The next morning, Richard emerged from the temporary quarters to a flurry of activity. Emergency vehicles lined the roadway above the site, and an air medical services helicopter was just touching down.
He walked over to a crowd of emergency personnel and construction workers assembled on the cliff overlooking the crane pad, trying to convey the appropriate mix of bewilderment and concern. A uniformed Honolulu PD officer approached, holding up a hand.
“Sorry, sir, you’re going to have to stop right there.”
“I’m in charge of the site, officer. I need to know what’s going on.”
“There’s been an accident.”
“My God! Is it serious?”
It came out just as he’d practiced.
“Yes, sir. A man is dead. Did you just arrive?”
“No. I’ve been here all night—in the living quarters.”
He pointed at the temporary structure with his thumb.
“Did you notice Mr. McCullough here yesterday evening?”
“David? Is—is it David down there?”
“I can’t confirm that yet. Did you see anyone yesterday evening?”
“I came out to check on progress when the crew was getting ready to leave—around four o’clock. I didn’t see anyone after that.”
“Do you usually stay all night?”
“When I work late, yes.”
A commotion interrupted the interrogation as a woman rushed down from the hilltop road, yelling.
“David! David!”
His sister, Michelle, sprinted toward the scene, flanked by two men from her crew. She arrived out of breath with tears streaming down her face. Richard winced as an unexpected pang of guilt fluttered through his stomach.
“Oh God,” she said, panting. “Is it true? Is it David?”
“Ma’am, can you come with me, please?” said the officer.
He escorted her to the ladder, leaving Richard and the crew behind.
Among those in the crowd at the top of the cliff was Don Lee, the local inspector with whom Richard had already had multiple run-ins.
“This is bad, Richard,” he said, shaking his head. “This is what happens when you cut corners on safety.”
“Are you kidding me, Don? A man is dead.”
“Just calling it like I see it.”
“You’re telling me these guys here don’t know what they’re doing?”
He gestured to the McCullough crew members milling about the scene.
“Of course not. This is a reflection of your operation.”
“This is our work,” shot back one of the crew, “and it’s exactly the fuckin’ way it’s supposed to be.”
Don shook his head.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Well, something isn’t right. I’m shutting this down.”
“Listen,” said Richard, raising a finger to his face. “You can’t do shit about a workplace accident. It’s not your job.”
“I can’t, but OSHA can. I warned them about your cavalier approach to permits and procedures, and they’ve got someone coming to make sure you get checked out for once.”
“Until now, I’ve just been fucking around with you, Don. If we get shut down, things are going to get worse.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Fucking right I am.”
Richard snarled and walked back to his temporary office to call the inspector’s boss.
***
The fallout of David’s unavoidable death spiraled out of Richard’s control. Undermining Don by the usual means wasn’t a problem, but short-cutting the OSHA investigation presented a challenge. The lead inspector, doubtlessly spurred on by Don’s warnings, shut down the site and sent home everyone who wasn’t involved in recovery and investigation.
Even worse, she’d refused to give a timeline for completing her work. The extra day David had gifted him by pre-assembling much of the crane was already gone, and things were getting tight again. Richard had no choice but to make a phone call that would reveal he had things somewhat less than under control.
He paced about the room with the phone pressed to his ear, listening to it ring. Admiral Daniels picked up.
“What is it?”
Icy. Richard winced.
“Thanks for taking my call.”
“By the sound of things, I didn’t have a choice. What’s going on?”
“The Beta is in jeopardy, sir.”
“I gathered as much. What’s the issue?”
“I’ve got OSHA crawling up my ass, and they’ve shut everything down.”
“And you need me to sort this out?”
“Anton’s name isn’t doing it. We need something official.”
“I’ll take care of it. Just make sure Beta gets done.”
“Yes, sir.”
He hung up the phone, relieved to have the Admiral on the problem, but frustrated he hadn’t been able to manage it on his own. To make matters worse, the morning of firefighting forced him to skip a couple of meetings and ignore his hits. He started triaging his overdue tasks and responding to urgent messages. Midway through composing a status update for Rebecca, a knock sounded on his door.
“Come in.”
“Mr. Vandergroot?”
He sat up in his chair, his nostrils flaring. The OSHA inspector—Reyes, or something. Under normal circumstances, he’d have corrected the omission of his title, but now was no time to quibble. He only had to appease her until Admiral Daniels got her off his back.
“Please, call me Richard.”
“Mr. Vandergroot,” she continued, “we’ve reached a conclusion on the death of Mr. McCullough.”
“And?”
“Accidental. Looks like he slipped on—on something.”
“That’s terrible,” he said, trying to convey the right mix of sympathy and relief. “So, no safety issues?”
“Nothing we’ve seen so far. The ladder and barriers are all good.”
“When can we start work again?”
“There are some other concerns,” she said.
Richard shook his head. Fucking Don.
“We’d like you to hold off while we look around and interview some of your contractors.”
“I’ll support in any way I can.”
“I understand you’ve been working with some Navy personnel?”
“That’s correct.”
“I’d like to make sure they’re available to interview.”
“I can’t help you there, but I can point you to their commanding officer.”
“That’ll do. I’d also like to interview you more formally.”
“More formally?”
He raised his eyebrows.
“On the record.”
“No problem. I can set aside some time for you tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’d prefer something sooner if—”
A buzz from the inspector’s phone interrupted her mid-sentence.
“Excuse me,” she said. “I need to take this.”
Richard looked at his own phone to check the time. Fourteen minutes had passed since he’d concluded his call with the Admiral. He listened for a sign the two calls were related.
“Yes. I’m here now,” he heard her respond to an unheard question.
“Accidental, yes,” she continued before another brief pause.
“There are a few more things I need to—”
A longer pause. She furrowed her brow.
“I have latitude in these situations to—”
Interrupted again before she could complete her statement.
“Alright. Understood.”
“Everything okay?” asked Richard.
“I guess I should have been expecting that. From what I hear, you’re not accountable for anything you do on this island.”
“I am held to the highest account for everything I do,” replied Richard. “And the implications of what I do reach far beyond what you and that other fucking weasel can appreciate.”
“That was a quick change in attitude.”
“There’s no longer a need to pretend you have any influence over what’s going to happen here.”
“I guess not. You’re up and running, asshole.”
Richard let her have the parting shot. He sat back and smiled as the inspector slammed the door behind her.
