Jack of No Trades Part 2

"He's a good hard-working technician!" defended Orrin.

"Sure," said Goil. "He learned the hard way. Through experience," he added sarcastically. "Can you tell me, Mr. Orrin, exactly what is Mr.

Maloon's job here?"

"He's an engineer fill-in," said Orrin with a trace of doubt in his voice. "He's on call and handy for just about any job around here."

"In a limited capacity, no doubt," Goil said dryly. "And he apparently does a lot of jobs around here he's not expected to do. A check of your tool cribs and equipment storage shows that Maloon has had his hands on just about everything you have available at one time or another since he has been here. Mr. Maloon is a very busy man during his off-duty hours, it seems."

"What has this to do with calling w.i.l.l.y in about the missing energizer and generator?" I ventured to ask.

"Part of a suspicion," Goil said. "Maloon's use of company tools and equipment increased just before the disappearance of those two pieces of equipment. It may be significant or it may not. What is significant is this: everybody having access to supply and equipment was out partic.i.p.ating in one way or another in the operation the other day. It seems that everybody can be accounted for but Maloon. He could easily have had time to get unauthorized items out of supply."

"This is fantastic!" snorted Orrin.

They don't know the half of it! I thought to myself.

I didn't want w.i.l.l.y to have to face Goil. w.i.l.l.y was weak in some ways.... Aloud I said:

"I know w.i.l.l.y quite well, Mr. Goil. If you will let me talk to him...."

"I'm sure you do," said Goil icily. "You and he came here together.

Even applied and were accepted for this job together," he added significantly.

There was a mild knock on the door. It opened slowly and w.i.l.l.y stood in the doorway, hesitating before entering, looking around the room.

He said:

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Goil?"

Mr. Garfield Goil, in spite of his somewhat unstable temperament, had made rapid strides in his career to his present staff position. He was no nincomp.o.o.p. He was well educated and trained, and had apparently learned to measure a man accurately and quickly. He so seemed to measure w.i.l.l.y at a glance, drawing, no doubt, also from his recent examination of w.i.l.l.y's records, and the personality profile he had gleaned from it. w.i.l.l.y (he probably reasoned) for all his foibles would be basically truthful, especially if confronted by Authority.

And he apparently was timid and obviously worried. Therefore, he must have some cause to worry. Therefore, the impact of direct action should produce quick results. Mr. Goil asked:

"w.i.l.l.y, we'd like to know what happened to the gravity generator and the sub-s.p.a.ce energizer."

Be it noted that it was a statement question and not an accusation.

But Goil said it in such a tone and manner that it implied that w.i.l.l.y and only w.i.l.l.y could give an answer.

w.i.l.l.y felt and looked the impact of the words. He looked pleadingly at me, whose eyes sought interest in one of the empty chairs. Then he looked at Orrin for succor, but Orrin only stared back at w.i.l.l.y half-accusingly.

But my own spirits had given a little jump at Goil's use of w.i.l.l.y's given name. This had not happened before. And this was most uncharacteristic of Goil, particularly in a situation like this one.

Could it be, I thought, w.i.l.l.y's personable influence working on Goil?

w.i.l.l.y floundered for words, then stammered out with, "I--I don't know what you mean, Mr. Goil."

Goil, apparently confident that his attack was going well, said, "I'm sure you do, w.i.l.l.y. Think. Wasn't it Thursday that you removed that generator and the energizer from the stock room? These are very expensive and complicated items, w.i.l.l.y. If they can be recovered, so much the better. What could you possibly have done with them?"

"I--I didn't--" w.i.l.l.y started weakly.

Goil stood up from behind his desk, leaned forward, and his features twisted even more in sudden anger. He shouted, "Maloon, you were the only one who could have taken them! The only one who was not working in the vaporizing operation. Maloon, I'm going to find those things, and I'm going to prove you took them if I have to stay here for the next six months! And then I'm going to fire you and prosecute you.

Maloon, what have you done with those things?"

w.i.l.l.y tried to sink right through the floor.

I felt utterly helpless and a little angry at Goil's bullying tactics.

Orrin, suddenly angry, shouted, "Mr. Goil, this isn't a court of law.

No one is on trial here."

"This may not be a court of law, Mr. Orrin," Goil said, no less angry than Orrin, "but you can call it a court of inquiry. You seem to forget that your position might be at stake here. Your interfering with my investigation will be taken into consideration separately after this matter at hand has been resolved."

This remark, and the severity with which it was made, only angered Orrin more, but he held himself in check.

w.i.l.l.y had been fidgeting and looking back and forth at Orrin and Goil with a guilty and despondent look on his face. He started to say:

"I don't want to cause any trouble, Mr. Orrin. Ah--just how serious--"

"Hold it, w.i.l.l.y!" I shouted. "You haven't been accused of anything yet. You don't have to say anything without counsel."

Goil turned baleful eyes on me, and I shut up suddenly. He said, "Mr.

Weston, let me repeat: no formal accusations have been made--yet. I am trying to learn certain facts. One fact I have learned already is that you are exceedingly friendly with w.i.l.l.y. Furthermore, you as senior engineer-foreman should be aware of what is going on around here. Mr.

Weston, you have not been absolved of this yet. Duty-wise, or personally," he added.

w.i.l.l.y was resigned to his own professional downfall. He looked and must have felt utterly miserable. He had done wrong and he knew it.

And he was not one to let his friends get any blame for what he had done. He said:

"That's right, Mr. Goil. I did take the generator and the energizer."

My morale suddenly hit bottom and flattened. My mind went into overdrive in an effort to think of some way to extricate w.i.l.l.y from his blundering admission. Poor w.i.l.l.y, who had the body of a wrestler, the temperament of a poet, and a boundless generosity wanted to confess all.

But what a sacrifice, I thought. My mind sought answers and words and found none.

Orrin stared at w.i.l.l.y, open-mouthed. He said unbelievingly, "What?"

"Yes, sir. I got the energizer and the generator."

Goil sat back with a self-satisfied look on his face.

I shot w.i.l.l.y a scolding glance and said, "w.i.l.l.y, you don't have to say another thing--"

Before I could get out any more words, Goil snapped out, "Weston, one more word from you unless I ask for it, and you will find yourself under station arrest for insubordination--do you understand?"

I clamped my mouth shut. The more I defended w.i.l.l.y, the more w.i.l.l.y would talk in order to protect his uninvolved friends.