’ll text Mona in HR so she can get started. She’ll have to talk to our IT guy.” He picked up his phone, texted a message, then set it down. “Thy will be done.”
Bennie smiled. “Thanks. Todd, let me ask you a few final questions. Have either of you ever had any training in employment discrimination laws?”
Todd blinked. “They send us to a bullet-point slideshow for sexual harassment. We go to some law firm in town. You wouldn’t believe the food. They put out a spread like a wedding.”
“Ray, how about you?” Bennie asked, turning to him.
“Not always.”
Todd interjected, “He cuts class. He’s a bad boy.”
“I have to work,” Ray countered.
Bennie forced a smile, her mood circling the drain. “Do you remember getting any training in the law under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act?”
