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I replied that I could come now. This couldn’t wait. I had to face this head-on, or I’d never be able to focus on work.
I descended the stairs to the fourth floor and took the right-hand passage to the HR department, where I arrived in a small reception area. A plaque on the wall behind the vacant desk read “Human Resources.” White fluorescent tube lights beamed overhead. I shuffled my weight between my feet, waiting for someone to come to the desk. What was I going to do if they brought the Amelia Crook thing up? Play dumb, or confess that I knew something was afoot? And then what? Would they fire me? An image of stern, unrelenting Neil Kingston appeared in my mind, and I knew that if he got involved, he wouldn’t hesitate to fire me on the spot.
A pretty young blonde woman approached, snapping me from my thoughts. “Can I help you?” she asked.
“Err, yes. I got a message asking me to come to HR.”
“Amelia?”
“That’s right.”
“I’m Lauren. Come on through.”
She led me to a back office. The room was furnished with all black furniture, white walls, and silver accents. A bouquet of white flowers scented the air. The woman behind the desk wore a tailored suit and silver jewellery. Even though I hadn’t met her face to face before, I recognised her straight away. She was a prominent figure to employees in the business, the head of the HR department, Clara Evans.
My pulse sped up. If the head of HR was involved, it had to be something serious.
“Amelia is here,” Lauren said.
Clara smiled at me. “Take a seat.”
Lauren left the room as I shakily lowered myself onto the chair. I didn’t say anything. I waited for Clara to make the first move while I fidgeted with my hands in my lap.
“There’s no need to be so nervous,” Clara said.
I forced my hands still. “It’s not every day you get called to a meeting with the head of HR.”
Clara chuckled, her freckled nose crinkling. “This meeting is just to check up on you, to see how you’re doing.”
A sense of unease lingered at the back of my mind. “Oh. Why’s that?”
“I have it on file that you were a witness when Alex Patterson died. Is that correct? It must have been a traumatic experience for you.”
“Oh! That’s right. I did see Alex fall off the building.” I didn’t mean to say it so cheerfully, but I couldn’t help it. I was so relieved that this wasn’t about Amelia Crook.
Clara eyed me with a funny look. “It must have affected you quite badly.”
I tried to reel back my enthusiasm. “Yes, it did. I had flashbacks for weeks, and I still can’t look out the window where I saw what happened.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Did you see the counsellor?”
“I did. She helped a lot.”
“Wonderful. Anyway, I just wanted to reach out and ask if there’s anything else we can do to support you. It’s been a stressful time, both with the death of Alex and the restructure going on in the business.”
“It has been stressful, but I think I’m managing.”
“That’s good.” She leaned in, sighing. “Between you and me, the new CEO has my own stress level going through the roof. This whole restructure has been an absolute nightmare. No one’s happy with the situation, and it’s my department that has to deal with all the staff complaints.”
“I know what you mean. The communications department also has its hands full with both the internal and external comms, and we’re just drip-fed information from management.”
“I think all the departments are struggling. It’s not easy when staff have been cut, but the workload remains the same. Anyway, enough of my grumbling. Any other issues you’d like to raise while you’re here?”
I felt my temperature skyrocket and hoped it didn’t show on my face. If I were going to come forward about the suspected employment mix-up, now was my chance.
“Anything at all?” Clara asked.
“No,” I said. “All good.”
