“Yeah, that’s the bugger. Well he’s married now and works in our sales division.”
“Yeah I know, so what’s he got to do with Trudy?” I asked suspiciously.
“Hold up Kev, maybe nothing; I’m working on a hunch here. Look Ryan’s always fancied himself as a bit of a stud, you must remember that.”
“More than remember Mark, I was a little reticent about the idea of Trudy working for the same company as he did. But I found out that he was in sales and Trudy works in the buying office. From what I’ve heard, nether the twain shall meet.”
“Dead right there mate; different divisions entirely and rather a lot of animosity between the two of them as well. But in personnel, I see and hear things.
“I’ve kept an eye on Ryan because the little shit nicked my girl once, back when we were in college; never liked the bugger since. Anyway once he got married he calmed down for a few years, as far as I know he toed the line, if you know what I mean. He was always full of it with the girls around the place, but I don’t know he’s stepped out of line with any of them, that I can prove.”
“Then about four or five years ago, I noticed that he was spending a lot of time in the advertising department. The next thing you know he’s joining the girl’s from there at lunch times. You know how it is with the girls’; they team-up together to go out shopping, to the café or the pub. Well, suddenly John Ryan’s tagging along.
“Took me a long time to work out that whenever Ryan went with them, one particular woman was always with the group. Didn’t matter where they went, half the time I have no idea where they went anyway, I only saw them leave and return. But one thing I could be sure of was that Ryan would be with the crowd that this particular woman was with. Not that I ever saw anything untoward happening.”
“So what does that prove?”
“Absolutely nothing and that’s my problem, or as personnel manager I could do something about it; I’d love to be able to fire Ryan just for the kick of it.
“But then some months later when I’m looking through the staff attendance records, just by chance of course!” Mark winked at me, “I discover that, by an extremely unlikely coincidence Ryan and this particular woman both have the same afternoons off for dental and doctors’ appointments etc.”
“A bit circumstantial isn’t it; who was this woman?”
“No one you know Kevin and she doesn’t work for the company anymore; she moved away shortly after she got divorced. And what’s more those coincidental appointments happened once or twice month right up until she left the company.”
“So you reckon…?”
“I don’t reckon anything Kevin, because I can’t prove anything. The woman’s old man never sued the company or anything, didn’t even lodge a complaint. I’m just working on the balance of probabilities.
“The point is about six months after that woman leaves, I noticed that John Ryan was suddenly paying calls on the service department. You know, the office where the girls’ who take the phone calls are. And yeah, it’s not very long before he’s going out to lunch with some of those girls. It took me a little longer to work out which one the second time, because they are a tight nit bunch in there.”
“Anyway when the woman in question started the afternoon appointment lark, I sent a memo round telling everybody that we in personnel were going to run a survey and would be requiring all staff to give full details of all medical appointments that required time off from work. I wrapped it up in a lot of shit about government statistical research etc. Anyway they apparently bought it, and both stopped the medical appointment game.
“But they must have been getting-it-on somewhere out of working hours though, because I’m pretty sure it went on for about a year, until the female in question went on maternity leave. Anyway then it was back to the Advertising department for Ryan.”
“You think he got the woman pregnant?”
“Haven’t the faintest idea Kevin. She’s still with her husband anyway. She never returned to the company though; works for a company out in the sticks somewhere now. But that don’t mean that Ryan isn’t still banging her on the quiet.
“Anyway I’m convinced he scored with some other silly tart from advertising and he was banging her for about eighteen months until she had an accident. Don’t know what happen, but she was knocked around pretty bad. Finished up leaving the company, as well and I know nothing much about her since; except for a couple of reference requests from outfits down Bristol way. Looks like she must have moved. Interesting that John Ryan was mugged around the same time as she had her accident though.”
“So you’re suggesting…”
“Nothing Kevin. But what would you do in her old man’s position?”
“Kick the bitch out!”
“Well, maybe her old man just knocked her about a bit and forgave her. Anyway that’s the background. What I needed to tell you about is, that John Ryan has been hanging around the buying department for the last few weeks. And if you don’t mind me saying, with your Trudy being the best looking woman in there, if not the whole damned company, then as an old mate I thought it was only fair to let you know the score.
“Look, I’m not saying that Trudy would do anything she shouldn’t. But John Ryan’s a very handsome bloke, he’s always had the gift of the gab and he’s a very patient man. I really think it would take a very special woman not to have him turn her head, even just the once. I don’t know exactly how he does it, but somehow he seems to get every woman he sets his sights on.”
“I’ll give you that, we all thought that Gina was really stuck on you at the time.” I said remembering the girl that John Ryan had stolen from Mark.
“Yeah goes to show, don’t it. You never can tell what’s going on in a woman’s mind even if you’ve known her for years.”
“Or you’re married to her, I assume you’re suggesting!”
“I’m suggesting nothing Kevin, I’m just giving you the background so you can take whatever pre-emptive action that you deem necessary.”
“Thanks Mark, I trust Trudy with my life. But only a fool doesn’t watch his own back.”
“If I spot anything more definite Kevin, I’ll let you know, and by the way I really hope I’m wrong. But if by any chance I’m not, do me a favour in return and make an official complaint to the company; then I can have the satisfaction of sacking the bugger and making sure his wife knows why.”
===============================================
Not that I didn’t trust Trudy, but I thought it would be prudent to take some kind of pre-emptive action. After a lot of soul searching, the method I chose was the threat of publicity that nowadays bugs celebrities so much.
An old friend of mine teaches photography at a local technical college; I had a quiet word with him and he set some of his special students the task of getting a few candid shots of two particular people. Yeah well, those paparazzi buggers have to learn their trade somewhere.
They didn’t have to be suggestive pictures or anything, just candid shots of the two of them going about their normal daily lives, preferably in close proximity to each other. The sort of pictures that the paparazzi take of the rich and famous, all the time.